NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JANUARY 17, 2013

U.S. troops assigned to Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah wait for a UH-60 Black Hawk medevac helicopter to land before moving a simulated casualty during medical evacuation training on Forward Operating Base Farah, Afghanistan, Jan. 9, 2013. U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Josh Ives

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader, Detains Insurgents
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 17, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and detained several suspected insurgents in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader oversaw insurgents that attacked Afghan and coalition forces with improvised explosive devices and direct fire. He also facilitated the transfer and delivery of weapons and IEDs to insurgents, officials said, and was involved in the coordination of an assassination attempt.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined force in Kandahar's Daman district arrested a Taliban leader who planned and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and oversaw the acquisition of weapons and ammunition for insurgents. At the time of his arrest, he was involved in the transfer of rockets for use in an attack.

-- In Kandahar's Maiwand district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader responsible for coordinating attacks on Afghan and coalition forces, including acquisition of IEDs and weapons.

In a Jan. 15 operation in Kandahar's Maiwand district, a combined force detained three armed insurgents who had attacked Afghan civilians.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA VISITS ITALY

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, left, holds a joint press conference with Italian Defense Minister Giampaolo di Paola in Rome, Jan. 16, 2013. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

FROM: U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta, in Italy, Addresses Global, Local Issues
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

ROME, Jan. 16, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Italian government officials discussed a range of issues here today, from conflict in Africa to security transition in Afghanistan to Sicilian concerns about a proposed U.S. communications facility there.

The secretary met with government officials including President Giorgio Napolitano, Prime Minister Mario Monti, Foreign Affairs minister Giulio Terzi di Sant' Agata and Defense Minister Giampaolo Di Paola.

Panetta and Di Paolo, the secretary said during a joint conference, "had a very productive session covering a host of bilateral issues -- Afghanistan, our shared concerns about the situation in Mali, and how to strengthen our defense trade and cooperation for the future."

The secretary noted as the son of Italian immigrants to America, he has always felt a strong connection to Italy. "But as secretary of defense, I have gained a profound new respect for Italy's significant contributions to regional and global security," he added.

Italy is a key member of the NATO alliance and the lead nation for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan's Regional Command West, Panetta said.

"In our session, Minister di Paola and I updated each other on the significant progress our forces are making in building an Afghanistan that can govern and secure itself," he said. "That progress will enable us to reach a key milestone this spring, when Afghan forces shift into the lead for security throughout the country."

The United States is very grateful to Italy for its "steadfast support" in the ISAF effort, he said.

"We will never forget the more than 50 Italians who have died carrying out the mission in Afghanistan," Panetta told the audience.

America is also grateful for Italy's "extraordinary hospitality" in hosting more than 30,000 U.S. service members, civilians and family members on U.S bases in Italy.

Panetta said Aviano Air Base, in northeast Italy; Caserme Ederle, near Vicenza; Naval Air Station Sigonella, in Sicily; and Camp Darby, in the province of Pisa, "enhance the collective security of the alliance."

The U.S. presence in Italy, he said, is "critical to our military's ability to respond to crisis, and to meet challenges in the region and beyond."

The secretary noted he will travel to Vicenza tomorrow, "to personally thank U.S. military personnel who are stationed there."

Together with their Italian military counterparts, he said, young American service members are helping to write a new chapter in the long history of friendship between the two nations.

"I know they are inspired by the same goal my Italian father always told me: we must work hard and protect those we love to build a better life for our children," Panetta said.

During a discussion today with Italian reporters and press traveling with him, the secretary responded to questions on the F-35 joint strike fighter, and on the previously mentioned communications complex in Sicily.

Panetta said the U.S. is fully committed to the fifth-generation F-35, which he called "the future in fighter aircraft."

Italy has partnered with the United States on the fighter since 1998, when the program was in its concept and development phase. Other international partners include the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Norway, Turkey, Israel and Singapore.

"We have made very good progress in the development of that plane," the secretary said.

"We believe it's a very good investment ... and we appreciate Italy's commitment and willingness to participate," he said. "We believe the F-35 is the plane of the future."

The planned communications facility in Sicily, Panetta said, is intended to provide U.S. forces with advanced defense communications capabilities. He noted Sicilian residents have expressed concerns about possible health hazards the installation may present.

"I understand the concerns of the people there," he said.

The secretary said he and Di Paola are working to address those concerns, and that studies performed to date indicate no risks to health will result from the installation.

"But I want to make sure that we do everything possible to address the concerns of those residents," he said. "They, too, have to be convinced that this is something that can be done without impacting their health or well-being."

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT REMARKS ON VISIT OF SOMALI PRESIDENT MOHAMUD

The orange and tan colors of this high-oblique photograph of the Horn of Africa indicate an arid-to-semiarid landscape in the northern half of the east African country of Somalia. Except for the darker areas where thicker vegetation can be found (usually in elevated areas), most of the vegetation in this part of Somalia is shrub brush and grasslands. The southern extent of the Saudi Arabian Peninsula is visible north across the Gulf of Aden. Image courtesy of NASA. From: CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks on the Visit of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and the Situation in Mali
Remarks
Johnnie Carson
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs
Washington, DC
January 16, 2013
　

MS. NULAND: Thank you all for joining us. We’re delighted this morning to have Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson with us to talk about the visit of the Somali President Hassan Sheikh to Washington tomorrow. He’ll be seeing Secretary Clinton and he will also have a little bit for you on the situation in Mali.

Please, Assistant Secretary Carson.

ASSISTANT SECRETARY CARSON: Thank you very much. It’s a pleasure to be with all of you this morning to talk about two issues of significant importance to the United States. Somalia first. The visit here this week of the new Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud represents a significant change in the security and political situation on the ground in Somalia and our relationship with that country.

When the Secretary meets with Hassan Sheikh tomorrow, she will exchange diplomatic notes with him and recognize the Somali Government in Mogadishu for the first time in 20 years, since the collapse of the Siad Barre government in 1991.

We believe that over the last four years, our policies in Somalia and in the region have made a significant difference in strengthening stability in Mogadishu and in helping to get rid of the key members of the East Africa al-Qaida cell as well as breaking the back of al-Shabaab. We have done this largely with and through and alongside of our African partners in AMISOM. This has been a major, major success.

We are a long way from where we were on October 3, 1993, when Blackhawk Down occurred in Mogadishu. Significant progress has been made in stabilizing the country, in helping to break up and defeat al-Shabaab. Much more needs to be done, but we think enormous progress has been made, and we have been at the very center of this in our support for AMISOM. I’d be glad to go into more details on this, but Hassan Sheikh will, through this recognition, be able to establish new relationships not only with USAID and the various development partners in the U.S. Government, but will also open up opportunities for his government to receive assistance from the international financial communities.

One of the big meetings occurring today with Hassan Sheikh is a meeting with the president of the World Bank, President Kim. But this is a significant achievement, and we want to build on it. Al-Shabaab is not totally eliminated, but they no longer control any of the major cities in Somalia. They have been on the run for some period of time now.

Let me say a little bit about Mali. We have been, since March of last year, deeply concerned about the political and security situation in that country as a result of the coup d’état that took place there. We have always said this is a complex problem with four issues: one, a need to return that country to democratic governance; two, the need to deal effectively with the political grievances of the northern Tuareg; three, to defeat, work, and help to defeat al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM; and fourth, to deal with the humanitarian problems that exist in that region.

These issues have all been looked at and explored. We have tried to play a useful diplomatic role and we continue to do so. We support the French efforts in Mali. We believe that it is important that AQIM be defeated, that we give support to the region as they fight AQIM. And we have been very forthcoming ourselves in this. From our vantage point here at the State Department, we have said very, very clearly that we are prepared to send trainers and advisors from the State Department from our ACOTA program – and that’s A-C-O-T-A, the acronym for our ACOTA program – out to troop-contributing countries immediately to help them assess what their needs are before they send troops in to Mali.

We have also made it very clear that we are prepared to engage in pre-deployment training of troops before they go in. We are prepared to provide equipment, nonlethal, and also sustainment packages so that they will be able to effectively do their work. And we also have said to African states in the region that we are prepared to use State Department funds under ACOTA and under our peacekeeping authorities to transport troops from the region into Mali.

What we will not do is to provide salaries for those troops and we will not provide any lethal weapons to them, but we will train them to be able to do the kinds of jobs that are necessary and help them with a variety of important equipment that will help sustain and make their operations more effective.

We are committed to help implement Security Council Resolution 2085 that was passed on December 20^{th with respect to Mali and the region. That resolution defines our commitment to Mali and to the region.}

NORTHWESTERN PACIFIC

FROM: NASA
Stratocumulus Clouds Over Pacific

ISS034-E-016601 (4 Jan. 2013) --- On Jan. 4 a large presence of stratocumulus clouds was the central focus of camera lenses which remained aimed at the clouds as the Expedition 34 crew members aboard the International Space Station flew above the northwestern Pacific Ocean about 460 miles east of northern Honshu, Japan. This is a descending pass with a panoramic view looking southeast in late afternoon light with the terminator (upper left). The cloud pattern is typical for this part of the world. The low clouds carry cold air over a warmer sea with no discernable storm pattern. Photo: NASA.

NASA DRYDEN TOWED GLIDER AIR-LAUNCH VIDEO

FROM: NASA

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center is developing a novel space access, rocket launching technique called the Towed Glider Air-Launch Concept. The idea is to build a relatively inexpensive, remotely or optionally piloted glider that will be towed to 40,000 feet by a large transport aircraft. The glider will carry a booster rocket capable of launching payloads into low Earth orbit.

HOSTAGES IN ALGERIA: DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA SAYS 'ALL NECESSARY STEPS' WILL BE TAKEN

U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrives in Rome, Jan. 15, 2013. Panetta is on a six-day trip to Europe to visit with defense counterparts and troops. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo

 

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMETN OF DEFENSE
Panetta Vows 'All Necessary Steps' for U.S. Hostages
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

ROME, Jan. 16, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta confirmed that Americans are among those taken hostage in southern Algeria today when terrorists attacked and occupied a natural gas plant.

"The United States strongly condemns these kinds of terrorist acts," the secretary said during a previously scheduled discussion here with Italian media and reporters traveling with him. "It is a very serious matter when Americans are taken hostage, along with others."

Panetta said he does now know how many Americans the terrorists are holding, but that U.S. and British authorities -- the natural gas complex is partly owned by British Petroleum -- are in close consultation with their Algerian counterparts to learn as much as possible.

"I want to assure the American people that the United States will take all necessary and proper steps that are required to deal with this situation," he said.

Panetta said he does not yet know whether there is a link between the attack in Algeria and the French operation in Mali, where France began airstrikes against a dispersed force Panetta has identified as affiliated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

While he couldn't confirm a link, Panetta said, "it is for that reason that we have always been concerned about their presence in Mali -- because they would use it a base of operations to do exactly what happened in Algeria. That's the kind of thing that terrorists do."

On the operation in Mali, Panetta said the United States will support the French as soon as legal authorities are clear as to what support can be supplied.

"Frankly, we already are providing assistance in terms of information to ... help in this effort," the secretary added.

Panetta noted he has spoken with European government and defense leaders thus far in Portugal, Spain and now Italy about the way ahead in Mali.

"I believe that there is a consensus that France took the right step here to ... deter AQIM from taking even further action there," he said.

European defense ministers will meet tomorrow to discuss ongoing assistance in Mali, the secretary said.

"The United States is going through the same process," he added. "The goal, for all of us, is to do what we can to ensure that ultimately, the African nations ... come in and play a key role in providing for the security of Mali."

Panetta has said several times during his travels this week that forces from the Economic Community Of West African States, or ECOWAS, would ideally lead such an effort. He added, however, that he believes terrorism is a threat that the international community as a whole must address.

Of AQIM and al-Qaida in general, the secretary said his background as CIA director and then as U.S. defense secretary has proven to him that "they are a threat."

"They are a threat to our country. They are a threat to the world," Panetta said. "And wherever they locate and try to establish a base for operations, ... that constitutes a threat that all of us have to be concerned about."

Press Roundtable with Secretary Panetta in Rome, Italy

Press Roundtable with Secretary Panetta in Rome, Italy

11 INDICTED FOR ROLES IN ALLEGED SCHEME TO FRAUDULENTLY TAKE OVER HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATIONS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Eleven Defendants Indicted for Alleged Roles in Scheme to Fraudulently Control Homeowners’ Associations in Las Vegas

WASHINGTON – A federal grand jury in Nevada today returned an indictment against 11 individuals for their alleged roles in a scheme to fraudulently take control of homeowners’ associations in the Las Vegas area. The indictment was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting FBI Special Agent in Charge William C. Woerner of the Las Vegas Field Office, Sheriff Douglas C. Gillespie of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and Richard Weber, Chief of IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).

The charged defendants, all from the Las Vegas area, include: Jose Luis Alvarez, 45; Rodolfo Alvarez-Rodriguez, 44; Ricky Anderson, 49; David Ball, 44; Leon Benzer, 46; Edith Gillespie, 51; Keith Gregory, 59; Maria Limon, 45; Barry Levinson, 45; Charles McChesney, 47; and Salvatore Ruvolo, 84. Each is indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud. Most of the defendants are also variously charged with individual counts of mail fraud and/or wire fraud. Limon is additionally charged with making a false statement to law enforcement.

According to court documents, the fraud scheme operated from approximately August 2003 through February 2009 to direct construction defect litigation and repairs at condominium complexes to a particular, conspiring law firm and Benzer’s construction company, Silver Lining Construction (SLC).

In order to accomplish the scheme, according to the indictment, Benzer and co-conspirators identified homeowners’ associations (HOAs) that could potentially bring construction defect cases. They then allegedly enlisted real estate agents to identify condominium units within the HOA communities for purchase.

According to court documents, Benzer and others, including Gillespie, then enlisted "straw purchasers" to use their names and credit to purchase condos in the complexes. The indictment alleges that Alvarez, Alvarez-Rodriguez, Anderson, Ball, Gillespie, Limon, McChesney and Ruvolo acted as straw purchasers. On at least 37 occasions, Benzer and certain co-conspirators allegedly provided the down payments and monthly payments on behalf of the straw purchasers, including HOA dues and mortgage payments, and various false and misleading statements were made to secure financing for the properties. To manage the properties, Benzer and others allegedly conspired to open at least five bank accounts through which they moved more than $8 million. Eventually, 33 of the 37 units went into foreclosure.

According to court documents, on several occasions and at the direction of Benzer, co-conspirators transferred a partial interest in particular condominiums to other co-conspirators to make them look like homeowners who could stand for election to the HOA board of directors, which many of these individuals and the straw purchasers agreed to do. To ensure conspirators won the elections, according to the indictment, the defendants employed deceitful tactics, such as submitting fake and forged ballots, some of which were sent through the U.S. mail. Co-conspirators also hired complicit attorneys to run the HOA board elections as "special election masters," to preside over the HOA board elections and supervise the counting of ballots.

Once elected, according to the indictment, the conspiring board members met with Benzer and other co-conspirators in order to manipulate board votes and process, including the selection of property managers, contractors, general counsel and attorneys to represent the HOA – including Benzer’s construction company and the conspiring law firm. Gregory and Levinson, both attorneys licensed in Nevada, allegedly agreed to become the general counsel for the Vistana and Sunset Cliffs; and Park Avenue and Pebble Creek complexes, respectively.

Limon, Benzer and others also allegedly agreed to open a property management company in order to provide services at Chateau Nouveau and other condo complexes in furtherance of the scheme. According to the indictment, Limon falsely told law enforcement officials she did not communicate with Benzer about this and did not know he funded and controlled her company.

At the conclusion of the scheme, millions of dollars of Vistana’s construction defect settlement proceeds were transferred to Benzer and SLC, according to the indictment.
According to court documents, the defendants were each given cash or things of value from Benzer and others for their alleged roles in the conspiracy.

The maximum potential penalty for each count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, mail fraud, or wire fraud is 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The maximum potential penalty for making a false official statement is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The charges and allegations against the indicted defendants are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. Twenty-six other individuals have entered guilty pleas in this case and await sentencing. The investigation is ongoing.

The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Chief Charles La Bella, Trial Attorneys Thomas B.W. Hall and Mary Ann McCarthy and Senior Deputy Chief Kathleen McGovern of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case is being investigated by the FBI, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Criminal Intelligence Section, and IRS-CI.

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

President Obama Introduces a Plan to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House

President Obama Introduces a Plan to Reduce Gun Violence | The White House

Obesity, overweight and dying

Obesity, overweight and dying

U.S. FACT SHEET ON CHOLERA IN HAITI

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Fast Facts on the U.S. Government's Work in Haiti: Cholera
Fact Sheet
Office of the Haiti Special Coordinator
January 16, 2013
The Challenge


On October 21, 2010, the Haitian Ministry of Health and Population confirmed cases of cholera for the first time in at least a century.

Accomplishments


At the request of the Government of Haiti, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—already helping Haiti to build sustainable health systems to detect and combat the spread of communicable diseases in the aftermath of the devastating January 2010 earthquake—immediately began working with the Haitian Ministry of Health and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to lessen the severity of the outbreak.

The U.S. Government (USG) has provided expertise and more than $95 million during the emergency phase of the cholera response by:
Distributing products to purify drinking water, soap for washing hands and household items, and oral rehydration salts to prevent dehydration in people with acute, watery diarrhea.
Working side-by-side with the Ministry of Health and other partners to establish a national system for tracking cases of cholera.
Supporting staff and commodities for 45 cholera treatment facilities and 117 oral rehydration posts through cooperative agreements with USAID, CDC, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) partners, other non-governmental organizations, and the Ministry of Health.
Developing cholera education materials to train more than 6,000 community health workers who are funded to conduct educational activities and outreach on cholera prevention and treatment in communities throughout Haiti.
Improving access to clean water in communities by providing support to drill new wells, repair others, and promote safe water practices.
Evaluating the effectiveness of large-scale distributions of hygiene items in collaboration with Haiti’s National Direction for Potable Water and Sanitation (DINEPA) and the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
As of December 31, 2012, Haiti has reported an estimated 635,980 cases of cholera and an estimated 7,912 deaths. Though deaths from cholera were high in the first few months of the epidemic, Haitian-led, internationally supported efforts have helped to significantly reduce fatality rates.

Challenges Ahead


Access to clean water and availability of sanitation systems are limited in Haiti, and cholera is likely to persist until access to adequate water and sanitation improves. The U.S. Government is committed to strengthening the Haitian healthcare system to contain future outbreaks and treat the Haitian people. In line with the Ministry of Health’s desire to integrate cholera prevention and treatment into overall health programming, the U.S. Government is working more broadly on the prevention and treatment of all causes of diarrheal diseases. To reduce vulnerability to cholera and other diarrheal diseases, we are supporting the Government of Haiti and U.S. Government partners in improving access to treated drinking water at the community and household levels in urban and rural communities. In addition, the U.S. Government, in collaboration with PAHO, UNICEF, and the Governments of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, helped launch the Coalition on Water and Sanitation for the Elimination of Cholera on the island of Hispaniola. This initiative calls for investments in safe water, sanitation, and hygiene, particularly in Haiti.

ESA liefert Antriebsmodul für die NASA-Raumkapsel Orion

ESA liefert Antriebsmodul für die NASA-Raumkapsel Orion

U.S. SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR KEN SALAZAR IS GOING HOME



Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Secretary Salazar to Return Home to Colorado

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced today that he will return to his home state of Colorado, having fulfilled his promise to President Obama to serve four years as Secretary. Secretary Salazar has informed President Obama that he intends to leave the Department by the end of March.

"Colorado is and will always be my home. I look forward to returning to my family and Colorado after eight years in Washington, D.C.," said Secretary Salazar. "I am forever grateful to President Obama for his friendship in the U.S. Senate and the opportunity he gave me to serve as a member of his cabinet during this historic presidency."

"I have had the privilege of reforming the Department of the Interior to help lead the United States in securing a new energy frontier, ushering in a conservation agenda for the 21st century, and honoring our word to the nation’s first Americans," added Salazar. "I thank the more than 70,000 employees at the Department for their dedication to our mission as custodians of America’s natural and cultural resources. I look forward to helping my successor in a seamless transition in the months ahead."

Secretary Salazar has helped usher in a new era of conservation to protect America’s lands, wildlife, and heritage. Under the banner of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors program, Interior has established ten national wildlife refuges and seven national parks since 2009; established forward-thinking protections for wildlife and preserved millions of acres of land; and implemented community-driven, science-based conservation strategies that take into account entire ecosystems and working landscapes.

"From the Crown of the Continent in Montana to the prairie grasslands of Kansas to the Everglades Headwaters in Florida, we are partnering with landowners, farmers, and ranchers to preserve their way of life and the irreplaceable land and wildlife that together we cherish," Salazar said. "We have established an enduring vision for conservation in the 21st century that recognizes all people from all walks of life."

Under Secretary Salazar’s leadership, Interior has played a keystone role in developing a secure energy future for the United States, both for renewable and conventional energy.

Since 2009, Interior has authorized 34 solar, wind and geothermal energy projects on public lands that total 10,400 megawatts - or enough to power over 3 million homes. Salazar also oversaw a visionary blueprint for solar energy development in the West and established the nation’s first program for offshore wind leasing and permitting in America’s oceans.

"Today, the largest solar energy projects in the world are under construction on America’s public lands in the West, and we’ve issued the first leases for offshore wind in the Atlantic," said Salazar. "I am proud of the renewable energy revolution that we have launched."

Salazar has also undertaken an historic overhaul of Interior’s management of oil and gas resources, implementing tough new ethics standards for all employees. He led Interior’s response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and split the former Minerals Management Service into three independent agencies with clear, independent missions to oversee ocean energy management and revenue collection. Interior has offered millions of acres offshore in the Gulf of Mexico for safe and responsible exploration and development and is proceeding with cautious exploration of Arctic resources. Onshore, Interior has also leased millions of acres for oil and gas development over the last four years while protecting special landscapes for hunting and fishing and other uses.

"We have undertaken the most aggressive oil and gas safety and reform agenda in U.S. history, raising the bar on offshore drilling safety, practices and technology and ensuring that energy development is done in the right way and in the right places," said Salazar. "Today, drilling activity in the Gulf is surpassing levels seen before the spill, and our nation is on a promising path to energy independence."

Secretary Salazar’s term was marked by historic progress for Indian Country with the passage of the Cobell settlement that honorably and responsibly addressed long-standing injustices regarding the U.S. government’s trust management. The President also signed into law six Indian water rights settlements, totaling over $1 billion, that will help deliver clean drinking water to tribal communities and provide certainty to water users across the West. Salazar spearheaded a sweeping reform – the first in 50 years – of federal surface leasing regulations for American Indian lands that will streamline the approval process for home ownership, expedite economic development, and spur renewable energy in Indian Country.

"President Obama has made it a priority to empower our nation’s first Americans by helping to build stronger, safer and more prosperous tribal communities," Salazar said. "This administration has been marked by a renewed commitment to honoring a nation-to-nation relationship and ensuring tribes have a greater role in federal decisions affecting Indian Country."

Salazar, a fifth-generation Coloradoan, has served his state and the nation for 14 continuous years as Colorado Attorney General, United States Senator and as the 50th secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE PANETTA ARRIVES IN SPAIN

Palace in Madrid.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Arrives in Spain on Second Leg of European Trip
American Forces Press Service

MADRID, Jan. 15, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrived here today on his week long visit to European allies.

The secretary told reporters traveling with him that Spain is an important NATO leader and a vital ally to the United States.

"In my discussions, I'll have an opportunity to touch on a full range of issues, including greater cooperation with Spain on cyber and the cyber arena," he said.

Spain has maintained a strong commitment to the NATO International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, Panetta said, and he also will discuss with Spanish leaders the ongoing transition to a noncombat role for ISAF forces there.

Panetta noted that on his first trip to Europe as secretary, he announced the deployment of four Aegis ships to Rota, Spain. "The purpose of that is to fulfill our commitment to the European ballistic missile defense system," he said. "The deployment is important, because it demonstrated how this alliance is making investments to meet the new challenges that we're confronting."

The secretary left Lisbon, Portugal, the first stop on his visit, earlier today. While here, he is scheduled to meet with Crown Prince Felipe at Zarzuela Palace, the chief residence of King Juan Carlos.

Panetta also has separate meetings scheduled with Spanish President Mariano Rajoy Brey and Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate. The two defense leaders are scheduled to hold a joint news conference later today.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA ANSWERS QUESTIONS ON MALI

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE

Panetta Answers Mali Questions in Europe
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

MADRID, Jan. 15, 2013 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta discussed U.S. assistance to the French in Mali during news conferences today in Lisbon, Portugal, and here in the Spanish capital.

On Jan. 10, France began airstrikes against forces in Mali affiliated with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

During a news conference in Lisbon this morning with Portuguese Defense Minister Jose Pedro Aguiar-Branco, Panetta expressed support for France's action.

"We have commended the French for this effort to ... stop the AQIM -- these terrorists and members of al-Qaida -- from being able to develop a base of operations in Mali, and we have always been concerned about efforts by al-Qaida to establish that kind of base," the secretary said. "And our commitment ever since 9/11 has been to go after al-Qaida wherever they are and to make sure that they have no place to hide."

Panetta also noted that the international community and the United Nations support the effort. A reporter asked whether U.S. officials are considering sending ground forces to Mali. "There is no consideration of putting any American boots on the ground at this time," the secretary replied.

Later, during his joint appearance here with Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenes Eulate, Panetta repeated the basic points he first made yesterday about U.S. support for the French action in Mali.

The U.S. and French governments are discussing a range of possible assistance the United States can offer, he said. Panetta yesterday told reporters the French had requested intelligence, logistics and airlift support.

"We are in discussions with the French, and we are discussing in Washington some of the requests that have been made, to determine exactly what assistance we can provide," the secretary said. "Our goal is to ... do what we can to provide whatever assistance is necessary."

Panetta told reporters he can't yet offer a likely timeline for French military action in Mali.

"[We are following] events, trying to get a read as to what efforts they're committed to taking there and what their objectives are. I can't really give a full analysis ... as of this moment," he said. "Any time you confront an enemy that is dispersed ... makes it challenging."

In Mali, stopping a scattered enemy advance across a large area is a difficult but necessary task, the secretary noted.

"For that reason, we've commended France for taking that step," he said. "And I believe the international community will do all we can to try to assist them in that effort."

Morenes, speaking through a translator, noted that Panetta's meetings with Spanish leaders "laid the foundations for significant cooperation in the future."

"We specifically talked about Afghanistan and Mali," he added.

European defense ministers have been monitoring the situation for more than a year, Morenes said, and in December they had reached preliminary agreements to train Malian and Economic Community of West African States forces. The movement of extremist forces toward Mali's southern regions was "sudden, in a way," he said, which meant that a new response had to develop quickly.

Talks he held with the French minister Jan. 11 and last night indicated the French plan is to prevent terrorist groups from reaching Mali's capital of Bamako, which would create chaos, Morenes said. "The French minister told us that they wanted to stop that offensive and to ... [proceed with] the Mali training mission," he added.

Morenes said that at a meeting of NATO's foreign ministers Jan. 18 in Brussels, "we had planned to get ahead of the offensive."

"Now, [we are] adjusting to a new situation, post-offensive," he noted.

The Spanish minister added that Spain already has agreed to a French request that Spain allow overflights of its maritime airspace. Panetta and Morenes agreed it is vital to world security to prevent terrorists fro developing a safe haven in Mali.

"[The] objective is to make sure AQIM never establishes a base for operations – in Mali, or for that matter, anyplace else," Panetta said.

U.S. GENERAL DEMPSEY ATTENDS NATO MEETING IN BRUSSELS

Map:  Belgium.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Dempsey Attends NATO Chiefs of Defense Meeting
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BRUSSELS, Jan. 16, 2013 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, is attending the NATO and Partners' Chiefs of Defense Meeting here today.

The meeting, hosted by Danish Army Gen. Knud Bartels, chairman of NATO's military committee, is being held at a particularly busy time for the alliance.

NATO and its partners have more than 110,000 service members deployed in five operations and missions in eight countries and at sea in the Mediterranean and off the Horn of Africa. "These personnel, working together across nations, languages and cultures, are central to the work of NATO and its partners," Bartels said in his remarks to open the meeting. "Through their continued commitment and professionalism, they reflect the very best aspects of the alliance, and as such, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to each and every one of them."

Afghanistan is by far NATO's largest and most complex operation, and the chiefs will hear from Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. ISAF is made up of the 28 NATO nations and 22 partners.

Allen will brief the chiefs on the current situation in Afghanistan and on the progress and plans for the transition toward Afghan lead in the country's security, Bartels said.

The NATO Military Committee also will consider the post-2014 mission in Afghanistan. Seven partner nations who have committed to the post-2014 mission will participate in the discussion.

"Throughout these discussions, our objective will be to ensure that we build upon the momentum and success currently achieved in order to set the conditions for the transition of responsibility for security to credible, capable and sustainable Afghan security forces," Bartels said.

But NATO is about far more than simply Afghanistan. The alliance chiefs have a busy schedule that also includes examining NATO military structures and capabilities to ensure they're adequate for collective defense of the alliance's nations.

The chiefs also will discuss the current economic realities and the limitations that an austere fiscal environment will impose. This contributes to the uncertainty facing NATO's militaries, Bartels said, and is occurring "at a time when the rapid evolution of world events continues to challenge our ability to predict, prepare for and address emerging strategic security threats."

"We must, therefore, continue to work collaboratively to deliver military capability more rapidly, more effectively and more economically," he added.

The general called on NATO allies to adopt a fresh approach to the problems and threats facing them. NATO's "Smart Defense" doctrine looks for the military and industry to work together, he noted.

Bartels said he has three themes for the meeting. The first is to continue to deliver success in ongoing operations. The second is to build on the strong partnerships NATO has forged on operations and issues of regional security.

"Finally," he said, "we should establish the roadmap for the recuperation, restoration and reform of NATO military capability delivery to ensure it is effective, affordable and available to support the alliance's strategic objectives."

The meeting will include sessions with the alliance's NATO-Russia Council format and Euro Atlantic Partnership format. Tomorrow, the military committee and partner nations will review the alliance's Kosovo mission.

FEMA PHOTOS: MOVING OUT OF THE FLOODPLAIN





FROM: FEMA, QUEENS, NEW YORK

Queens, N.Y., Jan. 8, 2013 -- Architect Thomas Paino of Long Island City, NY, elevates 3 floors of his row house to move the basement level out of the floodplain. In addition, the house has benefited from the work of structural engineers and sustainability architects who are making major energy efficiency modifications. Andre R. Aragon-FEMA

U.S.-LIBERIA PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE SIGNING CEREMONY

Map:  Liberia.  From:  CIA World Factbook. 

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue Signing Ceremony
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Liberian President Sirleaf
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
January 15, 2013

SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, welcome to the Treaty Room. I am delighted to have this occasion, once again, to host President Sirleaf, a very good partner over many years, and especially, I would say, over the last four years it has been a great personal pleasure for me to work with her to strengthen that partnership between the United States and Liberia. And I also am grateful, as well, for her personal friendship.

Today, we are taking another important step to deepen the partnership between our nations and to support Liberia as it continues down the path of democratic and economic reform. The partnership dialogue we are about to sign will expand the cooperation between our countries and ensure high-level engagement for years to come.

This agreement establishes working groups in three key areas – first, agriculture and food security; helping Liberia’s farmers use their land more effectively and get their crops to markets more efficiently will be critical to improving the health and prosperity of people throughout Liberia. This working group will review progress under the Feed the Future Initiative, look for new opportunities to attract private investment in the agriculture sector, and recommend policies to promote food security and better nutrition.

Second, energy and power infrastructure. We know that access to affordable, reliable energy is essential to creating jobs and sparking growth that helps to build a strong economy. So we will take stock of outstanding needs for the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy, promote a regulatory environment that’s friendly to new investments in energy, and look for ways to accelerate the development of a well-governed and inclusive energy sector.

And finally, we want to look at human development with a real emphasis on creating more economic opportunity for the people of Liberia to expand access to education and employment so that many more Liberians have a chance to not only better themselves and their families, but make a contribution to their nation.

I think it is more than fair to say that this last decade has been a success story for Liberia. The people of Liberia have emerged from a time of violence and lawlessness and have made tremendous commitments to both economic and political reform. The United States has stood by Liberia during this challenging process, but I think it is also more than fair to say it was aided considerably by the leadership, the determination of a woman who understood in every fiber of her being what was at stake. And so, Madame President, let me, on behalf of the United States, thank you for the great progress under your leadership, pledge our continuing support and partnership and friendship to you and to the people of your country. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT SIRLEAF: Secretary of State Clinton, members of the Administration, ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to be here today for several reasons. First, I feel privileged to have been invited to the State Department this week, one of the last weeks that you, Madame Secretary, will be in office, to say thank you for all that you have done for Liberia and the Liberian people, to say thank you for always being there for Liberia.

Second, for me personally, it was important to be here today to see that you have fully recovered – (laughter) – from your recent illness, to embrace you, and to let you know that all of Liberia prayed for your speedy recovery.

Third, I have always seen Liberia’s progress as underpinned by its special relationship with the United States. The launching today of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue is an historic achievement, one that will cement the strategic cooperation between our two countries for generations to come regardless of the occupants of the White House or the Executive Mansion. Dear friends, today for us marks an historic day for the Government and people of Liberia, the fulfillment of a wish first articulated last June for the institutionalization of the longstanding bilateral relationship between Liberia and the United States of America.

Just seven months ago, we made the rounds among congressional and U.S. Government officials. We put forward proposals on how the United States could work with Liberia as a partner to consolidate its gains. One proposal called for the establishment of a joint United States-Liberia bi-national commission established (inaudible) in the 1960s, which aimed to ensure that the partnership would endure for 50 years or more.

I recall vividly when I made the case to you, Madame Secretary, your support was instantaneous. You assured me that you would figure out how to embed such a relationship in our governments and countries, and here we are today for the signing of the statement of intent, Liberia’s chance with the United States as a reliable partner in the region. The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue would allow our two countries to look at our relationship strategically with a view towards the long term and focus on those areas that encourage broad-based economic growth, including agriculture and food security, energy and power infrastructure, and human development.

We look forward to carrying out the first meeting of the U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue under the leadership of Secretary of State designate, Senator John Kerry, who also has been an essential supporter of Liberia during his long service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, including his time as chairman. We recognize that this will not just be a job for our two governments, but also for the business communities of both countries and other stakeholders in Liberia.

Madame Secretary, I’m especially pleased that we were recently declared eligible for compact status by the Millennium Challenge Corporation. Coming just two years after being awarded a threshold program and seven years after the reestablishment of democracy in Liberia, this is one of Liberia’s proudest achievements. I would like to recognize the presence here of MCC President Daniel Yohannes and to promise you that we will deliver a compact program that will be comprehensive and resulting.

I take this opportunity to thank Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson for his steadfast leadership on Africa policy over the past four years. Ambassador Carson, we wish for you the best and hope you will continue to find a way to stay engaged with us in Liberia. We also congratulate President Barack Obama on his forthcoming inauguration to a second term of office. We trust that we can count on him and on Africa’s continued support under his leadership to Liberia and to Africa.

Madam Secretary, Hillary – (laughter) – you’ve been a true friend of Liberia and to me personally. We are pleased that in the history of our bilateral relationship, which spans more than a century and a half, you made two trips to Liberia while in office as Secretary of State. You have supported our country’s progress, championed our political process, and pushed to settle Liberia’s external debt. As we bid you farewell, I remain convinced that in this era of economic challenge, history will show that your support and the investment of the U.S. Government and the American people in Liberia will return significant dividends.

We’ll continue to guard the peace, promote reconciliation, build strong democratic institutions, and show good governance and transparency, and encourage broad-based economic development. We will continue to strive to be a post-conflict success story. For that, Madam Secretary, is America’s success also. Thank you. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Secretary Clinton and President Sirleaf are signing a statement of intent between the United States and the Republic of Liberia to establish a partnership dialogue. The U.S.-Liberia Partnership Dialogue will ensure sustained high-level bilateral engagement on issues of mutual interest.

(The document was signed.) (Applause.)

SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks to everyone who helped work on this. I see a lot of the faces from across the State Department. Let’s get a picture with everybody coming up behind us, perhaps.

MOUNTAINS, FIRE AND WATER

An aerial view of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.

 
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

High-Peak Creeks, Forest Fires and Landscape Erosion: Could They Be Linked?

Fire and water. One scorches the other, only to be drowned in return. Could their effects on a watershed be related?

Scientists conducting research in Colorado's Rocky Mountains at the National Science Foundation (NSF) Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) are finding out.

Boulder Creek is a 31-mile-long stream draining the Rocky Mountains to the west of Boulder, Colo., as well as the city itself and surrounding plains.

At the Boulder Creek CZO, scientists see fire and water as being closely tied to the landscape--and to what's below that landscape in the subsurface environment.

"Ultimately, it's the landscape that controls where fires are most likely," says scientist Suzanne Anderson of the University of Colorado at Boulder, director of the Boulder Creek CZO.

"It all begins with the presence of the mountains," she says, "with the landscape beneath the forests and streams."

The Colorado Front Range, whose mountains Boulder Creek plummets down, are the stage upon which fire, water and forests are set.

Take the Fourmile Canyon Fire of September 2010. It burned 6,400 acres, destroyed 169 homes and caused more than $217 million in damages.

The wildfire raged through the Boulder Creek watershed's rugged terrain. The resulting deforestation, CZO scientists have found, left the area at risk of flooding and erosion, including debris flows from the fire.

NSF's Critical Zone Observatories: where rock meets water meets life

The Boulder Creek CZO is one of six NSF CZOs in watersheds across the nation.

In addition to the Boulder Creek site, CZOs are located in the Southern Sierra Nevada, Christina River Basin on the border of Delaware and Pennsylvania, Susquehanna Shale Hills in Pennsylvania, Luquillo riparian zone in Puerto Rico, and the Jemez River and Santa Catalina Mountains in New Mexico and Arizona.

They're providing researchers with a new understanding of the critical zone--the region between the top of the forest canopy and the base of unweathered rock.

"The critical zone is our living environment," says Enriqueta Barrera, program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences, which funds the CZO network. "The CZOs offer us new knowledge about the critical zone and its response to climate and land-use change."

They're the first systems-based observatories dedicated to understanding how Earth's surface processes are coupled, she says. "They will help us predict how the critical zone affects the ecosystem services on which society depends."

The water cycle, the breakdown of rocks and eventual formation of soil, the evolution of rivers and valleys, patterns of plant growth and landforms all result from processes that take place in the critical zone.

"The CZOs," says Barrera, "are fostering a new view of the critical zone as one holistic system."

Fast-moving water--and fire--in the critical zone

What are the long-term effects of the Fourmile Canyon Fire and other wildfires on watersheds such as Boulder Creek?

Studies of streams after wildfires have yielded conflicting results. Some show increases in pH (water that's more basic vs. acidic), turbidity, nutrients, sulfate and metals. Other research reports few effects.

"Many of these studies sampled water chemistry at intervals that didn't catch rapid changes," says Anderson. "At the Boulder Creek CZO, we're conducting high-frequency stream sampling, and evaluating how upland hydrologic and biogeochemical processes affected by fire influence downstream water quality."

Since the Fourmile Canyon Fire, scientists at the Boulder Creek CZO and the U.S. Geological Survey have been tracking discharge rates, nutrients, metals and ecosystem characteristics such as numbers and species of invertebrates that live in streams.

Runoff from burned north- and south-facing slopes is being measured to assess how hillslopes respond differently following fire.

Instruments have been placed on the hillslopes, and in soils along Boulder Creek's banks, to record changes. Stream water and soil chemistry are being compared with those of nearby unburned areas.

Monitoring continues during snowmelt when water levels are high, and during "gully washer" summer thunderstorms.

In the summer of 2011, for example, a severe storm led to an 8,100 percent increase in stream discharge in Fourmile Creek, a tributary of Boulder Creek. "That was some three times higher than had ever been measured," says Anderson.

The storm flooded homes and blocked roads with sediment. It also resulted in concentrations of in-stream total suspended solids that were 4,000-fold above baseline.

Some of that sediment remains in the creek channel, then flows downstream when more rain falls in the area.

"Such precipitation events can lead to catastrophic erosion that affects long-term sediment loads," says Anderson. "Increases in turbidity, nitrate and what's called dissolved organic carbon in turn may affect drinking water treatment processes."

These studies are but a few of "many taking place at the Boulder Creek CZO on everything from how the 'architecture' of the critical zone affects its hydrology, to the role trees play in the critical zone's evolution," says Anderson.

The Front Range: a regional water tower

With its high peaks, the Colorado Front Range "harvests" precipitation from the atmosphere. Most of that precipitation falls as snow. The snowpack becomes a reservoir, and the mountains act as a water tower.

"The distribution of water resources in western North America is actually controlled by the geologic history of the region," says Anderson. "It sets the location, height and width of the moisture-trapping and moisture-holding mountain ranges."

Forests near Boulder Creek--and everywhere in the West--are found in mountain ranges. Moisture is high enough there for trees to flourish, and precipitation evaporates more slowly.

But where forests grow, fires often aren't far behind. "With more droughts in recent years," says Anderson, "we're more at risk of fires."

The role of erosion

The Front Range--more than 10,000 feet high at its crest--is eroding, says Anderson, but very slowly.

For the most part, "it's cool and moist there," she says, "and 'soil-mantled'--the soil wasn't scraped away by the glaciers that covered the region in the distant past."

Most of this slowly eroding terrain has been sliced by rivers, which have hollowed out deep canyons such as Boulder Canyon.

"The canyons are giant drains carved into the terrain," says Anderson. "They lower the water table of surrounding slopes. Their erosion history sets up broad regions of well-drained forested landscape."

That well-drained landscape is the corridor where big fires, such as the one in Fourmile Canyon, have happened.

"The topography of the Front Range is interconnected with water and fire in the landscape," says Anderson.

Past is prologue?

At Boulder Creek, scientists are looking down into the subsurface, Anderson says, "to understand how the landscape evolved into its present state, and how that controls everything from where forests are found, to how fast weathering of subsurface rock takes place, to a watershed's ability to collect and store water." And, perhaps, to put a fire out.

Meanwhile, the creek flows onward, cutting into the mountain landscape as it goes--and carrying parts of the Rockies with it.

"Amber and white and black in the arrested spaces," wrote H.H. Jackson in 1878 in Bits of Travel at Home, "[Boulder Creek] whirls under bridges and round the corners, doubles on itself, leaps over and high above a hundred rocks in a rod, breaks into sheafs and showers of spray, foams and shines and twinkles and glistens; and if there be any other thing which water at its swiftest and sunniest can do, that it does also, even to jumping rope with rainbows."

A perfect description, says Anderson, of the role of fast-flowing streams in the critical zone.

TRANSFERING MILITARY VEHICLE SKILLS TO A CIVILIAN COMMERICIAL LICENSE

Photo: Dump Truck. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jonathan Carmichae

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Official Lauds Veterans Commercial License Effort

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14, 2013 - Maryland has joined 33 other states in agreeing to waive the skills test for veterans and service members who have military training that would entitle them to a commercial driver's license, a senior Defense Department official said today.

Frank C. DiGiovanni, director of training, readiness and strategy in the office of the deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness, joined Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and officials from the Maryland Department of Transportation, veterans' organizations, and federal, state and local offices to announce two new services available to veterans through the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, or MVA.

"This initiative is extremely important for the Department of Defense," DiGiovanni said. "It sets a great benchmark and will greatly assist our veterans as they plan for their future."

Along with the departments of Labor, Transportation and Veterans Affairs, DOD is working with national credentialing agencies, states and other stakeholders to address the complex challenges of certification and licensure for veterans.

DOD's Credentialing and Licensing Task Force was established to help service members in high-demand fields gain industry-recognized, nationally portable credentials to increase their competitiveness in the private sector after separation from the military.

Most states require drivers to demonstrate their skills before issuing a commercial driver's license. Now, 34 states will waive the skills test, but not the written test, for eligible veterans and service members. More states are considering such a waiver, according to a DOD spokeswoman.

A provision of the commercial learner's permit rule gives state driver licensing agencies the authority to substitute two years of commercial motor vehicle safe-driving experience in the military equivalents of commercial motor vehicles for the skills-test portion of the commercial driver license.

The rule applies to active duty, Reserve, Guard and Coast Guard members, and veterans within 90 days of separation.

Starting this month, Maryland's MVA is offering a veteran indicator on driver's licenses and identification cards to help veterans identify themselves to access services and resources and is implementing a streamlined process for veterans to obtain commercial driver's licenses as allowed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

DiGiovanni said that in fiscal 2011, more than 63,000 service members had occupations whose skills involved driving trucks -- 28,247 on active duty and 35,080 in the Guard or Reserve.

"There are also tens of thousands of service members who are truck drivers as an additional duty," DiGiovanni said, "so this particular authorization is extremely important to the employability" of service members as they depart from the service."

Military truck drivers bring outstanding experience and training to the commercial trucking sector, he added.

"I had an opportunity to speak to a veterans group, and I asked them what [they] learned during their service to the military that would be useful in the private sector," DiGiovanni recalled.

The first thing they cite is leadership, he added, and then working as a team and making decisions in a very complex environment.

"So I think it's really important what these veterans bring to the table, particularly the commercial trucking sector," he said.

DiGiovanni closed his remarks by challenging the state of Maryland and veterans service organizations to continue to find ways to support our veterans.