Particle Fever discovers the human element to physics
March 14 is just a bit heady if you happen to like math or science. It's Einstein's birthday. It's Pi Day, and this year in Washington, D.C., it's just a week before the local premiere of Particle Fever.
This documentary film features the world's most powerful particle collider and follows seven scientists and engineers for five years. It focuses on the period from when they switched on the Large Hadron Collider to when they ultimately discovered the Higgs boson and presented those findings at CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
So today we honor Albert Einstein, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921, who interpreted Planck's quantum hypothesis realistically to explain the photoelectric effect in 1905, and who helped spawn debating, theorizing and testing that influenced the field of quantum physics. This advanced science and paved the way for the discovery detailed in Particle Fever.
By the end of March, Particle Fever will have opened in most major markets, and while the story delineates scientific processes, many too will take away messages about the excitement of discovery, the immense challenge to proving or disproving physics theory and the very human side of physics.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) partially funded Particle Fever producer and physicist David Kaplan of Johns Hopkins University as he began making this movie. Particle Fever director Mark Levinson has been noted as being a physicist-turned-director, but few realize the inverse of that equation in Kaplan, who started college as a film student before discovering his clear love for physics.
'Could be nothing or everything...'
Kaplan has said he had to ignore how irrational it was to think about making a documentary about science when he had no idea of how it ended. However, his hunch was that whatever the outcome, the impacts would be historic. His attitude was to plunge ahead and believe that at some point he'd have a compelling story. But between the significant personal financial and emotional investment, mechanical setbacks at CERN and the uncertainty of the experiment itself, pressure was inevitable.
His approach was to find scientists to follow with camera crews periodically and provide video cameras to others for "selfies," hoping for the good fortune of targeting people who would create the inevitable excitement of being involved in such a significant event in the field of physics.
Kaplan has said it wasn't so much about verifying and discovering the Higgs boson, it felt more like a story about the scientific journey to discovery. And ultimately, Particle Fever provides us with highs, lows, uncertainty and professional exhilaration. We laugh. We cry. And most of all, we move through the movie with all the compelling characters, sharing in their trepidation and thrill in this scientific adventure. Kaplan hoped this would convey an enthralling story.
Turns out he was right.
NSF: Why do you need such a big contraption as the five-story-tall Large Hadron Collider to see something as small as a boson?
DK: Quantum mechanics says that particles and waves are two aspects of the same thing. The fundamental particles, like the electron, somehow behave like a wave. The electron interferes; it doesn't just scatter. It interferes with other particles. It interferes with itself. It's weird. To see something very tiny, you need tiny waves. And a tiny wavelength is a high frequency, which is high energy, and so to see tiny, tiny, tiny things, you need a very high energy beam. So the Large Hadron Collider is that large, so you can accelerate protons to a high enough energy to create the waves--the proton waves--so tiny that you can start to see tiny things.
NSF: What is your favorite scene in Particle Fever?
DK: My favorite scene is with Savas (Dimopoulos) and an older physicist, Riccardo Barbieri who in a sort of, not-typical way was really ready to retire. [NOTE: In this scene, the two men discuss the challenge for theoretical physicists who often don't get to see their theories proven within their lifetime and how it can leave a feeling of wondering whether they made a difference.] Working very hard, Barbieri chose a time when he was going to retire and really not do physics any more. And physicists--including Riccardo--don't speak emotionally or personally about their experience being a physicist and hopes and disappointments. We don't think like that. We're sort of active all the time. You're supposed to fail most all the time, so it's okay. I didn't know [that scene] was going to be that poignant, but it summarized the unspoken feeling of all of us. That's my favorite scene for many, many reasons.
NSF: What were the worst and best parts of making Particle Fever?
DK: The worst part of making Particle Fever was the emotional and intellectual commitment that it required and took away from my family...and physics. And the best part was the support of the community. It was scary to go and do something that was not physics because the social capital in physics is "What are you working on?" It doesn't have to be a big breakthrough; it just has to be contribution to what we're all trying to figure out. And so, "You're going off and making a movie?" How are people going to respond to that? Almost universal approval and support for the project was very fulfilling. That, and "OK, David, when are you going to come back?" reminding me that there's a home to come back to when this is all done.
NSF: How have people responded to the movie?
DK: Non-physicists and scientists alike have responded positively. I think scientists respond positively because they think, "Yeah, that's how it is. Nobody ever shows how it really is." Science documentaries, which are to teach science, are not about the experience. [I found that] what's important is the experience of the physics for the physicist. And so all the graphics we put into the movie--the goal was that they look like what is in the head of the physicist and not perfectly all laid out gorgeous so you really see what this dimension looks like. That wasn't the goal. How do physicists think? And it's in very simple lines and very simple representations. So I think the scientists enjoyed that "yes, this is my world-people understand me." And the non-scientists felt something even if they didn't understand the physics: "Wow I can feel something about this, not just, "oh, that's cool." I think that's why it works.
NSF: What work will you do next as a physics researcher?
DK: There are a variety of things that I think are interesting...one is dark matter, which I have done work on. One is black hole information, which I've done no work on, but I'd love to learn about it. It's hot right now. I'm usually very late to these games, but maybe I find something that people miss. But whatever it is [I pursue], it's going to be something I find truly interesting. This is my rule: Always do something you think is really cool, not because you think someone else will like it or because you think it will get you a job. Because whatever you think is cool and you work hard at it, you'll get good at that. And eventually people will ask you to do more of that. And that's what you want to have happen.
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Some additional physics facts
One of the most interesting aspects to Particle Fever is that it starts a discussion about the science behind the Higgs boson. Physicist Greg Mack addresses two of these issues. He his also a NSF Science & Technology Policy Fellow sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
How do protons create a Higgs boson?
In the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), protons, which are the positive particles in an atom's nucleus, smash together to create new particles. We can again thank Einstein for the idea behind how this is possible: energy and mass are intimately related. His famous equation E = mc2 says that mass m and energy E are two forms of the same thing and can be converted into each other, related by the speed of light c. This also says that it takes a lot of energy to make a little matter, since the speed of light is such a large number.
As Particle Fever documents, the experiments at the LHC found that the Higgs boson has 125 times more mass than a proton. How can two small protons colliding together make something bigger? One has to boost the protons, giving them a lot more energy to add into the mix. This goes along with David Kaplan's explanation of why the LHC has to be so big--the bigger the contraption, the more energy that can be added! The very strong magnets and huge circular structure of the LHC can accelerate the protons to extremely high speeds, giving each one an energy of about 7,000 times the mass of an ordinary proton.
When two protons collide at such high speeds and energies, they don't just bounce off each other. Protons actually are made up of particles called quarks, which are held together by gluons. In these collisions, it's the quarks and gluons that hit. This is where the extra energy is key--the whole process takes the quarks, gluons and energy, smashes them all together and spits out new particles. When that happens, some of that energy can be converted into mass, making particles such as the Higgs that are bigger than the original particles. The colliding proton beams make a bunch of new particles--bigger and smaller--and it is up to scientists to interpret what the detectors record.
What's a 'Gee-ee-Vee?'
In Particle Fever, the high energy physicists Kaplan, Dimopoulos and Barbieri don't talk about mass in kilograms. To them, it makes more sense to talk about mass in terms of energy. They are interchangeable after all, as Einstein said. It all hinges on what's most useful for discussion and calculations.
Instead, mass is talked about in units of the electronVolt: the energy an electron gains or loses when it's exposed to one volt of electricity. That unit is abbreviated as "eV" and pronounced as "ee-Vee." This is actually a small number for the measurement of mass, and in Particle Fever the scientists talk about "Gee-ee-Vee" or "GeV": a gigaelectronVolt. Adding the prefix "giga-" to the unit multiplies it by a billion, so this translates as a billion electronVolts.
Why is this useful? A proton has a mass of about 1.7 x 10-27 kilograms. That's a very small and messy number. In electronVolts, the proton has a mass of about 1 GeV. Yes, 1 GeV--a number much more easily managed. It's then easy to compare how big other particles are, such as when the LHC made the Higgs discovery at a mass of 125 GeV.
Watch the trailer and find out more about Particle Fever.
-- Ivy F. Kupec, (703) 292-8796 ikupec@nsf.gov
-- Gregory Mack, (703) 292-7373 GMACK@nsf.gov
Investigators
David Kaplan
Related Institutions/Organizations
CERN
Johns Hopkins University
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR MARCH 19, 2014
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
AIR FORCE
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., has been awarded a $57,528,900 delivery order (0061) to an existing contract (FA8620-10-G-3038) to accomplish the tasks necessary to fabricate, deliver and/or provide hardware, software, and documentation to support the tasks necessary to upgrade and modify the remote split operations (RSO) network to support internet protocols data standards. This acquisition is for the procurement of 234 Ground Control Station kits, seven containerized dual control segment kits, 25 Squadron Operations Center (SOC) low density kits, five Creech SOC low density kits, six Creech SOC high density kits, 24 relay kits, 71 relay circuit to packet kits, three Creech wide-area network kits, one Cannon WAN kit, 26 WAN LD kits, two Cannon SOC kits, 17 relay rack kits, ten network management kits, and related spares and support equipment. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Work will be performed at Poway, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 17, 2015. Fiscal 2012 and 2013 procurement funds in the amount of $57,528,900 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
NAVY
Aviation Training Consulting LLC*, Altus, Okla., is being awarded a $24,988,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide instructional services in support of the KC-130J aircraft for the government of Kuwait under the Foreign Military Sales program. Services include instruction on operating the KC-130J simulators and aircraft. Work will be performed at Kuwait City, Kuwait (90 percent) and Cherry Point, N.C. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $7,595,492 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-4. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting office (N61340-14-C-0007).
National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, D.C., is being awarded a maximum amount $12,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architectural design and engineering services for The National Institute of Building Sciences. The work to be performed provides for ongoing criteria preparation and shall fall under the following two categories: preparation and dissemination of emerging innovative technology source information and/or criteria, commercially supported, embedded within the Whole Building Design Guide; and make findings and advise public/private sectors of the economy with respect to the use of building science and technology in achieving nationally acceptable standards and the irregularities and inconsistencies which arise from their application to particular localities or special local conditions. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., to support the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic area of responsibility, and is expected to be completed by March 2018. Fiscal 2013 military construction, Defense Agency contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole-source procurement under FAR 6.302-5, authorized or required by statute. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N62470-14-D-3006).
Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Hurst, Texas, is being awarded a $12,281,805 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N68936-12-D-0003) for the hardware and software upgrades in support of the H-1 Upgrade Program. Services to be provided include design, development, studies, and implementation of the upgrades to existing software and ancillary hardware and/or improved functionality and obsolescence management of the aircraft. Work will be performed in Woodland Hills, Calif. (75percent) and Hurst, Texas (25 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2014. No funding will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity.
NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corp.*, Warminster, Pa., is being awarded a $10,168,177 ceiling-priced delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-10-G-0026; DO 0014) for engineering, integration, system maintenance/repair services, and training for the continued development of advanced sensors and systems in support of naval aviation missions of the Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pa. (25 percent); Warminster, Pa. (25 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (25 percent); Tampa, Fla. (20 percent); and Florham Park, N.J. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2016. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds and fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $6,137,073 will be obligated at time of award, $317,813 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
AIR FORCE
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc., Poway, Calif., has been awarded a $57,528,900 delivery order (0061) to an existing contract (FA8620-10-G-3038) to accomplish the tasks necessary to fabricate, deliver and/or provide hardware, software, and documentation to support the tasks necessary to upgrade and modify the remote split operations (RSO) network to support internet protocols data standards. This acquisition is for the procurement of 234 Ground Control Station kits, seven containerized dual control segment kits, 25 Squadron Operations Center (SOC) low density kits, five Creech SOC low density kits, six Creech SOC high density kits, 24 relay kits, 71 relay circuit to packet kits, three Creech wide-area network kits, one Cannon WAN kit, 26 WAN LD kits, two Cannon SOC kits, 17 relay rack kits, ten network management kits, and related spares and support equipment. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Work will be performed at Poway, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 17, 2015. Fiscal 2012 and 2013 procurement funds in the amount of $57,528,900 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
NAVY
Aviation Training Consulting LLC*, Altus, Okla., is being awarded a $24,988,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide instructional services in support of the KC-130J aircraft for the government of Kuwait under the Foreign Military Sales program. Services include instruction on operating the KC-130J simulators and aircraft. Work will be performed at Kuwait City, Kuwait (90 percent) and Cherry Point, N.C. (10 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $7,595,492 are being obligated on this award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-4. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla., is the contracting office (N61340-14-C-0007).
National Institute of Building Sciences, Washington, D.C., is being awarded a maximum amount $12,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for architectural design and engineering services for The National Institute of Building Sciences. The work to be performed provides for ongoing criteria preparation and shall fall under the following two categories: preparation and dissemination of emerging innovative technology source information and/or criteria, commercially supported, embedded within the Whole Building Design Guide; and make findings and advise public/private sectors of the economy with respect to the use of building science and technology in achieving nationally acceptable standards and the irregularities and inconsistencies which arise from their application to particular localities or special local conditions. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed in Washington, D.C., to support the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic area of responsibility, and is expected to be completed by March 2018. Fiscal 2013 military construction, Defense Agency contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is a sole-source procurement under FAR 6.302-5, authorized or required by statute. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N62470-14-D-3006).
Bell Helicopter Textron Inc., Hurst, Texas, is being awarded a $12,281,805 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N68936-12-D-0003) for the hardware and software upgrades in support of the H-1 Upgrade Program. Services to be provided include design, development, studies, and implementation of the upgrades to existing software and ancillary hardware and/or improved functionality and obsolescence management of the aircraft. Work will be performed in Woodland Hills, Calif. (75percent) and Hurst, Texas (25 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2014. No funding will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual task orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, China Lake, Calif., is the contracting activity.
NAVMAR Applied Sciences Corp.*, Warminster, Pa., is being awarded a $10,168,177 ceiling-priced delivery order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N68335-10-G-0026; DO 0014) for engineering, integration, system maintenance/repair services, and training for the continued development of advanced sensors and systems in support of naval aviation missions of the Special Operations Command. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pa. (25 percent); Warminster, Pa. (25 percent); Yuma, Ariz. (25 percent); Tampa, Fla. (20 percent); and Florham Park, N.J. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in March 2016. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, Army funds and fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $6,137,073 will be obligated at time of award, $317,813 of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, N.J., is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
NSC STATEMENT ON U.S. CANDIDACY AS AN EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE CANDIDATE
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on U.S. Admittance as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Candidate Country
We are pleased that today the International Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) accepted the U.S. Candidacy Application at their Board Meeting in Oslo, Norway.
Two years ago, at the launch of the Open Government Partnership, President Obama announced the U.S. commitment to implement EITI, an international standard aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the payments that companies make and the revenues governments receive for their natural resources such as oil, gas, and mining.
The United States is first G-8 country to achieve candidate status and become an EITI implementing country, joining a group of 41 countries around the world that are working actively to improve the management of their oil, gas, and mining sectors.
As an EITI Candidate Country, the United States, through the Department of the Interior, will continue its work toward increasing revenue transparency and accountability in relevant industry sectors, ensuring that American taxpayers receive every dollar due for the extraction of the nation’s natural resources, and making the U.S. government more open and more accountable to the American people.
Statement by NSC Spokesperson Caitlin Hayden on U.S. Admittance as an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Candidate Country
We are pleased that today the International Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) accepted the U.S. Candidacy Application at their Board Meeting in Oslo, Norway.
Two years ago, at the launch of the Open Government Partnership, President Obama announced the U.S. commitment to implement EITI, an international standard aimed at increasing transparency and accountability in the payments that companies make and the revenues governments receive for their natural resources such as oil, gas, and mining.
The United States is first G-8 country to achieve candidate status and become an EITI implementing country, joining a group of 41 countries around the world that are working actively to improve the management of their oil, gas, and mining sectors.
As an EITI Candidate Country, the United States, through the Department of the Interior, will continue its work toward increasing revenue transparency and accountability in relevant industry sectors, ensuring that American taxpayers receive every dollar due for the extraction of the nation’s natural resources, and making the U.S. government more open and more accountable to the American people.
WH PRESS SECRETARY STATEMENT ON TUNISIAN PRIME MINISTER'S VISIT
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of Prime Minister Jomaa of Tunisia
President Obama will host Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa of Tunisia at the White House on Friday, April 4. During the meeting, the President looks forward to discussing the commitment Tunisia’s leaders have made to advancing Tunisia’s democracy and how the United States can further support Tunisia’s historic transition. The leaders will discuss a broad range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, including U.S. economic, political, and security assistance to support the Prime Minister’s reform agenda and Tunisia’s stability. Prime Minister Jomaa’s visit is a demonstration of the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Tunisian people, and America’s enduring commitment to Tunisia’s democratic transition.
Statement by the Press Secretary on the Visit of Prime Minister Jomaa of Tunisia
President Obama will host Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa of Tunisia at the White House on Friday, April 4. During the meeting, the President looks forward to discussing the commitment Tunisia’s leaders have made to advancing Tunisia’s democracy and how the United States can further support Tunisia’s historic transition. The leaders will discuss a broad range of bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest, including U.S. economic, political, and security assistance to support the Prime Minister’s reform agenda and Tunisia’s stability. Prime Minister Jomaa’s visit is a demonstration of the strong bonds of friendship between the American and Tunisian people, and America’s enduring commitment to Tunisia’s democratic transition.
VP BIDEN REASSURES PRESIDENT GRYBAUSKAITE OF LITHUANIA
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden, President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, and President Andris Berzins of Latvia
Presidential Palace
Vilnius, Lithuania
1:20 P.M. (Local)
PRESIDENT GRYBAUSKAITE: (As interpreted.) Good afternoon. So today we had an important meeting with U.S. Vice President Biden and Latvian President Berzins. With our partners, we discussed the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the security of the Baltic States and Europe as a whole. I see it as a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire international community.
We witnessed the use of brutal force to redraw the map of Europe and to undermine the postwar political architecture established in Europe. We strongly condemn Russian actions on the territory of sovereign Ukraine. We consider Sunday’s referendum and its results illegal. The so-called referendum is a violation of the constitution of Ukraine, international law and the United Nations Charter.
De facto Russia is carrying out the annexation of Crimea and this is happening very close to the borders of Lithuania. The situation is a direct threat to our regional security. Therefore, we must take all the necessary measures to ensure the security of Europe and the Baltic region.
And this is what we discussed with Vice President Biden and Latvian President Berzins. And I would like to thank the United States, especially, which immediately responded to the threats and took all necessary actions to ensure regional security, including the reinforcement of NATO-Baltic air policing mission. The United States is a strategic partner of Lithuania and the Baltic countries. It has always firmly supported and continues to support our aspirations to ensure political, military, economic, and energy security in the region.
Thank you.
PRESIDENT BERZINS: Ladies and gentlemen. Dalia, thank you for hosting this event. I was happy in a different way to see your country (inaudible.)
Secondly, I would like to appreciate the visit of Vice President Joe Biden to the Baltic States. Thank you for fulfilling your promise to come to us on this very, very important current stage. But I would like to thank you for unwavering reassurance. It is a clear reference to Article 5 by our NATO ally, the United States, to the security of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, as expressed by the Vice President during our meeting earlier today.
The situation in Ukraine caused by annexation of Crimea is alarming. This dramatically re-forms the European security structure with global implications. Today we discussed the need for not only the immediate de-escalation of the situation, but also for long-term solutions for the security architecture. I am glad that we could offer some practical steps with regard during our discussions today. The same practical approach (inaudible) energy security -- there is the issue of supply need to be addressed. As a good example here, I would like to underline the need to accelerate the construction of gas interconnection linking Poland, Lithuania and further on, to Latvia, and using storage facilities in Latvia.
Madam President, dear Vice President, we exchanged views on the situation inside Ukraine. We share the opinion that Ukraine must be helped immediately, both politically and economically. And I can only praise the United States and the European Union alike for very decisive steps outlining their commitment in this regard.
Yesterday, immediately after meeting with President Komorowski, I got a call from him and we agreed to coordinate our activities over the short term and also in longer term. (Inaudible) this common view on September in NATO meeting in U.K. This coordination and support of U.S. is very, very crucial in current stage and we are fully convinced that working closely together we will come to peaceful solution immediately for Ukraine and for all future activities for whole world. This is most crucial for it.
Thank you.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you. Madam President, thank you for the hospitality. It’s great to see you again, to be with you again, particularly in such magnificent surroundings. Thank you for the hospitality. And, Mr. President, it’s good to see you again. It’s good to be back in Vilnius.
For 50 years, three embassies in exile in Washington, D.C. stood as a symbol of America’s commitment to freedom and independence and the people of the Baltics. Next week, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of your membership in NATO as fellow free nations and close friends. Nobody understands better than the people of the Baltics the value of freedom. And nobody understands better the promise of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
Today, I spoke with my colleagues, the Presidents of Lithuania and Latvia, about the situation in Ukraine. Yesterday, I met with Estonian President Ilves and the President of Poland and the Prime Minister of Poland in Warsaw. Just as you did a generation ago, the Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians join hands in a human chain of freedom.
Ukrainians have shown tremendous courage to realize their aspirations for a better life and integration into the institutions of their choice -- not anyone else’s choice -- of their choice. Russia has chosen to respond with military aggression, a referendum rejected by virtually the entire world, illegal efforts to annex Crimea, and now reports of armed attacks against Ukrainian military personnel and installations in Crimea.
I want to make it clear: We stand resolutely with our Baltic allies in support of the Ukrainian people and against Russian aggression. As long as Russia continues on this dark path, they will face increasing political and economic isolation.
There are those who say that this action shows the old rules still apply, but Russia cannot escape the fact that the world is changing and rejecting outright their behavior. Global markets and the international community will and should bet in the long run on countries that reject aggression and corruption, embrace openness and live up to their obligations. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania understand this well. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t aggressors out there that require firm and resolute response. There always have been and there always will be. But it does mean that there are costs, and growing costs, that come with naked aggression.
Madam President, Mr. President, the reason I traveled to the Baltics was to reaffirm our mutual commitment to collective defense. President Obama wanted me to come personally to make it clear what you already know, that under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, we will respond. We will respond to any aggression against a NATO ally.
As someone who fought for your nation’s admission into NATO, rest assured we take our responsibilities very, very, very seriously -- the President does; I do; my nation does. That’s why we have in the recent past beefed up our U.S. rotation in NATO Baltic air policing program, which protects the skies above Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And that will continue to be the case. We’ve also asked other members of NATO to make additional contributions to this and other efforts, and I’m confident they will step forward.
Looking ahead, we’re exploring a number of additional steps to increase the pace and scope of our military cooperation, including rotating U.S. forces of the Baltic region to conduct ground and naval exercises, and training missions. The question today is not what can America do for the Baltic nations; it is what can we do together -- what can we do together.
The Baltic nations have shown leadership at the OSCE, the European Union, the Eastern Partnership and the U.N. Security Council. Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian troops have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans in Afghanistan and have served in difficult regional and global security missions.
I know that President Obama will want to use the upcoming NATO summit in South Wales to generate concrete commitments to ensure that NATO is able to meet its Article 5 obligations to all members, which has been a priority from him and me since the beginning of our administration.
And, finally, we spoke of energy. We spoke about energy cooperation. We have learned the hard way that protecting the sovereignty of nations depends on having more than one supplier of energy. We support your efforts within the European Union to diversify your energy sources, to create more flexible energy markets, and to translate energy innovation into energy security so that no nation can use supplies of energy as a political weapon or a quasi-military weapon against you.
As Ukraine fights for its future, the success of the Baltic nations, your success, paints a picture of what is possible for nations that respect the rights and unleash the talents of their people as both your countries have done.
We are in this with you together. We are absolutely committed. May God bless you and your people, and my God bless our troops. Thank you very much.
END
2:07 P.M. (local)
Remarks to the Press by Vice President Joe Biden, President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, and President Andris Berzins of Latvia
Presidential Palace
Vilnius, Lithuania
1:20 P.M. (Local)
PRESIDENT GRYBAUSKAITE: (As interpreted.) Good afternoon. So today we had an important meeting with U.S. Vice President Biden and Latvian President Berzins. With our partners, we discussed the situation in Ukraine and its impact on the security of the Baltic States and Europe as a whole. I see it as a threat not only to Ukraine but also to the entire international community.
We witnessed the use of brutal force to redraw the map of Europe and to undermine the postwar political architecture established in Europe. We strongly condemn Russian actions on the territory of sovereign Ukraine. We consider Sunday’s referendum and its results illegal. The so-called referendum is a violation of the constitution of Ukraine, international law and the United Nations Charter.
De facto Russia is carrying out the annexation of Crimea and this is happening very close to the borders of Lithuania. The situation is a direct threat to our regional security. Therefore, we must take all the necessary measures to ensure the security of Europe and the Baltic region.
And this is what we discussed with Vice President Biden and Latvian President Berzins. And I would like to thank the United States, especially, which immediately responded to the threats and took all necessary actions to ensure regional security, including the reinforcement of NATO-Baltic air policing mission. The United States is a strategic partner of Lithuania and the Baltic countries. It has always firmly supported and continues to support our aspirations to ensure political, military, economic, and energy security in the region.
Thank you.
PRESIDENT BERZINS: Ladies and gentlemen. Dalia, thank you for hosting this event. I was happy in a different way to see your country (inaudible.)
Secondly, I would like to appreciate the visit of Vice President Joe Biden to the Baltic States. Thank you for fulfilling your promise to come to us on this very, very important current stage. But I would like to thank you for unwavering reassurance. It is a clear reference to Article 5 by our NATO ally, the United States, to the security of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, as expressed by the Vice President during our meeting earlier today.
The situation in Ukraine caused by annexation of Crimea is alarming. This dramatically re-forms the European security structure with global implications. Today we discussed the need for not only the immediate de-escalation of the situation, but also for long-term solutions for the security architecture. I am glad that we could offer some practical steps with regard during our discussions today. The same practical approach (inaudible) energy security -- there is the issue of supply need to be addressed. As a good example here, I would like to underline the need to accelerate the construction of gas interconnection linking Poland, Lithuania and further on, to Latvia, and using storage facilities in Latvia.
Madam President, dear Vice President, we exchanged views on the situation inside Ukraine. We share the opinion that Ukraine must be helped immediately, both politically and economically. And I can only praise the United States and the European Union alike for very decisive steps outlining their commitment in this regard.
Yesterday, immediately after meeting with President Komorowski, I got a call from him and we agreed to coordinate our activities over the short term and also in longer term. (Inaudible) this common view on September in NATO meeting in U.K. This coordination and support of U.S. is very, very crucial in current stage and we are fully convinced that working closely together we will come to peaceful solution immediately for Ukraine and for all future activities for whole world. This is most crucial for it.
Thank you.
VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you. Madam President, thank you for the hospitality. It’s great to see you again, to be with you again, particularly in such magnificent surroundings. Thank you for the hospitality. And, Mr. President, it’s good to see you again. It’s good to be back in Vilnius.
For 50 years, three embassies in exile in Washington, D.C. stood as a symbol of America’s commitment to freedom and independence and the people of the Baltics. Next week, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of your membership in NATO as fellow free nations and close friends. Nobody understands better than the people of the Baltics the value of freedom. And nobody understands better the promise of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
Today, I spoke with my colleagues, the Presidents of Lithuania and Latvia, about the situation in Ukraine. Yesterday, I met with Estonian President Ilves and the President of Poland and the Prime Minister of Poland in Warsaw. Just as you did a generation ago, the Lithuanians, Latvians, and Estonians join hands in a human chain of freedom.
Ukrainians have shown tremendous courage to realize their aspirations for a better life and integration into the institutions of their choice -- not anyone else’s choice -- of their choice. Russia has chosen to respond with military aggression, a referendum rejected by virtually the entire world, illegal efforts to annex Crimea, and now reports of armed attacks against Ukrainian military personnel and installations in Crimea.
I want to make it clear: We stand resolutely with our Baltic allies in support of the Ukrainian people and against Russian aggression. As long as Russia continues on this dark path, they will face increasing political and economic isolation.
There are those who say that this action shows the old rules still apply, but Russia cannot escape the fact that the world is changing and rejecting outright their behavior. Global markets and the international community will and should bet in the long run on countries that reject aggression and corruption, embrace openness and live up to their obligations. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania understand this well. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t aggressors out there that require firm and resolute response. There always have been and there always will be. But it does mean that there are costs, and growing costs, that come with naked aggression.
Madam President, Mr. President, the reason I traveled to the Baltics was to reaffirm our mutual commitment to collective defense. President Obama wanted me to come personally to make it clear what you already know, that under Article 5 of the NATO treaty, we will respond. We will respond to any aggression against a NATO ally.
As someone who fought for your nation’s admission into NATO, rest assured we take our responsibilities very, very, very seriously -- the President does; I do; my nation does. That’s why we have in the recent past beefed up our U.S. rotation in NATO Baltic air policing program, which protects the skies above Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And that will continue to be the case. We’ve also asked other members of NATO to make additional contributions to this and other efforts, and I’m confident they will step forward.
Looking ahead, we’re exploring a number of additional steps to increase the pace and scope of our military cooperation, including rotating U.S. forces of the Baltic region to conduct ground and naval exercises, and training missions. The question today is not what can America do for the Baltic nations; it is what can we do together -- what can we do together.
The Baltic nations have shown leadership at the OSCE, the European Union, the Eastern Partnership and the U.N. Security Council. Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian troops have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Americans in Afghanistan and have served in difficult regional and global security missions.
I know that President Obama will want to use the upcoming NATO summit in South Wales to generate concrete commitments to ensure that NATO is able to meet its Article 5 obligations to all members, which has been a priority from him and me since the beginning of our administration.
And, finally, we spoke of energy. We spoke about energy cooperation. We have learned the hard way that protecting the sovereignty of nations depends on having more than one supplier of energy. We support your efforts within the European Union to diversify your energy sources, to create more flexible energy markets, and to translate energy innovation into energy security so that no nation can use supplies of energy as a political weapon or a quasi-military weapon against you.
As Ukraine fights for its future, the success of the Baltic nations, your success, paints a picture of what is possible for nations that respect the rights and unleash the talents of their people as both your countries have done.
We are in this with you together. We are absolutely committed. May God bless you and your people, and my God bless our troops. Thank you very much.
END
2:07 P.M. (local)
EX-IM BANK BACKED PROJECT WINS WIND DEAL OF THE YEAR AWARD
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank-backed Orosi Project Wins Latin American Wind Deal of the Year 2013
Washington, D.C. – The Inversiones Eolicas de Orosi Dos S.A. (Orosi) Wind Project, a 50-megawatt wind farm in Costa Rica backed by Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) credit, received the Latin American Wind Deal of the Year 2013 from Project Finance Magazine.
“We thank Project Finance Magazine for recognizing Ex-Im Bank’s commitment to the American renewable-energy industry and the jobs it supports here at home,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “By financing the export of wind blades manufactured by Gamesa in Pennsylvania, we not only bolstered American job growth, but we also contributed to energy production in Costa Rica. It should be no surprise that we approved $257 million in authorizations for exports in wind, solar, biomass and other renewable-energy industries in FY 2013 to support high-tech American jobs.”
In late 2013, Ex-Im Bank approved a $61.1 million direct loan to Orosi, a subsidiary of the leading Central American wind-generation company Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy, for the purchase of wind-turbine generators manufactured by Gamesa in Fairless Hills, Pa.
The authorization, which represents Ex-Im Bank's first wind transaction in Costa Rica and fourth utility-scale wind project overall, will support approximately 200 U.S. jobs, according to Bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology.
Ex-Im Bank-backed Orosi Project Wins Latin American Wind Deal of the Year 2013
Washington, D.C. – The Inversiones Eolicas de Orosi Dos S.A. (Orosi) Wind Project, a 50-megawatt wind farm in Costa Rica backed by Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) credit, received the Latin American Wind Deal of the Year 2013 from Project Finance Magazine.
“We thank Project Finance Magazine for recognizing Ex-Im Bank’s commitment to the American renewable-energy industry and the jobs it supports here at home,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “By financing the export of wind blades manufactured by Gamesa in Pennsylvania, we not only bolstered American job growth, but we also contributed to energy production in Costa Rica. It should be no surprise that we approved $257 million in authorizations for exports in wind, solar, biomass and other renewable-energy industries in FY 2013 to support high-tech American jobs.”
In late 2013, Ex-Im Bank approved a $61.1 million direct loan to Orosi, a subsidiary of the leading Central American wind-generation company Globeleq Mesoamerica Energy, for the purchase of wind-turbine generators manufactured by Gamesa in Fairless Hills, Pa.
The authorization, which represents Ex-Im Bank's first wind transaction in Costa Rica and fourth utility-scale wind project overall, will support approximately 200 U.S. jobs, according to Bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology.
DISA DELIVERS 2.0 OF DEPS ON SECRET INTERNET PROTOCOL NETWORK (SIPPRNeT)
DISA RELEASES DOD ENTERPRISE PORTAL SERVICE 2.0 FOR CLASSIFIED NETWORK
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) delivered version 2.0 of the DoD Enterprise Portal Service (DEPS) on the Secret Internet Protocol Network (SIPRNet) Feb. 28.
DEPS 2.0 introduces both dedicated and shared service offerings. The environments allow mission partners the flexibility to select the offering that best supports their mission from a range of capacity and storage options. The 2.0 version for the Sensitive, but Unclassified Internet Protocol Network (NIPRNet) will be available in the third quarter of fiscal year 2014.
DEPS provides a scalable, cloud-based collaboration capability that facilitates information sharing through an independently managed community of mission-focused sites, including:
Shared document libraries, calendars, task lists, blogs, and workflows.
Global, anytime access to shared resources.
Increasing operational efficiency by leveraging highly secure Defense Enterprise Computing Centers (DECCs), which consolidate administrative, hardware, and software resources.
“DEPS 2.0 is another example of how DISA’s enterprise services are evolving to meet the needs of our mission partners. 2.0 will offer the ability to select shared or dedicated operating environments, while adhering to the principles of an enterprise service and delivering operational and budgetary efficiencies for the DoD,” said Alan Lewis, DISA’s program executive officer for enterprise services.
Both dedicated and shared DEPS environments offer the benefits of a DISA-managed common infrastructure, including security and data replication.
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) delivered version 2.0 of the DoD Enterprise Portal Service (DEPS) on the Secret Internet Protocol Network (SIPRNet) Feb. 28.
DEPS 2.0 introduces both dedicated and shared service offerings. The environments allow mission partners the flexibility to select the offering that best supports their mission from a range of capacity and storage options. The 2.0 version for the Sensitive, but Unclassified Internet Protocol Network (NIPRNet) will be available in the third quarter of fiscal year 2014.
DEPS provides a scalable, cloud-based collaboration capability that facilitates information sharing through an independently managed community of mission-focused sites, including:
Shared document libraries, calendars, task lists, blogs, and workflows.
Global, anytime access to shared resources.
Increasing operational efficiency by leveraging highly secure Defense Enterprise Computing Centers (DECCs), which consolidate administrative, hardware, and software resources.
“DEPS 2.0 is another example of how DISA’s enterprise services are evolving to meet the needs of our mission partners. 2.0 will offer the ability to select shared or dedicated operating environments, while adhering to the principles of an enterprise service and delivering operational and budgetary efficiencies for the DoD,” said Alan Lewis, DISA’s program executive officer for enterprise services.
Both dedicated and shared DEPS environments offer the benefits of a DISA-managed common infrastructure, including security and data replication.
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL DISCUSSES NAVY YARD SHOOTING
\
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Hagel Details New Security Actions After Navy Yard Shooting
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, March 18, 2014 – Six months after a disturbed federal contractor shot 12 fellow workers to death at the Washington Navy Yard, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today detailed steps the Defense Department is taking based on reviews of security standards in place at the time.
Hagel joined Navy Secretary Ray Mabus at a Pentagon news conference to discuss actions recommended by DOD reviews, including an internal review led by Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence Michael Vickers and an external review led by former Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Stockton and retired Navy Adm. Eric Olson, and Navy reviews of its security standards.
“The reviews identified troubling gaps in DOD’s ability to detect, prevent and respond to instances where someone working for us -– a government employee, a member of our military or a contractor –- decides to inflict harm on this institution and its people,” Hagel said.
To close these gaps, he added, DOD will take four actions recommended by the reviewers:
-- DOD will implement a continuous evaluation program of personnel with access to DOD facilities or classified information, including DOD contractors and military and civilian personnel. “While individuals with security clearances undergo periodic reinvestigations,” the secretary said, “I am directing the department to establish automated reviews of cleared personnel that will continuously pull information from law enforcement and other relevant databases.” Hagel said this will help trigger an alert if derogatory information such as an arrest becomes available for someone holding a security clearance.
-- DOD will establish an Insider Threat Management and Analysis Center that quickly analyzes the results of the automated record checks, helps connect the dots, and determines whether follow-up action is needed. The center also will advise and support Department of Defense components to ensure appropriate action is taken on each case, Hagel noted.
-- DOD will centralize authority and accountability for physical and personal security under a single staff assistant located in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. Today, the secretary said, these responsibilities are fractured among multiple DOD components. “This action will identify one person within DOD who is responsible for leading efforts to counter insider threats,” he said.
-- DOD will accelerate development of the Defense Manpower Data Center’s Identity Management Enterprise Services Architecture, called IMESA, allowing DOD security officers to share access control information and continuously vet individuals against U.S. government databases.
Along with these actions, Hagel said, the department will review how best to move forward on three more recommendations made by the Independent Review Panel:
-- Consider reducing the number of personnel holding Secret security clearances by at least 10 percent, a recommendation in line with October 2013 guidance from the director of national intelligence.
-- Consider reducing DOD’s reliance on background investigations conducted by the Office of Personnel Management and analyze the cost, efficiency and effectiveness of returning the clearance review process to DOD.
-- Consider developing more effective ways to screen recruits, further destigmatize treatment and ensure the quality of mental health care within DOD.
Hagel said he has directed Vickers to develop an implementation plan based on the recommendations and report back on progress in June.
“Everything the Department of Defense is doing [supports] the broader, governmentwide review of the oversight of security and suitability standards of federal employees and contractors,” Hagel said. “That review was approved by President [Barack] Obama earlier this month.”
That review was led by the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council in coordination with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Office of Personnel Management, he added.
“I think we all understand that open and free societies are always vulnerable, but together we’re going to do everything possible to provide our people as safe and secure a workplace as possible,” the secretary said, adding, “Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the victims and their families of that terrible day. We will continue to do everything we can to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. We owe them nothing less.”
Mabus said it is with the memory of the three women and nine men who lost their lives at the Washington Navy Yard that the Navy releases the results of its investigation into the shooting.
“In all this, our first concern has been for those lost and those wounded and their families,” the Navy secretary said. “Over the past few days, Navy liaisons who have been with the families all along reached out individually to provide them with this information.”
The Navy already has improved physical security and force protection based on rapid reviews and assessments of bases and policies after the attack, Navy units have completed self-assessments to ensure their own compliance, and departmental leadership has engaged with commanding officers worldwide to stress their role in protecting civilian and military personnel, he said.
“Where we identified issues with the security clearance processes that involve changes to broader governmental policy, we forwarded those recommendations through DOD to the appropriate agency and department,” Mabus said.
The Navy has worked closely with the reviews set up in DOD and with the broader governmentwide review, he added, “and we will implement as quickly as possible the recommendations laid out by Secretary Hagel, including the continuous evaluation program for security clearances.”
Mabus thanked Hagel for his unwavering support for the Navy and the entire Navy family and for ensuring that DOD's internal and external reviews built on the Navy’s efforts.
The Navy secretary appointed Adm. John M. Richardson, director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, to conduct an official investigation in accordance with the Judge Advocate General Manual, called the JAGMAN report, into the circumstances surrounding the Navy Yard shooting.
Mabus said he has accepted the probe’s 11 major findings and 14 recommendations, and they are in the process of being implemented.
“I also directed that additional actions be taken to strengthen the Department of the Navy’s contractor requirements and to provide greater oversight on how a sailor or Marine’s performance is evaluated and reported,” Mabus said, and he thanked Richardson and his staff for their work.
Looking back to the Sept. 16, 2013, incident, the Navy secretary also thanked the first responders, the Navy and federal law enforcement agencies and agents, the Navy Yard employees and their families, as well as the local community and supporters across the nation.
“As Secretary Hagel said, we cannot completely eliminate the threat, but we can and will guard against these kinds of events by addressing these findings, even if doing so would not have prevented this attack, because it may prevent a future one,” Mabus said.
“That is one objective of these reviews and investigations,” he added. “A parallel and equally powerful reason is to provide answers to our Navy family. It is for them that we conducted a clear-eyed and thorough look at how their loved ones, colleagues [and] friends came to face such terrible danger that day. It is for them that, going forward, we will do everything within our power to safeguard their security.”
UPDATE: MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE
FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Meningococcal Disease Update
On Monday, March 10, a Drexel University student tragically died from serogroup B meningococcal disease. CDC’s laboratory analysis shows that the strain in Princeton University’s serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak matches the strain in the Drexel University case by “genetic fingerprinting.” This information suggests that the outbreak strain may still be present in the Princeton University community and we need to be vigilant for additional cases.
As with all cases of meningococcal disease, the local health department quickly and thoroughly investigated who has been in close contact with the Drexel University student prior to illness onset. Antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent additional cases of meningococcal disease was recommended and administered to those who had or may have had close contact. To date, no related cases among Drexel University students have been reported.
The public health investigation of the Drexel University student revealed that the student had been in close contact with students from Princeton University about a week before becoming ill. Princeton University has been experiencing a serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak.
A high percentage of Princeton University undergraduates and eligible graduate students received 2 doses of the investigational serogroup B vaccine as part of a recent vaccination effort at Princeton University. There are currently no serogroup B vaccines licensed (approved) in the United States. Those who have received the investigational vaccine have likely protected themselves from getting sick (there have been no new cases among Princeton University students since the vaccination campaign began on December 9, 2013). Available data show most adolescents that get 2 doses of this vaccine are protected from getting meningococcal disease. However, vaccinated individuals may still be able to carry the bacteria in their throats, which could infect others through close contact.
The local health department and Drexel University are taking all the recommended steps to prevent additional cases. Because Drexel University is not experiencing an outbreak of serogroup B meningococcal disease, members of that community are not considered to be at increased risk. The investigational serogroup B vaccine is not currently available to the Drexel University community.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation and determine next steps while local health authorities remain vigilant to recognizing and promptly treating any new cases. At this time, CDC does not recommend limiting social interactions or canceling travel plans as a preventive measure for meningococcal disease.
We recognize that when cases of meningococcal disease occur, there is increased concern about the potential spread of disease and desire to take appropriate steps to prevent additional cases. There is no evidence that family members and the community are at increased risk of getting meningococcal disease from casual contact with Princeton University students, faculty, or staff. Although transmission is from person-to-person, this organism is not highly contagious and requires sharing respiratory and oral secretions to spread. Those at highest risk for disease are people who have had close, prolonged, or face-to-face contact with someone who has meningococcal disease.
Students at both Universities should be especially vigilant to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease and seek urgent treatment if suspected. Symptoms may include sudden onset of a high fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, or a rash. Handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes are also good practices to follow.
Meningococcal Disease Update
On Monday, March 10, a Drexel University student tragically died from serogroup B meningococcal disease. CDC’s laboratory analysis shows that the strain in Princeton University’s serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak matches the strain in the Drexel University case by “genetic fingerprinting.” This information suggests that the outbreak strain may still be present in the Princeton University community and we need to be vigilant for additional cases.
As with all cases of meningococcal disease, the local health department quickly and thoroughly investigated who has been in close contact with the Drexel University student prior to illness onset. Antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent additional cases of meningococcal disease was recommended and administered to those who had or may have had close contact. To date, no related cases among Drexel University students have been reported.
The public health investigation of the Drexel University student revealed that the student had been in close contact with students from Princeton University about a week before becoming ill. Princeton University has been experiencing a serogroup B meningococcal disease outbreak.
A high percentage of Princeton University undergraduates and eligible graduate students received 2 doses of the investigational serogroup B vaccine as part of a recent vaccination effort at Princeton University. There are currently no serogroup B vaccines licensed (approved) in the United States. Those who have received the investigational vaccine have likely protected themselves from getting sick (there have been no new cases among Princeton University students since the vaccination campaign began on December 9, 2013). Available data show most adolescents that get 2 doses of this vaccine are protected from getting meningococcal disease. However, vaccinated individuals may still be able to carry the bacteria in their throats, which could infect others through close contact.
The local health department and Drexel University are taking all the recommended steps to prevent additional cases. Because Drexel University is not experiencing an outbreak of serogroup B meningococcal disease, members of that community are not considered to be at increased risk. The investigational serogroup B vaccine is not currently available to the Drexel University community.
We will continue to closely monitor the situation and determine next steps while local health authorities remain vigilant to recognizing and promptly treating any new cases. At this time, CDC does not recommend limiting social interactions or canceling travel plans as a preventive measure for meningococcal disease.
We recognize that when cases of meningococcal disease occur, there is increased concern about the potential spread of disease and desire to take appropriate steps to prevent additional cases. There is no evidence that family members and the community are at increased risk of getting meningococcal disease from casual contact with Princeton University students, faculty, or staff. Although transmission is from person-to-person, this organism is not highly contagious and requires sharing respiratory and oral secretions to spread. Those at highest risk for disease are people who have had close, prolonged, or face-to-face contact with someone who has meningococcal disease.
Students at both Universities should be especially vigilant to the signs and symptoms of meningococcal disease and seek urgent treatment if suspected. Symptoms may include sudden onset of a high fever, headache, stiff neck, nausea, vomiting, rapid breathing, or a rash. Handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes are also good practices to follow.
FLORIDIAN FINED FOR MAKING FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENTS DURING CFTC INVESTIGATION
FROM: COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
CFTC Orders Sean R. Stropp to Pay $250,000 Penalty to Settle Charges of Making False and Misleading Statements During a CFTC Investigation
Washington, DC — The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an Order filing and settling charges against Sean R. Stropp (Stropp), formerly of Jupiter, Florida. Stropp is ordered to pay a $250,000 civil monetary penalty for making false and misleading statements of material fact, and omitting material facts, to CFTC staff during a CFTC Division of Enforcement (DOE) investigation. The Order enforces the false statements provision of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), which was added by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.
In addition to the $250,000 civil monetary penalty, the Order requires Stropp to cease and desist from violating the relevant provision of the CEA and permanently prohibits him from, directly or indirectly, engaging in trading on or subject to the rules of any registered entity.
According to the Order, Stropp provided DOE staff a signed and notarized financial disclosure statement in connection with the CFTC’s investigation into potentially unlawful sales of off-exchange leveraged metals contracts by Stropp and his company Barclay Metals, Inc. (Barclay). In his statement, Stropp falsely represented that the statement included all his known assets and that the statement was true, correct, and complete, per the Order. Further, the Order finds that Stropp omitted material facts from the statement, including both his control of, and his spouse’s ownership interest in, another entity selling leveraged metals contracts and his ownership and control of two of that other entity's bank accounts.
CFTC DOE Acting Director Gretchen Lowe commented, “Lying or failing to disclose material information during a CFTC investigation is unacceptable, and those who do so must bear the consequences.”
CFTC Previously Settled with Stropp
On January 28, 2013, the Commission issued an Order finding that Stropp, Barclay, and others engaged in illegal, off-exchange metals transactions in violation of the CEA (see CFTC press release 6503-13, January 28, 2013).
Related Criminal Action
On August 20, 2013, the Manhattan (New York) District Attorney’s office announced Stropp’s indictment for operating a fraudulent investment scheme through the undisclosed leveraged metals entity at issue in the Order. According to the indictment, the scheme allegedly resulted in millions of dollars of customer losses. Stropp pleaded guilty to the charges on February 4, 2014 and was sentenced to one to three years in prison in New York, where he is currently incarcerated.
CFTC DOE staff responsible for this action are Jenny Chapin, Jeff Le Riche, Steve Turley, Charles Marvine, Rick Glaser, and Richard Wagner. The CFTC thanks the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
CFTC Orders Sean R. Stropp to Pay $250,000 Penalty to Settle Charges of Making False and Misleading Statements During a CFTC Investigation
Washington, DC — The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an Order filing and settling charges against Sean R. Stropp (Stropp), formerly of Jupiter, Florida. Stropp is ordered to pay a $250,000 civil monetary penalty for making false and misleading statements of material fact, and omitting material facts, to CFTC staff during a CFTC Division of Enforcement (DOE) investigation. The Order enforces the false statements provision of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), which was added by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act.
In addition to the $250,000 civil monetary penalty, the Order requires Stropp to cease and desist from violating the relevant provision of the CEA and permanently prohibits him from, directly or indirectly, engaging in trading on or subject to the rules of any registered entity.
According to the Order, Stropp provided DOE staff a signed and notarized financial disclosure statement in connection with the CFTC’s investigation into potentially unlawful sales of off-exchange leveraged metals contracts by Stropp and his company Barclay Metals, Inc. (Barclay). In his statement, Stropp falsely represented that the statement included all his known assets and that the statement was true, correct, and complete, per the Order. Further, the Order finds that Stropp omitted material facts from the statement, including both his control of, and his spouse’s ownership interest in, another entity selling leveraged metals contracts and his ownership and control of two of that other entity's bank accounts.
CFTC DOE Acting Director Gretchen Lowe commented, “Lying or failing to disclose material information during a CFTC investigation is unacceptable, and those who do so must bear the consequences.”
CFTC Previously Settled with Stropp
On January 28, 2013, the Commission issued an Order finding that Stropp, Barclay, and others engaged in illegal, off-exchange metals transactions in violation of the CEA (see CFTC press release 6503-13, January 28, 2013).
Related Criminal Action
On August 20, 2013, the Manhattan (New York) District Attorney’s office announced Stropp’s indictment for operating a fraudulent investment scheme through the undisclosed leveraged metals entity at issue in the Order. According to the indictment, the scheme allegedly resulted in millions of dollars of customer losses. Stropp pleaded guilty to the charges on February 4, 2014 and was sentenced to one to three years in prison in New York, where he is currently incarcerated.
CFTC DOE staff responsible for this action are Jenny Chapin, Jeff Le Riche, Steve Turley, Charles Marvine, Rick Glaser, and Richard Wagner. The CFTC thanks the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its assistance.
CELEBRATING THE 24TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAUNCH OF HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE
In celebration of the 24th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have captured infrared-light images of a churning region of star birth 6,400 light-years away. This colorful Hubble Space Telescope mosaic of a small portion of the Monkey Head Nebula unveils a collection of carved knots of gas and dust silhouetted against glowing gas. The cloud is sculpted by ultraviolet light eating into the cool hydrogen gas. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR MARCH 18, 2014
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
CONTRACTS
ARMY
Textron Marine Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded a $22,466,146 modification (P00043) to foreign military sales contract W56HZV-11-C-0114 for an additional 10 months of field service representative services, which include deprocessing of the Mobile Strike Force vehicles and training for the Afghan Army. Fiscal 2013 other procurement funds in the amount of $22,466,146 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2014. Work will be performed in Afghanistan. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity.
Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded a $15,800,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee for the design, development, build, and test of a CH-47F Block II Lightweight Fuel System as part of the Airframe Component Improvement Program. Fiscal 2014 other appropriation funds and work will be performed at Ridley Park, Pa. The estimated completion date is March 15, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Web with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).
Advanced Design Corp.*, Lorton, Va., was awarded an $8,420,987 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for field service technician support to gather data from helmet sensors used to examine mild-traumatic brain injury (concussion). Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $8,420,987 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is May 17, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet with ten received. Work will be performed in Afghanistan. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-14-C-0011).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Zimmer US, Inc., Warsaw, Ind., has been awarded a maximum $65,642,304 modification (P00010) exercising the third option period on a one-year base contract (SPM2DE-11-D-7232) with five one-year option periods for orthopedic hip, knee, spine, and extremity trauma implant procedural packages. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Indiana with a Mar. 24, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
Lion Vallen Ltd., Partnership, Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $45,727,402 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract providing warehousing, distribution, and logistics support to fulfill organizational clothing and individual equipment requirements. This is a two-year base contract with three one-year option periods. This is a competitive acquisition, and 12 offers were received. Locations of performance are Ohio and Georgia with a March 17, 2016 performance completion date. Using military services are federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-14-C-0010).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $118,875,655 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0004) for the repair and replenishment of government-owned Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft assets. These JSF aircraft assets include spare parts on JSF jets, training devices, support equipment and Autonomic Logistics Information System equipment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2014. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and international partner funds in the amount of $76,399,406 are being obligated on this award, of which $71,494,560 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force ($51,980,743; 43.7 percent), U.S. Marine Corps ($43,784,064; 36.8 percent), the U.S. Navy ($15,822,614; 13.3 percent); and the governments of the United Kingdom ($5,741,235; 4.9 percent); the Netherlands ($1,546,999; 1.3 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $65,280,712 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-02-C-3002) for non-recurring efforts for the development of a Common F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System comprised of the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment System for the governments of Japan and Israel. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (44 percent); San Diego, Calif. (26 percent); Baltimore, Md. (25 percent) and El Segundo, Calif. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $32,495,254 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the governments of Japan ($32,640,356; 50 percent) and Israel ($32,640,356; 50 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $62,574,394 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00024-08-C-4410) for the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) fiscal 2014 extended dry-dock phased maintenance availability. An extended dry-dock phased maintenance availability includes the planning and execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy and fiscal 2013 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $62,574,394 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $34,415,917 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $50,737,476 cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for non-recurring efforts and integration tasks in support of the development of Japan’s F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System, which is comprised of the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment System. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (61 percent); Orlando, Fla. (17 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (10 percent); San Diego, Calif. (8 percent); Baltimore, Md. (3 percent) and Melbourne, Fla. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $20,392,580 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-14-C-0040).
BAE Systems, Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $27,370,048 modification to a previously awarded multi-ship, multi-option cost-plus incentive fee contract (N40024-10-C-4406) to provide ship repairs, hull, machinery, electrical, electronics, ship alterations and piping as required. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed by October 2014. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $27,370,048 will be obligated at the time of the award, all of which, will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity.
Alion Science and Technology Corp., Burr Ridge, Ill., was awarded a $24,000,000 ceiling-priced indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of Live Virtual Constructive Modeling and Simulation (LVCMS) Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) Virtual At Sea Training (VAST). The LVCMS and ASW VAST family of training systems are networked, personal computer-based deployable trainers designed to support integrated and coordinated ASW tactical training, Anti-Access Area Denial and Cyber Warfare using Joint Semi Automated Forces Navy Training Baseline simulation. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., and is expected to be completed in October 2019. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, Navy funds in the amount of $10,000 was obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through an electronic request for proposals and one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla. is the contracting activity (N61340-14-D-0002).
Indus Technology Inc.*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a potential $21,797,616 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to support the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific’s (SSC Pacific) Radio Frequency and Network Systems Support Division to provide satellite communications, radio frequency and navigation systems support services. This is one of three contracts awarded: each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This three-year contract includes two, one-year options, which if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $36,825,493. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and onboard Navy ships, and work is expected to be completed March 17, 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; shipbuilding and conversion, Navy; other procurement, Navy; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via small business set-aside solicitation through publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website. Ten proposals were received and three were selected for award. SSC Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-14-D-0034).
Client Solutions Architect*, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is being awarded a potential $21,670,069 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to support the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific’s (SSC Pacific) Radio Frequency and Network Systems Support Division to provide satellite communications, radio frequency and navigation systems support services. This is one of three contracts awarded: each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This three-year contract includes two, one-year options, which if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $36,555,425. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., onboard Navy ships, and at contractor’s facilities in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and work is expected to be completed March 17, 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; shipbuilding and conversion, Navy; other procurement, Navy; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via small business set-aside solicitation through publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website. Ten proposals were received and three were selected for award. SSC Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-14-D-0032).
Watts-Healy Tibbitts a Joint Venture, Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded $18,608,004 for firm-fixed-price task order KB03 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62478-09-D-4019) for the construction of a drydock waterfront facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a new low rise waterfront facility, concrete slab-on-grade, and pile supported foundation. The project includes shop spaces, meeting/conference rooms, break rooms, and administrative, engineering, project management and project team spaces. The task order also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase the cumulative task order value to $20,289,031. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Fiscal 2010 and 2014 military construction, Navy contract funds in the amount of $18,608,004 are being obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 17, 2014)
Black and Veatch Special Projects Corp., Overland Park, Kan., is being awarded a maximum amount $9,500,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for professional services for management and maintenance of the Navy’s electrical and mechanical utility systems for various locations under the cognizance of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Atlantic area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed is to conduct research, analysis and provide recommendations to assist in the management and maintenance of the Navy’s electric and mechanical utility systems including electric and steam production; electric and steam distribution; natural gas; and energy. No task orders are being awarded at this time. Work will be performed in the NAVFAC Atlantic AOR. The term of the contract is not to exceed 36 months with an expected completion date of March 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are being 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 three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N62470-14-D-6011).
Huntington Ingalls Inc.-Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va., is being awarded an undefinitized contract action with a not-to-exceed value of $8,624,008 on a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed fee contract (N00024-14-G-2114) for fiscal 2014 propulsion plant engineering activity support for CVN 68 class. This effort will provide engineering services in support of life-cycle management of the systems identified for the CVN 68 class. The contract includes options which have not yet been priced. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to complete by March 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funds in the amount of $ 8,624,008 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with CVN BOA Class J&A 20,883 (E). The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Training, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded an $8,138,640 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4309) to exercise fiscal 2014 options and fund the lifetime sustainment and support services for installed Aegis Weapon Systems (AWS). The contract will provide for support of the critical modernization programs currently in process for the AWS as well as logistics and sustainment support for the in-service Aegis ship fleet in order to prevent delays in the delivery of the AWS upgrades and schedule and operational impacts to the effected ship availabilities. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (81 percent) and Mt. Laurel, N.J. (19 percent) and is expected to be completed by June 2017. Fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy; fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy and fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, Missile Defense Agency contract funds in the amount of $8,138,640 will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $694,829 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
Computer Science Corp., Falls Church, Va., has been awarded a $7,387,413 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order (RL01) to an existing contract (HC1028-08-D-1027) for Global Decision Support Systems (GDSS) application support services. Contracted support includes GDSS system releases in a non-service-interrupted process that addresses system sustainment, support to fielding and operational maintenance and administrative support to meet financial and programmatic reporting needs. Work will be performed at O'Fallon, Ill., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2014. This is a sole-source bridge task order to bridge period from expiration of current contract (March 15, 2014) to full performance of the follow-on contract which will be competed via full and open competition. Fiscal 2014 transportation working capital and operating funds in the amount of $7,387,413 are being obligated at time of award. 763 Specialized Contracting Squadron/PKC, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $6,882,489 firm-fixed-price modification (P00026) to contract (FA8615-10-C-6051) to develop, deliver and install 20 advanced countermeasure electronics system-system integrity (ACES SI) retrofit kits, modify 24 radar warning receivers and procure three electronic warfare memory loader verifiers for F-16C/D (16 C’s and 4 D’s) Block 52 aircraft. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 19, 2015. This award is the result of a source-directed/sole-source acquisition and is 100 percent foreign military sales for Egypt. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WWMK, Wright-Patterson, Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES
QUALX Corp., Vienna, Va., is being awarded an $8,878,297 modification to firm-fixed-price contract (HQ0034-12-F-0213) for records management support services, including development of governance strategy and document conversion from paper-based to electronic enterprise content management. Work will be performed in Vienna, Va., Arlington, Va., Alexandria, Va., and College Park, Md. This contract was competitively processed, among Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business through the General Services Administration, with one bid received. The estimated completion date is March 16, 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated on award. Washington Headquarters Services, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
CONTRACTS
ARMY
Textron Marine Land Systems, New Orleans, La., was awarded a $22,466,146 modification (P00043) to foreign military sales contract W56HZV-11-C-0114 for an additional 10 months of field service representative services, which include deprocessing of the Mobile Strike Force vehicles and training for the Afghan Army. Fiscal 2013 other procurement funds in the amount of $22,466,146 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2014. Work will be performed in Afghanistan. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity.
Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pa., was awarded a $15,800,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee for the design, development, build, and test of a CH-47F Block II Lightweight Fuel System as part of the Airframe Component Improvement Program. Fiscal 2014 other appropriation funds and work will be performed at Ridley Park, Pa. The estimated completion date is March 15, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Web with one bid received. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-04-G-0023).
Advanced Design Corp.*, Lorton, Va., was awarded an $8,420,987 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for field service technician support to gather data from helmet sensors used to examine mild-traumatic brain injury (concussion). Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $8,420,987 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is May 17, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet with ten received. Work will be performed in Afghanistan. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-14-C-0011).
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
Zimmer US, Inc., Warsaw, Ind., has been awarded a maximum $65,642,304 modification (P00010) exercising the third option period on a one-year base contract (SPM2DE-11-D-7232) with five one-year option periods for orthopedic hip, knee, spine, and extremity trauma implant procedural packages. This is a fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Indiana with a Mar. 24, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 through fiscal year 2015 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
Lion Vallen Ltd., Partnership, Dayton, Ohio, has been awarded a maximum $45,727,402 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment contract providing warehousing, distribution, and logistics support to fulfill organizational clothing and individual equipment requirements. This is a two-year base contract with three one-year option periods. This is a competitive acquisition, and 12 offers were received. Locations of performance are Ohio and Georgia with a March 17, 2016 performance completion date. Using military services are federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM1C1-14-C-0010).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded an $118,875,655 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-incentive-fee contract (N00019-12-C-0004) for the repair and replenishment of government-owned Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft assets. These JSF aircraft assets include spare parts on JSF jets, training devices, support equipment and Autonomic Logistics Information System equipment. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (35 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (25 percent); Warton, United Kingdom (20 percent); Orlando, Fla. (10 percent); Nashua, N.H. (5 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2014. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds from the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and international partner funds in the amount of $76,399,406 are being obligated on this award, of which $71,494,560 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force ($51,980,743; 43.7 percent), U.S. Marine Corps ($43,784,064; 36.8 percent), the U.S. Navy ($15,822,614; 13.3 percent); and the governments of the United Kingdom ($5,741,235; 4.9 percent); the Netherlands ($1,546,999; 1.3 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $65,280,712 modification to a previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00019-02-C-3002) for non-recurring efforts for the development of a Common F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System comprised of the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment System for the governments of Japan and Israel. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (44 percent); San Diego, Calif. (26 percent); Baltimore, Md. (25 percent) and El Segundo, Calif. (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $32,495,254 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This modification combines purchases for the governments of Japan ($32,640,356; 50 percent) and Israel ($32,640,356; 50 percent). The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Co., San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $62,574,394 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00024-08-C-4410) for the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) fiscal 2014 extended dry-dock phased maintenance availability. An extended dry-dock phased maintenance availability includes the planning and execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy and fiscal 2013 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $62,574,394 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $34,415,917 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, is being awarded a $50,737,476 cost-plus-incentive-fee, firm-fixed-price contract for non-recurring efforts and integration tasks in support of the development of Japan’s F-35A Conventional Take-Off and Landing Air System, which is comprised of the Air Vehicle and the Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment System. Work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas (61 percent); Orlando, Fla. (17 percent); El Segundo, Calif. (10 percent); San Diego, Calif. (8 percent); Baltimore, Md. (3 percent) and Melbourne, Fla. (1 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2017. Foreign military sales funds in the amount of $20,392,580 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured pursuant to FAR 6.302-1. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity (N00019-14-C-0040).
BAE Systems, Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $27,370,048 modification to a previously awarded multi-ship, multi-option cost-plus incentive fee contract (N40024-10-C-4406) to provide ship repairs, hull, machinery, electrical, electronics, ship alterations and piping as required. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Fla., and is expected to be completed by October 2014. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $27,370,048 will be obligated at the time of the award, all of which, will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity.
Alion Science and Technology Corp., Burr Ridge, Ill., was awarded a $24,000,000 ceiling-priced indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of Live Virtual Constructive Modeling and Simulation (LVCMS) Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) Virtual At Sea Training (VAST). The LVCMS and ASW VAST family of training systems are networked, personal computer-based deployable trainers designed to support integrated and coordinated ASW tactical training, Anti-Access Area Denial and Cyber Warfare using Joint Semi Automated Forces Navy Training Baseline simulation. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla., and is expected to be completed in October 2019. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, Navy funds in the amount of $10,000 was obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured through an electronic request for proposals and one offer was received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, Fla. is the contracting activity (N61340-14-D-0002).
Indus Technology Inc.*, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a potential $21,797,616 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to support the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific’s (SSC Pacific) Radio Frequency and Network Systems Support Division to provide satellite communications, radio frequency and navigation systems support services. This is one of three contracts awarded: each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This three-year contract includes two, one-year options, which if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $36,825,493. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and onboard Navy ships, and work is expected to be completed March 17, 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; shipbuilding and conversion, Navy; other procurement, Navy; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via small business set-aside solicitation through publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website. Ten proposals were received and three were selected for award. SSC Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-14-D-0034).
Client Solutions Architect*, Mechanicsburg, Pa., is being awarded a potential $21,670,069 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to support the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific’s (SSC Pacific) Radio Frequency and Network Systems Support Division to provide satellite communications, radio frequency and navigation systems support services. This is one of three contracts awarded: each awardee will have the opportunity to compete for task orders during the ordering period. This three-year contract includes two, one-year options, which if exercised, would bring the potential value of this contract to an estimated $36,555,425. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., onboard Navy ships, and at contractor’s facilities in Mechanicsburg, Pa., and work is expected to be completed March 17, 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy; shipbuilding and conversion, Navy; other procurement, Navy; and research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $25,000 will be obligated at the time of award, and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via small business set-aside solicitation through publication on the Federal Business Opportunities website and the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central website. Ten proposals were received and three were selected for award. SSC Pacific, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity (N66001-14-D-0032).
Watts-Healy Tibbitts a Joint Venture, Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded $18,608,004 for firm-fixed-price task order KB03 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62478-09-D-4019) for the construction of a drydock waterfront facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. The work to be performed provides for the construction of a new low rise waterfront facility, concrete slab-on-grade, and pile supported foundation. The project includes shop spaces, meeting/conference rooms, break rooms, and administrative, engineering, project management and project team spaces. The task order also contains one unexercised option, which if exercised would increase the cumulative task order value to $20,289,031. Work will be performed in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and is expected to be completed by December 2015. Fiscal 2010 and 2014 military construction, Navy contract funds in the amount of $18,608,004 are being obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Four proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity. (Awarded March 17, 2014)
Black and Veatch Special Projects Corp., Overland Park, Kan., is being awarded a maximum amount $9,500,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for professional services for management and maintenance of the Navy’s electrical and mechanical utility systems for various locations under the cognizance of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Atlantic area of responsibility (AOR). The work to be performed is to conduct research, analysis and provide recommendations to assist in the management and maintenance of the Navy’s electric and mechanical utility systems including electric and steam production; electric and steam distribution; natural gas; and energy. No task orders are being awarded at this time. Work will be performed in the NAVFAC Atlantic AOR. The term of the contract is not to exceed 36 months with an expected completion date of March 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $10,000 are being 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 three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N62470-14-D-6011).
Huntington Ingalls Inc.-Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va., is being awarded an undefinitized contract action with a not-to-exceed value of $8,624,008 on a previously awarded cost-plus-fixed fee contract (N00024-14-G-2114) for fiscal 2014 propulsion plant engineering activity support for CVN 68 class. This effort will provide engineering services in support of life-cycle management of the systems identified for the CVN 68 class. The contract includes options which have not yet been priced. Work will be performed in Newport News, Va., and is expected to complete by March 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funds in the amount of $ 8,624,008 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with CVN BOA Class J&A 20,883 (E). The Supervisor of Shipbuilding Conversion and Repair, Newport News, Va., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin, Mission Systems and Training, Moorestown, N.J., is being awarded an $8,138,640 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-12-C-4309) to exercise fiscal 2014 options and fund the lifetime sustainment and support services for installed Aegis Weapon Systems (AWS). The contract will provide for support of the critical modernization programs currently in process for the AWS as well as logistics and sustainment support for the in-service Aegis ship fleet in order to prevent delays in the delivery of the AWS upgrades and schedule and operational impacts to the effected ship availabilities. Work will be performed in Moorestown, N.J. (81 percent) and Mt. Laurel, N.J. (19 percent) and is expected to be completed by June 2017. Fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy; fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy and fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation, Missile Defense Agency contract funds in the amount of $8,138,640 will be obligated at time of award. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $694,829 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity.
AIR FORCE
Computer Science Corp., Falls Church, Va., has been awarded a $7,387,413 cost-plus-fixed-fee task order (RL01) to an existing contract (HC1028-08-D-1027) for Global Decision Support Systems (GDSS) application support services. Contracted support includes GDSS system releases in a non-service-interrupted process that addresses system sustainment, support to fielding and operational maintenance and administrative support to meet financial and programmatic reporting needs. Work will be performed at O'Fallon, Ill., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2014. This is a sole-source bridge task order to bridge period from expiration of current contract (March 15, 2014) to full performance of the follow-on contract which will be competed via full and open competition. Fiscal 2014 transportation working capital and operating funds in the amount of $7,387,413 are being obligated at time of award. 763 Specialized Contracting Squadron/PKC, Scott Air Force Base, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $6,882,489 firm-fixed-price modification (P00026) to contract (FA8615-10-C-6051) to develop, deliver and install 20 advanced countermeasure electronics system-system integrity (ACES SI) retrofit kits, modify 24 radar warning receivers and procure three electronic warfare memory loader verifiers for F-16C/D (16 C’s and 4 D’s) Block 52 aircraft. Work will be performed at Fort Worth, Texas, and is expected to be completed by Oct. 19, 2015. This award is the result of a source-directed/sole-source acquisition and is 100 percent foreign military sales for Egypt. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WWMK, Wright-Patterson, Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.
WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES
QUALX Corp., Vienna, Va., is being awarded an $8,878,297 modification to firm-fixed-price contract (HQ0034-12-F-0213) for records management support services, including development of governance strategy and document conversion from paper-based to electronic enterprise content management. Work will be performed in Vienna, Va., Arlington, Va., Alexandria, Va., and College Park, Md. This contract was competitively processed, among Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business through the General Services Administration, with one bid received. The estimated completion date is March 16, 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated on award. Washington Headquarters Services, Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity.
*Small Business
FARC TERRORIST PLEADS GUILTY TO TAKING U.S. CITIZENS HOSTAGE IN 2003
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Member of FARC Terrorist Organization Pleads Guilty to Hostage-Taking Charges in 2003 Capture of U.S. Citizens
Hostages Were Held in Colombia for More Than Five Years
Alexander Beltran Herrera, 37, a commander of the FARC terrorist organization, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to hostage-taking charges stemming from the 2003 kidnappings of three U.S. citizens in Colombia.
The guilty plea was announced by John P. Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Division.
Beltran Herrera pleaded guilty to three counts of hostage-taking. He is to be sentenced July 25, 2014, by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth. The offense of hostage taking carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, although as part of the extradition process from Colombia, the United States agreed not to seek a sentence exceeding 60 years.
According to a statement of facts submitted as part of the plea hearing, t he FARC is an armed, violent organization in Colombia, which since its inception in 1964, has engaged in an armed conflict to overthrow the Republic of Colombia, South America’s longest-standing democracy. The FARC has consistently used hostage taking as a primary technique in extorting demands from the Republic of Colombia, and hostage taking has been endorsed and commanded by FARC senior leadership. The FARC has characterized American citizens as “military targets” and has engaged in violent acts against Americans in Colombia, including murders and hostage taking. The FARC was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State in 1997 and remains so designated.
Beltran Herrera, a commander in the FARC, was involved in the hostage taking of three United States citizens: Marc D. Gonsalves, Thomas R. Howes, and Keith Stansell. These three, along with Thomas Janis, a United States citizen, and Sergeant Luis Alcides Cruz, a Colombian citizen, were seized on Feb. 13, 2003, by the FARC, after their single-engine aircraft made a crash landing in the Colombian jungle.
Members of the FARC murdered Mr. Janis and Sgt. Cruz at the crash site. Mr. Gonsalves, Mr. Howes, and Mr. Stansell were held by the FARC at gunpoint and were advised by FARC leadership that they would be used as hostages to increase pressure on the government of Colombia to agree to the FARC’s demands. At various times, the FARC marched the hostages from one site to another, placing them in the actual custody of various FARC fronts.
At the conclusion of one 40-day long march, in or about November 2004, the hostages were delivered to members of the FARC’s 27th Front, who imprisoned the hostages for nearly two years. During part of this period, Beltran Herrera was responsible for moving the hostages and keeping them imprisoned. Throughout the captivity of these three hostages, FARC jailors and guards used choke harnesses, chains, padlocks and wires to restrain the hostages, and used force and threats to continue their detention and prevent their escape. In July 2008, the Colombian military conducted a daring operation which resulted in the rescue of the hostages.
All told, members of the FARC held the Americans hostage for 1,967 days.
“This case underscores our resolve to hold accountable those who target our citizens with violence anywhere in the world,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “With this guilty plea, Alexander Beltran Herrera has admitted his participation in the hostage taking and captivity of three Americans by the FARC, a Colombian terrorist organization. I want to thank all of the prosecutors, agents, and analysts who made this result possible.”
“Alexander Beltran Herrera was a terrorist and commander in the FARC organization who held three Americans hostage in the Colombian jungle,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “With today's guilty plea, he admitted to his role in terrorizing these Americans, who were held in captivity for more than five years. His extradition and prosecution reflect our determination to bring to justice anyone who sets out to harm our fellow citizens overseas.”
“Alexander Beltran Herrera was a commander within FARC, a foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia that considered U.S. citizens to be targets for murder and hostage taking,” said Special Agent in Charge Piro. “First captured, then extradited to the United States, Herrera has now admitted to his role in moving and keeping hostage three American citizens, Marc D. Gonsalves, Thomas R. Howes and Keith Stansell. Once again, the excellent, longstanding cooperation between the Colombian National Police and U.S. law enforcement has ended another terrorist’s career of violence and thuggery.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Division. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Asuncion and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez from the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David Cora, from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The case was indicted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Kohl, of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The FBI’s Miami Division partnered in the investigation with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department’s Judicial Attachés in Colombia, and the FBI’s Office of the Legal Attaché in Bogota, Colombia. The Directorate of Intelligence (DIPOL) and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (GAULA) of the Colombian National Police also provided valuable support during the investigation.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Member of FARC Terrorist Organization Pleads Guilty to Hostage-Taking Charges in 2003 Capture of U.S. Citizens
Hostages Were Held in Colombia for More Than Five Years
Alexander Beltran Herrera, 37, a commander of the FARC terrorist organization, pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to hostage-taking charges stemming from the 2003 kidnappings of three U.S. citizens in Colombia.
The guilty plea was announced by John P. Carlin, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Division.
Beltran Herrera pleaded guilty to three counts of hostage-taking. He is to be sentenced July 25, 2014, by the Honorable Royce C. Lamberth. The offense of hostage taking carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, although as part of the extradition process from Colombia, the United States agreed not to seek a sentence exceeding 60 years.
According to a statement of facts submitted as part of the plea hearing, t he FARC is an armed, violent organization in Colombia, which since its inception in 1964, has engaged in an armed conflict to overthrow the Republic of Colombia, South America’s longest-standing democracy. The FARC has consistently used hostage taking as a primary technique in extorting demands from the Republic of Colombia, and hostage taking has been endorsed and commanded by FARC senior leadership. The FARC has characterized American citizens as “military targets” and has engaged in violent acts against Americans in Colombia, including murders and hostage taking. The FARC was designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Secretary of State in 1997 and remains so designated.
Beltran Herrera, a commander in the FARC, was involved in the hostage taking of three United States citizens: Marc D. Gonsalves, Thomas R. Howes, and Keith Stansell. These three, along with Thomas Janis, a United States citizen, and Sergeant Luis Alcides Cruz, a Colombian citizen, were seized on Feb. 13, 2003, by the FARC, after their single-engine aircraft made a crash landing in the Colombian jungle.
Members of the FARC murdered Mr. Janis and Sgt. Cruz at the crash site. Mr. Gonsalves, Mr. Howes, and Mr. Stansell were held by the FARC at gunpoint and were advised by FARC leadership that they would be used as hostages to increase pressure on the government of Colombia to agree to the FARC’s demands. At various times, the FARC marched the hostages from one site to another, placing them in the actual custody of various FARC fronts.
At the conclusion of one 40-day long march, in or about November 2004, the hostages were delivered to members of the FARC’s 27th Front, who imprisoned the hostages for nearly two years. During part of this period, Beltran Herrera was responsible for moving the hostages and keeping them imprisoned. Throughout the captivity of these three hostages, FARC jailors and guards used choke harnesses, chains, padlocks and wires to restrain the hostages, and used force and threats to continue their detention and prevent their escape. In July 2008, the Colombian military conducted a daring operation which resulted in the rescue of the hostages.
All told, members of the FARC held the Americans hostage for 1,967 days.
“This case underscores our resolve to hold accountable those who target our citizens with violence anywhere in the world,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “With this guilty plea, Alexander Beltran Herrera has admitted his participation in the hostage taking and captivity of three Americans by the FARC, a Colombian terrorist organization. I want to thank all of the prosecutors, agents, and analysts who made this result possible.”
“Alexander Beltran Herrera was a terrorist and commander in the FARC organization who held three Americans hostage in the Colombian jungle,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “With today's guilty plea, he admitted to his role in terrorizing these Americans, who were held in captivity for more than five years. His extradition and prosecution reflect our determination to bring to justice anyone who sets out to harm our fellow citizens overseas.”
“Alexander Beltran Herrera was a commander within FARC, a foreign terrorist organization based in Colombia that considered U.S. citizens to be targets for murder and hostage taking,” said Special Agent in Charge Piro. “First captured, then extradited to the United States, Herrera has now admitted to his role in moving and keeping hostage three American citizens, Marc D. Gonsalves, Thomas R. Howes and Keith Stansell. Once again, the excellent, longstanding cooperation between the Colombian National Police and U.S. law enforcement has ended another terrorist’s career of violence and thuggery.”
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Division. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Asuncion and Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez from the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney David Cora, from the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. The case was indicted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Kohl, of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The FBI’s Miami Division partnered in the investigation with the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the Department’s Judicial Attachés in Colombia, and the FBI’s Office of the Legal Attaché in Bogota, Colombia. The Directorate of Intelligence (DIPOL) and the Anti-Kidnapping Unit (GAULA) of the Colombian National Police also provided valuable support during the investigation.
JUSTICE SETTLES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT WITH FDNY FOR $98 MILLION
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Justice Department Reaches Agreement in Principle with the New York City Fire Department Over Discriminatory Hiring Practices Resulting in $98 Million in Relief
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with the city of New York and intervening plaintiffs to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit involving the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Under the agreement in principle, the city of New York will pay a total of approximately $98 million to resolve allegations that the FDNY engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination against African-American and Hispanic applicants for the entry-level firefighter position by using two discriminatory written tests in 1999 and 2002. The parties’ agreement in principle will be incorporated into a consent decree that is subject to a fairness hearing and must be approved by the district court.
“This resolution will help ensure that those who seek to serve as firefighters in New York City have an equal opportunity to do so, regardless of their race,” said Associate Attorney General Tony West. “The agreement we are announcing today – which is the result of the collective efforts of the Justice Department, the private plaintiffs, and the city of New York – not only will compensate victims of discriminatory hiring practices, it will also put in place an entry-level hiring process that should more accurately identify firefighter candidates who are best qualified to do the job.”
“This agreement in principle to settle will provide significant and long-awaited relief to African-American and Hispanic applicants for employment with the FDNY who were harmed by the FDNY’s discriminatory hiring practices,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division. “We applaud the city of New York and Mayor de Blasio for their efforts to bring this important matter to a resolution. The Department of Justice stands committed to ensuring justice and compensation to those who are victims of unfair employment practices.”
The lawsuit originated in 2007 when the department filed its complaint alleging that the FDNY’s use of two written tests violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by disproportionately screening out African-American and Hispanic applicants for the entry-level firefighter position. The FDNY was unable to show that these screening devices identified the candidates who were best qualified to perform the job of firefighter, as required in order to keep the tests in place.
“We commend the city for its commitment to rectifying past discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic firefighter applicants,” stated U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch for the Eastern District of New York. “We look forward to a new era in which African-American and Hispanic firefighters are full and equal participants in the FDNY’s proud tradition of protecting and serving the people of the city of New York.”
Under the terms of the agreement in principle, the FDNY will pay $98 million to those African-American and Hispanic victims of discrimination who filed claim forms and who have already been found eligible for relief by the court. The method of distribution has not yet been determined and must be approved by the court before any money is distributed. With today’s agreement in principle, the parties have committed to streamline the claims process and to expedite the distribution of monetary relief to eligible claimants.
In addition to today’s agreement in principle, the court has already ordered several changes to take place within the FDNY to remedy the city’s discriminatory hiring practices. In September 2012, the court approved the use of an entry-level firefighter exam which was jointly developed by the United States, the intervening plaintiffs and the city. As a result, for the first time in at least 15 years, the FDNY is using an entry-level firefighter exam that accurately predicts which candidates will perform better on the job and complies with Title VII. In May 2013, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld on appeal most of an order outlining changes that must be made to the FDNY’s recruiting, post-examination hiring and Equal Employment Opportunities Office processes, and appointing a court monitor to oversee this reform. In addition, the court has ordered the city to appoint up to 293 eligible claimants as priority hires to the FDNY, provided that they take and pass all of the same tests and other steps in the hiring process as the other candidates for appointment with the FDNY. The first groups of priority hires joined the FDNY in July 2013 and January 2014, and additional priority hires are expected to join in July 2014.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Justice Department Reaches Agreement in Principle with the New York City Fire Department Over Discriminatory Hiring Practices Resulting in $98 Million in Relief
The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement in principle with the city of New York and intervening plaintiffs to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit involving the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). Under the agreement in principle, the city of New York will pay a total of approximately $98 million to resolve allegations that the FDNY engaged in a pattern or practice of employment discrimination against African-American and Hispanic applicants for the entry-level firefighter position by using two discriminatory written tests in 1999 and 2002. The parties’ agreement in principle will be incorporated into a consent decree that is subject to a fairness hearing and must be approved by the district court.
“This resolution will help ensure that those who seek to serve as firefighters in New York City have an equal opportunity to do so, regardless of their race,” said Associate Attorney General Tony West. “The agreement we are announcing today – which is the result of the collective efforts of the Justice Department, the private plaintiffs, and the city of New York – not only will compensate victims of discriminatory hiring practices, it will also put in place an entry-level hiring process that should more accurately identify firefighter candidates who are best qualified to do the job.”
“This agreement in principle to settle will provide significant and long-awaited relief to African-American and Hispanic applicants for employment with the FDNY who were harmed by the FDNY’s discriminatory hiring practices,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division. “We applaud the city of New York and Mayor de Blasio for their efforts to bring this important matter to a resolution. The Department of Justice stands committed to ensuring justice and compensation to those who are victims of unfair employment practices.”
The lawsuit originated in 2007 when the department filed its complaint alleging that the FDNY’s use of two written tests violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by disproportionately screening out African-American and Hispanic applicants for the entry-level firefighter position. The FDNY was unable to show that these screening devices identified the candidates who were best qualified to perform the job of firefighter, as required in order to keep the tests in place.
“We commend the city for its commitment to rectifying past discrimination against qualified African-American and Hispanic firefighter applicants,” stated U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch for the Eastern District of New York. “We look forward to a new era in which African-American and Hispanic firefighters are full and equal participants in the FDNY’s proud tradition of protecting and serving the people of the city of New York.”
Under the terms of the agreement in principle, the FDNY will pay $98 million to those African-American and Hispanic victims of discrimination who filed claim forms and who have already been found eligible for relief by the court. The method of distribution has not yet been determined and must be approved by the court before any money is distributed. With today’s agreement in principle, the parties have committed to streamline the claims process and to expedite the distribution of monetary relief to eligible claimants.
In addition to today’s agreement in principle, the court has already ordered several changes to take place within the FDNY to remedy the city’s discriminatory hiring practices. In September 2012, the court approved the use of an entry-level firefighter exam which was jointly developed by the United States, the intervening plaintiffs and the city. As a result, for the first time in at least 15 years, the FDNY is using an entry-level firefighter exam that accurately predicts which candidates will perform better on the job and complies with Title VII. In May 2013, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld on appeal most of an order outlining changes that must be made to the FDNY’s recruiting, post-examination hiring and Equal Employment Opportunities Office processes, and appointing a court monitor to oversee this reform. In addition, the court has ordered the city to appoint up to 293 eligible claimants as priority hires to the FDNY, provided that they take and pass all of the same tests and other steps in the hiring process as the other candidates for appointment with the FDNY. The first groups of priority hires joined the FDNY in July 2013 and January 2014, and additional priority hires are expected to join in July 2014.
HEALTH CLINIC STRAW OWNER SENTENCED TO 30 MONTHS IN PRISON
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Straw Owner of Clinic Sentenced in Medicare Fraud Scheme
A Florida man who had been the straw owner of a physical therapy rehabilitation facility has been sentenced to serve 30 months in prison for his role in a $28.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida A. Lee Bentley III, Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Martens of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Florida region made the announcement.
Roberto Fernandez Gonzalez, 63, formerly of southwest Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew in the Middle District of Florida and was ordered to forfeit $446,738 and pay the same amount in restitution. Fernandez pleaded guilty on June 24, 2013, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to court documents, Fernandez and his co-conspirators used various physical therapy clinics and other business entities throughout Florida – including Rehab Dynamics Inc. in Venice, Fla. – to submit approximately $28.3 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare from 2005 through 2009. Medicare paid approximately $14.4 million on those claims.
Fernandez’s co-conspirators obtained and controlled Rehab Dynamics. They engaged in a sham sale of Rehab Dynamics to Fernandez, a Cuban immigrant with no background in the health care industry. Fernandez did not have the money to buy Rehab Dynamics. Instead, the co-conspirators paid Fernandez approximately $20,000 to serve as the straw owner of Rehab Dynamics from January 2008 through March 2008. During that time, Rehab Dynamics submitted approximately $1.6 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare seeking reimbursement for rehabilitation therapy services that were not provided. Medicare paid approximately $446,738 on those false claims.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Christopher J. Hunter and Andrew H. Warren of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorney Simon A. Gaugush of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,700 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5.5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Straw Owner of Clinic Sentenced in Medicare Fraud Scheme
A Florida man who had been the straw owner of a physical therapy rehabilitation facility has been sentenced to serve 30 months in prison for his role in a $28.3 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida A. Lee Bentley III, Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian P. Martens of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Florida region made the announcement.
Roberto Fernandez Gonzalez, 63, formerly of southwest Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew in the Middle District of Florida and was ordered to forfeit $446,738 and pay the same amount in restitution. Fernandez pleaded guilty on June 24, 2013, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
According to court documents, Fernandez and his co-conspirators used various physical therapy clinics and other business entities throughout Florida – including Rehab Dynamics Inc. in Venice, Fla. – to submit approximately $28.3 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare from 2005 through 2009. Medicare paid approximately $14.4 million on those claims.
Fernandez’s co-conspirators obtained and controlled Rehab Dynamics. They engaged in a sham sale of Rehab Dynamics to Fernandez, a Cuban immigrant with no background in the health care industry. Fernandez did not have the money to buy Rehab Dynamics. Instead, the co-conspirators paid Fernandez approximately $20,000 to serve as the straw owner of Rehab Dynamics from January 2008 through March 2008. During that time, Rehab Dynamics submitted approximately $1.6 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare seeking reimbursement for rehabilitation therapy services that were not provided. Medicare paid approximately $446,738 on those false claims.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Christopher J. Hunter and Andrew H. Warren of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant United States Attorney Simon A. Gaugush of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,700 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5.5 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
BRIEFING: VP BIDEN TRAVELS TO POLAND AND LITHUANIA
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Background Press Briefing by a Senior Administration Official on the Vice President's Trip to Poland and Lithuania
Aboard Air Force Two
En Route Warsaw, Poland
En Route Warsaw, Poland
11:24 P.M. EST
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: This is on background as a senior administration official, and given the late hour, I’m going to beg your forgiveness for keeping it short.
So the Vice President is making stops in Warsaw and Vilnius first and foremost to reassure our allies who are deeply concerned about Russia’s aggressive actions in Ukraine and what the broader implications of those actions might be.
Connected to that, to reassure our allies and reaffirm our Article 5 commitments, to highlight some of the tangible steps that we’ve taken in recent days to make that commitment even more real, to discuss further steps that we’ll be taking in the days and weeks ahead, and also to talk about how to strengthen the alliance so that NATO emerges from this crisis even stronger than it went into it.
He’ll also look for the opportunity to consult on how to deal with the evolving situation in Ukraine, especially as these leaders head into the EU leaders meeting on Thursday.
If Russia continues to flout international law, how to continue to impose costs, building on what the EU and the United States did today in terms of sanctions to deepen Russia’s political and economic isolation and sharpen the choice for Russia’s leaders, including Putin; how to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people as they try to stabilize their economy and move towards elections and choose their own future, including the institutions that they seek to join; and how to pursue diplomacy that could potentially deescalate the situation if Russia were to choose to pull back and take a different course. So he’ll have the chance to consult with leaders who have deep experience with both Ukraine and Russia and a perspective on both what is happening in Crimea and in Ukraine, and what’s happening Brussels, so that they can compare notes and make sure that we remain as coordinated in the days ahead as we’ve been up until now.
And he’ll also have the opportunity to talk about longer term issues, including energy security in Europe that includes diversification of supply and the creation of conditions where energy can't be a tool or a lever for any kind of political gain or political cost by another country.
Q (Inaudible) energy sanctions, no?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: No. I was saying that they’ll discuss energy security and included in that over the medium and long term, diversification in energy supply so that energy can't be used as a political tool to impose costs.
Q Not sanctions?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Not sanctions, no. No, no, that -- obviously, they’ll discuss the issue of ongoing sanctions, but that's not what I’m referring to with energy diversification.
And transatlantic trade. Obviously, we have negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership underway, and they’ll have a chance to compare notes on that.
And then finally, there’s a series of bilateral issues with each of these countries.
Now, I realize that I just walked through all the issues without doing the basic laydown, so returning to that before opening it up for a few questions: Tomorrow in Warsaw, he’ll meet with Prime Minister Tusk first, and then President Komorowski, and have statements after each of those meetings.
And then he’ll meet with President Ilves of Estonia, who is in Poland on a state visit. And then the following day, he’ll meet with the Presidents of Lithuania and Latvia in Vilnius and also have the opportunity to confer with them in a trilateral format as well, and then he’ll do a statement with both of those leaders together in Vilnius.
So with that I’m happy to take a few questions.
Q We’re going to Poland, is there any reconsideration of the U.S. position on missile defense as it pertains to increased antagonism from Russia?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: The question is, is there any consideration of a change to U.S. missile defense connected to this crisis I guess would be the synopsis of the question. And the answer is that we’ve made clear from the beginning that the European-phased, adaptive approach to ballistic missile defense has never been about Russia. It’s been about emerging ballistic missile threats from elsewhere. And so the Vice President’s intention tomorrow is to reaffirm that everything about our missile defense plans for Europe remain on track. That's true for Romania and it’s true for Poland.
And he’ll be able to underscore that it’s on schedule and on track by -- he won’t be discussing changes in the missile defense approach tomorrow.
Q Are there some additional steps that NATO is looking at taking or that the Vice President will discuss with these countries separate from missile defense that involve movements towards borders, toward Ukraine that address what’s going on?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So I’ll leave it to the Vice President to discuss some of this tomorrow. He will be talking about further steps that the United States can take and that NATO can take as an alliance to further shore up the security of Poland and the Baltics and other NATO allies, to increase training exercises and other things like that. But I won’t go into further detail at this point.
I would highlight that one of the things he’ll be able to underscore are steps that we’ve just taken in the past few days including augmenting the Baltic air policing mission by adding additional fighter jets in Estonia, and by augmenting the aviation detachment in Poland by adding a complement of fighters there as well.
Q A complement of what?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Fighters.
Q Fighters, thanks.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: And he’ll also discuss both of those moves, which have now been completed just in the past few days.
And at the same time that he’s in the region, General Breedlove, in his capacity as EUCOM commander, will be meeting with the chiefs of defense of Central and Eastern Europe in Croatia to discuss a range of security issues.
Q (Inaudible)?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I believe it has.
Q Even as Poland -- even as we’re helping Poland with increased air assets, Tusk has still been very aggressive with his rhetoric in terms of what Poland wants to do unilaterally, so what aspect of this trip will be the Vice President going to talk to Tusk about talking him off the ledge on perhaps some unilateral actions that the Poles or any of the other Baltic nations that he’s speaking with might want to do on their own?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: When you say unilateral actions, what do you mean?
Q Tusk has been talking about bolstering their own missile defense system within the country of Poland, as well as their own military assets, so in terms of what these individual countries might do by themselves is what I mean.
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So I think the Vice President is going to focus on both what the specific U.S. commitments have been and will continue to be to Poland’s defense, but chiefly in the context of NATO as a whole because his view -- and I think it’s shared by the Prime Minister and the President -- is that NATO is at its strongest when all 28 allies are pulling together. So the Vice President will want to discuss with both the Prime Minister and the President in Poland how we can strengthen the alliance commitments to Poland, not just the United States, but all the other allies, as well, including Western European allies, and how we can look forward to the summit in Wales later this year to think about strengthening Article 5 commitments, as well as the host of other security issues that the NATO alliance faces.
So I think the Vice President is really going to look at this set of security questions very much in an alliance context.
Q One more thing about natural gas shipments. That's sort of become a bit of a talking point. Will the Vice President have a specific message related to U.S. efforts to accelerate the ability for us to engage in LNG trade with Europe? And how relevant is it to these leaders that we’re going to be meeting? Would that be something that they would welcome and ask for?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: So for tonight’s purposes I would just say that he’ll be talking about the range of issues related to energy diversification, which includes alternative forms of energy -- nuclear, shale, alternative sources of supply. And as respects the question of what the United States can do, we’re obviously looking at what the United States can do domestically that serves both U.S. interests and European interests.
But in terms of more specifics, we’ll have an opportunity to talk further in the next couple days.
Q Can you talk a little bit, what will be their assessment of the threat these countries are under for retaliation for sanctions that have already been applied? Like we keep reading that they're nervous -- what’s your assessment of how much risk they face?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think it will be interesting to hear from them how they assess the issue of sanctions. Each of these leaders in the Baltics and in Poland have been strong supporters of ensuring that there are costs for flagrant violations of international law, and they’ll be continued advocates for that we expect at the Europe leaders meeting on Thursday.
But of course, they're close neighbors with Russia, and they have economic relationships with them, so that will obviously be part of the discussion. But we can also talk more about that after we’ve had the chance to consult with them tomorrow.
END
11:36 P.M. EST
11:36 P.M. EST
STELLAR WINDS AND CLOUDS
This esthetic close-up of cosmic clouds and stellar winds features LL Orionis, interacting with the Orion Nebula flow. Adrift in Orion's stellar nursery and still in its formative years, variable star LL Orionis produces a wind more energetic than the wind from our own middle-aged Sun. As the fast stellar wind runs into slow moving gas a shock front is formed, analogous to the bow wave of a boat moving through water or a plane traveling at supersonic speed. The small, arcing, graceful structure just above and left of center is LL Ori's cosmic bow shock, measuring about half a light-year across. The slower gas is flowing away from the Orion Nebula's hot central star cluster, the Trapezium, located off the upper left corner of the picture. In three dimensions, LL Ori's wrap-around shock front is shaped like a bowl that appears brightest when viewed along the "bottom" edge. The beautiful picture is part of a large mosaic view of the complex stellar nursery in Orion, filled with a myriad of fluid shapes associated with star formation. Image Credit: NASA, ESA and the Hubble Heritage Team.
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