NEW YORK AIR NATIONAL GUARD VISIT THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
New York Air National Guard supports Antarctic research
Master Sgt. Carmello Modesto loads equipment sleds destined for the U.S. Antarctic Program's South Pole research station into the back of an LC-130 Hercules at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, Nov. 30, 2004. (U.S. Air Force photo/Benjamin Carr)

10/16/2012 - STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, SCOTIA , N.Y. (AFNS) -- The New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing kicks off its annual support for the National Science Foundation in Antarctica as ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft head for Antarctica on Oct. 16 and 17.

These aircraft will support the National Science Foundation's research in the Antarctic, running supplies and people to field camps across the continent and the South Pole station.

Two aircraft will depart on the five-day, 11,000-mile trip to Antarctica on each day. A total of six ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft will be on the ice from October to February. About 120 members of the New York Air National Guard will be deployed to Antarctica throughout the support season. The Airmen deploy for 30 to 60 days each, working two 12-hour shifts to cover 24-hour operations, six days each week. They work a half-day on Sunday.

The ski-equipped LC-130s operated by the 109th AW are the only aircraft in the U.S. military capable of landing on snow and ice, according to officials. This is the 24th year that the 109th will support operations in Antarctica.

Based at the United States Antarctic Program base at McMurdo Station, the 109th AW is slated fly more than 350 missions across the continent, with more than half of those moving passengers, cargo and fuel to the South Pole, officials said. The majority of supplies that reach the United States Amundsen-Scott Base at the South Pole are ferried there by the 109th AW.

Despite the cold, the maintenance crews normally attain a high reliability rate for each aircraft, allowing the flight crews to carry as much cargo as possible to remote Antarctic outposts. The wing accumulates roughly 3,000 hours of flying time in the 16-week season. This is almost as much as most Air National Guard C-130 units fly in a year, officials said.

All maintenance performed on the aircraft is done outside on the snow and ice without the use of hangars. This requires maintainers to undergo specialized training for both maintenance procedures and personal extreme weather survival training.

U.S. military support for Operation Deep Freeze is a Pacific Command responsibility organized as Joint Task Force -Support Forces Antarctica. The Joint Task Force includes cargo and fuel tanker ships provided by Military Sealift Command; active- duty and Reserve C-17 Globemaster III support from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; the ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules flown by the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard; and Coast Guard icebreakers and the Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One to provide critical port services at McMurdo Station.

The airlift part of Operation Deep Freeze operates from two primary locations, with C-17s situated at Christchurch, New Zealand, and LC-130 Hercules forward based at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, beginning in late October.


　

ALLEGED 9/11 MASTERMIND CONDEMNED THE MILITARY COMMISSION PROCESS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

9/11 Defendant Condemns Military Tribunal Process
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

FORT MEADE, Md., Oct. 17, 2012 - The self-described mastermind in the 9/11 terrorist attacks condemned the military commissions process for the second time since the pre-trial hearings for him and four other codefendants began this week.

Army Col. James Pohl, the judge overseeing the case of Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four others charged with planning and conducting the 9/11 attacks, gave Mohammed the
opportunity to address the court at Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The defendant, wearing a camouflage vest Pohl granted him permission to wear and arriving late for court today after initially electing to skip it, unexpectedly raised his hand during the afternoon session indicating that he wanted to speak.

Pohl called a recess so his defense team could ascertain their client's intention before giving Mohammed the floor.

Speaking through an interpreter, Mohammed accused the U.S. government of using national security concerns as a guise to circumvent a legitimate legal process. He said the prosecution is being subjective about what activities it conducts and information it protects in the interest of national security.

"The president can take someone and throw them in the sea in the name of national security," he said, a reference to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's burial at sea. Mohammed went on to charge that the U.S. government is so focused on the 3,000 people killed on 9/11 that it has justified killing "millions" in the name of national security.

"Your blood is not made out of gold and ours out of water," he charged.

Pohl, clearly not anticipating the tirade, made clear that it won't tolerate others. "This is a one-time occurrence," he told David Nevin, Mohammed's learned counsel, after Mohammed finished speaking.

Pohl emphasized that he would never allow the court proceedings to be disrupted again to allow any of the defendants to express their personal thoughts about how the proceedings are going.
He also underscored that his failure to interrupt Mohammed should not be construed as an endorsement of anything he said.

Mohammed's commentary was the second time this week that he condemned the military commission process. During the first day of pre-trial hearings, he told Pohl, "I don't think there's any justice in this court."

Mohammed's comments came at the end of a day in which only one of the five 9/11 defendants, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, initially elected to attend court. Mohammed skipped yesterday's session and initially opted do the same today. However, he informed the guards that he had changed his mind and appeared in court an hour-and-a-half into today's session.

Three other defendants, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, waived their right to attend today's hearing.

All five of the defendants were captured in Pakistan between 2002 and 2003 and have been confined at Guantanamo Bay since 2006.

They were charged during their arraignment in May with terrorism, conspiracy, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, murder in violation of the law of war, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft.

The third day of their pretrial hearings continued to focus today on the balance between protecting classified information that, if made public, could jeopardize U.S. national security, and the constitutional mandate to make court proceedings public.

Hina Shamsi, representing the American Civil Liberties Union, argued this morning that the proceedings should be open, objecting to measures she called "categorical suppression of information that has largely been made public."

Shami called the closed sessions, and a 40-second delay in the audio feed, an attempt to censor the defendants' testimony about their torture and detention while in U.S. custody, particularly by the CIA.

Later in the day, the court security officer demonstrated how this works, cutting the microphone to Navy Lt. Cdr. Kevin Bogucki, Binalshibh's military counsel, when Bogucki referred to enhanced interrogation methods. As it became clear that Bogucki was speaking in hypothetical terms, the CSO restored the audio and Pohl asked Bogucki to repeat what he had said for the court record.

James Connell, Ali's learned counsel, told Pohl he believes the defense teams has the right and obligation to challenge the classification of information relevant to their cases. He said previous questions to the convening authority about why some information is classified have been met with "silence."

Department of Justice attorney Joanna Baltes argued that protective measures are required so the government can prosecute the case without disclosing classified information that threatens U.S. national security. She said these measures, including the audio delay and soundproof gallery for court observers, are the only reason the sessions can be as open as they are.

Baltes also defended a protective order the prosecution has requested to ensure that the U.S. government is able to prosecute the case without compromising national security interests.

Pohl is expected to rule on a protective order tomorrow.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR OCTOBER 18, 2012

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
  U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Benjamin Cool (left) ties a detonation cord as Lance Cpl. Josh Czerepka places several blocks of explosives into an insurgent firing position at a location in Afghanistan on March 5, 2012. Cool and Czerepka are combat engineers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. DoD photo by Sgt. James Mercure, U.S. Marine Corps. (Released)


Afghan, Coalition Force Arrests Taliban Leader
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 18, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader today in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, military officials reported.

The arrested insurgent leader facilitated the use of homemade explosives and bomb-making materials across Afghan borders into Helmand province.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and found explosive residue.

In other International Security Assistance Force news throughout Afghanistan:

Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of Taliban leader Faizani during a security operation in Helmand province, Sept. 28. Faizani, also known as Kirahmat or Abdul Wasay, coordinated the movement of Taliban fighters and weapons within northern Helmand province.

Also today, an Afghan and coalition force in Logar province detained several insurgents during a search for an improvised explosive device expert.

In other news from Afghanistan, more than 20 residents of a village in Kandahar province's Maruf district volunteered Oct. 16 to become members of the Afghan Local Police. The Mirokheyl village elders, the Maruf chief of police and the district governor vetted the candidates to help in mitigating insider threats and Taliban infiltration, officials said.

MARINES: AN ADMINISTRATOR'S PRESPECTIVE

Administration personnel chief Marine Sgt. Sean A. Walker serves the more than 40 Marines attached to the naval command. Photo by Marine Cpl. Tyler J. Bolken

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Admin Marine Knows Job's Impact on People
By Marine Corps Cpl. Tyler J. Bolken
Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2012 - The cornerstone of administration is behind a desk, making keystrokes and mouse clicks that affect Marines' pay, living arrangements and food -- in other words, their livelihood.

Marine Corps Sgt. Sean A. Walker, a native of Port Lavaca, Texas, an administration personnel chief at Fleet Readiness Center East here, serves the more than 40 Marines attached to the naval command. Because the center is a standalone unit, Walker said, he is required to have a much broader spectrum of knowledge of the administrative field than he'd normally need.

"It was challenging initially," he acknowledged. But by being the catch-all for Marines' administrative needs, he said, he is able to build much more of a one-on-one customer service relationship.

"I see most of these guys every day, they're not just a number," he said. "I'm able to tailor the support I need to provide for the individual."

Building those relationships with the Marines is what he enjoys the most about his job, Walker said, but the traveling opportunities aren't bad, either.

"We are literally worldwide assignable," he said. "I've been to Bangkok, Thailand, the Great Wall of China, Singapore and Germany."

But while he's here, Walker said, he will continue to make sure that pay, housing and food don't worry the Marines at Fleet Readiness Center East.

COOKING: THE NEEDS OF THE MANY

FROM: U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Latrice Walker chops vegetables in the ship's galley aboard amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga, Sept. 16, 2012. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Karen Blankenship

Face of Defense: Las Vegas Native Cooks for Sailors, Marines

By Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Karen Blankenship
Amphibious Squadron 11

PHILIPPINE SEA, Oct. 15, 2012 - Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Latrice Walker, a Las Vegas native, is serving aboard amphibious dock landing ship USS Tortuga while on deployment in the Western Pacific.

As a culinary specialist, Walker is responsible for providing the ship's crew and embarked Marines with three meals a day.

Walker said her rise through the ranks from seaman recruit to a third class petty officer has involved a lot of hard work.

"You have to do the grunt work," she said. "I've worked in the chief's mess and the wardroom. I've also worked as a damage control petty officer. I've pretty much done everything."

Walker said that the fact that she stays busy throughout the day is her favorite part of her job.

"We work throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner," she said. "You're never confused about what you're going to do. Your day is pretty much taken up until it's time for you to get off."

The 21-year-old sailor said she joined the Navy to take advantage of the educational benefits. She is attending Central Texas College and hopes to become an optometrist and open her own practice. Meanwhile, she's enjoying the travel that's part of Navy life.

"I like the fact that we visit all these countries," she said. "We go from Guam to Thailand. I've also been to Palau and Saipan. I like traveling, meeting new people, seeing new things and experiencing the different cultures."

Tortuga is part of the forward-deployed Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations

HOUSTON AMBULANCE COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO EMERGENCY MEDICARE FRAUD

FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Monday, October 15, 2012
Houston Ambulance Company Administrator Pleads Guilty to Fraud

WASHINGTON – The administrator of CardioMax EMS, a Houston-based ambulance company, pleaded guilty today to charges that he submitted approximately $1,734,550 in fraudulent claims to Medicare, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas; Special Agent-In-Charge Elvis McBride of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Special Agent-in-Charge Mike Fields of the Dallas Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

Okechukwu Ofoegbu, 31, of Houston, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Ofoegbu was the administrator of Cardiomax EMS, a Houston-based ambulance company that primarily transported patients to community mental health centers. According to Ofoegbu’s plea agreement, from January 2011 through December 2011, Ofoegbu and others at Cardiomax were involved in transporting patients that did not meet the requirements for ambulance transport under Medicare regulations, falsifying ambulance run sheets that described patients’ conditions and using the falsified run sheets to file claims with Medicare. Ofoegbu admitted in his plea agreement that he conspired to submit claims to Medicare for ambulance services that he knew were miscoded, not medically necessary and, in some cases, not provided.

As part of the plea agreement, Ofoegbu has agreed to pay $553,002 in restitution to the United States. At sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 24, 2013, Ofoegbu faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

Ofoegbu was originally indicted as part of a nationwide takedown on May 2, 2012, that resulted in charges against 107 individuals, including doctors, nurses and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in Medicare fraud schemes involving approximately $452 million in false billing.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Laura M.K. Cordova, Special Trial Attorney James S. Seaman, Special Trial Attorney Ronald Cummings and Deputy Chief Sam S. Sheldon of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by HHS-OIG, FBI and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, as part the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas and the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION AIMS TO SAVE MONEY THROUGH INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES

LEFT:  As Acting Administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), Daniel M. Tangherlini serves a vital role in President Obama’s agenda to build a more sustainable, responsible and effective government for the American people. GSA is responsible for improving the government’s workplace by managing assets, delivering maximum value in acquisitions, preserving historic property, and implementing technology solutions.

　
FROM: GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
GSA Tests Innovative Building Technologies, Aims for Savings

Emerging technologies increase efficiency and reduce costs in federal buildings

September 26, 2012
WASHINGTON — The U.S. General Services Administration released two new reports today as part of the Green Proving Ground program, unveiling technologies that reduce energy use in federal buildings and have significant savings potential if widely implemented. GSA works with the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories to test the viability of energy efficient technologies that can be installed in buildings across the country. GSA is also announcing today that it will test and evaluate 12 additional sustainable building technologies in GSA’s federal buildings.

The technologies for the Green Proving Ground program are selected for their potential to help reduce operating costs and to meet the sustainability goals in President Obama’s Executive Order on environmental, energy and economic performance.

"This innovative program is another example of GSA leading the way for the federal government," said Dorothy Robyn, Commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service. "By testing the effectiveness of these technologies, GSA is finding new ways that federal buildings across the nation can save both energy and taxpayer dollars."

The two studies released today include an evaluation of responsive lighting systems and plug load control.

The Responsive Lighting study evaluated the performance of new workstation-specific lighting systems. The study was conducted in five federal buildings in California and Nevada that represented a diverse set of agencies, occupancy patterns, work styles, and lighting. Results showed energy savings that ranged from approximately 27 to 63 percent over baseline conditions depending on the work space’s normal use. Lighting accounts for 39 percent of electricity costs in office buildings.

The Plug Load Control study evaluated advanced power strips (APS) in eight GSA buildings in the MidAtlantic region. These power strips save energy by controlling plug-in devices according to a schedule or based on a given device crossing a power threshold. Results showed the APS’ schedule based capability to be highly effective, reducing plug loads at workstations by 26 percent, and nearly 50 percent in kitchens and printer rooms. This technology could significantly reduce costs, as plug-loads account for roughly 25 percent of total electricity consumed within office buildings.

GSA is also announcing today that it will test and evaluate 12 additional emerging sustainable building technologies in select federal facilities. Results from these evaluations will continue to increase performance of GSA’s buildings by reducing operational costs, increasing environmental efficiency, and assisting industry in deploying new technologies and practices into the broader market. This year’s technologies include wireless lighting controls, LED luminaires, glazing retrofit coatings, wireless pneumatic thermostats, solar thermal collectors and water saving landscape irrigation systems.

GSA owns and leases 9,600 buildings across the country and has the real estate portfolio needed to broadly test and install these technologies.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
121013-N-WW409-192 ANDAMAN SEA (Oct. 13, 2012) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) is underway beside the guided-missile frigate USS Vandegrift (FFG 48), and the Royal Malaysian Navy ships RMN Jebat (FF 29) and RMN Lekiu (FF 30) in the Andaman Sea. George Washington and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. The U.S. Navy is constantly deployed to preserve peace, protect commerce, and deter aggression through forward presence. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jennifer A. Villalovos/Released)

121014-M-IT765-005 MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (Oct. 14, 2012) F/A-18C Hornets assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, fly in formation at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar 2012 Air Show. The U.S. Navy has a 237-year heritage of defending freedom and projecting and protecting U.S. interests around the globe. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Howe/Released)

DIALOGUE ON THE INDIA-U.S. STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Varanasi, located on the west bank of the River Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and is often referred to as the religious capital of India. Pilgrims journey to Varanasi to cleanse their spirits in the river. Photo Credit: U.S. CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Remarks at the Brookings-FICCI Dialogue on the India-U.S. Strategic Partnership

Remarks
Geoffrey Pyatt
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

New Delhi, India
October 10, 2012
I’d like to say first of all, what an enormous pleasure and honor it is for me to be here speaking, and especially before such a distinguished audience of very senior Indian retired and current officials.

I want to offer two particular acknowledgements. First of all, to our host R. V. Kanoria, and to note in particular the indispensable role that he has played over the past decade in building the architecture for the new U.S.-India relationship. Initiatives like the Indo-U.S. Parliamentary Forum which began here in this building and played an absolutely critical role in establishing the channels of communication that are so important to the strategic partnership that we’re seeking to build.

The second acknowledgement is to someone who’s not here but whose passing I wanted to note and that’s Brajesh Mishra, somebody to whom I think all of us who have worked on the U.S.-India relationship over the past decade have to look and in many ways everything that we’re doing today together stands on his shoulders and the strategic vision that he first enunciated.

The one big idea I’d like to highlight for everybody this morning is simply to underline the degree to which for the United States our engagement with India, going back to the period that Strobe Talbott documents in his "Engaging India" manuscript, is the result of a deliberate, considerate strategy founded on the judgment that the rise of India, the emergence of India as a more consequential and powerful actor in the international system is good for U.S. interests and good for the international system, good for the global economy. That’s a line of approach which began in President Clinton’s administration, was sustained by President Bush, and very much informs the approach that President Obama has brought to the task before us.

In the Obama administration there has been a considered presidential review of our approach to India policy and it is a review that has reaffirmed the conclusion that this is a strategic relationship of abiding importance to the United States in which our governments have prepared to make a broad and enduring investment.

One of the advantages of the U.S.-India relationship in the transformative phase that Ambassador Mishra was involved with was the fact that it focused on a single big issue -- the U.S.-India nuclear deal -- which captured everybody’s attention and made clear that we were changing the rules of engagement. I think one of the tasks which those of us who are now engaged in the relationship have to work on is the fact that rather than one big thing, we have a multiplicity of activities in which we are working together, trying to forge an international partnership.

I would just highlight six specific areas that reflect the strategic bet that the United States has made on the future of our partnership with India [in the expectation my co-panelists will cover those I’ve overlooked].

1) ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP: First and foremost, I would highlight the economic relationship which will be of enduring importance. And it’s worth remembering that about a decade after Ambassador Blackwell’s famous "flat as a Chapati" speech, we have managed to grow the U.S.-India trade account by a factor of four. Investment has grown by a factor of ten. Government can take relatively little credit for that accomplishment. Most of the growth has resulted from decisions made by investors and business people here in India and in the United States. But certainly it has been our task to remove the obstacles. We have been engaged on the task of dealing with high technology trade, working through the High Technology Group and other mechanisms to remove regulatory and other barriers to the high end partnership that characterizes and distinguishes this economic relationship.

The U.S.-India economic relationship is really set apart from others that we enjoy by the fact that this is an engagement that takes place at the high end of both of our economies in areas like services, advanced technologies, bio technology. These are the technologies and the knowledge-based industries of the future.

Yes, there are issues that remain to be resolved across this economic spectrum, but I would argue that in the context of the expanded volume of trade, and expanded volume of interaction, it is quite natural that there are issues that have to be addressed as we grow this bilateral economic engagement. But I think what stands apart for me is the level of comfort certainly on the Washington side, with India as an economic partner. This is not a relationship revival; this is a relationship of complementary and comparative advantage.

2) STRATEGIC DIALOGUE: The second major basket I would flag is the spectrum of strategic consultation that has emerged between our two governments on a broad array of diplomatic tasks that confront us. The vehicle for this in the Obama administration has been the Strategic Dialogue, which Secretary Clinton has chaired, but it really has become part of the day-to-day practice of American diplomacy in particular in the region that I’m responsible for: South and Central Asia. It reflects the convergence of our interests. It also reflects the commitment to candor and engagement on both sides of the discussion.

The foremost example I would cite is Afghanistan. I would simply highlight the trilateral meeting in New York about ten days ago as the encapsulation of the commitment on the part of the United States to working intensively with India as we manage the transitions that are underway in Afghanistan, and also as we look to our enduring engagement there, an engagement in which we expect India to be a foremost partner of the United States.

But I would go further than that. First of all, in Afghanistan, I would note the appreciation both in Washington and elsewhere for the role that India has played. It was quite striking to me in July at the Tokyo Conference to look around the room at all the foreign ministers assembled there and to realize that the largest delegation in the room after the United States was India. I think it’s a reflection of the commitment that this government has made to the success of the democratic transition in Afghanistan and the fact that the Indian presence there was not just the foreign minister, not just your distinguished Ambassador in Kabul, Gautam Mukhopadhyay, but was also representative of the Indian private sector which is going to be so important to Afghanistan’s long term future and prosperity.

I would flag another few examples, particularly in this region where Indian advice and Indian approaches have significantly informed American policy and have helped to shape our approach. For instance, to the transition in the Maldives, to the crisis that occurred there in February and the question of how to preserve Maldivian democracy; to the political transitions in Nepal, in Sri Lanka. Looking further abroad to Central Asia where India has been an enthusiastic supporter of the New Silk Road Vision for regional integration that Secretary Clinton has enunciated. But India is also, and I say this from my own consultations with Central Asian governments, India is a preferred partner for the Central Asians as they look at how to manage their uniquely complicated geopolitical situation and look at how to access international markets for the Central Asians and through projects like the Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India Pipeline (TAPI), India is a highly attractive marketplace, but it’s also a model of what can be achieved in terms of engagement with the global economy and development thereunder.

Multilaterally, as I learned through three years of working very closely with my Indian counterparts in Vienna, in the IAEA, in the other UN institutions, we’ve developed a habit of routine consultation and collaboration. It’s been very visible, again, in Vienna on the Iran File where India’s voice has been absolutely critical to maintaining pressure on Iran to come into compliance with its Security Council and IAEA obligations. But critically, India, because it’s part of groups with which the United States is not a part, for instance the non-aligned movement, India has an ability to shape the larger narrative in a way that helps to drive towards the multilateral goals that we both hold.

The nomenclature on the Middle East or West Asia illustrates that there are still differences that need to be bridged, but certainly my experience has been that by and large, more often than not, American and Indian perspectives will converge, and we’ve developed the habit of working with each other in order to achieve common objectives.

Four other quick areas that I would highlight:

3) PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE TIES: An absolutely critical one from the American perspective is our people-to-people ties. Don Lu, our Charge, is here and I know how hard the embassy is working to manage the expansion of our people-to-people relations both in terms of educational partnerships in terms of visa services, in terms of travel back and forth. But I would also flag from the U.S. side the critical role that the Indian Diaspora is playing in shaping the narrative around India in the United States. That’s a story that’s just begun, but it’s worth paying attention to as you see more and more Indian Americans succeeding in our political system, the rise of governors like Nikki Hailey, Bobby Jindal in Louisiana. We have multiple Indian-Americans running for our Congress this year. These are part of the sinews of people-to-people ties that really distinguish the bilateral relationship and will certainly provide stability and ballast over the long term.

4) DEFENSE: Defense has been referred to previously. I would just highlight that the critical importance of our defense partnership looking forward, not just in terms of the sort of strategic consultation that I described earlier, but also in terms of defense sales, interoperability. I would highlight the initiative that Deputy Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter, launched during the course of his visit to India earlier this year. It’s the only place in the world where the United States is undertaking the kind of initiative that Dr. Carter is leading in our system to identify the avenues of expanding our defense cooperative relationship, our defense sales relationship, looking at issues like co-production, co-development, placing India on par with our closest allies and partners in terms of the technologies and the systems which we share with India. And then looking at how to leverage the commercial relationships, the business relationships that are emerging as India’s own private sector moves into areas like aerospace and defense technology, offering an attractive partnership to the top U.S. companies that are already deeply committed here. I think as a defense partner one of the things that sets the United States apart is the presence in India that companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin and Honeywell and Raytheon have all established. They’re all in Hyderabad and Bangalore and across the country, and they’ve put down roots here. They see India as a long-term place to do business, not just as a partner, but as a source of technology, a source of expertise, and as part of their global supply chains.

The last two issues:

5) ENERGY: First of all energy. I was deeply, deeply impressed by the energy dialogue that took place in Washington last week, the role that Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu has played in mobilizing our laboratories, our experts to work with Indian counterparts to develop the emerging technologies will be critical in areas as diverse as solar, gas, clean coal, also the strategic energy dialogue that bleeds into the issues that we discussed earlier.

6) COUNTER-TERRORISM: Finally, counter-terrorism cooperation. The Obama administration of course took office just a few weeks after the tragedy in Mumbai and the administration has made a strong commitment to an intensive, largely unspoken dialogue aimed at both ensuring that justice for those who were involved in the Mumbai attacks, but also working as hard as we possibly can almost every single day to prevent a recurrence of that kind of catastrophic terrorist attack.

CONCLUSION
I would conclude with two thoughts. One, I think from where I sit the greatest risk to the U.S.-India strategic relationship looking forward is complacency. I think on both sides we have complicated democratic systems and certainly those of us who have been in the trenches of building this bilateral relationship have relied on the vision and political commitment of our leaderships on both sides. I think that’s something which will continue to be necessary.

Then I would flag, the importance of India’s continued process of economic reform and economic modernization. We understand that the issues that are now in play in the Delhi papers-- the questions of retail market opening and the other reforms --these are issues that have to be worked through India’s own democratic process. We are no more than interested observers, but we have an enormous interest in the success of this experiment. And as we look to the future, an India, which, by 2025, will be the third largest economy in the world, we expect to be a preferred partner. We expect that our companies and our economic fates will continue to become deeply intertwined with each other. So from that perspective it’s entirely appropriate that we’re having this broad strategic conversation here at FICCI House with business people on both sides that I think are going to play an important role in shaping the kind of relationship that we have looking to the future.

Thank you.

U.S.-ISRAEL JOIN TOGETHER FOR EXERCISE AUSTERE CHALLENGE 2012

Jerusalem at night viewed from the Mount of Olives. From: CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S. Partners With Israel for Exercise Austere Challenge

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2012 - More than 3,500 American service members will join with Israeli allies for Exercise Austere Challenge 2012 in Israel next week, U.S. and Israeli officials said today.

The exercise will be conducted throughout Israel and off-shore, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig A. Franklin and Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel said during a teleconference with reporters. Franklin commands the 3rd Air Force and is the senior U.S. commander for the exercise. Nuriel is the Israeli lead planner.

More than 1,000 U.S. military personnel are arriving in Israel for the exercise, Franklin said. "They will be in a variety of locations across the country for the next several weeks," he said. The exercise will build on the long-standing relationship between the two countries, test the cooperative missile defense of Israel, and promote regional stability.

U.S. service members will man Patriot anti-missile systems, an Aegis ballistic missile defense ship and various other air defense systems. The Israelis will put more than 1,000 service members into the field and will test the Iron Dome and Arrow 2 systems. The Israelis will also tie the developing David's Sling system into the scenarios.

Most of the three-week exercise will be simulation, but some training will entail live-fire, Nuriel said.

Austere Challenge 2012 is the largest U.S.-Israeli military exercise to date, Franklin said, and it is the latest in a long line of such exercises. The scenario for the exercise is not aimed at any specific threat or country in the region, both Franklin and Nuriel said.

"This exercise is purely about improving our combined U.S.-Israeli capabilities," the U.S. general said. "It's about military teamwork. It is not related to national elections nor any perceived tensions in the Middle East. We are military professionals coming together to train for a defensive mission."

The U.S. has pledged $30 million to the exercise and the Israelis pegged their exercise costs at 30 million shekels --around $7.9 million.

U.S. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 6, 2012

Photo:  Cooking.  Credit:  U.S. Navy 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending October 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 339,000, a decrease of 30,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 369,000. The 4-week moving average was 364,000, a decrease of 11,500 from the previous week's revised average of 375,500.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending September 29, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 29 was 3,273,000, a decrease of 15,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,288,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,279,250, a decrease of 7,750 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,287,000.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 327,063 in the week ending October 6, an increase of 25,990 from the previous week. There were 405,906 initial claims in the comparable week in 2011.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.2 percent during the week ending September 29, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,778,396, a decrease of 42,837 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.5 percent and the volume was 3,113,245.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending September 22 was 5,044,649, a decrease of 43,970 from the previous week. There were 6,819,938 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2011.

Extended Benefits were only available in New York during the week ending September 22.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 1,545 in the week ending September 29, an increase of 230 from the prior week. There were 2,514 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 4 from the preceding week.

There were 17,283 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending September 22, an increase of 704 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 38,511, a decrease of 18 from the prior week.

States reported 2,106,072 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending September 22, a decrease of 36,977 from the prior week. There were 3,016,035 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2011. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 22 were in Puerto Rico (3.9), Alaska (3.7), Virgin Islands (3.7), Pennsylvania (3.2), New Jersey (3.1), California (3.1), Connecticut (2.9), Nevada (2.7), and Oregon (2.7).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 29 were in New York (+2,764), California (+2,069), North Carolina (+1,217), Pennsylvania (+989), and Arkansas (+538), while the largest decreases were in Mississippi (-3,393), Michigan (-2,639), Florida (-1,972), Ohio (-1,723), and Oregon (-1,135).

Noroviruses get around

Noroviruses get around

WHAT IF ALL COMBUSTION ENGINES RAN ON THE SAME TYPE OF FUEL?

FROM: U.S. ARMY RESEARCH LABORATORY
   Photo Credit:  U.S. DOD.  ARL's Combustion Research Laboratory, located within the Vehicle Technology Directorate, enables unique research capability within DoD.

ARL opens unique combustion research lab, studies in JP-8 fuel could lead to "super engine" development

Studies are underway at the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to create a 'super engine' that could allow military ground vehicles, stationary power generators, and small unmanned air vehicles, for example, to operate with the same kind of fuel.

In the late 1980s, the Department of Defense (DoD) issued its "Single Fuel Forward" policy calling for use of the kerosene-based JP-8 fuel to reduce the significant logistic burden associated with managing and transporting multiple fuels on the battlefield.

But using a single fuel exposes a host of incompatibility issues, namely in lubrication, large variation in Cetane numbers which measure the time period between the start of fuel injection and the start of engine ignition or combustion, and the fact that none of the engines that use JP-8 are designed – including their fuel systems - and calibrated for JP-8, said Dr. Chol-Bum "Mike" Kweon, acting team lead of the Engines Team of ARL's Vehicle Technology Directorate at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Md.

He said this design gap is namely due to the fact that not enough information exists in industry and government on the specific combustion characteristics associated with JP-8's use in intermittent combustion engines.

"Usually large companies are not willing to develop engines specific for JP-8 because it requires significant effort and funding while the market for the military is relatively small and unstable. Therefore, relatively small companies have been developing JP-8-fueled engines for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), while diesel engines are used for ground vehicle engines. Small companies do not have the capability to perform basic fundamental research," Kweon explained

ARL research is bridging that knowledge gap, which could eventually lead to the creation of an engine that operates optimally with JP-8.

"Fuel spray liquid penetration, quenching, vaporization, and mixing characteristics must be precisely understood to properly design combustion chambers and fuel injection systems because a fundamental understanding of fuel spray and combustion is essential in optimizing combustion processes of JP-8-fueled engines to improve fuel efficiency, engine performance and reliability," Kweon said.

ARL's Combustion Research Laboratory is a state-of-the-art, high-temperature and high-pressure combustion chamber that opened this summer for fuel spray and combustion research, critical areas of interest Defense-wide to facilitate the basic research and development work necessary for the successful development of JP-8-fueled combustion systems.

ARL is currently collaborating with Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity to assess a fuel injector that is used in a Caterpillar C7 engine, used in Strykers. Results will define how fuel properties affect the performance of the fuel injection systems that are currently used in ground vehicle engines.

Unique laboratory, unmatched in industry


ARL's vehicle technology research dates back to the early 1980s in gas turbine engines, but when this research area relocated to APG in 2011 from NASA Glenn in Cleveland, Ohio, due to Base Realignment and Closure Activity, ARL broadened its vehicle technology focus to include internal combustion engines. This laboratory is accomplished with the ARL infrastructure fund that was awarded at the end of 2010.

The only combustion lab space of its kind in DoD, the Combustion Research Laboratory will also be used to facilitate the development of heavy fuel injection systems that will ultimately lead to the development of high-efficient UAV engines.

"Currently, there is no 'robust' heavy fuel injection system for UAV engines," said Kweon, who received Master of Science and doctorate degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), which has a big engine research program in its Engine Research Center. He conducted research on diesel engines, various fuels (diesel, alternative diesel fuels, diesel fuels mixed with gasoline streams, alcohols, etc.), combustion, emissions, speciation of diesel particulate matters, optical diagnostics, etc., as degree requirements.

ARL's combustion laboratory contains a high-temperature - up to 1,000 Kelvin (K) - and high-pressure - up to 150 bar -combustion chamber that can simulate real engine operating conditions except for fluid motion. This type of combustion chamber allows the investigation and study of uninterrupted spray and combustion processes.

"Currently, this is the only laboratory within DoD that has this capability," Kweon emphasized.

General Motors, in Warren, Mich., has the first generation of this chamber that has a 100 bar at 1,000 K - and Caterpillar, in Peoria, Ill., has its second generation, which offers 150 bar at 1,000 K.

ARL has a third generation chamber.

The ARL facility also has air and onsite nitrogen supply systems in which we can control oxygen concentration from 0 (almost pure nitrogen) to 21% (pure air) in the gas mixing system. Through the high-pressure compressor, air, nitrogen, or a mixture of air and nitrogen can be supplied to the combustion chamber at pressures over 300 bar(g) to study spray only, spray and combustion, or to simulate exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) that is common in current engines.

"However, we use only 150 bar(g) in the combustion chamber because this represents most of turbocharged internal combustion engine operating conditions. Sandia National Laboratories, NM and Michigan Technological University have a different type of combustion chamber (i.e., constant volume chamber) that has similar capabilities to the one at ARL in terms of temperature and pressure".

"The main difference is that the one at ARL is a flow-through type combustion chamber that controls chamber pressure, temperature, and flowrate (very slow compared to fuel injection velocity) at set points in the test section, while the constant volume chamber has varying chamber temperature and pressure as it uses premixed combustion gases. And the injection frequency is much higher for a flow-through chamber than the constant volume chamber. Therefore, we can perform multiple injections per cycle and perform testing much faster in the flow-through chamber than in the constant volume chamber," said Kweon, who was formerly employed at General Motors R&D in Warren, Mich., and at GM Powertrain in Pontiac, Mich., where he conducted research in cylinder pressure-based control. For that research, Kweon and several former colleagues developed more than 21 intellectual properties. Currently, he has 30 intellectual properties that include 19 patents, seven patent applications, three patents pending, and one tool method invention.

The new laboratory will also be used to assess the performance of heavy fuel injection systems for various fuels such as JP-8, diesel, bio, and synthetic fuels; investigate the impact of various fuel properties on spray and combustion processes, ultimately on engine performance and efficiency; assess the impact of the aging of fuel injection systems on the engine performance and fuel efficiency, especially for ground vehicle engines and assess JP-8 surrogate fuels that are being formulated under the various DoD programs.

"This laboratory has a unique capability to assess the various JP-8 surrogate fuels and to compare the results with the combustion mechanisms developed by various universities and government laboratories," said Kweon.

"This will help the scientists and researchers to develop a universal JP-8 combustion mechanism. This laboratory will be used to generate spray and combustion database that will be needed for the development and validation of computation fluid dynamics (CFD) models for engine spray and combustion processes to support the development of advanced concepts and practical designs. These CFD models will be used to optimize internal combustion engines for both UAS and ground vehicles in terms of injector parameters and combustion chamber designs. These research efforts will enable UAS engines to efficiently run on heavy fuels such as JP-8."

"The combustion research laboratory was commissioned this year and is up and running. I am confident that this laboratory will be a critical asset to the Army and DoD to support the development and/or advancement of various ground and UAV engines," Kweon said.

COLOMBIAN PROSECUTOR EXTRADITED TO U.S. FOR ALLEGED DRUG TRAFFICKING

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE 

Monday, October 15, 2012
Former Colombian Prosecutor Pleads Guilty to Role in International Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

WASHINGTON – A former Colombian prosecutor pleaded guilty today to providing law enforcement information to drug traffickers as part of a conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville of the Miami Field Division.

Ramiro Anturi Larrahondo, 55, a Colombian national, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John D. Bates in the District of Columbia to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that the cocaine would be illegally imported into the United States. The plea agreement is subject to court approval.

Anturi Larrahondo is the first Colombian prosecutor ever to be extradited to the United States.

"Ramiro Anturi Larrahondo used his position as a Colombian prosecutor to leak sensitive law enforcement intelligence to large-scale drug traffickers in exchange for his own personal enrichment," said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. "Anturi Larrahondo undermined international law enforcement operations and betrayed the trust placed in him by the Colombian government. As the first case ever in which a Colombian prosecutor is being extradited to the United States, this matter shows how dogged we are in our pursuit of narcotics traffickers and how determined we are to hold accountable those smuggling drugs into this country."

"The DEA will not tolerate any acts that put our agents’ lives in jeopardy," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Trouville. "Mr. Anturi Larrahondo will now face the consequences of his criminal conduct to assist drug traffickers."

Anturi Larrahondo was indicted by a federal grand jury on Jan. 26, 2010, in the District of Columbia. According to court documents, in 2009, while serving as a Colombian prosecutor, Anturi Larrahondo provided sensitive law enforcement investigative information to a major Colombian maritime drug trafficking organization.

According to Anturi Larrahondo’s plea agreement, the drug trafficking organization Anturi Larrahondo conspired with was responsible for transporting cocaine by go-fast vessels from the port city of Buenaventura, Colombia, to Central America, with the ultimate destination being the United States. During the investigation, Colombian judicial wire intercepts recorded Anturi Larrahondo speaking to representatives of the drug trafficking organization and a DEA cooperating source regarding financial payments to Anturi Larrahondo, delivery of documents to the drug trafficking organization and the coordination of meetings between Anturi Larrahondo and representatives of the drug trafficking organization.

As part of his plea agreement, Anturi Larrahondo admitted he received regular monthly payments from the Colombian drug trafficking organization in order for the drug traffickers to find out what, if any, criminal investigation the governments of Colombia or the United States were conducting against the drug traffickers. Anturi Larrahondo further admitted that he received the corrupt payments in order to protect the drug trafficking organization from law enforcement. Members of the Colombian drug trafficking organization made regular monthly cash payments to Anturi Larrahondo of 21 million pesos, the equivalent of approximately $10,000 in U.S. currency.

Anturi Larrahondo’s sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 26, 2012.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Mark Maldonado, Stephen May and Stephen Sola of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section, with significant assistance from the section’s judicial attaches in Bogota, Colombia, the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Colombia. The case was investigated by DEA’s Bogota Country Office and the Miami Field Division, in coordination with the Judicial Police of the Prosecutor General’s Office in Colombia and the Colombian National Police.

U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT SETTLES IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT DISPUTE WITH LAS VEGAS CASINO

Slot Machines.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Justice Department Settles Lawsuit Against Las Vegas Casino for Unfair Documentary Practices

The Justice Department today reached an agreement with Tuscany Hotel and Casino LLC in Las Vegas resolving a lawsuit alleging that the company discriminated in the employment eligibility verification and re-verification process. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) requires employers to treat all authorized workers equally during the hiring, firing and employment eligibility verification process, regardless of their national origin or citizenship status.

The department’s case, filed on May 11, 2012, alleged that Tuscany treated non-citizens differently from U.S. citizens during the employment eligibility verification and reverification process. The complaint alleged the casino required non-citizen employees to provide more or different documents or information than it required from citizen employees during the initial employment eligibility verification process. According to the complaint, the company then used the documents or information it gathered to impose improper document requests on non-citizens during the reverification process as a condition of continued employment. The complaint further alleged that the casino subjected non-citizen employees’ documents to a heightened review process by senior human resources representatives that was not applied to documents presented by U.S. citizens.

Under the settlement agreement, Tuscany will pay $49,000 in civil penalties to the United States and full back pay to a victim. In addition to corrective action already taken, Tuscany also agrees to implement new employment eligibility verification policies and procedures that treat all employees equally regardless of citizenship status, conduct training of its human resources staff on their responsibilities to avoid discrimination in the employment eligibility verification process, and be subject to reporting and monitoring requirements.

"Employers may not treat authorized workers differently during the employment eligibility verification and reverification process based on their citizenship status or national origin," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "I am pleased that Tuscany Hotel and Casino has worked cooperatively with the department to reach an amicable resolution, and encourage the casino industry to include the anti-discrimination provision of the INA as an integral part of part of their statutory and regulatory compliance program."

GRANTS ANNOUNCED TO HELP REDUCE CHILD LABOR IN ECUADOR AND PANAMA

In Ecuador:  A statue of the "Virgin of the Apocalypse" on El Panecillo (Bread Loaf Hill), overlooking Quito. The 45 m- (148 ft-) tall aluminum statue depicts the Virgin Mary with wings. From: CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

US Department of Labor announces $10 million in funding to reduce child labor in Ecuador and Panama, solicits grant applications

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs is seeking eligible applicants under two competitive grant solicitations to implement projects that will reduce child labor in Ecuador and Panama.

Under the first solicitation, ILAB will award $6.5 million to reduce child labor in Ecuador and Panama by providing education to children as well as livelihood services for their households that help decrease families' dependence on child labor to meet basic needs. Under the second solicitation, ILAB will award $3.5 million to strengthen policy and enforcement efforts that will reduce child labor in these countries. In Ecuador, these grants also will support policies and services that address the education and livelihood needs of child laborers affected by disabilities.

Eligible applicants may submit proposals for one or both solicitations. Applicants responding to either solicitation must respond to the entire scope of work and demonstrate a proven ability to manage complex projects designed to improve the lives of children.

Applications must be submitted by Nov. 15 at 5 p.m. EST electronically via http://www.grants.gov or as hard copies to the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Procurement Services, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Room S-4307, Washington, DC 20210, Attention: Brenda White and James Kinslow.

Congress has appropriated funds for ILAB to conduct technical cooperation projects to combat child labor internationally. ILAB grants help rescue children from exploitative labor and strengthen the capacity of governments to address the issue in a sustainable way.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update: Rapid Detection of Nerve Agents

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR OCTOBER 17, 2012

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

U.S. Soldiers, Afghan Police Conduct Operation in Kandahar
ProvinceU.S. Army Pfc. Alex Villatora loads supplies into a Stryker armored vehicle before a mission to support Operation Southern Fist, which Afghan border police will lead, in the Spin Boldak district in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, Sept. 28, 2012. Villatora, a infantryman, is assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division's 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brendan Mackie

　
Afghan-led Security Force Arrests Taliban Leader
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 17, 2012 - An Afghan-led security force, supported by coalition troops, arrested a Taliban senior leader in Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader controlled Taliban assassination attempts, improvised explosive device operations, and suicide-bomb attacks in the province's Kandahar district, officials said.

The security force also detained several suspected insurgents and seized IED-making materials.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- Afghan special police, enabled by coalition forces, recovered 15 rocket-propelled grenade warheads and 660 pounds of hashish in Uruzgan province.

-- Afghan and coalition forces saw two insurgents burying an IED in Logar province and killed them with a precision airstrike.

-- In Nangarhar province, Afghan and coalition forces killed five people seen engaging in insurgent activity.

THE U.S. AIR FORCE: IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT WAR

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
A U.S. Air Force combat controller prepares to contact the special tactics operation center by radio while conducting a drop zone survey in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 24, 2010, during Operation Unified Response. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock)

Tech. Sgt. Lem Torres, 38th Rescue Squadron pararecueman, and a young boy are lifted to safety from the roof of the child’s flooded home after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez)

U.S. FEDERAL PERSONS FEEDING AMERICANS

Service members generously donate toward the Feds Feed Family campaign during the Aug. 15, 2012, Cover the Map Rally. Defense Department Washington Headquarters Services courtesy photo.

'Feds Feed Families' Breaks Donation Record
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15, 2012 - The Defense Department's 2012 contribution to the "Feds Feed Families" campaign surpassed all expectations, Paige Hinkle-Bowles, deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy, said Oct. 12 during an interview with American Forces Press Service.

More than 2 million pounds of nonperishable food items were donated by DOD agencies during this year's campaign, she said, a record amount for the department.

Feds Feed Families is a governmentwide campaign sponsored by the Office of Personnel Management and the Chief Human Capital Officers Council. The total contribution across all agencies was more than 7 million pounds, Aimee Scanlon, the Defense Department's champion for Feds Feed Families, said.

Across government, participation in the program continues to grow, she said, noting that this year's contributions amounted to an increase of more than 2 million pounds over last year.

"I think that we are fortunate in DOD to have an opportunity to be one of the leaders in this [program]," Scanlon added.

Nationally, more than 300 food banks received donations through Defense Department contributions to Feds Feed Families, Hinkle-Bowles said.

"In the national capital region, we partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank and served 700 food pantries in the D.C., Virginia and Maryland area," she said.

The program provides nonperishable items to families during the summer, providing a critical buffer when children might not have access to school lunch programs, she said. "That is one of the big benefits," she added.

"We're very appreciative of everyone's support, across the total force" she said. "It's a great way to show our support to the communities where we serve."

While several people contributed extraordinary amounts of food items, Hinkle-Bowles said, every little bit helps. "For everybody who helped, we really appreciate the support."

Hinkle-Bowles said that about a third of this year's collections came through donations at commissaries -- a partnership she noted helps the program reach beyond active duty service members and into the retiree population.

In addition to donations, the Defense Department provided logistical support to other government agencies to help in transporting foodstuffs, Hinkle-Bowles said.

The campaign runs annually, usually from June through August, but anyone looking for ways to support the community outside the campaign period can find resources at the Feds Feed Families website, Scanlon said.

"It's really been amazing that, even after the campaign has ended, I've gotten a lot of inquiries about staying engaged and continuing to help," she said. "It definitely has sparked and encouraged a lot of spirit of giving."