FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks With Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Rosenbad
Stockholm, Sweden
May 14, 2013
PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: Okay, warmly welcome. It’s a great pleasure for me to welcome Secretary of State John Kerry to Sweden and Stockholm only a few months after his appointment. It’s a sign of the excellent bilateral relations between Sweden and the United States. Links between our two countries go far back in history, and the King and Queen of Sweden and Vice President Joe Biden celebrated last week the foundation of the colony New Sweden situated in Delaware some 375 years ago.
At the heart of our relations are the core values that we share: freedom, democracy, respect for human rights. It’s also the same values that Raoul Wallenberg stood up for. But the U.S. is also a key partner in trade and investment. Sweden is actually one of the largest investors per capita in the U.S. Sweden’s foreign – Swedish foreign direct investment and trade with Sweden create around 250,000 jobs in the U.S.
During our talks today, we have stressed the importance of a EU-U.S. trade and investment agreement. It could actually increase trade flows with as much as 20 percent. It’s together one third of the world trade, world economy, we are talking about. We also explained the difficult economic situation that many EU member-states now are experiencing and the measures that are taken to revert to growth and employment.
We have also talked about the disastrous situation in Syria and developments in Afghanistan. I’ve informed the Secretary of State about the discussions going on in Sweden at the moment of our engagement in Afghanistan post-2014. Afghanistan will be one of our most important partners in development aid in the coming years.
So there is a common understanding between Sweden and the U.S. on many of these questions. Your visit will help develop our shared views and relations even further. And so I wish you the best of luck both in Stockholm and now heading for Kiruna. I mentioned I made my military service there. It’s a meeting with the Arctic Council, but it will also be a meeting with the Arctic climate, could actually be some snow as well, so be prepared.
Welcome.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Prime Minister Reinfeldt, thank you very much. I’m from Boston, so I’m prepared. (Laughter.) I’m really delighted to be here with you today and I look forward to getting to Kiruna later in the day. I didn’t know you had done your military service there, so I’m going to check out just how safe you made it for us. (Laughter.)
PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: Absolutely.
SECRETARY KERRY: It’s a real pleasure for me to be back in Stockholm. I came here a number of years ago when I was traveling through this part of the world working on the issue of acid rain, and we made a lot of progress with respect to the Montreal Protocol. We now have to make a lot of progress with respect to the challenge of global climate change, and we talked about that earlier today.
But I want to thank – I want to begin today by just thanking the Prime Minister and the citizens of Sweden and your Foreign Minister Carl Biltd, who had to leave us to go up to Kiruna to prepare for the meetings, and I will join him there later. But I want to thank you for the very strong partnership with the United States of America. We are deeply appreciative. This is an important partnership that is based on our shared values and on a lot of shared aspirations for peace, for better relations between countries, and certainly for the combined security and prosperity of all of our people.
I really want to salute the Prime Minister and the people of Sweden for taking on some of the toughest challenges of our time. The Swedish people should be very, very proud, and I know they are, of the work of their government and their own contributions to significant challenges on a global basis. And this goes way back, from the Balkans to the great challenges of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Middle East peace process, and now Syria, where Sweden is one of the great contributors, I think one of the more significant contributors to the humanitarian crisis in that area.
We also are very appreciative in the United States for Sweden’s efforts with respect to Afghanistan. In fact, no country receives as much foreign assistance from Sweden as Afghanistan, no other country provides as much foreign assistance in Afghanistan as Sweden does. And it has significantly contributed to the efforts previously in Kosovo, Libya, through NATO, though not even a member of NATO, but it’s made those contributions, and we appreciate it.
It is clear that the United States and Sweden share a common aspiration for the people of Syria. And given the sizeable Syrian community in Sweden, we know that the crisis of Syria is of particular concern to the people of Sweden, and Sweden has therefore been one of the generous donors of humanitarian assistance.
We’re also grateful for Sweden’s very strong stand on sanction and your appointment of a special envoy to the Syrian opposition, and Ake Sellstrom’s significant efforts with respect to the determination of whether or not chemical weapons have been used in Syria is of great importance to all of us. We welcomed him to Washington the other day and we welcome that initiative to try to determine the facts for the world.
We also share a mutual vision for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear threat in Iran. And Sweden deserves great credit for its defense of human rights of the Iranian citizens, and we thank them for that effort, too.
I also want to say that we appreciate Sweden’s partnership because these challenges in Europe and North Africa and Central Asia simply do not belong to one nation; they’re shared by all of us and they affect all of us. And at the top of that list of shared challenges which does not get enough attention, and it’s one of the principal reasons that I came here today to share bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister but also will travel on to Kiruna to take part in the Arctic Council, a principal challenge to all of us of life and death proportions is the challenge of climate change. It is not a challenge that can be solved by any one nation, and in our discussions with the Prime Minister he pointed out to me that, in fact, Sweden’s contribution to the problem of – to the problem of climate change is a tiny point percentage of the total problem. And yet Sweden’s contribution to the solution is much more significant than anything that might be expected because of the level of its own contribution to the problem. So Sweden is way ahead of the curve.
And I have to say that I regret that my own country – and President Obama knows this and is committed to changing it – needs to do more and we are committed to doing more. And we come here to Kiruna with a great understanding of the challenge to the Arctic as the ice melts, as the ecosystem is challenged, the fisheries, and the possibilities of increased commercial traffic as a result of the lack of ice raises a whole set of other issues that we need to face up to. So it’s not just an environmental issue and it’s not just an economic issue. It is a security issue, a fundamental security issue that affects life as we know it on the planet itself, and it demands urgent attention from all of us.
I will have more to say about this tomorrow at the Arctic Council, but I want to thank Sweden for its invaluable leadership as we work to strengthen our cooperation throughout the Arctic and more broadly to try to address very real challenges of life on this planet itself.
Like the United States, Sweden understands the challenge of bringing universities, students, scientists, businesses, cities, a broad array of actors have to come to the table in order to meet this challenge. And we have to produce best practices which can then be translated to action in countries around the world. This is why recently in my trip to China we joined with the Chinese, who together the United States and China represent more than 50 percent of the global emissions of climate change. Recognizing that, we have come together to elevate the dialogue between our countries, and we will be continuing that dialogue in Washington in a very formal way in July in an effort to try to do more to address this issue.
So I come here aware of the challenge with humility but with great respect for what Sweden has been doing in leading on this effort, and we look forward to working together on that and on many other challenges, Mr. Prime Minister. So thank you for a generous welcome today, and I look forward to answering any questions.
MODERATOR: Okay. We have time for a couple of questions. Please state your name (inaudible).
QUESTION: My name is Rolf Forschwidt (ph) from Swedish TV 4. Mr. Secretary, will you please tell us how many number of American soldiers will be kept in Afghanistan post-2014? And also, what do you expect from the Swedish Government, how many people we should keep in the country after 2014?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me begin with the second part of your question, Rolf (ph), and then I’ll go to the first part. How many soldiers Sweden leaves is up to Sweden, not the United States, and I’m not going to announce any expectations, except to say that I know Sweden has already made an announcement about the number of troops that it expects to have on an ongoing basis. And we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful for whatever Sweden decides to do. We believe that as we have said previously, in together, out together. That is the philosophy that has guided us with respect to Afghanistan.
Now, on the number of troops that the United States will leave, I can guarantee you it will be enough to get the mission accomplished that the President has defined, which after 2014 will be to continue to train, equip, and support the Afghan army and also to conduct sufficient counterterrorism operations that Afghanistan cannot be used as a platform to attack people anywhere in the world. The President is in the process right now – this week, next week, the next days – of deliberating about this. And I can tell you that very shortly, not too long from now, the President does intend to make public what his plans are for post-2014. But I can tell you he will – he is committed to continuing to support the mission, he is committed to continuing to support the Afghan military beyond 2014. And I leave it to the President to announce the precise contours of what that will be, but I am convinced that it will be adequate to meet the mission and to complete the task.
The final thing I’ll say is we have not invested in this, all of us together for all of these years, in order to invite failure as we begin to do the very thing we sought to do, which is stand up the Afghan military and capacity and provide a transition. We’re in the middle of that now. This is the first fighting season as the Afghans take the lead, and thus far they’re doing pretty well. So we need to finish this in a way that does honor to the sacrifices and the efforts of a lot of countries for the last 11, 12 years, and I’m convinced we will.
QUESTION: Kim Ghattas with the BBC. Mr. Secretary, first a question for you on Syria. You spoke a while back about needing to change the calculations that President Assad is making as you discuss the possibility of a political transition there. But Mr. Assad and his government forces seem to be making military gains on the ground, they seem to be regaining the upper hand, and it seems as though they are hoping that they can change your calculation about how this transition needs to go forward. They’re not even interested in coming to the table at the moment.
Can you foresee a scenario whereby Mr. Assad will simply stay in power and the conflict will simply go on? He has no interest in coming to the table at the moment with the military gains he’s making.
And Prime Minister, a question for you on North Korea. You represent U.S. interests in North Korea. Do you have any updates on access to Kenneth Bae or any sort of talks with the North Koreans on his status?
PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: No, not really. As you know, we are present there and also helping a lot of other countries, but I don’t have an update on these talks.
SECRETARY KERRY: With respect to Assad’s calculation, if he decides not to come to the table it will be another one of President Assad’s gross miscalculations. Now, I don’t believe that that is the case at this moment. The Russians – Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has informed me that President Assad has already given him the names of people who will negotiate.
So I don’t know where this information is coming from. You hear all kinds of reports right now. Let me just say to everybody point blank I have talked to the Secretary General in the last few days; I have talked to Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. They are both making plans for this negotiation to take place. I have talked with almost all of the foreign ministers in the Core Group who will be meeting next week together in order to lay plans for this negotiation. The members of the opposition have been in touch. I talked as recently as this morning with General Idris, who is committed to this negotiation process.
And I keep hearing some people suggest somehow that – the process moving away, not closer. I just don’t agree with that. Enormous plans are being laid. This is under the aegis of the United Nations. It’s not up to me to announce a date or the process. It’s up to the UN. But the talks we’ve had with them make it very clear that progress is being made. It’s only been five days since this was announced, and a huge amount of work is already underway. When we announced it, we said towards the end of the month or early June. We expect it to be exactly that, somewhere in early June I would hope. And that’s our current expectation. But as I say, it’s not up to me to set a date.
We will continue to work. We are all in touch; meetings are going on every single day. We believe the only way to settle Syria is through – the best way to settle Syria - is through a negotiated settlement. And that settlement process was set out a year ago in the Geneva communique, which calls for a transitional government with full executive power by mutual consent. The Russians signed onto that, the United States, and many other countries. That is precisely the formula that we are now trying to pursue.
Now, if President Assad decides to miscalculate again about that, as he has miscalculated about his own country’s future over the course of the last years, it is clear the opposition will be receiving additional support, there will be additional efforts made, and unfortunately, the violence will not end. But I know that the opposition and the support group, the Core Group of countries who have been engaged in this for some time, are deeply committed to trying to end the violence, to try to end the bloodshed, to try and save Syria, to keep a Syria as a united country which is available to all of the participants in the country. That includes Alawite, it includes Druze, Sunni, Shia, Christian. All elements of Syrian society should be protected and take part. And that is the approach which we are pursuing as a matter of conscience and also as a matter of practicality. And we hope we’ll have a chance to be able to get to that table. If Assad decides not to come, the world will see how empty his rhetoric is, as well as his intent.
Thank you all very, very much.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
ADM. STAVRIDIS PRAISES NATO AS HE STEPS DOWN AS COMMANDER ALLIED FORCES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Stavridis Highlights NATO's Progress as 'Force for Good'
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
MONS, Belgium, May 13, 2013 - As the flags of NATO's 28 nations cracked in the wind during a change of command ceremony here today, the alliance's outgoing and incoming supreme allied commanders noted the symbolism.
Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis passed the flag of Allied Command Operations to Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, who becomes the 17th commander of alliance forces, following in the footsteps of General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and Army Gen. Matthew Ridgway.
Stavridis was the first U.S. Navy officer to hold the position. The flags, he said "are a beautiful, powerful symbol of how we sail together."
The 28 NATO flags, joined by the flags of 22 partner nations, also fly in Afghanistan, and "they represent why we will succeed in Afghanistan," Stavridis said.
"I will miss being part of a 50-nation coalition taking on jobs like Afghanistan," the admiral said.
NATO has made extraordinary progress in Afghanistan, Stavridis said. "We have collectively built an Afghan security force of 350,000, ... and they will take control of their country completely on General Breedlove's watch," he added.
In the next few months, Afghan soldiers and police will protect more than 90 percent of the Afghan population, the admiral noted, citing a few more facts to highlight the progress. Afghan life expectancy has risen from 42 years old to 62 over the past decade. More than 9 million children are attending school, including 3.5 million girls. Afghans use 17 million cell phones, and there are dozens of radio and television stations broadcasting in the country. More than 70 percent of the population has access to health care.
"These are signs of progress that are undeniable," he said. "Challenges remain, but I believe we will succeed in Afghanistan because of the larger coalition."
The admiral said he looks at the alliance effort in Libya with quiet satisfaction, because the alliance saved tens of thousands of lives by its timely intervention in the skies over the nation. Aircraft, aircrew and ships from NATO and partners such as Sweden, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates worked together to protect life in Libya, he added.
Along with the European Union, Stavridis said, NATO has made great progress in Kosovo. The alliance has withdrawn many of its troops, and the admiral said he believes there finally "may be peace in the Balkans."
Looking ahead, Stavridis said he sees great challenges in Afghanistan and the need to protect NATO ally Turkey from the civil war in Syria spilling over its borders. NATO still needs to train together to be able to work together, he said, and this will be a problem as troops deploy out of Afghanistan and financial pressures cause governments to look for easy ways to cut defense budgets.
Finally, the alliance needs to continue to build a stronger strategic partnership with Russia, Stavridis said.
"NATO matters to the world," he added. "NATO brings security. NATO is a force for good in the world. I've been proud to be a part of it for four years."
Stavridis Highlights NATO's Progress as 'Force for Good'
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
MONS, Belgium, May 13, 2013 - As the flags of NATO's 28 nations cracked in the wind during a change of command ceremony here today, the alliance's outgoing and incoming supreme allied commanders noted the symbolism.
Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis passed the flag of Allied Command Operations to Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, who becomes the 17th commander of alliance forces, following in the footsteps of General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and Army Gen. Matthew Ridgway.
Stavridis was the first U.S. Navy officer to hold the position. The flags, he said "are a beautiful, powerful symbol of how we sail together."
The 28 NATO flags, joined by the flags of 22 partner nations, also fly in Afghanistan, and "they represent why we will succeed in Afghanistan," Stavridis said.
"I will miss being part of a 50-nation coalition taking on jobs like Afghanistan," the admiral said.
NATO has made extraordinary progress in Afghanistan, Stavridis said. "We have collectively built an Afghan security force of 350,000, ... and they will take control of their country completely on General Breedlove's watch," he added.
In the next few months, Afghan soldiers and police will protect more than 90 percent of the Afghan population, the admiral noted, citing a few more facts to highlight the progress. Afghan life expectancy has risen from 42 years old to 62 over the past decade. More than 9 million children are attending school, including 3.5 million girls. Afghans use 17 million cell phones, and there are dozens of radio and television stations broadcasting in the country. More than 70 percent of the population has access to health care.
"These are signs of progress that are undeniable," he said. "Challenges remain, but I believe we will succeed in Afghanistan because of the larger coalition."
The admiral said he looks at the alliance effort in Libya with quiet satisfaction, because the alliance saved tens of thousands of lives by its timely intervention in the skies over the nation. Aircraft, aircrew and ships from NATO and partners such as Sweden, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates worked together to protect life in Libya, he added.
Along with the European Union, Stavridis said, NATO has made great progress in Kosovo. The alliance has withdrawn many of its troops, and the admiral said he believes there finally "may be peace in the Balkans."
Looking ahead, Stavridis said he sees great challenges in Afghanistan and the need to protect NATO ally Turkey from the civil war in Syria spilling over its borders. NATO still needs to train together to be able to work together, he said, and this will be a problem as troops deploy out of Afghanistan and financial pressures cause governments to look for easy ways to cut defense budgets.
Finally, the alliance needs to continue to build a stronger strategic partnership with Russia, Stavridis said.
"NATO matters to the world," he added. "NATO brings security. NATO is a force for good in the world. I've been proud to be a part of it for four years."
REMARKS BY U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES IN SOUTH KOREA
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks to Press at Incheon International Airport
Remarks
Glyn Davies
Special Representative for North Korea Policy
Incheon, South Korea
May 13, 2013
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Hello, everybody. It is great to be here in Seoul. This is, I think, my fifth or sixth trip since starting this job at the end of 2011. I am looking forward very much to meetings with the new government -- in particular a session with my good friend Ambassador Lim Sung Nam -- but I will also go to the Ministry of Unification and to the Blue House to meet with colleagues there. And of course I will have a chance to talk to my very good friend and colleague Ambassador Sung Kim, and we will go to USFK and talk to General Thurman. So, it is great to be here. Any questions from anybody?
QUESTION: Mr. Davies, North Korea seems to find a way to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula these days. How do you evaluate the current situation on North Korea?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, sometimes North Korea creates the impression that they are easing tension because they cease doing provocative and dangerous and destabilizing things. But I do not think that is the same as easing tension. I think easing tension and making diplomatic progress will come when North Korea begins to live up to its obligations and to meet its expectations and gets back on the path of diplomacy and denuclearization. And that is really why I am here in South Korea, to talk to the ROK government about how best to send the right signals to North Korea so that it understands that it should get away from this kind of endless cycle of provocations, followed by periods of silence, followed by more provocations. What we need to do is to get back on a positive path toward diplomacy and toward real progress, and that starts with North Korea taking steps to demonstrate that it is serious about living up to its obligations.
QUESTION: Mr. Davies, the Bank of China publicly announced last week that it closed the account of North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank. With regard to China’s decision, how do you assess China’s movement?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, I think that is a very interesting and potentially important development that the steps are being taken by a number of Chinese banks. You know, this is my first stop. I go on from here in a couple of days to Beijing. And then after several days there, I will go to Tokyo, so I am spending the whole week in North Asia.
But I plan when I am in Beijing to talk to Chinese officials about the steps they have taken and see if there are not more ways that we can send very strong, united signals to North Korea that it is time to really return to the path of denuclearization and begin to take steps to demonstrate that they are serious about their intent to get back to diplomacy. So I find it a very interesting and very hopeful sign. And when I get to Beijing we will find out more from the Chinese about what it is it all means.
QUESTION: So do you believe it is a sign of a shift in China’s policy stance on North Korea?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, I think the Chinese attitude toward North Korea – I mean, I cannot speak for Beijing, I am not a Chinese diplomat – but from the American perspective it looks as if their thinking continues to evolve in Beijing. It is a new government in China, and they, of course, have their own set of interests in North Korea. They have a unique relationship with North Korea as its largest trading partner and political ties. So we will see what it means and we will see whether this signifies any kind of a real shift in how the Chinese are operating. But I find it quite interesting, it is hopeful, and I cannot wait to learn more from Wu Dawei and colleagues in Beijing.
QUESTION: When President Obama and President Park met last week, there seems to be a little difference between the ROK and the U.S. in terms of attitude toward Japan. So are you going to attempt to narrow the gap here in Korea?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well the point is North Korea is such an important issue. We have this shared interest, a similar, strong interest in all of us in the five-party process, the five-party partners, in trying to find a way to clarify for North Korea the choices that it faces.
So, I think North Korea is too important an issue really to get drawn into some of these other ongoing questions that are out there. That particular issue is not one that I work on, this issue of regional relationships so much. But again, from the North Korea perspective, we think it is very important that we continue to find ways to work together. The five parties, certainly the three allies, should find ways to work together on it because we all have the same interest in seeing progress made and seeing progress in particular on denuclearization.
I have to get into Seoul now and have some meetings, if that is OK with you, so thank you very much.
Remarks to Press at Incheon International Airport
Remarks
Glyn Davies
Special Representative for North Korea Policy
Incheon, South Korea
May 13, 2013
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Hello, everybody. It is great to be here in Seoul. This is, I think, my fifth or sixth trip since starting this job at the end of 2011. I am looking forward very much to meetings with the new government -- in particular a session with my good friend Ambassador Lim Sung Nam -- but I will also go to the Ministry of Unification and to the Blue House to meet with colleagues there. And of course I will have a chance to talk to my very good friend and colleague Ambassador Sung Kim, and we will go to USFK and talk to General Thurman. So, it is great to be here. Any questions from anybody?
QUESTION: Mr. Davies, North Korea seems to find a way to ease the tension on the Korean Peninsula these days. How do you evaluate the current situation on North Korea?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, sometimes North Korea creates the impression that they are easing tension because they cease doing provocative and dangerous and destabilizing things. But I do not think that is the same as easing tension. I think easing tension and making diplomatic progress will come when North Korea begins to live up to its obligations and to meet its expectations and gets back on the path of diplomacy and denuclearization. And that is really why I am here in South Korea, to talk to the ROK government about how best to send the right signals to North Korea so that it understands that it should get away from this kind of endless cycle of provocations, followed by periods of silence, followed by more provocations. What we need to do is to get back on a positive path toward diplomacy and toward real progress, and that starts with North Korea taking steps to demonstrate that it is serious about living up to its obligations.
QUESTION: Mr. Davies, the Bank of China publicly announced last week that it closed the account of North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank. With regard to China’s decision, how do you assess China’s movement?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, I think that is a very interesting and potentially important development that the steps are being taken by a number of Chinese banks. You know, this is my first stop. I go on from here in a couple of days to Beijing. And then after several days there, I will go to Tokyo, so I am spending the whole week in North Asia.
But I plan when I am in Beijing to talk to Chinese officials about the steps they have taken and see if there are not more ways that we can send very strong, united signals to North Korea that it is time to really return to the path of denuclearization and begin to take steps to demonstrate that they are serious about their intent to get back to diplomacy. So I find it a very interesting and very hopeful sign. And when I get to Beijing we will find out more from the Chinese about what it is it all means.
QUESTION: So do you believe it is a sign of a shift in China’s policy stance on North Korea?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well, I think the Chinese attitude toward North Korea – I mean, I cannot speak for Beijing, I am not a Chinese diplomat – but from the American perspective it looks as if their thinking continues to evolve in Beijing. It is a new government in China, and they, of course, have their own set of interests in North Korea. They have a unique relationship with North Korea as its largest trading partner and political ties. So we will see what it means and we will see whether this signifies any kind of a real shift in how the Chinese are operating. But I find it quite interesting, it is hopeful, and I cannot wait to learn more from Wu Dawei and colleagues in Beijing.
QUESTION: When President Obama and President Park met last week, there seems to be a little difference between the ROK and the U.S. in terms of attitude toward Japan. So are you going to attempt to narrow the gap here in Korea?
AMBASSADOR DAVIES: Well the point is North Korea is such an important issue. We have this shared interest, a similar, strong interest in all of us in the five-party process, the five-party partners, in trying to find a way to clarify for North Korea the choices that it faces.
So, I think North Korea is too important an issue really to get drawn into some of these other ongoing questions that are out there. That particular issue is not one that I work on, this issue of regional relationships so much. But again, from the North Korea perspective, we think it is very important that we continue to find ways to work together. The five parties, certainly the three allies, should find ways to work together on it because we all have the same interest in seeing progress made and seeing progress in particular on denuclearization.
I have to get into Seoul now and have some meetings, if that is OK with you, so thank you very much.
SCIENTEST FIND THAT ARTIC WAS MUCH WARMER A FEW MILLION YEARS AGO
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| Artic Sun. Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serrvice. |
Climate Record From Bottom of Russian Lake Shows Arctic Was Warmer Millions of Years Ago
The Arctic was very warm during a period roughly 3.5 to 2 million years ago--a time when research suggests that the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was roughly comparable to today's--leading to the conclusion that relatively small fluctuations in carbon dioxide levels can have a major influence on Arctic climate, according to a new analysis of the longest terrestrial sediment core ever collected in the Arctic.
"One of our major findings is that the Arctic was very warm in the middle Pliocene and Early Pleistocene--roughly 3.6 to 2.2 million years ago--when others have suggested atmospheric carbon dioxide was not much higher than levels we see today," said Julie Brigham-Grette, of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Brigham-Grette is a National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded researcher on the sediment core project and a lead author of a new paper published this week in the journal Science that describes the results.
She added that "this could tell us where we are going in the near future. In other words, the Earth system response to small changes in carbon dioxide is bigger than suggested by earlier climate models."
The data come from the analysis of a continuous cylinder of sediments collected by NSF-funded researchers from the bottom of ice-covered Lake El'gygytgyn, pronounced El-Guh-Git-Kin, the oldest deep lake in the northeast Russian Arctic, located 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. The drilling was an international project.
Drilling took place in the early months of 2009. The Earth Sciences and Polar Programs divisions of NSF's Geosciences Directorate funded the drilling and analysis.
Analysis of the sediment core provides "an exceptional window into environmental dynamics" never before possible, noted Brigham-Grette.
"While existing geologic records from the Arctic contain important hints about this time period, what we are presenting is the most continuous archive of information about past climate change from the entire Arctic borderlands," she said. "Like reading a detective novel, we can go back in time and reconstruct how the Arctic evolved with only a few pages missing here and there."
Results of the core analysis, according to Brigham-Grette, have "major implications for understanding how the Arctic transitioned from a forested landscape without ice sheets to the ice- and snow-covered land we know today."
"Lake E," as it is often called, was formed 3.6 million years ago when a meteorite, perhaps a kilometer in diameter, hit the Earth and blasted out an 18-kilometer (11-mile) wide crater. The lake bottom has been accumulating layers of sediment ever since the initial impact.
The lake also is situated in one of the few areas of the Arctic that was not eroded by continental ice sheets during ice ages. So a thick, continuous sediment record was left remarkably undisturbed. Cores from Lake E reach back in geologic time nearly 25 times farther than Greenland ice cores that span only the past 140,000 years.
Important to the story are the fossil pollen found in the core, including Douglas fir and hemlock, clearly not found in this part of the Arctic today. The pollen allows the reconstruction of the vegetation living around the lake in the past, which in turn paints a picture of past temperatures and precipitation.
"We show that this exceptional warmth well north of the Arctic Circle occurred throughout both warm and cold orbital cycles and coincides with a long interval of 1.2 million years when other researchers from the ANDRILL project have shown the West Antarctic Ice Sheet did not exist," the authors point out.
Hence both poles share some common history, but the pace of change differed.
Along with Brigham-Grette, her co-authors Martin Melles of the University of Cologne, Germany, and Pavel Minyuk of Russia's Northeast Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Institute, Magadan, led research teams on the project. Robert DeConto, also at the University of Massachusetts, led the climate-modeling efforts. These data were compared with ecosystem reconstructions performed by collaborators at University of Berlin and University of Cologne.
The Lake E cores provide a terrestrial perspective on the stepped pacing of several portions of the climate system through the transition from a warm, forested Arctic to the first occurrence of land ice, Brigham-Grette says, and the eventual onset of major glacial-interglacial cycles.
"It is very impressive that summer temperatures during warm intervals even as late as 2.2 million years ago were always warmer than in our pre-Industrial reconstructions," she added.
Minyuk notes that they also observed a major drop in Arctic precipitation at around the same time large Northern Hemispheric ice sheets first expanded and ocean conditions changed in the North Pacific. This has major implications for understanding what drove the onset of the ice ages.
The sediment core also reveals that even during the first major "cold snap" to show up in the record 3.3 million years ago, temperatures in the western Arctic were similar to recent averages of the past 12,000 years. "Most importantly, conditions were not 'glacial,' raising new questions as to the timing of the first appearance of ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere," the authors add.
This week's paper is the second article published in Science by these authors using data from the Lake E project. Their first in July 2012 covered the period from the present to 2.8 million years ago, while the current work addresses the record from 2.2 to 3.6 million years.
"This latest paper completes our goal of providing an overview of new knowledge of the evolution of Arctic change across the Western borderlands back to 3.6 million years and places this record into a global context with comparisons to records in the Pacific, the Atlantic and Antarctica," Melles points out.
The Lake E paleoclimate reconstructions and climate modeling are consistent with estimates made by other research groups that support the idea that Earth's climate sensitivity to carbon dioxide may well be higher than suggested by the 2007 report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
-NSF-
ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR MAY 13,
 |
| Marines fire an M777 A2 howitzer during a series of integrated exercises at the Combat Center’s Quakenbush Training Area in Twentynine Palms, Calif., April 26, 2013. The Marines are assigned to 5th Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. William J. Jackson |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force in Kandahar Province Arrests Taliban Leader
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases
WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and two other insurgents in the Dand district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
The leader has operational control over insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of weapons in Kandahar City and is involved in the construction of improvised explosive devices.
Also today, a combined force in Helmand province's Marjah district arrested an insurgent during a search for a senior Taliban leader who is in charge of at least seven groups of Taliban insurgents responsible for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. He is involved in all stages of operations, including procuring weapons and ammunition, planning attacks and executing those plans. He and his insurgent fighters also kidnap Afghan national security force members. The combined force also seized a rifle and ammunition.
In Afghanistan operations yesterday:
-- An Afghan quick-reaction police force killed three insurgents and wounded two others in Ghazni province's Andar district after two local policemen asked for help. The quick-reaction force found the policemen surrounded and receiving small-arms fire from 10 insurgents. This marked the second instance in less than 48 hours in which multiple Afghan elements, working through the district operation control center, combined efforts to defeat Taliban attacks against Afghan local police positions, officials said.
-- A combined force in Jowzjan province's Faizabad district detained a Taliban leader who is responsible for IED attacks in Jowzjan and Balkh provinces. He obtained weapons and ammunition for a network of Taliban fighters for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, collected illegal taxes from local civilians to fund insurgency operations, and provided intelligence on coalition force movement to senior Taliban leadership. The security force also arrested another insurgent.
-- In Baghlan province's Burkah district, a combined force arrested a senior insurgent leader with ties to the Taliban and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan who is in charge of a group of fighters responsible for a wide range of insurgent activities. He and his cell have murdered Afghans, kidnapped civilians for ransom, conducted robberies against local businesses and collected illegal taxes to fund insurgent operations. He also facilitates the movement of weapons and suicide vests. The security force also arrested another insurgent and seized an assault rifle, five rocket-propelled grenades, seven RPG propellants, two fragmentary grenades, ammunition, six magazines and IED-making materials.
-- Also in Baghlan's Burkah district, a combined force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader who is a known IED expert and has directed suicide-bomber attacks.
-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nahr-e Saraj district arrested two insurgents during a search for a senior Taliban leader who oversees insurgent cells responsible for attacks on Afghan and coalition forces. He and his subordinates are heavily involved in IED operations. He also directs the movement of weapons and connects with other insurgent leaders to report intelligence and receive guidance for his network's activities.
-- In Kandahar province's Arghandab district, a combined force killed a Taliban leader and another insurgent and detained two insurgents. The Taliban leader was in charge of fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also was involved in the obtaining of weapons and equipment for his insurgent group and directed night patrols to harass the local populace. The security force seized IED-making materials, an assault rifle, a pistol and four magazines.
-- A combined force in Wardak province's Sayyidabad district arrested two insurgents during a search for a senior Taliban leader who controls about 70 insurgent fighters responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also oversees local weapons trafficking and reports on insurgent operations to higher-ranking Taliban officials
In May 11 operations:
-- A combined force in Paktia province's Zurmat district arrested a Haqqani network leader who controls an insurgent cell responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and is involved in IED operations throughout the province. The security force also arrested another insurgent and seized a submachine gun, ammunition and IED-making materials.
-- In Helmand province's Marjah district, a combined force arrested a senior Taliban leader who is in charge of an insurgent cell responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also coordinates IED and suicide-bomber attacks and obtains weapons for insurgents. The security force also arrested two other insurgents.
In May 10 operations:
-- Afghan commandos, advised by coalition forces, detained 28 insurgents in Logar province's Muhhamed Agha district during an operation designed to disrupt insurgent activity in the area.
-- In Zabul province's Shah Joy and Gelan districts, Afghan Provincial Response Company Zabul, enabled by coalition forces, seized and destroyed 350 pounds of ingredients for homemade explosives and other IED components.
-- Responding to an attack on local police, an Afghan quick-reaction force killed 10 insurgents in Ghazni province's Qara Bagh district. The security force recovered three motorcycles, two assault rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade.
SOLAR DYNAMICS OBSERVATORY: THE MOVIE
FROM: NASA
Three Years of SDO Data--Narrated
This version of Three Years of SDO Data is extended, and narrated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center heliophysicist Alex Young. He highlights many interesting aspects of the video and points out several of the single-frame events that appear in it. In the three years since it first provided images of the sun in the spring of 2010, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) has had virtually unbroken coverage of the sun's rise toward solar maximum, the peak of solar activity in its regular 11-year cycle. This video shows those three years of the sun at a pace of two images per day. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Monday, May 13, 2013
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY MAKES REMARKS AT WORLD CULTURAL ECONOMIC FORUM
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
World Cultural Economic Forum
Remarks
Reta Jo Lewis
Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs
New Orleans, LA
May 2, 2013
Good morning and thank you for that kind introduction.
Governors, mayors, ministers, ambassadors, and other esteemed guests representing cities and countries around the world, it is a sincere privilege to be here with all of you. We are grateful that Ambassador Sergey Kislyak of the Russian Federation, with whom I have had the privilege to work, and the Ambassadors of Canada and Bangladesh have joined us today.
I would like to thank Mayor Landrieu and the City of New Orleans and the U.S. Conference of Mayors for hosting this dynamic program dedicated to driving the creation of vibrant cities. I am delighted to bring greetings from Secretary of State John F. Kerry to each of you as you gather to explore new ways to harness the power of culture as a force for economic and social change. What better city than New Orleans to host this event. Over the years, the people of New Orleans have demonstrated the resilience of the American spirit. We have witnessed New Orleans City leaders work tirelessly to build a stronger and more secure community.
During your time in New Orleans, you will have the chance to experience all that Louisiana has to offer – its art, music, cuisine, history, and more. I expect you will build new partnerships, meet like-minded leaders, and find new ways to cultivate the unique culture of your own city. And, hopefully, you will leave New Orleans with a deeper understanding of our shared history and the ties that bind our cities together.
As the Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, I lead the U.S. Department of State’s efforts to collaborate with state and local leaders and their counterparts abroad to foster economic, cultural, and educational relationships. My office is charged with building strategic peer-to-peer relationships with U.S. state and local officials and their foreign counterparts around the world.
In this context, pragmatic global partnerships between mayors from cities around the world that focus on solutions are essential to solving global challenges, such as climate change, human trafficking, poverty, food security, governance, and transnational crime.
U.S. foreign policy traditionally will be focused on nation-to-nation relationships. But the scope of what defines nation-to-nation conversations are shifting in the modern, more global, and more flattened world – rendering city-to-city, and state-to-state dialogues just as critical to the larger context of executing, implementing, and achieving a nation’s overarching diplomatic goals.
We understand that building peer-to-peer relationships between state and local elected officials has a direct effect on foreign policy that often goes unrecognized. Building these relationships and encouraging these engagements at the subnational level has the potential to be a force multiplier, expanding the reach and effectiveness of soft power.
Peer-to-peer relationships provide state and local leaders around the globe with an intimate glance into the American way of life, and, more importantly, into our democratic institutions and system of governance. Even at a more basic but equally important level, these interactions develop trust – an attribute essential to developing strong bilateral ties.
Confronting some of the most difficult global challenges will require innovative approaches to complex problems. Subnational engagement promotes the interchange of ideas and the adoption of best practices across different spheres. These peer-to-peer relationships between local leaders are critical if we are going to address difficult issues like climate change and urbanization.
One of the most serious challenges that we face today is the economy. When I started this job three and a half years ago, I reached out to local leaders in the United States who were engaging internationally, and asked them how the U.S. Department of State could assist them. The number one answer was to promote economic growth within their communities. Mayors and governors lead foreign trade missions because it is in their interest to do so. It is in the interest of our national economy to help local officials succeed in promoting their city or state, and ultimately making connections that lead to trade flows and economic growth which benefit all of us.
We have come to know that subnational engagement utilizes our state and local leaders as an extraordinary source of innovation, talent, resources, and knowledge. After all, it is the state and cities that are the engines of growth at the ground level where the transition from policy to practice becomes most visible.
Twenty-first century global challenges require us to work with new partners to collaborate and innovate globally to address common challenges. This is a core principal of subnational engagement, a strategy for creating partnerships for achieving modern diplomatic goals by including and engaging all the elements of our national power and leveraging all forms of our strength.
When former Secretary of State Clinton created the Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs in 2010, she emphasized the need to utilize local leaders as a key component in the much needed, widespread, and deep-rooted efforts to take on our world’s greatest challenges. A key part of that charge is empowering subnational officials to lead their states and cities to a stable and secure future.
My job is to connect what the Federal Government does best with what state and local governments are doing and can do globally.
To that end, the Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs, in conjunction with U.S. Embassies and bureaus, has led the negotiations and secured collaboration frameworks confirming commitments to prioritize subnational engagement with: Brazil (U.S.-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding to Support State and Local Cooperation), China (Memorandum of Understanding Supporting U.S.-China Subnational Cooperation), India (U.S.-India Conversation Between Cities), and Russia (Joint Statement on Strengthening U.S.-Russian Interregional Cooperation). In addition, we work closely with the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission.
The establishment of these four historic agreements provides opportunities for state and local leaders to increase exports, foreign direct investment, tourism, and other economic activity to support job creation and global competitiveness. Additionally, these cooperative frameworks allow subnational leaders to form innovative partnerships for education and sustainability. Advancing global collaboration at the local level is a catalyst for positive economic impact in cities across the nation.
We also have facilitated opportunities for state and local participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum events in Kansas City, MO in 2010, and Cincinnati, OH in 2012. The AGOA events were attended by African ministers of trade, infrastructure, and energy, as well as African business leaders and entrepreneurs.
I am also in New Orleans this week to advance U.S.-Brazil subnational cooperation. My office and the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security are co-hosting a two-day Symposium on Security for Major Sporting Events. We convened security officials from the Brazilian states which will host the 2014 World Cup games and officials from eight U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies responsible for the organization and support of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans to share best practices on the coordination of the largest annual sporting event in the United States. The recent tragedy in Boston reminds us of the importance of effective collaboration with local officials on the security of major events. The experience underscored the importance of heightened U.S.-Brazil cooperation on security.
Over the past three and a half years, I have worked closely with U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Thomas A. Shannon Jr., Mission Brazil and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs to expand relationships between U.S. mayors and governors and their counterparts in Brazil to encourage collaboration in areas of mutual interest, such as education, cultural and technical exchange, economic growth, sustainable development, democracy, social inclusion, and preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In April 2012, the United States and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Support State and Local Cooperation. This agreement affirms our mutual resolve to strengthen and expand cooperation and encourage peer-to-peer exchanges between subnational officials and local populations. These exchanges further enable local governments to bolster trade and investment, share ideas and best practices, and advance local priorities, while contributing to mutual understanding between our two countries.
In support of this agreement, I have traveled to Brazil and visited almost all of the host cities and states of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. My travels and direct contact with federal and local leaders have provided an excellent opportunity to bolster collaboration between local officials in Brazil and the United States. In addition, U.S.-Brazil cooperative efforts have focused on building economic opportunities for the U.S. private sector through Brazil’s unique position as host of these events.
At the request of Brazil’s Ministry of Sports, I traveled to Sao Paulo and Brasilia in November of last year with a dynamic delegation of sports and entertainment business leaders. The delegation’s collective and diverse experience enabled discussion on a variety of themes within the context of the mega-sporting events, including business opportunities, the creation of a positive legacy, the importance of community involvement, and racial and social inclusion. It also demonstrated the many possibilities for public and private sector engagement with the United States.
I returned to Brazil in March with a delegation of U.S. Government, private sector, and business leaders to further these discussions. We met with key interlocutors who are working actively to expand opportunities for partnerships between U.S. and Brazil state and local officials and the private sectors. Key meetings included discussions with: the Ministry of Foreign Relations; Agnelo Queiroz, Governor, Federal District of Brazil; the Minister of Justice, Special Secretariat for Security for Major Sporting Events; the Minister of Sports; and the leadership of the National Council of State Administration.
These meetings were a great opportunity to talk about the continued U.S. commitment to assisting Brazil in a wide range of areas which included the Brazilians’ interest in collaboration on security; youth development and training; women in sports; social and racial inclusion; accessibility; English language training; and cultural exchanges.
With approximately 400 days until the start of the World Cup, we are moving rapidly on several fronts to promote U.S.-Brazil cooperation to support the organization of mega-sporting events.
I will leave you today with a quote from John Kerry’s first foreign policy address as Secretary of State at the University of Virginia on February 20, 2013: "In today’s global world, there is no longer anything foreign about foreign policy."
Secretary Kerry believes that the everyday lives of the American people are more intertwined than ever before with the lives of citizens in countries throughout the world. No one nation can stand alone.
In the global challenges of diplomacy, development, economic security, and environmental security, we will feel our success or failure just as strongly as people in cities throughout the world who we will never meet.
We must understand and utilize the positive connection between culture, people, the economy, and diplomacy worldwide.
I thank you for your time today. I hope you take full advantage of this wonderful program and come away with a deeper understanding of the American people – and with enduring friendships that will strengthen the ties of our cities.
World Cultural Economic Forum
Remarks
Reta Jo Lewis
Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs
New Orleans, LA
May 2, 2013
Good morning and thank you for that kind introduction.
Governors, mayors, ministers, ambassadors, and other esteemed guests representing cities and countries around the world, it is a sincere privilege to be here with all of you. We are grateful that Ambassador Sergey Kislyak of the Russian Federation, with whom I have had the privilege to work, and the Ambassadors of Canada and Bangladesh have joined us today.
I would like to thank Mayor Landrieu and the City of New Orleans and the U.S. Conference of Mayors for hosting this dynamic program dedicated to driving the creation of vibrant cities. I am delighted to bring greetings from Secretary of State John F. Kerry to each of you as you gather to explore new ways to harness the power of culture as a force for economic and social change. What better city than New Orleans to host this event. Over the years, the people of New Orleans have demonstrated the resilience of the American spirit. We have witnessed New Orleans City leaders work tirelessly to build a stronger and more secure community.
During your time in New Orleans, you will have the chance to experience all that Louisiana has to offer – its art, music, cuisine, history, and more. I expect you will build new partnerships, meet like-minded leaders, and find new ways to cultivate the unique culture of your own city. And, hopefully, you will leave New Orleans with a deeper understanding of our shared history and the ties that bind our cities together.
As the Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, I lead the U.S. Department of State’s efforts to collaborate with state and local leaders and their counterparts abroad to foster economic, cultural, and educational relationships. My office is charged with building strategic peer-to-peer relationships with U.S. state and local officials and their foreign counterparts around the world.
In this context, pragmatic global partnerships between mayors from cities around the world that focus on solutions are essential to solving global challenges, such as climate change, human trafficking, poverty, food security, governance, and transnational crime.
U.S. foreign policy traditionally will be focused on nation-to-nation relationships. But the scope of what defines nation-to-nation conversations are shifting in the modern, more global, and more flattened world – rendering city-to-city, and state-to-state dialogues just as critical to the larger context of executing, implementing, and achieving a nation’s overarching diplomatic goals.
We understand that building peer-to-peer relationships between state and local elected officials has a direct effect on foreign policy that often goes unrecognized. Building these relationships and encouraging these engagements at the subnational level has the potential to be a force multiplier, expanding the reach and effectiveness of soft power.
Peer-to-peer relationships provide state and local leaders around the globe with an intimate glance into the American way of life, and, more importantly, into our democratic institutions and system of governance. Even at a more basic but equally important level, these interactions develop trust – an attribute essential to developing strong bilateral ties.
Confronting some of the most difficult global challenges will require innovative approaches to complex problems. Subnational engagement promotes the interchange of ideas and the adoption of best practices across different spheres. These peer-to-peer relationships between local leaders are critical if we are going to address difficult issues like climate change and urbanization.
One of the most serious challenges that we face today is the economy. When I started this job three and a half years ago, I reached out to local leaders in the United States who were engaging internationally, and asked them how the U.S. Department of State could assist them. The number one answer was to promote economic growth within their communities. Mayors and governors lead foreign trade missions because it is in their interest to do so. It is in the interest of our national economy to help local officials succeed in promoting their city or state, and ultimately making connections that lead to trade flows and economic growth which benefit all of us.
We have come to know that subnational engagement utilizes our state and local leaders as an extraordinary source of innovation, talent, resources, and knowledge. After all, it is the state and cities that are the engines of growth at the ground level where the transition from policy to practice becomes most visible.
Twenty-first century global challenges require us to work with new partners to collaborate and innovate globally to address common challenges. This is a core principal of subnational engagement, a strategy for creating partnerships for achieving modern diplomatic goals by including and engaging all the elements of our national power and leveraging all forms of our strength.
When former Secretary of State Clinton created the Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs in 2010, she emphasized the need to utilize local leaders as a key component in the much needed, widespread, and deep-rooted efforts to take on our world’s greatest challenges. A key part of that charge is empowering subnational officials to lead their states and cities to a stable and secure future.
My job is to connect what the Federal Government does best with what state and local governments are doing and can do globally.
To that end, the Office of Global Intergovernmental Affairs, in conjunction with U.S. Embassies and bureaus, has led the negotiations and secured collaboration frameworks confirming commitments to prioritize subnational engagement with: Brazil (U.S.-Brazil Memorandum of Understanding to Support State and Local Cooperation), China (Memorandum of Understanding Supporting U.S.-China Subnational Cooperation), India (U.S.-India Conversation Between Cities), and Russia (Joint Statement on Strengthening U.S.-Russian Interregional Cooperation). In addition, we work closely with the U.S.-Nigeria Binational Commission.
The establishment of these four historic agreements provides opportunities for state and local leaders to increase exports, foreign direct investment, tourism, and other economic activity to support job creation and global competitiveness. Additionally, these cooperative frameworks allow subnational leaders to form innovative partnerships for education and sustainability. Advancing global collaboration at the local level is a catalyst for positive economic impact in cities across the nation.
We also have facilitated opportunities for state and local participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum events in Kansas City, MO in 2010, and Cincinnati, OH in 2012. The AGOA events were attended by African ministers of trade, infrastructure, and energy, as well as African business leaders and entrepreneurs.
I am also in New Orleans this week to advance U.S.-Brazil subnational cooperation. My office and the State Department Bureau of Diplomatic Security are co-hosting a two-day Symposium on Security for Major Sporting Events. We convened security officials from the Brazilian states which will host the 2014 World Cup games and officials from eight U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies responsible for the organization and support of Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans to share best practices on the coordination of the largest annual sporting event in the United States. The recent tragedy in Boston reminds us of the importance of effective collaboration with local officials on the security of major events. The experience underscored the importance of heightened U.S.-Brazil cooperation on security.
Over the past three and a half years, I have worked closely with U.S. Ambassador to Brazil Thomas A. Shannon Jr., Mission Brazil and the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs to expand relationships between U.S. mayors and governors and their counterparts in Brazil to encourage collaboration in areas of mutual interest, such as education, cultural and technical exchange, economic growth, sustainable development, democracy, social inclusion, and preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In April 2012, the United States and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to Support State and Local Cooperation. This agreement affirms our mutual resolve to strengthen and expand cooperation and encourage peer-to-peer exchanges between subnational officials and local populations. These exchanges further enable local governments to bolster trade and investment, share ideas and best practices, and advance local priorities, while contributing to mutual understanding between our two countries.
In support of this agreement, I have traveled to Brazil and visited almost all of the host cities and states of the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. My travels and direct contact with federal and local leaders have provided an excellent opportunity to bolster collaboration between local officials in Brazil and the United States. In addition, U.S.-Brazil cooperative efforts have focused on building economic opportunities for the U.S. private sector through Brazil’s unique position as host of these events.
At the request of Brazil’s Ministry of Sports, I traveled to Sao Paulo and Brasilia in November of last year with a dynamic delegation of sports and entertainment business leaders. The delegation’s collective and diverse experience enabled discussion on a variety of themes within the context of the mega-sporting events, including business opportunities, the creation of a positive legacy, the importance of community involvement, and racial and social inclusion. It also demonstrated the many possibilities for public and private sector engagement with the United States.
I returned to Brazil in March with a delegation of U.S. Government, private sector, and business leaders to further these discussions. We met with key interlocutors who are working actively to expand opportunities for partnerships between U.S. and Brazil state and local officials and the private sectors. Key meetings included discussions with: the Ministry of Foreign Relations; Agnelo Queiroz, Governor, Federal District of Brazil; the Minister of Justice, Special Secretariat for Security for Major Sporting Events; the Minister of Sports; and the leadership of the National Council of State Administration.
These meetings were a great opportunity to talk about the continued U.S. commitment to assisting Brazil in a wide range of areas which included the Brazilians’ interest in collaboration on security; youth development and training; women in sports; social and racial inclusion; accessibility; English language training; and cultural exchanges.
With approximately 400 days until the start of the World Cup, we are moving rapidly on several fronts to promote U.S.-Brazil cooperation to support the organization of mega-sporting events.
I will leave you today with a quote from John Kerry’s first foreign policy address as Secretary of State at the University of Virginia on February 20, 2013: "In today’s global world, there is no longer anything foreign about foreign policy."
Secretary Kerry believes that the everyday lives of the American people are more intertwined than ever before with the lives of citizens in countries throughout the world. No one nation can stand alone.
In the global challenges of diplomacy, development, economic security, and environmental security, we will feel our success or failure just as strongly as people in cities throughout the world who we will never meet.
We must understand and utilize the positive connection between culture, people, the economy, and diplomacy worldwide.
I thank you for your time today. I hope you take full advantage of this wonderful program and come away with a deeper understanding of the American people – and with enduring friendships that will strengthen the ties of our cities.
U.S. MARSHALS ANNOUNCES LARGEST PROPERTY SALE IN THEIR HISTORY
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Marshals Announce Largest Real Property Sale in Marshals Service History
New York, NY – Joseph R. Guccione, the United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York, announced today the largest sale of real property in U.S. Marshals Service history. The 14-room, 5,130 square foot, pre-war luxury penthouse duplex apartment by renowned Italian-American architect Rosario Candela, located on Park Avenue, New York, NY belonging to Hassan Nemazee has been sold by Corcoran Group Real Estate. The U.S. Marshals Service, assisted by their national real property contractor, LPS Asset Management Solutions and Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that the property formerly owned by Hassan Nemazee has sold for $17,750,000. Nemazee was convicted for a $292 million fraud scheme and is currently serving 12 years in federal prison.
As part of the sentence, Nemazee was ordered to forfeit various real properties, corporate entities, hedge funds, securities accounts, and bank accounts, including his interests in an apartment in Rome, Italy; property in Puglia, Italy; a luxury yacht and private plane; various Manhattan apartments, including the one located on Park Avenue; a 22-acre estate in Katonah, New York; and various privately- and publicly-held companies.
"This marks the largest sale of a residential property obtained through ill-gotten gains in the U.S. Marshals Service’s 224-year history," said Guccione. "The Marshals Service has been able to compensate victims of this criminal enterprise by providing restitution payments in excess of $90 million. Depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains sends out a strong and clear message."
 |
| The U.S. Marshals Service administers the Department of Justice's Asset Forfeiture Program by managing and disposing of properties seized and forfeited by federal law enforcement agencies and U.S. Attorneys nationwide. The program has become a key part of the federal government's efforts to combat major criminal activities. The Marshals Service currently manages approximately 23,000 assets with a value of more than $2.4 billion |
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Marshals Announce Largest Real Property Sale in Marshals Service History
New York, NY – Joseph R. Guccione, the United States Marshal for the Southern District of New York, announced today the largest sale of real property in U.S. Marshals Service history. The 14-room, 5,130 square foot, pre-war luxury penthouse duplex apartment by renowned Italian-American architect Rosario Candela, located on Park Avenue, New York, NY belonging to Hassan Nemazee has been sold by Corcoran Group Real Estate. The U.S. Marshals Service, assisted by their national real property contractor, LPS Asset Management Solutions and Sotheby’s International Realty, announced that the property formerly owned by Hassan Nemazee has sold for $17,750,000. Nemazee was convicted for a $292 million fraud scheme and is currently serving 12 years in federal prison.
As part of the sentence, Nemazee was ordered to forfeit various real properties, corporate entities, hedge funds, securities accounts, and bank accounts, including his interests in an apartment in Rome, Italy; property in Puglia, Italy; a luxury yacht and private plane; various Manhattan apartments, including the one located on Park Avenue; a 22-acre estate in Katonah, New York; and various privately- and publicly-held companies.
"This marks the largest sale of a residential property obtained through ill-gotten gains in the U.S. Marshals Service’s 224-year history," said Guccione. "The Marshals Service has been able to compensate victims of this criminal enterprise by providing restitution payments in excess of $90 million. Depriving criminals of their ill-gotten gains sends out a strong and clear message."
THE LIGHTING CEREMONY AT THE 2013 WARRIOR GAMES
 |
| Paralympian gold medal winner Navy Lt. Bradley Snyder, with the help of Prince Harry and Olympian Missy Franklin, light the official torch to begin the 2013 Warrior Games at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., May 11, 2013. Photo by EJ Hersom |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Lighting Ceremony Kicks-off 2013 Warrior Games
By Shannon Collins
Defense Media Activity
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 11, 2013 - The 2013 Warrior Games began today when Navy Lt. Bradley Snyder, with the help of Prince Harry and Olympian Missy Franklin, lit the official torch during the event's opening ceremonies at the U.S. Olympic Training Center here.
From May 11-16, more than 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans from the U.S. Marines, Army, Air Force and Navy, as well as a team representing U.S. Special Operations Command and an international team representing the United Kingdom, will compete for the gold in track and field, shooting, swimming, cycling, archery, wheelchair basketball and sitting volleyball at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and U.S. Air Force Academy here.
The military service with the most medals will win the Chairman's Cup.
Snyder said he was honored to light the cauldron.
"I am humbled by the opportunity to still be a part of something very near and dear to my heart," he said. "The Warrior Games have already had an impact on so many lives, and I am truly honored to represent the U.S. Navy in broadening the event."
While serving in Afghanistan in 2011, Snyder lost his vision when an improvised explosive device detonated. He competed in the 2012 Warrior Games. Later that year, he went on to qualify in swimming for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where he won two gold medals and one silver medal. Snyder won the men's 400-meter freestyle on the exact one-year anniversary of his injury.
Third-time Warrior Games attendee Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. spoke during the event's opening ceremonies.
"Our nation's wounded, ill and injured are very special people to me and my wife, Mary, and they will continue to be special to us. This is the highlight of our year, every year," he said.
The admiral told the athletes they are the best of the best.
"You warriors are here because of your willingness to overcome great challenges, the challenges of illness and injury, both seen and unseen, coupled with the challenges that any superior athlete must overcome in achieving greatness," he said. "Your heroism and determination are an inspiration. Whenever I'm having a bad day or I'm facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge, I just think of you, and my day becomes a very nice day."
Winnefeld also recognized the athletes' family members who serve as caregivers.
"Mary and I extend our heartfelt thanks to the family members and friends of our athletes here today, especially those who unselfishly dropped everything else in their lives to become dedicated caregivers," he said. "It's very hard work, and it's often overlooked. They are very special people."
The admiral also extended congratulations to athletes like Snyder who now compete on the Paralympic team and win gold medals for the U.S. team.
The Warrior Games were created in 2010 as an introduction to adaptive sports and reconditioning activities for service members and veterans.
Adaptive sports and reconditioning are linked to a variety of benefits for wounded, ill, and injured service members across all branches of the military. Benefits include less stress, reduced dependency on pain and depression medication, fewer secondary medical conditions, higher achievement in education and employment, and increased independence, self-confidence, and mobility.
The fourth annual Warrior Games are hosted by the U.S. Olympic Committee and supported by the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the United Service Organizations, the Fisher House Foundation, the Semper Fi Fund, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and other corporate sponsors.
"We are proud to host the Warrior Games at the U.S. Olympic Training Center and the Air Force Academy," Charlie Huebner, the chief of Paralympics for the U.S. Olympics Committee, stated in a release.
"Paralympic sport has a tremendously positive impact on individuals with physical disabilities," Huebner added, "and the Warrior Games allow us to salute these fine young men and women who have served their countries honorably."
Admission to Warrior Games competitions is free and open to the public.
FEMA SAYS TO BEWARE THE MOLD AS THE TEMPERATURES RISE
FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Mold Hazard After Flooding May Return as Weather Warms
WINDSOR, Conn. – The floodwaters may have receded months ago, but mold and mildew – dormant during the winter months -- may reappear in water-damaged homes as the weather warms.
Mold only grows in warm, wet conditions and may have been inactive and unnoticed during the winter months. It can lurk throughout a home, from the attic to the basement and crawl spaces.
State and federal disaster recovery officials warn that mold can cause serious, long-term health problems. The best defense is to thoroughly clean, disinfect, and dry areas where mold is found. Porous materials—things that absorb water—can trap mold forever and should be discarded.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone avoid unnecessary exposure to mold, especially anyone at high risk for infection.
Mold Hazard After Flooding May Return as Weather Warms
WINDSOR, Conn. – The floodwaters may have receded months ago, but mold and mildew – dormant during the winter months -- may reappear in water-damaged homes as the weather warms.
Mold only grows in warm, wet conditions and may have been inactive and unnoticed during the winter months. It can lurk throughout a home, from the attic to the basement and crawl spaces.
State and federal disaster recovery officials warn that mold can cause serious, long-term health problems. The best defense is to thoroughly clean, disinfect, and dry areas where mold is found. Porous materials—things that absorb water—can trap mold forever and should be discarded.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone avoid unnecessary exposure to mold, especially anyone at high risk for infection.
THE SPONGE AND THE CORAL REEF
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| Puff Sponge. Credit: Wikimedia. |
Life on a Coral Reef: Insult Is (Sometimes) Added to Injury
When is insult added to injury for a Caribbean coral reef?
When overfishing removes predatory fish that feed on sponges, according to results reported this week in the journal PLOS ONE.
Using the undersea habitat Aquarius--moored on Conch Reef off Key Largo, Florida--marine scientist Joseph Pawlik of the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and colleagues found that these predator-fish are the same brightly colored angelfish and parrotfish that attract scuba divers and glass-bottom boat tourists.
Pawlik is first author of the PLOS ONE paper; co-authors, all from UNCW, are Tse-Lynn Loh, Steven McMurray and Christopher Finelli.
Chemical warfare beneath the waves
The fish prey on sponges without chemical defenses--sponges missing what might be called the "yuk factor."
"Sponges that manufacture metabolites that are distasteful to fish are largely left alone," says Pawlik.
"That being said, when overfishing by humans removes these predatory fish, reefs shift toward faster-growing sponges that can out-compete reef corals for space.
"That further hinders corals' chances of recovery."
Coral cover on Caribbean reefs is at historic lows due to disease, heat stress from warming waters and waves from storms.
Undersea garden of sponges
"Coral reefs, especially in the Caribbean, have undergone many changes in the past few decades," says David Garrison, program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"With the decline of reef-building corals, sponges are becoming the main organisms on many reefs. These findings provide important information about interactions between sponges and predatory fish in coral reef communities."
Previous research showed that Caribbean sponge communities were primarily structured by the availability of plankton, or tiny floating plants and animals, rather than by predators.
But sponge growth experiments performed by Pawlik and colleagues--research that used cages to exclude predators--show the opposite.
"Overfished reefs that lack spongivores [sponge-eating fish] soon become dominated by faster-growing, chemically undefended sponge species, which better compete for space with reef-building corals," says Pawlik.
Endangered corals: threatened by 'new game in town'?
That has implications for fisheries management throughout the Caribbean.
"Some coral species are listed as critically endangered on the IUCN [International Union for Conservation of Nature] Red List, with four reef-building corals on the top ten list for risk of extinction."
Sponges are already overrunning certain coral reefs.
"As the effects of climate change and ocean acidification disrupt marine communities," says Pawlik, "it's likely that reef-building corals will suffer greater harm than sponges, which don't form at-risk limestone skeletons [as corals do]."
Hence, he believes, Caribbean reefs of the future are likely to be made up increasingly of sponges.
U.S. MILITARY FACILITIES IN NEW MEXICO GET VISITED BY NATO DELEGATION
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| Air Force Base, N.M. Sandia National Laboratories photo by Randy Montoya |
NATO Delegation Visits New Mexico Facilities
By Sheryl Hingorani
Sandia National Laboratories
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., May 9, 2013 - A group of NATO officials are learning about work being done to support the extended nuclear deterrence mission and broader national security programs, ranging from homeland security to global nonproliferation efforts, during a three-day visit to Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.
The group is touring Sandia National Laboratories and other facilities on the base in a visit that began May 8 and ends tomorrow. It includes more than 50 representatives from 23 European countries, along with officials from the Departments of Defense and State, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and other U.S. government agencies. The visitors are accompanied by Andrew Weber, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs, and by Elaine Bunn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy.
The visit allows the delegation to see the research and technology required to implement U.S. policies that support the NATO alliance. The agenda for the visit includes an overview of national security and nuclear weapons programs at Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories and the National Nuclear Security Administration's nuclear weapons enterprise, as well as mission briefings by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.
Sandia President and Laboratories Director Paul Hommert presented an overview of the laboratories' history from their beginnings in the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bombs during World War II, to the nuclear weapons manufacturing focus of the Z Division that gave birth to Sandia as a separate laboratory in 1949. Hommert outlined Sandia's sole focus on nuclear weapons through the 1950s and its subsequent evolution into broader national security research, including energy and Department of Defense work outside the sphere of weapons. He emphasized, however, that Sandia is focused on its core responsibility—nuclear weapons life extension programs.
"We are in full gear to execute this mission" with the NATO alliance in mind, Hommert said.
Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry welcomed the group May 8 at a working lunch at Sandia National Laboratories' International Programs Building. Berry told the delegates he considers the city "the cradle of defense" and cited Sandia's "profound importance for our world and security for our all citizens."
Sandia officials, supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Air Force, also demonstrated various capabilities associated with the labs' pivotal role in supporting the nation's nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation efforts. The delegates took a windshield tour of Sandia's large-scale experimental test areas, saw demonstrations of nuclear accident response equipment, and viewed exhibits related to both homeland and global security programs. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency provided briefings on how they support nuclear surety and inspections, as well as the on-site inspection program activities which support treaty verification activities.
Five members of the delegation will participate in a national security speakers series panel tomorrow, which will be moderated by Bunn and will address U.S. allies' views of extended deterrence, the role of NATO member states in the nuclear deterrent, and arms control negotiations.
WINDS OVER THE MARSHAL ISLANDS OBSERVED
FROM: NASA
Red and white vapor clouds filled the skies over the Marshall Islands as part of NASA’s Equatorial Vortex Experiment (EVEX). The red cloud was formed by the release of lithium vapor and the white tracer clouds were formed by the release of trimethyl aluminum (TMA). These clouds allowed scientists on the ground from various locations in the Marshall Islands to observe the neutral winds in the ionosphere. The EVEX was successfully conducted during the early morning hours on May 7 from Roi Namur, Republic of the Marshall Islands. A NASA Terrier-Oriole sounding rocket was launched at 3:39 a.m. EDT and was followed by a launch of Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket 90 seconds later. Preliminary indications are that both rockets released their vapor clouds of lithium or trimethyl aluminum, which were observed from various locations in the area, and all science instruments on the rockets worked as planned. Image Credit: NASA/John Grant
Sunday, May 12, 2013
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL SPEAKS AT 2013 SOREF SYMPOSIUM
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| Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaks at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy's 2013 Soref Symposium in Washington, D.C., May 9, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo |
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Stresses Regional Cooperation on Middle East Issues
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013 - The United States faces "astounding challenges" surrounding its strategic interests in the Middle East, but is working with allies and partners to comprehensively address the political, economic and security uncertainty, and the threats of extremism and proliferation, that beset the region, America's defense chief said today.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel traveled to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates in late April. Tonight he offered an audience his views on the issues he discussed with those countries' leaders. During a speech at the 2013 Soref Symposium, an event hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Hagel said America's Middle East strategy is founded on and framed around its commitment to Israel.
"Israel is America's closest friend and ally in the Middle East," Hagel said, noting that he attended a series of meetings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Moshe Yaalon.
During those meetings, "I conveyed our continued commitment to enhancing defense cooperation with Israel - which has reached unprecedented levels in recent years," Hagel said.
A core principle of U.S.-Israel security cooperation is America's commitment to or what Hagel called "its capacity to defeat any threat or combination of threats from state or non-state actors."
The Defense Department works closely with Isreal's Ministry of Defense to develop and field the versatile range of advanced capabilities Israel needs to defend its people and interests, Hagel said. The rocket and missile defense efforts Iron Dome, Arrow, and David's Sling demonstrate the department's involvement, he said, but DOD has also worked for more than a year to increase Israel's options against to a range of other threats.
"These efforts culminated in our announcement last month that the United States has agreed to release a package of advanced new capabilities, including anti-radiation missiles and more effective radars for [Israel's] fleet of fighter jets, KC-135 refueling aircraft and the V-22 Osprey," Hagel said. "Along with Israel's status as the only Mid-Eastern nation participating in the Joint Strike Fighter program, this new capabilities package will significantly upgrade their qualitative military edge."
Hagel noted Israel's security, like America's, also relies on strong U.S. partnerships with other regional countries from Jordan and Egypt to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In meeting with those countries' leaders, he said, he frequently discussed two other factors he termed central to current U.S. Middle East strategy: ongoing turmoil in Syria and Iran's destabilizing influence in the region.
"Syria's civil war is putting its stockpiles of chemical weapons and advanced conventional weapons at risk, and the escalation of violence threatens to spill across its borders," Hagel said.
Hagel said that while he was in Jordan, which borders Syria, "I reassured the Jordanians that the United States is committed to the stability of Jordan, and to deepening our close defense cooperation and joint contingency planning with the Jordanian military."
The civil war in Syria was a focus of his discussions in Amman, the secretary said. Hagel summarized U.S. involvement: organizing and applying sanctions against the Assad regime; providing humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, which now totals nearly $510 million; and giving non-lethal assistance to the Syrian opposition.
"We are also urging Russia and China to do more to help resolve this conflict, because it is also clearly in their interests to end the war," he said.
Hagel noted that Secretary of State John Kerry, in Moscow this week, announced along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that "they will seek to convene an international conference, with representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition, to determine how to implement a political transition in Syria."
Using the full range of tools, he said, the United States will continue to work toward achieving its goal of ending the violence and helping the Syrian people transition to a post-Assad authority.
"This will help restore stability, peace, and hope for all Syrian people," he said. "That goal is shared by our allies in the region - not only those bordering Syria, but also our partners in the Gulf."
In Saudi Arabia and UAE, he said, "Concerns over Iran's support for the Assad regime, its destabilizing activities, and its nuclear program were at the top of the agenda."
The secretary noted President Barack Obama has stated U.S. policy is to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"I stressed that point during my discussions in the Gulf," Hagel noted, adding that "building a cooperative defense network" is a key pillar of U.S. efforts against Iranian threats -- "raising the military capabilities of our partners in the Gulf who share our commitment to regional security and our concerns about Iran and violent extremism on the Arabian Peninsula."
Agreements finalized during his stops in Saudi Arabia and UAE will give those nations "access to significant new capabilities," Hagel noted: Saudi Arabia will buy 84 Boeing F-15SA fighter aircraft, and the UAE plans to purchase 25 F-16 Desert Falcons.
"Along with other common efforts with Gulf States in areas such as missile defense, this new arrangement ensures that we are coordinating effectively against Iran and other shared security challenges," Hagel said.
The secretary emphasized that U.S. strategy sees the Middle East as critical to its security interests, and a robust presence will remain.
"We have made a determined effort to position high-end air, missile defense, and naval assets to deter Iranian aggression and respond to other contingencies," he said, noting U.S. F-22 fighters, ballistic missile defense ships and sophisticated radars, mine countermeasure assets, and advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft are all part of the nation's regional presence.
"Even as we put our presence on a more sustainable long-term footing, our capabilities in the region will far exceed those that were in place September 11, 2001," he said. "Our defense relationships are also much stronger and far more robust."
The Middle East, made up of very different nations, faces a number of common challenges from Iran, Syria, and the continuing threat of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups, he said.
"These common challenges must be met through the force of coalitions of common interests, which include Israel and our other allies in the region," Hagel added. The most enduring and effective solutions to the challenges facing the region are political, not military, he said, and America's role is to influence and shape the course of events through diplomatic, economic, humanitarian, intelligence and security tools "in coordination with all of our allies."
During his travels in the region, Hagel said, "I thought about what's possible ... if these democratic transitions in the Middle East can succeed, and if a sustainable and comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians is ultimately achieved."
That would bring new possibilities to an old region, the secretary noted.
The best hope for Middle Eastern stability is for countries like Egypt, Libya and Syria to transition to democratic rule, supported by institutions and legal frameworks that respect human life and liberties, he said.
"To assist these nations in achieving these goals, the United States will remain engaged in helping shape the new order, but we must engage wisely," Hagel said. "This will require a clear understanding of our national interests, our limitations, and an appreciation for the complexities of this unpredictable, contradictory, yet hopeful region of the world."
DEFENSE OFFICIALS REQUEST BUDGET TO COVER MISSILE DEFENSE MODERNIZATION
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Officials Call for Continued Ballistic Missile Defense Modernization
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013 - Senior defense officials underscored the importance of ballistic missile defense modernization efforts requested in the fiscal 2014 budget proposal during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
The budget requests $9.2 billion in fiscal 2014 and $45.7 billion over future years to develop and deploy missile defense capabilities.
Madelyn Creedon, assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs, told the panel these capabilities will both protect the U.S. homeland and strengthen regional missile defenses.
Navy Vice Adm. J.D. Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, joined Creedon during the afternoon hearing in citing disturbing trends in Iran, North Korea, Syria and elsewhere around the globe.
"The threat continues to grow as our potential adversaries are acquiring a greater number of ballistic missiles, increasing their range and making them more complex, survivable, reliable and accurate," he reported. "The missile defense mission is becoming more challenging as potential adversaries incorporate [ballistic missile defense] countermeasures."
The administration remains committed to developing proven and cost-effective missile defense capabilities through the phased advance approach to regional missile defense, Creedon noted in her written statement.
"This approach puts emphasis on a flexible military toolkit with forces that are mobile and scalable," she said. As a result, "they underwrite deterrence in peacetime, but can be surged in crisis to meet defense requirements," she said.
Creeden reported on progress on three policy priorities: sustaining a strong homeland defense, strengthening regional missile defense and fostering increased international cooperation and participation.
She emphasized the importance of continually improving the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system in place to protect the U.S. homeland against potential limited intercontinental ballistic missile attacks.
The budget request, she said, supports this effort as well as enhancement of ground-based interceptors and deployment improved sensors, she said. The proposal also includes funding to implement regional missile defense approaches that Creedon said will be tailored to the unique deterrence and defense requirements of Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific regions.
Missile defense, she noted, is an integral part of a comprehensive U.S. effort to strengthen regional deterrence, and plays a central role in DOD's strategic guidance released in January 2012.
While promoting these efforts, the United States is striving to build stronger relationships with allies and partners to cooperatively address the ballistic missile threat, and to help build partner capacity to do so, she said.
Syring reported, for example, that the Missile Defense Agency "is engaged either bilaterally or multilaterally with nearly two dozen countries and international organizations," including NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council. "We have made good progress in our work with our international partners, and I want to continue those important efforts," he said.
"We have had some very significant successes over the last several years, ... but we cannot afford to stand still," echoed Creedon. "To the contrary, we need to reevaluate the threat continually and adapt as necessary."
The fiscal 2014 budget request reflects DOD's goals of retaining the flexibility to adjust and to enhance its defenses as the threat and technologies evolve, she said.
"Our most vital security commitments – the defense of the United States and the protection of our allies and partners and our forces around the world – demand nothing less," she said.
Officials Call for Continued Ballistic Missile Defense Modernization
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, May 9, 2013 - Senior defense officials underscored the importance of ballistic missile defense modernization efforts requested in the fiscal 2014 budget proposal during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee today.
The budget requests $9.2 billion in fiscal 2014 and $45.7 billion over future years to develop and deploy missile defense capabilities.
Madelyn Creedon, assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs, told the panel these capabilities will both protect the U.S. homeland and strengthen regional missile defenses.
Navy Vice Adm. J.D. Syring, director of the Missile Defense Agency, joined Creedon during the afternoon hearing in citing disturbing trends in Iran, North Korea, Syria and elsewhere around the globe.
"The threat continues to grow as our potential adversaries are acquiring a greater number of ballistic missiles, increasing their range and making them more complex, survivable, reliable and accurate," he reported. "The missile defense mission is becoming more challenging as potential adversaries incorporate [ballistic missile defense] countermeasures."
The administration remains committed to developing proven and cost-effective missile defense capabilities through the phased advance approach to regional missile defense, Creedon noted in her written statement.
"This approach puts emphasis on a flexible military toolkit with forces that are mobile and scalable," she said. As a result, "they underwrite deterrence in peacetime, but can be surged in crisis to meet defense requirements," she said.
Creeden reported on progress on three policy priorities: sustaining a strong homeland defense, strengthening regional missile defense and fostering increased international cooperation and participation.
She emphasized the importance of continually improving the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system in place to protect the U.S. homeland against potential limited intercontinental ballistic missile attacks.
The budget request, she said, supports this effort as well as enhancement of ground-based interceptors and deployment improved sensors, she said. The proposal also includes funding to implement regional missile defense approaches that Creedon said will be tailored to the unique deterrence and defense requirements of Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific regions.
Missile defense, she noted, is an integral part of a comprehensive U.S. effort to strengthen regional deterrence, and plays a central role in DOD's strategic guidance released in January 2012.
While promoting these efforts, the United States is striving to build stronger relationships with allies and partners to cooperatively address the ballistic missile threat, and to help build partner capacity to do so, she said.
Syring reported, for example, that the Missile Defense Agency "is engaged either bilaterally or multilaterally with nearly two dozen countries and international organizations," including NATO and the Gulf Cooperation Council. "We have made good progress in our work with our international partners, and I want to continue those important efforts," he said.
"We have had some very significant successes over the last several years, ... but we cannot afford to stand still," echoed Creedon. "To the contrary, we need to reevaluate the threat continually and adapt as necessary."
The fiscal 2014 budget request reflects DOD's goals of retaining the flexibility to adjust and to enhance its defenses as the threat and technologies evolve, she said.
"Our most vital security commitments – the defense of the United States and the protection of our allies and partners and our forces around the world – demand nothing less," she said.
ARMY COOK FEEDS THE TROOPS AT WAREX 2013 EXERCISE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Army Cook Feeds Troops at Exercise
By Army Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk
78th Training Division
FORT MCCOY, Wis., May 7, 2013 - Cooking for the force is no small undertaking, but Army Pfc. Xavier Vasquez is up to the challenge and says it is an honor for him to serve his fellow soldiers in the dining facility during Warrior Exercise 2013 on Forward Operating Base Liberty here.
Cooks with the 263rd Quartermaster Company, 620th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 96th Sustainment Brigade, from El Paso, Texas, are feeding nearly 500 soldiers during the exercise. Vasquez is part of a team of five cooks led by food service manager Staff Sgt. Kevin Hinson.
Hinson said his cooks are enjoying their training.
"I have a good crew," Hinson said. "These guys are from all over the country, and we worked well together right away. They are excited to be cooking at WAREX."
WAREX 2013 is being conducted this month at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 78th Training Division, an Army Reserve unit from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., is hosting the exercise.
The exercise provides Army Reserve troops with dynamic combat environment simulations and teaches the latest tactics to be used to ensure mission success anywhere in the world.
Vasquez, who's enrolled in college learning the culinary arts, said he is enjoying using his skills to cook for his fellow soldiers.
"I love cooking. No matter what [happens], I am here for my battle buddies -- whatever I can do," Vasquez said. "I like working with people, and being able to talk to [other soldiers] coming back from a hard day and enjoying a warm meal I help cook means a lot to me."
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| Army Reserve Pfc. Xavier Vasquez of the 263rd Quartermaster Company, 620th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 96th Sustainment Brigade, monitors the temperature of rations in the dining facility on Fort McCoy, Wis., May 5, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk |
Face of Defense: Army Cook Feeds Troops at Exercise
By Army Sgt. Tanya Van Buskirk
78th Training Division
FORT MCCOY, Wis., May 7, 2013 - Cooking for the force is no small undertaking, but Army Pfc. Xavier Vasquez is up to the challenge and says it is an honor for him to serve his fellow soldiers in the dining facility during Warrior Exercise 2013 on Forward Operating Base Liberty here.
Cooks with the 263rd Quartermaster Company, 620th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 96th Sustainment Brigade, from El Paso, Texas, are feeding nearly 500 soldiers during the exercise. Vasquez is part of a team of five cooks led by food service manager Staff Sgt. Kevin Hinson.
Hinson said his cooks are enjoying their training.
"I have a good crew," Hinson said. "These guys are from all over the country, and we worked well together right away. They are excited to be cooking at WAREX."
WAREX 2013 is being conducted this month at Fort McCoy, Wis. The 78th Training Division, an Army Reserve unit from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., is hosting the exercise.
The exercise provides Army Reserve troops with dynamic combat environment simulations and teaches the latest tactics to be used to ensure mission success anywhere in the world.
Vasquez, who's enrolled in college learning the culinary arts, said he is enjoying using his skills to cook for his fellow soldiers.
"I love cooking. No matter what [happens], I am here for my battle buddies -- whatever I can do," Vasquez said. "I like working with people, and being able to talk to [other soldiers] coming back from a hard day and enjoying a warm meal I help cook means a lot to me."
TREASURY IDENTIFIES FRONT COMPANY AND VESSELS ATTEMPTING TO CIRCUMVENT IRANIAN OIL SANCTIONS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
Action Identifies Front Company and Vessels Attempting to Obscure Iranian Oil Deals Using Ship-to-Ship Transfers and Designates Iranian Bank
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury is taking a number of actions today against Iranian attempts to circumvent international financial sanctions. As part of the Treasury Department’s continuing vigilance against Iran’s efforts to use front companies and deceptive business practices to sell their oil on the international market, today Treasury identified Sambouk Shipping FZC as subject to sanctions under Executive Order (E.O.) 13599, which, among other things, targets the Government of Iran (GOI) and persons acting for or on behalf of the GOI. Sambouk Shipping is tied to Dr. Dimitris Cambis who, along with a network of front companies, were sanctioned in March 2013 under E.O. 13599 and the Iran Threat Reduction Act and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA) after the U.S. government uncovered Dr. Cambis’s scheme to evade international oil sanctions against Iran. In an attempt to continue his scheme, Dr. Cambis is using the recently formed Sambouk Shipping to manage eight of the vessels that he operates on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). These vessels have been used to execute ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil in the Persian Gulf. These transfers are intended to facilitate deceptive sales of Iranian oil by obscuring the origin of that oil.
Today, the Treasury Department also imposed sanctions against Iranian Venezuelan Bi-National Bank (IVBB). IVBB was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters, for engaging in financial transactions on behalf of the previously sanctioned Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI).
"As Iran becomes increasingly isolated from the international financial system and energy markets, it is turning increasingly to convoluted schemes and shady actors to maintain its access to the global financial system," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. "As long as Iran tries to evade our sanctions, we will continue to expose their deceptive maneuvers."
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is also updating its list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) entries today for eight vessels blocked due to the interest of National Iranian Tanker Company in the vessels. Since their original identification these vessels have been renamed and/or reflagged. Treasury is also identifying eight previously unidentified vessels as blocked property in which NITC has an interest. Including today’s additions, Treasury has identified 64 vessels as blocked property in which NITC has an interest.
U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the entities listed today, and any assets those entities may have subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
The Iranian Venezuelan Bi-National Bank
The Iranian Venezuelan Bi-National Bank (IVBB) is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for its activities on behalf of EDBI. EDBI was designated under E.O. 13382 on October 22, 2008, for providing financial services to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
IVBB has been processing funds transfers on behalf of EDBI since at least January 2012. EDBI has used IVBB to act as a proxy to fund export activities and to transfer millions of dollars worth of funds from China’s Bank of Kunlun to EDBI. Additionally, senior EDBI staff is entitled to authorize transaction instructions to Bank of Kunlun on behalf of IVBB.
Bank of Kunlun was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department under Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) on July 31, 2012, for providing financial services to more than six Iranian banks that were designated by the U.S. in connection with Iran’s WMD programs or its support for international terrorism. Prior to the sanctions imposed against it under the CISADA, Bank of Kunlun was engaged in a significant amount of direct of business with EDBI, handling the equivalent of tens of millions of dollars worth of funds for EDBI.
IVBB was originally established as a joint venture between Iran and Venezuela, and EDBI was the Iranian party tasked with creating the joint venture with Venezuela. However, there is no evidence Venezuela retains any ties to this bank.
Identifying Information
Name: Iranian-Venezuelan Bi-National Bank
Address: Tosee Building Ground Floor, Bokharest Street 44-46, Tehran, Iran
SWIFT/BIC: IVBBIRT1
Name: Sambouk Shipping FZC
Address: FITCO Building No. 3, Office 101, 1st Floor, P.O. Box 50044, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Alternate Address: Office 1202, Crystal Plaza, PO Box 50044, Buhaira Corniche, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Newly-Identified Vessels:
Name: Atlantis
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569621
Name: Badr
Vessel Type: Utility Vessel
Flag: Iran
IMO Number: 8407345
Name: Demos
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569683
Name: Infinity
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569671
Name: Justice
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: None Identified
IMO Number: 9357729
Name: Sunrise
Vessel Type: LPG Tanker
Flag: None Identified
IMO Number: 9615092
Name: Skyline
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569669
Name: Younes
Vessel Type: Platform Supply Ship
Flag: Iran
Action Identifies Front Company and Vessels Attempting to Obscure Iranian Oil Deals Using Ship-to-Ship Transfers and Designates Iranian Bank
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury is taking a number of actions today against Iranian attempts to circumvent international financial sanctions. As part of the Treasury Department’s continuing vigilance against Iran’s efforts to use front companies and deceptive business practices to sell their oil on the international market, today Treasury identified Sambouk Shipping FZC as subject to sanctions under Executive Order (E.O.) 13599, which, among other things, targets the Government of Iran (GOI) and persons acting for or on behalf of the GOI. Sambouk Shipping is tied to Dr. Dimitris Cambis who, along with a network of front companies, were sanctioned in March 2013 under E.O. 13599 and the Iran Threat Reduction Act and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (TRA) after the U.S. government uncovered Dr. Cambis’s scheme to evade international oil sanctions against Iran. In an attempt to continue his scheme, Dr. Cambis is using the recently formed Sambouk Shipping to manage eight of the vessels that he operates on behalf of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC). These vessels have been used to execute ship-to-ship transfers of Iranian oil in the Persian Gulf. These transfers are intended to facilitate deceptive sales of Iranian oil by obscuring the origin of that oil.
Today, the Treasury Department also imposed sanctions against Iranian Venezuelan Bi-National Bank (IVBB). IVBB was designated pursuant to E.O. 13382, which targets proliferators of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their supporters, for engaging in financial transactions on behalf of the previously sanctioned Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI).
"As Iran becomes increasingly isolated from the international financial system and energy markets, it is turning increasingly to convoluted schemes and shady actors to maintain its access to the global financial system," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. "As long as Iran tries to evade our sanctions, we will continue to expose their deceptive maneuvers."
Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is also updating its list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List) entries today for eight vessels blocked due to the interest of National Iranian Tanker Company in the vessels. Since their original identification these vessels have been renamed and/or reflagged. Treasury is also identifying eight previously unidentified vessels as blocked property in which NITC has an interest. Including today’s additions, Treasury has identified 64 vessels as blocked property in which NITC has an interest.
U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with the entities listed today, and any assets those entities may have subject to U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
The Iranian Venezuelan Bi-National Bank
The Iranian Venezuelan Bi-National Bank (IVBB) is being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 for its activities on behalf of EDBI. EDBI was designated under E.O. 13382 on October 22, 2008, for providing financial services to Iran’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL).
IVBB has been processing funds transfers on behalf of EDBI since at least January 2012. EDBI has used IVBB to act as a proxy to fund export activities and to transfer millions of dollars worth of funds from China’s Bank of Kunlun to EDBI. Additionally, senior EDBI staff is entitled to authorize transaction instructions to Bank of Kunlun on behalf of IVBB.
Bank of Kunlun was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department under Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA) on July 31, 2012, for providing financial services to more than six Iranian banks that were designated by the U.S. in connection with Iran’s WMD programs or its support for international terrorism. Prior to the sanctions imposed against it under the CISADA, Bank of Kunlun was engaged in a significant amount of direct of business with EDBI, handling the equivalent of tens of millions of dollars worth of funds for EDBI.
IVBB was originally established as a joint venture between Iran and Venezuela, and EDBI was the Iranian party tasked with creating the joint venture with Venezuela. However, there is no evidence Venezuela retains any ties to this bank.
Identifying Information
Name: Iranian-Venezuelan Bi-National Bank
Address: Tosee Building Ground Floor, Bokharest Street 44-46, Tehran, Iran
SWIFT/BIC: IVBBIRT1
Name: Sambouk Shipping FZC
Address: FITCO Building No. 3, Office 101, 1st Floor, P.O. Box 50044, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates
Alternate Address: Office 1202, Crystal Plaza, PO Box 50044, Buhaira Corniche, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
Newly-Identified Vessels:
Name: Atlantis
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569621
Name: Badr
Vessel Type: Utility Vessel
Flag: Iran
IMO Number: 8407345
Name: Demos
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569683
Name: Infinity
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569671
Name: Justice
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: None Identified
IMO Number: 9357729
Name: Sunrise
Vessel Type: LPG Tanker
Flag: None Identified
IMO Number: 9615092
Name: Skyline
Vessel Type: Crude Oil Tanker
Flag: Tanzania
IMO Number: 9569669
Name: Younes
Vessel Type: Platform Supply Ship
Flag: Iran
EPA ANNOUNCES $62.5 MILLION IN GRANTS FOR SELECTED RECIPIENTS
FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Announces Selected Recipients to Receive $62.5 Million to Clean Up Contaminated Sites, Protect Health and the Environment, and Revitalize Communities Nationwide
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 240 recipients recommended to receive $62.5 million in grants to protect people’s health and the environment in local communities. These new investments, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grants, provide communities with funding necessary to assess, cleanup and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.
"Brownfields sites are community assets and a key component of the Obama Administration’s efforts to provide tools to sustainably revitalize communities and foster economic development," said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "Through these grant resources local communities can continue to assess, cleanup and redevelop properties to meet local needs for jobs, housing and recreation while protecting people’s health and the local environment."
These Brownfields grants target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed. Approximately $29.5 million are going to communities that have been impacted by auto plant closures. Other selected recipients include tribes and communities in 45 states across the country. Communities selected range in population from a few hundred, like City of St. Marks, Fla. to New York City, which is home to more than 8 million people. Specifically, 106 grants will support communities with populations greater than 100,000 and 134 grants will go to communities with fewer than 100,000 residents -- with 29 of these will go to communities of less than 10,000 people. Nearly half of the grantees this year are new recipients.
The InterRoyal Mill in Connecticut and a former Electroplater property in New York are just two examples of former industrial sites receiving assessment funding.In Rhode Island, cleanup funding will go toward cleaning up an abandoned former service station and other contaminated properties at the Uniroyal rubber plant site. Other types of sites selected for cleanup include a closed middle school, salvage yard, hospital and manufacturing properties. Future anticipated uses include neighborhood redevelopment, commercial revitalization, an arts center, business park, wellness center/clinic, community health center, theater, and office space.
There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. More than 20,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 850 properties have been cleaned up through EPA’s Brownfields program. EPA’s Brownfields investments have also leveraged more than $19 billion in overall cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. These investments resulted in approximately 87,000 jobs nationwide. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent. A 2011 pilot study indicated Brownfields site redevelopment increases location efficiency, which means that residents live closer to where they work and play reducing their commute times and greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s preliminary research has also shown that redeveloping Brownfield sites results in an efficient reuse of existing infrastructure and decreasing instances of stormwater runoff. These projects can have a positive impact on community revitalization by leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods.
EPA Announces Selected Recipients to Receive $62.5 Million to Clean Up Contaminated Sites, Protect Health and the Environment, and Revitalize Communities Nationwide
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 240 recipients recommended to receive $62.5 million in grants to protect people’s health and the environment in local communities. These new investments, funded by EPA’s Brownfields Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup (ARC) grants, provide communities with funding necessary to assess, cleanup and redevelop contaminated properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the environment.
"Brownfields sites are community assets and a key component of the Obama Administration’s efforts to provide tools to sustainably revitalize communities and foster economic development," said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "Through these grant resources local communities can continue to assess, cleanup and redevelop properties to meet local needs for jobs, housing and recreation while protecting people’s health and the local environment."
These Brownfields grants target under-served and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods – places where environmental cleanups and new jobs are most needed. Approximately $29.5 million are going to communities that have been impacted by auto plant closures. Other selected recipients include tribes and communities in 45 states across the country. Communities selected range in population from a few hundred, like City of St. Marks, Fla. to New York City, which is home to more than 8 million people. Specifically, 106 grants will support communities with populations greater than 100,000 and 134 grants will go to communities with fewer than 100,000 residents -- with 29 of these will go to communities of less than 10,000 people. Nearly half of the grantees this year are new recipients.
The InterRoyal Mill in Connecticut and a former Electroplater property in New York are just two examples of former industrial sites receiving assessment funding.In Rhode Island, cleanup funding will go toward cleaning up an abandoned former service station and other contaminated properties at the Uniroyal rubber plant site. Other types of sites selected for cleanup include a closed middle school, salvage yard, hospital and manufacturing properties. Future anticipated uses include neighborhood redevelopment, commercial revitalization, an arts center, business park, wellness center/clinic, community health center, theater, and office space.
There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated sites in the United States. More than 20,000 properties have been assessed, and more than 850 properties have been cleaned up through EPA’s Brownfields program. EPA’s Brownfields investments have also leveraged more than $19 billion in overall cleanup and redevelopment funding from public and private sources. On average $17.79 is leveraged for every EPA Brownfields grant dollar spent. These investments resulted in approximately 87,000 jobs nationwide. When Brownfields are addressed, nearby property values can increase 2-3 percent. A 2011 pilot study indicated Brownfields site redevelopment increases location efficiency, which means that residents live closer to where they work and play reducing their commute times and greenhouse gas emissions. EPA’s preliminary research has also shown that redeveloping Brownfield sites results in an efficient reuse of existing infrastructure and decreasing instances of stormwater runoff. These projects can have a positive impact on community revitalization by leveraging jobs, producing clean energy, and providing recreation opportunities for surrounding neighborhoods.
WHAT TO DO IF 1.5 TON SATELLITE HEADS FOR YOU IN SPACE
FROM: NASA
The Day NASA's Fermi Dodged a 1.5-ton Bullet
On March 29, 2012, the science team for NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope learned that a defunct Cold-War spy satellite would pass too close for comfort on April 4. The two spacecraft were expected to occupy the same point in space within 30 milliseconds of each other, which meant that Fermi had to get out of the way. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Saturday, May 11, 2013
TROOP MORALE AND GUACAMOLE
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: NCO's Guacamole Boosts Troop Morale
U.S. Air Forces Central
SOUTHWEST ASIA, May 8, 2013 - La conversacion es la comida del alma: "Conversation is food for the soul." But what better way to start conversation than with food?
Master Sgt. John P. Garcia Jr., Air Forces Central Command vehicle fleet manager, is a native of Los Angeles currently on his eighth trip to this side of the world. And on each trip, he has made it his mission to bring a little bit of home to his fellow airmen.
"Over the years, I have learned to use my talent in the culinary world to teach others about my Mexican culture, while enjoying some authentic and sometimes secret recipes," Garcia said. "The conclusion is always the same; it pulls all of us together, as kind of an ice breaker, which ultimately increases morale."
Garcia's signature dish, guacamole, originated in the 16th century with the Aztecs, and since then it has been passed down through generations, each adding their own touch and flavor. When Garcia and his wife, Jenny, both rich in Mexican heritage, married seven years ago, it was no different with their family.
"The current recipe is a combination of my wife's family secrets and ours," Garcia said. "As for my mastering the art, I owe it all to Mom and Grandma Rosie, teaching me as a young bachelor how to represent."
Although Garcia has been making the dish for years, he acknowledged it is not without its challenges.
Finding the ingredients can be tricky, since grocery stores are not readily available in deployed locations.
"The first time I make guacamole at a new base, it is sometimes a struggle to find everything I need," Garcia said. "But, after the airmen taste it for the first time, the avocados start showing up on my desk. With a little networking, and the excitement of a traditional Mexican dish, there is always enough motivation to find a way to pull it all together."
But that isn't his only trick.
"Worst case scenario, if there is any ingredient that cannot be found in country, I'll grow it," he said. "I have a jalapeno plant growing now, and should have some nice and spicy chili by the end of May."
Garcia said the first time he grew jalapenos was in 1993 at a Mideast location, and he's been growing them ever since.
"There is nothing like the freshest ingredients," he added.
Once all the materials are assembled, the only obstacle is finding the time.
"Most Mexican recipes are very simple, but take a while," said Air Force Master Sgt. Jordi Sancho, AFCENT transportation manager, who sometimes helps Garcia with his signature dish.
Over the course of the past few months, Garcia has enlisted several airmen in addition to Sancho to help him make the dish. This, in turn, cuts down on the production time.
"At first, most see it as a chance to break up the monotony, but after the second or third time they begin to get involved and some even take over," Garcia said. "This brings peace to me, knowing something so simple makes such a big difference for so many folks. There has been multiple times where the tradition continues even after I'm long gone."
His deployment to the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, was one of them and it seems this assignment will be too.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mishal Crane, Combined Air and Space Operations Center noncommissioned officer in charge of commander support staff, is another helper and said she plans to use the recipe in deployments to come.
"It reminds me a lot of home," said Crane, who grew up in the same neighborhood as Garcia, and is of Hispanic descent. "If the ingredients are available, I will most definitely be carrying on this tradition."
Garcia said his recipe, containing one secret step, is only passed on to those who are willing to work alongside him and learn.
But whether the recipe and tradition are passed down or not, he said, just seeing the smiling faces of airmen enjoying his guacamole is all that matters.
 |
| Air Force Master Sgt. John P. Garcia Jr., Air Forces Central Command vehicle fleet manager, and Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mishal Crane, Combined Air and Space Operations Center noncommissioned officer in charge of commander support staff, prepare ingredients for guacamole at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on May 3, 2013. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rachelle Elsea |
Face of Defense: NCO's Guacamole Boosts Troop Morale
U.S. Air Forces Central
SOUTHWEST ASIA, May 8, 2013 - La conversacion es la comida del alma: "Conversation is food for the soul." But what better way to start conversation than with food?
Master Sgt. John P. Garcia Jr., Air Forces Central Command vehicle fleet manager, is a native of Los Angeles currently on his eighth trip to this side of the world. And on each trip, he has made it his mission to bring a little bit of home to his fellow airmen.
"Over the years, I have learned to use my talent in the culinary world to teach others about my Mexican culture, while enjoying some authentic and sometimes secret recipes," Garcia said. "The conclusion is always the same; it pulls all of us together, as kind of an ice breaker, which ultimately increases morale."
Garcia's signature dish, guacamole, originated in the 16th century with the Aztecs, and since then it has been passed down through generations, each adding their own touch and flavor. When Garcia and his wife, Jenny, both rich in Mexican heritage, married seven years ago, it was no different with their family.
"The current recipe is a combination of my wife's family secrets and ours," Garcia said. "As for my mastering the art, I owe it all to Mom and Grandma Rosie, teaching me as a young bachelor how to represent."
Although Garcia has been making the dish for years, he acknowledged it is not without its challenges.
Finding the ingredients can be tricky, since grocery stores are not readily available in deployed locations.
"The first time I make guacamole at a new base, it is sometimes a struggle to find everything I need," Garcia said. "But, after the airmen taste it for the first time, the avocados start showing up on my desk. With a little networking, and the excitement of a traditional Mexican dish, there is always enough motivation to find a way to pull it all together."
But that isn't his only trick.
"Worst case scenario, if there is any ingredient that cannot be found in country, I'll grow it," he said. "I have a jalapeno plant growing now, and should have some nice and spicy chili by the end of May."
Garcia said the first time he grew jalapenos was in 1993 at a Mideast location, and he's been growing them ever since.
"There is nothing like the freshest ingredients," he added.
Once all the materials are assembled, the only obstacle is finding the time.
"Most Mexican recipes are very simple, but take a while," said Air Force Master Sgt. Jordi Sancho, AFCENT transportation manager, who sometimes helps Garcia with his signature dish.
Over the course of the past few months, Garcia has enlisted several airmen in addition to Sancho to help him make the dish. This, in turn, cuts down on the production time.
"At first, most see it as a chance to break up the monotony, but after the second or third time they begin to get involved and some even take over," Garcia said. "This brings peace to me, knowing something so simple makes such a big difference for so many folks. There has been multiple times where the tradition continues even after I'm long gone."
His deployment to the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, was one of them and it seems this assignment will be too.
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Mishal Crane, Combined Air and Space Operations Center noncommissioned officer in charge of commander support staff, is another helper and said she plans to use the recipe in deployments to come.
"It reminds me a lot of home," said Crane, who grew up in the same neighborhood as Garcia, and is of Hispanic descent. "If the ingredients are available, I will most definitely be carrying on this tradition."
Garcia said his recipe, containing one secret step, is only passed on to those who are willing to work alongside him and learn.
But whether the recipe and tradition are passed down or not, he said, just seeing the smiling faces of airmen enjoying his guacamole is all that matters.
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