4 U.S. LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS TO BE MANAGED OUT OF SINGAPORE

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE 
Dempsey Details Plan for 'Singapore-managed' Ships

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, June 3, 2012 - The littoral combat ships that will soon begin rotational deployment to Singapore are an example of the increased military engagement called for under the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said today.

En route from Singapore to the Philippines today, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff filled in the picture outlined yesterday during the 11th annual Asia security conference in Singapore known as the Shangri-La Dialogue.   

Following a bilateral U.S.-Singapore meeting at the conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Singapore's Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen finalized the rotation of four U.S. littoral combat ships to Singapore. Dempsey told American Forces Press Service today that the ships will be managed out of, not based in, Singapore.

"They'll be deployed for six to 10 months at a time, on a rotational basis, but they'll make port calls throughout the region," the chairman said. "And so while the U.S.-Singapore relationship will be the most significant beneficiary of that, so too will Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines [and] others in the region."

The ships have a range of capabilities, Dempsey said, "everything from humanitarian assistance and disaster relief right up to its ability to act as a warship."

Littoral combat ships are designed to operate in near-shore environments and are effective against "anti-access" threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft. They are also capable of open-ocean operation.

With that range, the chairman said, the ships are well suited to multilateral exercises. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers' Meeting Plus is planning a multilateral maritime humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise, Dempsey noted.

"We haven't committed to [that exercise] yet, but were we to commit to it, I think you'd find [the ships] very well suited to take part in that exercise," he said.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA RESPONDS TO CHINA'S CONCERNS

Photo:  Chinese Tank.  Credit:  Wikimedia.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Secretary Responds to China Concerns During Dialogue

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

SINGAPORE, June 2, 2012 - There is no choice but to pursue a mature relationship between the United States and China, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told attendees of the 11th annual Asia security conference, known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, here today.

"Our relationship with China -- we approach it in a very clear-eyed way," he said. "We both understand the differences we have ... but we also both understand that there really is no other alternative but for both of us to engage, and to improve our communications."

The secretary delivered the gathering's keynote address this morning, outlining specifics of the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy. In the question-and-answer period following his speech, representatives from several nations in the region quizzed him on perceived tensions surrounding U.S.-China relations.

Panetta stressed that the U.S. position involves increasing communications between the two nations on diplomatic, trade and economic issues, as well as in the defense realm.

"The problem in the past is that ... there was a large element of distrust between our two countries," the secretary said. "I think what both of us have to recognize is that we are powers in this region ... [and] we have common obligations to try to promote peace and prosperity and security in this region."

He also noted the U.S. is working to build relationships with countries across the Asia-Pacific and encourages nations here to develop international standards and the means to peacefully resolving disagreements.

Panetta emphasized the United States does not take sides in territorial disputes, such as that between China and the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal area in the South China Sea.

"Every time these events take place ... we always come very close to having a confrontation," he said. "And that's dangerous for all countries in this region."

China and other Asia-Pacific regions must develop a code of conduct to help resolve disputes, the secretary said.

"It isn't enough for the United States to come charging in and try to resolve these issues," Panetta said. "This is a situation where the counties here have to come together. We will support them, we will encourage them, but ultimately they have to develop ... a dispute forum that can resolve those issues."

The United States is not taking a Cold War-style approach to the region of building permanent military installations and seeking to establish a power base, he said.

"This is a different world ... [and] we have to engage with other countries, to help develop their capabilities so that they can ... defend themselves in the future," the secretary said.

The United States will carry out rotational deployments, participate in multinational exercises, and provide advice and assistance to other nations in the region, Panetta said. That sort of partnership will most effectively promote security, he added.

"We will encourage that kind of relationship with every nation we deal with in this region," he said.

Panetta acknowledged the United States and China will see ups and downs in their relationship.

"There are moments when you agree; there are moments when you disagree," he said. "But you maintain lines of communication, you maintain lines of diplomacy ... to resolve those differences and to focus on those areas where you do agree."

PEGASUS: NEW EYES IN THE SKIES

FROM:  NASA
Pegasus Fairing Removed
Orbital Sciences’ Pegasus XL rocket is viewed over the Pegasus payload fairing, positioned part in and part out of the environmental enclosure in Orbital’s hangar on Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Half of the Pegasus fairing has been removed from around NASA’s NuSTAR spacecraft. Access to the spacecraft is needed for compatibility testing to verify communication with a tracking station in Hawaii.
Image credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin, VAFB
April 10, 2012

EARTHQUAKE DETECTED, NO LARGE-SCALE TSUNAMI EXPECTED

FROM:  NOAA

TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT NUMBER   1
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
523 PM HST SUN JUN 03 2012

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI INFORMATION STATEMENT

THIS STATEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NO ACTION REQUIRED.

AN EARTHQUAKE HAS OCCURRED WITH THESE PRELIMINARY PARAMETERS

   ORIGIN TIME - 0515 PM HST 03 JUN 2012
   COORDINATES -  5.4 NORTH   82.7 WEST
   LOCATION    - SOUTH OF PANAMA
   MAGNITUDE   - 6.6  MOMENT

EVALUATION

 BASED ON ALL AVAILABLE DATA A DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS
 NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII. REPEAT. A
 DESTRUCTIVE PACIFIC-WIDE TSUNAMI IS NOT EXPECTED AND THERE IS NO
 TSUNAMI THREAT TO HAWAII.

THIS WILL BE THE ONLY STATEMENT ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL DATA ARE RECEIVED.

NAVY SAILORS PREPARE FOR A WMD ATTACK

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
A Sailor assigned to Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 2 puts on her gas mask during a chemical, biological and radiological attack drill. MSRON 2 completed a unit level training and readiness assessment in preparation for its final deployment before merging into the Coastal Riverine Force next year. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte (Released) 120530-N-HN353-063

SEC. OF DEFENSE PANETTA ATTENDS SHANGRI-LA SECURITY DIALOGUE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Shangri-La Security Dialogue As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, Saturday, June 02, 2012
Ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to have the opportunity to attend my first Shangri-La Conference.  I want to commend the International Institute for Strategic Studies for fostering this very important dialogue, this very important discussion that is taking place here this weekend.

I am, as I understand it, the third United States secretary of defense to appear at this forum, across administrations from both political parties in the United States.  That is, I believe, a testament to the importance that the United States places in this dynamic and critical region of the world.

It is in that spirit that I have come to Singapore, at the beginning of an eight-day journey across Asia that will take me to Vietnam and to India as well.

The purpose of this trip, and of my remarks today, is to explain a new defense strategy that the United States has put in place and why the United States will play a deeper and more enduring partnership role in advancing the security and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region, and how the United States military supports that goal by rebalancing towards this region.

Since the United States grew westward in the 19th century, we have been a Pacific nation.  I was born and raised in a coastal town in California called Monterey, and have spent a lifetime looking out across the Pacific Ocean.  As a fishing community, as a port, the ocean was the lifeblood of our economy.  And some of my earliest memories as a child during World War II are of watching American troops pass through my community, trained at the military reservation called Fort Ord, and were on their way to face battle in the Pacific.

I remember the fear that gripped our community during World War II, and later when war again broke out on the Korean Peninsula.  Despite the geographic distance that separates us, I've always understood that America's fate is inexorably linked with this region.

This reality has guided more than six decades of U.S. military presence and partnership in this region -- a defense posture which, along with our trading relations, along with our diplomatic ties, along with our foreign assistance, helped usher in an unprecedented era of security and prosperity in the latter half of the 20th century.

In this century, the 21st century, the United States recognizes that our prosperity and our security depends even more on the Asia-Pacific region.  After all, this region is home to some of the world's fastest growing economies: China, India, and Indonesia to mention a few.  At the same time, Asia-Pacific contains the world's largest populations, and the world's largest militaries.  Defense spending in Asia is projected by this institute, the IISS, to surpass that of Europe this year, and there is no doubt that it will continue to increase in the future.

Given these trends, President Obama has stated the United States will play a larger role in this region over the decades to come.  This effort will draw on the strengths of the entire United States government.  We take on this role not as a distant power, but as part of the Pacific family of nations.  Our goal is to work closely with all of the nations of this region to confront common challenges and to promote peace, prosperity, and security for all nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

My colleague and my good friend Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also outlined our refocus on the Asia-Pacific, emphasizing the crucial part that diplomacy, trade, and development will play in our engagement.

The same is true for defense policy.  We will play an essential role in promoting strong partnerships that strengthen the capabilities of the Pacific nations to defend and secure themselves.  All of the U.S. military services are focused on implementing the president's guidance to make the Asia-Pacific a top priority.  Before I detail these specific efforts, let me provide some context for our broader defense strategy in the 21st century.
The United States is at a strategic turning point after a decade of war.  We have significantly weakened al-Qaida's leadership and ability to attack other nations.  We have sent a very clear message that nobody attacks the United States and gets away with it.  Our military mission in Iraq has ended and established -- established an Iraq that can secure and govern itself.

In Afghanistan, where a number of Asia-Pacific nations are playing a critical role in the international coalition, we have begun our transition to the Afghan security lead and to an Afghanistan that can secure and govern itself.  Recent meeting in Chicago, NATO and its partners -- over 50 nations -- came together to support General Allen's plan to accomplish this goal.  In addition to that, we joined in a successful NATO effort to return Libya to the Libyan people.

But even as we have been able to draw these wars to a hopeful end, we are confronted today by a wide range of complex global challenges.  From terrorism -- terrorism still remains a threat to the world -- from terrorism to the destabilizing behavior of Iran and North Korea, from nuclear proliferation to the new threat of cyberattack, from continuing turmoil in the Middle East to territorial disputes in this region.

At the same time, the United States, like many other nations, is dealing with large debt and large deficits, which has required the Department of Defense to reduce the planning budget by nearly half a trillion dollars or specifically $487 billion that were directed to be reduced by the Congress in the Budget Control Act over the next decade.
But this new fiscal reality, challenge that many nations confront these days, has given us an opportunity to design a new defense strategy for the 21st century that both confronts the threats that we face and maintains the strongest military in the world.

This strategy makes clear the United States military, yes, it will be smaller, it will be leaner, but it will be agile and flexible, quickly deployable, and will employ cutting-edge technology in the future.  It makes equally clear that while the U.S. military will remain a global force for security and stability, we will of necessity rebalance towards the Asia-Pacific region.  We will also maintain our presence throughout the world.  We will do it with innovative rotational deployments that emphasize creation of new partnerships and new alliances.  We will also invest, invest in cyber, invest in space, invest in unnamed systems, invest in special forces operations.  We will invest in the newest technology and we will invest in the ability to mobilize quickly if necessary.

We have made choices and we have set priorities, and we have rightly chosen to make this region a priority.

Our approach to achieving the long-term goal in the Asia-Pacific is to stay firmly committed to a basic set of shared principles -- principles that promote international rules and order to advance peace and security in the region, deepening and broadening our bilateral and multilateral partnerships, enhancing and adapting the U.S. military's enduring presence in this region, and to make new investments in the capabilities needed to project power and operate in Asia-Pacific. Let me discuss each of these shared principles.  The first is the shared principle that we abide by international rules and order.
Let me underscore that this is not a new principle, our solid commitment to establish a set of rules that all play by is one that we believe will help support peace and prosperity in this region.

What are we talking about?  These rules include the principle of open and free commerce, a just international order that emphasizes rights and responsibilities of all nations and a fidelity to the rule of law; open access by all to their shared domains of sea, air, space, and cyberspace; and resolving disputes without coercion or the use of force.
Backing this vision involves resolving disputes as quickly as possible with diplomatic efforts.  Backing these principles has been the essential mission of the United States military in the Asia-Pacific for more than 60 years and it will be even a more important mission in the future.  My hope is that in line with these rules and international order that is necessary that the United States will join over 160 other nations in ratifying the Law of Seas Convention this year.

The second principle is one of partnerships.  Key to this approach is our effort to modernize and strengthen our alliances and partnerships in this region.  The United States has key treaty alliances with Japan, South Korea, Australia, Philippines and Thailand.  We have key partners in India, Singapore, Indonesia, and other nations.  And we are working hard to develop and build stronger relations with China.

As we expand our partnerships, as we strengthen our alliances, the United States-Japan alliance will remain one of the cornerstones for regional security and prosperity in the 21st century.  For that reason, our two militaries are enhancing their ability to train and operate together, and cooperating closely in areas such as maritime security and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.  We are also jointly developing high-tech capabilities, including the next generation missile defense interceptor, and exploring new areas of cooperation in space and in cyberspace.

In the past several months we have strengthened the alliance and our broader strategic objectives in the region with a revised plan to relocate Marines from Okinawa to Guam.  This plan will make the U.S. presence in Okinawa more politically sustainable, and it will help further develop Guam as a strategic hub for the United States military in the Western Pacific, improving our ability to respond to a wide range of contingencies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Another linchpin of our Asia-Pacific security is the U.S. alliance with the Republic of Korea.  During a year of transition and provocation on the Korean Peninsula, this alliance has been indispensable, and I have made it a priority to strengthen it for the future.  To that end, even as the United States reduces the overall size of its ground forces in the coming years in a transitional way over a five-year period, we will maintain the United States Army's significant presence in Korea.

We are also boosting our intelligence and information sharing with the Republic of Korea, standing firm against hostile provocations from North Korea while transforming the alliance with new capabilities to meet global challenges.

The third shared principle is presence.  While strengthening our traditional alliances in Northeast Asia and maintaining our presence there, as part of this rebalancing effort we are also enhancing our presence in Southeast Asia and in the Indian Ocean region.
A critical component of that effort is the agreement announced last fall for a rotational Marine Corps presence and aircraft deployments in northern Australia.
The first detachment of Marines arrived in April, and this Marine Air-Ground Task Force will be capable of rapidly deploying across the Asia-Pacific region, thereby enabling us to work more effectively with partners in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean and tackle common challenges such as natural disasters and maritime security.

These Marines will conduct training and exercises throughout the region and with Australia, strengthening one of our most important alliances and building on a decade of operational experience together in Afghanistan.  Speaking of that, I welcome and applaud Australia's announcement that later this year it will assume leadership of Combined Team Uruzgan, and will lead our security efforts there through 2014.

We're also continuing close operational cooperation with our longtime ally, Thailand.  The Thais annually host COBRA GOLD, a world-class multilateral military exercise, and this year we will deepen our strategic cooperation to meet shared regional challenges.
We are energizing our alliance with the Philippines.  Last month in Washington I joined Secretary Clinton in the first-ever "2+2" meeting with our Filipino counterparts.  Working together, our forces are successfully countering terrorist groups.  We are also pursuing mutually beneficial capability enhancements, and working to improve the Philippine's maritime presence.  Chairman Dempsey will be traveling from here to the Philippines to further our military engagement.

Another tangible manifestation of our commitment to rebalancing is our growing defense relationship with Singapore.  Our ability to operate with Singaporean forces and others in the region will grow substantially in the coming years when we implement the forward deployment of the Littoral Combat Ships to Singapore.

As we take existing alliances and partnerships in new directions, this rebalancing effort also places a premium on enhancing partnerships with Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and Vietnam, and New Zealand.

In the coming days I will travel to Vietnam to advance bilateral defense cooperation, building off of the comprehensive memorandum of understanding that our two nations signed last year.

From Vietnam, I will travel to India to affirm our interest in building a strong security relationship with a country I believe will play a decisive role in shaping the security and prosperity of the 21st century.

As the United States strengthens these regional partnerships, we will also seek to strengthen a very important relationship with China.  We believe China is a key to being able to develop a peaceful, prosperous, and secure Asia-Pacific in the 21st century.  And I am looking forward to traveling there soon at the invitation of the Chinese government.  Both of our nations recognize that the relationship -- this relationship between the United States and China is one of the most important in the world.  We in the United States are clear-eyed about the challenges, make no mistake about it, but we also seek to grasp the opportunities that can come from closer cooperation and a closer relationship.

I'm personally committed to building a healthy, stable, reliable, and continuous mil-to-mil relationship with China.  I had the opportunity to host Vice President Xi and later Defense Minister General Liang at the Pentagon in the effort to pursue that goal.  Our aim is to continue to improve the strategic trust that we must have between our two countries, and to discuss common approaches to dealing with shared security challenges.
We are working with China to execute a robust military-to-military engagement plan for the rest of this year, and we will seek to deepen our partnership in humanitarian assistance, counter-drug, and counter-proliferation efforts.  We have also agreed on the need to address responsible behavior in cyberspace and in outer space.  We must establish and reinforce agreed principles of responsible behavior in these key domains.

I know that many in the region and across the world are closely watching the United States-China relationship.  Some view the increased emphasis by the United States on the Asia-Pacific region as some kind of challenge to China.  I reject that view entirely.  Our effort to renew and intensify our involvement in Asia is fully compatible -- fully compatible -- with the development and growth of China.  Indeed, increased U.S. involvement in this region will benefit China as it advances our shared security and prosperity for the future.
In this context, we strongly support the efforts that both China and Taiwan, both have made in recent years trying to improve cross-strait relations.  We have an enduring interest in peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.  The United States remains firm in the adherence to a one-China policy based on the Three Communiqués and the Taiwan Relations Act.

China also has a critical role to play in advancing security and prosperity by respecting the rules-based order that has served the region for six decades.  The United States welcomes the rise of a strong and prosperous and successful China that plays a greater role in global affairs.

Another positive step towards furthering this rules-based order is Asia's deepening regional security architecture, which the United States strongly supports.  Last October, I had the opportunity to be the first U.S. secretary of defense to meet privately with all ASEAN defense ministers in Bali.  We applaud the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus for producing real action plans for multilateral military cooperation, and I strongly support the ASEAN decision to hold more frequent ADMM-Plus discussions at the ministerial level.  We think this is an important step for stability, real coordination, communication, and support between these nations.

The United States believes it is critical for regional institutions to develop mutually agreed rules of the road that protect the rights of all nations to free and open access to the seas.  We support the efforts of the ASEAN countries and China to develop a binding code of conduct that would create a rules-based framework for regulating the conduct of parties in the South China Sea, including the prevention and management of disputes.

On that note, we are obviously paying close attention to the situation in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.  The U.S. position is clear and consistent:  we call for restraint and for diplomatic resolution; we oppose provocation; we oppose coercion; and we oppose the use of force.  We do not take sides when it comes to competing territorial claims, but we do want this dispute resolved peacefully and in a manner consistent with international law.  We have made our views known and very clear to our close treaty ally, the Philippines, and we have made those views clear to China and to other countries in the region.

As a Pacific power, the United States has a national interest in freedom of navigation, in unimpeded economic development and commerce, and in a respect for the rule of law.  Our alliances, our partnerships, and our enduring presence in this region all serve to support these important goals.

For those who are concerned about the ability of the United States to maintain a strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region in light of the fiscal pressures we face, let me be very clear.  The Department of Defense has a five-year budget plan and a detailed blueprint for implementing this strategy I just outlined for realizing our long-term goals in this region, and for still meeting our fiscal responsibilities.

The final principle -- shared principle that we all have is force projection.
This budget is the first in what will be a sustained series of investments and strategic decisions to strengthen our military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.  I would encourage you to look at the increasing technological capabilities of our forces as much as their numbers in judging the full measure of our security presence and our security commitment.

For example, over the next five years we will retire older Navy ships, but we will replace them with more than 40 far more capable and technologically advanced ships.  Over the next few years we will increase the number and the size of our exercises in the Pacific.  We will also increase and more widely distribute our port visits, including in the important Indian Ocean region.

And by 2020 the Navy will reposture its forces from today's roughly 50/50 percent split between the Pacific and the Atlantic to about a 60/40 split between those oceans.  That will include six aircraft carriers in this region, a majority of our cruisers, destroyers, Littoral Combat Ships, and submarines.

Our forward-deployed forces are the core of our commitment to this region and we will, as I said, sharpen the technological edge of our forces.  These forces are also backed up by our ability to rapidly project military power if needed to meet our security commitments.

Therefore, we are investing specifically in those kinds of capabilities -- such as an advanced fifth-generation fighter, an enhanced Virginia-class submarine, new electronic warfare and communications capabilities, and improved precision weapons -- that will provide our forces with freedom of maneuver in areas in which our access and freedom of action may be threatened.

We recognize the challenges of operating over the Pacific's vast distances.  That is why we are investing in new aerial-refueling tankers, a new bomber, and advanced maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare aircraft.

In concert with these investments in military capabilities, we are developing new concepts of operation which will enable us to better leverage the unique strengths of these platforms and meet the unique challenges of operating in Asia-Pacific.  In January, the department published a Joint Operational Access Concept which, along with these related efforts like Air-Sea Battle, are helping the Department meet the challenges of new and disruptive technologies and weapons that could deny our forces access to key sea routes and key lines of communication.

It will take years for these concepts and many of the investments that I just detailed, but we are making those investments in order that they be fully realized.  Make no mistake -- in a steady, deliberate, and sustainable way the United States military is rebalancing and bringing an enhanced capability development to this vital region.

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to deliver the commencement address at the U.S. Naval Academy.  And there I had the pleasure of handing a diploma to the first foreign student to achieve top graduate honors, a young midshipman from Singapore: Sam Tan Wei Chen.

I told that graduating class of midshipmen that it would be the project of their generation to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities that are emanating from the Asia-Pacific region.

By working in concert with all elements of American power, I truly believe that these young men and women will have the opportunity to play a vital role in securing a century of peace and prosperity for the United States and for all of the nations of this region.

Over the course of history, the United States has fought wars, we have spilled blood, we have deployed our forces time and time again to defend our vital interests in the Asia-Pacific region.  We owe it to all of those who have fought and died to build a better future for all nations in this region.

The United States has long been deeply been involved in the Asia-Pacific.  Through times of war, times of peace, under Democratic and Republican leaders and administrations, through rancor and through comity in Washington, through surplus and through debt.  We were there then, we are here now, and we will be here for the future.  Thank you.

THE FORMATION OF ADVISORY BOARD ON GREAT LAKES ISSUES

FROM:  U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Forms First Advisory Board On Great Lakes Issues
CHICAGO (May 31, 2012) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced the creation of an advisory board to support federal agencies with the implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and the updated Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.   

The new board, the federal government’s first advisory committee on Great Lakes issues, will provide advice and recommendations to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson in her capacity as federal Interagency Task Force chair.  EPA will consider candidates from a broad range of interests including environmental groups, businesses, agricultural groups, funders/foundations, environmental justice groups, youth groups, academia and state, local and tribal representatives as needed. Nominees will be solicited through a second Federal Register notice in the coming weeks. EPA anticipates that board will be established this summer. 

"The health of the Great Lakes affects the health of millions of people. These waters also play a vital role in the historical, cultural, educational and economic progress of this region," said EPA Administrator and Task Force Chair Lisa P. Jackson. “As we work to set a new standard of care for these waters, it's important that we hear from experts and stakeholders who can strengthen our efforts. By providing insight from those who know these waters best, the Great Lakes Advisory Board will ensure the continued success of the work already underway, and help move us into the next phases of Great Lakes restoration and protection."

The Great Lakes provide more than 30 million Americans with drinking water and underpin a multi-billion dollar economy.  In February 2009, President Obama proposed and Congress funded the GLRI, the largest investment in the Great Lakes in two decades.

The Interagency Task Force is made up of 16 federal agencies and departments.  In 2010 they developed an action plan to implement the president’s historic initiative.  It calls for aggressive efforts in five areas:

•    Cleaning up toxics and toxic hot spot Areas of Concern.
•    Combating invasive species.
•    Promoting near-shore health by protecting watersheds from polluted runoff.
•    Restoring wetlands and other habitats.
•    Raising public awareness, tracking progress, and working with partners.

JUSTICE SETTLES DISCRIMINATION LAWSUIT WITH PIERCE COUNTY, WASHINGTON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Friday, June 1, 2012
Justice Department Settles Lawsuit with Pierce County, Washington, Alleging Employment Discrimination

The Justice Department announced today it has entered into a consent decree with Pierce County, Wash., that, if approved by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, will resolve allegations that the county discriminated against a female employee by retaliating against her in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.   Title VII is a federal statute which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin or religion and protects employees who file complaints under any of those bases.  

The department’s complaint, filed today along with the consent decree, alleges that the county, through its agents at the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer’s Office, discriminated against Administrative Officer Sally Barnes by retaliating against her because she engaged in activity protected under Title VII.   The United States alleges in its complaint that Barnes was subjected to multiple adverse employment actions between Jan. 22, 2009 and Nov. 30, 2009, including the loss of her administrative officer and other supervisory duties, exclusion from important meetings and information necessary for the management of her division and an involuntary relocation to an undesirable work location.

“This consent decree sends the important message that discrimination and retaliation will not be tolerated,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.   “I am pleased that we were able to work with the county to arrive at a resolution that will put mechanisms in place to prevent and correct discrimination and retaliation in the workplace.”

Barnes initially filed charges of discrimination and retaliation with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which investigated the matter and determined there was reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred, referring the matter to the Justice Department.

“Retaliation by supervisors, especially elected officials, has no place in the workforce,” said U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.   “This settlement will ensure all Pierce County employees know their rights and can do their jobs without fear of being punished for contacting their human resources department about discrimination.”

Under the terms of the consent decree and settlement agreement, the county has agreed to award $400,000 to Barnes.   In addition, the county is required to review and revise its Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies to protect its employees from unlawful retaliation and must provide training on equal employment opportunity law and its anti-retaliation policies to all of its employees and officials at the Assessor-Treasurer’s Office.

CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM INCREASES BY 20.000 ACRES

Photo:  Corn Field.  Credit:  Wikimedia 
FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
USDA Expands Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program by 20,000 Acres to Benefit Chesapeake Bay Watershed in Mid-Atlantic States

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2012—The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recently finalized changes to the provisions of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) that will increase the acreage ceiling by nearly 20,000 acres and make all Pennsylvania CREP practices eligible for sign-up in Chesapeake Bay watershed counties. The revisions will help reduce sediment and nutrient loadings from farmland into the rivers and streams in Pennsylvania and provide downstream improvements for the waters of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and beyond.

“These changes will provide greater flexibility for more Pennsylvania farmers and other land owners to establish conservation cover and increase land stewardship within the Chesapeake Bay watershed,” said Michael Scuse, Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. “USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program continues to be one of our nation’s most successful voluntary efforts to conserve land, improve our soil, water, air and wildlife habitat resources—and now our producers in Pennsylvania have even greater incentives and flexibility to enroll in the Chesapeake watershed program, bringing benefits to communities across the Mid-Atlantic.”

The Pennsylvania CREP, first announced in April 2000 with a 100,000-acre goal, originally included 20 counties in the lower Susquehanna and Potomac River basins. The project was expanded in 2003 to add another 100,000 acres and increase the project area to include 23 northern tier counties. Now the Pennsylvania CREP will be expanded again to add 19,746 acres and is available to all 43 Pennsylvania counties in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The goals of the Pennsylvania CREP are to:

Assist Pennsylvania farmers and other landowners to voluntarily restore wetlands, riparian areas and grasslands by enrolling up to 219,746 acres of farmland in CREP; Reduce erosion in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by 17.9 million tons; Prevent 265,500 tons of sediment and 15,409 tons of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) from reaching the Chesapeake Bay; Restore and enhance riparian habitat corridors next to streams, estuaries, wetlands and other watercourses by enrolling up to 31,746 acres of buffers, grass filter strips and wetlands; Restore and enhance grassland habitats for declining grassland-dependent wildlife and improve water quality by enrolling up to 188,000 acres of highly erodible cropland in conservation cover plantings; and Improve water quality of the Susquehanna and Potomac River watersheds to facilitate the health of fish, game and other wildlife populations.

CREP is an option under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that agricultural producers may use to voluntarily establish conservation practices on their land. Producers can enroll in CREP at any time. To encourage enrollment into these environmentally sensitive resource areas, per-acre annual rental payments are at a higher effective rate than offered under a general CRP sign-up. Pennsylvania farmers and landowners are encouraged to voluntarily convert eligible cropland and marginal pastureland to native grasses, legumes, forbs, shrubs and trees under 10-15 year CRP contracts. In return, they receive annual rental payments, cost share and other incentives.

To be eligible, cropland must meet CRP’s cropping history criteria, which includes cropping history provisions, one-year ownership requirement, and physical and legal cropping requirements. Marginal pastureland is also eligible for enrollment provided it is suitable for use as a needed and eligible riparian buffer. Producers who have an existing CRP contract are not eligible for CREP until that contract expires. Producers with expiring CRP contracts who are interested in CREP should submit offers for re-enrolling their land into CREP during the last year of their existing CRP contract.

In 2011, as a result of CRP, nitrogen and phosphorous losses from farm fields were reduced by 623 million pounds and 124 million pounds respectively. The CRP has restored more than two million acres of wetlands and associated buffers and reduces soil erosion by more than 300 million tons per year. CRP also provides $1.8 billion annually to landowners—dollars that make their way into local economies, supporting small businesses and creating jobs. In addition, CRP is the largest private lands carbon sequestration program in the country. By placing vulnerable cropland into conservation, CRP sequesters carbon in plants and soil, and reduces both fuel and fertilizer usage. In 2010, CRP resulted in carbon sequestration equal to taking almost 10 million cars off the road.

In 2011, USDA enrolled a record number of acres of private working lands in conservation programs, working with more than 500,000 farmers and ranchers to implement conservation practices that clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and prevent soil erosion. Moreover, the Obama Administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, implement the Farm Bill, maintain a strong farm safety net, and create opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers. U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers.

CITIES WORK TO FIGHT VETERAN HOMELESSNESS

FROM:  U.S. VETERANS ADMINISTRATION
Communities Get Fit to Fight Veteran Homelessness
May 29, 2012 by Pete Dougherty
Can boot camps get communities in shape to fight Veteran homelessness? Several cities are about to find out.

This month, San Diego, Orlando, and Houston hosted Rapid Results Housing Boot Camps to build grass-roots responses to the problem of Veteran homelessness.

The two-day boot camp sessions taught those already helping homeless Veterans in their communities new and more efficient ways to house Veterans. They developed plans to address the unique nature of Veteran homelessness in their cities and developed strategies for cutting through red tape to obtain the resources that Veterans need.

Communities were encouraged to set ambitious, 100-day goals to expedite the delivery of housing to all homeless Veterans. Tactics to meet the goals may include reducing the number of days needed to process shelter applications or improving housing-related service delivery in other ways.

National and local experts—including representatives from VA—are working together to provide communities with the tools, funding, and resources needed to meet the goals. Boot camp participants, in turn, closely track their own progress in meeting the targets.
Based on similar housing placement events co-created by 100,000 Homes, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles the boot camp sessions apply business management strategies to speed the process of housing Veterans. According to 100,000 Homes, participants at the previous events used the techniques to reduce the number of days spent processing Veteran applications for housing by up to 40 percent.

Duplication of these results in Rapid Results Housing Boot Camp communities and other localities will help edge VA closer to its goal of ending Veteran homelessness by 2015. In 2011, on a given night, more than 67,495 Veterans were homeless in the United States.

Experts from VA, HUD, U.S. Interagency Council for Homelessness, public housing authorities, Continuums of Care, and Veteran-serving nonprofits attended the boot camps to offer technical assistance. A centerpiece of the training is building each community’s capacity to win a share of $75 million in federal Veteran housing assistance available through the 2012 HUD-VASH program.

Boot Camps occurred in:
Orlando, Fla., serving Alachua County and Gainesville; New Orleans and Kenner, La.; and the state of Georgia
Houston, Texas serving Houston, San Antonio, and Harris County, Texas; Texas Valley Coastal VAMC; and Detroit
San Diego, California serving San Diego; San Francisco; and Tucson, Arizona
If you are a Veteran who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless contact VA’s National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838) to speak to a trained VA responder, or visit us online.
Pete Dougherty is the Acting Executive Director of VA’s Homeless Veterans Initiative Office.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA TALKS ASIAN STRATEGY WITH ALLIES

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Discusses New U.S. Asian Strategy With Allies
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
SINGAPORE, June 2, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta held a series of bilateral and trilateral meetings with Asian allies during the Shangri-La Dialogue here today.

Panetta met with leaders from Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Malaysia and host-nation Singapore on the sidelines of the annual conference of defense leaders.

The meetings followed his early morning speech detailing specifics on the on the U.S. military shift toward the Asia-Pacific region. Officials speaking on background said the secretary's speech and follow-on meetings with allies received good grades.

"We heard, especially after the speech today from our allies and partners, that they believe this is not just American talk, but that we're actually walking the walk on our rebalancing to the region," a senior defense official said on background following the meetings.

Panetta is the third U.S. defense secretary to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue, which began in 2002. Officials said the participants favorably commented on the make-up of the U.S. delegation.

"The delegations we met with clearly took note of the seniority of our delegation," a senior defense official said.

Panetta led the delegation, which included Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. Samuel Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command. William Burns, the deputy secretary of state, and a bipartisan congressional delegation, also participated.

Allies were appreciative about the broad outlines of American strategy in the region that Panetta offered. The official said the tone of discussions indicated the allies felt "there is a strong value in U.S. presence in the region." Cambodian and Thai defense ministers invited the secretary to visit their countries, and the Australian minister of defense spoke with Panetta about the Australia-U.S. defense ministerial later this year.

In the bilateral meeting with Singapore, the secretary and Minister for Defense Ng Eng Hen finalized the rotation of four U.S. littoral combat ships to Singapore. The U.S. ships will not be based or home-ported in Singapore, and the crews will live aboard their ships, as is customary for sailors at sea, for the duration of their deployment. Each littoral combat ship has a complement of between 40 to 75 sailors, depending on how it is configured. This means the total number of sailors on this rotation would be between 160 and 300.

The deployment is a true rotation, and the ships will strengthen U.S. engagement in the region through visits at regional ports and through engagement with regional navies through exercises and exchanges.

The U.S. and Singapore also are exploring increasing the complexity of existing bilateral exercises. Examples include possibly incorporating Navy elements into Exercise Commando Sling, currently a bilateral Air Force exercise. U.S. Marines also may be training at Singapore's Murai Urban Training Facility from 2013 onward.
In a trilateral meeting, Panetta met with South Korean National Defense Minister Kim Kwan Jin and Japan Parliamentary Senior Vice Minister of Defense Shu Watanabe to share views on security in Northeast Asia.

The three men cited North Korean provocations, including the North sinking of the South Korean Navy ship Cheonan and shelling a South Korean island that killed two civilians and two South Korean Marines in 2010. They also cited the North's attempted missile launch in April 2012. These acts show the North poses a serious threat to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast Asia and the world.

"They agreed North Korea must understand that it will achieve nothing by threats or by provocations, and that such behavior will only deepen its international isolation," said Pentagon Press Secretary George Little in a written statement following the meeting.
The three leaders called on North Korea to comply with its obligations under UN Security Council Resolutions 1718 and 1874, including that it abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.

The ministers said that any threats from North Korea will be met with solidarity from all three countries. The three ministers also discussed collaboration on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, maritime security, protecting the freedom of navigation and non-proliferation.

Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith joined Panetta and Watanabe in another trilateral meeting. The U.S., Japanese and Australian leaders agreed "to work through 2020 to refine and consolidate their trilateral defense relationship and support the network of existing alliances, forums and dialogues to meet a variety of common security challenges," according to a press release issued following the meeting.
The three reiterated their support for promoting security and stability in a rules-based international order.

Panetta ended his string of conferences meeting with Malaysian Defense Minister Dato' Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

"During the meeting, both leaders stated that with a renewed focus on Asia as part of the U.S. defense strategy, they look forward to strengthening the U.S.-Malaysia military-to-military relationship including expanding multilateral exercises," Little said in a written release.

The secretary specifically thanked Hamidi for Malaysian armed forces medical personnel deployed to Afghanistan.

MSHA ISSUED 335 CITATIONS DURING INSPECTIONS AT 12 MINES

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
MSHA announces results of April impact inspections
ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration today announced that federal inspectors issued 335 citations, orders and safeguards during special impact inspections conducted at eight coal mines and four metal/nonmetal mines last month. The coal mines were issued 254 citations, 19 orders and one safeguard, while the metal/nonmetal operations were issued 52 citations and nine orders.

These inspections, which began in force in April 2010 following the explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine, involve mines that merit increased agency attention and enforcement due to their poor compliance history or particular compliance concerns, including high numbers of violations or closure orders; frequent hazard complaints or hotline calls; plan compliance issues; inadequate workplace examinations; a high number of accidents, injuries or illnesses; fatalities; and adverse conditions such as increased methane liberation, faulty roof conditions and inadequate ventilation.

As an example from last month's impact inspections, on April 17, MSHA personnel visited Rebco Coal Inc.'s Valley Mine No. 1 in Claiborne County, Tenn., during the production shift. They secured the communications systems to prevent advance notification of the inspection and traveled the primary escapeway to inspect all four conveyor belts to the mechanized mining unit. MSHA issued 81 enforcement actions as a result of the inspection, including 74 citations, four failure-to-abate orders for previously issued citations, one unwarrantable failure citation and two unwarrantable failure orders.

The inspection party cited a broad spectrum of violations covering ventilation, accumulations of combustible materials, electrical equipment, trailing cables and fire protection. During previous inspections at the mine, equipment had been tagged out of service; however, when the operator resumed production a week prior to the impact inspection, the equipment had not been repaired.

MSHA found numerous defects on the mechanized mining unit's roof bolter, including accumulations of combustible materials. An unwarrantable failure order was issued for the operator's failure to conduct an adequate electrical examination on the continuous miner to ensure that the equipment is maintained in a safe operating condition. Citations were issued for 18 defects of the continuous miner that affect the permissibility of the machine, and additional citations were issued for failing to maintain the lighting system on the remote-controlled machine, accumulations on the continuous miner, failing to install a methane-sensing device as close to the working face as practical and failing to adequately insulate the trailing cable for the miner. The operator's failure to adequately examine the equipment and maintain it in a safe and permissible condition posed a high degree of danger to the miners.

"This unexpected inspection found several safety violations that placed miners at serious risk, a failure by the mine operator to conduct basic find and fix examinations, and a disregard for violations previously cited by MSHA," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health. "As evidenced by the recent inspection blitz, MSHA will not hesitate to take action to protect workers at risk."

As another example from last month's inspections, on April 24, MSHA personnel visited Argus Energy WV LLC's Deep Mine No. 8 in Wayne County, W.Va. — the second impact inspection at this mine. The mine's communication system was captured to prevent advance notice of the inspection. The inspection party issued 87 104(a) citations, one unwarrantable failure 104(d) citation and eight unwarrantable failure 104(d) orders for violations of 51 sections of MSHA regulations.
Deep Mine No. 8 was selected for an April inspection due to its frequent number of accidents and repeated noncompliance with mandatory safety and health standards. Since April 2011, there have been 23 separate accidents, 12 having occurred since this January. The operator has been issued a total of 386 citations and 22 orders, 11 of which were unwarrantable failure orders.

During last month's impact inspection, the mine operator was cited for combustible material that was permitted to accumulate in the belt entry, on and under belt equipment, and along moving belts. MSHA inspectors found coal in large piles for distances up to 100 feet and up to 2 feet in depth in numerous locations. Conveyor belts were rubbing the belt structure, and the tail roller had been turning in accumulations 2 feet deep and 7 feet wide — conditions that pose a significant fire and explosion hazard. The inspection team also issued two 104(d)(1) orders for failure to conduct adequate examinations on the belt conveyors.

The operator also was cited for failure to adequately support the mine's roof and ribs, and allowing miners to work and travel under an unsupported roof, exposing them to potential roof falls and serious injury.

Finally, inspectors found multiple electrical violations, including a failure to maintain permissible face equipment and provide an accurate electrical system map, have a qualified examiner, and properly install and insulate wires and cables for communications and power.

Since April 2010, MSHA has conducted 443 impact inspections at coal and metal/nonmetal mines. These inspections have resulted in 7,948 citations, 785 orders and 29 safeguards for a total of 8,762 issuances.

STATE DEPARTMENT FACT SHEET ON GLOBAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

Photo Credit:  Wikimedia.
FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
The U.S. Global Health Initiative: Saving Lives and Promoting Security
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Public Affairs
May 30, 2012
“GHI…represents a new approach, informed by new thinking and aimed at a new goal: To save the greatest possible number of lives, both by increasing our existing health programs and by building upon them to help countries develop their own capacity to improve the health of their own people.”
– Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Global Health Initiative (GHI), announced by President Barack Obama in 2009, is challenging the world to come together to build health services and capacity in developing countries. GHI is an integrated, coordinated and results-driven approach to global health; it brings together disease-specific programs to ensure more unified global health investments.

GHI in Action
Interagency teams – with representatives from all relevant U.S. Government agencies – implement coordinated GHI country strategies. Each strategy, developed in close collaboration with the host country and its national health plan, serves as a message that the U.S. embassy can take to local health ministries and other stakeholders. The interagency planning process has helped country teams reduce programming redundancies and allocate resources more strategically. To date, 42 countries have or soon will complete GHI country strategies. Details on the work being done are on the GHI website – www.ghi.gov.
GHI Principles
Based on global principles for effective development, GHI uses seven principles throughout U.S. global health programming. These principles ensure that GHI programs achieve positive change and also contribute to sustainable outcomes. They include:
Focus on women, girls and gender equality
Encourage country ownership and invest in country-led plans
Build sustainability through the strengthening of health systems
Strengthen and leverage key multilateral organizations, global health partnerships, and private sector engagement
Increase impact through strategic coordination and integration
Improve metrics, monitoring, and evaluation
Promote research and innovation to identify what works

Health Targets
GHI launched eight global health targets that rallied the whole U.S. Government around a set of common goals. The combined efforts of all the U.S. global health agencies have resulted in strong progress in the following areas:
HIV/AIDS: Through PEPFAR, support the prevention of more than 12 million new HIV infections; provide direct support for more than 6 million people in treatment; and support care for more than 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children.

Malaria: Through the President’s Malaria Initiative, halve the prevalence of malaria for 450 million people, representing 70 percent of the at-risk population in Africa. Expand malaria efforts to Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tuberculosis (TB): Contribute to the treatment of at least 2.6 million new TB cases and 57,200 multi-drug resistant cases of TB.

Maternal Health: Reduce maternal mortality by 30 percent across assisted countries.

Child Health: Reduce younger than age-five mortality rates by 35 percent across assisted countries.

Nutrition: Reduce child undernutrition by 30 percent across assisted countries in conjunction with the President’s Feed the Future Initiative.

Family Planning and Reproductive Health: Prevent 54 million unintended pregnancies. Reach a modern contraceptive use rate of 35 percent on average across assisted countries and reduce to 20 percent the proportion of women aged 18-24 who give birth for the first time before age 18.

Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs): Reduce by 50 percent the prevalence of seven NTDs among 70 percent of the affected population, contributing to: the elimination of onchocerciasis in Latin America; lymphatic filariasis globally; blinding trachoma; and leprosy.

The Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department.
External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein.

U.S. WANTS A RESPONSIBLE USE OF SPACE

Photo Credit:   NASA

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Space Realities Require New Way of Thinking, Official Says

By Amaani Lyle

WASHINGTON, June 1, 2012 - The U.S. has fine-tuned its methods to promote responsible use of space and strengthen international partnerships, Ambassador Gregory L. Schulte, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said during the 2012 Women in Aerospace Conference here today.

In his keynote address at the conference, Schulte outlined the plan to protect U.S. advantages and sustainability in space as directed by the National Security Strategy for Space issued by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and national intelligence officials.

"Space is no longer a pristine environment," Schulte said. "We have to think differently about how we cooperate with others in space."

Schulte explained that burgeoning interest in space by a number of nations is both an asset and a liability.

"Allied capabilities can augment ours, add resilience and increase our ability to operate in a contested space environment when adversaries may be trying to take away our space capabilities," he said. "As there are more and more actors in space, it becomes more important that we bring a certain amount of order to that domain, that we encourage countries to act responsibly."

                                  Photo Credit:  NASA

As such, Schulte said, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Strategic Command, based at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., have weighed in this year to take deliberate steps in negotiating space situational awareness agreements with countries across the globe.

The discussions have united "European Union and other space-faring countries to develop an international voluntary code of conduct meant to encourage countries to act responsibly and call out those who act irresponsibly," Schulte said.

The norms, Schulte asserts, aim to help U.S. and coalition countries share information on an emergency basis, encourage best practices to buffer the uptick of mishaps and control the creation of additional debris in space.

"[Stratcom] tracks over 20,000 pieces of debris -- and that's just what they can see," Schulte said. "NASA estimates there are probably hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris up there."

                                   Photo Credit:  NASA                                
  

Harnessing international partnerships also includes a plan to expand the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., into a coalition asset by integrating Canada's first operational military space-based telescope system, Sapphire.

A larger constellation of satellites supplied by international partner nations provides greater coverage and bandwidth, Schulte said, and also creates an international space alliance that can act as a deterrent to threats against the U.S. and its allies.

JUSTICE-MORTGAGE COMPANY REACH SETTLEMENT OVER LENDING DISCRIMINATION

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Justice Department Reaches $21 Million Settlement to Resolve Allegations of Lending Discrimination by Suntrust Mortgage Borrowers Were Charged Higher Fees Based on Their Race or National Origin in 2005-2009 Before the Company Implemented New Policies
WASHINGTON – SunTrust Mortgage Inc., the mortgage lending subsidiary of the nation’s 11th-largest commercial bank, has agreed to pay $21 million to resolve a lawsuit by the Department of Justice that it engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination that increased loan prices for many of the qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers who obtained loans between 2005 and 2009 through SunTrust Mortgage’s regional retail offices and national network of mortgage brokers.
The settlement also requires SunTrust Mortgage to continue using policies and practices it adopted to prevent discrimination following the time period at issue in the lawsuit.

The settlement, which is subject to court approval, was filed today in federal court in Richmond, Va., where SunTrust Mortgage is headquartered.  The settlement comes after a two-and-a-half-year investigation by the Department of Justice, which included reviewing internal company documents and data on more than 850,000 residential mortgage loans SunTrust Mortgage originated between 2005 and 2009.  SunTrust Mortgage cooperated fully with the Justice Department’s investigation into its lending practices and agreed to settle this matter without contested litigation.

“Today’s settlement demonstrates that the Department of Justice takes seriously its responsibility to investigate mortgage lending practices during the mortgage boom years and, when the evidence shows the law was broken, to obtain compensation for victims of illegal conduct,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.  “We will, however, work constructively with responsible lenders like SunTrust Mortgage that are willing to take the necessary steps to ensure equal credit opportunity for all borrowers.  We commend SunTrust Mortgage for taking action to implement strong fair lending policies even before they knew the full results of our investigation.”

The settlement was filed in conjunction with the department’s complaint that alleges SunTrust Mortgage violated the Fair Housing Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act by charging more than 20,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher fees and interest rates than non-Hispanic white borrowers, not based on borrower risk, but because of their race or national origin.  Specifically, the allegations involve loans made to African-American borrowers between 2005 and 2008 through the more than 200 retail offices directly operated by SunTrust Mortgage in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic portions of the United States.  The allegations also involve loans made to African-American and Hispanic borrowers between 2005 and 2009 through SunTrust Mortgage’s national network of mortgage brokers.

“Racial and ethnic bias have no place in the lending market,” said Neil H. MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “We are pleased that SunTrust Mortgage is taking steps to compensate the victims and to ensure fair and equal access to credit in the future.”

SunTrust Mortgage’s business practice during the time periods covered by the lawsuit allowed its loan officers and mortgage brokers to vary a loan’s interest rate and other fees from the price it set based on the borrower’s objective credit-related factors.  This subjective and unguided pricing discretion resulted in African-American and Hispanic borrowers paying more.

Prior to the settlement, SunTrust Mortgage had implemented policies that substantially reduced the discretion of its loan officers and mortgage brokers to vary a loan’s interest rate and other fees from the price it set based on the borrower’s objective credit-related factors, and that required the reasons for variations to be documented and reviewed by a supervisor.  Those policies, operating in concert with rules imposed by the Federal Reserve in April 2011 and incorporated into the settlement, restrict compensating loan officers and mortgage brokers based on the terms or conditions of a particular loan.  Today’s settlement requires SunTrust Mortgage to keep its improved policies in place for at least the next three years, as well as continuing to monitor its lending for signs of discrimination and providing monitoring reports to the United States.

The department’s investigation into SunTrust Mortgage’s lending practices began after a referral by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in December 2009 for potential patterns or practices of discrimination.  SunTrust Mortgage’s parent company, Atlanta-based SunTrust Bank, is a member of the Federal Reserve System, and one of the nation’s largest regional banks with $178 billion in assets and more than 1,600 branches in seven states and the District of Columbia.

“Racial or other illegal discrimination has no place in our credit markets,” said Federal Reserve Board Governor Elizabeth A. Duke.  “We are pleased that this settlement is designed to ensure fair access to credit.”

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

The proceeds of the settlement will be used to compensate the victims of SunTrust Mortgage’s discrimination, who were located in 34 states and the District of Columbia when the discrimination occurred.  The proposed settlement provides for an independent administrator to contact and distribute payments of compensation at no cost to borrowers whom the Justice Department identifies as victims of SunTrust Mortgage’s discrimination.  Borrowers who are eligible for compensation from the settlement will be contacted by the administrator.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONCERNED ABOUT TERRORISM-CRIME NEXUS

Photo:  Soldiers in Afghan Poppy Field  Credit:  U.S. Army.
FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Terrorism-Crime Nexus a Growing Concern, DOD Official Says
By Cheryl Pellerin
WASHINGTON, June 1, 2012 - The convergence of crime, terrorism and insurgency and its threat to U.S. national security is a growing concern for the Defense Department, whose role in the fight began in the 1980s and continues to evolve, a senior defense official said today.


William F. Wechsler, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, spoke during an irregular warfare summit sponsored by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement.


"The Department of Defense's role in this effort goes back ... to the 1980s," Wechsler said, when America was flooded with vast amounts of cocaine coming from Colombia and across the Caribbean into Florida.


"This was a direct invasion of our sovereignty, of ... our borders. And before the Department of Defense was asked to [intervene], this issue was only getting worse," he added.


At the time, 75 percent of all the cocaine that came into the country came directly into Florida in small boats and planes and law enforcement could do little to prevent it, Wechsler said.


Today less than 1 percent of the nation's illegal drugs are arriving through Florida, he said.
Part of the solution involved establishing the Interagency Task Force South, part of U.S. Southern Command, based at Naval Air Station Key West in Florida to conduct counter-drug trafficking operations and to link intelligence and operations.


"As part of that process we learned a great deal that has helped us in the current war in Afghanistan, for instance," Wechsler said.


Since that time, he added, the problems of transnational organized crime have changed radically, driven by globalization. They operate on a worldwide scale with diversified commodities for trafficking and have changed from top-down hierarchies to network-based organizations.


"There are also a lot of new methods for doing business," Wechsler said. "Information technology, penetration of illicit markets, infiltrating companies and capturing governments have really put [transnational crime] in a different zone than it was 15 years ago."


In 2011, President Barack Obama issued his strategy to combat transnational organized crime. "Most importantly for the Department of Defense it declares that transnational organized crime is a national security threat," Wechsler added.


The strategy, he said, also noted the complex and in some places opaque relationships developed among criminal organizations, terrorist groups and insurgent movements.
This means that more terrorist organizations are using criminal mechanisms to support themselves, Wechsler said, and more criminal organizations are using the tactics of terrorist organizations.


"The guys in Mexico didn't come up by themselves with the idea of beheading someone, videotaping it and posting it on the Internet," Wechsler said. "They watched terrorist organizations do this and thought, 'What a great idea. We can apply this for our own purposes.'"
In the globalized world, he said, such ideas move rapidly from one group to another, even if there's no contact between them.


Connections can now be seen between previously unrelated criminal and terrorist organizations. An example of this, Wechsler said, is last year's alleged attempt by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force to use members of Los Zetas, Mexico's violent criminal syndicate, to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington.


Wechsler said James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, recently testified that "terrorists and insurgents will increasingly turn to crime and criminal networks for funding and logistics, in part because of U.S. and western success in attacking other sources of their funding. Criminal connections and activities of Hezbollah and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb illustrate this trend."


With the exception of Afghanistan, Wechsler said, DOD's role in fighting this escalating threat is nearly always in support of law enforcement or partner countries.
In Afghanistan, he added, where there is a blending of crime, terrorism and insurgency on the battlefield, "we've really come a great long way on this."


Wechsler said such work has required military operations, special operations, and integration with law enforcement, along with host country initiatives, and with the State and Justice departments.


"If one assumes we're going to confront these kinds of adversaries, or other countries that we're going to support are going to confront these adversaries, it's a model for our military planning in the years to come," he said.


Another Defense Department success, he said, is its support of Colombia's decade-long fight against the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarios de Colombia, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, called the FARC.


"Colombia was in really dire straits [in the 1990s]," Wechsler said. "The war isn't over but the bottom line is that the FARC is a shadow of what it was and Colombia has taken back tremendous amounts of territory."


That country, he added, "has gone from being an exporter of insecurity throughout the region to being an exporter of security and a great partner for many of its neighbors on the lessons it's learned and in capacity building around the world."


Today the Defense Department is learning from these successes, "whether we support law enforcement, whether we support a host nation or whether we are directly involved in the fight ourselves," Wechsler said.


The next steps, he added, are to build lessons learned into planning and training processes, and to "make sure we have the right mechanisms to work collaboratively with everyone in the interagency because in many if not most of these efforts, the Department of Defense isn't in the lead, we're in support."

DEFENSE CONTRACTOR TO PAY OVER $18 MILLION TO RESOLVE FALSE CLAIMS ACT LAWSUIT

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, June 1, 2012
Virginia-based Defense Contractor Calnet to Pay $18.1 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit
Calnet Inc. has agreed to pay the United States $18.1 million to resolve allegations that the company submitted false claims to the Department of Defense, the Justice Department announced today.  Calnet Inc., an intelligence analysis, information technology and language services company, is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

The settlement with Calnet relates to three contracts under which the company supported the United States? war effort by providing translation and linguist services at Guantanamo Bay and several other facilities beginning in 2005.  Calnet was a subcontractor on one of the contracts, and the prime contractor on the other two contracts.  The United States alleged that Calnet overstated its provisional indirect or overhead rates on each of these contracts and thus submitted inflated claims for payment to the United States.

?Contractors are expected to comply with their statutory obligations and act in good faith when dealing with the United States government,? said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice?s Civil Division.  ?We will not tolerate false statements and failure to disclose information that is important to the government?s contracting processes.?

?We?re using every tool available to assure the integrity of government contracting,? said U.S. Attorney MacBride. ?This is one of several cases we have pursued to protect against procurement fraud in the Eastern District of Virginia.?

The settlement with Calnet resolves a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under the False Claims Act by former Calnet employee, Kimthy Chao.  Under the False Claims Act, private citizens can bring suit on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery obtained by the government.  Mr. Chao?s share of the Calnet settlement will be $2,669,724.

This settlement was the result of a coordinated effort by the Department of Justice, Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch; the U.S. Attorney?s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Defense Contract Audit Agency.  The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.