U.S. PROVIDES ADDITIONAL $19 MILLION IN HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR SYRIAN PEOPLE

Photo:  Roman Ruins In Syria.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
U.S. Announces Additional Funding in Response to Syria Crisis
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
February 19, 2013
　

Today in Geneva, Switzerland, at the Syria Humanitarian Forum, U.S. Agency for International Development Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, Nancy Lindborg announced that the United States is providing an additional $19 million in humanitarian assistance in response to urgent needs emanating from the brutal conflict in Syria. On January 29, President Obama announced an additional $155 million to help those suffering inside Syria and refugees in the neighboring countries. Today’s announcement brings the United States total contribution of humanitarian support in response to this crisis to nearly $385 million.

U.S. funding has helped train nearly 875 medical personnel, treat over 410,000 patients, and perform over 29,000 surgeries in Syria. This new funding will provide additional medical supplies and emergency medical care for those in need in Syria.

This additional funding will also allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to continue providing life-saving assistance, in particular rehabilitation and upkeep of water and sanitation systems, provision of medical care, and the distribution of food and non-food items in all of Syria’s 14 governorates, including in opposition-controlled and contested areas. ICRC’s reputation as a neutral and independent actor continues to help gain access and outreach to those affected by conflict; this role is essential in any conflict.

This funding will also provide food vouchers for more than 50,000 additional Syrian refugees in Jordan. The vouchers can be redeemed for approved items at designated local markets. Given that many of these refugees are living in host communities and not in camp settings, voucher assistance provides beneficiaries with the dignity and freedom of selecting what is best for their families while also stimulating the local economy.

The United States remains committed to supporting humanitarian assistance for all those in need inside Syria and to working with a wide range of international partners and Syrian humanitarian organizations whose dedicated staff are taking great risks to ensure aid is directly reaching those in need. The U.S. Government is coordinating closely with the Syrian Opposition Coalition in helping identify and reach those in need of humanitarian assistance where access is constrained.

Over 870,000 Syrians have fled to neighboring countries since the beginning of the conflict. Just since January 1, over one-quarter of a million Syrians have fled the country, with the majority seeking refuge in Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, and Egypt. Nearly $170 million of our assistance is provided to help those seeking refuge in these countries.

The United States recognizes and applauds the generosity of the governments and people of Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, who continue to keep their borders open to those fleeing the violence, and we urge them to continue doing so for all those in need—including Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. We also express appreciation to all countries, including Iraq as well as countries in North Africa and Europe that are hosting and providing assistance to these vulnerable populations.

NEW ADVANCE IN "SLOW LIGHT" MAY BRING INCREASED SPEEDS IN OPTICAL COMPUTING, TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Los Alamos National Laboratory.  Credit: Wikimedia Commons/DOE  

FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
"Slow Light’ Advance Could Speed Optical Computing, Telecommunications
Metamaterials provide active control of slow-light devices
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Feb. 12, 2013—Wireless communications and optical computing could soon get a significant boost in speed, thanks to "slow light" and specialized metamaterials through which it travels.

Researchers have made the first demonstration of rapidly switching on and off "slow light" in specially designed mate¬rials at room temperature. This work opens the possibility to design novel, chip-scale, ultrafast devices for applications in terahertz wireless communications and all-optical computing.

Significance of the research

In slow light, a propagating light pulse is substantially slowed down, compared with the velocity of light in a vacuum. This is accomplished by the light’s interaction with the medium through which it is shining. Slow light has potential applications in telecommunications because it could lead to a more orderly traffic flow in networks.

Like cars slowing down or speeding up to negotiate an intersection, packets of information are better managed if their transmission speed is changeable. Another potential application is the storage of information carried by light pulses, leading to a potential all-optical computing system. Current semiconductor materials used in computing devices are reaching some of their limits, and an all-optical system would potentially enable improvements in size reduction and calculation speeds.

The effects of strong light-matter coupling used in slowing down light might create entangled photon pairs that lead to quantum computing capabilities beyond those of modern computers, the researchers say.

Giving classical optical structures a quantum twist

Electromagnetically induced transparency is a quantum interference effect that produces a sharp resonance with extremely low loss and dispersion. However, implementing electromagnetically induced transparency in chip-scale applications is difficult due to the demands of stable gas lasers and low-temperature environments. The key to success is the use of metamaterials, engineered artificial materials containing structures that are smaller than the wavelength of the waves they affect.

Researchers integrated photoconductive silicon into the metamaterial unit cell. This material enables a switching of the transparency resonance window through the excitation of ultrafast, femto-second optical pulses. This phenomenon causes an optically tunable group delay of the terahertz light. The "slow light" behavior can be controlled at an ultrafast time scale by integrating appropriate semiconductor materials with conventional metamaterial designs.

In this research, the medium is an active metamaterial that supports a sharp resonance, which leads to a rapid change in the refractive index of the medium over a small range of frequencies. This phenomenon causes a dramatic reduction in the velocity of terahertz light propagation. The resonance can be switched on and off on a time scale of a few pico-seconds. When the resonance transparency is on, the system produces slow light. When the resonance is off, the slow light behavior disappears. This on and off process happens on an ultrafast (pico-second) time scale when a femto-second laser pulse excites the metamaterial. Nature Communications published the research. Link to paper:


http://www.nature.com/ncomms/journal/v3/n10/full/ncomms2153.html

The research team

Researchers include Ranjan Singh of High Power Electrodynamics, Abdul K. Azad and Hou-Tong Chen of the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Antoinette Taylor of Materials Physics and Applications, collaborators from Tianjin University, Oklahoma State University, and Imperial College, London. The U.S. Department of Energy supported the LANL research, which was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a DOE Office of Science user facility. The work supports the Laboratory’s global- and energy-security mission areas.

Additional information

Slow light is just that, light that has been slowed from the traditionally understood standard, 299,792,458 meters per second. While faster-than-light speeds are considered impossible, it is entirely reasonable to guide light through a material that slows or delays the motion of the photons as they move through the medium. The photons are absorbed and then re-emitted, slowing the transmission from one area to another, and in some experiments the light has been stopped altogether. The measurement of how much light is slowed in a material is known as its refractive index. In a vacuum, there is no delay. Through a diamond, with a refractive index of 2.4, the light lingers for a small time.

Metamaterials are assemblies of multiple individual elements fashioned from conventional microscopic materials arranged in periodic patterns. The precise shape, geometry, size, orientation and arrangement of the structures can affect waves of light in an unconventional manner, creating material properties that are unachievable with conventional materials.

Image caption: Schematic of active optical control of terahertz waves in electromagnetically induced transparency metamaterials.

About the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies

The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE's Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR FEBRUARY 19, 2013

U.S. Army Capt. Andrew Jenkins uses the optic lens on his weapon to scan the valley below for signs of insurgents while on a security patrol in Khowst province, Afghanistan, Jan. 31. 2013. Jenkins is the commander of the 101st Airborne Division’s Troop B, 1st Squadron, 33rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Zach Holden

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Precision Strike Kills Insurgents in Kunar Province

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2013 - A precision strike in the Ghaziabad district of Afghanistan's Kunar province yesterday killed two insurgents, military officials reported.

Afghan and coalition forces saw the two men engaging in insurgent activity and called in the strike, officials said.

In other Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- A combined Afghan and coalition security force in Kandahar province's Panjwai district arrested a Taliban leader who was believed to be responsible for coordinating improvised explosive device operations against local police. He also was responsible for IED attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and Afghan civilians.

-- In Kandahar province's Arghistan district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who allegedly is responsible for an IED attack network in the province's Spin Boldak, Arghistan and Maruf districts. He also is believed to have distributed ammunition and heavy weapons to insurgents.

-- Also in Kandahar's Arghistan district, a combined force detained three insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader believed to be responsible for acquiring and distributing weapons and conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force ordered a precision strike that killed an insurgent in Ghazni province's Andar district.

-- A combined force in Kunduz province's Aliabad district arrested six insurgents associated with a Taliban IED expert who allegedly oversees attacks on Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In Paktia province's Gardez district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network facilitator who allegedly has been involved with vehicle-borne IED attacks in Khost and Paktia provinces. He also is accused of conducting the movement of insurgent fighters between Gardez and Jalalabad districts for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized a rifle and ammunition.

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Khugyani district arrested a Taliban leader who allegedly provided operational guidance to other local Taliban leaders and oversaw 10 insurgents who used heavy weapons and explosives to attack Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained another suspect and seized ammunition.

-- In Logar province's Charkh district, a combined force arrested two insurgents while searching for a senior Taliban leader suspected of directing attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and supplying weapons and IEDs to insurgents. The security force also seized a rifle and ammunition as a result.

In Feb. 17 operations:

-- A combined force killed senior Taliban leader Khan Mohammad and another insurgent after seeing them engaged in insurgent activity in Helmand province's Musa Qalah district. Khan Mohammad, also known as Shams, coordinated direct attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and participated in Taliban kidnapping operations. He facilitated the supply of weapons to insurgents.

-- In Baghlan province's Baghlan-e Jadid district, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who allegedly oversaw the gathering and coordinating of munitions, fighters and logistics for higher-level Taliban leaders. He is suspected of facilitating the movement of fighters and heavy weapons for a planned attack against Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two other suspected insurgents.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district detained four insurgents while searching for a Taliban leader suspected of overseeing insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In Logar province's Charkh district, a combined force killed two insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader believed to transport weapons and explosives and oversee IED operations in the district. The security force also seized assault rifles with ammunition and several grenades in the operation.

-- A combined force in Nangarhar province's Sherzad district killed an insurgent during a search for a Taliban leader who oversees 20 insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and collation forces. The security force also seized assault rifles with associated gear and several grenades in the operation.

-- In Kandahar province's Panjwai district, a combined force killed a Taliban leader who coordinated and executed attacks against Afghan local police checkpoints and personnel. He was a weapons expert, and recently involved in taking three local police officers hostage, officials said.

-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district arrested a Taliban leader believed to oversee insurgents responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He oversaw procurement and delivery of weapons and IEDs to insurgents and is suspected of personally executing high-profile IED attacks, officials said. The security force also detained three other suspected insurgents.

In Feb. 16 operations:

-- A combined force in Khost province's Khost district arrested a high-profile attack facilitator believed to be associated with both Taliban and Haqqani insurgent networks. He is accused of assisting in the transfer and delivery of heavy weapons, equipment and ammunition and of coordinating a vehicle-borne IED attack targeting Afghan and coalition forces. The security force also detained two other suspected insurgents and seized firearms and ammunition.

-- In Logar province's Pul-e Alam district, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network facilitator believed to be responsible for planning and preparing attacks targeting Afghan and coalition forces and facilitating the acquisition of IEDs and other weapons. He also allegedly produced and transported homemade explosives and executed IED attacks. The security force also detained two other suspected insurgents.

SCENERIO: COMPUTER CRASH AT NORTHCOM

Assured access to secure networks is vital to the homeland defense mission of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, and to Northcom's key role in providing military support to civil authorities as requested. Here, Army Master Sgt. Dale Lee and James Skidmore from U.S. Army North, Northcom's Army component, rely on networks at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., to plan military support to Hurricane Irene relief efforts, Aug. 27, 2011. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Samuel Goodman

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, NORTHCOM, MILITARY COMPUTER CRASH

Secure Network Access Vital to Northcom's Mission
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo., Feb. 13, 2013 - Who doesn't hate when their computer crashes, gets infected with a virus or, worst of all, flashes them the dreaded "blue screen of death"?

Navy Rear Adm. Thomas "Hank" Bond Jr. worries about that problem more than most. That's because, as director of command-and-control systems at U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, he's responsible for the networks vital to the dual commands' homeland defense mission.

Operating in a "no-fail" environment where a mistake can cost American lives, Bond and his staff in the commands' "J-6" directorate run the architectures and networks that deliver critical sensor data -- some that would need to be acted on immediately to prevent an attack on the United States.

"We provide the connective tissue across the command to get the job done," Bond told American Forces Press Service at the Northcom/NORAD headquarters here.

Information is critical across the organization, he said, but particularly at the NORAD and Northcom Current Operations Center that maintains an around-the-clock watch, seven days a week, 365 days a year. "That data needs to get to people who can make decisions about it," and ultimately to Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the NORAD and Northcom commander, who would make the call for action, Bond explained.

"This is a mission that requires that you be able to talk, to get the message out and to assign the forces to do what you need them to do," he said. "You can't say 'I'm sorry' because you are rebooting the system."

To ensure that never happens, Bond and his team are exploring more efficient and whenever possible, less costly ways to assure secure network access across the commands.

Rather than coming up with expensive new "gee-whiz" technologies, they are tapping some of the best concepts emerging in the commercial marketplace. "We're looking for new and better solutions that are also lower cost, still providing all the services, but still reliable and redundant," Bond said. "That is our big trend."

For example, the team is exploring better ways to present data to decision-makers. One idea is to make the two-dimensional display screens that dominate the command center 3-D to better reflect the real world. Another is to identify improved ways to portray activities in the air, space, land, maritime and cyber domains to help operators "connect the dots" and develop better situational awareness.

"It all boils down to that age-old problem of knowing what is going on in your operating area and knowing what is going on in the enemy's operating area and being able to use that to your advantage," Bond said. Information technology alone can't deliver that, he said, but it can go a long way in empowering well-trained operators with finely tuned processes.

"We are thinking about how to visualize data differently, and present it in a way that can be more useful for our commander and for the operators to understand," Bond said. "I want to be able to provide them the framework that might save them 30 seconds thinking about one particular part of the problem, which will give them more time to think about that harder thing over there."

In another major, but less apparent effort, the J-6 directorate is studying ways to take advantage of Internet protocol. Migrating to "everything over IP," a popular trend in the commercial world, would enable the commands to share and store a full range of data over one infrastructure in lieu of myriad independent systems, Bond explained.

It would eliminate the cost of running multiple services, he said. But by eliminating redundancy, it also creates some inherent risk.

"That's something we can't accept with our no-fail communications missions," Bond said. "So we continue to watch this, to see if there is a way to embrace it in our effort to identify new solutions."

One solution already in the works involves improvements to the NORAD Enterprise Network used to share secret-level information between the United States and Canada. The network runs parallel to the U.S. Secure Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNET, and its Canadian equivalent.

Particularly during tough budget times, maintaining these separate networks is simply too costly, Bond said. "So we are looking for a new way to employ an old system, and working through all the policy issues to figure out how we can more economically operate with our partners north of the border in a way that can be sustained into the future," he said.

Looking to the future, Bond said, he expects increasing challenge in protecting against cyber attacks that threaten the command's networks and, by extension, its ability to accomplish its mission.

Toward that end, his directorate is involved heavily in the new NORAD/Northcom Joint Cyber Center that stood up in May. Operating under the command's operations directorates, the new center has a threefold mission: extend situational awareness across the cyber domain; improve defense of the commands' networks; and stay postured to provide cyber consequence response and recovery support to civil authorities, when requested.

As the Joint Cyber Center matures and begins to form a network with other combatant commands' JCCs, Bond said he sees tremendous potential in the power of information technology in promoting situational awareness across the board.

"It is coming," he said. "We are growing in our ability to do this."

MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO LACY ACT VIOLATIONS IN COLORADO

North American Elk.  Credit:  Wikiomedia Commons.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Colorado Big Game Outfitter Sentenced to Prison for Six Lacey Act Felonies

Big game hunting outfitter Dennis Eugene Rodebaugh, 72, of Meeker, Colo., was sentenced in Denver today to 41 months in prison to be followed by three years supervised release for six felony counts of violating the Lacey Act, announced the Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado Parks and Wildlife. District Judge Christine M. Arguello also sentenced Rodebaugh, to pay a $7,500 fine to the Lacey Act reward fund and $37,390 in restitution to the state of Colorado for the value of illegally taken elk and deer.

Rodebaugh was found guilty by a jury in September 2012 of aiding and abetting six violations of the Lacey Act by providing outfitting and guiding services from salt-baited tree-stands between 2005 and 2007. Beginning in 1988, Mr. Rodebaugh began offering multi-day elk and deer hunts to out-of-state clients on the White River National Forest through his outfitting business, called "D&S Guide and Outfitter," for between $1,200 and $1,600.

Rodebaugh's assistant guide, Brian Kunz, was also sentenced today. He previously pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of violating the Lacey Act while working for Rodebaugh. Based on his acceptance of responsibility and the government’s motion for downward departure based on his cooperation, the court sentenced Mr. Kunz to time served (one day) and one year of probation plus a $2,000 fine

Each spring and summer, Mr. Rodebaugh placed hundreds of pounds of salt as bait near the tree-stands from which his clients would hunt deer and elk with archery equipment. The placement and use of salt to aid in the taking of big game is unlawful in Colorado. The interstate sale of big game outfitting and guiding services for the unlawful taking of big game with the aid of bait constitutes a violation of the Lacey Act.

This case was investigated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Trial Attorney J. Ronald Sutcliffe and Trial Attorney Mark Romley, of the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division.

BIODIVERSITY AND DISEASE

Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Biodiversity Protects Against Disease, Scientists Find
The richer the assortment of amphibian species in a pond, the more protection that community of frogs, toads and salamanders has against a parasitic infection that can cause severe deformities, including the growth of extra legs.

The findings, published in a paper in this week's issue of the journal Nature, support the idea that greater biodiversity in large-scale ecosystems, such as forests or grasslands, may also provide greater protection against diseases, including those that affect humans.

A larger number of mammal species in an area may curb cases of Lyme disease, while a larger number of bird species may slow the spread of West Nile virus.

"How biodiversity affects the risk of infectious diseases, including those of humans and wildlife, has become an increasingly important question," said Pieter Johnson, an ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, and the lead author of the paper.

"But as it turns out, solidly testing these links with realistic experiments has proven very challenging in most systems."

Researchers have struggled to design comprehensive studies that could illuminate the possible connection between disease transmission and the number of species living in complex ecosystems.

Part of the problem is the enormous number of organisms that may need to be sampled, and the vast areas over which those organisms may roam.

This study overcame that problem by studying smaller, easier-to-sample ecosystems, the scientists say.

"The research reaches the surprising conclusion that the entire set of species in a community affects susceptibility to disease," said Doug Levey, program director in the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research. "Biodiversity matters."

Johnson and colleagues visited hundreds of ponds in California, recording the types of amphibians living there as well as the number of snails infected by the pathogen Ribeiroia ondatrae.

Snails are an intermediate host used by the parasite during part of its life cycle.

"One of the great challenges in studying the diversity-disease link has been collecting data from enough replicate systems to differentiate the influence of diversity from background 'noise,'" Johnson said.

"By collecting data from hundreds of ponds and thousands of amphibian hosts, we were able to provide a rigorous test of this hypothesis, which has relevance to a wide range of disease systems."

The researchers buttressed field observations with laboratory tests designed to measure how prone to infection each amphibian species is, and by creating pond replicas using large plastic tubs stocked with tadpoles that were exposed to a known number of parasites.

All the experiments told the same story.

Greater biodiversity reduced the number of amphibian infections and the number of deformed frogs.

The scientists spent three years sampling 345 wetlands and recording malformations--which include missing, misshapen or extra sets of hind legs--caused by parasitic infections in 24,215 amphibians.

The results showed that ponds with half a dozen amphibian species had a 78 percent reduction in parasite transmission compared to ponds with just one amphibian species.

The reason for the decline in parasitic infections as biodiversity increases is likely related to the fact that ponds add amphibian species in a predictable pattern, with the first species to appear being the most prone to infection and the later species to appear being the least prone.

The researchers found that in a pond with just one type of amphibian, that amphibian was almost always the Pacific chorus frog, a creature that's able to rapidly reproduce and quickly colonize wetland habitats, but which is also especially vulnerable to infection and parasite-induced deformities.

On the other hand, the California tiger salamander was typically one of the last species to be added to a pond community--and also one of the most resistant to parasitic infection.

Therefore, in a pond with greater biodiversity, parasites have a higher chance of encountering an amphibian that is resistant to infection, lowering the overall success rate of transmission between infected snails and amphibians.

This same pattern--of less diverse communities being made up of species that are more susceptible to disease infection--may well play out in more complex ecosystems, Johnson said.

That's because species that disperse quickly across ecosystems appear to trade off the ability to quickly reproduce with the ability to develop disease resistance.

The recent study also reinforces the connection between deformed frogs and parasitic infection.

In the mid-1990s reports of frogs with extra, missing or misshapen legs skyrocketed, attracting widespread attention in the media and motivating scientists to try to figure out the cause.

Johnson was among the researchers who found evidence of a link between infection with Ribeiroia and frog deformities, though the apparent rise in reports of deformations, and its underlying cause, remained controversial.

While the new study has implications beyond parasitic infections in amphibians, it does not mean that an increase in biodiversity always results in a decrease in disease, Johnson said.

Other factors also affect rates of disease transmission.

For example, a large number of mosquitoes hatching in a particular year increases the risk of contracting West Nile virus, even if there has been an increase in the biodiversity of the bird population.

Birds act as "reservoir hosts" for West Nile virus, harboring the pathogen indefinitely with no ill effects, then passing on the pathogen.

"Our results indicate that higher diversity reduces the success of pathogens in moving between hosts," Johnson said.

"But if infection pressure is high, there will still be a significant risk of disease. Biodiversity will simply dampen transmission success."

Co-authors of the paper are Dan Preston and Katie Richgels of the University of Colorado Boulder, and Jason Hoverman of Purdue University.

In addition to NSF, the research was funded by the National Geographic Society and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

-NSF-

CYBERSECURITY AND U.S. CYBER COMMAND

CYBER COMMANDER GEN. ALEXANDER

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Cybercom Commander Calls Cybersecurity Order First Step
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2013 - The cybersecurity policy President Barack Obama announced during his annual State of the Union address is a step toward protecting the nation's critical infrastructure, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said here today.

Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, also director of the National Security Agency, joined senior U.S. officials from the White House and the Commerce and Homeland Security departments to discuss strengthening the cybersecurity of the country's critical infrastructure.

"We need a way of sharing information between government and industry -- both for information sharing and hardening our networks," he said. "I think what we're doing in the executive order tackles, perhaps, the most difficult issue facing our country: How do we harden these networks when, across all of industry and government, those networks are in various states of array? We've got to have a way of reaching out with industry and with government to solve that kind of problem."

The general said the new cybersecurity policy is important to strengthening the country's defenses against cyberattacks. "The systems and assets that our nation depends on for our economy, for our government, even for our national defense, are overwhelmingly owned and operated by industry," he explained. "We have pushed hard for information sharing."

Private-sector companies have the information they need to defend their own networks in a timely manner, he said. "However, information sharing alone will not solve this problem," he added. "Our infrastructure is fragile." The executive order Obama signed to put the new cybersecurity policy into effect sets up a process for government and industry to start to address the problem, the general said.

But although the president's new executive order helps to bring about some solutions, Alexander said, it isn't comprehensive.

"This executive order is only a down payment on what we need to address the threat," he said. "This executive order can only move us so far, and it's not a substitute for legislation. We need legislation, and we need it quickly, to defend our nation. Agreeing on the right legislation actions for much-needed cybersecurity standards is challenging."

The executive order is a step forward, though, because it creates a voluntary process for industry and government to establish that framework, Alexander said.

"In particular, with so much of the critical infrastructure owned and operated by the private sector, the government is often unaware of the malicious activity targeting our critical infrastructure," he said. "These blind spots prevent us from being positioned to help the critical infrastructure defend itself, and it prevents us from knowing when we need to defend the nation."

The general noted government can share threat information with the private sector under this executive order and existing laws, but a "real-time" defensive posture for the military's critical networks will require legislation removing barriers to private-to-public sharing of attacks and intrusions into private-sector networks.

"Legislation is also necessary to create incentives for better voluntary cooperation in cyber standards, developments and implementation," he said, "and to update and modernize government authorities to address these new cyber threats."

Alexander warned that potential cyber threats to the United States are very real, pointing to recent examples.

"You only have to look at the distributed denial-of-service attacks that we've seen on Wall Street, the destructive attacks we've seen against Saudi Aramco and RasGas, to see what's coming at our nation," Alexander said. Now is the time for action, he said, and the new executive order takes a step in implementing that action.

In his role as director of the NSA, Alexander said, he is fully committed to the development of the cybersecurity framework.


"We do play a vital role in all of this, and in protecting DOD networks and supporting our combatant commands and defending the nation from cyber-attacks," he said. "But we can't do it all. No one agency here can do it all. It takes a team in the government."

And the government cannot do it by itself, either, he added. "We have to have government and industry working together as a team," he said.

Il Canale di Panama visto dal satellite

Il Canale di Panama visto dal satellite

COURT ENTERS DEFAULT JUDGEMENT AGAINST PSYCHIC AND HIS COMPANIES

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Litigation Release No. 22619 / February 15, 2013
District Court Grants Securities and Exchange Commission's Motions for Default Judgment against a Nationally Known Psychic and his Corporate Entities in Multi-Million Dollar Offering Fraud


The Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission) announced today that on February 11, 2013 the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York entered default judgments against Sean David Morton (Morton), a nationally-recognized psychic who bills himself as "America's Prophet," his wife, relief defendant Melissa Morton, and corporate shell entities co-owned by the Mortons. In addition to ordering permanent injunctions from violating antifraud and registration statutes and rule, each defendant was ordered to disgorge, jointly and severally, $5,181,135.82, along with prejudgment interest of $1,171,110.54, and pay a penalty of $5,181,135.82 for a total of $11,533,382.18. Relief defendants Melissa Morton and the Prophecy Research Institute, the Mortons' nonprofit religious organization, were ordered to disgorge $468,281 plus prejudgment interest of $105,847.23, for a total of $574,128.23.

On March 4, 2010, the Commission filed a civil injunctive action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York charging Morton and his corporate shell entities for engaging in a multi-million offering fraud. According to the Commission's complaint, Morton fraudulently raised more than $5 million from more than 100 investors for his investment group, which he called the Delphi Associates Investment Group (Delphi Investment Group).

Beginning in or around the summer of 2006, the complaint alleged, Morton solicited individuals to invest in one of several companies he and Melissa Morton controlled under the umbrella of the Delphi Investment Group. According to the Commission's complaint, Morton used his monthly newsletter, his website, his appearances on a nationally syndicated radio show called Coast to Coast AM, and appearances at public events, to promote his alleged psychic expertise in predicting the securities markets, and to solicit investors for the Delphi Investment Group. During these solicitations, Morton made numerous materially false representations. For example, Morton falsely told potential investors that he has called all the highs and lows of the stock market, on their exact dates, over a fourteen year period. Morton further falsely asserted that the alleged profits in the accounts were audited and certified by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PWC) who he claimed certified that the accounts had profited by 117%. Morton also falsely asserted that the investor funds would be used exclusively for foreign currency investments, and that any other use of the funds would be considered a criminal act. Morton further falsely claimed that he would use the pooled funds to trade in foreign currencies and distribute pro rata the trading profits among the investors. In private one-on-one correspondence with potential investors, Morton was even more aggressive in his solicitation. For example, Morton wrote to a potential investor urging he invest more money in the Delphi Investment Group "RIGHT NOW…[Because] [o]nce the DOLLAR starts to DROP, which will happen soon, we are set to make a FORTUNE!"

However, the complaint alleged, Morton lied to investors about his past successes, and about key aspects of the Delphi Investment Group, including the use of investor funds and the liquidity of the funds. According to the complaint, Morton did not have the successful track record picking stocks in which he claimed, and that he in fact was simply wrong in many of his securities predictions. Further, PWC never audited the Delphi Investment Group, let alone certify any profits. Also, unbeknownst to the investors, instead of investing all of the funds into foreign currency trading firms, the Mortons diverted some of the investor funds, including nearly half a million dollars to themselves through their own shell entities.

The defendants never properly answered the allegations in the complaint. Instead, the Mortons filed dozens of papers with the Court claiming, for instance, that the Commission is a private entity that has no jurisdiction over them, and that the staff attorneys working on the case do not exist.

On February 11, 2013, United States District Judge Forrest issued default judgments against all of the defendants and relief defendants. With the entry of the default judgments, the Commission received full relief requested in its complaint. The complaint charged each of the defendants with violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The complaint further charged that the relief defendants were unjustly enriched by receiving investor funds. The complaint sought a final judgment permanently restraining and enjoining the defendants from future violations of the above provisions of the federal securities laws.

The SEC's litigation team was led by Bennett Ellenbogen, Alexander Vasilescu, Todd Brody, Elzbieta Wraga, and Roshonda Ledbetter. Amelia Cottrell, Stephen Johnson, Jacqueline Fine, and Elizabeth Baier assisted during the investigation.

A LOOK AT A VOLCANO ISLAND BY NASA

FROM: NASA

Although the summit of Paluweh (also known as Rokatenda) is shrouded by clouds, evidence of a recent eruption is visible in this satellite image of the Indonesian volcanic island. After rumbling for months, Paluweh released an explosive eruption on February 2 and 3, 2013.

Gray ash covers the southern slopes of the peak in this natural-color image. A lighter gray swath running from the summit (shrouded by the plume) to the ocean traces the path of a volcanic landslide, likely the remnants of a pyroclastic flow. A new delta extends into the Flores Sea at the foot of the flow. To the northwest, airborne ash swirls around the island. Green vegetation appears relatively untouched, but ash has destroyed many of the island’s crops, according to The Jakarta Globe.

Erik Klemetti, author of the Eruptions Blog, suggested that the eruption at Paluweh may have been caused by the collapse of an unstable lava dome. The number of small tremors and emissions of ash increased in October 2012 and continued into February 2013, perhaps indicating growth of the lava dome.

The image above was collected on February 12, 2013, by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite. According to the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC), Paluweh has experienced minor ash and gas emissions almost daily since the initial blast.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using EO-1 ALI data from the NASA EO-1 team. Caption by Robert Simmon.

GREEN FLEET

Credit:  U.S. Navy.

Reconsidering Energy Use In 2013

Posted in:
Energy & Environment, Operating Forward, Sailors, Warfighting First

By Rear Adm. Kevin Slates
Director, Energy & Environmental Readiness Division

Given the current fiscal environment, I’ve been thinking a lot about energy and what I can do, and hoping you and your command have ideas about how the Navy can use energy smarter as we navigate recent budgetary issues.

What can you do and how will you think about energy differently this year? We want to hear your good ideas —what individuals can do and what we, the Navy, can help with. Send your ideas to us online at Energy Efficiency Ideas. We are waiting to hear from you.

You know how important it is to turn off lights, computers and equipment when they’re not in use. These simple actions and behavior changes, along with new technologies, really do reduce energy use and can make a big difference—but we still need your help. New technologies take time and money to develop and install, but changing our behavior to save energy in our daily jobs —just like we do at home—can make a difference now. We need every Sailor, civilian and family member on our team to view energy as a vital resource that enables our combat capability—not something we just take for granted.

Last year, the entire nation braced against rising fuel costs. Increases in petroleum prices created a $500 million increase in fuel costs for the Department of the Navy. That’s half a billion dollars that could have gone to maintenance, new equipment or training. That number could have been much smaller if we had an affordable alternative to fossil fuels or were efficient enough to avoid using that fuel in the first place.

Another example that put energy in perspective was Superstorm Sandy. Many of us in the northeastern United States were affected by the storm last fall, which knocked out power for millions of people for weeks. The storm was a stark reminder of just how dependent we all are on the commercial power grid for our basic comforts and to support our missions.

In 2012, the Navy demonstrated that we can successfully operate and carry on our mission while relying on alternative and renewable energy sources. In July, during the Rim of the Pacific exercise in Hawaii, we demonstrated the "Great Green Fleet," a carrier strike group fueled by alternative sources of energy. During the Great Green Fleet demonstration, Navy ships and aircraft were powered by a 50/50 blend of biofuel and conventional fuels, and some of our new energy efficient technologies were deployed. This was the first time biofuels were demonstrated in an operational setting of this scale.

Large scale solar energy farms on our bases from California to Virginia were connected to generate clean, renewable energy. Renewable energy can help the Navy stay online if the grid goes down. Additionally, the Navy reached agreements with two renewable energy developers in south Texas near Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and Naval Air Station Kingsville. These agreements allow new wind farms to be built while minimizing the potential for interference with our radar and pilot training. The Navy does not want to inhibit renewable energy development, but it must ensure that it can effectively maintain its training mission.

We’re also developing energy awareness courses for all personnel. This year, the Naval Post Graduate School will graduate the first class of officers with an energy Master’s degree—helping to ensure our combat capability is not held hostage by our lack of knowledge.

In 2013, we’ll continue to build on our successes. We’ll keep developing and deploying energy efficient technologies across the Navy, such as hybrid electric drives, stern flaps and energy dashboards on ships. When possible, we’ll keep working with communities and industry to allow renewable energy projects near our bases to proceed while protecting our training and operations. And we’ll keep looking for new ideas from all parts of the Navy about how to be energy efficient—and translate that efficiency into greater capability for our warfighters.

THE DEATH OF THE ELKHORN CORAL MYSTERY



Photo: Elkhorn Coral Credit: National Park Service-Wikimedia Commons

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Underwater Whodunit: What's Killing Florida's Elkhorn Coral?
Scientists solve Caribbean coral mystery: human pathogens cause marine invertebrate deaths
Take one wastewater treatment plant and place it anywhere along the Caribbean coast. Then--by a means unknown to science--kill coral reefs near the plant.

"You'd have all the makings of a great mystery novel," says ecologist James Porter of the University of Georgia.

Except that, in this case, the story would be true.

Coral killer on the loose

"Between 1996 and 2012, more than half of all corals in the Florida Keys alone had died," says Porter.

The greatest decline was in elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata). The species disappeared from more than 90 percent of its former habitat.

Elkhorn coral was once the most common coral in the Caribbean. It's now protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

"Most elkhorn coral that died in the Keys had signs of a disease known as white pox before its demise," says Porter.

Hot on the trail of where the white pox was coming from, Porter and other scientists ultimately identified human sewage outflows as the source of a pathogen that causes the disease.

Along with colleagues Kathryn Sutherland of Rollins College and Erin Lipp of the University of Georgia, Porter discovered that the bacterium killing the coral is also found in humans.

The mystery deepens

But where was it coming from? From the land, it turned out, not the sea: in human waste.

"When we first identified the bacterium Serratia marcescens as the cause of white pox," says Sutherland, "we could only speculate that human waste was the source of the pathogen because it's also found in the wastes of other animals."

Serratia marcescens is in the gut of humans and in that of other land-based animals.

To trace the source, the researchers collected and analyzed samples from a wastewater treatment facility in Key West, and samples from animals such as deer and seagulls.

While Serratia marcescens showed up in these non-human animals, genetic analyses demonstrated that only the strain from people matched that found in white pox-diseased corals.

Investigators on the scene

"The final piece of the puzzle," says Porter, "was to determine whether it was pathogenic to corals."

The scientists exposed fragments of elkhorn coral to the strain found in humans to find out if it would cause the disease.

The experiments were carried out in a laboratory in closed seawater tanks to eliminate any risk of infection to wild populations of corals.

"Within five days, the human strain caused the disease in elkhorn coral," says Sutherland. "We then had definitive evidence that people were the source of the pathogen."

Adds Porter, "These bacteria didn't come from the ocean. They came from us."

In humans, Serratia marcescens results in respiratory, wound and urinary tract infections, as well as in meningitis and pneumonia.

Human diseases caused by the bacterium are often linked with hospital-acquired infections in newborn infants and in immune-compromised adults.

Further studies underway

"Humans are affecting the rest of the living world in many ways, including sharing our diseases," says Sam Scheiner, National Science Foundation (NSF) director of the joint NSF-National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) Program, which funds the research. "This work demonstrates that such sharing may be happening in ways we would never have predicted."

The five-year NSF-NIH EEID study is supported by NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences. Its focus is on how the coral pathogen is transmitted and the factors that drive the emergence of white pox outbreaks, including water quality, climate variability and human population density.

"We're concerned that disease incidence or severity may increase with rising temperatures," Lipp says, "so it's important to protect near-shore water quality in a changing climate."

Research uncovers new disease pathway

To date, the study has revealed a disease pathway--from humans to wildlife--that's the "opposite" of the traditional wildlife-to-human disease transmission model. The results have been published in the journal PLOS ONE.

The movement of pathogens from wildlife to humans is well-documented--in, for example, bird flu--but the transfer of disease-causing microbes from humans to marine invertebrates has never before been proved.

"This is the first time a human disease has been shown to cause deaths of a marine invertebrate," says Porter. "Bacteria from humans kill corals--that's the bad news. But the good news is that we can resolve it with advanced wastewater treatment facilities."

The Florida Keys region is in the process of upgrading its wastewater treatment plants. The measure, the scientists hope, will eliminate this source of the bacterium.

"We need to address the water quality conditions that favored the establishment and survival of this pathogen in the marine environment," says Porter.

For now, who's the only culprit in the "Caribbean Coral Mystery"? Surprisingly, says Scheiner, "it's none other than ourselves."

LAUNCH OF NATIONAL COMMISSION ON FORENSIC SCIENCE ANNOUNCED

Credit:  U.S. Army.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, February 15, 2013
Department of Justice and National Institute of Standards and Technology Announce Launch of National Commission on Forensic Science

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced today the establishment of a National Commission on Forensic Science as part of a new initiative to strengthen and enhance the practice of forensic science.

The National Commission on Forensic Science will be composed of approximately 30 members, bringing together forensic science service practitioners, academic researchers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges and other relevant stakeholders to develop policy recommendations for the Attorney General. The commission will consider guidance on practices for federal, state and local forensic science laboratories developed by groups of forensic science practitioners and academic researchers administered by NIST.

"Forensic science is an essential tool in the administration of justice and needs to be continually evaluated as science progresses," said Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole. "Forensic science helps identify perpetrators, convict the guilty, exonerate the innocent, and protect public safety. This initiative is led by the principle that scientifically valid and accurate forensic analysis strengthens all aspects of our justice system."

"The Department of Justice and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have a history of successful collaboration," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Patrick Gallagher. "Through this initiative, we will work even more closely with the forensic science community to strengthen the forensic science system."

The commission will have responsibility for developing guidance concerning the intersections between forensic science and the courtroom and developing policy recommendations, including uniform codes for professional responsibility and requirements for training and certification.

The new initiative provides a framework for coordination across forensic disciplines under federal leadership, with state and local participation. The Department of Justice, through its involvement in the commission, will take an active role in developing policy recommendations and coordinating implementation. The NIST-administered guidance groups will develop and propose discipline-specific practice guidance that will become publicly available and be considered for endorsement by the commission and the Attorney General. This coordinated effort will help to standardize national guidance for forensic science practitioners. Additionally, NIST will continue to develop methods for forensic measurements and validate select existing forensic science standards.

Specific criteria for membership will be announced in an upcoming Federal Register notice, and applicants will have 30 days from the publication of the notice to submit their applications.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.

GOTTENMOELLER'S REMARKS ON NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY

Secretary Rose Gottenmoeller.  Credit:  U.S. State Department

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Forging Ahead: Challenges and Opportunities for the NPT
Remarks
Rose Gottemoeller
Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
Institute for National Security Studies (INSS)
Washington, DC
February 12, 2013
As Delivered

Thank you, Yaiv, and thank you to General (Ret.) Yadlin and all the staff at INSS for hosting me. It is an honor to be here. As you all know, John Kerry was sworn in as the new U.S. Secretary of State just about a week and a half ago. He begins his tenure at State fully seized of the challenges that we face around the globe, including the future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Under the direction of our new Secretary, the Department of State will continue its efforts to support this vital regime. The title for this conference is apt. We are at a crossroads, but not a dead-end. Over the course of the last 40 years, the NPT has taken some hits, not least this highly provocative act announced by North Korea today. But it is precisely because of those hits that we have acquired the experience needed to deal more effectively with the challenge of nuclear proliferation.

In order to look to the future, it is important to remember the past. It was just over 50 years ago that tension brought on by the Cuban Missile Crisis threatened to turn the Cold War hot. The world watched in fear for those 13 days in October 1962 when Soviet missile placements in Cuba very nearly became the spark that would start a fire we could not possibly control.

As the United States and the Soviet Union teetered on the edge of nuclear war, leaders in Washington and Moscow sought a diplomatic solution. One of the challenges confronting both sides was making sure that their perceptions, objectives, and proposals were getting across to each other clearly. This was not an easy thing to do without email, dedicated phone lines or fifty years of cooperation across many different issues.

Resolute and sober in their determination, leaders in Washington and Moscow stepped back from the brink of a nuclear conflict, using every avenue available to settle the crisis peacefully. After those frightening 13 days, both sides learned ways to reduce the tension in our relationship.

A New Beginning

To say that things have changed dramatically since October 1962 is an understatement. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a turning point. The United States and the Soviet Union came to the edge of the abyss and then started to back away from it. In the months following the crisis, a "Hotline" between the Kremlin and the White House was established, allowing for direct, immediate communications between our leaders.

In the summer of 1963, in a Commencement Address at American University, President John F. Kennedy laid out a bold vision on how we could turn away from what had seemed like an inevitable march towards nuclear catastrophe.

"Peace need not be impracticable," he said, "and war need not be inevitable. By defining our goal more clearly, by making it seem more manageable and less remote, we can help all peoples to see it, to draw hope from it, and to move irresistibly toward it."

I like that concept. Defining goals does make things more manageable. Working step by step, we can slowly fix seemingly intractable, unsolvable problems.

In that particular speech, one of the defined goals was to achieve a ban on nuclear testing. While it was not comprehensive, the Limited Test Ban Treaty went into force just four months later. It outlawed nuclear explosive tests on land, in the sea, in the atmosphere and in space. This was a tremendous step in the right direction and one that helped create political conditions to conclude the NPT, an even more ambitious treaty, several years later.

The Path Before Us

The grand bargain of the NPT, where nuclear weapon states pursue disarmament, non-nuclear weapon states abstain from the pursuit of nuclear weapons and all countries are able to access the benefits of peaceful nuclear energy, sets an enduring standard that is as relevant today as it was at the Treaty’s inception. For over forty years, the regime has bent, frayed and broken in places, but it has never collapsed. It has slowed the tide of proliferation; it has facilitated cooperation among its States Parties; and it has institutionalized the norms of nonproliferation and disarmament.

Despite our past successes, there are very pressing challenges all around us and on the horizon. Most critically, we have grave concerns about the actions of a few countries. North Korea, Iran and Syria violated their NPT obligations, and have failed to take the steps necessary to rectify these violations. The United States is gravely concerned about all of these programs, as I am sure is the case for everyone in this room. These transgressions threaten international security and undermine confidence in the nonproliferation regime. These cases also stand directly in the way of our shared disarmament goals.

Addressing these compliance challenges is essential to preserving the integrity of the nonproliferation regime and we have taken important steps in the past several years to do so. The IAEA found Syria in noncompliance with its safeguards obligations for attempting to build a covert nuclear reactor, and we are continuing to build on the stringent sanctions the UN Security Council adopted against Iran in 2010. That, combined with actions taken before 2010, represent clear reinforcement of the importance of full compliance. NPT Parties must be willing to keep the pressure on countries that violate their obligations. As President Obama has said many times, the international community must stand up to States that violate their nonproliferation obligations. NPT rules must be binding and there must be consequences for those who break them.

There is a continued push for universal adherence to the IAEA safeguards agreements and Additional Protocols. As we have learned from past and present safeguards violations from countries such as Iran and Syria, the Additional Protocol must be the standard for verification of the NPT. Since 2010, 18 states have brought Additional Protocols into force, bringing the total to 119. Another 20 have signed the Protocol but not yet completed the ratification process. That is excellent progress, but we must continue to press for more.

The United States will also work with all Parties to discourage states from abusing the NPT’s withdrawal provision, a priority we share with many of our international partners.

Building on our pledge to reduce the role of nuclear weapons in our defense strategy, we are also making progress on nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ). The nuclear-weapon states, also known as the P5, and ASEAN have agreed on a revised Protocol to the Southeast Asia NWFZ (SEANWFZ) Treaty that resolved outstanding differences. We hope that the Protocol signing can take place soon.

For its part, this Administration sent the protocols to the African and South Pacific NWFZs to the U.S. Senate for its advice and consent. The United States also remains committed to consulting with the Central Asia NWFZ (CANWFZ) parties to reach an agreement that would allow us – along with the rest of the P5 – to sign the protocol to that treaty.

A longer term goal is achievement of a Middle East zone free of all weapons of mass destruction. The United States supports this goal and stands ready to help facilitate discussions among states in the region at the proposed Helsinki conference. But we do so recognizing that the mandate for a zone can only come from within the region; it cannot be imposed from outside or without the consent of all concerned states. We regret the Helsinki conference could not be convened last year, but remain committed to working with our partners to create conditions for a successful event.

An immediate concern is securing vulnerable nuclear materials in order to keep them out of hands of terrorists. Under President Obama’s direction, we have held two Nuclear Security Summits, with a third to take place in The Hague next year. In anticipation of the Hague Summit, we will continue to build on pledges that are resulting in more material secured, removed and eliminated. These are real and durable achievements that help protect nations against the threat of nuclear terrorism. We will continue to use the Summits to strengthen the global architecture – the treaties, institutions, norms and rules – that governs nuclear security, and to promote the concept of "assurance;" that is, states execute their sovereign security responsibilities in ways that assure neighbors, allies and rivals that they are doing so effectively. Israel and others here are valued partners in the Summit process, and we look forward to continued cooperation to promote these shared goals.

Regarding the disarmament agenda, there have been successes on both the bilateral and multilateral fronts. The United States is committed to a step-by-step process to reduce the overall numbers of nuclear weapons. The two year anniversary of the New START Treaty’s entry into force has just passed. As many of you know, I was the lead New START negotiator for the United States and it is very satisfying to see how pragmatic, business-like and positive the implementation has been. We are now exploring the possibilities of what a future agreement with Russia would look like – one with reductions in all categories of nuclear weapons – strategic, non-strategic, deployed and non-deployed.

Beyond bilateral treaties, ratification and entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) remains a top priority for the United States.

As we move forward with our ratification process, we encourage all other nations to do the same. We also remain committed to launch negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. It is unfortunate that, to date, the Geneva Conference on Disarmament has been blocked in its efforts to move this agreement forward.

We are also engaging with other P5 states on disarmament-related matters. Following the first meeting in London in 2009, P5 conferences were held in Paris in 2011 and Washington in 2012. At those high-level meetings, we started discussions on key nuclear weapons related issues, including confidence-building, transparency, and verification experiences. Russia announced recently that it will host the next P5 conference in April, just before the second NPT PrepCom.

While some are quick to dismiss the utility of meetings and conferences, they would be forgetting their history. As the United States and Russia approach the lowest levels of deployed nuclear warheads since the 1950’s – and that will happen when the New START Treaty is fully implemented in 2018 – it is important to remember that their success was born out of direct communication. Communication builds trust. Trust paves the way for cooperation. This is the type of process we are cultivating in the P5 setting.

We also support new frameworks for civil nuclear cooperation that reduce the spread of dangerous technologies. Establishment of an IAEA fuel bank represents an important step forward, as it can help assure the reliability of nuclear fuel supply and avoid the unnecessary investment in indigenous enrichment.

Forging Ahead

Having just run through the challenges and opportunities, the road ahead can seem daunting. Some states continue to forsake their freely taken and legally binding obligations. Proliferation is aided by the speed and anonymity provided by the information age. Conflicts around the globe make cooperation difficult or dangerous. Even in the face of these challenges, it is incumbent upon us to find ways to strengthen nonproliferation norms, bolster compliance and quickly adapt to ever-changing circumstances and security needs.

There are some new tools that could aid us in our travels. The United States is and has always been committed to innovation, and the arms control and nonproliferation arenas are no exception. To respond to the challenges we face, we are thinking about creative ways to use technologies – including open source technologies – to tackle long-standing verification and monitoring problems. We hope that other states will join us in this endeavor.

All of what I have discussed will require hard work. However, we are at a crossroads, not a cliff. We are fully able to choose the path that leads us to a safer, more secure world. We have with us the lessons of the Cold War and the knowledge that even in our darkest hours, we found a way forward. In his speech at American University 50 years ago, President Kennedy left the students with a final thought:

"Confident and unafraid, we labor on--not toward a strategy of annihilation but toward a strategy of peace."


We have come a long way since then, but we have a long way to go. We just have to keep moving forward step by step, confident and unafraid.

Thank you and I look forward to your questions.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CONNECTIONS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DISA Highlights Increase in Use of Collaboration Tool
By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - Use of a Web-based application designed to offer an information exchange environment for Defense Department users has grown markedly as defense spending cuts loom, Defense Information Systems Agency officials said.

Since 2007, Defense Connect Online has been the "go-to" mechanism among several new enterprises within DOD's networks that entrust remote services with a user's data and software through cloud computing.

Defense Connect Online is the designated enterprise tool allowing DOD partners to collaborate on either classified or unclassified networks, said Alfred Rivera, DISA's director of enterprise services.

"It's been the department's way of providing collaborative solutions ... for online meetings, document sharing, white-boarding and voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) capabilities, to include chat," Rivera said.

John Hale, DISA's chief of enterprise applications, said DCO is the Web-based solution fielded within DOD's private cloud so information can be exchanged among mission partners. "It really has been a facilitator of collaboration, ... including the ability to chat live with each other while you're doing it," he said. DCO users should note common access card requirements, with the option for non-CAC holder guest participation, Hale said.

As DOD faces an austere budget climate, DISA officials said, DCO and similar enterprise ventures have shown growth by virtue of cost savings. "We're starting to see a large increase in the use of Defense Connect Online, and in the last 60 to 90 days, there's been unprecedented growth," Hale said.

DISA officials continue to address technology solutions to meet increasing customer demands, Hale said, adding that programmers took necessary steps to ensure data security both at rest and at use within the system.

"The solution was built ... with security in mind, [and] that's one reason it leverages our current DOD private cloud as its native platform, ... because a certain amount of security comes with that environment," Hale said. "As [information technology] increases in complexity and users demand more and more instant capabilities, security is ... at the forefront of everything we do to ensure our nation's defense information is kept safe."

A maximum capacity of 2,000 users in 2007 has since increased to 4,000 concurrent users, Hale noted, but recent demands have accelerated capacity expansion.

"Under normal circumstances, that would be a good model; however, DCO capacity requirements have significantly increased by 33 percent during the last 60 to 90 days," he said.
To address the increased demand, DISA officials expedited a previously planned expansion project, and will double current capacity within the week.

"We will make several system upgrades within six to eight weeks which will allow us to add additional capacity beyond 8,000 in a streamlined fashion, as dictated by mission partner usage," Hale said.

Rivera said Defense Connect Online was DISA's first large endeavor as part of the agency's emergence into enterprise services. Another is enterprise email service. The Army was the first adopter of DOD Enterprise Email (DEE), said Alan Lewis, DISA's program executive officer for enterprise services.

"We currently have over 800,000 users on that system and are growing rapidly," Lewis said. "In the next two months, we'll have 1.5 million users on that system." Users include members of the Army, the Joint Staff and various combatant commands, among other military agencies, Lewis added.

DISA is the main service provider of high-end applications to DOD, its senior leaders said.

"What you're seeing is large growth across the board in terms of the service offerings from DISA to the entire department," Lewis said, noting plans to integrate mobile capabilities into all platforms.

Rivera said collaboration with the Army to determine whether or not the ventures were fiscally sound were worthwhile. "The results indicated that the Army would save around $74 million annually when moving to DEE versus them doing it themselves," Rivera said.

With an expected 1.4 million Army users taking advantage of DEE, other enterprise services such as the DOD Enterprise Portal Service and DCO consolidate common usage applications into large-scale platforms to bring cost savings to taxpayers, Hale said.

"Every organization is trying to save as much as possible to meet their mission needs," Hale said. "By offsetting the cost for these common services that everybody expects [and] using enterprise services, it allows organizations to focus their dollars back into their mission."

Rivera expressed confidence that Defense Connect Online and similar enterprises will weather the fiscal storm.

"It is one of those efficiency applications that the department can recognize as we look at ... strong budget cuts going on," he said. "This is one of our key enterprise applications that will continue to be a critical element as we move forward in this budget-constrained environment."

Rivera said he expects mission partners to use the enterprise not only for meetings, but also for operational discussions, distance learning and other capabilities.