U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM STATEMENT ON THREAT POSED BY ISIL TERRORISTS WITH WESTERN PASSPORTS

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Counterterrorism: Statement for the Record for the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security: An Examination of the Threat Posed by ISIL Terrorists with Western Passports

Remarks

Washington, DC

September 10, 2014

As Delivered

Statement by Hillary Batjer Johnson

Chairwoman Miller, Ranking Member Jackson Lee, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear today on behalf of the State Department with my colleagues from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). We are deeply supportive of DHS’ efforts to protect the U.S. homeland and make every effort to amplify its work through diplomatic engagement and information sharing with our allies and partners.

We remain gravely concerned by the activities of terrorists in Syria and Iraq, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and al-Nusrah Front. ISIL is an extremely dangerous organization operating in a chaotic part of the world. It has exploited the conflict in Syria and sectarian tensions in Iraq to entrench itself in both countries, now spanning the geographic center of the Middle East. ISIL’s attacks in Iraq and Syria have resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of hundreds of thousands more from their ancestral homelands. ISIL has brutally targeted all groups who do not fit their narrow world view including some Sunnis, Shia, and religious and ethnic minority groups. In Syria, as in Iraq, ISIL has committed widespread atrocities, including torture, murder, the taking and execution of hostages sexual violence, and forcible displacement.

We have seen in Syria a trend of foreign fighter travel for the purposes of participating in the conflict – largely driven on an unprecedented scale by global connectivity that is available through the internet and social media. ISIL operates an extremely sophisticated propaganda machine and disseminates timely, high-quality media content on multiple platforms, including on social media. We have seen ISIL use a range of media to attempt to aggrandize its military capabilities, including showcasing the executions of captured soldiers, and evidence of consecutive battlefield victories resulting in territorial gains. More recently, the group’s supporters have sustained this momentum on social media by encouraging attacks in the United States and against U.S. interests in retaliation for our airstrikes. ISIL has also used its propaganda campaign to draw foreign fighters to the group, including many from Western countries.

It is difficult to provide a precise figure of the total number of foreign fighters in Syria, though the best available estimates indicate that approximately 12,000 fighters from at least 50 countries – including over 100 U.S. persons – may have traveled to Syria to fight for ISIL or al-Nusrah Front since the beginning of the conflict. These fighters not only exacerbate regional instability, but create real threats to U.S. interests and our allies. We are working closely with countries affected by the foreign fighter problem set to counter the threat these fighters pose. As we have built a common picture of the threat with our allies, so, too, we continue our efforts to build consensus around joint initiatives and complementary approaches to sustain a broad and comprehensive approach.

Securing U.S. Borders

The Department of State works closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to support its mission in protecting the United States by promoting effective aviation and border security screening with our foreign partners through enhanced information sharing. For example, an important effort in our counterterrorism work is Homeland Security Presidential Directive Six (HSPD-6), a post-9/11 White House initiative. Through HSPD-6, the State Department works with the Terrorist Screening Center to negotiate the exchange of identities of known or suspected terrorists with foreign partners to enhance our mutual border screening efforts.

The Terrorist Screening Center implements these agreements with foreign partners. These agreements allow partners to namecheck incoming flights to their countries, which helps us deter terrorist travel, creating an extra layer of security for the United States.

HSPD-6 agreements or arrangements are a pre-requisite to participate in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). To date, we have forty-three such agreements in place which includes VWP partners, and we continue to actively seek out new partners.

The Department of State also works closely with its partners at the Department of Homeland Security to strengthen global aviation security by engaging foreign partners in bolstering aviation screening at last point of departure (LPD) airports with direct flights to the United States to identify and prevent known or suspected terrorists from boarding commercial flights.

Foreign Terrorist Fighters

Additionally, the Department of State is leading interagency efforts to engage with foreign partners to prevent in the first place and, where possible, to interdict foreign extremist travel to Syria. We strongly believe that a whole-of-government approach is the only way to truly address the threat, and we work closely with our interagency colleagues to facilitate comprehensive approaches. This work includes facilitating information exchanges with foreign partners, building partner capacity, and developing shared objectives focused on addressing the foreign fighter threat. Ambassador Robert Bradtke, Senior Advisor for Partner Engagement on Syria Foreign Fighters, leads this work for the State Department and has met with officials from European Union member countries, North Africa, the Gulf, the Balkans, and East Asia and Pacific, to discuss and examine our shared serious concerns about the foreign terrorist fighter threat. Ambassador Bradtke and other Department counterparts have led sustained efforts to urge reform and build capacity for whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches to counter this threat, notably encouraging information sharing and border security, legal reform and criminal justice, and countering violent extremism.

Important progress has been made, but more work remains. Countries in the Balkans recently have adopted or are considering more comprehensive counterterrorism laws. In the Gulf, countries such as Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have increased penalties related to terrorist financing and several have established the necessary architecture to enforce their counterterrorism laws more effectively, such as Kuwait’s newly created Financial Intelligence Unit and Qatar’s establishment of a charity abuse review board.

Some of our partners have implemented legal reforms aimed more directly at countering foreign terrorist fighters. For example, traveling overseas to participate in combat has been newly criminalized in the Balkans, Canada, and Jordan. The United Kingdom and Indonesia have banned participation in groups such as ISIL, while Malaysia has publicly opposed ISIL and its activities.

Countries have taken a variety of steps under existing laws and regulations to inhibit foreign fighter’s resources or travel. Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and eight European countries have the authority to revoke the passports of suspected foreign fighters.

The European Council recently called for the accelerated implementation of EU measures in support of Member States to combat foreign fighters, including finalizing an EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) proposal by the end of this year, and increasing cooperation with partner nations such as the United States to strengthen border and aviation security in the region.

In all our efforts with our partners, we stress the importance of – and facilitate implementation of – adhering to a rule of law framework. We are encouraged by these and other reforms to counter the foreign fighter threat. While we have seen progress, our efforts must be sustained and intensified. We will continue to work closely with partners, particularly those in the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe in the coming months to enhance cooperation and build on efforts to date.

Multilateral Initiatives and the Global Counterterrorism Forum

We are also working the foreign terrorist fighter issue actively on the multilateral front. The week of September 24, President Obama will chair a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Summit on the rising threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, no matter their religious ideology or country of origin. This rare UNSC leader-level session is the first U.S.-hosted Head of Government-level UNSC session since President Obama led a UNSC Summit on non-proliferation in September 2009, and it presents a unique opportunity to demonstrate the breadth of international consensus regarding the foreign terrorist fighter threat and to build momentum for policy initiatives on this topic at home and abroad. In addition to a briefing from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and brief remarks from leaders of all 15 UNSC members, this summit is expected to adopt a U.S.-drafted UNSC Resolution during the session.

That same week, Secretary Kerry and Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu (chah-voosh-OH-loo) will co-chair a Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) ministerial meeting, where GCTF members will adopt the first-ever set of global good practices to address the foreign terrorist fighter threat (FTF) and launch a working group dedicated to working with GCTF members and non-members alike to mobilize resources and expertise to advance their implementation. The good practices cover the four central aspects of the phenomenon: (1) radicalizing to violent extremism; (2) recruitment and facilitation; (3) travel and fighting; and, (4) return and reintegration. They are also intended to shape bilateral or multilateral technical or other capacity-building assistance that is provided in this area. This effort will allow our practitioners and other experts to continue to share expertise and broaden skills in addressing the FTF challenge.

Conclusion

We remain deeply supportive of DHS’ efforts to protect the U.S. homeland and make every effort to support its work through diplomatic engagement.

The State Department is involved in an array of activities to counter terrorism and the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, such as capacity building, countering terrorist finance, and countering violent extremism, my State Department colleagues would be happy to brief Congress about these lines of effort at another time.

Our terrorist adversaries are nimble, and given the vitally important imperative to protect the United States and to stay “one step ahead,” we should ensure that the tools of civilian power continue to adapt to serve national security. As I hope you will agree, we have focused and sharpened our efforts, but there remains much to do.

I look forward to answering your questions and working closely with you in making the United States safer, in conjunction with our friends and allies across the globe.

WHITE HOUSE VIDEO: PRESIDENT OBAMA ADDRESSES THE NATION ON THE ISIL THREAT

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON PRESIDENT'S STRATEGY TO COUNTER ISIL

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET: Strategy to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses a clear threat to the people of Iraq and Syria, and to the broader Middle East, as well as U.S. persons, allies and interests in the region.  Left unchecked, ISIL could pose a growing threat beyond the region, including to the U.S. homeland.

The United States is meeting this threat with strength and resolve. In recent weeks, we have increased intelligence resources devoted to the threat and sent U.S. personnel to assess the situation on the ground.  We have responded with immediate action to protect Americans in Iraq and to prevent large-scale humanitarian catastrophes, including by conducting over 150 successful airstrikes in Iraq.  These strikes have kept our personnel and facilities in Baghdad and Erbil safe, killed ISIL fighters, destroyed ISIL equipment, protected Iraqi critical infrastructure, and broken ISIL sieges against an Iraqi city and civilians trapped on a mountain.  Along with dozens of international partners, we have provided material support for Iraqi forces to support their fight against ISIL.  Our strikes and resupply efforts have enabled Iraqi forces to take the fight to ISIL on the ground, reclaim key territory, and saved thousands of innocent lives.

Our goal is clear: to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy so that it’s no longer a threat to Iraq, the region, the United States, and our partners.  To achieve this goal, our strategy will be underpinned by a strong coalition of regional and international partners who are willing to commit resources and will to this long-term endeavor. Dozens of countries are already contributing in Iraq – from military to humanitarian support – and in coming days and weeks we will work to strengthen and expand that coalition.

In concert with our coalition partners, the United States will carry out a comprehensive strategy to defeat ISIL and deny them safe-haven. That strategy harnesses all elements of national power and features the following core elements:

Supporting Effective Governance in Iraq: We have made clear that additional U.S. action depended on Iraq forming an inclusive government, because only a united Iraq -- with a government in Baghdad that has support from all of Iraq’s communities -- can defeat ISIL. A new Iraqi government was formally sworn in on September 8 and we will support it in efforts to govern inclusively and to take significant, concrete steps to address the legitimate grievances and needs of all Iraqis.

Denying ISIL Safe-Haven: The Iraqi Government is taking the fight to ISIL, and will ultimately be the one to defeat it in Iraq. But our Iraqi and regional partners need our support and unique capabilities to blunt ISIL’s advance.  The President announced that we will conduct a systematic campaign of airstrikes against these terrorists. Working with the Iraqi government, we will expand our efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions so that we’re hitting ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense. The President also made clear that we will hunt down terrorists who threaten our country, wherever they are. The President will not hesitate to take direct military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria and in Iraq.  We will degrade ISIL’s leadership, logistical and operational capability, and deny it sanctuary and resources to plan, prepare and execute attacks. Simply put, ISIL will find no safe-haven.

Building Partner Capacity: We will build the capability and capacity of our partners in the region to sustain an effective long-term campaign against ISIL. The President announced that he will send an additional 475 U.S. service members to Iraq to support Iraqi and Kurdish forces with training, intelligence and equipment. In addition to providing weapons, ammunition and equipment, U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) will train and advise Iraqi forces, including Kurdish forces, improving their ability to plan, lead and conduct operations against ISIL. Further, the new Iraqi government has asked for help forming National Guard units that would be recruited locally and be responsible for protecting their own communities and securing areas freed from ISIL's control - a step that, along with long overdue political reforms, can drive a wedge between ISIL and Sunnis who have been alienated by their central government.

The President is also calling on Congress to provide additional authorities and resources to train and equip Syrian opposition fighters in the Continuing Resolution they are debating this work period, so they can defend themselves and their neighborhoods against ISIL incursions and ultimately push back on ISIL forces and the Assad regime. We will strengthen the opposition as the best counterweight to extremists like ISIL, while pursuing the political solution necessary to solve Syria’s crisis once and for all.

The growing and evolving nature of the ISIL threat underscores the importance of the Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund (CTPF).  The CTPF request for $5 billion would allow us to train, build capacity, and facilitate support for partner countries on the front lines of countering shared terrorist threats, both in the region and beyond.  The CTPF includes $500 million for a Department of Defense program to train and equip the Syrian opposition as described above and $1 billion to build resiliency in the states neighboring Syria to ensure they can continue to counter threats to their internal stability and to support communities that are contending with refugees.

Enhancing Intelligence Collection on ISIL:  Continuing to gain more fidelity on ISIL’s capabilities, plans, and intentions is central to our strategy to degrade and ultimately destroy the group.  Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance flights and other important efforts will strengthen our ability to understand this threat, as well as to share vital information with our Iraqi and other regional partners to enable them to effectively counter ISIL.  

Disrupting ISIL’s Finances:  ISIL’s expansion over the past year has given it access to significant and diverse sources of funding.  The U.N. Security Council resolution that passed unanimously in August demonstrated the broad international consensus to disrupt ISIL’s finances.   We are already working aggressively with our partners on a coordinated approach that includes:  reducing ISIL’s revenue from oil and assets it has plundered; limiting ISIL’s ability to extort local populations; stemming ISIL’s gains from kidnapping for ransom; and disrupting the flow of external donations to the group.  Our domestic laws also provide additional tools in this effort, enabling us to sanction or prosecute those who fund ISIL’s activities.

Exposing ISIL’s True Nature: Clerics around the world have spoken up in recent weeks to highlight ISIL’s hypocrisy, condemning the group’s barbarity and criticizing its self- proclaimed “caliphate.” We will work with our partners throughout the Muslim world to highlight ISIL’s hypocrisy and counter its false claim to be acting in the name of religion.

Disrupting the Flow of Foreign Fighters:  Foreign terrorist fighters are ISIL’s lifeblood, and a global security threat—with citizens of nearly 80 countries filling its ranks.  Over 100 foreign fighters from the United States have traveled or attempted to travel to the conflict.  On September 24, the United States will convene an historic Summit-level meeting of the UN Security Council, focused on this issue.

Protecting the Homeland: We will continue to use the criminal justice system as a critical tool in our counterterrorism toolbox.  Federal criminal laws provide a sound basis to prosecute those who provide material support to ISIL or who conspire with ISIL to plot attacks at home or abroad.   With respect to aviation security, we will work with air carriers to implement responsible threat-based security and screening requirements, and provide additional screening to individuals suspected of affiliation with ISIL.  Finally, we will counter violent extremism here at home, including tailored domestic programs to prevent violent extremism and radicalization in order to intervene with at-risk individuals before they become radicalized toward violence and decide to travel abroad to Syria and Iraq to join ISIL.

Humanitarian Support:  We and our partners will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the displaced and vulnerable in Iraq and Syria. We will also continue to work with host governments to mitigate the humanitarian and economic effects of the conflict in neighboring countries, recognizing that the refugee crisis calls on our common humanity and presents a significant challenge to regional stability.  As ISIL seeks to destroy the diversity of the territories it terrorizes, we will continue to work to help prevent mass atrocities, particularly against vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities.

NASA VIDEO: RAPIDSCAT: NASA'S NEWEST WIND WATCHER

DOD NEWS NOW VIDEO: 1500 SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

DOD VIDEO: ONE COLONEL RELIVES THE TERROR OF 9/11

YOSEMITE WILDFIRE ENDANGERS VISITORS IN BACK-COUNTRY

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park. Caption by Adam Voiland.

FROM:  NASA  

People come to Yosemite National Park expecting awe-inspiring views and great camping amidst the park’s granite peaks and forested lowlands. In September 2014, some visitors got much more than that.

A small wildfire had been burning in Yosemite for weeks before it suddenly quadrupled in size in early September due to strong winds and high temperatures. Park authorities needed helicopters to evacuate dozens of visitors from back-country locations on September 7, 2014, including 85 climbers airlifted from the summit of Half Dome and approximately 100 hikers picked up from campgrounds in Little Yosemite Valley. Several people posted photographs of the evacuation to social media sites as they were being ferried away.

A NASA satellite orbiting 725 kilometers (450 miles) overhead captured images of the Meadow fire from above on September 7, 2014. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the top image of wildfire activity in Little Yosemite Valley. Red outlines indicate hot spots where MODIS detected the unusually warm land surface temperatures associated with fires. The lower image was taken by Yosemite National Park staff on September 7, 2014. Half Dome is on the left, with a smoke plume rising from Little Yosemite Valley to its right.

Lightning first ignited the Meadow fire on July 20. For several weeks, park officials let the small, high-altitude (8,000 feet or 2,440 meters) blaze burn in order to preserve the park’s natural fire patterns and because it posed no threat to public safety, according to The Los Angeles Times. Indeed, the fire had burned just 19 acres (8 hectares) over the first 49 days.

Then winds surged on September 7 and the Meadow fire suddenly flared up. By September 8, the fire had charred 2,582 acres (1,044 hectares). Though it is large enough to provoke dramatic photographs from the ground, the fire is small compared to California’s largest fires. For comparison, the Happy Camp Complex fire in northern California has burned more than 99,000 acres and was only partly contained as of the same date.

Visit Worldview, a satellite image-browsing tool maintained by the MODIS Rapid Response Team, to track the fires over time.

References and Related Reading

ABC7News (2014, September 8) Meadow Fire in Yosemite Grows to 2,600 acres. Accessed September 8, 2014.

CAL FIRE (2014, September) Statistics. Accessed September 8, 2014.
Huffington Post (2014, September 7) Half Dome Hikers Evacuated By Helicopter As Wildfire Rages In Yosemite National Park. Accessed September 8, 2014.

The Los Angeles Times (2014, September 7) Fierce winds push Yosemite blaze to 700 acres. Accessed September 8, 2014.

NASA Earth Observatory (2014, September 7) Yosemite’s Granite. Accessed September 8, 2014.

U.S. Drought Monitor (2014, August 19) California. Accessed September 8, 2014.

Yosemite National Park (2014, September 8) Meadow Fire. Accessed September 8, 2014.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Photo courtesy of Yosemite National Park. Caption by Adam Voiland.

U.S. REMARKS AT SECURITY COUNCIL STAKEOUT ON UNMIL

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

U.S. Mission to the United Nations: Remarks at the Security Council Stakeout on UNMIL

09/09/2014 04:35 PM EDT

AS DELIVERED 

Hi, good afternoon. Before I go into today’s consultation, I have one quick Presidency-related scheduling update. The President’s—President Obama’s-- Foreign Terrorist Fighter Summit is now scheduled for Wednesday, September 24 at 3:00 p.m.

Now, let me briefly summarize what transpired in the Security Council this morning. You’ve all seen this morning’s briefing in the open chamber, so I’ll start with a readout of consultations.

The Special Representative Karin Landgren updated the Council on the efforts of UNMIL to support the Liberian and international response to the Ebola outbreak. Council members expressed support for the Secretary-General’s recommended three-month technical roll-over of UNMIL’s mandate.

Regarding the Ebola outbreak itself, The Special Representative discussed how the outbreak has put some of UNMIL’s tasks on hold, but she stressed that UNMIL’s presence and its operations remain critical, especially as the international community surges health care personnel into Liberia. She also discussed UNMIL's engagement with the region, including with NGOs, to coordinate support for the response.

Special Representative Landgren reviewed UN efforts to step up protection of UNMIL staff, noting the very low risk of transmission to UN personnel, and their efforts to provide education about the disease, which is preventable and controllable.

Council members then discussed the ways in which the Security Council might do more to support the international mobilization effort.

Speaking in my national capacity, I want to reiterate the United States’ strong support for the work of the men and women of UNMIL and to express our deep appreciation for the troops, police, and civilians who are serving in the Mission.

The United States takes very seriously the concerns that some countries have expressed about the safety of their peacekeepers in UNMIL. At the same time, we have to avoid panic and fear. I would like to reiterate that this disease is preventable, and this outbreak is controllable.

The United States has reviewed the safety protocols UNMIL is taking and we believe that they are appropriate and that they are being followed. We feel confident in the safety of our own troops and police working in the mission. And our Embassy in Liberia remains open.

We are working closely with the UN, including with the World Health Organization, the Senior UN System Ebola Coordinator, David Nabarro, and others on further steps that we, and the broader international community, can take to address this crisis.

Today, the United States has more than 100 specialists in disease-control, planning, logistics, and operations drawn from across our governments working on the ground in the affected countries. More are on their way. In fact, by the end of next week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, alone, will have more than 100 disease experts in West Africa to battle Ebola.

To date, the U.S. Government has spent more than $100 million to address the Ebola outbreak and USAID has announced plans to make available up to $75 million in additional funding. We’ve announced financial support to the African Union for the urgent deployment of trained and equipped medical workers to West Africa, which will represent the single largest injection of critical personnel to the region to help combat the Ebola outbreak. And yesterday our Department of Defense announced that it would deploy a field hospital to Liberia.

There is much work to be done and a full global response will require our collective resources and conviction that we can stop this outbreak as we have done with previous ones. But no one national government, no single UN office or no NGO can manage this alone.

It is imperative that we, as an international community, get serious about addressing the public health, humanitarian and security effects of this outbreak, and I believe we need to have a conversation about what role the Security Council should play in that.

There is a way forward, but it’s one that we have to take together.

Thank you. And with that, I’m happy to take a few questions.

Reporter: Ambassador, in your capacity – in your international capacity, sorry - and as host country for UNGA , what measures is the United States going to be taking to make sure that there’s no transmission of the virus here at headquarters during ministerial week when people come from 193 countries around the world? Port Authority, Health Homeland Security, who’s involved?

Ambassador Power: Well, first let me say that we have, in August, gone through something analogous in the sense that the United States hosted the African Leaders Summit in Washington and we had large delegations coming from many of the countries where infections have been noted. We have state, local, and federal cooperation on this, coordination with the United Nations. The Center for Disease Control has been in touch, again, with the Homeland Security and the other parts of the U.S. government that are responsible for monitoring the flow in and out of the United States as well as in touch, of course, with us here at the Mission and the staff working at the UN itself around procedures and protocols. And I think we feel very confident that we have the necessary safeguards in place.

Reporter: Ambassador, you just mentioned that a conversation in the security council maybe needs to happen. What role do you think the security council can play in tackling this outbreak?

Ambassador Power: Well, I think, without getting ahead of the Council itself, because we really are I think now in very intensive and urgent conversations, the Security Council is responsible with dealing with threats to peace and security. The fact that we just had a, you know, nearly 3-hour discussion of the – not only the Ebola crisis itself, but the knock-on effects of the Ebola crisis on the Liberian economy, on the fragile political situation in the country, and on security and the outbreak of violence, I think already indicates that the Security Council is embracing that responsibility. But this is a regional crisis, and so I think we need to look at the ways in which we can bring all of the relevant stakeholders together to discuss the necessary coordination, to raise the profile of the issue. I don’t think anybody can say right now that the response – the international response – to the Ebola outbreak is sufficient. None of us would say that that is the case. And given the threat, again, posed by the Ebola outbreak, if the response is not yet sufficient, then we in the Security Council, just as the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the African Union, every organization and every single member state in the international community needs to be looking at how we up our game.

Reporter: On terrorism, we witnessed in Lebanon the beheading of two soldiers – Lebanese soldiers – by terrorists. To what extent you think can Lebanon and other countries in the region can play a role in this fight against terrorism?

Ambassador Power: Well, first, let me state the obvious, which is how monstrous and horrific the beheadings have been. As you know the United States has seen two of our own also killed by these vile terrorists who call themselves, again, a part of this terrorist organization. Their crimes have spread from Syria, in the first instance, into Iraq; and now we are seeing what they are capable of, of course, in Lebanon. I think what we have seen in the wake of the United States’ involvement in this effort, as the President has put it, to destroy – to degrade and destroy ISIL is overwhelming support from the international community for that effort. And without getting into the specifics of what every country has offered, whether it’s in the realm of humanitarian assistance, or air strikes, or military support for the Iraqis and the Kurds, in the first instance, or for the Lebanese armed forces, we are seeing, again, an overwhelming show of support for this idea of the international community coming together in a coalition to degrade and destroy a movement that carries out beheadings and that terrorizes everybody who they come in contact with.

I would just take this occasion to commend the government in Lebanon because Lebanon is also sheltering more than a million Syrians who have fled from that crisis. And the fact that Lebanon, notwithstanding its own history, notwithstanding the delicate balance – political and security balance that exists within the country – the fact that the Lebanese people and the Lebanese government have embraced their role as a safe haven for truly vulnerable people who are fleeing either the Assad regime or a terrorist like those from ISIL, I think is a real tribute to the solidarity the Lebanese have shown. And it’s our responsibility as an international community to join in solidarity with Lebanon as it now deals with, you know, one of now what are becoming innumerable manifestations of the terror inflicted by ISIL.

Reporter: Thank you, Madame Ambassador. Stephane Dujarric, the UN Spokesman, just said that the Secretary General spoke to President Obama yesterday and the Secretary General told him that he plans to hold a high-level meeting on Ebola on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Is this something that President Obama will attend and is this something that in light of what you just said about what the Security Council is discussing could actually help put a global spotlight on what’s needed to combat this disease?

Ambassador Power: Thank you, Edi. Let me say a couple things. First, President Obama from the beginning of this outbreak has made clear that this is – that we view this as a national security priority in addition to a grave threat to human life. And President Obama, I think, over the weekend, made very clear our intention to do everything we can to help mobilize the international community. The Secretary General has himself come out and said we need a surge. The resources that UN member states are providing and that private donors are providing are not sufficient. So, I think that what you are seeing is the Secretary General and the President of the United States seeing this crisis in very, very similar terms. President Obama has said he will lend whatever support he can to the Secretary General’s efforts to mobilize resources around a UN appeal.

We also, as a government – the United States government has reached out to many of the troop contributing countries and police contributing countries to UNMIL, to offer our assurances that the protocols we have – we have looked at the protocols and the procedures UNMIL has put in places as I mentioned and to offer our view that these are sufficient and that UNMIL is being very careful in terms of the welfare of its personnel. And again, we have kept our people within UNMIL, notwithstanding the outbreak of this crisis. So, I’m not going to speak to, you know – I think we don’t yet have the details about what the Secretary General’s event is going to entail. But I can tell you on the basis of the conversation we just had in the Council, that everyone in that Council acting in their national capacities – and I’m quite confident us as a collective will be interested in thinking how we can do everything in our power between today and whenever that event occurs to optimize the outcome, and to ensure that the contributions made whether in terms of logistic support, whether in terms of transportation of medical workers into the country, whether in terms of money to pay for medication, to pay for health salaries – we just heard about how many Liberian health workers are risking their lives to deal with the Ebola outbreak have not been paid in 3-5 months – so, we need a division of labor. No one country is going to be able to manage the Ebola crisis response. The Secretary General’s leadership is invaluable, and the United States stands ready to support him in any way we can.

Thank you.

TWO CHARGED BY SEC FOR ROLES IN OFFSHORE MONEY LAUNDERING SCHEME

FROM:  U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

The Securities and Exchange Commission charged two individuals managing an offshore business intended to help clients evade U.S. securities laws with concealing the ownership of certain microcap stocks as part of a larger money laundering scheme alleged by criminal authorities.

Under the federal securities laws, beneficial owners of more than 5 percent of certain stocks are required to report their acquisition and ownership of those stocks to the SEC and the investing public.  The SEC alleges that Belize residents Robert Bandfield and Andrew Godfrey through a company called IPC Corporate Services have helped clients who own significant amounts of thinly-traded microcap stocks avoid these reporting requirements.  They created associated companies through which the clients could hide their ownership and spread the shares so that none of them contained more than 5 percent of the stock of any particular microcap issuer.  They stressed to their clients the importance of staying below the 5 percent reporting threshold for each associated entity.  However, because Bandfield and IPC owned the associated entities used in this arrangement, they assumed beneficial ownership of all the clients’ shares of these microcap stocks.  Therefore, IPC and Bandfield were themselves required to report their beneficial ownership of more than 5 percent in each stock.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York today announced criminal charges against Bandfield and Godfrey for violations of other federal laws extending beyond the SEC’s purview.

“The federal securities laws provide investors the right to know when an individual or entity owns and controls more than 5 percent of a stock because purchases or sales by that major shareholder can have the potential to sway the stock price in one direction or another,” said Michael Paley, Co-Chair of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Microcap Fraud Task Force.  “Bandfield with Godfrey’s assistance designed an offshore system to deliberately keep the rest of the market from knowing that someone owned significant amounts of particular stocks.  In microcap stock schemes like these that extend even beyond securities laws violations, we will continue to work with criminal authorities to bring wrongdoers to justice for the full extent of their crimes.”

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and related SEC rules require beneficial owners of more than 5 percent of a class of stock of certain companies to file Schedule 13D or 13G.  The SEC’s complaint charges IPC and Bandfield with repeated failures to make these filings, thus violating Section 13 of the Exchange Act and Rule 13d-1.  Godfrey is charged with aiding and abetting those violations.  The SEC’s complaint seeks monetary relief and permanent injunctions against IPC, Bandfield, and Godfrey.

The SEC’s investigation is continuing.  The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service, and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

READOUT: PRESIDENT OBAMA'S CALL WITH KING ABDULLAH OF SAUDI ARABIA

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Readout of the President’s Call with His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

President Obama called His Majesty King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today to discuss their shared concerns regarding the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, in advance of the President’s comments to the American  people later today.  The President thanked King Abdullah for hosting Secretary John Kerry in Jeddah this week for a meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, to advance efforts to build a regional and international coalition to counter ISIL in Iraq and Syria.

The President and the King agreed on the need for increased training and equipping of the moderate Syrian opposition, consistent with the proposal that President Obama has made to the United States Congress.  President Obama welcomed Saudi Arabia’s support for this  program.  Both leaders agreed that a stronger Syrian opposition is essential to confronting extremists like ISIL as well as the Assad regime, which has lost all legitimacy.

President Obama and King Abdullah also discussed developments in Yemen, and reiterated their shared commitment to support President Hadi and the Yemeni government in achieving a sustainable resolution to current tensions with the Houthi movement within the framework of the GCC Initiative transition process.

The President and King Abdullah pledged to continue their close consultations on these and a range of strategic regional issues, consistent with the longstanding U.S.-Saudi strategic partnership and the leadership role that Saudi Arabia plays in the region.

SECRETARY KERRY'S PRESS AVAILABILITY IN BAGHDAD, IRAQ ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Press Availability in Baghdad, Iraq

Press Availability

John Kerry

Secretary of State

Embassy Baghdad

Baghdad, Iraq

September 10, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, good afternoon, everybody. Let me apologize up front for, number one, being a little late, but two, because we’re running a little late and I have an important meeting in Amman, we’re going to have to be a little bit curtailed on the questions, and I apologize for that.

I really am delighted to be here today in Baghdad on the heels of such an important moment for the Iraqi people just one day after they have completed a very critical and very difficult task of forming a government. And the fact that the Iraqis were able to overcome such deep sectarian and ethnic divides and approve a new and inclusive government is really a great accomplishment.

They were able to do this – the fact that they were able to do this peacefully in the midst of unspeakable terror and violence and bloodshed is nothing short of historic. And it’s a true signal that Iraq and the leaders they have chosen are committed at this moment to the democratic future that so many Iraqis have sacrificed everything to bring about.

Obviously, the hard work is very far from over. We all know that. In many ways, it’s just beginning. Establishing a government doesn’t mean a lot if it is not able to govern effectively or doesn’t govern inclusively, and it particularly needs to govern inclusively in order to represent the interests of all the Iraqi people.

I was encouraged – very encouraged, as a matter of fact, because I’ve been here many times in many meetings, and I have never in any of those meetings seen a unanimity, without compliant, of a sense of direction and commitment to the concept of inclusivity and of addressing the unaddressed issues of the last eight years or more. I was encouraged by the commitment that I heard from all of the leaders that I met with today, but a particular clarity from Prime Minister Abadi, from President Masum, and from Speaker Jabouri.

Each of them restated their deep commitment to coming together in order to solve the immediate problems of inclusivity, of oil, of federalism, of the budget, of de-Baathification – all of those issues that have confounded Iraq for these past years and divided it. They understand the road traveled, and they understand the road they want to travel, and they don’t want to go backwards.

They all stated their commitment to the national plan, and that plan was developed specifically to address these longstanding grievances that have been an obstacle to Iraq’s prosperity and security for far too long, including, I might add, issues with respect to their security forces, the nature of those security forces, the makeup of those security forces, the inclusivity of those forces itself, the regional autonomy issues, the devolution of power, questions of the constitution, and particularly the allocation of Iraq’s budget.

The national plan also calls for the establishment of locally rooted security structures that are directly integrated into the Iraqi security forces. This national guard, as it has been called, will protect the population of Iraqi cities and towns, and it will also deny space for ISIL. As it does that, it is going to be the key to guaranteeing that Iraq’s territorial integrity can be kept intact and, in fact, unthreatened.

I was also encouraged to learn today that Prime Minister Abadi is very focused on this national guard and plans to accelerate its formulation during his first cabinet meeting this week. The United States is prepared to provide technical advice and assistance in order to help the Iraqis move this very important initiative forward. Now, implementing the national plan effectively is going to require patience and it’s going to require further compromise. But it’s the only way that Iraq has any hope of actually securing the effective, inclusive government that the Iraqi people demand and deserve.

Today, President Obama asked me to come here not just to build a coalition, not just to talk to the Iraqis about the road forward here at this moment, but also to underscore to the people of Iraq that the United States will stand by them in this effort. We stand by Iraq as it continues to build a government that meets the needs of each of Iraq’s diverse communities, and we stand by them as they fight to overcome the single greatest threat that their government, their families, and their neighbors face today, and that’s ISIL.

ISIL claims to be fighting on behalf of Islam, but the fact is that its hateful ideology has nothing to do with Islam. ISIL is a manifestation of evil, a vicious terrorist organization, and it is an organization that achieves its goals only through violence, repression, and destruction. Fed by illicit funding and a stream of foreign fighters, it has seized territory and terrorized the people who live there regardless of their sect or ethnicity. There is literally no place for their barbarity in the modern world. And this is a fight that the Iraqi people must win, but it’s also a fight that the rest of the world needs to win with them. And it’s a fight the United States and the rest of the world need to support every single step of the way.

As President Obama has made clear from the beginning, a new and inclusive Iraqi Government has to be the engine of our global strategy against ISIL. And now that the Iraqi parliament has approved a new cabinet with new leaders and representation from all Iraqi communities, it’s full speed ahead. And President Obama a few hours from now will lay out his strategy for taking America, Iraq, the region, and the world forward with respect to this challenge. We need to continue to drive this strategy over these next days with intensity.

Already, we and nearly 40 other countries, even as I speak now, are already contributing military, humanitarian, and other assistance to aid the campaign against ISIL. And to date, with the help of our international partners, the United States has launched more than 150 airstrikes in order to weaken ISIL and protect the innocent people that it seeks to harm, and also to specifically help to break the siege in Amirli, to help to break the siege at the Mosul Dam and at Sinjar Mountain, with success in each of those instances.

In addition, together with willing allies, the international community has dropped – airdropped food and medical supplies to Iraqi families, including the 1.8 million people who have been displaced due to ISIL’s brutality. And today I can tell you that we’ll be providing another $48 million to UN agencies, other international organizations, and NGOs that are working tirelessly to save lives and to alleviate suffering.

When the world hears from President Obama this evening, he will lay out with great specificity each component of a broad strategy in order to deal with ISIL. And in the days ahead I will be meeting with leaders from across the region and beyond in order to discuss how can we best build on the work that has already been done and to assemble the broadest possible coalition for this fight.

Nearly every country on Earth could have an ability and an interest to join in this effort, whether by providing military assistance, by helping to track and stop the flow of foreign fighters, helping to track and stop the flow of money. All of these are things that sustain ISIL’s terrorism, and all of them are things that are subject to impact by other countries in the world. Also, those countries – many others, particularly in the Muslim world, can join together in defining the real Islam and making it clear that there is no legitimacy whatsoever within ISIL for any of the claims that they make with respect to a religious foundation for their Caliphate, their state, or for their actions. It is necessary for moderate, reasonable people around the world to repudiate the distortion of Islam that ISIL seeks to spread and to contribute, as they do, to the urgent humanitarian relief effort that is required because of their barbarity.

We all have an interest in supporting the new Government of Iraq at this particular critical juncture. The coalition that’s at the heart of our global strategy, I assure you, will continue to grow and deepen in the days ahead, including at the UN General Assembly in New York later this month. And that is because the United States and the world will simply not stand by and watch as ISIL’s evil spreads. We all know – I think we come to this with great confidence that ultimately our global coalition will succeed in eliminating the threat from Iraq, from the region, and from the world. And in the doing so, we have an opportunity to build a broader coalition that can focus on lots of other challenges within this region and to prove the ability of nations to come together for common cause and to make a difference in strengthening the long-term security of all of those nations in the region and elsewhere.

So this is a moment for international cooperation to prove its value. This is a moment for multilateralism to prove its value and have its effect. This is a moment for all decent countries to come together and stand up and say to the world that we’ve had enough of these individual groups with their violent brand of distortion who seek to dominate people and coerce them, at risk of losing their life or limb, to their way of thinking. That is not what the global order or the norms of behavior have happily stood for for many, many years now, and they’re not going to start to now.

So that’s our challenge, and I’m very, very pleased with the constructive meetings that I had here in Iraq to begin this effort, to grow this coalition as rapidly as possible and put us in a position to move forward.

MS. PSAKI: The first question will be from Lara Jakes of the Associated Press.

QUESTION: Thank you. Mr. Secretary, you just outlined a list of plans the new government says it will undertake to make Iraq more inclusive. What tangible and specific assurances did you hear today to make you believe that those promises would be kept? Earlier, you also heard the prime minister say that Iraq cannot cross the border to fight the Islamic State and that he was looking to the international community and the United States for that kind of help. What --

SECRETARY KERRY: Say that last – again?

QUESTION: Right, so --

SECRETARY KERRY: Earlier?

QUESTION: You’ve heard the prime minister say that Iraq cannot cross the border to fight the Islamic State and that he was looking for the international community and the United States for that kind of help. So what kind specific and tangible assurances did you give him that the United States would provide that kind of help?

And additionally, it’s believed that American and Iranian allied forces helped break the siege of Amirli. Is the U.S. now willing to work with Iran going forward to help defeat the Islamic State?

And finally --

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I’ve got to --

QUESTION: -- the OPCW concluded that toxic chemicals were used in attacks in northern Syria earlier this year. Do you know who is behind those attacks, and does this change anything about the U.S. strategy in Syria?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, to answer the last part of the question first, we do not have detailed information about specifically who issued an order, as we did on August the 21st event. We do not have specific information about what entity delivered it. We have lots of circumstantial evidence, as we did prior to August 21st of last year. But there is a clear pattern of circumstantial evidence that the Assad regime writ large, with some players within that regime have been using chlorine in a form that amounts to a chemical agent, contrary to the ban under the chemical convention treaty.

So while there are indications, they are – they’re still broad and circumstantial. You can draw a conclusion from them, but at this moment we’re looking for a greater degree of detail with respect to any potential actions.

With respect to Iran and the future with respect to efforts against ISIL, Iran obviously is opposed to ISIL. And then Iran is taking its own actions and has taken its own actions with respect to ISIL. The United States does not cooperate, militarily or otherwise, nor does it have any intention in this process of doing so, with Iran. Whatever they do is collateral and on their own. And we will pursue our own coalition over the course of these next weeks.

The first part of your question was --

QUESTION: It was about what assurances did you hear from the Iraqis.

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh.

QUESTION: And what assurances did you give them?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, every – as I said, I think, in my opening comments, every single leader that I talked to today in the strongest terms possible affirmed that they had learned lessons over these last years. Some of these leaders are – people that we know well – were opposed to things that were happening in the last years that were pulling Iraq apart. Some of them were advocating alternative actions that might have held Iraq together at an earlier stage. So we have a base of credibility, if you will, in the background and history of some of the leaders that have now come to the forefront in this new government.

But in addition, they came together organized around principle. And the fundamental principle of organization for this entire new government thus far has been we must move in a different direction from the direction that has existed in these last years. And that direction was one of sectarian division, of exploitation of divisions, of political retribution, even political arrests, political accusations. There were a host of different grievances that had built up that brought people to the brink of an utter breakdown in Iraq. And they came together determined to move to address the questions that had been left unaddressed – the oil issues, the revenue issues, the budget issues, the devolution of power, the nature of the Iraqi security forces, the rise of militias, the isolation of certain sectarian groups from the sharing of power. All of these issues are what have brought them now to a new national program that they have articulated and rearticulated and today recommitted to.

So what I know is we will get a best effort to achieve it. Can I tell you that every one of these things will happen in the next days or weeks? No, obviously I can’t do that. But I can tell you there’s a determination on their part to try to make it work, and the United States and other countries are going to be committed to work with them to help that to happen. The stakes are too high; failure is unacceptable. And that’s essentially what I heard from all of them. They know they need to succeed, and I believe they’re committed to it. And I heard that reaffirmed in many different ways today.

QUESTION: And your assurances to the Iraqi Government?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, our assurances are that as long as they are moving in that direction, as long as they are committed to this pluralism, as long as they’re committed to diversity, as long as they’re committed to inclusivity, as long as they’re going to protect minorities within Iraq, as long as they are going to follow through on their promises, we are committed to work them and to help them in that effort – not just because we need to do that in order to fight ISIL, but because the United States has had already years of engagement and commitment and invested very, very heavily in life and in financial treasure in order to get – give Iraq the chance for this future. I think these leaders understand that and they’re committed to try to make their best efforts.

The road to democracy is never easy, but we’re going to work as hard as we can, jointly, and particularly driven by the realities of ISIL and the need for all of us to coordinate to that effect. I will say and announce now that just before I came here Prince Saud al-Faisal called me to confirm that Saudi Arabia is inviting Iraq’s foreign minister to join tomorrow in the conference in Jeddah based on the affirmations that have been made by this government to be a different government, to move in a different direction. So the possibilities are there. They – the end product is going to be up to the Government of Iraq to fulfill the aspirations and hopes of the Iraqi people. And we’ll do everything we can to try to help them do that.

MODERATOR: The final question will be from Mohammed Taleb of Al Iraqiya TV.

QUESTION: (In Arabic.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, as-salam alaikum. Let me say to you that President Obama is going to speak to that in a few hours, and he will lay out the details of exactly what we’re going to do. But as I said earlier and we’ve said previously, this is a broad-based comprehensive strategy that is being laid out. And it will not just be reserved to bombs or direct military assistance. It will be comprehensive with Iraqi forces on the ground in Iraq with an army that will be reconstituted and trained and worked on in terms of a number of different strategies through the help not just of the United States but of other countries also. But in – and let me emphasize: Iraq has not asked for American forces on the ground nor other forces and Iraq doesn’t want those other forces here, and we understand that.

In addition, the President of the United States and other leaders of other countries have eliminated the notion of their forces being engaged in direct combat unless, obviously, something very, very dramatic changed. That’s the way it is today, and that’s the way it’s going to be. And the President is building a strategy around that. But as you know, we support the Syrian moderate opposition. In addition, we have talked about plans to grow that support for the Syrian moderate opposition. So there are people who live in these countries who have serious commitments to opposing what is happening there, and they’ve been prepared previously over many years to put their lives on the line in order to fight for what they believe. They believe that with adequate levels of support of various kinds, they can carry that fight. And so do we – we believe that.

So you’ll see tonight from the President’s comments the breadth of each of the areas and what he intends to announce, and I think it’s appropriate for me just to have given you those general comments and then you’ll get the greater details later.

MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thanks, all. Appreciate it.

9/9/14: White House Press Briefing

NSF VIDEO: SCIENCE NATION - PLUM ISLAND ESTUARY: STUDYING HOW MARCHES RESPOND TO SEA LEVEL RISE

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL WORKS WITH TURKEY TO COORDINATE RESPONSE TO ISIL

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Right:  Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz escorts Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel after their meeting at the Ministry of National Defense in Ankara, Turkey, Sept. 8, 2014. DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett  


Hagel Reaffirms Turkey’s Pledge to Help Defeat ISIL
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel yesterday held a series of meetings with government and defense leaders in Turkey’s capital of Ankara to begin coordinating that nation’s role in the NATO coalition forming to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.

Hagel was in Turkey as part of a six-day trip that included participation in the NATO summit in Wales last week and meetings with government and military leaders in Georgia. The secretary’s 16th international trip began Sept. 3 and ends today.

In Ankara, Hagel met with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz and Chief of the General Staff Necdet Ozel.

Afterward, during a roundtable with reporters traveling with him, Hagel noted the consistency of the Turkish government’s commitment to the country’s role as a critically important NATO partner and as a leader in their part of the world.

A democratic, Muslim Turkey

“They are a democratic Muslim country that has done an exceptional job over many years of building an economy and opportunity for their people,” Hagel told the reporters. “When we look around the world … Turkey, I think in many ways, can be seen as a model for engaging and practicing a vibrant democracy.”
Hagel said Turkey will be involved in all efforts, as President Barack Obama articulated on the last day of the NATO Summit, to build a broad international coalition to combat the threat posed by ISIL. The secretary later named the “core coalition” countries as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Turkey.

“ISIL is a threat, as President Obama [and other leaders] have said, to its own region of the world first,” Hagel said. “It's a threat to every country, it’s a threat to every society, and Turkey lives right here.”

Productive discussions

The secretary said his conversations with the Turkish leadership were productive.
“I didn't come here to ask for specific missions that they would take on or specific roles they would perform,” he said. “It’s up to every country to decide what's in their interest, as well as the collective interest of the region and, in Turkey's case, NATO. The main reason I was here today was to start coordinating with the leaders of Turkey on working through some of the challenges as we go forward and think through how we are going to deal with ISIL.”

He said Obama would detail the strategy for dealing with the terrorist group from the U.S. perspective later this week.

“It was very clear to me in my conversations today with the Turkish leaders that they clearly saw that as the overall objective here, when we start thinking through what we're dealing with, both short term and long term,” the secretary said.

Reaffirming Turkey’s commitment

Hagel described the meetings as a reaffirmation of Turkey's commitment to be part of the effort to destroy ISIL and everything ISIL represents to the local region and to all countries.

“Foreign fighters came up in the discussions I had with all the leaders, as did every dimension of what we're dealing with here,” he said. “The issue of foreign fighters has [come] up in every conversation I've had in the last month, whether it was in Australia or India.”

The issue also was a big part of the conversation in Wales, Hagel noted.
All nations are examining the threat of citizens of their own countries participating with ISIL and other dangerous terrorist groups in the Middle East, the secretary added, and are looking for ways to work together to address the threat of foreign fighters. “That's not a military responsibility only,” he added. “It’s law enforcement -- it's all of the departments of each of our governments.”
Resolving the ISIL threat

Hagel said it was clear in his conversations with the president, the prime minister and the defense minister in Ankara that resolving the immediate ISIL threat will involve good, responsible governance.

“That’s what President Obama has talked about in Iraq,” Hagel said, “and I'm looking forward to hearing fairly soon that that a new government under Mr. Abadi in Iraq has been formed. It's the anchor [by] which these countries will have opportunities to go forward.” Last night, several hours after the secretary’s remarks, Iraq's parliament did approve a new government headed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Obama called the prime minister yesterday to congratulate him and the Iraqi people on the new government, according to a White House statement, and applauded the efforts of Abadi and other Iraqi leaders to form a new, broad-based government.

Fighting a common enemy

The president also underscored the need for the United States and Iraq to continue working closely with the international community to build on recent actions to counter the threat posed ISIL, and the Iraqi prime minister expressed his commitment to work with all communities in Iraq and with regional and international partners to strengthen Iraq’s capabilities to fight against the common enemy, the statement said.

Hagel said good governance is important in Iraq, “because the military part of all this is … important, but it's not the only part.” It includes economics and diplomacy, he added, “and … the ability for countries to govern themselves and find opportunities for all their people.”

REMARKS AT UNICEF EXECUTIVE BOARD SECOND REGULAR SESSION

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

U.S. Mission to the United Nations: Remarks at the UNICEF Executive Board Second Regular Session

09/09/2014 05:54 PM EDT

AS DELIVERED 

Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you Executive Director Lake for your remarks. Your statements always allow us to reflect on the impressive range of UNICEF’s truly essential work on behalf of the world’s children every day, often in the most arduous environments. We thank you and UNICEF staff worldwide for your dedication.

Over the last year, we have all seen the devastating impact of a rising scale of mounting and overarching crises – natural disasters, conflicts, and health emergencies, which take a particularly cruel toll on children. As many of these crises have become chronic, children in West Africa, the Central African Republic, the Philippines, Syria, South Sudan, Ukraine, the Middle East, Iraq and elsewhere have suffered unacceptable levels of violence, disruption, and vulnerability to which no child should be subject. UNICEF is vital for children in these kinds of conditions, providing water, medicines, nutrition, education, protection, and critical health services.

Let me particularly highlight the role UNICEF is playing in responding to the recent outbreak of Ebola in West Africa, which could affect almost 20,000 individuals and cause devastating secondary damage to public health infrastructure and economic development in the affected countries for years to come. UNICEF has the trust of local officials and communities and is in a rare position to make a significant difference in reducing suffering, as well as supporting efforts to mitigate secondary effects, and we believe it is critical for UNICEF to have continued flexibility to respond to such complex and evolving emergencies.

We are therefore grateful for UNICEF’s efforts to strengthen capacity for rapid and scaled humanitarian response, such:

Your nominating high caliber and an increasing number of candidates for the Humanitarian Coordinator Pool with tangible incentives for staff to pursue these positions;

Your taking on board the recommendations of evaluations to address gaps and ensure that actions taken are widely understood throughout the organisation;

And your taking the initiative to increase country office preparedness for cluster leadership in high-risk-contexts and improving capacity for cluster leadership.

We welcome any further moves that will ensure more consistent recruitment and training of right-skilled staff for large-scale emergencies, sufficient regular budget allocation to support changing scales of emergency response, better clarity on cluster roles and responsibilities, and increased reliance on joint work with other agencies.

Protection is obviously fundamental, and we welcome UNICEF’s embrace of the Rights Up Front agenda to improve protection of children in emergencies; your work to develop data-driven advocacy around protection; and your actions to improve prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence.

We also look forward to even stronger emphasis on disabilities in all UNICEF activities,with disaggegated assessments to help ensure that children with disabilities have equal access to humanitarian and other forms of assistance.

We also appreciate Director Lake’s candor about the strain on the organization from multiple emergencies, and his call not to lose focus in the face of calamity on the long-term investments we need to make in children’s health and well-being and the developmental work for which UNICEF has long been known.

You also rightly insist that we look with clear eyes at the underlying drivers of risk, that we redouble every effort to remedy them, with a determination not to fail. You have also outlined a compelling path that would help integrate UNICEF’s emergency and development work in a way that builds the resilience of families and communities at all levels. We agree that the divide between humanitarian and development work is artificial, and we should seek every opportunity to bridge it.

UNICEF’s developmental work is widely and deservedly praised: getting children the nutrients they need to survive and thrive; getting the most vulnerable children to school and ready to learn; promoting adequate water and sanitation, food, and health services; working with other agencies to help prevent teenage pregnancy and help young women get access to trained birth attendants; and partnering with countries to advance the Millennium Development goals.

We need you to continue this work and we appreciate UNICEF’s leadership as a strong advocate for children’s priorities in our continuing deliberations over the post-2015 development agenda.

Turning to management issues, we appreciate UNICEF’s continuing dedication to transparency and accountability, including your pioneering tools like the Monitoring Results for Equity System. You have been a leader in the UN system in this regard.

It’s worthy of note that MoRES has now been expanded from 30 countries in 2012 to 80 countries in 2013, enabling more strategic analysis of data and improved results, including through integration of MoRES into countries’ own planning and monitoring systems, which builds capacity, builds comparability, and improves data collection that can improve results.

With regard to resources, we are glad to note UNICEF’s strong financial situation, with total revenue reaching an all-time high of $4.9 billion, nearly $1 billion more than 2012. These figures are a testament to your hard work on partnerships but mainly to the integrity, enduring value, and urgent need for UNICEF’s work. We also note with appreciation that you have dedicated resources where they are needed, including the 27% of revenue this year devoted to children in emergencies.

Turning briefly to the issue of critical mass: in our view, critical mass should simply reflect all the resources necessary for agencies to deliver the results we have agreed in Strategic Plans and integrated budgets. Every dollar is critical for UNICEF’s life-saving work. In the Board’s deliberations, we think the recently agreed decision on critical mass at the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Board will provide a useful basis for moving forward.

Let me then just close in thanking you and all UNICEF staff once again for your leadership, dedication, and determination to champion the world’s most vulnerable children. Thank you.

TRANSPHERIC OZONE - SUMMERS OF SMOG

INTERCEPTOR MISSILE SYSTEM TESTED BY U.S.-ISRAEL

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

U.S., Israel Conduct Joint Test of Interceptor Missile System

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

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2014 – The joint testing of an improved interceptor missile system designed to counter future missile threats went as planned, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren told Pentagon reporters today.

“The Israel Missile Defense Organization of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, conducted an intercept test of the Arrow-2 interceptor missile today,” he said.

“The Arrow-2 is an operational system currently providing the Arrow Weapon System with an interceptor engagement capability,” Warren said.

Israel, the first allied nation to declare its intent to field a missile defense system as a national priority, has collaborated in the past with the MDA on similar testing of capabilities.

This test was conducted at an Israeli test range over the Mediterranean Sea, the colonel said, explaining the testing process.

“An Arrow-2 missile was launched and performed its flight sequence as planned,” Warren said. “The results are being analyzed by program engineers.”
“The test results have no effect on the Israeli operational system capability to cope with the existing threats in the region,” he said.

This test, Warren noted, was an improved version of the joint U.S.-Israel Arrow Weapon System, intended to counter future threats.

NASA VIDEO: ISS SCIENCE GARAGE - AEROPONICS IN SPACE

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSIFYING DOCUMENTS TO AVOID CONTRIBUTIONS TO BENEFIT PLANS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Maryland Man Pleads Guilty to Falsifying Employee Retirement Plan Documents to Avoid Contributing to Benefit Plans

An owner of an electrical contracting company pleaded guilty today to falsifying disclosure documents required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), by intentionally under-reporting hours worked by employees to avoid contractually required contributions to employee benefit plans.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein of the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge Bill Jones of the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations for the Washington, D.C. Regional Office and Director Mark Machiz of the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration Philadelphia Regional Office made the announcement.

At the plea hearing, Michael E. Sewell, 50, of Street, Maryland, admitted that the union agreement between his company, MESCO Inc., and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 24 required him to make monthly contributions to seven employee health, welfare and pension benefit plans, and to file monthly remittance reports with the administrators of those plans.

Beginning in January 2009, however, Sewell began paying some wages earned by MESCO employees from the payroll of a second company he owned, Michael E. Sewell and Associates Inc., and failed to report those wages in monthly remittance reports to the administrator of the benefit plans. In addition, Sewell failed to make the required contributions to the employee benefit plans for those unreported wages. As a result, Sewell failed to contribute over $199,000 to the employee benefit plans. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 30, 2014.

This case was investigated by the Department of Labor and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Vincent Falvo Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Martin J. Clarke of the District of Maryland.

9/8/14: White House Press Briefing

PRESIDENT OBAMA VISITS STONEHENGE

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON FORMATION OF NEW GOVERNMENT IN IRAQ

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks on the Formation of the Iraqi Government

Remarks

John Kerry

Secretary of State

State Department Briefing Room

Washington, DC

September 8, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. Tonight we mark what is unquestionably a major milestone for Iraq, and what President Obama has made clear will be a cornerstone of our efforts against ISIL.

Just a few hours ago, overcoming the obstacle of ethnic and sectarian divides, the Iraqi parliament approved a new and inclusive government, one that has the potential to unite all of Iraq’s diverse communities for a strong Iraq, a united Iraq, and to give those communities the chance to build the future that all Iraqis desire and deserve.

Now is the time for Iraq’s leaders to govern their nation with the same vision and sense of purpose that helped to bring this new government together in the first place. And in that effort, they should know the United States will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Iraqis as they implement their national plan to overcome the longstanding political and economic grievances that have for too long divided their country.

Tonight Iraq has a unity government. Tomorrow I will travel to the Middle East to continue to build the broadest possible coalition of partners around the globe to confront, degrade, and ultimately defeat ISIL.

On Wednesday, President Obama will lay out in even greater detail our coordinated global strategy against ISIL.

As we build this coalition, I want to underscore that almost every single country on Earth has a role to play in eliminating the ISIL threat and the evil that it represents. For some that will mean military assistance, both direct and in the form of training, arming, and advising, equipping. For some it will mean contributing to the desperately needed humanitarian relief effort. For some it will mean helping to identify, track, and cut off ISIL’s funding, and prevent the flow of foreign fighters. For still others it will mean demolishing the distortion of one of the world’s great peaceful religions and counteracting the propaganda ISIL uses to recruit new supporters. And for all it will mean publicly supporting the new inclusive government in Iraq.

Make no mistake; these are efforts that we and our partners around the globe are already taking. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have poured millions into humanitarian assistance. The UAE has agreed to take on ISIL’s support networks and beat back against its militant ideological propaganda.

But we also have Canada sending over members of its military to help advise and assist Kurdish forces. We have Estonia and Albania providing military equipment. Our close allies in France and the United Kingdom are contributing in a number of important ways, including by providing military assistance and humanitarian airdrops.

And well beyond the region and Europe we have partners in places like Japan, Australia committing millions in humanitarian aid and Australia agreeing to take in thousands of refugees from Iraq and Syria, and to assist in our military efforts.

Our global, coordinated campaign with a global, coordinated coalition will be built not just in a matter of days or weeks, but it will be built to endure for the months and perhaps even the years to come.

Much more will be done at the UN General Assembly later this month, but our work together will grow and it will coalesce well beyond this month. What we’re working to accomplish will require hard work, sustained commitment, and unwavering focus from all of us. But we are clear that President Obama and I and the entire team absolutely understand this is something we must achieve, and we will be successful.

Thank you.

QUESTION: Secretary Kerry, they still have not filled the two – they still haven’t filled two security posts, sir.

SECRETARY KERRY: They will.

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FALSIFYING EMPLOYMENT CERTIFICATIONS TO ALLOW IMMIGRANTS INTO U.S.

FROM:  U.S.  JUSTICE DEPARTMENT  

Thursday, September 4, 2014

New Jersey Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Fraudulent Visa and Payroll Scheme to Facilitate Illegal Immigration

A New Jersey man pleaded guilty today to orchestrating an eight-year scheme to falsify employment certifications to facilitate the illegal entry of Indian immigrants into the United States and to filing a false tax return.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman of the District of New Jersey, Chief Richard Weber of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and Director Bill A. Miller of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) made the announcement.

Sandipkumar Patel, 41, of Edison, New Jersey, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls of the District of New Jersey to conspiring to defraud the United States and to filing a false federal income tax return.  Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6, 2015.

According to court documents filed with the plea agreement, from 2001 until 2009, Patel sponsored the visa applications of Indian nationals by falsely claiming to provide employment for them in the United States.   Patel falsely certified on the visa applications that he would employ the immigrants in various technical fields at several New Jersey companies, thereby facilitating their illegal entry into the United States.   Over the course of the scheme, immigrants paid Patel thousands of dollars for the false certifications to fraudulently secure the visas.   To disguise the scheme, Patel issued payroll checks and other payroll forms.   Patel required the immigrants to return the money from the checks and also to reimburse him for his payroll tax expenses.   Patel used the fraudulent pay stubs and payroll checks to support false applications to extend the visas, and Patel charged the immigrants fees for the visa extensions.

As a result of falsely carrying the immigrant employees on his payrolls, Patel overstated his payroll expenses on his federal income tax returns by more than $1.4 million over four years, under-reporting his tax obligation by over $400,000 for those years.  

This case was investigated by the IRS-CI and DSS.   The case is being prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorneys Hope S. Olds and William H. Kenety of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle M. Corcione of the District of New Jersey, with assistance from the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.

NSF VIDEO: ALZHEIMER'S PATIENTS: A SURPRISE FINDING IN EXECUTIVE FUNCTION

RECENT DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PHOTOS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Misheff flies the American flag from the back of a CH-47 Chinook helicopter over southern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Aug. 24, 2014. Pilots and crew chiefs fly American flags that are later presented with certificates to service members as part of aviation tradition. Misheff is a crew chief assigned to the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.  U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Bryan Lewis. 

A landing craft departs the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown for an equipment onload at White Beach, Okinawa, Japan. The Germantown is forward-deployed and assigned to the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility.   U.S. Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda R. Gray.

U.S. Marines and Malaysian soldiers participate in a combined amphibious assault as part of Malaysia-United States Amphibious Exercise 2014 in Lahad Datu, Malaysia, Sept. 2, 2014. The Marines are assigned to Echo Company, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit.  U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Melissa Wenger.

CFTC CHARGES COMPANY AND OWNERS WITH FRAUD AND MISAPPROPRIATION IN COMMODITY INVESTMENT POOL CASE

FROM:  U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 

CFTC Charges Colorado Company R2 Capital Group, LLC, and its owners, Ryan Tomazin, Ryan Madigan, Randell A.Vest, RAST Investor Group, LLC, Madigan Enterprises, Inc., and Bulletproof Vest, Inc. with Fraud and Misappropriation

Defendants allegedly solicited more than $2.4 million from at least four participants in commodity investment pool

Federal court issues restraining orders freezing Defendants’ assets and protecting books and records

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today announced that on August 15, 2014, Chief Judge Marcia S. Krieger, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, issued a restraining Order freezing the assets of Defendants Ryan Tomazin of Stamford, Connecticut, Ryan Madigan of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Randell A. Vest of Fort Myers, Florida. The restraining Order was an expansion of the court’s August 7, 2014 restraining Order, which froze the assets of Tomazin’s, Madigan’s and Vest’s holding companies — Defendants RAST Investor Group, LLC, Madigan Enterprises, Inc., and Bulletproof Vest, Inc., respectively — and their Colorado company, Defendant R2 Capital Group LLC (R2 Capital). The restraining Orders also prohibit the Defendants from destroying or altering books and records.

Both restraining Orders arise from a CFTC federal court enforcement action filed on August 6, 2014, charging the Defendants with futures and foreign currency (forex) fraud, and misappropriation. The CFTC Complaint also charges the Defendants with illegally commingling funds received from pool participants with others’ funds by, among other things, transferring pool participant funds directly into the personal bank accounts of Tomazin, Madigan, Vest, their respective holding companies, and R2 Capital.

The Complaint alleges that since at least December 2009 through the present, R2 Capital — owned and operated by Tomazin, Madigan, and Vest, and their respective holding companies — solicited more than $2.4 million from at least four pool participants who invested in an investment pool operated by R2 Capital: R2 Commercial Capital Partners I L.P. (the Commercial Pool). The Commercial Pool traded forex and, later, futures contracts, including E-mini S&P 500 futures contracts and E-mini Dow futures contracts, according to the Complaint.

The Complaint alleges that Defendants falsely and fraudulently concealed from at least two pool participants that 1) Defendants had closed the forex account, 2) that Pool Participants’ funds had been transferred to a new account at a different Futures Commission Merchant, 3) that the Commercial Pool was no longer trading forex, and 4) that the Commercial Pool was now trading E-mini S&P 500 futures and securities products.

In addition, the Defendants allegedly misappropriated more than $1.2 million of pool funds by routinely illegally diverting substantial sums from the R2 Capital and Commercial Pool bank accounts to themselves and their Defendant holding companies until all but a few hundred dollars of the pool participant funds were dissipated. Defendants allegedly then spent these misappropriated funds on personal trips, private school tuition for their children, other investments, and miscellaneous personal expenses.

In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks civil monetary penalties, restitution, rescission, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, trading and registration bans, and permanent injunctions against further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.

The CFTC appreciates the assistance of the National Futures Association.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff responsible members for this case are Sophia Siddiqui, Ken Koh, Dmitriy Vilenskiy, Luke Marsh, and Paul Hayeck.

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR SEPTEMBER 8, 2014

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

CONTRACTS

DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY

Booz Allen Hamilton, of McLean, Virginia, is being awarded a $95,500,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to provide support services for countering weapons of mass destruction situational awareness, intelligence, operations, and data visualization support that enables the Defense Threat Reduction Agency to monitor global situational awareness of WMD threats and activities. Work will be performed at Fort Belvoir, and is expected to be completed in September 2022. Fiscal 2013 research and development funds in the amount of $1,690,000 are being obligated on the first task order. This contract was a competitive acquisition, with three bids received. The contracting activity is Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia (DTRA1-14-D-0016).

NAVY

Granite Construction Company Guam, Watsonville, California, is being awarded a maximum amount $75,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for paving construction services at U.S. government shore-based facilities in Guam. The work to be performed provides for the construction, alteration, repair, and/or maintenance of asphalt concrete roads, streets, highways, alleys, parking areas, and their associated facility, such as but not limited to concrete sidewalks, curbs and gutters, guardrails, U-ditch, drainage pipe, traffic striping, pavement marking, and related work. Work will include cold milling, excavation, embankment grading or subbase and base course, compaction, density test, bituminous surface treatment, seal coating, asphalt concrete paving, adjustment of existing utilities and structures and other related work. Work will be performed in Guam, and is expected to be completed by September 2019. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance (Navy) contract funds in the amount of $25,000 are obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with three proposals received. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Marianas, Guam, is the contracting activity (N40192-14-D-2830).
AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Maryland, is being awarded a $27,316,800 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to produce AN/GLM -11 (V) 1 and (V) 2 universal test sets and provide engineering services and program and configuration management in support of the AN/GLM-11 series. Work will be performed in Hunt Valley, Maryland, and is expected to be completed by September 2017. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Navy) funding in the amount of $3,092,939 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-1(a)(2) - only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. The Naval Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division, Indian Head, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00174-14-D-0002).
A&D GC, Inc.,* Santee, California, is being awarded $13,525,000 for firm-fixed-price task order 0014 under a previously awarded multiple award construction contract (N62473-09-D-1658) to repair and restore Bachelor Enlisted Quarters 520420 at the Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton. Work includes, but is not limited to, analysis and updates to bring the building up to current seismic requirements; removal and disposal of hazardous materials including asbestos, lead, and mold; replace damaged wall, floor, double hung windows, and ceilings finishes. Areas affected by repair shall be in compliance with anti-terrorism/force protection, fire suppression, seismic, accessibility, and leadership in energy and environmental design requirements. The task order also contains one planned modification, which if exercised, would increase cumulative task order value to $15,325,000. Work will be performed in Oceanside, California, and is expected to be completed by March 2016. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $13,525,000 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Five proposals were received for this task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

RQ-BERG JV, Carlsbad, California, is being awarded a maximum amount $9,653,651 to increase the dollar value of task order 0007 under a previously awarded firm-fixed-price contract (N62473-10-D-5482) for the complete restoration and repairs to fire damaged electrical and communication distribution systems on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Naval Weapons Station (NWS) Seal Beach Detachment Fallbrook. The work to be performed includes replacement of fire damaged poles, wire and equipment to restore power and communication services to: Area 33; Ranges 102 and 103 (Wilcox Range Area); Area 32 (including but not limited to the 320937 Reservoir Lift Station); Area 43 (including but not limited to Sewage Treatment Plant 3 at Sewer Treatment Facility, fire station, pistol range, Basilone Road, the chlorination station and the Waste Disposal Facility); the Northern Area Range Control Communications Tower and Range 314 south/east of Area 62; NWS Seal Beach Detachment, Fallbrook (including but not limited to Romeo Magazine, Building 350, old housing area, sewer lift station at Building 332, Building 336, Building 301 and Building 231). After award of this modification, the total cumulative task order value will be $9,653,651. Work will be performed in Oceanside, California, and is expected to be completed by May 2015. Fiscal 2014 operation and maintenance (Marine Corps) contract funds in the amount of $5,623,767 are being obligated on this award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

ARMY

Booz Allen Hamilton, McLean, Virginia, was awarded a $43,293,745 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for services to support the Royal Saudi Land Forces. Services in the contract include consulting, intensive management, logistics support, and contracting support within the United States, for the Royal Saudi Land Forces. In addition, an office will be established in Saudi Arabia for local purchasing and local hires to sustain the fleet of Abrams tanks purchased and sustained through the foreign military sales program. Fiscal 2014 other funds in the amount of $15,000,000 were obligated at the time of award. Work will be performed in Saudi Arabia with an estimated completion date of Sept. 8, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with one received. This contract involves foreign military sales to Saudi Arabia. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, is the contracting activity (W91CRB-14-C-0048).
Carnegie Robotics LLC,* Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was awarded a $22,783,433 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for an autonomous mine detection system that is being developed to provide the war fighter with capability to detect, mark and neutralize explosive hazards in support of the full spectrum of military operations. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 research, development, test and evaluation (Army) funds in the amount of $14,638,737 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Woburn, Massachusetts ($3,236,616; 14 percent); King of Prussia, Pennsylvania ($4,113,115; 18 percent); and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania ($15,433,702; 68 percent), with an estimated completion date of March 1, 2018. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with three received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (W15QKN-14-C-0075).

KRSW Joint Venture*, Boise, Idaho, was awarded a $22,469,577 firm-fixed-price contract for repairs and improvement to Mountain Home Air Force Base Runway 12/30, Taxiway Alpha and connector taxiways, due to deteriorating pavement conditions identified in the airfield pavement evaluation. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $22,469,577 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, with estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2015. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with four received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle, Washington, is the contracting activity (W912DW-14-C-0022).

Birdon America, Inc.*, Denver, Colorado, was awarded a $9,679,841 modification (P00005) to firm-fixed-price contract W56HZV-14-C-0015 to exercise the government format technical data package option with additional rights for the bridge erection boats. Fiscal 2014 other funds in the amount of $9,679,841 were obligated at the time of the award. Work will be performed in Denver, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 23, 2016. U.S. Army Contracting Command – Tank and Automotive, Warren, Michigan is the contracting activity.

Highland Engineering,* Inc., Howell, Michigan, was awarded an $8,500,000 indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the production and delivery of military working dogs worldwide deployable kennel systems and logistics support documentation. Work and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 7, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet, with three received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, Alexandria, Virginia, is the contracting activity (W909MY-14-D-0012).
*Small business