NASA RESEARCHERS SEEK TO RESTORE SUPERSONIC PASSENGER TRAVEL

FROM:  NASA

Right:  NASA F/A-18 mission support aircraft were used to create low-intensity sonic booms during a resaerch project at the agency's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California. The Waveforms and Sonic boom Perception and Response, or WSPR, project gathered data from a select group of more than 100 volunteer Edwards Air Force Base residents on their individual attitudes toward sonic booms produced by aircraft in supersonic flight over Edwards.  Image Credit-NASA-Jim Ross.

The return of supersonic passenger travel may be coming closer to reality thanks to NASA’s efforts to define a new standard for low sonic booms.

Several NASA aeronautics researchers will present their work in Atlanta this week at Aviation 2014, an annual event of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. They will share with the global aviation community the progress they are making in overcoming some of the biggest hurdles to supersonic passenger travel.

The research generates data crucial for developing a low-boom standard for the civil aviation industry. NASA works closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and the international aerospace community, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, to gather data and develop new procedures and requirements that may help in a reconsideration of the current ban on supersonic flight over land.

"Lessening sonic booms -- shock waves caused by an aircraft flying faster than the speed of sound -- is the most significant hurdle to reintroducing commercial supersonic flight," said Peter Coen, head of the High Speed Project in NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "Other barriers include high altitude emissions, fuel efficiency and community noise around airports."

Engineers at NASA centers in California, Ohio and Virginia that conduct aviation research are tackling sonic booms from a number of angles, including how to design a low-boom aircraft and characterize the noise. NASA researchers have studied how to quantify the loudness and annoyance of the boom by asking people to listen to the sounds in a specially designed noise test chamber.

A recent flight research campaign at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, had residents explore ways to assess the public’s response to sonic booms in a real-world setting. Researchers at Armstrong have an advantage -- pilots are permitted to fly at supersonic speeds because the facility is located on Edwards Air Force Base.

"People here are more familiar with sonic booms," said Armstrong aerospace engineer Larry Cliatt. "Eventually, we want to take this to a broader level of people who have never heard a sonic boom."

Similar work is conducted at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, where volunteers from the local community rated sonic booms according to how disruptive they determined the sound to be.

"They each listened to a total of 140 sounds, and based on their average response, we can begin to estimate the general public's reactions," explained Langley acoustics engineer Alexandra Loubeau.

She also conducted a study at Langley comparing results from tools used to predict sonic boom noise at ground-level.

“Because of the interaction with the atmosphere, it is important to be as consistent as possible in the implementation and usage of these tools. The comparisons done so far have shown good agreement, but there are some inconsistencies that need to be studied,” Loubeau said.

Other studies are focused on predicting the sonic boom and on design approaches to reducing it. Participants from Japan, the United States and France attended the first Sonic Boom Prediction Workshop, where they evaluated simple configurations -- cylindrical bodies with and without wings -- and complex full aircraft designs.

"We are working to understand the worldwide state of the art in predicting sonic booms from an aircraft point of view," said Mike Park, a fluid mechanics engineer at Langley. "We found for simple configurations we can analyze and predict sonic booms extremely well. For complex configurations we still have some work to do."

Wind tunnels are another tool used to help predict which airplane designs might have quieter booms. The most recent tests were conducted at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, California, and Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.  Similar to designs of the past, current aircraft designs being tested are characterized by a needle-like nose, a sleek fuselage and a delta wing or highly-swept wings -- shapes that result in much lower booms.

NASA and industry engineers say they believe supersonic research has progressed to the point where the design of a practical low-boom supersonic jet is within reach.

Karen Northon

Headquarters, Washington

U.S. AIR FORCE CHANGES IN NUCLEAR FORCE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Air Force Secretary Outlines Changes for Nuclear Force

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2014 – Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James today outlined new incentives and measures designed to change the culture of the service’s nuclear force.

Following a cheating scandal involving intercontinental ballistic missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, and the subsequent relief of nine officers, a commander’s retirement and 91 other airmen receiving discipline, James touched on ways the Air Force has begun to address “systemic issues.”
“I do think this is more than a single issue,” she said in remarks at a Defense Writers Group breakfast. “As I’ve said before, I do think we need some holistic fixes for the nuclear force. This is not something that happened in the last year or two, or even 10. It’s probably been happening gradually over the last 25 years.”
The secretary said while there are likely no quick fixes to resolve these issues, there are measures she and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III can implement now.

“Let’s talk money,” James said. “Money is not everything, but money’s important. So right now, in [fiscal year 2014], just in the last few months, we have redirected $50 million -- $50 million, by the way, is the most that the Global Strike Command said they could reasonably spend in [the fiscal year].”

Money should be spent reasonably, she said, so in addition to $50 million, $350 million more will be redirected to the nuclear mission over the next five years. The money will go to sustainment infrastructure and to some of the “people issues,” the secretary added.

There could be more to come, James said, but this is what officials have decided so far.

Another issue being addressed is undermanning in the nuclear force, the secretary told the defense writers.

“When you’re undermanned, that means the existing people have to work harder,” she said. “That impacts morale and it could impact other things as well. We have, right now, already directed 1,100 additional people are going to be inserted into the nuclear force to get those manning levels up.”

They principally will be in the field, she said, and the Air Force is going to 100-percent manning in the eight critical nuclear specialties. Air Force officials have lifted some of the ongoing servicewide manpower reductions to add people back into the nuclear force, she added.

Along with those adjustments, the secretary noted, she has called for elevating the Global Strike Command commander’s position to the four-star level and that the related major general position on the Air Force staff be made a lieutenant general position.

“We want to up the rank of the nuclear forces within the Air Force,” she said. “Rank matters in the military, so that’s another thing that we’re doing.”
Additionally, James said, the testing environment that produced the cheating scandal has been revamped, and the inspections environment will also see changes.

“It had become this zero-defect mentality, where even the smallest of the small kinds of errors could cause an entire failure,” she explained. “That wasn’t a healthy environment.”

In the fall, James said, the Air Force also will introduce a variety of new financial incentives for the nuclear force “to kick it up a notch,” including offering accession bonuses for new officers’ ROTC scholarships and incentive pay.
James also noted 20th Air Force commander, Maj. Gen. Jack Weinstein, has issued a series of directives to the field designed to start to shift the culture.
“Now, you know memos don’t shift culture,” she said. “Leadership and time eventually shifts culture, but this is a start. This is designed to stop the micromanaging, to push down to the lower levels [and encourage] decision-making.”

All of that will help, James said.

“We didn’t get here overnight, and we’re not going to fix it overnight,” she added.
It will take persistent focus, leadership and attention for years to come, she said.
“With all of what I’ve just said, I’m certain that additional resources are probably still in order,” James said. “We’re going to have to talk about those resources as we get into the next [program objective memorandum] cycle.”

James said she believes the U.S. nuclear mission is a national mission for the entire Defense Department, not just the Air Force.

“So I’ll be talking to the deputy [defense] secretary, the secretary of defense [and] the senior leaders of DOD to see what we can do about this,” she said.

EXPORT-IMPORT BANK GUARANTEES $15 MILLION LOAN FOR POWER-GENERATION EQUIPMENT EXPORT

FROM:  U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK 

Ex-Im Bank Approves Financing to Export American Power-Generation Equipment

Deal Supports U.S Manufacturing Competitiveness and Supports 100 American Jobs

Washington, D.C. – The Board of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) has voted to guarantee a $15 million loan extended by Rabobank International of Utrecht, Netherlands, to Energyst B.V. to facilitate the export of Caterpillar power-generation equipment.

According to Bank estimates derived from Departments of Commerce and Labor data and methodology, the credit will support approximately 100 U.S. jobs.

“Ex-Im Bank’s financing will support the export of important power-generation equipment made here in America and for potential use in Africa or Latin America” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “In the process, the transaction will support approximately 100 U.S. jobs. This deal is a great example of how Ex-Im Bank’s financing helps American exporters close sales overseas and support jobs at home.”

Energyst, a Caterpillar-trademarked equipment rental operator based in Breda, Netherlands, plans to expand its power fleet to enable the company to be competitive in the International Power Projects market in South America and Sub-Saharan Africa, among other regions. The financed equipment is designed for rapid deployment globally and can provide temporary turnkey power.

The transaction could potentially contribute to President Obama’s Power Africa initiative, which aims to increase access to power in sub-Saharan Africa – where more than two-thirds of the population is without electricity. It will help countries develop newly-discovered resources responsibly, build out power generation and transmission, and expand the reach of mini-grid and off-grid solutions.

“Caterpillar applauds Ex-Im Bank for approving the financing request for power generation equipment for Energyst,” said Jim Umpleby, Caterpillar Inc. group president with responsibility for Energy & Transportation. “By backing this project, Ex-Im Bank is bolstering U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, supporting American jobs, promoting exports and helping Caterpillar and our dealers meet increasing global energy demand."

DOD LEADERSHIP MULLS OVER IRAQ RESPONSE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Possible Iraq Action Requires Clearer Picture, DOD Leaders Say

By Nick Simeone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2014 – The Iraqi government has requested U.S. airstrikes to help it put down a fast-moving rebellion by Sunni insurgents, but the Defense Department’s top civilian and military leaders told senators today that a clearer picture of the situation on the ground -- as well as clear objectives -- are necessary for airstrikes or other military intervention to be effective.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answered questions at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee.

Five days after President Barack Obama said he had asked his national security team for a range of options for helping the Iraqi government thwart the rapid Sunni insurgent sweep through much of the country’s north and west, posing the threat of reprisals from Shiites, Dempsey said that while he shares alarm over the situation, he could recommend military force only “once I’m assured we can use it responsibility and effectively.”

Various indistinguishable forces are on the ground in northern Iraq, he said, from the insurgents who threaten Baghdad -- known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, and also as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL -- as well as former Baathists and other disenfranchised groups.

“Until we can actually clarify this intelligence picture, the options will continue to be built and developed and refined and the intelligence picture made more accurate, and then the president can make a decision,” Dempsey said. “It’s not as easy as looking at an iPhone video of a convoy and then immediately striking.”
A number of lawmakers, as well as former military officials have called for airstrikes against the Sunni insurgents, who have taken over Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, and other towns on their rapid push southward toward Baghdad. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called on his Shiite supporters to rise to the country’s defense, threatening a return of the full-blown sectarian conflict experienced in 2006 to 2008.

Hagel told lawmakers the Pentagon is providing the president with different options, but that any U.S. military intervention in Iraq, including airstrikes, would require clear objectives.

“There has to be a reason for those,” he said. “There has to be an objective. Where do you go with those? What does it do to move the effort down the road for a political solution?”

As long as Maliki continues to lead a Shiite-based sectarian government to the exclusion of other groups, “the entire enterprise is at risk,” Dempsey said. Obama has conditioned any U.S. military assistance to Baghdad on a fresh effort to resolve differences among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds that he, along with Hagel and Dempsey, have said laid the foundation for the current crisis.

Last week, two divisions of the Iraqi army and one national police organization collapsed as the Syria-based insurgents quickly routed towns along the route to the Iraqi capital.

“They did that because they had simply lost faith that the central government in Iraq was dealing with the entire population in a fair, equitable way that provided hope for all of them,” said Dempsey, who led the U.S effort to train Iraqi security forces from 2005 to 2007.

SECRETARY KERRY'S AT NEXT STEPS PANEL OF OUR OCEAN CONFERENCE

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Closing the Next Steps Panel of Our Ocean Conference

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Loy Henderson Conference Room

Washington, DC

June 17, 2014

---

SECRETARY KERRY: This is our last meeting of the entire group in this room. There will be a breakout group meeting here later in the day, but this will be the last session in which everybody will be assembled in the same room at the same time. And I just want to observe that over the course of my career I’ve been to a lot of conferences, but I have to tell you I’ve never been to one where people stayed in their seats, sat as attentive and as focused as you have with as little movement and sort of breakup and large gaps in the seating. I personally am impressed by the way in which there has just been a sense of serious purpose and intent here, and I congratulate and thank all of you for that. You are the ones who have brought that sense of urgency to this effort here. I might say that by being so rigid and so firmly planted we can say with certainty that the oceans movement is a hard-ass group of folks. (Laughter and applause.)
What’s amazing, I sat there listening to the folks who felt inspired to contribute beyond what had been previously thought would occur. And so out of this conference has come more – a commitment to a combination of effort with respect to climate and oceans, but specifically focused on acidification and sea level rise and all the special efforts of these recent spontaneous announcements that you have made. And I’m particularly grateful to the minister from the Bahamas and the Bahamas initiative which is so critical, to Ted Waitt and the Waitt Foundation. I can remember meeting with Ted in San Diego a long time ago when he sort of focused and told me he was really going to put his energy and focus into the oceans, and he has done that tremendously and importantly.

The Cook Islands Prime Minister Puna, we thank you for a 50-mile zone, which just really moves people away from areas of greatest accessibility and will have a significant impact. Mark Spalding, The Ocean Foundation, and the Global Environment Facility, creating a platform for action, and Lynne Hale and Nature Conservancy, a 3.8 million investment in the Marine Initiative.

And finally are my friends from the UK, William Hague and his representative, special representative for climate change, and the effort to work on partnerships and recognize this is indeed an enormous diplomatic challenge to bring countries together in a multilateral forum. This has been as delightful a group of committed activists, scientists, academians, NGOs, civil society, and government representatives who have come together with a serious purpose, and I think everybody deserves their mutual congratulations.

Out of this, particularly with the remarkable contribution and seriousness of purpose expressed by the Government of Norway, we have today received commitments for action over $1,450,000,000, and that is all directed to ocean (inaudible). (Applause.)

In addition to that, with some new commitments we’re soon going to be halfway to the number of countries needed to ratify the Port State Measures Agreement so that it can enter into force. And I will personally engage in efforts, and I hope others here will join, particularly my minister colleagues, in the effort to push to get that done. When we achieve that, we get a few more countries on board, we’ll be able to take an enormous step forward in preventing illegally caught catches, illegal fish catch from making it to the market.

Finally, right now only a small fraction of the world’s ocean, as we have all talked about it, is currently protected. But with the announcements that have been made here today and over the course of this conference and additional announcements at lunch, including the announcement President Obama made this morning, we’re potentially on the verge of protecting more than 3 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. We need to do more elsewhere but that is a terrific start, and I congratulate everybody for their part in doing that. (Applause.)

We have a lot to do in a short time. There isn’t anybody here who hasn’t come here because they don’t understand the depth of this challenge. And I am so appreciative for all of you taking the time, making the commitment to be here. Our hope was and remains – and it’s something that I felt significantly in my travels both as a senator and as Secretary, I would talk to people. And you’d get a certain number of people who go to a conference in one place or another, but we haven’t often enough been able to convene all of the stakeholders that are necessary. We don’t have them all here either yet. We need to continue to push that. Because when people come together like this, there is a certainty of purpose, a certainty of understanding the challenge. And there’s a sense of unity and of breadth, scope if you will, of people taking actions ready to move that in itself is infectious, as we saw today with spontaneous combustion presenting these additional efforts. We have to continue that. And I said at the outset of this that is the purpose of this meeting.

So our team has been assembling a compilation of the best practices and of those suggestions made here for those things that need to be done in order to get this job done. And we will be putting this plan out immediately this afternoon after this conference. Everybody here can go to it immediately onstate.gov. It will be accessible. We will be working to promulgate it. We’ll be working to try to build a critical energy underneath it to take it to the United Nations, to take it to other international organizations that could have an impact. And we will try to build this so that this will become, in effect, the guide for the steps that we need to take in order to protect our ocean and in order to encourage other nations to sign on to do the same.

Eventually our goal is for this plan to translate into a unified global ocean policy. Now governments obviously have an important role to play. We all know that. But what is proven here by Ted and Nature Conservancy and other individual efforts here is that people, civil society, these young folks who are here who are going to be tweeting and pushing this out to social media and engaging, can begin to create a movement at colleges, universities, schools all across the world – this is something everybody can understand – and force political action by virtue of making this a voting issue where people feel that if they don’t do this they’re not going to be running a government, they’re not going to get elected. That’s how it works most effectively.

And lest any of you have any doubt about that, let me tell you something. When I first came back from Vietnam back in 1969-’70, I didn’t first begin to protest the war. I first began to be involved with something called Earth Day, Earth Day 1970. And we organized. Twenty million people came out of their homes and said we don’t want to drink toxic water, we don’t want to have cancer thrust on us, we don’t want to live next to a waste dump. And guess what? Those 20 million people then focused on 12 members of the United States Congress. They were labeled the “dirty dozen,” the worst votes on the environment in Congress. And in the next election, seven of them lost. (Applause.) That sent a message up and down the spines of the survivors, who then promptly voted for the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, and they created the EPA. (Applause.) We didn’t even have an Environmental Protection Agency until that happened. (Applause.)

So as we leave here, we need to remember the power of these facts and these ideas of this mission. And I just ask everybody here to think about one last thing. I will always remember the comments of President Kennedy in 1962 when he attended the World Cup – not World Cup, excuse me, the Americas Cup. (Laughter.) I have World Cup on the mind. And he talked about our connection to the sea and it’s a wonderful passage and you should all go be reminded, but I’d just remind you quickly. He talked about how each of us has this special connection to the sea because we come from the sea, and you just have to measure the amount of salt in water in the human body and in the veins in our blood, and you understand that connection. And so we leave here with a special sense of that connection, but most importantly, thanks to all of you, we leave here with a special mission, a special renewed vigor, a sense of commitment to what we have to achieve. I thank you all for being part of this effort.

We will convene again. It will be in Peru, and after that maybe back here. We will convene again.

PARTICIPANT: Chile.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, it’ll be in Chile instead of Peru. (Laughter.) Thank you. Thank you
very much. (Applause.)

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR JUNE 18, 2014

FROM:   U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

CONTRACTS

AIR FORCE

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co., Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a $222,923,464 fixed-price modification (P00200) under contract FA8625-07-C-6471 for the C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP). The contract modification installs proven - GE engine and 69 aircraft enhancements to improve reliability, maintainability and availability in order to extend the C-5M fleet life through 2040. Under this modification, a total of 11 C-5 aircraft will be modified with RERP to increase aircraft performance, payload capability & transportation throughput. Work will be performed at Marietta, Georgia, and is expected to be completed by Jan. 10, 2017. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 aircraft procurement funds in the amount of $222,923,464 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/WLSK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity.

ARMY

Meggitt Training Systems, Inc., Suwannee, Georgia, was awarded a $99,000,000 firm-fixed-price contract to provide the next generation simulator for marksmanship and squad collective training, modify marksmanship trainers and simulated weapons to the Engagement Skills Trainer II (EST II) configuration and procure EST mission essential requirements. Funding and work location will be determined with each order with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with three received. Army Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, Orlando, Florida, is the contracting activity (W900KK-14-D-0002).

Z Systems Corp.*, Greenbelt, Maryland, was awarded a $7,140,388 modification (0001) to contract W52P1J-12-G-0036 for material maintenance and supply support at the Fort Hood, Texas, Logistics Readiness Center. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $238,349 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is June 17, 2019. Work will be performed in Killeen, Texas. Army Contracting Command is the contracting activity.

NAVY

KMEA MACTEC JV*, San Diego, California, is being awarded a maximum amount $30,000,000 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity architect-engineering (A-E) contract for A-E services for stormwater, groundwater, wastewater and incidental potable water studies at Navy and Marine Corps installations in the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest area of responsibility. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various Navy and Marine Corps installations in California (90 percent); Arizona (3 percent); Nevada (3 percent); Colorado (2 percent); Utah (1 percent); and other Department of Defense installations in the United States (1 percent). The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months with an expected completion date of June 2019. Fiscal 2014 environmental restoration (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $5,000 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Future task orders will be primarily funded by environmental restoration (Navy), and operation and maintenance (Navy). This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with eight proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity (N62473-14-D-1418).

Scientific Research Corp., Atlanta, Georgia, is being awarded a $7,831,864 modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N00019-12-C-0062) to exercise an option for the procurement of 163 Multi-Function Color Display units and associated technical data to support retrofit of MFCD units into T-45 aircraft. In addition, this option includes 30 Bezels for spares. Work will be performed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (58 percent); Largo, Florida (24 percent); and Atlanta, Georgia (18 percent), and is expected to be completed in June 2016. Fiscal 2014 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $7,831,864 are being obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Earl Industries, LLC, doing business as General Dynamics NASSCO Mayport, Jacksonville, Florida, is being awarded a $19,802,857 firm-fixed-price contract for docking phased maintenance availability to include drydocking, hull plating replacement, propulsion engine removal and habitability work onboard USS Tornado (PC 14). The docking phased maintenance availability work on USS Tornado consists of 55 percent hull structure repairs, 16 percent propulsion repairs, 11 percent paint/decking and preservation, and 8 percent auxiliary pumps and systems. The remaining 10 percent miscellaneous repairs consist of temporary services, electrical and electronic repairs. The basic work package consists of 89 work items. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $20,938,761. Work will be performed in Jacksonville, Florida, and is expected to be completed by August 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $19,802,857 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $20,938,761 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured with seven proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. Southeast Regional Maintenance Center, Mayport, Florida, is the contracting activity (N40027-14-C-0011).

*Small Business

SUNTRUST MAKES NEARLY $1 BILLION AGREEMENT TO SETTLE ALLEGED MORTGAGE AND FORECLOSURE ABUSES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Federal Government and State Attorneys General Reach Nearly $1 Billion Agreement with SunTrust to Address Mortgage Loan Origination as Well as Servicing and Foreclosure Abuses

Agreement Provides Homeowner Relief and New Protections, Stops Abuses
The Justice Department, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), along with 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general have reached a $968 million agreement with SunTrust Mortgage Inc. (SunTrust) to address mortgage origination, servicing, and foreclosure abuses.

The joint agreement is the result of extensive investigations by federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, HUD and the HUD Office of the Inspector General (HUD-OIG), CFPB and state attorneys general across the country, and includes recoveries for both improper mortgage origination and servicing practices.

“SunTrust’s conduct is a prime example of the widespread underwriting failures that helped bring about the financial crisis,” Attorney General Eric Holder said. “From mortgage origination to servicing to securitization, the Department of Justice is attacking every facet of conduct that led to the Great Recession. We will continue to hold accountable financial institutions that, in the pursuit of their own financial interests, misuse public funds and cause harm to hardworking Americans. We expect that there will be more cases like this to come.”

“This agreement, which totals nearly $1 billion, not only holds SunTrust accountable for years of abusive practices mortgage origination practices; it also provides for restoration,” said Associate Attorney General Tony West. “By the terms of this resolution, SunTrust is required to provide $500 million in consumer relief for homeowners as well as abide by terms that will help to prevent the abuses of the past from being repeated. It's a result attained thanks to the close coordination among our enforcement agency partners throughout the government."

As part of the settlement, SunTrust has agreed to pay $418 million to resolve its potential liability under the federal False Claims Act for originating and underwriting loans that violated its obligations as a participant in the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insurance program.  As a participant in that program, SunTrust had the authority to originate, underwrite and certify mortgages for FHA insurance.

SunTrust admitted that between January 2006 and March 2012, it originated and underwrote FHA-insured mortgages that did not meet FHA requirements, that it failed to carry out an effective quality control program to identify non-compliant loans, and that it failed to self-report to HUD even the defective loans it did identify.  SunTrust also admitted that numerous audits and other documents disseminated to its management between 2009 and 2012 described significant flaws and inadequacies in SunTrust’s origination, underwriting, and quality control processes, and notified SunTrust management that as many as 50 percent or more of SunTrust’s FHA-insured mortgages did not comply with FHA requirements.  For example, a 2012 internal SunTrust document noted two “significant” issues that had been plaguing the company for years – a “Broken Loan Origination Process” coupled with a “Deficient Government Insuring Process.”  Other reports received by SunTrust management described its quality control program as “severely flawed” and “ineffective.”  These reports described to management that the volume of problems in the program was “excessive,” and that the error rates were “elevated” and at an “unacceptable level.”
“SunTrust’s irresponsible FHA lending practices caused grievous harm to homeowners and the housing market, as well as wasting hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds,” said Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Division Stuart F. Delery.  “As this settlement demonstrates, we will continue to hold accountable financial institutions that misuse public funds and ruin the lives of hardworking Americans in the pursuit of their own financial interests.”
The servicing portion of the agreement parallels the $25 billion National Mortgage Settlement (NMS) reached in February 2012 between the federal government, 49 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia’s attorney general and the five largest national mortgage servicers.  Under the agreement announced today, SunTrust has agreed to provide $500 million in additional relief in the next three years directly to borrowers and homeowners in the form of reducing the principal on mortgages for borrowers who are at risk of default, reducing mortgage interest rates for homeowners who are current but underwater on their mortgages, and other relief.  The settlement will likely provide direct benefits to borrowers far in excess of $500 million because SunTrust will not be permitted to claim credit for every dollar spent on the required consumer relief.  SunTrust has also agreed to pay $50 million in cash to redress its servicing practices, $40 million of which will be distributed to borrowers and homeowners through the Borrower Payment Fund established by the NMS and administered by the states.
“This agreement with SunTrust is another step forward in the Obama Administration’s ongoing effort to hold mortgage lenders accountable,” said HUD Acting Deputy Secretary Helen Kanovsky. “By using the framework of the National Mortgage Settlement, we will ensure that SunTrust provides mortgage relief to struggling homeowners in the hardest hit communities and changes their worst practices.  HUD will continue working with the Department of Justice, CFPB and state attorneys general to hold lenders accountable and require them to institute practices that are beneficial to borrowers and the FHA fund.”
“The culmination of this case today represents the long hours dedicated by auditors, investigators, counsel and the data analytics team in the Office of Inspector General to address the significant problems we identified in SunTrust’s underwriting,” said HUD Inspector General David A. Montoya.  “The case begins and ends with the crucial work produced by this office and the commitment by my staff to work with the Department of Justice, HUD and others in a concerted effort to combat misrepresentation and fraud against vital government programs.  My office will continue to aggressively seek out instances in which the FHA, and by extension the American taxpayer, are harmed by misconduct that should not be tolerated.”

“Deceptive and illegal mortgage servicing practices have pushed families into foreclosure and devastated communities across the nation,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray.  “Today’s action will help homeowners and consumers harmed by SunTrust’s unlawful foreclosure practices.  The Consumer Bureau will continue to investigate mortgage servicers that mistreat consumers, and we will not hesitate to take action against any company that violates our new servicing rules.”

“Homeownership is the bedrock of the American dream, and we continue to address the many mortgage servicing nightmares that homeowners across the country experienced for years,” said Iowa state Attorney General Tom Miller.  “State attorneys general are working across party lines with our federal partners to address past practices, and we’re trying to ensure that borrowers are treated more fairly in the future.”

The joint federal-state agreement also requires SunTrust to implement significant changes in how they service mortgage loans, handle foreclosures, and ensure the accuracy of information provided in federal bankruptcy court.  The agreement requires new servicing standards which will prevent foreclosure abuses of the past, such as robo-signing, improper documentation and lost paperwork, and create dozens of new consumer protections.  The new standards provide for strict oversight of foreclosure processing, including third-party vendors, and new requirements to undertake pre-filing reviews of certain documents filed in bankruptcy court.

The new servicing standards ensure that foreclosure is a last resort by requiring SunTrust to evaluate homeowners for other loss mitigation options first.  In addition, SunTrust is restricted from foreclosing while the homeowner is being considered for a loan modification.  The new standards also include procedures and timelines for reviewing loan modification applications and give homeowners the right to appeal denials.  SunTrust will also be required to simplify the process for homeowners needing help by creating a single point of contact for borrowers seeking information about their loans and—importantly—maintaining adequate staff to handle calls.

The agreement will be filed as a consent judgment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  Compliance with the agreement will be overseen by an independent monitor, Joseph A. Smith Jr., who is also the monitor for the NMS.  Smith has served as the North Carolina Commissioner of Banks since 2002, and is also the former Chairman of the Conference of State Banks Supervisors (CSBS).  The monitor will oversee implementation of the servicing standards required by the agreement; impose penalties of up to $1 million per violation (or up to $5 million for certain repeat violations); and publish regular public reports that identify any quarter in which a servicer fell short of the standards imposed in the settlement.

The agreement resolves potential violations of civil law based on SunTrust’s deficient mortgage loan origination and servicing activities.  The agreement does not prevent state and federal authorities from pursuing criminal enforcement actions related to this or other conduct by SunTrust, or from punishing wrongful securitization conduct that is the focus of the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group of President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  The agreement does not prevent the CFPB from pursing civil enforcement actions against SunTrust for violations of the CFPB’s new mortgage servicing rules that took effect on Jan. 10, 2014.   State attorneys general also preserved, among other things, all claims against the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS), and all claims brought by borrowers.  Additionally, the agreement does not prevent any action by individual borrowers who wish to bring their own lawsuits.

SunTrust is a mortgage lender and servicer headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SunTrust Banks Inc., a bank and financial services company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

The settlement announced today was the result of investigations conducted by the Civil Division and the U.S. Trustee Program of the Department of Justice, state attorney general offices throughout the country, HUD-OIG and HUD’s FHA, and the CFPB.  The Department of the Treasury, the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Agriculture also made critical contributions.

The joint federal-state agreement is part of enforcement efforts by President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.  President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes.  The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources.  The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.

MARINES PATROL IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters take off after transporting U.S. Marines during a mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 6, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Scanlan.

U.S. Marines conduct a security patrol during a mission in Helmand province, Afghanistan, June 6, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Scanlan.

FTC TESTIFIES BEFORE SENATE ON DECEPTIVE CLAIMS IN THE WEIGHT-LOSS INDUSTRY

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

FTC Testifies Before Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Agency Efforts to Combat Fraudulent and Deceptive Claims for Weight-Loss Products

The Federal Trade Commission testified before Congress about its ongoing efforts to combat fraudulent and deceptive claims for weight-loss products through law enforcement, media outreach, and consumer education.

Testifying on behalf of the FTC before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance, Mary Engle, Associate Director for Advertising Practices at the Federal Trade Commission, said that amid an ongoing obesity epidemic – in which nearly 70 percent of U.S. adults are obese or overweight – the FTC’s most recent fraud study shows that more consumers were victims of fraudulent weight-loss claims than of any other specific fraud type covered by the survey.

The testimony also noted that despite consumer spending of $2.4 billion on weight-loss products and services last year, there is very little evidence that pills or supplements alone will cause sustained, meaningful weight loss – without changes to diet and lifestyle. According to the testimony, consumers are especially susceptible to weight-loss fraud, there is an enormous amount of money to be made in the diet industry, and fraudsters will continue to gravitate toward the money.

“The endless flood of unfounded claims being made in the weight-loss industry vividly illustrates the challenges we, and consumers, are up against,” the testimony stated.

The FTC’s program to combat fraud in the weight-loss industry includes:

Law enforcement: In the past 10 years, the FTC has brought 82 weight-loss-related law enforcement actions, and since 2010, it has collected nearly $107 million for consumer restitution. Early this year, the agency announced Operation Failed Resolution, targeting new weight-loss fads that include food additives, human hormones, skin creams and acai berries.

The Commission has also noted several disturbing developments in weight-loss advertising:

reliance on proprietary studies using erroneous or fabricated data.
marketers capitalizing on weight-loss fads propelled to popularity by trusted spokespeople such as one recent FTC case involving marketers of the Pure Green Coffee dietary supplement. Within weeks of an April 2012 Dr. Oz Show touting green coffee bean extract, these marketers were making overblown claims about the supplement online, such as, “lose 20 pounds in four weeks” and “lose 20 pounds and two to four inches of belly fat in two to three months.”
Media Outreach: To combat the promotion of fraudulent weight-loss products in respected media outlets, the FTC recently issued a “Gut Check” reference guide that advises media outlets on seven claims in weight-loss ads that experts say simply cannot be true and that should cause media outlets to think twice about running the ads.

Consumer Education: Recent FTC brochures, articles, and blog posts geared toward consumers hammer home the message that the only thing they will lose is money if they fall for ads promising quick weight loss without diet or exercise. The FTC also has created teaser websites designed to reach people who are surfing online for weight-loss products.

Today, the agency is also launching a new consumer video and game – the FTC Weight Loss Challenge. The Challenge is an interactive game designed to help consumers think critically about weight-loss products and claims. Available in English and Spanish, the game separates fact from fiction in ads for products touting fast weight loss without the need for diet and exercise.

The Commission vote approving the testimony and its inclusion in the formal record was 5-0.

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS AT OUR OCEAN CONFERENCE RECEPTION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Reception Remarks at Our Ocean Conference

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Sant Ocean Hall

Washington, DC

June 16, 2014

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Thank you very much. I remind all of you that Winston Churchill said the only reason people give a standing ovation is they desperately need an excuse to shift their underwear. (Laughter.) He really – he said that, I promise you. But I know you had a much more noble cause in mind. (Laughter.)

Anyway, I was really baffled standing up here for a moment. I’m staring at this elephant. I kept looking around for the donkey. I can’t find the donkey in here. (Laughter.) Let’s rectify that, don’t you think? (Applause.) I’m an equal stuffed animal opportunity guy. (Laughter.)
I walked into the hold room back here where I had a chance to say hi to Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen and His Serene Highness and others, and at least they had the goodness to put us in a room where the sign above it said “mammals,” so I felt right at home.

Wayne, thank you very much for not just your kind introduction, but thank you for making this extraordinary national asset of ours, this museum, available to this group, which has come together to fight for the preservation, if not survival, of our oceans. And we are deeply, deeply grateful – very grateful to you, to Kirk Johnson, the director of the Natural History Museum, for hosting us here tonight in this remarkable place.

I also – thank you. (Applause.) I also want to say a special thank you in absentia to Roger and Vicki Sant. So many of you know Roger and Vicki. They have been truly our patrons of all of our initiatives with respect to the ocean. And they couldn’t be here tonight, but their daughter Shari is here, and I wish everybody would say thank you for what they have done to contribute so much to this museum’s ability to be able to give millions of visitors a year a better understanding of our relationship with the ocean. Shari, please take back to your parents our gratitude. I don’t know where she is, somewhere here. (Applause.) Thank you.

We’re in for a great treat tonight. I’m not going to give a speech about the oceans, et cetera, but we are going to do a few special things. And one of them is master chef Barton Seaver has developed a terrific menu of entirely sustainable seafood for all of us to devour. And I understand that he first became interested in sustainable seafood years ago when he spent time in a small village on the coast of Morocco. And he learned about generations-old fishing methods that the locals were using, and he saw firsthand how they linked the local economy of that entire region to the ocean. This is what made him realize that sustainability is not only an ecological imperative, but it’s a humanitarian one. And he will tell you a little bit more about that and the food that we will be eating tonight in a few moments.

We’re also going to hear from Ted Danson. Ted reminded me a few minutes ago we met 25 years ago, I think he said. I thought it was slightly less. (Laughter.) But that’s okay. I’ll accept it. And we were talking about the oceans way back then. It was when he was beginning his efforts on the oceans, and he’s a long-termer, long-timer at this effort.

We also got to know each other because Cheers was not too many blocks away from where I hung out in Boston. And on one occasion, I was walking by at night heading home. And the producers, they were shooting this scene outside, and I think Norm and someone were out there. I can’t remember who else – Cliff. I think Norm and Cliff were in the thing or something. But anyway, they stopped me on the way and they said, Senator, we got to put you in this thing. So we literally ad-libbed this thing on the spur of the moment. And they were hanging out outside and they had me walk up and they said, hey, can we get your autograph? And I started to sign the autograph very proud and peacocked because I was being asked for an autograph. And then they start talking to each other and say, God, we really liked that weather report you did the other day on the news. It was so terrific. (Laughter.) And then I said, who do you think I am? And they said, you’re so-and-so, the local weatherman. And I said, no, I’m Senator Kerry. And they both shrug and walk away. (Laughter.) So it was a great lesson in humility, and the residuals have gone to a charity for years. But thank you, Ted, for helping me to support the charity. I’m very appreciative. (Applause.)

Ted has had, as everybody here knows, an extraordinary career. And he started out with his work to create the Oceans Campaign in 1987, and has provided consistent leadership. He provides leadership in Oceana to this day, and his deep interest in what has brought all of us together has made an impact, and we’re grateful to him.

Right now, though, it’s my privilege – let me just say one quick word. I really want to thank again – I said it earlier, but I think Cathy Novelli and our team have done an absolutely superb job of putting this together. (Applause.) And tomorrow we will not only have more vibrant discussion and I think the kind of interactivity and visual presentations that have been made have really sort of excited people and given us a reminder of what this is all about, and I wish every person in the nation could stop cold and see and hear all of it. But our job is to continue to do that over the course of these next months and years. But tomorrow it’s important we really come together to do the action agenda. If we don’t leave here with a sense of a plan and direction, shame on us, and I think we can do that.

I want to welcome someone who has been a friend and partner in the State Department’s effort to champion ocean conservation at the international level, and that is the Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully. (Applause.) Murray and I have done a duet here in Washington before. We’ve had a chance to see each other along the way here and there, but I called him because I knew that as the steward of an island nation in the Pacific, he really has as good an understanding about this as anybody around. And like other island nations, New Zealand is obviously on the frontlines of climate change and the other challenges that are facing the marine world.

Murray has spent a career pushing for safeguards to preserve the ocean and to preserve the many species that are really unique to New Zealand’s waters. And he and I have worked closely on the environmental priorities that we share, including our efforts to move forward a proposal that would establish the world’s largest marine protected area in Antarctica’s Ross Sea. And we will continue to do that. (Applause.) I am really delighted that he made the long trek here to Washington so he could be with us tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome with me my colleague, my counterpart, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand Murray McCully. (Applause.)

CYBERSPACE AND FUTURE WAR 2025

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Cybercom Chief: Cyberspace Operations Key to Future Warfare

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 16, 2014 – In the cyber domain of 2025, the ability of military formations to operate offensively and defensively will be a core mission set, and commanders will maneuver the capability much as they maneuver ground forces today, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said recently.

Cybercom Commander Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers, who also is director of the National Security Agency, was the keynote speaker at a June 12 meeting here at a cyber seminar hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare.

The theme was Army Networks and Cybersecurity in 2025.

“In the world of 2025, I believe the ability of Army formations to operate within the cyber domain, offensively and defensively, will be a core mission set for the U.S. Army and its operational forces,” Rogers told the audience. The Cybercom commander said that by 2025 the military services will have ingrained into their culture the reality that networks and cyber are a commander's business.
The admiral, who most recently served as commander of the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command and the U.S. 10th Fleet, said this has been a major cultural challenge in the Navy.

“In the year 2025, I believe … Army commanders will maneuver offensive and defensive capability much today as they maneuver ground forces,” Rogers said, adding that command and control, key terrain, commander's intent, synchronization with the broader commander's intent, and a broader commander's operational concept of operations will be cornerstones of Army cyber operations by then.
“In 2025,” he said, “the ability to integrate cyber into a broader operational concept is going to be key. Treating cyber as something so specialized, … so unique -- something that resides outside the broader operational framework -- I think that is a very flawed concept.”

Between now and 2025, Rogers said, a primary challenge will be integrating cyber and its defensive and offensive capabilities into a broader operational construct that enables commanders to apply another broader set of tools in achieving their operational missions.

When he thinks about how Cybercom and the services will get to 2025, Rogers said, he tries to keep three points in mind.

The first, he said, is that cyber is operations. Commanders must own the cyber mission set, the admiral said, integrating it into the operational vision and becoming knowledgeable about the broad capabilities of a unit, formation or organization and its potential vulnerabilities.

“I think it's going to be foundational to the warfighting construct of the future,” Rogers said, adding that the challenge is as much cultural as technical.
“To make this work, in the end, it's about our ability to synchronize the capabilities of a team,” he added, “from our junior-most individuals to our senior-most individuals, from capabilities resident within [the services] and as a department, to the [external] partnerships we're going to have to form.”
The second point Rogers said he keeps in mind is that requirements of the future include a joint network backbone for all of the Defense Department.
“I never understood why Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and, arguably, our Coast Guard teammates … were spending a lot of time and money [to independently] create, maintain, build and operate a global communications backbone,” Rogers said. Instead, he added, “make the services responsible for the last tactical mile of [a DOD-wide backbone that spans the globe], down to mobile and tactical users, whether they're in a garrison scenario or whether they're out maneuvering in the field, on an aircraft, on a ship or in a squadron.”

The third point, Rogers said, is that people and partnerships are key.
“Don’t ever forget that, in the end, [operationalizing cyberspace by 2025] is all about people and partnerships,” the admiral said. “It's about our ability to create a workforce that understands the vision, has the tools and capabilities they need to execute this vision, and is integrated into the broader effort.”

The partnership piece is a key area, he added, “because we, the Department of Defense, are not the cutting edge when it comes to networks, [communications] or information technology.”

“We are a user of technology that is largely generated by individuals and organizations that reside outside the DOD. … I don't see that trend changing between now and 2025,” he added.

As Cybercom commander and operational commander for the cyberspace mission set, the admiral said, focusing on five Cyber Command priorities will help military commanders build the joint force for 2025.

The priorities are:
-- Building a trained and ready operational cyber force;
-- Building a joint defensible network whose architecture has core design characteristics of defensibility, redundancy and resilience;
-- Creating shared situational awareness in cyberspace;
-- Creating command and control and operational concepts for use in cyberspace; and
-- Being mindful of policy and administrative changes needed to operate in cyberspace.

Addressing the department’s ability to compete on the open market for exceptional cyber talent, Rogers said, cyber is no different from any other DOD mission in terms of going after talented individuals.

“If the view is that pay is the primary criteria to get people with cyber expertise to join the department, I don't think that's going to work for us,” he added. “We’ll compete because of what makes us different. We will appeal to men and women who have an ethos of service [and] who believe in the idea of being part of something bigger than themselves.”

“We're going to compete for the same people because, quite frankly, we're going to give them the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a way that you can't legally do on the outside,” he added, prompting chuckles from the audience.
“I think we're going to do well,” the admiral said. “[Over the past 10 years], we have exceeded my wildest expectations in terms of our abilities to recruit and retain a high-end cyber workforce, because we’ve been able to focus on why they want to be with us as opposed to why they don't want to be with us.”

CELL-BASED INFLUENZA VACCINE FACILITY TO BE BUILT IN NORTH CAROLINA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 
June 17, 2014

A milestone in protection from influenza
A statement from Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) Director and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Robin Robinson, Ph.D.

This week, our nation reached a milestone in battling influenza, with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s first approval to manufacture seasonal influenza vaccine using cell-based technology in a U.S. facility. That facility, owned by Novartis of Basel, Switzerland, and located in Holly Springs, N.C., now can manufacture cell-based vaccine against seasonal as well as pandemic influenza viruses. This new capability demonstrates the effectiveness of a multi-use approach to emergency preparedness.

Since its establishment in 2006, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), has sponsored the development of new technologies for use in emergencies, including the cell-based technology at Holly Springs. These new technologies are flexible enough to produce vaccines and other medical products for a variety of public health emergencies.

In pursuing new technology, BARDA leverages public-private partnerships. We also support development of medical countermeasures – drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and devices – that can be used to diagnose or treat illness or injury in public health emergencies like pandemics or following acts of bioterrorism, as well as day-to-day medical conditions. This multi-use approach strengthens everyday systems and increases our resilience in emergencies.

The Holly Springs facility was built through a partnership established in 2009 between BARDA and Novartis to increase the domestic production capacity of pandemic influenza vaccine and quickly provide additional influenza vaccines to combat public health threats.

In 2012, BARDA broadened this partnership with Novartis and expanded the Holly Springs facility’s role in emergency preparedness as one of three national Centers for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing. These centers provide support for the development and manufacturing of medical countermeasures and can transition efficiently to manufacture pandemic influenza vaccines or other medical products for public health emergencies. The centers also aid in bringing new medical countermeasures to the market and help train the biopharmaceutical workforce needed in the future.

As a center, the Holly Springs facility can produce up to 200 million doses of pandemic influenza vaccine within six months of the declaration of a pandemic.

In 2012, the Holly Springs facility opened to produce cell-based influenza vaccine that could be authorized by the FDA for use during the emergency. That same year cell-based influenza vaccine called Flucelvax, made by Novartis in Germany, became the first approved by FDA for use in the United States. Now, with the approval of manufacturing the Holly Springs facility, the capacity for seasonal influenza vaccine production in the United States has increase by at least 50 million doses.

This latest FDA approval affirms the value and success possible through public-private partnerships as we move forward bringing our nation the medical countermeasures needed to protect health and save lives every day.

U.S. CONGRATULATES PEOPLE OF SEYCHELLES ON THEIR INDEPENDENCE DAY

FROM:   U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Seychelles National Day

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

June 17, 2014

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On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am pleased to congratulate the people and government of Seychelles as you commemorate 21 years of independence on June 18.

The lengthy and cordial history of U.S.-Seychellois relations illustrates the affinity between our nations, both of which prize diversity and economic opportunity.

The United States appreciates Seychelles’ continuing efforts in support of regional security. Your work to prosecute and incarcerate suspected pirates has made the world’s ocean a safer place. We share your hopes for growth as a tolerant, vibrant society with an active role promoting stability throughout the Indian Ocean region.

We also look forward to working together to sustainably manage our shared ocean resources. No one knows better than Seychelles that our ocean is a precious resource under the threat of pollution, overfishing, and other human impacts. The ocean’s future is our future, and it deserves our attention.

The United States wishes Seychelles peace and prosperity on your day of celebration. We look forward to continued partnership and cooperation in the years to come.

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR JUNE 17, 2014

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

CONTRACTS

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

ArtCraft Optical Co., Inc.,* Rochester, New York, has been awarded a maximum $22,500,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for manufacture of aviation flight frames using the electronic catalog program. This contract was a competitive acquisition with one offer received. This is a one-year base contract with four one-year option periods. Location of performance is New York with a June 26, 2015 performance completion date. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal year 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SPM2DE-14-D-7560).

AIR FORCE

Alion Science and Technology Corp., McLean, Virginia, has been awarded a $47,721,229 delivery order (0064) on the Advanced Materials, Manufacturing, and Testing Information Analysis Center (AMMTIAC) indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee, sole-source contract (FA4600-06-D-0003) for Global Force Protection System (GFPS) Test and Evaluation. AMMTIAC's objective is to design and develop system testing, evaluation processes and procedures and advanced manufacturing techniques for the GFPS. The work will be performed at Rome, New York, and is expected to be complete by Dec. 29, 2016. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $2,002,642 are being obligated at time of award. Air Force Installation Contracting Agency/KD, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, is the contracting activity.

NAVY

Kollsman Inc., Merrimack, New Hampshire, is being awarded a $56,887,669 firm-fixed-price five year requirements contract for the repair of four weapons repairable assemblies on the night targeting system upgrade to support the AH-1W helicopter. Work will be performed in Merrimack, New Hampshire, and work is expected to be completed by July 2019. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, and no funds will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2014 working capital funds (Navy) will be used on the contract as future requirements are issued. This contract was a non-competitive requirement in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-14-D-021N).
Triumph Gear Systems, Park City, Utah, is being awarded a $55,775,371 firm-fixed-price contract for the repair of various parts including the pylon conversion actuator used on the V-22 aircraft in support of both MV-22 (Marines), and CV-22 (Air Force). Work will be performed in Park City, Utah, and work is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2019. No funds will be obligated at the time of award, and no funds will expire before the end of the current fiscal year. Fiscal 2014 working capital funds (Navy) will be used on the contract as future requirements are issued. This contract was a non-competitive requirement in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the contracting activity (N00383-14-D-023N).

BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California, is being awarded a $20,524,009 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee/incentive-fee contract (N00024-11-C-4408) for USS Decatur (DDG 73) fiscal 2014 dry-docking selected restricted availability. A dry-docking selected restricted 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, California, and is expected to be completed by February 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations & maintenance (Navy); fiscal 2014 research, development, test & evaluation; fiscal 2014 other procurement (Navy); and working capital funding in the amount of $20,524,009 will be obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $17,225,290 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Training, Owego, New York, is being awarded an $11,333,603 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the production kits in support of the MH-60R/S Point and Click Operator System Interface and Link-16 retrofit programs. Work will be performed in Owego, New York (58 percent); Farmingdale, New York (17 percent); Everett, Washington (12 percent); Austin, Texas (8 percent); Butler, New Jersey (5 percent), and is expected to be completed in August 2017. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $9,329,020 are being 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, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00019-14-D-0032).

ARMY

Skyline ULTD, Inc., Round Rock, Texas was awarded an $18,834,131 modification (P00019) to contract W9133L-09-F-0132 to provide medical case management support to the Army National Guard Headquarters, states and territories. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $ 18,834,131.00 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 11, 2014. Work will be performed in Arlington, Virginia. National Guard Bureau, Arlington, Virginia is the contracting activity.

ASRC Federal InuTeq,* Beltsville, Maryland was awarded a $15,749,022 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract with options to provide the High Performance Computing Modernization Program Office with technical and professional support for all phases of planning and execution. Work will be performed in Lorton, Virginia with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Fiscal 2013 research, development, testing and evaluation funds in the amount of $3,866,412 were being obligated at the time of the award. Army Corps of Engineers, Huntsville, Alabama is the contracting activity (W912DY-14-F-0095).

*Small business

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS REGARDING CAPTURE OF AHMED ABU KHATALLLAH

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Libya: Ahmed Abu Khatallah

Press Statement

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Washington, DC

June 17, 2014

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Since September 11, 2012, we have mourned the four Americans killed that day, cared for the survivors in our State Department family, and focused with intensity on strengthening security at our high-threat posts around the world. But we have also been focused on another mission of unfinished business: bringing to justice the terrorist murderers responsible for the attacks in Benghazi.

This weekend, that work took a dramatic step forward. Ahmed Abu Khatallah, an alleged key leader of the attacks in Benghazi, is now in U.S. custody. He will face a court of law and be held accountable for his actions. This bold action by the superb United States military is a clear reminder to anyone who dares do us harm that they will not escape with impunity.

The United States stood by the Libyan people three years ago as they stood up to the brutality of the Qadhafi dictatorship. We continue to support them in their desire to build a democratic government that will provide them with security, protect their universal rights and help rebuild their economy. The Libyan people face great challenges, but the vision of a peaceful and productive new nation will guide Libya’s future, and they will have a friend and partner in the United States.

The State Department felt the loss of our colleagues in Benghazi acutely. They volunteered to serve in a dangerous place because they believed in the power of the United States to help people. They represented the very best of America. We continue that mission in their name today.

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON PROTECTING OCEAN AND COASTS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET: Leading at Home and Internationally to Protect Our Ocean and Coasts

“We’ve already shown that when we work together, we can protect our oceans for future generations.  So let’s redouble our efforts.  Let’s make sure that years from now we can look our children in the eye and tell them that, yes, we did our part, we took action, and we led the way toward a safer, more stable world.”

President Barack Obama, June 17, 2014

President Obama is committed to protecting the ocean and its marine ecosystems. Americans all over the country depend on the ocean for food, jobs, and recreation.  But the health of our ocean is under threat on multiple fronts, from overfishing to carbon pollution.  The recently released National Climate Assessment confirms that climate change is causing sea levels and ocean temperatures to rise. Changing temperatures can harm coral reefs and force certain species to migrate. In addition, carbon pollution is being absorbed by the oceans, causing them to acidify, which can damage coastal shellfish beds and reefs, altering entire marine ecosystems. In fact, the acidity of our ocean is changing 50 times faster than any known change in millions of years. And black market fishing—fishing that is illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU)—continues to pose a major threat to the sustainability of our world’s fisheries, economies and to global security.

Recognizing these significant challenges, President Obama launched the National Ocean Policy early in his first term. The National Ocean Policy seeks to streamline more than 100 laws that govern our oceans and create a coordinated, science-based approach to managing the many resources and uses of our coasts and oceans. National Ocean Policy initiatives range from voluntary marine planning to releasing more federal data to supporting offshore renewable energy projects to making our ports more resilient to sea level rise.

This week, the State Department is hosting the “Our Ocean” conference, an international conference on sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and ocean acidification that concludes today. Secretary Kerry has also issued a global call to action to protect the oceans. As part of the conference, the President is announcing several steps that the United States is taking to answer that call. During the closing events of the conference, the State Department will announce additional steps and commitments it has secured to protect our oceans.

New Actions to Protect and Preserve the Ocean

Today, in a video message to conference participants, President Obama is announcing new executive actions to preserve and protect the oceans.

• New protections for world-class marine areas. The President today announced a commitment to use his authority to protect some of our most precious marine landscape just like he has for our mountains and rivers and forests.   To meet the President’s commitment, the Administration will immediately consider how we might expand protections near the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the south-central Pacific Ocean, an area which contains some of the most pristine tropical marine environments in the world.  These tropical coral reefs and associated marine ecosystems are also among the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. Before making decisions about the geographic scope and details of future marine protections, we will consider the input of fishermen, scientists, conservation experts, elected officials, and other stakeholders.  The President is also calling on other world leaders to join him in this effort to ensure that the world’s most valuable ocean ecosystems remain productive and pristine for our children and grandchildren. 
• Combating black market fishing and supporting fishermen. The President is directing Federal agencies to develop a comprehensive program aimed at deterring illegal fishing, addressing seafood fraud, and preventing illegally caught fish from entering the marketplace by increasing traceability and transparency. Black market fishing constitutes up to 20 percent of the wild marine fish caught each year around the world, and drains up to $23 billion from legitimate fishing enterprises. The program will be an important step in ending illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, building the market for legally and sustainably caught seafood, and supporting the men and women of the fishing industry. 

In addition, the Administration is taking steps to protect coastal communities from the impacts of climate change, improve domestic aquaculture, and providing research to better understand the challenges facing our oceans.

• Establishing a pathway to new marine sanctuaries. Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a final rule re-opening the public nomination process for proposing new sanctuaries in our oceans and Great Lakes. For the first time since 1995, Americans will be able to nominate nationally significant marine and Great Lakes areas as marine sanctuaries. This reflects the overwhelming consensus of more than 18,000 comments NOAA received on the proposed version of the rule and will give local communities and organizations the opportunity to voice their support for significant marine areas in need of protection. 
• Meeting diverse coastal needs with regional marine planning. Under the President’s National Ocean Policy, voluntary marine planning bodies are working all over the country to find commonsense ways for the wide range of people and organizations who live, work, and play in the ocean to enjoy the full benefits of its resources. Regional marine plans help balance coastal use issues including fishing, energy, and marine transportation with the interests of communities, ensuring maximum benefits for all. Last week, the Administration announced that the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regional marine planning bodies will have their plans out the door by the end of the President’s term. This will allow fishing and coastal communities from Maine to Virginia to meet diverse needs and establish priorities for the use of their ocean areas, while making them less vulnerable to economic shocks and the resilience of climate change.
• Understanding the impacts of ocean acidification. Today, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is releasing a white paper on ocean acidification, summarizing current scientific knowledge about this key challenge, its relationship to climate change, and its impacts on society, as well as highlighting key steps the Obama Administration is taking to better understand the problem and potential solutions. 
• $102 million to build resilience in coastal communities. Yesterday, the Department of the Interior announced $102 million in competitive grants funding science-based solutions to restore flood plains and natural barriers, such as marshes and wetlands along the Atlantic Coast. The funded projects will help deliver on the Administration’s Climate Action Plan commitment to make local communities more resilient against future storms. 
• Bolstering domestic shellfish aquaculture. Federal agencies are completing work on a new roadmap to streamline the permitting process for shellfish aquaculture. The roadmap will help shellfish farmers understand how to secure the permits they need and will help federal agencies identify ways to improve efficiency in the permitting process. By removing barriers in the permitting process, the United States can encourage shellfish farming and help rebalance our seafood trade. Currently, most seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported, resulting in a seafood trade deficit of between $8 and $10 billion a year. Farming more shellfish will also be an economic boon to local communities, creating jobs and investment on our shores. 
• National Strategic Plan for Federal Aquaculture Research. Aquaculture is an increasingly integral source of safe, nutritious, sustainable seafood for consumers in the United States and worldwide. Today, the interagency National Science & Technology Council’s Committee on Science is releasing a new National Strategic Plan for Federal Aquaculture Research to provide a framework for coordination and collaboration across agencies on research related to this important agricultural domain and to guide Federal agencies going forward as they prioritize their aquaculture-related research and development activities. 

JUDGE ASKED TO DROP 9/11 FBI PROBE INQUIRY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Special Counsel Urges 9/11 Judge to Drop FBI Probe Inquiry

By Terri Moon Cronk

American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md., June 16, 2014 – In military commission proceedings for five suspects in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the lead attorney of the special review team said today the commission should end its inquiry to determine whether FBI investigations into defense teams created a conflict of interest.

The proceedings are taking place at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and are being made available to reporters at the video teleconference center here.
This week’s hearing centers on the commission gathering facts on contact that FBI agents reportedly made with several members of the defense teams so presiding judge Army Col. James Pohl can determine if the interviews pose a conflict of interest in the case.

U.S. Attorney Fernando Campoamor-Sanchez, lead attorney for the special review team, told Pohl the commission has enough facts now to make the ruling. He added that the defense counsels also should agree conflicts do not exist.
“They’re inviting error,” he said of lead counsels of each of the five defense teams, who called on Pohl for an investigation into the FBI interviews. “I urge the commission that this inquiry should end, … because there is no conflict of interest.”

In the commission’s case against Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the admitted mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and four other defendants, all are charged for their alleged roles in the attacks with eight offenses: conspiracy, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, murder in violation of the law of war, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft, and terrorism, according to the Military Commissions website.