Monday, July 30, 2012
FORMER NAVY SEABEE HELPS DEVELOP AFGHAN AGRIBUSINESS
Face of Defense: Guardsman Uses Seabee Skills in AfghanistanBy Army Staff Sgt. Paul Evans
Kentucky National Guard
FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan, July 25, 2012 - A former Navy Seabee who now serves with the Kentucky National Guard is putting his old skills to work as part of an agribusiness development team in Afghanistan.
"No matter what we have to go through and the hard things we have to deal with, to be able to know that you're here to help others, it's a way of life just because it's the way I was raised," said Army Spc. Michael Hilario, a 47-year-old Virginia Beach, Va., native, who resides in Lexington, Ky.
Hilario is deployed with the Kentucky Guard's Agribusiness Development Team 4.
Back in Kentucky, Hilario has served as an electrician with the Army National Guard's 149th Vertical Engineering Detachment, 201st Engineer Battalion, in Cynthiana, Ky., since leaving the Navy Reserve in 2008. During his 10 years with the Navy, Hilario deployed to Iraq twice as a Seabee, earning the Seabee Combat Warfare device and Fleet Marine Force Ribbon.
"I was active for right at two years," he said. "I was on the USS Kittyhawk for a little bit, and the USS Antietam out west in California, [then] I was out of the service for a very short period of time and wanted to get back into the Seabees. ... I've been an electrician for over 18 years. I'm a general contractor. That's what I do best, so I got with the Seabees and went to Ramadi, Fallujah and Baghdad."
In Iraq, he added, his construction battalion built airstrips, medical evacuation hospitals and schools. "It's quite a good feeling to know you can go over and help people like that," he said.
In Afghanistan, Hilario has put his past as a Seabee to good use by helping with the agribusiness development team's construction projects and serving as a liaison with the Seabees here.
"Things that we've needed, I've been able to go over and obtain," he said. "The things that they've needed, I've been able to help them as well. It's brotherhood taking care of brotherhood here. It's all family. ... I believe in helping others. That's the way I was raised."
"It's pretty evident that he knows how to do electric work pretty good," said Army Master Sgt. John Black, a 45-year-old Lawrenceburg, Ky., resident who works as a supervisor to Hilario on construction projects. "He's [also] a jack of all trades."
Hilario said service is in his bloodlines, as his father retired from the Navy as a chief petty officer, and his grandfather was a master chief petty officer.
"I wanted to be a part of the agribusiness development team because I knew they were doing some good things here," he said.
Hilario has three children at home. Two are teenagers who have learned to deal with his deployments.
"My oldest two -- Britney, 21, Michael, 18, -- they've been through it a couple of times. They know it's hard, but they're military children," he said. "It's gotten hard the first couple of times, but now they're understanding how things are, what we're here for, what we're here to do, and they know this is part of daddy's life as well as theirs."
His youngest child is almost 3, he said, and isn't old enough yet to understand. "I'm sure the video I sent him made him aware -- let him know where dad's going," he said. "He'll look back on it in the years to come. We'll sit down and we'll talk about it too."
After this deployment, Hilario said, he'll probably go home for a couple months and take it easy. But he'll be glad to return if necessary, he added.
"If they need me back, I'd go back again," he said. "I wouldn't hesitate."
Helping people is a family tradition, Hilario said.
"There's no amount of money that can ever replace the feeling that you get when you're able to help out people in your community and your country," he said. "There's nothing like the feeling of going and helping people."
Sunday, July 29, 2012
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA PREDICTS ATTACKS ON ALEPPO WILL CAUSE ASSAD'S DOWNFALL
Panetta: Aleppo Attacks Will Cause Assad's Downfall
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, July 29, 2012 - The Syrian regime's attacks on the citizens of Aleppo ultimately will be "a nail in Assad's coffin," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said today.
Panetta is traveling to North Africa and the Middle East for a series of
meetings, and Syria figures prominently in his conversations in Israel, Jordan,
Egypt and Tunisia.
Bashar Assad's forces have launched heavy attacks against Aleppo, Syria's largest city. The violence that the regime is launching against its own people will ensure that the regime will fall eventually, Panetta told reporters traveling with him.
The international community has brought economic and diplomatic pressure on Syria to stop the violence and to have Assad step down for a transition to a democratic form of government. "The key right now is to continue to bring that pressure to bear on Syria to provide assistance to the opposition and to provide whatever humanitarian aid we can to assist the refugees," Panetta said en route to Tunisia.
The United States must not do anything to show that the international community is anything other than unified in the effort to bring the Assad regime down, the secretary said.
Panetta also discussed the chemical and biological warfare sites in Syria that U.S. planners say need to be secured. "We've been in close coordination with countries in the region to ensure that this is happening," the secretary said.
The United States also is working with Turkey and Jordan to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees from Syria.
Bashar Assad's forces have launched heavy attacks against Aleppo, Syria's largest city. The violence that the regime is launching against its own people will ensure that the regime will fall eventually, Panetta told reporters traveling with him.
The international community has brought economic and diplomatic pressure on Syria to stop the violence and to have Assad step down for a transition to a democratic form of government. "The key right now is to continue to bring that pressure to bear on Syria to provide assistance to the opposition and to provide whatever humanitarian aid we can to assist the refugees," Panetta said en route to Tunisia.
The United States must not do anything to show that the international community is anything other than unified in the effort to bring the Assad regime down, the secretary said.
Panetta also discussed the chemical and biological warfare sites in Syria that U.S. planners say need to be secured. "We've been in close coordination with countries in the region to ensure that this is happening," the secretary said.
The United States also is working with Turkey and Jordan to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees from Syria.
U.S.-ERITREA RELATIONS
Map Credit: U.S. State DepartmentU.S. interests in Eritrea include encouraging Eritrea to contribute to regional stability, reconciling ongoing disputes with Ethiopia and Djibouti, urging progress toward a democratic political culture, citing and addresses human rights issues, and promoting economic reform.
U.S. Assistance to EritreaAt the Eritrean Government's request, the United States no longer provides bilateral assistance to Eritrea. The U.S. has no military-to-military cooperation with Eritrea.
Bilateral Economic RelationsEritrea's Government and ruling party control the economy. The United States and Eritrea have very little bilateral trade. Eritrea is a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, which has a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with the United States.
Eritrea's Membership in International OrganizationsEritrea and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank.
DOD NEWS ON MILITARY OLYMPIANS
Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Sandra Uptagrafft pauses to collect herself while competing in the women's 10-meter air pistol event at the 2012 Summer Olympics at London's Royal Artillery Barracks, July 29, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Michael Molinaro
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Jitters Get Best of Uptagrafft in Olympic Pistol DebutBy Michael Molinaro
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit
LONDON, July 29, 2012 - Despite having a difficult Olympic debut, Navy Reserve Petty Officer 1st Class Sandra Uptagrafft's experience in London today featured enough goosebumps and memories to last a lifetime.
Uptagrafft, wife of Sgt. 1st Class Eric Uptatgrafft of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, finished 28th with a score of 378 in the women's 10-meter air pistol event at the Royal Artillery Barracks.
First-time Olympic jitters, common to many shooters who toe the line for the first time on the world's grandest stage, led to a result that was not in her game plan.
"Once I hit the match button, it hit me that I am at the Olympic Games, and it kind of took me out of my rhythm," Sandra said. "It took me a while to settle down and refocus. That's what I was able to do my last two strings. It's really disappointing, because I knew going into the match that this would happen."
China's Wenjen Guo won the gold medal with a total score of 488.1 points. France's Celine Goberville (486.6) claimed the silver. Ukraine's Olena Kostevych (486.6) took the bronze.
Adding to Uptagrafft's displeasure was the fact that her sister Andrea traveled from Singapore yesterday to watch her compete in a match for the first time. Sandra said she was thinking, 'This is not an example of what to do,' and that she was disheartened because her sister saw her shoot poorly.
The outcome, though, had no bearing on the joy Andrea experienced while watching her sister compete in the biggest sporting event in the world.
"It was pretty cool," Andrea said. "I was surprised everyone was so calm and calculated. I was trying to keep calm as well, because I was slightly nervous and hoping for her to do well. I am very proud of her. I know this whole thing is overwhelming."
After the match, the sisters shared a hug. Uptagrafft's husband, however, was not there for the reunion. Eric missed his wife's Olympic debut because of a lack of training space at the Olympic shooting venue for upcoming competitors, which forced several Team USA shooters to return to Denmark to train.
Eric will compete Aug. 3 in men's prone rifle. Although he missed Sandra's match, they were able to share something much more memorable when they walked together in the Opening Ceremony at Olympic Stadium on the night of July 27. That was a moment Sandra said she will never forget.
"Walking into the opening ceremonies was the ultimate high," she said. "I still get goosebumps thinking about it now. To walk the opening ceremonies with my husband, hand-in-hand, just made it that much more meaningful and something I will carry the rest of my life."
Uptagrafft said she enjoyed the camaraderie and support exhibited by all of the U.S. shooters, something they normally do not get to share, because most matches are spread around the world. The venues and the athletes' village have been great, she said.
With one event completed, Sandra is ready to compete again Aug. 1 in the women's 25-meter sport pistol event.
"I definitely had a learning experience here, and I am hoping to take what I learned in this match and take it into my next one," she said. "Hopefully, this got the jitters out of the way, and if I can execute my shot plan, I hope to find myself in the finals."
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Spouse Competes in First Medal Event of OlympicsBy Michael Molinaro
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit
LONDON, July 29, 2012 - In front of an enthusiastic crowd eager to witness presentation of the first medals of the London Olympic Games, Jamie Gray, wife of a U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit soldier, competed in women's 10-meter air rifle yesterday at the Royal Artillery Barracks here.
Gray, a two-time Olympian, finished fifth after making the final in the event for her second consecutive Olympics. She shot a qualification score of 397, followed with a final round of 102.7 for an overall score of 499.7, a little more than three points behind China's Siling Yi, who prevailed with 502.9 points.
Sylwia Bogacka of Poland won the silver medal with 502.2 points, and was followed by bronze medalist Dan Yu of China with 501.5.
"Personally, I think I shot 39 great shots," said Gray, who finished fourth in air rifle at the Beijing Games. "You can't ask for more than that. I knew I had to have a great final to have a chance. Bottom line is you can't win a medal with a 397. It's not good enough at the Olympics."
The day was a roller coaster of sorts for Gray, who is married to Army Staff Sgt. Hank Gray. After an equipment problem had her scurrying for tools and a quick fix, she started with a perfect 100 before shooting a 99 and a 98. Two of the three dropped shots were 9.9s, meaning she missed two more 10s by mere millimeters.
On the outside looking in with 10 shots to go, Gray nailed all 10 in the center ring, putting her into a five-woman shoot-off for the four remaining spots in the eight-person finale.
Among those in the shoot-off were U.S. teammate Sarah Scherer and good friend Katerina Emmons, the 2008 Beijing gold medalist in the event, who hails from the Czech Republic. All three women made the final.
"Of course, I was pulling for all three of us to make it," Gray said. "At the same time, my focus was on my own shooting, so I couldn't worry about what they were doing."
Heading into the final, Gray, a native of Lebanon, Pa., was in sixth place, but only one point out of medal contention. After the first three shots, she found herself in eighth place along with an old back problem that started to flare up. Similar to the qualification round, she forged ahead and clawed back into contention with a solid string of shots, but time ran out on her quest for a medal.
"She's always been a fighter," said Maj. Dave Johnson, the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program and USA Shooting rifle coach. "We've had her on the team since she was 16. She exhibited that toughness back then and still does."
Europe is known as the home of shooting, and the local competitors did not disappoint. The atmosphere was more fitting for an NCAA Final Four game, as the sold-out crowd made for a scene like no other in shooting sports. Music blared while the finalists prepared for the final round, and spectators from around the globe waved their countries' flags.
"The crowd was amazing," Gray said. "We don't have that outside of a final in our sport in the States. It was awesome. I think it would be awesome if every match was like that."
Jacques Rogge, the head of the International Olympic Committee, was among those in attendance to watch the event. Yi came into the match heavily favored and came out on top after a competitive back-and-forth competition with Bogacka and fellow countryman.
"I was up since 5 in the morning," said Yi. "There was a lot of pressure on me. I was quite nervous, but just focused on the competition."
The mission now for Gray and the coaches is to move on and refocus her attention to her next event, women's three-position rifle. Gray will have to wait seven days before getting another chance at a medal, which is a blessing in disguise, she said, because of her recurring back pain.
"It's great to have a break and try to get that under control," Gray said. "I am excited to get on the range tomorrow and get some range time and get in positions again now that air gun is over."
Gray just missed a medal in three events during her Olympic career, and despite a bad back, equipment issues or anything else that may disrupt her normal routine, her coach said there is no doubt that she will be game-ready for her next event.
"In Beijing, she just missed a medal and it was painful, but the experience helped her shoot well a couple days later," Johnson said. "She just got more experience in a final again with this match. I expect her to make another final, and we'll see what happens."
SEC GETS COURT TO FREEZE ASSETS OF HONG KONG AND SINGAPORE INSIDE TRADERS
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSIONWashington, D.C., July 27, 2012– The Securities and Exchange Commission today obtained an emergency court order to freeze the assets of traders using trading accounts in Hong Kong and Singapore to reap more than $13 million in illegal profits by trading in advance of this week’s public announcement that China-based CNOOC Ltd. agreed to acquire Canada-based Nexen Inc.
The SEC alleges that Hong Kong-based firm Well Advantage Limited and other unknown traders stockpiled shares of Nexen stock based on confidential information about the deal in the days leading up to the announcement. Well Advantage is controlled by prominent Hong Kong businessman Zhang Zhi Rong, who also controls another company that has a "strategic cooperation agreement" with CNOOC.
The SEC took the emergency action to freeze the traders’ assets within days of the public announcement of the deal and less than 24 hours after Well Advantage placed an order to liquidate its entire position in Nexen. The SEC’s investigation continues.
"Well Advantage and these other traders engaged in an all-too-familiar pattern of misusing inside information to place extremely timely trades and profit handsomely from their illegal acts," said Sanjay Wadhwa, Deputy Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Market Abuse Unit and Associate Director of the New York Regional Office. "Despite the challenges of investigating misconduct in the U.S. by trading accounts located overseas, we have moved swiftly to freeze the assets of these suspicious traders and will hold them accountable for their actions."
According to the SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in Manhattan, CNOOC and Nexen announced before the markets opened on Monday, July 23 that CNOOC agreed to acquire Nexen for approximately $15.1 billion. Nexen’s stock subsequently rose sharply that day to close at nearly 52 percent higher than Friday’s closing price.
The SEC alleges that Well Advantage and certain unknown traders were in possession of material nonpublic information about the impending acquisition when they purchased Nexen’s stock in the days leading up to the public announcement. Well Advantage purchased more than 830,000 shares of Nexen on July 19 and had an unrealized trading profit of more than $7 million based on Nexen’s closing price on the day of the announcement. The other unknown traders used accounts located in Singapore to purchase more than 676,000 Nexen shares in the days preceding the announcement. They immediately sold nearly all of the stock once the announcement was made for illicit profits of approximately $6 million.
The emergency court order obtained by the SEC freezes the traders’ assets valued at more than $38 million and prohibits the traders from destroying any evidence. The SEC’s complaint charges Well Advantage and the unknown traders with violating Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Exchange Act Rule 10b-5. In addition to the emergency relief, the Commission is seeking a final judgment ordering the traders to disgorge their ill-gotten gains with interest, pay financial penalties, and permanently bar them from future violations.
The SEC’s Market Abuse Unit led by chief Daniel M. Hawke and deputy chief Sanjay Wadhwa has conducted the expedited investigation in this matter jointly with the agency’s New York Regional Office. The investigation has been conducted by the New York-based unit members Michael Holland, Simona K. Suh, Charles D. Riely, and Joseph G. Sansone along with Elzbieta Wraga in the New York Regional Office. The SEC thanks the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for its assistance in this matter.
U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT WEIGHS IN ON MOSQUE'S OCCUPANCY APPLICATIONS IN TENNESSEE
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENTWednesday, July 18, 2012
Justice Department Files Lawsuit Requiring Rutherford County, Tenn., to Allow Mosque to Open in City of Murfreesboro Complaint Seeks Temporary Restraining Order and Injunction Compelling County to Process Mosque’s Applications for a Certificate of Occupancy
The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a federal lawsuit against Rutherford County, Tenn., alleging that the county violated the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA) when, in compliance with a state chancery court ruling, it refused to process or issue a certificate of occupancy to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro for a recently constructed mosque. The department’s complaint states that a certificate of occupancy is needed immediately so that the Islamic Center can hold worship services at the new facility during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which begins at sundown on July 19.
The lawsuit, filed today in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, alleges that the county’s refusal came as a result of a recent state chancery court order last month, which, acting in response to a motion brought by individuals opposed to the mosque, enjoined the county from processing or issuing a certificate. The chancery court ruled that the county had provided insufficient public notice prior to the hearing at which the county approved the mosque’s site-plan. The chancery court imposed a heightened notice requirement on the mosque, one not imposed on other religious or secular organizations.
"Our nation was founded on bedrock principles of religious liberty. The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce civil rights laws that protect religious freedom," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "When a faith community follows the rules, as the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro has done in seeking to construct its place of worship, it is impermissible to change the rules in a discriminatory way that prevents people of faith from exercising their fundamental right to worship."
"The United States Attorney’s Office will zealously protect every citizen’s right to worship and assemble," said Jerry E. Martin, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. "If we do not protect the rights of these congregants in Rutherford County, then the rights of all people are endangered and diminished."
The government’s complaint seeks a court order requiring the county to act promptly on the Islamic Center’s application for a certificate of occupancy despite the chancery court’s injunction.
The case began when the Islamic Center, which has been operating in Rutherford County since 1982, sought to construct a new mosque for its growing congregation. In 2009, it purchased land for that purpose on Veals Road in Rutherford County and, in compliance with the county’s zoning regulation, subsequently applied for site-plan approval. After considering the proposal at a regularly scheduled, advertised meeting, the county approved the site plan. Following the county’s approval, opponents of the mosque filed a lawsuit in state court seeking to stop construction. Ultimately, with the exception of the plaintiffs’ public-notice claim, the chancery court dismissed the plaintiffs’ claims.
RLUIPA prohibits religious discrimination in land use and zoning decisions. Persons who believe that they been subjected to religious discrimination in land use or zoning may contact the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-896-7743. Additional information about the Justice Department’s efforts to combat religious discrimination may be found at www.justice.gov/crt/spec_topics/religiousdiscrimination/.
The complaint is an allegation of unlawful conduct. The allegations must be proven in federal court.
U.S. NAVY TARGETS DRUG TRAFFICKING ROUTES
FROM: U.S. NAVY120717-N-DG679-006 MAYPORT, Fla. (July 17, 2012) The guided-missile frigate USS Nicholas (FFG 47) with embarked U.S. Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment arrives at Naval Station Mayport to offload more than 7,500 pounds of cocaine and 240 pounds of marijuana in support of Operation Martillo. Operation Martillo, Spanish for "hammer," is a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Toiete Jackson/Released)
USS Nicholas Brings Home 4 Tons of Drugs from Operation Martillo
From U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet Public Affairs
MAYPORT, Fla. (NNS) -- Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate USS Nicholas (FFG 47) delivered more than four tons of cocaine and marijuana to Naval Station Mayport, Fla., seized from drug interdictions conducted in support of Operation Martillo, July 17.
Crew members offloaded approximately 3,408 kilograms (7,500 pounds) of cocaine, and 109 kilograms (239 pounds) of marijuana, with an estimated wholesale value of more than $93 million. The amount of cocaine seized was enough for 7.2 million doses, each dose approximately the same size as a sugar packet.
USS Nicholas is returning to port after a 175-day deployment supporting counter illicit trafficking operations aimed at disrupting transnational organized crime and keeping drugs off the streets.
"With the help of some partners in the region we accomplished what we set out to do; disrupt the drug trade," said Cmdr. Stephen Fuller, USS Nicholas commanding officer. "Interdictions are challenging, but with the help of other naval units, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the partner nation navies, we executed a successful deployment."
During the deployment, Nicholas with embarked U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Law Enforcement Detachment (LEDET) conducted a combination of six disruptions and interdictions while in the Caribbean Sea, and the Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters of South and Central America.
Also during the deployment, Nicholas transited the Panama Canal twice, conducted passing exercises and an officer exchange with the Colombian Navy, certified 22 pilots through Helicopter Anti Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 42 Detachment 9, four underway replenishments with a Chilean oiler, celebrated the anniversary of the War of 1812, and a "Crossing the Line" ceremony when the ship crossed the equator.
U.S. Navy and Coast Guard vessels, U.S. military and patrol aircraft from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, along with the support of allied and partner nation (PN) forces assisted with patrolling coastal regions from Colombia to Mexico to detect and monitor illicit traffic in order to cue and support PNs and U.S. interagency interdiction efforts.
Patrol airplanes from Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 77 (VAW-77), Patrol Squadron Eight (VP-8) operating from El Salvador and U.S. Customs and Border Protection long range patrol aircraft operating from Jacksonville, Fla. And Corpus Christi, Tex., use sophisticated sensors to detect suspicious vessels and coordinate interdictions by the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and partner nations patrolling the region.
More than 80 percent of the narcotics entering Central America and largely transiting through Mexico on their way to U.S. markets enter via maritime littoral routes, with the main conveyance being "go-fast" boats. By teaming up with regional partner nations and allied forces to scrutinize the littorals, transnational organized crime networks will be denied those routes.
LEDETs belong to Tactical Law Enforcement Team South or Pacific Tactical Law Enforcement Team and are an armed deployable specialized force under the USCG's Deployable Operations Group. They were created to support narcotics interdiction operations aboard U.S. Navy and allied ships and are capable of supporting DOD national defense operations. LEDETs provide specialized law enforcement capability and maritime security capabilities to enforce U.S. laws across a full spectrum of maritime response situations, maritime security augmentation and maritime interdiction anti-piracy operations.
Operation Martillo (Spanish for 'hammer') is a U.S., European, and Western Hemisphere partner nation effort targeting illicit trafficking routes in coastal waters along the Central American isthmus. This joint service, interagency, and multinational operation is being led by Joint Interagency Task Force South, the agency charged with detection, monitoring, and supporting the interdiction of illicit trafficking in a 42 million square mile area under the direction of U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM).
Operation Martillo is a component of the U.S. government's coordinated interagency regional security strategy in support of the White House strategy to combat transnational organized crime and the U.S. Central America Regional Security Initiative.
U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command and U.S. 4th Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) supports USSOUTHCOM joint and combined full-spectrum military operations by providing principally sea-based, forward presence to ensure freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain, to foster and sustain cooperative relationships with international partners and to fully exploit the sea as maneuver space in order to enhance regional security and promote peace, stability, and prosperity in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.
U.S. - SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE RELATIONS
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. - SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE RELATIONSThe United States established diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe in 1976, following its independence from Portugal. U.S. relations with Sao Tome and Principe are excellent. The two countries share a commitment to democracy and good governance. The Voice of America broadcasts to much of Africa from a relay transmitter station in Sao Tome.
U.S. Assistance to Sao Tome and PrincipeU.S. foreign assistance to Sao Tome and Principe is focused on improving the professionalism and capacity of the country’s small military and coast guard and enhancing its maritime security efforts. Situated in the oil-rich, strategically significant Gulf of Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe is a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which is the focus of an increasing number of regional security initiatives. Sao Tome and Principe has been an active player in ECCAS’s Zone D maritime security exercises, and a participant in the U.S. Navy’s Africa Partnership Station ship visits to Gulf of Guinea countries.
Bilateral Economic RelationsU.S. exports to Sao Tome and Principe include vehicles, electrical machinery, aircraft, and iron and steel products, while its imports from Sao Tome and Principe include optic and medical instruments, cocoa, and furniture and bedding. Sao Tome and Principe is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The two countries do not have a bilateral investment treaty or taxation treaty.
Sao Tome and Principe's Membership in International OrganizationsSao Tome and Principe and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Sao Tome and Principe also is an observer to the World Trade Organization.
U.S. - SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE RELATIONSThe United States established diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe in 1976, following its independence from Portugal. U.S. relations with Sao Tome and Principe are excellent. The two countries share a commitment to democracy and good governance. The Voice of America broadcasts to much of Africa from a relay transmitter station in Sao Tome.
U.S. Assistance to Sao Tome and PrincipeU.S. foreign assistance to Sao Tome and Principe is focused on improving the professionalism and capacity of the country’s small military and coast guard and enhancing its maritime security efforts. Situated in the oil-rich, strategically significant Gulf of Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe is a member of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), which is the focus of an increasing number of regional security initiatives. Sao Tome and Principe has been an active player in ECCAS’s Zone D maritime security exercises, and a participant in the U.S. Navy’s Africa Partnership Station ship visits to Gulf of Guinea countries.
Bilateral Economic RelationsU.S. exports to Sao Tome and Principe include vehicles, electrical machinery, aircraft, and iron and steel products, while its imports from Sao Tome and Principe include optic and medical instruments, cocoa, and furniture and bedding. Sao Tome and Principe is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The two countries do not have a bilateral investment treaty or taxation treaty.
Sao Tome and Principe's Membership in International OrganizationsSao Tome and Principe and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Sao Tome and Principe also is an observer to the World Trade Organization.
RECENT U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
Capt. Blaine Jones, Thunderbird 6, Opposing Solo pilot, takes off during the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Air Expo, July 22, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Larry E. Reid Jr.)
Fighting the heat
Firefighters from the 51st Civil Engineer Squadron extinguish a fire started from a simulated C-130 Hercules cargo plane crash at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, during the operational readiness exercise Beverly Midnight 12-03, July 23, 2012. Each scenario tests their ability to defend the base and conduct daily operations during a heightened state of readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Craig Cisek)
Remove before flight
Maintainers from the 81st Fighter Squadron pull out firing pins and chocks to ready an A-10 Thunderbolt II for takeoff before a night combat search and rescue training mission July 20, 2012. The maintainers took part in Dacian Thunder, a month-long partnership building exercise that included U.S. Air Force, Romanian air force, U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Air Force participants. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Natasha Stannard)
THE MYSTERY OF COLLEGE COSTS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONSecretary Duncan addressed the 2012 National Council for Community and Education Partnership’s (NCCEP) Annual GEAR UP Conference this week. ED’s GEAR UP program awards six-year grants to states and partnerships to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education.
Posted on July 24, 2012 by Cameron Brenchley
To help solve this problem, the Obama Administration released a model financial aid award letter today called the Shopping Sheet. The Shopping Sheet will standardize award letters, making it easier to comparison shop and provide students with key information including:Financial aid options to pay this cost, with a clear differentiation between grants and scholarships, which do not have to be repaid, and loans, which do;
The net costs after grants and scholarships are taken into account;
Vital information about student results, including comparative information about default rates, graduation rates, and median debt levels for the school;
And potential monthly payments for the federal student loans the typical student would owes after graduation.
SENIOR HOUSING OR NOT SENIOR HOUSING? THE FAIR HOUSING ACT ANSWERS THAT IN CALIFORNIA
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICEFriday, July 27, 2012
Justice Department Settles Housing Discrimination Lawsuit Related to Senior Housing in Santa Rosa, California
The Justice Department today announced an agreement with a California municipality and a homeowners’ association to resolve allegations of discrimination on the basis of familial status in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The settlement, in the form of a consent order, must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The department’s lawsuit, which was filed on Nov. 21, 2011, alleged that the city of Santa Rosa, Calif., and La Esplanada Unit 1 Owners’ Association, a homeowners’ association, unlawfully sought to restrict residency at a housing development to seniors aged 55 and older. While the law allows an exemption for senior housing, the suit alleged that neither the city nor the homeowners’ association took the steps, such as routine age-verification, necessary to qualify for an exemption to the Fair Housing Act .
Under the terms of the consent order, the city of Santa Rosa will not take any enforcement action against the housing development to force it to exclude families with children, and will waive the estimated $12,500 in costs associated with any zoning changes that may be necessary to bring the city’s regulation of the property into compliance with federal law. Further, when the city, through its zoning code, permits or requires a developer or property owner to operate senior housing, it will, among other things, designate the age restriction of the zoned property in its ordinances and zoning maps, and require that property owners for these developments submit biennial age verifications for the city’s review and certification. The city will designate an agency to review and certify the biennial certifications.
The homeowners’ association also is prohibited from excluding families with children from the development unless it affirmatively elects to become an age-restricted community for persons 55 years of age or older and conforms to the requirements of the Fair Housing Act. The Fair Housing Act's requirements include ensuring that at least 80 percent of the occupied units are occupied by at least one person who is 55 years of age or older and ensuring there are proper age verification procedures in place. In addition, the homeowners’ association will provide compensatory damages to the aggrieved persons in an amount of $44,000 by providing a set-off to amounts it has claimed it is owed by the aggrieved persons.
The consent order also requires the homeowners’ association’s officers, agents and employees, as well as city employees and agents with responsibilities related to zoning and land use to receive fair housing training, and requires the homeowners’ association and the city to pay $5,000 each to the United States as a civil penalty.
"It is critical that families with children have opportunities to find housing," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. "We are pleased to achieve a resolution in this case that balances the housing rights of families against the ability of a municipality and community to maintain senior housing."
"The resolution of this action is another step in the United States’ continuing commitment to protect all of its citizens and to provide fair housing opportunities for people of all ages," said Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California. "We are pleased to come to a just and speedy resolution with the city of Santa Rosa and the Homeowners’ Association."
This lawsuit arose as a result of a complaint filed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) by the owner and representative of a portion of the condominium development that was the subject of the defendants’ enforcement actions. After HUD investigated the complaint, it issued a charge of discrimination and the matter was referred to the Justice Department.
"This settlement gives Santa Rosa a path forward to have senior housing and protect the rights of families with children under the Fair Housing Act," said John Trasviña, HUD Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.
U.S. MARINE CORPS OLYMPIC BOXER
Force of Defense: Marine Boxer Fights for Olympic GoldBy Gary Sheftick
Army News Service
LONDON, July 27, 2012 – After leading the U.S. boxing team in warm-ups yesterday, Marine Corps Sgt. Jamel Herring demonstrated the unique style and speed that may earn him an Olympic medal.
"I'm definitely an underdog here," said Herring, a light welterweight who surprised several opponents at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with quick footwork and his ability to dodge punches. "It's like a hit and run. It's like a game of tag -- I'm hitting, and I'm gone."
"The minute you get frustrated, I'm right back on you."
Herring will be the first U.S. Marine boxer to climb into an Olympic boxing ring in 20 years. He said coaches sometimes compare him to "Sugar Ray" Leonard, who won Olympic gold at the 1976 games while fighting in the light-welterweight division. He said Leonard danced like Muhammad Ali -- avoiding punches and coming in for the knock-out.
"Speed creates power," Herring said.
Brazil's Everton Lopes, however, is the reigning world champion in the light-welterweight division and England's Thomas Stalker is the division's No. 1-ranked boxer.
"The odds are definitely not with us," said USA head boxing coach retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Basheer Abdullah, who added that all of his athletes have a fighting chance in London.
"You can't bet against this guy," Abdullah said. "There were a lot of people who didn't think he was going to win in the trials and he proved them wrong."
The coach said Herring demonstrates good team leadership and is one of the squad's three team captains.
"You'll see Jamel out front most of the time," Abdullah said. "That's a good NCO."
Yesterday, Herring led the team in warm-up exercises before participating in a number of agility and sparring drills around the mats with trainers such as U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program assistant coach Staff Sgt. Joseph Guzman, who also boxed for Abdullah.
"Jamel's a good mover," Guzman said. "He has good, strong legs. He boxes on the move. At times, he frustrates his opponents with the movement because his opponents never get a chance to set. By the time they want to throw a punch, he's already over here on the other side."
Herring said the Marine Corps has immensely helped him, in terms of discipline.
"I try to bring that Corps’ discipline to the athletes," Herring said. "Some of them are only 18 or 19 years old."
Herring, 26, said the Marine Corps helped him mature and that he has the respect of other boxers on Team USA. He said the Corps instilled him with a determination to "never give up," and that may be what takes him past the hurdles of the coming week.
Whatever happens, it won't be as tough as the fight in Fallujah, said Herring, who served in Iraq during 2005 and again in 2007.
Herring has been boxing for about 11 years, but he realizes that he's still a relative unknown in the ring.
"People don't think I have enough international experience and they don't give me a chance," Herring said. "It actually takes the pressure off me. I'd actually like to just come out of nowhere and win it all."
The day of the Olympic Opening Ceremony in London will mark the third anniversary of the death of Herring's daughter, Ariyanah, who died of SIDS. Her memory, he says, will be his inspiration for the London Games.
The first Olympic light-welterweight bouts are scheduled for July 29.
PRESIDENT OBAMA ON TAX CUTS
President Barack Obama holds a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, July 26, 2012. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
President Obama Pushes the House of Representatives on Middle Class Tax Cuts
Kicking off a Cabinet meeting this afternoon, President Obama again pushed the House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate and extend tax cuts for the middle class before the looming January 1 deadline.
"[My] administration is focusing on our economy, and how do we make sure that this is an economy in which people who work hard, who act responsibly, can get ahead," the President said.
At midnight on New Year's Eve, tax cuts for 114 million middle class families are set to expire, even though there's broad consensus in Washington about the need for a solution. Without an extension, a typical family of four would be asked to pay an additional $2,200 in 2013.
"[Yesterday], the Senate voted to ensure that 98 percent of Americans don’t see their taxes go up next year, that 97 percent of small businesses don’t see their taxes go up next year," the President told his Cabinet. "It was the right thing to do."
The President said he would push the members of the Cabinet to join him in amplifying that message in the days ahead.
"[One] of the things that I’m going to be doing, my Cabinet members are going to be doing over the next several days, is to make sure that the American people understand that we can provide them certainty right now for next year that their taxes will not go up, and they will then be able to plan accordingly," he told reporters before the meeting.
STATE DEPARTMENT'S CARTERASSESSES ASIA-PACIFIC TRIP
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSECarter Assesses Results of Asia-Pacific Trip
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, July 27, 2012 - Heading back to Washington yesterday after a 10-day Asia-Pacific tour, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said he had succeeded in informing allies and partners about specific aspects of the U.S. strategic rebalance, and had, in turn, received strategic and practical information about what the shift means to other nations.
"I think that what our partners and allies in this region are looking for is confirmation that the United States is serious and concrete about shifting ... a great deal of our emphasis from the places we have been -- of necessity -- preoccupied for the last decade, namely Iraq and Afghanistan, to the Asia-Pacific region," Carter noted.
He told American Forces Press Service that during his travels, he gave allies a level of planning detail and a number of examples relating to specific U.S. strategic rebalancing events that helped them understand "that we are, as I said at the beginning of the trip, walking the walk and not just talking the talk."
During his travels since July 17, the deputy secretary has told high-level ministers in Japan, Thailand, India and South Korea, as well as senior military officials in Hawaii and civilian and uniformed leaders in Guam, that the United States will increase its regional naval presence over time, invest in technologies relevant to the region's needs, and increase forward-deployed presence or troop rotations in several key areas of the theater, from Australia to Guam to Singapore.
Partnered training and exercises will also deepen U.S. strategic engagement in the Asia-Pacific region, he added. Carter said there are two reasons he's confident DOD can carry out the strategy even with a constrained defense budget.
First, he said, a lot of excess capacity has been freed up from Iraq and more will become available as resource commitments in Afghanistan ease. Pentagon leaders can re-invest that capital to build U.S. military posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the deputy secretary said.
"The second reason is that we are prioritizing capabilities that are particularly relevant to this region in our budget," the deputy secretary continued. "Even though we don't have all the money we want, we have all the money we need for the Asia-Pacific ... re-posturing."
Carter said he received valuable input from government ministers across the Asia-Pacific region and from U.S. military commanders.
"I got a lot of useful thinking -- strategic and practical -- about how we can carry the rebalance to the next level. Because this isn't a one-year thing; this isn't just a fiscal [2013] issue," he said. "We have to keep going. This is a transition that our department will undergo for several years."
"From our commanders out there, who are on the scene every day -- all of whom are superb -- I got lots of good ideas," Carter added.
The deputy secretary said the U.S. commanders he spoke with also discussed their operations and plans, including multinational exercises with partner and allied forces.
"[The commanders] are wonderful executors of the strategy, and also wonderful ambassadors for our department," Carter said. "All of them are spectacular."
Allied and partner senior officials he has spoken with this month offered suggestions to improve U.S. military-to-military or government-to-government cooperation, the deputy secretary said.
"For example, in India, which was very important ... I discussed with all of the senior leadership in the Indian government ways that we can strengthen our cooperation and deepen it technologically," he said, noting the Indians don't want to just buy American weapons systems.
"They have a proud technological heritage," Carter said of the Indians. "and they want a relationship that enriches that, and enables that -- not just a buyer-seller relationship."
Such technology-sharing partnerships are long-established with Japan, South Korea and Thailand, the deputy secretary noted. "We've had longer partnerships with them," he added. "So much more is established, but much more remains to be done. So I discussed with the ministers of defense and other leaders in Japan, the Republic of Korea and Thailand ways that we can step up our cooperation with them in a way that reflects the rebalancing."
As part of an overall force posture adjustment in the Asia-Pacific, DOD plans to relocate some U.S. troops based in both Japan and South Korea over the next several years. DOD officials have described those moves as intended, in part, to ease pressure on populations in congested urban areas. These kinds of responses to partner nation conditions are part of what the new strategy aims for, Carter said.
"I would say that our partners out here are overwhelmingly welcoming of our attention to them, and effort on [their] behalf," he said. "I emphasized, as I always do, that our perspective is regional and global. It's to keep a good thing going in the Asia-Pacific region."
For 70 years the region has enjoyed peace and stability "for everyone," Carter noted.
"I say 'everyone' because people always ask me about China, and I always say the rebalancing is not about China," he said. "It's not about the United States. It's not about any one country; it's about regional security. It's that environment of security that has led to 40 years now, in Asia, of remarkable progression in lifting people from poverty: first Japan, then South Korea, then Southeast Asia, now China and India."
"It's a great story of human progress, and it doesn't come automatically," Carter continued. "There has to be security for progress, [and] we have been an important part of providing that for decades. And we intend to do that for decades in the future."
The deputy secretary acknowledged that in some ways the rebalancing strategy is a "back to the future" approach to the region.
"We have been playing this role in the Asia-Pacific theater for many decades," Carter said. "And all we're saying is that we intend to continue to play it.That needs to be emphasized, because many people in the region and also in our own country have been preoccupied, very understandably, with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."
AIR FORCE AEROMEDICAL EVACUATION TRAINING
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
86th Aeromedical Evacuation
U.S. Air Force members from the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany review the checklist before loading simulated patients aboard an C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) before a training flight to Tbilisi, Georgia, July 25, 2012.
The mission marked the first aeromedical training mission executed by the HAW, a multinational C-17 Wing comprised of members from 12 nations. (U.S. Air Force photo/MSgt Wayne Clark, AFNE Regional News Bureau) (Released)
U.S. Air Force members from the 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Ramstein Air Base, Germany conduct a simulated patient assessment aboard C-17 Globemaster III aircraft from the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW) during a training flight to Tbilisi, Georgia, July 25, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/MSgt Wayne Clark, AFNE Regional News Bureau) (Released)
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)