FROM: INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
IRS Criminal Investigation Issues Annual Report
IR-2014-18, Feb. 24, 2014
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service announced the release of its IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) Annual Report for fiscal year 2013, reflecting significant increases in enforcement actions against tax criminals and a robust rise in convictions, including identity theft.
CI investigates potential criminal violations of the Internal Revenue Code and related financial crimes in a manner to foster confidence in the tax system and compliance with the law.
High points of fiscal year 2013 include a 12.5 percent increase in investigations initiated compared to the prior year and a nearly 18 percent gain in prosecution recommendations. Specifically, CI initiated 5,314 cases and recommended 4,364 cases for prosecution. These increases were accomplished at a time when agent resources decreased more than 5 percent.
Meanwhile, convictions rose more than 25 percent compared to the prior year. The conviction rate for fiscal 2013 was 93 percent.
“The conviction rate is especially important because it reflects the quality of our case work, our teamwork with law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and it represents an increase over 2011 and 2012,” said Richard Weber, Chief of Criminal Investigation.
CI continues to play a vital role in the fight against identity theft. CI initiated over 1,400 investigations and recommended prosecution of over 1,250 individuals who were involved in identity theft crimes during fiscal 2013.
As an active partner in over 35 Identity Theft Task Forces, CI works side-by-side with federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies to combat the threat of this insidious crime. One of those task forces, the Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance, was recently recognized as the "2013 Task Force of the Year," a national award given by the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators for investigative excellence and outstanding public service. The Tampa Bay Identity Theft Alliance was formed last year and comprises of 20 Tampa Bay federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors.
“The Alliance represents true teamwork by all levels of law enforcement,” Weber said. “Individuals who commit identity theft demonstrate a blatant disregard of the integrity of the United States tax system and cause immeasurable hardship to innocent victims.”
In addition, the 36-page report summarizes a wide variety of IRS CI activity on a range of tax crimes, money laundering, public corruption, terrorist financing and narcotics trafficking financial crimes during the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2013.
“Our cases involved individuals and corporations from all segments of society. They led us into corporate board rooms, offices of public officials, tax preparation businesses, identity theft gangs and narcotics trafficking organizations,” Weber said.
"This report highlights some of the many noteworthy cases that were completed by CI, which is just the tip of the iceberg of the complex cases we completed this past year,” Weber added. “The dedication and enthusiasm of our employees was a driving force behind these achievements. IRS-CI continues to make our mark in history as the best financial investigators in the world."
Saturday, March 1, 2014
WOMAN AND COMPANIES CHARGED IN MULTIMILLION DOLLAR FOREX SCHEME
FROM: COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
CFTC Charges Melody Nganthuy Phan of California and Her Companies, My Forex Planet, Inc., Wal Capital, S.A., and Top Global Capital, Inc., with Operating a Fraudulent $3.7 Million Off-Exchange Forex Scheme
The CFTC also Charges Melody Nganthuy Phan with Fraud by an Unregistered Commodity Pool Operator
Washington, DC - The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil enforcement action charging Defendants Melody Nganthuy Phan (Phan) of California and her companies, My Forex Planet, Inc. (MFP), Wal Capital, S.A. (Wal Capital), and Top Global Capital, Inc. (TGC) with operating a fraudulent off-exchange foreign currency (forex) scheme. The CFTC Complaint also charges Phan with fraud by an unregistered commodity pool operator. The scheme allegedly fraudulently solicited at least $3,764,214 from over 174 customers and misappropriated customer funds in an effort to perpetuate the fraud.
Specifically, the Complaint alleges that, from at least January 2009 and through February 2011, Phan, Wal Capital, and TGC, through MFP, used forex training classes to directly and indirectly solicit actual and prospective clients to open self-traded forex accounts at Wal Capital and pooled forex trading at TGC. During the forex trading classes given by MFP, Defendants falsely stated, among other things, that 1) Phan was a highly successful forex trader who had made millions of dollars trading forex, 2) Phan’s forex trading system, which was taught in MFP classes, was a very safe system that virtually guaranteed profit over time, and 3) money deposited by Defendants’ customers would be used for its intended purpose. The Complaint alleges that all of these representations to clients were false. In fact, Phan lost over $1.4 million trading forex in multiple accounts in her name or under her control, according to the Complaint.
Additionally, the Complaint alleges that Defendants used customer funds for unauthorized purposes, such as paying other customer withdrawals, as well as business expenses such as radio ads and marketing.
The CFTC Complaint seeks restitution, civil monetary penalties, restitution, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction prohibiting further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.
The CFTC greatly appreciates the assistance of the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
CFTC Division of Enforcement Staff members responsible for this case are Alison Wilson, Maura Viehmeyer, Boaz Green, Heather Johnson, James H. Holl, III, and Rick Glaser.
CFTC Charges Melody Nganthuy Phan of California and Her Companies, My Forex Planet, Inc., Wal Capital, S.A., and Top Global Capital, Inc., with Operating a Fraudulent $3.7 Million Off-Exchange Forex Scheme
The CFTC also Charges Melody Nganthuy Phan with Fraud by an Unregistered Commodity Pool Operator
Washington, DC - The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil enforcement action charging Defendants Melody Nganthuy Phan (Phan) of California and her companies, My Forex Planet, Inc. (MFP), Wal Capital, S.A. (Wal Capital), and Top Global Capital, Inc. (TGC) with operating a fraudulent off-exchange foreign currency (forex) scheme. The CFTC Complaint also charges Phan with fraud by an unregistered commodity pool operator. The scheme allegedly fraudulently solicited at least $3,764,214 from over 174 customers and misappropriated customer funds in an effort to perpetuate the fraud.
Specifically, the Complaint alleges that, from at least January 2009 and through February 2011, Phan, Wal Capital, and TGC, through MFP, used forex training classes to directly and indirectly solicit actual and prospective clients to open self-traded forex accounts at Wal Capital and pooled forex trading at TGC. During the forex trading classes given by MFP, Defendants falsely stated, among other things, that 1) Phan was a highly successful forex trader who had made millions of dollars trading forex, 2) Phan’s forex trading system, which was taught in MFP classes, was a very safe system that virtually guaranteed profit over time, and 3) money deposited by Defendants’ customers would be used for its intended purpose. The Complaint alleges that all of these representations to clients were false. In fact, Phan lost over $1.4 million trading forex in multiple accounts in her name or under her control, according to the Complaint.
Additionally, the Complaint alleges that Defendants used customer funds for unauthorized purposes, such as paying other customer withdrawals, as well as business expenses such as radio ads and marketing.
The CFTC Complaint seeks restitution, civil monetary penalties, restitution, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction prohibiting further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.
The CFTC greatly appreciates the assistance of the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
CFTC Division of Enforcement Staff members responsible for this case are Alison Wilson, Maura Viehmeyer, Boaz Green, Heather Johnson, James H. Holl, III, and Rick Glaser.
SCIENTISTS STUDY SEED DISPERSAL
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Seed dispersal study shows value of conservation corridors
Ecologists study how wind moves seeds through longleaf pines
Field ecologists go to great lengths to get data. Radio collars and automatic video cameras are among their tools for documenting the natural world.
So when a group of ecologists set out to see how wind moves seeds through isolated patches of habitat carved into a longleaf pine plantation, they came up with a novel way of addressing this question. They twisted colored yarn to create mock seeds that would drift with the wind much like native seeds.
The scientists discovered that both wind and the corridors between the patches of habitat matter to seed dispersal in the longleaf pine forest.
Their experimental "seeds" were dusted with fluorescent powder and inserted into custom-made boxes mounted on poles, then released as the scientists monitored local wind conditions.
That night, the field crew returned for a black-light treasure hunt, locating more than 80 percent of the fake seeds, which glowed under the ultraviolet light.
The paths of these glowing seeds were matched with output from a computer model to produce the first accurate picture of how wind moves seeds through corridors linking two patches of habitat.
The study results are published in a paper in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Conservation biologists have long discussed building conservation corridors to link isolated patches of protected land.
"Understanding the conservation impact of corridors is at the cutting edge of conservation," says lead paper author Ellen Damschen, a zoologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Corridors are designed to improve conditions for uncommon native species living in separated habitats.
Small populations in these "islands" of habitat may be killed by storms or disease. They may lack genetic diversity and be prone to inbreeding. And they may be unable to reach new habitat.
"It makes intuitive sense that these connections could foster genetic and biological diversity," says Damschen. "But there has been little scientific evidence for if and how they work."
Most of the studies have involved animals, she adds, even though plants provide the basic energy and structure to land ecosystems.
Wind matters for the movement of seeds and whole organisms, Damschen says. "In many open habitats, more than one-third of plants are wind dispersed, but there are also insects, spiders, pathogens and fungi that move on the wind."
The experiment, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Forest Service, began in 2000 with the creation of eight groups of patches at the Savannah River Site, a large holding of the U.S. Department of Energy. Each set of patches was built at a different orientation to prevailing winds.
"Relatively few researchers have investigated the effects of habitat configuration on wind-dispersed species," says Betsy Von Holle, a program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research. "This study demonstrates that influences on wind-dispersed species are more complex than previously thought."
A research group of meteorologists and ecologists found that corridors increased the movement of wind and of their glowing artificial seeds, echoing the results of a computer model developed by Gil Bohrer at The Ohio State University, a paper co-author.
And when Damschen and colleagues counted newly dispersed plants over the 12-year experiment, they found that a corridor linking two patches of land indeed promotes the diversity of plants dispersed by wind - especially if the corridor is oriented roughly parallel to the prevailing winds.
Both the data and the model showed that wind speeds up in certain areas of the patches, and that a strong vertical air movement is present.
"Uplift is important because the wind tends to be faster higher above the ground," Damschen says, "and uplift can lead to long-distance dispersal, which is significant for moving plants around the landscape."
That's why the study matters for conservation biology, Damschen says.
"We predicted that corridors in line with the dominant winds would move more species, and this is what we found. Wind alignment matters for species diversity in conservation areas."
The results are especially relevant to threatened Midwestern ecosystems like grasslands, prairies and savannas, where big bluestem and milkweed are two of many native plants that loft their seeds on the wind.
"In conservation science, it is often assumed that wind-dispersed seeds can go everywhere, but that's not true," Damschen says.
"Wind direction, and the shape of the habitat, control where these seeds go.
"While this adds another factor to consider in management of natural areas, the information is on the table so we can make better decisions about how to achieve management goals."
Other co-authors of the paper are: Dirk Baker of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ran Nathan of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; John Orrock of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jay Turner of Washington University in St. Louis; Lars Brudvig of Michigan State University; Nick Haddad of North Carolina State University; Doug Levey of the University of Florida, Gainesville; and Joshua Tewksbury of the University of Washington.
-NSF-
Seed dispersal study shows value of conservation corridors
Ecologists study how wind moves seeds through longleaf pines
Field ecologists go to great lengths to get data. Radio collars and automatic video cameras are among their tools for documenting the natural world.
So when a group of ecologists set out to see how wind moves seeds through isolated patches of habitat carved into a longleaf pine plantation, they came up with a novel way of addressing this question. They twisted colored yarn to create mock seeds that would drift with the wind much like native seeds.
The scientists discovered that both wind and the corridors between the patches of habitat matter to seed dispersal in the longleaf pine forest.
Their experimental "seeds" were dusted with fluorescent powder and inserted into custom-made boxes mounted on poles, then released as the scientists monitored local wind conditions.
That night, the field crew returned for a black-light treasure hunt, locating more than 80 percent of the fake seeds, which glowed under the ultraviolet light.
The paths of these glowing seeds were matched with output from a computer model to produce the first accurate picture of how wind moves seeds through corridors linking two patches of habitat.
The study results are published in a paper in this week's issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Conservation biologists have long discussed building conservation corridors to link isolated patches of protected land.
"Understanding the conservation impact of corridors is at the cutting edge of conservation," says lead paper author Ellen Damschen, a zoologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Corridors are designed to improve conditions for uncommon native species living in separated habitats.
Small populations in these "islands" of habitat may be killed by storms or disease. They may lack genetic diversity and be prone to inbreeding. And they may be unable to reach new habitat.
"It makes intuitive sense that these connections could foster genetic and biological diversity," says Damschen. "But there has been little scientific evidence for if and how they work."
Most of the studies have involved animals, she adds, even though plants provide the basic energy and structure to land ecosystems.
Wind matters for the movement of seeds and whole organisms, Damschen says. "In many open habitats, more than one-third of plants are wind dispersed, but there are also insects, spiders, pathogens and fungi that move on the wind."
The experiment, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S. Forest Service, began in 2000 with the creation of eight groups of patches at the Savannah River Site, a large holding of the U.S. Department of Energy. Each set of patches was built at a different orientation to prevailing winds.
"Relatively few researchers have investigated the effects of habitat configuration on wind-dispersed species," says Betsy Von Holle, a program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research. "This study demonstrates that influences on wind-dispersed species are more complex than previously thought."
A research group of meteorologists and ecologists found that corridors increased the movement of wind and of their glowing artificial seeds, echoing the results of a computer model developed by Gil Bohrer at The Ohio State University, a paper co-author.
And when Damschen and colleagues counted newly dispersed plants over the 12-year experiment, they found that a corridor linking two patches of land indeed promotes the diversity of plants dispersed by wind - especially if the corridor is oriented roughly parallel to the prevailing winds.
Both the data and the model showed that wind speeds up in certain areas of the patches, and that a strong vertical air movement is present.
"Uplift is important because the wind tends to be faster higher above the ground," Damschen says, "and uplift can lead to long-distance dispersal, which is significant for moving plants around the landscape."
That's why the study matters for conservation biology, Damschen says.
"We predicted that corridors in line with the dominant winds would move more species, and this is what we found. Wind alignment matters for species diversity in conservation areas."
The results are especially relevant to threatened Midwestern ecosystems like grasslands, prairies and savannas, where big bluestem and milkweed are two of many native plants that loft their seeds on the wind.
"In conservation science, it is often assumed that wind-dispersed seeds can go everywhere, but that's not true," Damschen says.
"Wind direction, and the shape of the habitat, control where these seeds go.
"While this adds another factor to consider in management of natural areas, the information is on the table so we can make better decisions about how to achieve management goals."
Other co-authors of the paper are: Dirk Baker of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Ran Nathan of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; John Orrock of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Jay Turner of Washington University in St. Louis; Lars Brudvig of Michigan State University; Nick Haddad of North Carolina State University; Doug Levey of the University of Florida, Gainesville; and Joshua Tewksbury of the University of Washington.
-NSF-
Friday, February 28, 2014
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON UKRAINE
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Statement by the President on Ukraine
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
5:05 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody.
Over the last several days, the United States has been responding to events as they unfold in Ukraine. Throughout this crisis, we have been very clear about one fundamental principle: The Ukrainian people deserve the opportunity to determine their own future. Together with our European allies, we have urged an end to the violence and encouraged Ukrainians to pursue a course in which they stabilize their country, forge a broad-based government and move to elections this spring.
I also spoke several days ago with President Putin, and my administration has been in daily communication with Russian officials, and we've made clear that they can be part of an international community’s effort to support the stability and success of a united Ukraine going forward, which is not only in the interest of The people of Ukraine and the international community, but also in Russia’s interest.
However, we are now deeply concerned by reports of military movements taken by the Russian Federation inside of Ukraine. Russia has a historic relationship with Ukraine, including cultural and economic ties, and a military facility in Crimea, but any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would be deeply destabilizing, which is not in the interest of Ukraine, Russia, or Europe.
It would represent a profound interference in matters that must be determined by the Ukrainian people. It would be a clear violation of Russia’s commitment to respect the independence and sovereignty and borders of Ukraine, and of international laws. And just days after the world came to Russia for the Olympic Games, it would invite the condemnation of nations around the world. And indeed, the United States will stand with the international community in affirming that there will be costs for any military intervention in Ukraine.
The events of the past several months remind us of how difficult democracy can be in a country with deep divisions. But the Ukrainian people have also reminded us that human beings have a universal right to determine their own future.
Right now, the situation remains very fluid. Vice President Biden just spoke with Prime Minister -- the Prime Minister of Ukraine to assure him that in this difficult moment the United States supports his government’s efforts and stands for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and democratic future of Ukraine. I also commend the Ukrainian government’s restraint and its commitment to uphold its international obligations.
We will continue to coordinate closely with our European allies. We will continue to communicate directly with the Russian government. And we will continue to keep all of you in the press corps and the American people informed as events develop.
Thanks very much.
END
5:09 P.M. EST
5:09 P.M. EST
PRESIDENT OBAMA CONTINUES NATIONAL EMERGENCY REGARDING ZIMBABWE
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C.
1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions is to continue in effect beyond March 6, 2014.
The threat constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved. These actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat.
BARACK OBAMA
Message -- Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Zimbabwe
TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:
Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C.
1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent to the Federal Register for publication the enclosed notice stating that the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13288 of March 6, 2003, with respect to the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions is to continue in effect beyond March 6, 2014.
The threat constituted by the actions and policies of certain members of the Government of Zimbabwe and other persons to undermine Zimbabwe's democratic processes or institutions has not been resolved. These actions and policies continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the foreign policy of the United States. For these reasons, I have determined that it is necessary to continue this national emergency and to maintain in force the sanctions to respond to this threat.
BARACK OBAMA
U.S. DEFENSE CONTRACTS FOR FEBRUARY 28, 2014
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
CONTRACTS
ARMY
Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $655,413,297 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for two PATRIOT fire units and associated initial spares. This is a foreign military sales to Kuwait. Fiscal 2010 other procurement funds in the amount of $65,541,330 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is April 30, 2018. One bid was solicited with one received. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., Chatsworth, Calif., and in Greece. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-14-C-0052).
Lockheed Martin Aculight Corp., Bothell, Wash., was awarded a $25,162,654 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to design, develop, fabricate, test and deliver a 60 kilowatt spectrally combined high power fiber laser to support High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator operation on Army and Department of Defense test ranges and other outdoor locations. Fiscal 2014 incrementally funded research, development, testing, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,300,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 27, 2016. One bid was solicited with one received. Work will be performed in Bothell, Wash. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9113M-14-C-0008).
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, McLean, Va., was awarded a $15,904,914 modification (P000433) to contract W91QUZ-06-D-0005 for contractor support to program management office biometric enabling capabilities for the continuation of development, maintenance and sustainment of the Department of Defense Automated Biometric Identification System. Incremental funding is applied. Fiscal 2014 research, development, testing, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,108,608 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Feb 28, 2015. Work will be performed in McLean, Va. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity.
PRIDE Industries, Roseville, Calif., was awarded a $13,844,609 modification (P00014) to multi-year contract W9124G-13-C-0002 for the Department of Public Works-Base Operations, Fort Rucker, Ala. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,071,008 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2015. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Ala. Army Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Quinlivan, Pierik & Krause, Architects/Engineers LLP*, Syracuse, N.Y., was awarded a $9,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for general architectural and engineering services primarily within New York District boundaries and Corps of Engineers locations within North Atlantic Division boundaries. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 12 received. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W912DS-14-D-0002).
Survice Engineering Co., LLC, Belcamp, Md., was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract for the development of test and evaluation documentation, blast analysis, lethality strategies, assessment plans, detailed test plans , and training programs to support research and development, procurement, and sustainment activities for Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, Ground System Survivability, Joint Program Office, Mine Resistant Ambush Program, and Program Manager Family of Special Operations Vehicles. Funding and work performance location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is March 2, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-D-0056).
Walker Miller Equipment Co, Inc.*, Orlando, Fla., was awarded an $8,4221,000 firm-fixed-price contract for a vibratory plate compactor for compacting soil and asphalt in areas inaccessible to larger equipment or for compacting smaller areas. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is June 7, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-D-L001).
BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H., was awarded a $7,918,125 modification (P00003) to contract W58RGZ-13-D-0245 for AN/AAR-57(V) Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) and associated spare parts and systems engineering, technical, and logistics support services for both CMWS and OT-255/ALQ-212(V) Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb 28, 2015. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Manufacturing Support Industries doing business as MSI*, Salisbury, Md. (W15QKN-14-D-0029), and OG Technologies Inc.*, New York, N.Y. (W15QKN-14-D-0030), were awarded a $7,612,000 firm-fixed-price contract for M4 carbine ambidextrous fire control selector assemblies. The selector switch will be combined with other weapon components to form a single modification kit to convert fielded M4 carbines to M4A1 carbines. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2018. Bids were solicited via the Internet with three received. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity.
SRCTec Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., was awarded a $7,222,543 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract with options for procuring, installing and providing spare parts for the ground based dense and avoid lightweight surveillance and target acquisition radar. Fiscal 2013 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $7,222,543 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Oct. 30, 2015. One bid was solicited and one received. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0036).
NAVY
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $351,009,568 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive, fixed-price incentive-fee contract (N00019-09-D-0008) for V-22 Joint Performance Based Logistics support. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (40 percent); Ridley Park, Pa. (40 percent); various locations within the continental United States (15 percent) and locations outside the continental United States (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2016. No funding will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Federal Staffing Resources LLC.*, Annapolis, Md. (N62645-14-D-5013); Loyal Source Government Services*, Orlando, Fla.(N62645-14-D-5014); MedTrust LLC.*, San Antonio, Texas (N62645-14-D-5015); Rao Radiologists Inc.*, Gaithersburg, Md. (N62645-14-D-5016), are each being awarded a 39-month, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award task order contract for various nursing services that include the labor bands of advanced practice nurse and nursing. The aggregate not-to-exceed amount for these multiple award contracts combined is $152,250,696. The four companies will have the opportunity to bid on each individual task order as they are issued. Work will be performed at the following Military Treatment Facilities in the Northeastern Region of the United States: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va. and its affiliated clinics (86 percent); Naval Health Clinic Quantico, Va. (4 percent); Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, Md. (2 percent) ; Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes, Ill. (2 percent); Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent); Naval Health Clinic Newport, R.I. (1 percent); Naval Branch Health Clinic Groton, Conn. (1 percent); Naval Branch Health Clinic Portsmouth, N.H. (1 percent); Naval Branch Health Clinic Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (1 percent); and any associated branch clinics in the Northeast Region of the United States (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2017. Fiscal 2014 Defense health program funds in the aggregate amount of $20,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and the funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funding is predominantly from the Defense Health Program; however, other funding initiatives such as psychological health/traumatic brain injury, overseas contingency operations and wounded, ill, and injured may be used. These are all one-year funding types. These contracts were solicited via a multiple award electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside, with 50 offers received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Md., is the contracting activity.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $54,305,623 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for depot level repair of engines, propellers and other propulsion system components for 50 KC-130 aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps (47) and the government of Kuwait (3). Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind. (92 percent), Al Mubarak, Kuwait (2.1 percent); various locations in Japan (2 percent); Cherry Point. N.C. (1.3 percent); Miramar, Calif. (1.3 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (1.3 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funds in the amount of $24,517,676 are being obligated on this award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Marines Corps ($50,163,909; 92 percent) and the Government of Kuwait ($4,141,714; 8 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-14-D-0007).
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded $22,401,663 for cost-plus-fixed-fee, delivery order 0166 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-11-G-0001) for supplies and services to support follow-on test and evaluation of the F/-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. (76 percent), St. Louis, Mo. (22 percent), El Segundo, Calif. (1 percent), and Bethpage, N.Y. (1 percent) and is expected to be completed in January 2015. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $22,401,663 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $19,898,974 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2109) for engineering and technical design services to support advanced submarine technology research and development (R&D) for current and future submarine platforms. Advanced submarine R&D includes studies to support the manufacturability, maintainability, producibility, reliability, manning, survivability, hull integrity, performance, structural, weight/margin, stability, arrangements, machinery systems, acoustics, hydrodynamics, ship control, logistics, human factors, materials, weapons handling and stowage, submarine safety, and affordability. The program also supports near term insertion of Virginia class technology; identification of Ohio class replacement technology options; future submarine concepts; and core technologies. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is expected to be completed by October 2014. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation contract funds in the amount of $249,400 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Airborne Systems Ltd., Bridgend, United Kingdom, is being awarded a $17,976,844 firm-fixed-price job order to previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00164-13-G-WM55-0003) for the procurement of components in support of the MK 59 Mod 0 Decoy Launch System (DLS). The MK 59 DLS is a deck-mounted countermeasure system that is used to launch an advanced inflatable radar decoy cartridge to confuse hostile tracking and homing associated with anti-ship missiles by simulating the radar cross section of the ship. Work will be performed in Bridgend, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $17,976,844 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.
Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $15,978,977 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-2128) for procurement of missile tube long-lead-time material in support of the Ohio Class Replacement Program. The contractor will be designing and manufacturing hardware to support the manufacture of the common missile compartment. This contract combines purchases for the government of the United Kingdom (67 percent) and the U.S. Navy (37 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is scheduled to be completed by February 2016. FMS and fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $15,978,977 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Conn., is the contracting activity.
NVE Inc.*, Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $14,858,122 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for janitorial services at Naval Support Activity Bethesda. The work to be performed provides for all labor, supervision, management, tools, materials, equipment, facilities, transportation, and incidental engineering and other items necessary to provide janitorial services. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years is $77,324,605. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Md., and is expected to be completed by March 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; fiscal 2014 working capital funds, Defense; and fiscal 2014 health program, Defense contract funds in the amount of $1,619,093 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Command, Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-14-D-2010).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Md., is being awarded a $10,798,739 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2300) to exercise an option for post-delivery support for the USS Milwaukee (LCS 5). Lockheed Martin will perform the planning and implementation of deferred design changes that have been identified during the construction period. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wis. (57 percent); Hampton, Va. (14 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (11 percent); San Diego, Calif. (11 percent); and Washington, D.C. (7 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2015. Fiscal 2010 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funding in the amount of $10,798,739 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Allen & Shariff*, Columbia, Md., is being awarded $8,895,680 for firm-fixed-price task order 0027 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40080-10-D-0496) for the repair of chillers and air handlers, installation of ventilation in corridors and installation of an elevator in building 15 at the Marine Corps Base, Quantico. The work to be performed provides for an addition of a hydraulic elevator with new elevator structure to support the elevator function. The addition of a corridor structure connecting the A-4 and C-3 wings to the elevator. The replacement of the bedroom and stairwell doors and fire rated doors and the replacement of stair handrails and fire alarm system and the complete replacement of the mechanical equipment in the building with the exception of gas fired boilers. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., and is expected to be completed by May 2016. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,895,680 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded an $8,021,387 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-10-C-0020) for the procurement of 11 low power CV-22 repairs under the Mission Care™ contract. Work will be performed in Oakland, Calif. (70 percent) and Indianapolis, Ind. (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Air Force funds in the amount of $8,021,387 are being obligated on this award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $7,120,153 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) to exercise an option for post-delivery support for the USS Jackson (LCS 6). Austal USA will perform the planning and implementation of deferred design changes that have been identified during the construction period. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (70 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (20 percent); and San Diego, Calif. (10 percent) and is expected to be completed by September 2015. Fiscal 2010 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funding in the amount of $7,120,153 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
SupplyCore*, Rockford, Ill., has been awarded a maximum $340,000,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for maintenance, repair, and operations tailored logistics support prime vendor programs. This contract is a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. This is a five-year base contract with no option year periods. Location of performance is Illinois with a Feb. 28, 2019 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM8EG-14-D-0001).
TW Metals, Carol Stream, Ill., has been awarded a maximum $78,768,905 modification (P00101) exercising the third option year on a two-year base contract (SPM8E5-10-D-0005) with three one-year option periods for various carbon steel bar and plate materials. This is a fixed-price with economic-price adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Illinois with a March 1, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
US Worldmeds LLC*, Louisville, Ky., has been awarded a maximum $29,978,934 modification (P00002) exercising the first option year on a one-year base contract (SPM2D0-13-D-0002) with seven one-year option periods for various pharmaceuticals. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Kentucky with a March 3, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 war-stopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
GE Datex Ohmeda Inc., Madison, Wis., has been awarded a maximum $19,847,688 modification (P00101) exercising the fifth option year on a one-year base contract (SPM2D1-09-D-8348) with nine one-year option periods for patient monitoring systems, subsystems, accessories, consumables, spare and repair parts, and training. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Wisconsin with a March 5, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $12,756,275 firm-fixed-price, definite-quantity contract for 10,826 turbine rotor blades. This contract is a sole-source acquisition. This is a one-year base contract. Location of performance is Ohio with a Dec. 31, 2015 performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Va., (SPRTA1-12-G-0006-TY7C).
CORRECTION: The contract announced Dec 27, 2013 to Brother’s Produce, Inc. was incorrect. The contract was actually awarded on Feb. 27, 2014. The maximum funds, estimated completion date and contract number were incorrect. The correct information is: Brothers Produce, Inc.,* Houston, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $8,658,596 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of full line fresh fruit and vegetable support to non-Department of Defense customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth schools zone. This contract is a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. Location of performance is Texas with a Sept 2015 estimated performance completion date. Using service is U.S. Department of Agriculture school customers. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPE300-14-D-S607).
AIR FORCE
Infoscitex Corp., Waltham, Mass. (FA8650-14-D-6500) and Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Systems Engineering Solutions, Boulder, Colo. (FA8650-14-D-6501), have each been awarded a $60,100,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development. The goal of these contracts is to provide the 711th Human Performance Wing (HPW)/RHC with research to perform the mission of "increase warfighter lethality and enhance combat survivability while reducing information processing demands through revolutionary human interface technology." The 711th HPW/RHC is transforming its portfolio to emphasize the technology priorities of: control of remotely piloted aircraft; decision making and autonomy; multi-sensory technologies; conceptual design and demonstration of advanced information operations workstations; advanced visualizations, technology and human cognitive modeling. These technologies will be used to transform the following concepts of operations objectives: battlespace visualization, planning and assessment tools; find, fix, track, target, engage and assess and seamless decision support. Work will be performed at Dayton, Ohio, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by May 28, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive broad agency announcement, BAA-12-04-HPW/RHC, in which three offers were received and two were awarded. Fiscal 2013 research and development funds in the amount of $50,000 for each contract are being obligated at time of award to the first task order (0001) for each contract. Air Force Research Laboratory/RQKHA, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Battlespace Flight Services LCC, Arlington, Va., has been awarded an $8,649,020 modification to TO 0003 and a $7,168,732 modification to TO 0004 to exercise option year one under an existing single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (FA4890-13-D-0001). Support shall include aircraft maintenance management; aerospace ground equipment and ground support equipment maintenance; supply support; command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; quality control; and ancillary support programs. The program supports Air Combat Command (ACC), the Air National Guard, and other major command and combatant command customers to sustain the combat and training capability. Work will be performed at tasked locations worldwide, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $720,752 will be obligated with the exercise of option year one for TO 0003 modification 09 and $597,394 will be obligated for TO 0004 modification 08. Headquarters ACC, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
CONTRACTS
ARMY
Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded a $655,413,297 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract for two PATRIOT fire units and associated initial spares. This is a foreign military sales to Kuwait. Fiscal 2010 other procurement funds in the amount of $65,541,330 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is April 30, 2018. One bid was solicited with one received. Work will be performed in Andover, Mass., Chatsworth, Calif., and in Greece. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-14-C-0052).
Lockheed Martin Aculight Corp., Bothell, Wash., was awarded a $25,162,654 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to design, develop, fabricate, test and deliver a 60 kilowatt spectrally combined high power fiber laser to support High Energy Laser Mobile Demonstrator operation on Army and Department of Defense test ranges and other outdoor locations. Fiscal 2014 incrementally funded research, development, testing, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,300,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 27, 2016. One bid was solicited with one received. Work will be performed in Bothell, Wash. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9113M-14-C-0008).
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, McLean, Va., was awarded a $15,904,914 modification (P000433) to contract W91QUZ-06-D-0005 for contractor support to program management office biometric enabling capabilities for the continuation of development, maintenance and sustainment of the Department of Defense Automated Biometric Identification System. Incremental funding is applied. Fiscal 2014 research, development, testing, and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,108,608 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Feb 28, 2015. Work will be performed in McLean, Va. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity.
PRIDE Industries, Roseville, Calif., was awarded a $13,844,609 modification (P00014) to multi-year contract W9124G-13-C-0002 for the Department of Public Works-Base Operations, Fort Rucker, Ala. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $1,071,008 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2015. Work will be performed at Fort Rucker, Ala. Army Contracting Command, Fort Rucker, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Quinlivan, Pierik & Krause, Architects/Engineers LLP*, Syracuse, N.Y., was awarded a $9,900,000 firm-fixed-price contract for general architectural and engineering services primarily within New York District boundaries and Corps of Engineers locations within North Atlantic Division boundaries. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 12 received. Army Corps of Engineers, New York, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W912DS-14-D-0002).
Survice Engineering Co., LLC, Belcamp, Md., was awarded a $9,000,000 firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract for the development of test and evaluation documentation, blast analysis, lethality strategies, assessment plans, detailed test plans , and training programs to support research and development, procurement, and sustainment activities for Tank-Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, Ground System Survivability, Joint Program Office, Mine Resistant Ambush Program, and Program Manager Family of Special Operations Vehicles. Funding and work performance location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is March 2, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-D-0056).
Walker Miller Equipment Co, Inc.*, Orlando, Fla., was awarded an $8,4221,000 firm-fixed-price contract for a vibratory plate compactor for compacting soil and asphalt in areas inaccessible to larger equipment or for compacting smaller areas. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is June 7, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-D-L001).
BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H., was awarded a $7,918,125 modification (P00003) to contract W58RGZ-13-D-0245 for AN/AAR-57(V) Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) and associated spare parts and systems engineering, technical, and logistics support services for both CMWS and OT-255/ALQ-212(V) Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb 28, 2015. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity.
Manufacturing Support Industries doing business as MSI*, Salisbury, Md. (W15QKN-14-D-0029), and OG Technologies Inc.*, New York, N.Y. (W15QKN-14-D-0030), were awarded a $7,612,000 firm-fixed-price contract for M4 carbine ambidextrous fire control selector assemblies. The selector switch will be combined with other weapon components to form a single modification kit to convert fielded M4 carbines to M4A1 carbines. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2018. Bids were solicited via the Internet with three received. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., is the contracting activity.
SRCTec Inc., Syracuse, N.Y., was awarded a $7,222,543 firm-fixed-price, sole-source contract with options for procuring, installing and providing spare parts for the ground based dense and avoid lightweight surveillance and target acquisition radar. Fiscal 2013 other procurement, Army funds in the amount of $7,222,543 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Oct. 30, 2015. One bid was solicited and one received. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0036).
NAVY
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $351,009,568 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive, fixed-price incentive-fee contract (N00019-09-D-0008) for V-22 Joint Performance Based Logistics support. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (40 percent); Ridley Park, Pa. (40 percent); various locations within the continental United States (15 percent) and locations outside the continental United States (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in November 2016. No funding will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual delivery orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Federal Staffing Resources LLC.*, Annapolis, Md. (N62645-14-D-5013); Loyal Source Government Services*, Orlando, Fla.(N62645-14-D-5014); MedTrust LLC.*, San Antonio, Texas (N62645-14-D-5015); Rao Radiologists Inc.*, Gaithersburg, Md. (N62645-14-D-5016), are each being awarded a 39-month, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, multiple award task order contract for various nursing services that include the labor bands of advanced practice nurse and nursing. The aggregate not-to-exceed amount for these multiple award contracts combined is $152,250,696. The four companies will have the opportunity to bid on each individual task order as they are issued. Work will be performed at the following Military Treatment Facilities in the Northeastern Region of the United States: Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Va. and its affiliated clinics (86 percent); Naval Health Clinic Quantico, Va. (4 percent); Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, Md. (2 percent) ; Naval Health Clinic Great Lakes, Ill. (2 percent); Naval Health Clinic Patuxent River, Md. (1 percent); Naval Health Clinic Newport, R.I. (1 percent); Naval Branch Health Clinic Groton, Conn. (1 percent); Naval Branch Health Clinic Portsmouth, N.H. (1 percent); Naval Branch Health Clinic Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (1 percent); and any associated branch clinics in the Northeast Region of the United States (1 percent), and work is expected to be completed Sept. 30, 2017. Fiscal 2014 Defense health program funds in the aggregate amount of $20,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and the funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Funding is predominantly from the Defense Health Program; however, other funding initiatives such as psychological health/traumatic brain injury, overseas contingency operations and wounded, ill, and injured may be used. These are all one-year funding types. These contracts were solicited via a multiple award electronic request for proposals as a 100 percent small business set-aside, with 50 offers received. The Naval Medical Logistics Command, Fort Detrick, Md., is the contracting activity.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded a $54,305,623 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for depot level repair of engines, propellers and other propulsion system components for 50 KC-130 aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps (47) and the government of Kuwait (3). Work will be performed in Indianapolis, Ind. (92 percent), Al Mubarak, Kuwait (2.1 percent); various locations in Japan (2 percent); Cherry Point. N.C. (1.3 percent); Miramar, Calif. (1.3 percent); and Fort Worth, Texas (1.3 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funds in the amount of $24,517,676 are being obligated on this award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Marines Corps ($50,163,909; 92 percent) and the Government of Kuwait ($4,141,714; 8 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales program. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-14-D-0007).
The Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., is being awarded $22,401,663 for cost-plus-fixed-fee, delivery order 0166 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-11-G-0001) for supplies and services to support follow-on test and evaluation of the F/-18 E/F and EA-18G aircraft. Work will be performed at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. (76 percent), St. Louis, Mo. (22 percent), El Segundo, Calif. (1 percent), and Bethpage, N.Y. (1 percent) and is expected to be completed in January 2015. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $22,401,663 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $19,898,974 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2109) for engineering and technical design services to support advanced submarine technology research and development (R&D) for current and future submarine platforms. Advanced submarine R&D includes studies to support the manufacturability, maintainability, producibility, reliability, manning, survivability, hull integrity, performance, structural, weight/margin, stability, arrangements, machinery systems, acoustics, hydrodynamics, ship control, logistics, human factors, materials, weapons handling and stowage, submarine safety, and affordability. The program also supports near term insertion of Virginia class technology; identification of Ohio class replacement technology options; future submarine concepts; and core technologies. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is expected to be completed by October 2014. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation contract funds in the amount of $249,400 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Airborne Systems Ltd., Bridgend, United Kingdom, is being awarded a $17,976,844 firm-fixed-price job order to previously awarded basic ordering agreement (N00164-13-G-WM55-0003) for the procurement of components in support of the MK 59 Mod 0 Decoy Launch System (DLS). The MK 59 DLS is a deck-mounted countermeasure system that is used to launch an advanced inflatable radar decoy cartridge to confuse hostile tracking and homing associated with anti-ship missiles by simulating the radar cross section of the ship. Work will be performed in Bridgend, United Kingdom, and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $17,976,844 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Ind., is the contracting activity.
Electric Boat Corp., Groton, Conn., is being awarded a $15,978,977 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-2128) for procurement of missile tube long-lead-time material in support of the Ohio Class Replacement Program. The contractor will be designing and manufacturing hardware to support the manufacture of the common missile compartment. This contract combines purchases for the government of the United Kingdom (67 percent) and the U.S. Navy (37 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program. Work will be performed in Groton, Conn., and is scheduled to be completed by February 2016. FMS and fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funding in the amount of $15,978,977 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Groton, Conn., is the contracting activity.
NVE Inc.*, Herndon, Va., is being awarded a $14,858,122 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for janitorial services at Naval Support Activity Bethesda. The work to be performed provides for all labor, supervision, management, tools, materials, equipment, facilities, transportation, and incidental engineering and other items necessary to provide janitorial services. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years is $77,324,605. Work will be performed in Bethesda, Md., and is expected to be completed by March 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; fiscal 2014 working capital funds, Defense; and fiscal 2014 health program, Defense contract funds in the amount of $1,619,093 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with seven proposals received. The Naval Facilities Command, Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N40080-14-D-2010).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Baltimore, Md., is being awarded a $10,798,739 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2300) to exercise an option for post-delivery support for the USS Milwaukee (LCS 5). Lockheed Martin will perform the planning and implementation of deferred design changes that have been identified during the construction period. Work will be performed in Marinette, Wis. (57 percent); Hampton, Va. (14 percent); Moorestown, N.J. (11 percent); San Diego, Calif. (11 percent); and Washington, D.C. (7 percent), and is expected to be completed by October 2015. Fiscal 2010 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funding in the amount of $10,798,739 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Allen & Shariff*, Columbia, Md., is being awarded $8,895,680 for firm-fixed-price task order 0027 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N40080-10-D-0496) for the repair of chillers and air handlers, installation of ventilation in corridors and installation of an elevator in building 15 at the Marine Corps Base, Quantico. The work to be performed provides for an addition of a hydraulic elevator with new elevator structure to support the elevator function. The addition of a corridor structure connecting the A-4 and C-3 wings to the elevator. The replacement of the bedroom and stairwell doors and fire rated doors and the replacement of stair handrails and fire alarm system and the complete replacement of the mechanical equipment in the building with the exception of gas fired boilers. Work will be performed in Quantico, Va., and is expected to be completed by May 2016. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,895,680 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Washington, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
Rolls-Royce Corp., Indianapolis, Ind., is being awarded an $8,021,387 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-10-C-0020) for the procurement of 11 low power CV-22 repairs under the Mission Care™ contract. Work will be performed in Oakland, Calif. (70 percent) and Indianapolis, Ind. (30 percent), and is expected to be completed in February 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Air Force funds in the amount of $8,021,387 are being obligated on this award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Austal USA, Mobile, Ala., is being awarded a $7,120,153 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-2301) to exercise an option for post-delivery support for the USS Jackson (LCS 6). Austal USA will perform the planning and implementation of deferred design changes that have been identified during the construction period. Work will be performed in Mobile, Ala. (70 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (20 percent); and San Diego, Calif. (10 percent) and is expected to be completed by September 2015. Fiscal 2010 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funding in the amount of $7,120,153 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
SupplyCore*, Rockford, Ill., has been awarded a maximum $340,000,000 firm-fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for maintenance, repair, and operations tailored logistics support prime vendor programs. This contract is a competitive acquisition and five offers were received. This is a five-year base contract with no option year periods. Location of performance is Illinois with a Feb. 28, 2019 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2019 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM8EG-14-D-0001).
TW Metals, Carol Stream, Ill., has been awarded a maximum $78,768,905 modification (P00101) exercising the third option year on a two-year base contract (SPM8E5-10-D-0005) with three one-year option periods for various carbon steel bar and plate materials. This is a fixed-price with economic-price adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Illinois with a March 1, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
US Worldmeds LLC*, Louisville, Ky., has been awarded a maximum $29,978,934 modification (P00002) exercising the first option year on a one-year base contract (SPM2D0-13-D-0002) with seven one-year option periods for various pharmaceuticals. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Kentucky with a March 3, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 war-stopper funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
GE Datex Ohmeda Inc., Madison, Wis., has been awarded a maximum $19,847,688 modification (P00101) exercising the fifth option year on a one-year base contract (SPM2D1-09-D-8348) with nine one-year option periods for patient monitoring systems, subsystems, accessories, consumables, spare and repair parts, and training. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract. Location of performance is Wisconsin with a March 5, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
General Electric Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $12,756,275 firm-fixed-price, definite-quantity contract for 10,826 turbine rotor blades. This contract is a sole-source acquisition. This is a one-year base contract. Location of performance is Ohio with a Dec. 31, 2015 performance completion date. Using military service is Air Force. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 through fiscal 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation, Richmond, Va., (SPRTA1-12-G-0006-TY7C).
CORRECTION: The contract announced Dec 27, 2013 to Brother’s Produce, Inc. was incorrect. The contract was actually awarded on Feb. 27, 2014. The maximum funds, estimated completion date and contract number were incorrect. The correct information is: Brothers Produce, Inc.,* Houston, Texas, has been awarded a maximum $8,658,596 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of full line fresh fruit and vegetable support to non-Department of Defense customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth schools zone. This contract is a competitive acquisition, and three offers were received. Location of performance is Texas with a Sept 2015 estimated performance completion date. Using service is U.S. Department of Agriculture school customers. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPE300-14-D-S607).
AIR FORCE
Infoscitex Corp., Waltham, Mass. (FA8650-14-D-6500) and Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Systems Engineering Solutions, Boulder, Colo. (FA8650-14-D-6501), have each been awarded a $60,100,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for research and development. The goal of these contracts is to provide the 711th Human Performance Wing (HPW)/RHC with research to perform the mission of "increase warfighter lethality and enhance combat survivability while reducing information processing demands through revolutionary human interface technology." The 711th HPW/RHC is transforming its portfolio to emphasize the technology priorities of: control of remotely piloted aircraft; decision making and autonomy; multi-sensory technologies; conceptual design and demonstration of advanced information operations workstations; advanced visualizations, technology and human cognitive modeling. These technologies will be used to transform the following concepts of operations objectives: battlespace visualization, planning and assessment tools; find, fix, track, target, engage and assess and seamless decision support. Work will be performed at Dayton, Ohio, and Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and is expected to be complete by May 28, 2020. This award is the result of a competitive broad agency announcement, BAA-12-04-HPW/RHC, in which three offers were received and two were awarded. Fiscal 2013 research and development funds in the amount of $50,000 for each contract are being obligated at time of award to the first task order (0001) for each contract. Air Force Research Laboratory/RQKHA, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
Battlespace Flight Services LCC, Arlington, Va., has been awarded an $8,649,020 modification to TO 0003 and a $7,168,732 modification to TO 0004 to exercise option year one under an existing single award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (FA4890-13-D-0001). Support shall include aircraft maintenance management; aerospace ground equipment and ground support equipment maintenance; supply support; command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; quality control; and ancillary support programs. The program supports Air Combat Command (ACC), the Air National Guard, and other major command and combatant command customers to sustain the combat and training capability. Work will be performed at tasked locations worldwide, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $720,752 will be obligated with the exercise of option year one for TO 0003 modification 09 and $597,394 will be obligated for TO 0004 modification 08. Headquarters ACC, Acquisition Management and Integration Center, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH COLOMBIAN FOREIGN MINISTER HOLGUIN
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Holguin at the Fourth Annual U.S.-Colombia High-Level Partnership Dialogue
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
February 28, 2014
ASSISTANT SECRETARY JACOBSON: Well, good morning, everyone. Buenos dias, bienvenido. I hope that everybody’s here ready to work.
I’m delighted this morning to inaugurate, to kick off this next round of the high-level partnership dialogue that we have with Colombia in which we have many working groups today that will discuss everything from environment to energy to culture and education to human rights. This really demonstrates the breadth of our relationship with Colombia. And I’m also delighted to have Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin here to head the Colombian delegation.
So without further ado, I will turn this over to our headliners and introduce Secretary of State John Kerry.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
Buenos dias, good morning, everybody. Welcome. We are really very, very happy to have this bilateral meeting here today and this opportunity to continue the dialogue with ourselves and Colombia. And I am particularly happy to welcome Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and the distinguished delegation that is accompanying her. We’re happy to have you all here.
Last summer I had the great pleasure of meeting Minister Holguin in Colombia and experiencing the incredible dynamism of the country, the generous welcome that they gave me visiting, a number of different activities. One particularly struck me. I went to a training center where physically challenged athletes, particularly veterans of their efforts against narcotics and also in the insurgency, were gaining new skills and learning how to train and work together as a team and deal with their new physical challenges. And it was really very, very moving, extremely professional, and fun. And I got to play a couple of games with them and it was a good exchange. So I really enjoyed it, and overall, could not have had a more generous welcome to a country that I know well by virtue of years of working in the Senate on Plan Colombia and going through a number of presidential races.
And I can remember going back in time to serious, serious security challenges. I mean, there are still challenges, but this was existential to the government. And it was great courage – great courage – leadership and courage by the Colombian people that really brought Colombia to a place now of incredible energy, growth, increased stability, and really playing a very significant role in the hemisphere and elsewhere. And we are very admiring of this journey, I must tell you.
So it’s a pleasure for me to be able to return the favor of that welcome and be able to host the delegation here today. President Obama spoke about Colombia’s bold and brave efforts to bring about a lasting and just peace. And I had an opportunity to see that courage firsthand. I met with the troops at the airport, saw how they deploy, what they do, got firsthand briefings, met with many of the Colombian people themselves. And so for me, it was a moving visit and one which really cemented in my mind the importance of what we’re doing here today and of this relationship.
I’m particularly proud of two major investments that the United States is announcing today to help transform all of our hopes into greater opportunities for Colombia’s citizens. And today, we are making a four-year, $15 million investment to some of the regions that are hardest hit by conflict in order to improve access to justice and to support local governments as they combat corruption and human rights violations. We’re announcing an additional $7 million in support to help implement Colombia’s landmark Victims’ Law, because we believe that addressing difficult issues like land restitution is absolutely essential for an enduring peace to be able to take hold.
Now, sometimes, when you talk about large investments like these, it’s easy to lose sight of the real people that this money will affect, the lives that it may have an opportunity to be able to transform, literally. So I want to give you an example.
Fanny del Socorro Valencia and her husband, Elid, who were some of the first Colombians to benefit from the Victims’ Law, years ago, because of the violence, they had to abandon everything that they held dear – their land, their livelihood, and even many of their loved ones. And because of the efforts that we are helping to support today, Fanny and Elid are back on their land. And Fanny said that years ago she stopped listening to the radio because all she heard was announcements of funerals for her friends and her neighbors. Now, she says, she can get back to listening to music, and like so many other Colombians, she can get back to living in peace.
As the lives of more Colombians change for the better, so does our partnership. No longer is that partnership defined solely by confronting criminality and subversion, but frankly, by working on the lasting prosperity that we are working to provide for people together in our efforts. And the kind of progress that we’re making on trade is really a preview of what is possible for a whole range of areas that we’re discussing today. I want you just to think for a moment about what we have accomplished. In the two short years of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, since it’s been on the books, trade has increased 18 percent. Today, because of the Andean Free Trade Preference Act, nearly all Colombian goods benefit from duty-free access to our markets, and 775 new Colombian companies are exporting to the United States.
We’re also creating new opportunities working together on energy and the environment. Since Colombia put forward its Copenhagen targets in 2010, we have collaborated on a strategy that has helped Colombia to meet ambitious targets for both emissions mitigation and economic growth at the same time. They don’t have to contradict each other. The truth is that moving to reduce emissions and moving to implement good environmental practices actually opens up enormous economic opportunity and can create jobs as well as new procedures, new technologies. And with our larger efforts to link energy markets and develop unconventional energy sources and deliver affordable power across the Americas, our partnership can actually prove what is possible when you take environment and energy and put them together and make the right choices.
We also show a shared commitment to preserving our resources for future generations with the MOU that we sign today linking our national park services. I think we can also look to the future by deepening our partnership in areas that are critical in a more interconnected and competitive global economy by expanding cooperation on information and communications technology. And launching a senior-level steering group today in order to advance those efforts, we are delivering on some of the most important commitments that Presidents Obama and Santos made last December.
As we expand our relationship in these new areas, the United States is also expanding our engagement with the Colombian people directly. Our Economic and Social Opportunities Working Group is reviewing how we can support that goal by reaching out to vulnerable populations, including Afro-Colombians, indigenous communities, and women. And we’re also deepening connections between our two peoples through the educational exchange with 100,000 Strong in the Americas, the Fulbright Scholarships, the Martin Luther King Fellow Program, and the English Access Microscholarships.
Underlying all of our cooperation is our shared commitment to protecting fundamental human rights. And today, we will continue our ongoing dialogue on strengthening democratic governance, combating impunity, protecting victims of conflict, and cooperating to affirm a human rights within the OAS and beyond our hemisphere.
The fact that Colombia is the only nation in South America which, like the United States, faces both the Atlantic and the Pacific, it really serves as a reminder of an important perspective and an important set of principles that we share in common. As we look on our sort of shared horizons – two of them – and the enormous opportunities that they present us for the future, there’s no question in my mind that this relationship has special value, special importance, has a special place in this hemisphere, and we really look forward to developing further this partnership and this friendship.
I think it’s my pleasure – am I introducing – well, without further ado, let me introduce my colleague and cohort and partner and friend, Maria Angela Holguin. (Applause.)
FOREIGN MINISTER HOLGUIN: Thank you very much, Secretary Kerry.
(Via interpreter) Thank you so much, Secretary Kerry. Ladies and gentlemen, delegates, officials of the Government of the United States, Mr. Ambassador of Colombia, dear friends – Mr. Secretary, the fact that I’m here starting this high-level dialogue is something very pleasant for me, for my delegation, and for Colombia. We have been able to diversify our bilateral agenda, including other topics such as technology, communications, telecommunications, the environment. We have been able to have an agenda with cooperation and securities.
We’re extremely thankful to the United States, thanks to the support it gave to Colombia in very difficult times. I am convinced that my delegation is in agreement when I say that we are very thankful to the United States, because today, we have a country full of opportunities, a country that opens up to the world, a country that wants progress, stability, the opportunities for all its inhabitants – it’s thanks also to that great effort that you made because you followed us during some very difficult times for us in Colombia during the government of President Santos.
We have promoted a very profound transformation in our country with growth, with equality and prosperity, and we have found reconciliation amongst Colombians. You talked about the law on land, of the victims, and I think that this is one of the most important steps that we have taken toward reconciliation. This is something that the state had to give its victims, and which fortunately, President Santos was able to make that necessary step and today, little by little. You mentioned a case, as many other thousands of cases. This is the path towards the reconciliation of all Colombians. We want a peaceful Colombia. We want opportunities for everybody with justice, equality, open to the region and the entire world.
The changes that we’ve had in the last few years have allowed us to find a position whereby we have greater investments. We have grown our production and our tourism. I would like to mention some of these attainments. We have created 2,300,000 jobs and 1,300,000 people have left extreme poverty, and as well as many other people – 2,500,000 have left poverty. Obviously, we have to give all this sustainability, and the government has created a series of programs that are focused on the generation of employment, training, education, health, and so on. We have had four of these high-level dialogues with the United States. We want to keep this high-level. And of course, we’ve had tangible results. We have also made our relationship even deeper.
Let’s talk about some of our attainments in the energetic field. We signed the Memorandum of Agreement between the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Department of Energy, where we have tried to make sure that the exploitations of hydrocarbons is very important, the nonconventional ones. This is a work plan that is important to us because we want to be more competitive in terms of energy, and what better than having you with us in this undertaking? Colombia is totally convinced of the importance of the electrical interconnection in the Americas – we’ve talked about this with your delegation – to diversify our energetic forces. We want to take electricity, hydro-electricities from our Andean Mountains to California, going through Central America and the Caribbean. We do not want a single one of our citizens to live without energy in their home. This is one of our attainments. In the 21st century, we have to make sure that this never happens.
In terms of the environment – the environment and the climate change – we want to remember the memorandum of cooperation in 2013. As you were saying, the climate change has been terrible and we have had severe damage that we’ve all lived through. We have to take the necessary measures. We’re working in a very committed fashion and we want to make sure that we collaborate with you.
In terms of opportunities in order for our third dialogue at – high-level dialogue, the United States presented a small business network program, SBNA. This is an initiative that the United States shared with us, and it has a very positive repercussion in our country. We also signed a memorandum in 2012 and 2013. We created the Center for Development and Job Creation in Aguablanca in Cali. This is a model that also included the small- and medium-sized industries with the community, academia, the private enterprise with an investment of about $1 million with the ministry of commerce, industry and tourism, and the town administration of Cali.
These are the efforts that we have to continue with so that we can help our small businessmen and businesswomen. We also have to create techniques whereby we can train a number of people. We want to replicate the model of the 400 units for business creation in our country so that they can become centers for small businesses.
In terms of human rights, we also had a memorandum which was signed in the Presidential Program for Human Rights, USAID, and this – and we were able to use – we were able to do this with the observatory for the national system of information in Colombia. In the next few years, we know that we still have quite a lot to do in terms of making sure that this moves ahead. Our country was also part of the Cancer Research Network with the United States and Latin America as part of its commitment, and the – with our National Institute of Health and the Ministry of Health.
These are the type of projects that we hope to be able to take forth because these are all of great help for Colombia. This version of the high-level dialogue brings to fruition many of the initiatives that were discussed by President Santos and Obama – in particular, technologies, information technology, and telecommunications.
Today, I would like to talk about the launch of the executive committee for the plan of action and the group of – the work group between Colombia and the United States in terms of technologies, the information technologies and telecommunications. This is an initiative that started during the meeting between our presidents in December. Through this committee, we know that we will have the participation of big companies, technological companies, academia, and so on. We hope to be able to have this type of exchange so that we can reach the development of better applications and digital solutions so that the Colombian population, especially those people that have lower incomes, are able to have access to this technology.
We also have signed an agreement whereby 15 percent of our natural parks are protected, and we have great potential here because our natural parks can promote tourism. Mr. Secretary, we have to work so that there is more and more people – there are more and more people from the United States that come to visit Colombia and its national parks. The 2014 science, technology, and innovation plan will be the roadmap for our scientists, and linking up our scientists, the research centers and universities between our countries so that they can focus on the sector of agriculture and health. We want to become a totally bilingual country in terms of education, where English is taught in all of our schools. We also want to attract Colombians that come to Colombia to learn Spanish. We want to make sure that we can simplify all the procedures for us to be able to do this. We want to make sure that there are quite a few student exchanges between students in Latin America.
I would also like you to take advantage of this wonderful meeting so that we can follow up on all the activities that we started, so that we can promote new areas where we can strengthen our cooperation. Colombia is undoubtedly an example of how a country that has lived through decades of violence, yet we have been able to maintain and strengthen our institutions. We have kept a solid democracy, and we have found a way to grow, overcoming poverty. This has been done thanks to the cooperation of the United States. We have been able to recover our national security.
Mr. Secretary, thank you kindly for your hospitality. Thank you to all the officials who made this meeting possible. I would like to reiterate my conviction that this will only make our bilateral relationship deeper. Thank you. (Applause.)
ASSISTANT SECRETARY JACOBSON: I thank the Secretary and the Foreign Minister, and I think with those words of inspiration we all need to get to work. Thank you all very much, and good luck today.
SECRETARY KERRY: I’d like to just mention very quickly – I have a feeling we’re going to be talking about visas and things. I don’t know. (Laughter.) Anyway, I want you to know that the foreign minister has a good judgment – or her son has a great judgment – to be studying in Boston. He’s part of the 100,000 Strong – (laughter) – so we’re in great shape. (Applause.)
Remarks With Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Holguin at the Fourth Annual U.S.-Colombia High-Level Partnership Dialogue
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Benjamin Franklin Room
Washington, DC
February 28, 2014
ASSISTANT SECRETARY JACOBSON: Well, good morning, everyone. Buenos dias, bienvenido. I hope that everybody’s here ready to work.
I’m delighted this morning to inaugurate, to kick off this next round of the high-level partnership dialogue that we have with Colombia in which we have many working groups today that will discuss everything from environment to energy to culture and education to human rights. This really demonstrates the breadth of our relationship with Colombia. And I’m also delighted to have Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin here to head the Colombian delegation.
So without further ado, I will turn this over to our headliners and introduce Secretary of State John Kerry.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, thank you. (Applause.) Thank you.
Buenos dias, good morning, everybody. Welcome. We are really very, very happy to have this bilateral meeting here today and this opportunity to continue the dialogue with ourselves and Colombia. And I am particularly happy to welcome Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin and the distinguished delegation that is accompanying her. We’re happy to have you all here.
Last summer I had the great pleasure of meeting Minister Holguin in Colombia and experiencing the incredible dynamism of the country, the generous welcome that they gave me visiting, a number of different activities. One particularly struck me. I went to a training center where physically challenged athletes, particularly veterans of their efforts against narcotics and also in the insurgency, were gaining new skills and learning how to train and work together as a team and deal with their new physical challenges. And it was really very, very moving, extremely professional, and fun. And I got to play a couple of games with them and it was a good exchange. So I really enjoyed it, and overall, could not have had a more generous welcome to a country that I know well by virtue of years of working in the Senate on Plan Colombia and going through a number of presidential races.
And I can remember going back in time to serious, serious security challenges. I mean, there are still challenges, but this was existential to the government. And it was great courage – great courage – leadership and courage by the Colombian people that really brought Colombia to a place now of incredible energy, growth, increased stability, and really playing a very significant role in the hemisphere and elsewhere. And we are very admiring of this journey, I must tell you.
So it’s a pleasure for me to be able to return the favor of that welcome and be able to host the delegation here today. President Obama spoke about Colombia’s bold and brave efforts to bring about a lasting and just peace. And I had an opportunity to see that courage firsthand. I met with the troops at the airport, saw how they deploy, what they do, got firsthand briefings, met with many of the Colombian people themselves. And so for me, it was a moving visit and one which really cemented in my mind the importance of what we’re doing here today and of this relationship.
I’m particularly proud of two major investments that the United States is announcing today to help transform all of our hopes into greater opportunities for Colombia’s citizens. And today, we are making a four-year, $15 million investment to some of the regions that are hardest hit by conflict in order to improve access to justice and to support local governments as they combat corruption and human rights violations. We’re announcing an additional $7 million in support to help implement Colombia’s landmark Victims’ Law, because we believe that addressing difficult issues like land restitution is absolutely essential for an enduring peace to be able to take hold.
Now, sometimes, when you talk about large investments like these, it’s easy to lose sight of the real people that this money will affect, the lives that it may have an opportunity to be able to transform, literally. So I want to give you an example.
Fanny del Socorro Valencia and her husband, Elid, who were some of the first Colombians to benefit from the Victims’ Law, years ago, because of the violence, they had to abandon everything that they held dear – their land, their livelihood, and even many of their loved ones. And because of the efforts that we are helping to support today, Fanny and Elid are back on their land. And Fanny said that years ago she stopped listening to the radio because all she heard was announcements of funerals for her friends and her neighbors. Now, she says, she can get back to listening to music, and like so many other Colombians, she can get back to living in peace.
As the lives of more Colombians change for the better, so does our partnership. No longer is that partnership defined solely by confronting criminality and subversion, but frankly, by working on the lasting prosperity that we are working to provide for people together in our efforts. And the kind of progress that we’re making on trade is really a preview of what is possible for a whole range of areas that we’re discussing today. I want you just to think for a moment about what we have accomplished. In the two short years of the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, since it’s been on the books, trade has increased 18 percent. Today, because of the Andean Free Trade Preference Act, nearly all Colombian goods benefit from duty-free access to our markets, and 775 new Colombian companies are exporting to the United States.
We’re also creating new opportunities working together on energy and the environment. Since Colombia put forward its Copenhagen targets in 2010, we have collaborated on a strategy that has helped Colombia to meet ambitious targets for both emissions mitigation and economic growth at the same time. They don’t have to contradict each other. The truth is that moving to reduce emissions and moving to implement good environmental practices actually opens up enormous economic opportunity and can create jobs as well as new procedures, new technologies. And with our larger efforts to link energy markets and develop unconventional energy sources and deliver affordable power across the Americas, our partnership can actually prove what is possible when you take environment and energy and put them together and make the right choices.
We also show a shared commitment to preserving our resources for future generations with the MOU that we sign today linking our national park services. I think we can also look to the future by deepening our partnership in areas that are critical in a more interconnected and competitive global economy by expanding cooperation on information and communications technology. And launching a senior-level steering group today in order to advance those efforts, we are delivering on some of the most important commitments that Presidents Obama and Santos made last December.
As we expand our relationship in these new areas, the United States is also expanding our engagement with the Colombian people directly. Our Economic and Social Opportunities Working Group is reviewing how we can support that goal by reaching out to vulnerable populations, including Afro-Colombians, indigenous communities, and women. And we’re also deepening connections between our two peoples through the educational exchange with 100,000 Strong in the Americas, the Fulbright Scholarships, the Martin Luther King Fellow Program, and the English Access Microscholarships.
Underlying all of our cooperation is our shared commitment to protecting fundamental human rights. And today, we will continue our ongoing dialogue on strengthening democratic governance, combating impunity, protecting victims of conflict, and cooperating to affirm a human rights within the OAS and beyond our hemisphere.
The fact that Colombia is the only nation in South America which, like the United States, faces both the Atlantic and the Pacific, it really serves as a reminder of an important perspective and an important set of principles that we share in common. As we look on our sort of shared horizons – two of them – and the enormous opportunities that they present us for the future, there’s no question in my mind that this relationship has special value, special importance, has a special place in this hemisphere, and we really look forward to developing further this partnership and this friendship.
I think it’s my pleasure – am I introducing – well, without further ado, let me introduce my colleague and cohort and partner and friend, Maria Angela Holguin. (Applause.)
FOREIGN MINISTER HOLGUIN: Thank you very much, Secretary Kerry.
(Via interpreter) Thank you so much, Secretary Kerry. Ladies and gentlemen, delegates, officials of the Government of the United States, Mr. Ambassador of Colombia, dear friends – Mr. Secretary, the fact that I’m here starting this high-level dialogue is something very pleasant for me, for my delegation, and for Colombia. We have been able to diversify our bilateral agenda, including other topics such as technology, communications, telecommunications, the environment. We have been able to have an agenda with cooperation and securities.
We’re extremely thankful to the United States, thanks to the support it gave to Colombia in very difficult times. I am convinced that my delegation is in agreement when I say that we are very thankful to the United States, because today, we have a country full of opportunities, a country that opens up to the world, a country that wants progress, stability, the opportunities for all its inhabitants – it’s thanks also to that great effort that you made because you followed us during some very difficult times for us in Colombia during the government of President Santos.
We have promoted a very profound transformation in our country with growth, with equality and prosperity, and we have found reconciliation amongst Colombians. You talked about the law on land, of the victims, and I think that this is one of the most important steps that we have taken toward reconciliation. This is something that the state had to give its victims, and which fortunately, President Santos was able to make that necessary step and today, little by little. You mentioned a case, as many other thousands of cases. This is the path towards the reconciliation of all Colombians. We want a peaceful Colombia. We want opportunities for everybody with justice, equality, open to the region and the entire world.
The changes that we’ve had in the last few years have allowed us to find a position whereby we have greater investments. We have grown our production and our tourism. I would like to mention some of these attainments. We have created 2,300,000 jobs and 1,300,000 people have left extreme poverty, and as well as many other people – 2,500,000 have left poverty. Obviously, we have to give all this sustainability, and the government has created a series of programs that are focused on the generation of employment, training, education, health, and so on. We have had four of these high-level dialogues with the United States. We want to keep this high-level. And of course, we’ve had tangible results. We have also made our relationship even deeper.
Let’s talk about some of our attainments in the energetic field. We signed the Memorandum of Agreement between the Ministry of Mines and Energy and the Department of Energy, where we have tried to make sure that the exploitations of hydrocarbons is very important, the nonconventional ones. This is a work plan that is important to us because we want to be more competitive in terms of energy, and what better than having you with us in this undertaking? Colombia is totally convinced of the importance of the electrical interconnection in the Americas – we’ve talked about this with your delegation – to diversify our energetic forces. We want to take electricity, hydro-electricities from our Andean Mountains to California, going through Central America and the Caribbean. We do not want a single one of our citizens to live without energy in their home. This is one of our attainments. In the 21st century, we have to make sure that this never happens.
In terms of the environment – the environment and the climate change – we want to remember the memorandum of cooperation in 2013. As you were saying, the climate change has been terrible and we have had severe damage that we’ve all lived through. We have to take the necessary measures. We’re working in a very committed fashion and we want to make sure that we collaborate with you.
In terms of opportunities in order for our third dialogue at – high-level dialogue, the United States presented a small business network program, SBNA. This is an initiative that the United States shared with us, and it has a very positive repercussion in our country. We also signed a memorandum in 2012 and 2013. We created the Center for Development and Job Creation in Aguablanca in Cali. This is a model that also included the small- and medium-sized industries with the community, academia, the private enterprise with an investment of about $1 million with the ministry of commerce, industry and tourism, and the town administration of Cali.
These are the efforts that we have to continue with so that we can help our small businessmen and businesswomen. We also have to create techniques whereby we can train a number of people. We want to replicate the model of the 400 units for business creation in our country so that they can become centers for small businesses.
In terms of human rights, we also had a memorandum which was signed in the Presidential Program for Human Rights, USAID, and this – and we were able to use – we were able to do this with the observatory for the national system of information in Colombia. In the next few years, we know that we still have quite a lot to do in terms of making sure that this moves ahead. Our country was also part of the Cancer Research Network with the United States and Latin America as part of its commitment, and the – with our National Institute of Health and the Ministry of Health.
These are the type of projects that we hope to be able to take forth because these are all of great help for Colombia. This version of the high-level dialogue brings to fruition many of the initiatives that were discussed by President Santos and Obama – in particular, technologies, information technology, and telecommunications.
Today, I would like to talk about the launch of the executive committee for the plan of action and the group of – the work group between Colombia and the United States in terms of technologies, the information technologies and telecommunications. This is an initiative that started during the meeting between our presidents in December. Through this committee, we know that we will have the participation of big companies, technological companies, academia, and so on. We hope to be able to have this type of exchange so that we can reach the development of better applications and digital solutions so that the Colombian population, especially those people that have lower incomes, are able to have access to this technology.
We also have signed an agreement whereby 15 percent of our natural parks are protected, and we have great potential here because our natural parks can promote tourism. Mr. Secretary, we have to work so that there is more and more people – there are more and more people from the United States that come to visit Colombia and its national parks. The 2014 science, technology, and innovation plan will be the roadmap for our scientists, and linking up our scientists, the research centers and universities between our countries so that they can focus on the sector of agriculture and health. We want to become a totally bilingual country in terms of education, where English is taught in all of our schools. We also want to attract Colombians that come to Colombia to learn Spanish. We want to make sure that we can simplify all the procedures for us to be able to do this. We want to make sure that there are quite a few student exchanges between students in Latin America.
I would also like you to take advantage of this wonderful meeting so that we can follow up on all the activities that we started, so that we can promote new areas where we can strengthen our cooperation. Colombia is undoubtedly an example of how a country that has lived through decades of violence, yet we have been able to maintain and strengthen our institutions. We have kept a solid democracy, and we have found a way to grow, overcoming poverty. This has been done thanks to the cooperation of the United States. We have been able to recover our national security.
Mr. Secretary, thank you kindly for your hospitality. Thank you to all the officials who made this meeting possible. I would like to reiterate my conviction that this will only make our bilateral relationship deeper. Thank you. (Applause.)
ASSISTANT SECRETARY JACOBSON: I thank the Secretary and the Foreign Minister, and I think with those words of inspiration we all need to get to work. Thank you all very much, and good luck today.
SECRETARY KERRY: I’d like to just mention very quickly – I have a feeling we’re going to be talking about visas and things. I don’t know. (Laughter.) Anyway, I want you to know that the foreign minister has a good judgment – or her son has a great judgment – to be studying in Boston. He’s part of the 100,000 Strong – (laughter) – so we’re in great shape. (Applause.)
SECRETARY HAGEL MEETS WITH DEFENSE MINISTERS FROM SPAIN, ITALY AND DENMARK
FROM: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Meets With Defense Ministers of Spain, Italy, Denmark
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met here yesterday with defense ministers from Spain, Italy and Denmark on the sidelines of the two-day NATO defense ministers conference, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.
Today, on the final day of the meeting, the ministers will discuss defense capacity building, cyber defense and maritime security, along with NATO’s Connected Forces Initiative, which involves improving operational collaboration with other military forces, according to NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu.
Also today, the defense ministers will meet with International Security Assistance Force contributing partners and Afghanistan’s defense minister, Bismillah Khan Mohammadi, she said.
During Hagel’s meeting with Spanish Defense Minister Dr. Pedro Morenes, they discussed the strength of the U.S.-Spain military relationship and opportunities to broaden the relationship bilaterally and through the NATO alliance, Kirby said.
The defense secretary thanked Morenes for Spain's hosting of U.S. ballistic missile defense-capable ships at Rota and for support Spain has provided for U.S. Marines at Moron.
Hagel also expressed appreciation for Spain's ongoing commitment to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.
Both leaders talked about security challenges in Africa, pledged to continue the dialogue and expressed interest in improving bilateral training opportunities, especially in the maritime environment, the Pentagon spokesman said.
In the secretary’s meeting with Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti, the defense leaders discussed a range of mutual security issues, including political unrest in Ukraine and ongoing operations in Afghanistan, Kirby said.
Hagel thanked Pinotti for her leadership and Italy’s strong contributions to the NATO alliance, including the ISAF mission. He also pledged to continue to seek ways to deepen the bilateral relationship with Italy.
During his meeting with Danish Defense Minister Nicolai Wammen, Hagel thanked the minister for his leadership and for helping the United States and Denmark maintain a close military-to-military relationship. The secretary expressed gratitude for Denmark's leadership and capabilities in the future transfer of chemical materials out of Syria, Kirby said. The two leaders discussed the importance of the Arctic and promised to continue consulting as both nations explore ways to deal with the challenges of climate change in that region, he added.
Hagel and Wammen also discussed regional challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, political unrest in Ukraine, and the NATO ISAF mission in Afghanistan, the Pentagon spokesman said.
3 PHILIPPINE NATIONALS SENTENCED FOR IMPORTING WEAPONS INTO U.S. FOR MEXICAN DRUG DEALERS
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ILLEGAL
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Three Philippine Nationals Sentenced for Importing High-powered Weapons into the U.S.
Three Philippine nationals were sentenced in the Central District of California for illegally importing machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, a mortar launcher and military-grade ballistic vests into the United States, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
S ergio Syjuco, 27, Cesar Ubaldo, 28, and Arjyl Revereza, 27, each of Manila, the Republic of the Philippines, were found guilty by a federal jury on March 4, 2013, of conspiring to import military-grade weapons illegally into the United States and aiding and abetting the importation of those weapons. On February 26,Ubaldo was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and Revereza was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. On Feb. 25, 2014, Syjuco was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
According to information presented in court, the defendants conspired to sell high-powered military and assault weapons to a buyer interested in bringing weapons into the United States to arm drug dealers in Mexican drug cartels and Mexican Mafia gang members. Ubaldo met with a prospective weapons buyer, who was actually an undercover FBI agent, and offered to introduce the agent to suppliers of high-powered firearms. Ubaldo subsequently introduced the undercover agent to Syjuco, who supplied the weapons, and Revereza, who was a police officer in the Philippines Bureau of Customs who facilitated the movement of illegal weapons through Philippines customs and eventually into the United States. The weapons included a rocket propelled grenade launcher, a mortar launcher, a single-shot grenade launcher and 12 Bushmaster machine guns, as well as explosives including mortars and grenades. The defendants also illegally imported into the United States the highest level military body armor.
The weapons, which were tracked and safeguarded by the FBI during their shipment, landed on June 7, 2011, in Long Beach, Calif., where they were seized by the FBI.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Secret Service and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation. Trial Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Dammers, who is on detail to OCGS from the Northern District of Georgia, prosecuted the case.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Three Philippine Nationals Sentenced for Importing High-powered Weapons into the U.S.
Three Philippine nationals were sentenced in the Central District of California for illegally importing machine guns, sniper rifles, grenade launchers, a mortar launcher and military-grade ballistic vests into the United States, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
S ergio Syjuco, 27, Cesar Ubaldo, 28, and Arjyl Revereza, 27, each of Manila, the Republic of the Philippines, were found guilty by a federal jury on March 4, 2013, of conspiring to import military-grade weapons illegally into the United States and aiding and abetting the importation of those weapons. On February 26,Ubaldo was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and Revereza was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. On Feb. 25, 2014, Syjuco was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $15,000 fine.
According to information presented in court, the defendants conspired to sell high-powered military and assault weapons to a buyer interested in bringing weapons into the United States to arm drug dealers in Mexican drug cartels and Mexican Mafia gang members. Ubaldo met with a prospective weapons buyer, who was actually an undercover FBI agent, and offered to introduce the agent to suppliers of high-powered firearms. Ubaldo subsequently introduced the undercover agent to Syjuco, who supplied the weapons, and Revereza, who was a police officer in the Philippines Bureau of Customs who facilitated the movement of illegal weapons through Philippines customs and eventually into the United States. The weapons included a rocket propelled grenade launcher, a mortar launcher, a single-shot grenade launcher and 12 Bushmaster machine guns, as well as explosives including mortars and grenades. The defendants also illegally imported into the United States the highest level military body armor.
The weapons, which were tracked and safeguarded by the FBI during their shipment, landed on June 7, 2011, in Long Beach, Calif., where they were seized by the FBI.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, Secret Service and the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation. Trial Attorney Margaret Vierbuchen of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Dammers, who is on detail to OCGS from the Northern District of Georgia, prosecuted the case.
GSA PLAN FOR RECYCLING E-WASTE FOR EFFICIENCY AND PROTECTING ENVIRONMENT
FROM: GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
Recycling Electronics: A Common Sense Solution for Enhancing Government Efficiency and Protecting Our Environment
Good morning Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn, and Members of the Committee. My name is Kevin Kampschroer, and I am the Deputy Senior Sustainability Official at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Thank you for inviting me to testify about electronics recycling and the opportunities this area provides for increased environmental stewardship by the Federal government.
E-waste is the largest growing waste stream in the country. According to the most recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, more than five million tons of electronics were in storage. Of those, 2.37 million tons were ready for end-of-life management, yet only twenty-five percent were collected for recycling.
The Administration is committed to reducing e-waste and realizing efficiency by standardizing procedures across the government. As the world’s largest consumer of electronics, e-waste is a significant opportunity for the Federal government. In 2009, the President issued Executive Order 13514 which, among other things, called for the Federal community to promote electronics stewardship. The Administration also established an Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship (the Task Force) led by GSA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The President charged the Task Force with developing a National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship (the Strategy), which the Task Force released in 2011.
Today, I look forward to discussing the development of the Strategy, its important tenets, and GSA’s efforts as a member of the Task Force to help enact those provisions to address this critical challenge.
The Strategy —
GSA has always had programs for the disposal of excess equipment, including electronics, but these programs were not designed with the specific challenges of e-waste in mind. Before the Strategy, there was no standardized government-wide plan to properly evaluate or dispose of electronics that could no longer be used as originally intended.
To help develop the Strategy, the Task Force, made up of sixteen agencies, including GSA, EPA and CEQ, hosted several listening sessions with industry stakeholders (electronics manufacturers and recyclers), the non-governmental organization community, State and local governments and customer agencies. In addition, the Task Force solicited public comments through the Federal Register and Regulations.gov. The Strategy was released on July 20, 2011.
The Strategy details the Federal government’s plan to enhance the management of electronics throughout the products’ lifecycle — from design to eventual reuse or recycling.
The Strategy set forth several items to be addressed over the coming years: development and publication of proper government-wide policy and guidance on the reuse and disposal of electronics including the use of certified recyclers for proper management of used electronics, acquisition of more sustainable electronics that can be easily reused and are designed to have a minimal end-of-life environmental impact, and transparency of newly-collected data regarding Federal government procurement, reuse, and disposal of electronics.
Reuse and Disposal of Electronics —
On February 29, 2012, GSA published Bulletin B-34 in the Federal Management Regulations, presenting a specific list of options to consider when excess electronics are identified. Excess electronics should first either be offered to other Federal agencies for reuse through GSAXcess, or transferred to schools and other educational organizations. In FY 2013, $32 million worth of equipment was transferred among agencies through GSAXcess and in the first quarter of FY 2014, $2.6 million worth of equipment was transferred.
Through GSA’s Computers for Learning Program, agencies may transfer excess computers and related peripheral equipment to schools and educational nonprofit organizations. In FY 2013, $72 million worth of equipment was donated through this program and in the first quarter of FY 2014, $12.7 million worth of equipment was donated. Approximately thirty agencies participate in GSA’s Computers for Learning Program each year.
Electronics not transferred through GSAXcess or donated to schools are declared surplus and are eligible to be donated through GSA’s Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program to State and local governments and nonprofit organizations. In FY 2013, $4.6 million worth of equipment was donated through this program and in the first quarter of FY 2014, $513,000 worth of equipment was donated.8
Additionally, if electronics are not transferred or donated, the agency may sell, or, if a take-back provision exists,9 return the electronics to the original vendor. GSA is incorporating these provisions into many of our contracts, and is also developing government-wide guidance about incorporating take-back requirements into all contracts.
Under GSA’s policy, Bulletin B-34, non-functional electronics should ultimately be directed to a third-party certified electronics recycler and should not be sent to landfills or incinerators. Furthermore, all electronics recyclers listed on GSA’s Schedules must be third-party certified.10
Acquisition of More Sustainable Electronics —
Another goal of the Strategy is to promote the purchase of green electronics to reduce their life cycle environmental impact. GSA continues to improve our contract vehicles in order to simplify Federal agencies’ acquisition of green electronics.
Currently, there are over 120,000 Energy Star products offered across several GSA Schedules.11 Focusing on Information Technology products, GSA is currently revising Schedule 70 (IT Equipment) to encourage vendors to provide Energy Star and EPEAT-registered electronics. Additionally, used and refurbished electronics are already offered on Schedule 70 — $50 million worth of used and refurbished electronics were sold in FYs 2010-2013 and $2.5 million were sold in the first quarter of FY 2014.12
Within the GSA Advantage online shopping portal, environmental icons (such as Energy Star) are used to show the various attributes of listed products. Additionally, GSA has developed an easy to use, web-based, Green Procurement Compilation tool which consolidates and displays products designated for Federal procurement by the EPA and the Departments of Energy and Agriculture as more sustainable. Each item’s listing includes the item’s environmental certifications, where to buy the product and how to find vendors through GSA’s offerings.
In addition to the GSA Schedules, the National IT Commodities Program and the FSSI Print Management Program also offer Energy Star and EPEAT-registered electronics. Both solutions require vendors to report their sales of Energy Star and EPEAT-registered electronics. This reporting assists our customer agencies track their purchases of sustainable electronics.
With GSA’s internal acquisitions, we are committed to meeting the goals outlined in the Strategy. In FY 2013, we purchased $4.3 million worth of Energy Star and EPEAT-registered products from various GSA procurement vehicles.
Additionally, we have been deploying Energy Star servers and workstations at GSA since 2001. Servers and personal computers have been EPEAT-compliant since 2005 and EPEAT Gold since 2009, meaning that the equipment is built with reduced amounts of lead, mercury and other sensitive materials, incorporates recycled materials, and is manufactured in ways that simplify disassembly and reuse.
Transparency —
Transparency is a crucial part of the Strategy and one of the most challenging aspects of the plan. Currently, although many e-waste recycling programs exist, there are no guidelines to measure their use government-wide. GSA, working with other Federal agencies, is considering a policy that will include a requirement for agencies to submit data for all disposed electronics. This data, which could be publicly available on Data.gov, would provide greater transparency into Federal agencies’ performance against the goals of the Strategy.
Conclusion —
The Federal government, as the largest purchaser of information technology in the world, has a unique responsibility to be a leader in the management and disposal of electronics. GSA plays an important role in helping agencies meet the goals set forth in the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship, through policy guidance and responsible acquisition, donation and disposal of electronics. We have a lot more work ahead of us and hope to continue to make progress on this important issue.
I am pleased to be here today, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.
__________________________________
1 http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/manage.htm. Estimates are from 2009. Id.
2 Id.
3 For a full list of Task Force members, visit: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/faq.htm.
4 The Strategy lists four goals: (1) Build Incentives for Design of Greener Electronics, and Enhance Science, Research and Technology Development in the United States; (2) Ensure that the Federal Government Leads By Example; (3) Increase Safe and Effective Management and Handling of Used Electronics in the United States; and (4) Reduce Harm from US Exports of E-Waste and Improve Safe Handling of Used Electronics in Developing Countries.
5 GSAXcess. Valuations are based on original acquisition value.
6 Under E.O. 12999, agencies may also transfer computers and related equipment directly to schools.
7 GSAXcess.
8 GSAXcess.
9 GSA is incorporating some of these provisions in our contracts, such as in the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI) Print Management Program.
10 Schedule 899 (Environmental Services).
11 GSA Advantage. Energy Star products include: Copiers on Schedule 36 (Office, Imaging, and Document Solutions); Appliances on Schedule 51V (Hardware Superstore); Audio/Visual equipment on Schedule 58I (Professional Audio/Video Telemetry/Tracking; Recording/Reproducing and Signal Data Solutions); Camera battery chargers on Schedule 67 (Photographic Equipment); and Refrigeration equipment on Schedule 73 (Food Service, Hospitality, Cleaning Equipment and Supplies, Chemicals and Services).
12 Schedule 70.
Recycling Electronics: A Common Sense Solution for Enhancing Government Efficiency and Protecting Our Environment
Good morning Chairman Carper, Ranking Member Coburn, and Members of the Committee. My name is Kevin Kampschroer, and I am the Deputy Senior Sustainability Official at the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). Thank you for inviting me to testify about electronics recycling and the opportunities this area provides for increased environmental stewardship by the Federal government.
E-waste is the largest growing waste stream in the country. According to the most recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates, more than five million tons of electronics were in storage. Of those, 2.37 million tons were ready for end-of-life management, yet only twenty-five percent were collected for recycling.
The Administration is committed to reducing e-waste and realizing efficiency by standardizing procedures across the government. As the world’s largest consumer of electronics, e-waste is a significant opportunity for the Federal government. In 2009, the President issued Executive Order 13514 which, among other things, called for the Federal community to promote electronics stewardship. The Administration also established an Interagency Task Force on Electronics Stewardship (the Task Force) led by GSA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The President charged the Task Force with developing a National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship (the Strategy), which the Task Force released in 2011.
Today, I look forward to discussing the development of the Strategy, its important tenets, and GSA’s efforts as a member of the Task Force to help enact those provisions to address this critical challenge.
The Strategy —
GSA has always had programs for the disposal of excess equipment, including electronics, but these programs were not designed with the specific challenges of e-waste in mind. Before the Strategy, there was no standardized government-wide plan to properly evaluate or dispose of electronics that could no longer be used as originally intended.
To help develop the Strategy, the Task Force, made up of sixteen agencies, including GSA, EPA and CEQ, hosted several listening sessions with industry stakeholders (electronics manufacturers and recyclers), the non-governmental organization community, State and local governments and customer agencies. In addition, the Task Force solicited public comments through the Federal Register and Regulations.gov. The Strategy was released on July 20, 2011.
The Strategy details the Federal government’s plan to enhance the management of electronics throughout the products’ lifecycle — from design to eventual reuse or recycling.
The Strategy set forth several items to be addressed over the coming years: development and publication of proper government-wide policy and guidance on the reuse and disposal of electronics including the use of certified recyclers for proper management of used electronics, acquisition of more sustainable electronics that can be easily reused and are designed to have a minimal end-of-life environmental impact, and transparency of newly-collected data regarding Federal government procurement, reuse, and disposal of electronics.
Reuse and Disposal of Electronics —
On February 29, 2012, GSA published Bulletin B-34 in the Federal Management Regulations, presenting a specific list of options to consider when excess electronics are identified. Excess electronics should first either be offered to other Federal agencies for reuse through GSAXcess, or transferred to schools and other educational organizations. In FY 2013, $32 million worth of equipment was transferred among agencies through GSAXcess and in the first quarter of FY 2014, $2.6 million worth of equipment was transferred.
Through GSA’s Computers for Learning Program, agencies may transfer excess computers and related peripheral equipment to schools and educational nonprofit organizations. In FY 2013, $72 million worth of equipment was donated through this program and in the first quarter of FY 2014, $12.7 million worth of equipment was donated. Approximately thirty agencies participate in GSA’s Computers for Learning Program each year.
Electronics not transferred through GSAXcess or donated to schools are declared surplus and are eligible to be donated through GSA’s Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program to State and local governments and nonprofit organizations. In FY 2013, $4.6 million worth of equipment was donated through this program and in the first quarter of FY 2014, $513,000 worth of equipment was donated.8
Additionally, if electronics are not transferred or donated, the agency may sell, or, if a take-back provision exists,9 return the electronics to the original vendor. GSA is incorporating these provisions into many of our contracts, and is also developing government-wide guidance about incorporating take-back requirements into all contracts.
Under GSA’s policy, Bulletin B-34, non-functional electronics should ultimately be directed to a third-party certified electronics recycler and should not be sent to landfills or incinerators. Furthermore, all electronics recyclers listed on GSA’s Schedules must be third-party certified.10
Acquisition of More Sustainable Electronics —
Another goal of the Strategy is to promote the purchase of green electronics to reduce their life cycle environmental impact. GSA continues to improve our contract vehicles in order to simplify Federal agencies’ acquisition of green electronics.
Currently, there are over 120,000 Energy Star products offered across several GSA Schedules.11 Focusing on Information Technology products, GSA is currently revising Schedule 70 (IT Equipment) to encourage vendors to provide Energy Star and EPEAT-registered electronics. Additionally, used and refurbished electronics are already offered on Schedule 70 — $50 million worth of used and refurbished electronics were sold in FYs 2010-2013 and $2.5 million were sold in the first quarter of FY 2014.12
Within the GSA Advantage online shopping portal, environmental icons (such as Energy Star) are used to show the various attributes of listed products. Additionally, GSA has developed an easy to use, web-based, Green Procurement Compilation tool which consolidates and displays products designated for Federal procurement by the EPA and the Departments of Energy and Agriculture as more sustainable. Each item’s listing includes the item’s environmental certifications, where to buy the product and how to find vendors through GSA’s offerings.
In addition to the GSA Schedules, the National IT Commodities Program and the FSSI Print Management Program also offer Energy Star and EPEAT-registered electronics. Both solutions require vendors to report their sales of Energy Star and EPEAT-registered electronics. This reporting assists our customer agencies track their purchases of sustainable electronics.
With GSA’s internal acquisitions, we are committed to meeting the goals outlined in the Strategy. In FY 2013, we purchased $4.3 million worth of Energy Star and EPEAT-registered products from various GSA procurement vehicles.
Additionally, we have been deploying Energy Star servers and workstations at GSA since 2001. Servers and personal computers have been EPEAT-compliant since 2005 and EPEAT Gold since 2009, meaning that the equipment is built with reduced amounts of lead, mercury and other sensitive materials, incorporates recycled materials, and is manufactured in ways that simplify disassembly and reuse.
Transparency —
Transparency is a crucial part of the Strategy and one of the most challenging aspects of the plan. Currently, although many e-waste recycling programs exist, there are no guidelines to measure their use government-wide. GSA, working with other Federal agencies, is considering a policy that will include a requirement for agencies to submit data for all disposed electronics. This data, which could be publicly available on Data.gov, would provide greater transparency into Federal agencies’ performance against the goals of the Strategy.
Conclusion —
The Federal government, as the largest purchaser of information technology in the world, has a unique responsibility to be a leader in the management and disposal of electronics. GSA plays an important role in helping agencies meet the goals set forth in the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship, through policy guidance and responsible acquisition, donation and disposal of electronics. We have a lot more work ahead of us and hope to continue to make progress on this important issue.
I am pleased to be here today, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.
__________________________________
1 http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/manage.htm. Estimates are from 2009. Id.
2 Id.
3 For a full list of Task Force members, visit: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/faq.htm.
4 The Strategy lists four goals: (1) Build Incentives for Design of Greener Electronics, and Enhance Science, Research and Technology Development in the United States; (2) Ensure that the Federal Government Leads By Example; (3) Increase Safe and Effective Management and Handling of Used Electronics in the United States; and (4) Reduce Harm from US Exports of E-Waste and Improve Safe Handling of Used Electronics in Developing Countries.
5 GSAXcess. Valuations are based on original acquisition value.
6 Under E.O. 12999, agencies may also transfer computers and related equipment directly to schools.
7 GSAXcess.
8 GSAXcess.
9 GSA is incorporating some of these provisions in our contracts, such as in the Federal Strategic Sourcing Initiative (FSSI) Print Management Program.
10 Schedule 899 (Environmental Services).
11 GSA Advantage. Energy Star products include: Copiers on Schedule 36 (Office, Imaging, and Document Solutions); Appliances on Schedule 51V (Hardware Superstore); Audio/Visual equipment on Schedule 58I (Professional Audio/Video Telemetry/Tracking; Recording/Reproducing and Signal Data Solutions); Camera battery chargers on Schedule 67 (Photographic Equipment); and Refrigeration equipment on Schedule 73 (Food Service, Hospitality, Cleaning Equipment and Supplies, Chemicals and Services).
12 Schedule 70.
SECRETARY HAGEL MAKES REMARKS ON NATO, ISAF, UKRAINE
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Highlights NATO Capabilities, ISAF, Ukraine
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Over two days of meetings here, discussions among NATO defense ministers focused on future alliance capabilities, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and NATO’s defense relationship with Ukraine, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in his closing remarks here today.
Defense ministers from 18 of NATO’s 24 member nations, Ukraine’s Acting Defense Minister Oleksandr Oliynyk, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his deputy, and member-nation permanent representatives participated.
Hagel reassured allies of the continued U.S. commitment to NATO and to its global responsibilities, and he told the ministers that President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget request, which he will present to Congress next week, “preserves and protects key capabilities such as missile defense and other capabilities that we discussed today in our sessions. These capabilities underpin our commitment to European security.”
The U.S. defense strategy demands even closer partnership with European allies, he added.
“As allied nations confront fiscal pressure on both sides of the Atlantic, and as NATO transitions out of its combat mission in Afghanistan, many of us plan to field smaller military forces in the years ahead,” the secretary said, adding that with savings the U.S. military achieves through a smaller force, he intends to buy readiness, capability and combat power.
“We expect NATO allies to do the same,” Hagel said.
This is a time to set priorities, make difficult choices and reinvest in key capabilities all nations will need for the future, he said, including those that have been neglected over the past decade of war.
Ahead of September’s NATO summit in Wales, Rasmussen will focus on improving NATO’s military capabilities as a down payment on meeting shortfalls, the secretary added.
“As an alliance, we must invest in global reach, technological superiority and leading-edge capabilities like cyber and special operations,” Hagel said, adding that together NATO member countries must spend money on defense more strategically and effectively.
On Afghanistan, Hagel said, the conference offered a chance to take stock of accomplishments over 13 years.
NATO’s main objective in Afghanistan was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Progress there can be measured by the growing confidence of Afghans in their national institutions and the Afghan national security forces’ leading role in securing the country, the secretary said.
“As we look beyond the end of our combat mission this year, I told ISAF ministers that the United States continues to support planning for a noncombat, NATO-led mission that would train, advise and assist Afghan forces after 2014,” he said.
“But the longer we go without a bilateral security agreement and a NATO status of forces agreement,” he added, “the more challenging it will be for the United States and other ISAF nations to support, plan and execute this post-2014 mission.”
Earlier this week, President Obama directed the U.S. military to begin contingency planning for Afghanistan that takes into account the lack of a signed agreement, Hagel said.
“We will ensure that adequate plans are in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States [decide not] to keep troops in Afghanistan after 2014,” he said.
“Today in our ISAF session,” the secretary added, “we agreed that the alliance should also begin planning for various contingencies in Afghanistan while still supporting continued planning for the Resolute Support mission” that is expected to start Jan. 1.
Hagel commended Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. for their critically important leadership of the ISAF campaign, he said, particularly Dunford’s consistent, wise and steady leadership. Dunford is the ISAF commander in Afghanistan, and Breedlove commands U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Europe.
Today’s final session was the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the secretary said, adding that he was pleased to welcome that nation’s participation in the ministerial conference, given the rapidly evolving political situation in Ukraine.
“Today I affirmed America’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and NATO defense ministers made the same declaration in a joint statement,” Hagel said.
The ministers expect other nations to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and avoid provocative actions, he added.
“That’s why I’m closely watching Russia’s military exercises along the Ukrainian border, which they announced yesterday,” Hagel said. “I expect Russia to be transparent about these activities, and I urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted, or lead to miscalculation during a … time with great tension.”
The secretary said it’s important for all nations with an interest in a peaceful future for Ukraine to work together transparently to support a Ukrainian government that fulfills the aspirations of its people.
“Our session today also focused on Ukraine’s opportunities for defense reform and our ongoing military-to-military cooperation –- including Ukraine’s participation in NATO operations. And we welcomed the Ukrainian armed forces’ responsible decision to exercise restraint amidst the nation’s political turmoil,” Hagel said.
From Kandahar to Kiev, he added, 20 years ago no one could have foreseen how NATO contributes today to global security. With the United States’ strong support, Hagel said, NATO must continue to be a force for peace, prosperity and freedom in Europe and around the world.
“That is our responsibility in the 21st century,” the secretary said.
Hagel Highlights NATO Capabilities, ISAF, Ukraine
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
BRUSSELS, Feb. 27, 2014 – Over two days of meetings here, discussions among NATO defense ministers focused on future alliance capabilities, the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and NATO’s defense relationship with Ukraine, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in his closing remarks here today.
Defense ministers from 18 of NATO’s 24 member nations, Ukraine’s Acting Defense Minister Oleksandr Oliynyk, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and his deputy, and member-nation permanent representatives participated.
Hagel reassured allies of the continued U.S. commitment to NATO and to its global responsibilities, and he told the ministers that President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget request, which he will present to Congress next week, “preserves and protects key capabilities such as missile defense and other capabilities that we discussed today in our sessions. These capabilities underpin our commitment to European security.”
The U.S. defense strategy demands even closer partnership with European allies, he added.
“As allied nations confront fiscal pressure on both sides of the Atlantic, and as NATO transitions out of its combat mission in Afghanistan, many of us plan to field smaller military forces in the years ahead,” the secretary said, adding that with savings the U.S. military achieves through a smaller force, he intends to buy readiness, capability and combat power.
“We expect NATO allies to do the same,” Hagel said.
This is a time to set priorities, make difficult choices and reinvest in key capabilities all nations will need for the future, he said, including those that have been neglected over the past decade of war.
Ahead of September’s NATO summit in Wales, Rasmussen will focus on improving NATO’s military capabilities as a down payment on meeting shortfalls, the secretary added.
“As an alliance, we must invest in global reach, technological superiority and leading-edge capabilities like cyber and special operations,” Hagel said, adding that together NATO member countries must spend money on defense more strategically and effectively.
On Afghanistan, Hagel said, the conference offered a chance to take stock of accomplishments over 13 years.
NATO’s main objective in Afghanistan was to enable the Afghan authorities to provide effective security across the country and ensure that the country can never again be a safe haven for terrorists. Progress there can be measured by the growing confidence of Afghans in their national institutions and the Afghan national security forces’ leading role in securing the country, the secretary said.
“As we look beyond the end of our combat mission this year, I told ISAF ministers that the United States continues to support planning for a noncombat, NATO-led mission that would train, advise and assist Afghan forces after 2014,” he said.
“But the longer we go without a bilateral security agreement and a NATO status of forces agreement,” he added, “the more challenging it will be for the United States and other ISAF nations to support, plan and execute this post-2014 mission.”
Earlier this week, President Obama directed the U.S. military to begin contingency planning for Afghanistan that takes into account the lack of a signed agreement, Hagel said.
“We will ensure that adequate plans are in place to accomplish an orderly withdrawal by the end of the year should the United States [decide not] to keep troops in Afghanistan after 2014,” he said.
“Today in our ISAF session,” the secretary added, “we agreed that the alliance should also begin planning for various contingencies in Afghanistan while still supporting continued planning for the Resolute Support mission” that is expected to start Jan. 1.
Hagel commended Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. for their critically important leadership of the ISAF campaign, he said, particularly Dunford’s consistent, wise and steady leadership. Dunford is the ISAF commander in Afghanistan, and Breedlove commands U.S. European Command and NATO’s Supreme Allied Command Europe.
Today’s final session was the NATO-Ukraine Commission, the secretary said, adding that he was pleased to welcome that nation’s participation in the ministerial conference, given the rapidly evolving political situation in Ukraine.
“Today I affirmed America’s strong support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and NATO defense ministers made the same declaration in a joint statement,” Hagel said.
The ministers expect other nations to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and avoid provocative actions, he added.
“That’s why I’m closely watching Russia’s military exercises along the Ukrainian border, which they announced yesterday,” Hagel said. “I expect Russia to be transparent about these activities, and I urge them not to take any steps that could be misinterpreted, or lead to miscalculation during a … time with great tension.”
The secretary said it’s important for all nations with an interest in a peaceful future for Ukraine to work together transparently to support a Ukrainian government that fulfills the aspirations of its people.
“Our session today also focused on Ukraine’s opportunities for defense reform and our ongoing military-to-military cooperation –- including Ukraine’s participation in NATO operations. And we welcomed the Ukrainian armed forces’ responsible decision to exercise restraint amidst the nation’s political turmoil,” Hagel said.
From Kandahar to Kiev, he added, 20 years ago no one could have foreseen how NATO contributes today to global security. With the United States’ strong support, Hagel said, NATO must continue to be a force for peace, prosperity and freedom in Europe and around the world.
“That is our responsibility in the 21st century,” the secretary said.
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks on the Release of the Annual Country Report on Human Rights
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Press Briefing Room
Washington, DC
February 27, 2014
Well, good morning, everybody. Excuse me. I’ve got a little allergies this morning, I think.
I’m delighted to be here this morning for the second Human Rights report that I have issued as Secretary, and I’m particularly pleased to be here with our Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Uzra Zeya, who as I think all of you know, is performing these responsibilities in the capacity as an interim assistant secretary but who has done just a spectacular job and has led the Department in a year-long process to track and make the assessments that are reflected here. So I thank her for a job particularly well done on this year’s Human Rights Report.
The fundamental struggle for dignity, for decency in the treatment of human beings between each other and between states and citizens, is a driving force in all of human history. And from our own nation’s journey, we know that this is a work in progress. Slavery was written into our Constitution before it was written out. And we know that the struggle for equal rights, for women, for others – for LGBT community and others – is an ongoing struggle. And it’s because of the courage and commitment of citizens in each generation that the United States has come closer to living up to our own ideals.
Even as we come together today to issue a report on other nations, we hold ourselves to a high standard, and we expect accountability here at home too. And we know that we’re not perfect. We don’t speak with any arrogance whatsoever, but with a concern for the human condition.
Our own journey has not been without great difficulty, and at times, contradiction. But even as we remain humble about the challenges of our own history, we are proud that no country has more opportunity to advance the cause of democracy and no country is as committed to the cause of human rights as we are.
This year’s report, we think, is especially timely. It comes on the heels of one of the most momentous years in the struggle for greater rights and freedoms in modern history.
In Syria, hundreds were murdered in the dead of night when a disaster occurred at the hands of a dictator who decided to infect the air of Damascus with poisonous gas, and many more have been, unfortunately, confined to die under a barrage of barrel bombs, Scud missiles, artillery, and other conventional weapons.
In Bangladesh, thousands of workers perished in the greatest workplace safety disaster in history.
And from Nigeria to Russia to Iran, indeed in some 80 countries the world over, LGBT communities face discriminatory laws and practices that attack their basic human dignity and undermine their safety. We are seeing new laws like the Anti-Homosexuality Bill enacted by Uganda and signed into law by President Museveni earlier this week, which not only makes criminals of people for who they are, but punishes those who defend the human rights that are our universal birthright.
These laws contribute to a global trend of rising violence and discrimination against LGBT persons and their supporters, and they are an affront to every reasonable conscience, and the United States will continue to stand with our LGBT brothers and sisters as we stand up for freedom, for justice, for equal rights for all people around the world.
And so with this year’s report, we join with many other nations in reaffirming our commitment to a world where speaking one’s mind does not lead to persecution, a world where practicing or changing one’s faith does not lead to imprisonment, and where marching peacefully in the street does not get you beaten up in a blind alley or even killed in plain sight.
So let me be clear. This is not just some high-minded exercise. This is the most comprehensive, authoritative, dispassionate, and factual review of the state of human rights globally, and every American should be proud of it. That’s why Acting Assistant Secretary Zeya of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and our embassies and consulates around the world have spent countless hours researching and writing these reports, engaging activists, talking to governments, and analyzing NGO and media reports. And that’s why they capture the attention of dictatorships and democracies alike.
This is about accountability. It’s about ending impunity. And it’s about a fight that has gone on for centuries, as long as human beings have been able to think and write and speak and act on their own. The struggle for rights and dignity couldn’t be more relevant to what we are seeing transpire across the globe. The places where we face some of the greatest national security challenges today are also places where governments deny basic human rights to their nations’ people, and that is no coincidence. And it is particularly no coincidence in an age where people have access and want access to more information and the freedom to be able to act – to access information and to be able to act on the basis of that information. That is what has always characterized democracies and free people.
It’s no coincidence that in North Korea, a UN commission of inquiry recently found clear and compelling evidence of wholesale torture and crimes against humanity, reports of people who have been executed summarily and fired at by artillery, fired at by anti-aircraft weapons, 122 millimeter aircraft weapons that literally obliterate human beings, and this has occurred with people in the masses being forced to watch, a form of gross and utter intimidation and oppression.
It’s no coincidence that the first use of a weapon of mass destruction anywhere in the last quarter century came from a dictatorship in Syria in trying to suppress a popular uprising, in trying to suppress the aspirations of young people who simply wanted jobs and education and opportunity.
It’s no coincidence that the brutal violence that we’ve seen recently in South Sudan and the Central African Republic is rooted in cycles of violence stemming from past abuses, marginalization, discrimination, and unwillingness to listen.
And so the United States of America will continue to speak out, without a hint of arrogance or apology, on behalf of people who stand up for their universal rights. And we will stand up in many cases for those who are deprived of the opportunity to be able to stand up for themselves.
We will do so in Venezuela, where the government has confronted peaceful protestors by deploying armed vigilantes, by imprisoning students, and by severely limiting freedoms of expression and assembly. The solution to Venezuela’s problems are not found through violence, and they will not be found through violence, but only through dialogue with all Venezuelans in a climate of mutual respect.
We will do it in Sri Lanka, where the government still has not answered basic demands for accountability and reconciliation, where attacks on civil society activists, journalists, and religious minorities, sadly, still continue. Our concern about this ongoing situation has led the United States to support another UN Human Rights Council resolution at the March session. We will do so because we know countries that deny human rights and human dignity challenge our interests as well as human interests. But we also know countries that advance those values, those countries that embrace these rights are countries that actually create opportunities.
From Yemen to Tunisia, which I just visited last month, we have seen how national dialogue and democratic progress can make countries more stable and make them stronger partners for peace and prosperity. In Ukraine, as we all just saw in real time in the last days, tens of thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the power – to demonstrate again the power of people to be able to demand a more democratic and accountable governance, and to stand up even against those who would sniper from roofs and take their lives in the effort to have their voices heard.
In Burma, we continue to see a country that was isolated for so many years slowly moving away not just from dictatorship, but toward a more productive partnering with the United States and the international community.
So there are plenty of examples, folks, of places that choose a different road, and that strive to make it work. As today’s report makes clear, Burma still faces the normal challenges, from reforming an undemocratic constitution to ending discrimination and violence against religious and ethnic minorities, but we must continue to encourage progress even as we speak honestly about the problems that persist.
In my first year as Secretary of State, I have been very fortunate to see with my own eyes what we can accomplish when we see our power and use our power and influence to empower others to be able to change things for the better. I’m truly inspired by the civil society activists that I’ve met with in many of the countries I’ve been to – in Hanoi, for instance – people who are standing up for their fundamental rights to speak out and to associate freely. I’m inspired by the 86-year-old human rights pioneer I met in Moscow who has spent a lifetime fighting for the basic rights that we take for granted here in the United States. I’m inspired by a group of young southeast-Asian land rights advocates that I met at the ASEAN regional forum last year who understand that societal problems are best solved when the government works with civil society, not against it.
The truth is that some of the greatest accomplishments in expanding the cause of human rights have come not because of legislative decree or judicial fiat, but they came through the awesomely courageous acts of individuals, whether it is Xu Zhiyong fighting the government transparency that he desires to see in China, or Ales Byalyatski, who is demanding justice and transparency and accountability in Belarus, whether it is Angel Yunier Remon Arzuaga, who is rapping for greater political freedom in Cuba, or Eskinder Nega, who is writing for freedom of expression in Ethiopia. Every single one of these people are demonstrating a brand of moral courage that we need now more than ever.
This year there is actually another name on all of our minds, and that is, of course, the first Human Rights Report since the passing of one of the most courageous individuals of all time, Nelson Mandela. Mandela was more than an inspiration; he was a model. All over the world, I have been in homes and offices where his unmistakable face was on posters and prints. I’ve met so many young kids named Nelson in Africa, but in so many other places where people are aspiring for real change. His influence was just that powerful. Even in his absence, the example that he set will long endure. We carry on his work for those who are walking picket lines, who are sitting in prison cells sometimes unknown to anybody except their family, who are protesting from Cairo to Caracas to Kyiv.
And we have to ask ourselves, as we do this: If we don’t stand with these brave men and women, then what do we stand for and who will stand with them? And if we don’t give voice to those who are voiceless, then who do we speak for and who will give voice to them? The demand for human dignity I believe, President Obama believes – I think all of us believe in this country – is unstoppable. And today we reaffirm our commitment to stand with the many who seek dignity and against the few who deny it.
That’s how we live up to our ideals. That’s how we will meet the demands of this moment. That’s how we will build a more stable and peaceful world.
And before I turn things over to Uzra, let me leave you with one final thought. We obviously have a big agenda. You can see that. And that means we need our full team on the field so that we can get to work. Frankly, it’s unacceptable that so many of our nominees – countless numbers of ambassadors to very important countries are awaiting confirmation. Our national security is not served by keeping many professionals, people who have waited patiently, in a perpetual limbo. Neither is our ability to support democratic rights and aspirations of people all over the world enhanced by what is happening.
Let me give you an example, for instance, of what is happening to Tom Malinowski. Tom is a human rights champion whom the President has picked as his nominee to be the next Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Tom has strong bipartisan support. We know of no objection to his nomination – none – and yet, he has been waiting more than 220 days to be confirmed.
So now is the time to send a strong signal that we are not content to sit on the sidelines. I ask and I hope that our colleagues in the Senate will help Tom Malinowski get on the job so that we can continue to lead in these very kinds of issues that I have just laid out here today. We are ready to lead, and that’s when America is at its best, and that’s the vision that has always inspired people. And it always will. And it’s with that understanding that we are committed to continue this important work to defend the rights of people all around the world. That’s how we became a nation, and that’s how we will stay the nation that we want to be.
With that I thank you very much, and I will leave it in the good hands of Uzra. Thank you.
Remarks on the Release of the Annual Country Report on Human Rights
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Press Briefing Room
Washington, DC
February 27, 2014
Well, good morning, everybody. Excuse me. I’ve got a little allergies this morning, I think.
I’m delighted to be here this morning for the second Human Rights report that I have issued as Secretary, and I’m particularly pleased to be here with our Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, Uzra Zeya, who as I think all of you know, is performing these responsibilities in the capacity as an interim assistant secretary but who has done just a spectacular job and has led the Department in a year-long process to track and make the assessments that are reflected here. So I thank her for a job particularly well done on this year’s Human Rights Report.
The fundamental struggle for dignity, for decency in the treatment of human beings between each other and between states and citizens, is a driving force in all of human history. And from our own nation’s journey, we know that this is a work in progress. Slavery was written into our Constitution before it was written out. And we know that the struggle for equal rights, for women, for others – for LGBT community and others – is an ongoing struggle. And it’s because of the courage and commitment of citizens in each generation that the United States has come closer to living up to our own ideals.
Even as we come together today to issue a report on other nations, we hold ourselves to a high standard, and we expect accountability here at home too. And we know that we’re not perfect. We don’t speak with any arrogance whatsoever, but with a concern for the human condition.
Our own journey has not been without great difficulty, and at times, contradiction. But even as we remain humble about the challenges of our own history, we are proud that no country has more opportunity to advance the cause of democracy and no country is as committed to the cause of human rights as we are.
This year’s report, we think, is especially timely. It comes on the heels of one of the most momentous years in the struggle for greater rights and freedoms in modern history.
In Syria, hundreds were murdered in the dead of night when a disaster occurred at the hands of a dictator who decided to infect the air of Damascus with poisonous gas, and many more have been, unfortunately, confined to die under a barrage of barrel bombs, Scud missiles, artillery, and other conventional weapons.
In Bangladesh, thousands of workers perished in the greatest workplace safety disaster in history.
And from Nigeria to Russia to Iran, indeed in some 80 countries the world over, LGBT communities face discriminatory laws and practices that attack their basic human dignity and undermine their safety. We are seeing new laws like the Anti-Homosexuality Bill enacted by Uganda and signed into law by President Museveni earlier this week, which not only makes criminals of people for who they are, but punishes those who defend the human rights that are our universal birthright.
These laws contribute to a global trend of rising violence and discrimination against LGBT persons and their supporters, and they are an affront to every reasonable conscience, and the United States will continue to stand with our LGBT brothers and sisters as we stand up for freedom, for justice, for equal rights for all people around the world.
And so with this year’s report, we join with many other nations in reaffirming our commitment to a world where speaking one’s mind does not lead to persecution, a world where practicing or changing one’s faith does not lead to imprisonment, and where marching peacefully in the street does not get you beaten up in a blind alley or even killed in plain sight.
So let me be clear. This is not just some high-minded exercise. This is the most comprehensive, authoritative, dispassionate, and factual review of the state of human rights globally, and every American should be proud of it. That’s why Acting Assistant Secretary Zeya of the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and our embassies and consulates around the world have spent countless hours researching and writing these reports, engaging activists, talking to governments, and analyzing NGO and media reports. And that’s why they capture the attention of dictatorships and democracies alike.
This is about accountability. It’s about ending impunity. And it’s about a fight that has gone on for centuries, as long as human beings have been able to think and write and speak and act on their own. The struggle for rights and dignity couldn’t be more relevant to what we are seeing transpire across the globe. The places where we face some of the greatest national security challenges today are also places where governments deny basic human rights to their nations’ people, and that is no coincidence. And it is particularly no coincidence in an age where people have access and want access to more information and the freedom to be able to act – to access information and to be able to act on the basis of that information. That is what has always characterized democracies and free people.
It’s no coincidence that in North Korea, a UN commission of inquiry recently found clear and compelling evidence of wholesale torture and crimes against humanity, reports of people who have been executed summarily and fired at by artillery, fired at by anti-aircraft weapons, 122 millimeter aircraft weapons that literally obliterate human beings, and this has occurred with people in the masses being forced to watch, a form of gross and utter intimidation and oppression.
It’s no coincidence that the first use of a weapon of mass destruction anywhere in the last quarter century came from a dictatorship in Syria in trying to suppress a popular uprising, in trying to suppress the aspirations of young people who simply wanted jobs and education and opportunity.
It’s no coincidence that the brutal violence that we’ve seen recently in South Sudan and the Central African Republic is rooted in cycles of violence stemming from past abuses, marginalization, discrimination, and unwillingness to listen.
And so the United States of America will continue to speak out, without a hint of arrogance or apology, on behalf of people who stand up for their universal rights. And we will stand up in many cases for those who are deprived of the opportunity to be able to stand up for themselves.
We will do so in Venezuela, where the government has confronted peaceful protestors by deploying armed vigilantes, by imprisoning students, and by severely limiting freedoms of expression and assembly. The solution to Venezuela’s problems are not found through violence, and they will not be found through violence, but only through dialogue with all Venezuelans in a climate of mutual respect.
We will do it in Sri Lanka, where the government still has not answered basic demands for accountability and reconciliation, where attacks on civil society activists, journalists, and religious minorities, sadly, still continue. Our concern about this ongoing situation has led the United States to support another UN Human Rights Council resolution at the March session. We will do so because we know countries that deny human rights and human dignity challenge our interests as well as human interests. But we also know countries that advance those values, those countries that embrace these rights are countries that actually create opportunities.
From Yemen to Tunisia, which I just visited last month, we have seen how national dialogue and democratic progress can make countries more stable and make them stronger partners for peace and prosperity. In Ukraine, as we all just saw in real time in the last days, tens of thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the power – to demonstrate again the power of people to be able to demand a more democratic and accountable governance, and to stand up even against those who would sniper from roofs and take their lives in the effort to have their voices heard.
In Burma, we continue to see a country that was isolated for so many years slowly moving away not just from dictatorship, but toward a more productive partnering with the United States and the international community.
So there are plenty of examples, folks, of places that choose a different road, and that strive to make it work. As today’s report makes clear, Burma still faces the normal challenges, from reforming an undemocratic constitution to ending discrimination and violence against religious and ethnic minorities, but we must continue to encourage progress even as we speak honestly about the problems that persist.
In my first year as Secretary of State, I have been very fortunate to see with my own eyes what we can accomplish when we see our power and use our power and influence to empower others to be able to change things for the better. I’m truly inspired by the civil society activists that I’ve met with in many of the countries I’ve been to – in Hanoi, for instance – people who are standing up for their fundamental rights to speak out and to associate freely. I’m inspired by the 86-year-old human rights pioneer I met in Moscow who has spent a lifetime fighting for the basic rights that we take for granted here in the United States. I’m inspired by a group of young southeast-Asian land rights advocates that I met at the ASEAN regional forum last year who understand that societal problems are best solved when the government works with civil society, not against it.
The truth is that some of the greatest accomplishments in expanding the cause of human rights have come not because of legislative decree or judicial fiat, but they came through the awesomely courageous acts of individuals, whether it is Xu Zhiyong fighting the government transparency that he desires to see in China, or Ales Byalyatski, who is demanding justice and transparency and accountability in Belarus, whether it is Angel Yunier Remon Arzuaga, who is rapping for greater political freedom in Cuba, or Eskinder Nega, who is writing for freedom of expression in Ethiopia. Every single one of these people are demonstrating a brand of moral courage that we need now more than ever.
This year there is actually another name on all of our minds, and that is, of course, the first Human Rights Report since the passing of one of the most courageous individuals of all time, Nelson Mandela. Mandela was more than an inspiration; he was a model. All over the world, I have been in homes and offices where his unmistakable face was on posters and prints. I’ve met so many young kids named Nelson in Africa, but in so many other places where people are aspiring for real change. His influence was just that powerful. Even in his absence, the example that he set will long endure. We carry on his work for those who are walking picket lines, who are sitting in prison cells sometimes unknown to anybody except their family, who are protesting from Cairo to Caracas to Kyiv.
And we have to ask ourselves, as we do this: If we don’t stand with these brave men and women, then what do we stand for and who will stand with them? And if we don’t give voice to those who are voiceless, then who do we speak for and who will give voice to them? The demand for human dignity I believe, President Obama believes – I think all of us believe in this country – is unstoppable. And today we reaffirm our commitment to stand with the many who seek dignity and against the few who deny it.
That’s how we live up to our ideals. That’s how we will meet the demands of this moment. That’s how we will build a more stable and peaceful world.
And before I turn things over to Uzra, let me leave you with one final thought. We obviously have a big agenda. You can see that. And that means we need our full team on the field so that we can get to work. Frankly, it’s unacceptable that so many of our nominees – countless numbers of ambassadors to very important countries are awaiting confirmation. Our national security is not served by keeping many professionals, people who have waited patiently, in a perpetual limbo. Neither is our ability to support democratic rights and aspirations of people all over the world enhanced by what is happening.
Let me give you an example, for instance, of what is happening to Tom Malinowski. Tom is a human rights champion whom the President has picked as his nominee to be the next Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. Tom has strong bipartisan support. We know of no objection to his nomination – none – and yet, he has been waiting more than 220 days to be confirmed.
So now is the time to send a strong signal that we are not content to sit on the sidelines. I ask and I hope that our colleagues in the Senate will help Tom Malinowski get on the job so that we can continue to lead in these very kinds of issues that I have just laid out here today. We are ready to lead, and that’s when America is at its best, and that’s the vision that has always inspired people. And it always will. And it’s with that understanding that we are committed to continue this important work to defend the rights of people all around the world. That’s how we became a nation, and that’s how we will stay the nation that we want to be.
With that I thank you very much, and I will leave it in the good hands of Uzra. Thank you.
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