SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF MARGARET THATCHER

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 8, 2013

STATEMENT BY SECRETARY KERRY

Death of Margaret Thatcher

I was saddened to learn of Baroness Thatcher’s passing, and Teresa and I join millions across the United Kingdom and around the world in mourning her loss and celebrating her life. We pray especially for Carol and Mark and their families. The United States has lost a dear friend, and the world has lost a transformative leader who broke the glass ceiling in global politics. With her characteristic determination, she defined grit on the world stage and grace in the face of advancing age and illness.

Lady Thatcher took the helm of government amid tumultuous times. She would face wars abroad, terrorism at home, and deep uncertainty about the United Kingdom’s future. She met all these challenges and many others with unyielding drive and courage.

We celebrate especially the way, with a hand outstretched across the Atlantic, Lady Thatcher strengthened the Special Relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom—a relationship that remains a driving force for freedom, justice, and democracy. In 1985, when I was a newly sworn Senator, Prime Minister Thatcher spoke to our Congress. The threat of a Soviet Empire she warned against has given way to a new set of global challenges, but our alliance with the United Kingdom remains an unrivaled source of strength in today’s challenges from Afghanistan to Syria.

　

RESTRUCTURE AND THE U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND

Space mission continues despite restructure

4/2/2013 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFPS) -- Critical Air Force missions continue from their current locations after today's restructure of Air Force Space Command's Space Innovation and Development Center at Schriever AFB, Colo.

The SIDC restructure and realignment of subordinate organizations is part of the Air Force response to meet future challenges by balancing and realigning like missions to AFSPC and to Air Combat Command's U.S. Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis AFB, Nev. The Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force announced to Congress in November 2011 the Air Force intent to restructure the SIDC.

AFSPC and ACC jointly restructured the Space Innovation and Development Center as part of an ongoing Air Force effort to increase efficiencies, reduce overhead and eliminate redundancy. Effective today, the existing SIDC structure will transition to become several

Operating Locations at Schriever AFB under ACC's United States Air Force Warfare Center, headquartered at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The Air Force Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities program, the Distributed Mission Operations Center - Space, the 17th Test Squadron, and the 25th Space Range Squadron will transfer to USAFWC but will remain operational at Schriever AFB.

The 595th Space Group and its 595th Operations Support Flight will inactivate. The 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron will remain in AFSPC but transfer to the 50th Operations Group at Schriever AFB.

The Advanced Space Operations School will become a Field Operating Agency reporting directly to the AFSPC Director of Air, Space and Cyberspace Operations. ASoPS has relocated to Peterson AFB and resides in the new Moorman Space Education and Training Center.

Airmen and civilians assigned to SIDC are responsible to fully integrate space capabilities into the operational battlespace. Their mission is to advance full-spectrum warfare through rapid innovation, integration, training, testing and experimentation.

Early in the planning stages, 106 SIDC Air Force civilian employee positions were identified as surplus in an effort to increase efficiencies, reduce overhead and eliminate redundancy.

Beginning in the fall of 2011, local Air Force civilian personnel offices began offering the first of two rounds of Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments.

These programs were offered to all eligible employees in identified positions who wanted to retire early or be offered a financial incentive to leave their position. In addition to VERA/VSIP,

Air Force leaders have been working diligently to reassign personnel to valid vacant positions.
As of today, approximately 20 employees are still in identified surplus positions. Civilian personnel offices and local leadership are working to offer management reassignment beyond Schriever AFB and considering additional efforts to support the remaining employees.

SIDC organizations work together to conduct wargaming; integrate space into exercises and experiments; rapidly prototype, field and exploit integrated air, space and cyberspace capabilities; provide advanced space testing, training and range Infrastructure; and execute
AFSPC Force Development Evaluation and Operational Test programs.

The USAFWC is the sole Air Force organization responsible to facilitate development and integration of operational and tactical warfighting capabilities for all Air and Space Component Commanders. Based on USAFWC's mission, ACC and AFSPC agreed that aside from specified space-centric missions, the bulk of SIDC's responsibilities best fit under USAFWC as the Air Force's sole Warfare Center with responsibility to support all major commands.
Aligning like missions under a single headquarters allows the missions to better respond to future Air Force requirements.

The SIDC realignment and restructure is not related to sequestration actions, nor the current budget climate.


　

Drei Jahre CryoSat: Das neue Bild vom irdischen Eis

Drei Jahre CryoSat: Das neue Bild vom irdischen Eis

THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY DEMOSTRATED BY STARS

 

FROM: NASA

This artist's animation depicts an ultra-dense dead star, called a white dwarf, passing in front of a small red star. As the white dwarf crosses in front, its gravity is so great that it bends and magnifies the light of the red star.

NASA's planet-hunting Kepler space telescope was able to detect this effect, called gravitational lensing, not through direct imaging, but by measuring a strangely subtle dip in the star's brightness.

The red dwarf star is cooler and redder than our yellow sun. Its companion is a white dwarf, the burnt-out core of a star that used to be like our sun. Though the white dwarf is about the same diameter as Earth, 40 times smaller than the red dwarf, it is slightly more massive. The two objects circle around each other, but because the red dwarf is a bit less massive, it technically orbits the white dwarf.

Kepler is designed to look for planets by monitoring the brightness of stars. If planets cross in front of the stars, the starlight will periodically dip. In this case, the passing object turned out to be a white dwarf not a planet. The finding was serendipitous for astronomers because it allowed them to measure the tiny "gravitational lensing" effect of the white dwarf, a rarely observed phenomenon and a test of Einstein's theory of relativity. These data also helped to precisely measure the white dwarf's mass.

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

UK COMPANY ALLEGEDLY TARGETED THE RELIGIOUS WITH INVESTOR FRAUD

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

SEC Obtains Temporary Restraining Order Against Uk Company Operating Fraudulent Profitable Sunrise Internet Scheme and Names Czech Companies as Relief Defendants

On April 4, 2013, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed an enforcement action against Inter Reef Ltd., doing business as Profitable Sunrise, as a defendant and Melland Company S.R.O., Color Shock S.R.O., Solutions Company S.R.O. and Fortuna-K S.R.O. as relief defendants. The Commission’s complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

The Commission’s complaint alleges that Inter Reef, located in the United Kingdom, has operated a fraudulent securities offering over the internet under the name of "Profitable Sunrise" that has been targeted towards investors in the United States. Through its website, promoters and social media, Profitable Sunrise promised investors returns of between 1.6% and 2.7% per business day, compounded daily, on funds invested in various programs that were purportedly to be used to provide loans to businesses at even higher rates. Investors have been encouraged to recruit others for the scheme with promises of percentages of the amounts put in by the new investors. Among other things, the Commission’s complaint alleges that the Profitable Sunrise has promised impossibly high rates of return and misrepresented that investments in the program were insured by a leading investment bank. The fraud appears to have been targeted at religious investors, as Profitable Sunrise’s website contained several Bible verses and the company purported to make frequent charitable donations.

Melland, Color Shock, Solutions Company and Fortuna-K are Czech companies that the Commission alleges have received funds from investors in the United States through transfers at the direction of Profitable Sunrise. At present, a bank account in the name of Color Shock in Hungary has been frozen by authorities there. The Commission has named these Czech companies as relief defendants because they have no right to retain the funds sent to their accounts by investors.

Shortly after the Commission filed its complaint, the Honorable Thomas W. Thrash issued an order granting a temporary restraining order against Inter Reef along with an order directing an accounting, allowing expedited discovery, preventing the destruction of documents and providing for an asset freeze. The Commission may seek additional relief, such as preliminary and permanent injunctions, disgorgement of any ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest and civil penalties, at a later time. The court’s order also freezes the assets of the relief defendants.

STRATCOM'S FUTURE CAPABILITIES NEEDS

 

U.S. Strategic Command serves as the Defense Department's global synchronizer for capabilities that affect every combatant command: space, cyberspace, missile defense and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance, among them. Here, the sun sets over some of the assets that provide those capabilities at Forward Operating Base Sharana in Afghanistan's Paktika province, Nov. 5, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Raymond Schaeffer

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Stratcom Advocates for Current, Future Capabilities
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb., April 2, 2013 - Faced with shrinking budgets and an ever-growing appetite across the military for the capabilities U.S. Strategic Command provides, the Defense Department is relying on Stratcom itself to help determine what assets are needed and where to dedicate them.

U.S. Strategic Command serves as DOD's global synchronizer for capabilities that affect every combatant command: space, cyberspace, missile defense and intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance, among them.

The problem, explained Kenneth Callicutt, the command's director of capability and resource integration, is that there simply aren't -- and never will be -- enough of any of these to satisfy every combatant commander's requests.

"Every [combatant commander] wants more," he said. "But there are only so many Aegis ships and only so many radars that can be deployed."

More than 1,000 miles from the Capital Beltway and relatively insulated from political pressures, Stratcom leaders weigh requirements against assets to determine the best way to allocate what's available.

"We take the viewpoint of how to do this globally, taking into account everyone's requests," Callicutt said. "What we try to build is a common understanding of where we can get the best bang for the dollars we are spending to solve the common set of problems, and to synchronize those efforts across the department."

It's an effort he said involves continuous communication with combatant commands to assess what they need now and how they expect those requirements to change in the future.

"We have a full team here that walks through that analysis each year and looks at current allocations," Callicutt said. "But our advocacy role also looks to the future," influencing the Pentagon's acquisitions and investments in development programs.

Prioritization that factors in both short- and long-term requirements becomes particularly important in times of constrained resources, Callicutt said.

"In this fiscal environment, you're often left with a tradeoff between modernization and readiness," he said. "And in many cases, as you focus on training and the ability to do something now, the tendency is to sacrifice investment or buying modernization equipment."

That can have significant consequences in the future, creating capability gaps in vital areas that can't be filled quickly or easily. Callicutt noted, for example, that fielding new satellites and other space-based systems typically takes 25 years. The design, development and deployment timeline for nuclear weapons can be even longer, approaching 35 years, he said, as in the case of the replacement for the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine.

"So we maintain a very long time horizon here," Callicutt said. "The Defense Department relies on us to keep that longer-term view."

"The No. 1 concern, from our perspective, is to ensure we always have the required capabilities," said John Dodson, chief of staff for capability and resource integration. "You always want, whoever your adversary is, to have an upper edge. That's how it has always been in history and will remain the future. And a big part of that is ensuring that you are state of the art."

"So part of what we do here in our advocacy mission is to try to keep the balance" between current and future requirements, Callicutt said, and ensuring investments in modernization aren't dangerously deferred.

"I don't think we can, for the good of this nation, pay later, because our grandchildren will be the ones paying, with high risk," Callicutt said. "So we have to continue to prepare for the future while at the same time, executing today. And how to do that has to be an informed discussion." That discussion involves the combatant commands, the services and Pentagon leaders, he added.

"One of the biggest contributions Stratcom brings to this discussion is its global view," Dodson said. "It enables us to synchronize and optimize the capabilities out there. For the Defense Department, that is huge."

MARINE INSTROTOR IN THE MARTIAL ARTS

 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bryan Polonia executes a hip throw on Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Zachary Acevedo during Marine Corps Martial Arts Program training at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., March 26, 2013. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Melissa Wenger
 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Instructor Trains Marines in Martial Arts
By Marine Corps Cpl. Melissa Wenger
3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif., April 4, 2013 - In the early morning mist, a small group of Marines is limbered up, weighted down with flak jackets and ready for a fight. The rest of their squadron is preparing for another work day.

The instructor, a hulking figure packed with 30 to 40 more pounds of muscle than the next-largest Marine, surveys a rubberized gravel pit enclosed by slashed tires. The small group of students from Marine Tactical Air Command Squadron 38 thrashes about in the pit, causing a spray of rubber pellets with each technique executed. The supervisor looks on as steam escapes from the bodies of each weary, but ever fierce, Marine as they push through pain and fatigue. And this is only their warmup.

The Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, or MCMAP, isn't for everyone, and some find it especially difficult to be motivated to practice during those early hours.

"To want to do MCMAP takes a good instructor, not just an instructor that knows the techniques or an instructor who just knows what he's talking about, but an instructor that really makes you want to come out here every morning and keep doing these techniques," said Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bryan Polonia, a gray belt class participant and a Stamford, Conn., native.

"[Marine Corps 1st Lt. Mark Cowett] is definitely one of those people," he added. "He cares about his students, he cares about the techniques he's teaching, and coming out here every day just makes you feel good about yourself."

No session with Cowett is complete without sweat-stained undershirts and boots full of gravel. Daily reiteration of the Marine Corps core values alongside physical training allows for growth and development of the students of the squadron's martial arts course.

"MCMAP is really a synergy of three disciplines: physical, mental, and character," said Cowett, a Chicago native. "The physical is accentuated every day when we teach the techniques."

The extremely physical nature of the martial arts program is balanced by the mental conditioning that Cowett emphasizes.

"When I teach the technique, it's more than just how to knock someone over. You have to be mentally sharp and know exactly what you're doing in any situation," he said. "That way, they really understand how MCMAP is more than just a test to be taken for a belt. It's actually a real life scenario and response to any kind of situation."

As for the character discipline, Cowett incorporates "tie-ins," ideas related to various aspects of the warrior ethos, with the teaching of each technique.

"There are always different ones about hazing, about commitment and about a lot of other things that we can definitely use," Polonia said. "It really teaches you how to be a better person, how to be a better man and a better Marine."

By employing these three disciplines, Cowett said, he has noticed a definite change in the skill level of his students.

"I used to just go through them like a knife through butter, but now, it's much more difficult," he said. "I'm looking forward to the day where they can all beat me, because it means that I've finally taught them all that I know."

Even though he has reached his end of active service and will be assigned to the Individual Ready Reserve this summer, Cowett carries on teaching the course to make sure that his students maintain some continuity in the mornings.

"It says a lot about his character," Polonia said. "It says a lot about the Marine he is and the Marine he will always be."

While covered in sweat, debris and maybe even a bit of blood, each student leaves the class looking like a battle-hardened warrior. Still, the adrenaline rush of the morning gives way to the soreness and fatigue of the afternoon for the Marines who participate in this training. Nevertheless, it is quite clear that they are excited for the next period of instruction.

Drei Jahre CryoSat: Das neue Bild vom irdischen Eis

Drei Jahre CryoSat: Das neue Bild vom irdischen Eis

FOUR FORMER BIZJET EXECUTIVES CHARED WITH FOREIGN BRIBERY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, April 5, 2013
Four Former Executives of Lufthansa Subsidiary Bizjet Charged with Foreign Bribery

Charges were unsealed today against four former executives of BizJet International Sales and Support Inc., the U.S.-based subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik AG, which provides aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, for their alleged participation in a scheme to pay bribes to government officials in Latin America, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Assistant Director in Charge Valerie Parlave of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

According to the charges, Bernd Kowalewski, the former president and chief executive officer of BizJet, Jald Jensen, the former sales manager at BizJet, Peter DuBois, the former vice president of sales and marketing at BizJet, and Neal Uhl, the former vice president of finance at BizJet, paid bribes to officials employed by the Mexican Policia Federal Preventiva, the Mexican Coordinacion General de Transportes Aereos Presidenciales, the air fleet for the Gobierno del Estado de Sinaloa in Mexico, the air fleet for the Estado De Roraima in Brazil, and the Republica de Panama Autoridad Aeronautica Civil in exchange for those officials’ assistance in securing contracts for BizJet to perform MRO services.

Kowalewski and Jensen were charged by indictment filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma on Jan. 5, 2012, with conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and to launder money, as well as substantive charges of violating the FCPA and money laundering. The two defendants are believed to remain abroad.

DuBois and Uhl pleaded guilty on Jan. 5, 2012, to criminal informations, and their pleas were unsealed today. DuBois pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA and one count of violating the FCPA. Uhl pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the FCPA. Both defendants were sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell in the Northern District of Oklahoma. DuBois’s sentence was reduced from a sentencing guidelines range of 108 to 120 months in prison to probation and eight months home detention based on his cooperation in the government’s investigation. Uhl’s sentence was similarly reduced for cooperation from a guidelines range of 60 months in prison to probation and eight months home detention.

"The charges announced today allege a conspiracy by senior executives at BizJet to win contracts in Latin American countries through bribery and illegal tactics," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. "Former BizJet executives, including the former president and chief executive officer, allegedly authorized and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars to be paid directly and indirectly to ranking military officials in various foreign countries, and two former executives have pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy. These charges reflect our continued commitment to holding individuals accountable for violations of the FCPA, including, as in this instance, after entering into a deferred prosecution agreement with their employer."

"Business executives have a responsibility to act appropriately in order to maintain a fair and competitive international market," said FBI Assistant Director in Charge Parlave. "The unsealing of these bribery charges, and today’s sentencing, demonstrate that the FBI is committed to curbing corruption and will pursue all those who try to advance their businesses through bribery."

The charges allege that the defendants, in many instances, paid bribes directly to foreign officials in Mexico, Panama and Brazil for assistance in securing contracts. In other instances, the defendants allegedly funneled bribes through a shell company owned and operated by Jensen. The shell company, Avionica International & Associates Inc., allegedly operated under the pretense of providing aircraft maintenance brokerage services but in reality laundered money related to BizJet’s bribery scheme. Avionica was located at Jensen’s personal residence in Van Nuys, Calif., and Jensen was the only officer, director and employee.

The charges announced today follow the announcement on March 14, 2012, of a deferred prosecution agreement with BizJet and an $11.8 million monetary penalty to resolve charges related to the corrupt conduct. That agreement acknowledged BizJet’s voluntary disclosure, extraordinary cooperation and extensive remediation in this case.

The conspiracy to commit violations of the FCPA count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The FCPA counts each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine of the greater of $100,000 or twice the value gained or lost. The conspiracy to commit money laundering count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction. The money laundering counts each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $500,000 or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction.

An indictment is merely an accusation, and defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Daniel S. Kahn and Stephen J. Spiegelhalter of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Leitch from the Northern District of Oklahoma has provided assistance in the case. The department has also worked closely with its law enforcement counterparts in Mexico and Panama in this matter and is grateful for their assistance. The case is being investigated by FBI agents who are part of the Washington Field Office’s dedicated FCPA squad.

REMEMBERING 9/11 AND THE USS ARLINGTON:

FROM: U.S. NAVY

USS Arlington (LPD 24) is underway for sea trials.

 

Arlington, Virginia (Sept. 11, 2001) -- Smoke pours from the southwest corner of the Pentagon after a hijacked commercial airliner crashed into the building. U.S. Navy Photo by Journalist 1st Class Mark D. Faram (RELEASED)

 

NORFOLK (March 22, 2013) First responders from Arlington County, Va., and the Pentagon salute as the amphibious transport dock Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Arlington (LPD 24) arrives to its homeport at Naval Station Norfolk. Arlington is the eighth San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock and the third U.S. Navy ship named for Arlington County, Va., witse American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, killing nearly 200 people. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Mollly Greendeer/Released)

 

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S STATEMENT ON INTERNATIONAL ROMA DAY

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Statement Commemorating International Roma Day, April 8, 2013
Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
April 6, 2013
　

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to send best wishes to all Roma on the occasion of International Roma Day. We mark the day by celebrating the rich Romani culture and the diverse contributions of Roma to our societies. On this day, we should reflect on the obstacles that continue to prevent millions of Roma from realizing their potential.

Roma continue to face wide-ranging discrimination in access to education, employment, housing, and healthcare. In recent years, the global economic crisis slowed progress to address these challenges and led to growing anti-Roma rhetoric and, even more alarming, violence. The walling off of some Roma villages from neighboring areas and the eviction of entire communities of Roma families from their homes vividly illustrates their exclusion and isolation. We cannot ignore these deeply troubling developments. No country can meet 21st century challenges with a large segment of its population uneducated and excluded.

The United States reaffirms its determination to meet this challenge, together with European governments, civil society, and through international organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, to achieve equality, opportunity, and inclusion for all Roma.

GENERAL DEMPSEY SAYS SEQUESTRATION NOT YET A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Dempsey: Sequestration Not Yet a National Security Threat
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 6, 2013 - Sequestration will have no effect on the drawdown in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.

"[Sequestration] is an avalanche, not a light switch," Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said in a roundtable discussion with members of the press traveling with him on his trip to Afghanistan.

The avalanche started March 1, he said, and is building momentum. "We're consuming readiness without building it, because we are taking the money that we would normally have used to build readiness of units that might deploy a year from now and we've had to apply it into our wartime operations," Dempsey said. Additionally, the chairman said, the department is supporting commitments on the Korean Peninsula and the Persian Gulf.

"When you fence that off and fully fund it -- and you have to fence it off, we've got young men and women out there in harm's way and they will always be fully funded -- when you do that, though, the risk you take begins to accrue," Dempsey said.

By 2014 the department will face medium-term problems in maintaining readiness, he said. "The problems we've got are multiplying and will multiply over time," Dempsey added.

"We will always do what we have to do to protect the nation and its interests," the chairman said. For example, he continued, the theater air defense system recently placed in Guam was costly, "but it never crossed our mind not to do it because we wanted to save the money."

"Money is not a factor when our national interests are threatened," he said, "but readiness is something that has to be sustained over time." The cost of requalifying certain service members, like pilots, due to interruptions to training can actually cost more than the training itself would have, the chairman noted.

"The one thing that I would never do -- and I know [Defense] Secretary [Chuck] Hagel feels the same way -- is we're never going to deploy a service man or woman who's not ready to deploy," he said.

"Sequestration is not a risk to our national security at present," the chairman said. " ... But the uncertainty does make us less efficient [and] it sends a very negative message to our men and women who serve."

The department will get through the readiness challenge, he said, but the next challenge could be retention. Service members won't stay in the military if they can't do their jobs, the chairman said.

REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY TO STAFF AND FAMILIES AT ISTANBUL CONSULATE

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Meeting With Staff and Families of Consulate General Istanbul
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Consulate General Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
April 7, 2013


SECRETARY KERRY: Hey, folks. Good morning to you.

AUDIENCE: Good morning.

SECRETARY KERRY: How are you?

AUDIENCE: Good morning.

SECRETARY KERRY: Good to see you all.

AMBASSADOR RICCIARDONE: Mr. Secretary, just a little over a month ago, I had the pleasure of introducing you to a part of the best American mission in the world. This is not the other part; this is an equal part, and Turkey’s a sort of (inaudible) world capital. And this is a place where we specialize in showing our hospitality to our visitors. We have a lot of practice at it here in this town. And I have great pleasure and pride in introducing to you the part of the team here that is just specializing in greeting a few visitors and helping them understand what an important (inaudible) is.

You’ve met Scott Kilner, one of my oldest friends in the Foreign Service. He’s had even more tours in Turkey than I have, and I know Scott mentioned on the way in we served together in Afghanistan. He had the pleasure of taking you all around Afghanistan a few years ago. So thanks so much for coming, again, so soon in your tenure. We wish you many, many happy returns.

SECRETARY KERRY: Frank, thank you. Thank you very much. Good morning. I know this is a somber morning for a lot of us, for everybody, and I appreciate everybody coming out and taking a moment to say hello today, especially the future over here. Frank, thank you for your stewardship. Really, you’re very, very lucky to have an extraordinary array of professionals, and I have seen Frank at work in a number of different countries, most recently before here in Afghanistan. And Scott, thank you for your leadership here at a very important crossroads, and I want to thank every single one of you for being part of this extraordinary mission. And Marie – where’s Marie gone? She’s here somewhere.

AMBASSADOR RICCIARDONE: Went off to join the missus.

SECRETARY KERRY: She went off to join my wife.

But we are grateful to all of you. I was thinking, just a little while ago when I was here, the first thing I did was walk into a memorial service at the Embassy for Mustafa Akarsu. And I learned then that his name stands for sort of flowing waters, or waters flowing over, and there’s that beautiful memorial now out in front of the Embassy. And he bravely gave his life, stepping up to prevent others from being harmed.

Yesterday in Afghanistan, we had a different stealing of a young life. And I think there are no words for anybody to describe the extraordinary harsh contradiction of a young 25-year-old woman with all of the future ahead of her, believing in the possibilities of diplomacy, of changing people’s lives, of making a difference, having an impact, who was taking knowledge in books to deliver them to a school. And someone somehow persuaded that taking her – his life was a wiser course and somehow constructive, drives into their vehicle and we lose five lives – two Foreign Service, three military, large number wounded, one Foreign Service officer still in critical condition in the Kandahar hospital because they’re trying to provide people with a future and with opportunity.

The folks who want to kill people, and that’s all they want to do, are scared of knowledge. And they want to shut the doors and they don’t want people to make their choices about the future. For them, it’s "You do things my way and if you don’t, we’ll throw acid in your face. We’ll put a bullet in your face," to a young girl trying to learn. So this is a huge challenge for us. It is a confrontation with modernity, with possibilities, and everything that our country stands for, everything we stand for, is embodied in what Anne Smedinghoff stood for, a 25-year-old young woman, second tour of duty, been a vice consul in Caracas, Venezuela and then off to an exciting, challenging, unbelievable undertaking in one of the toughest places on earth.

I met her about two weeks ago. She was part of my team that was my control team when I was there, and I remember her – vivacious, smart, capable, chosen often by the Ambassador there to be the lead person because of her capacity. So it’s a grim reminder to all of us, though we didn’t need any reminders, of how important and also how risky carrying the future is with people who want to resist, and just trying to provide opportunity to those young boys and girls and men and women in Afghanistan, so many of whom I’ve met, who believe in education and believe in the possibilities of opening a business and believe in the rights of women and the rights of everybody to be able to make choices.

So I think every single one of us can stand very, very proud of Anne and her cohorts as America stands very, very proud of each and every one of you. This is not easy work. It’s not easy being away from home. It’s not easy packing up, breaking ties to family and friends and coming over to represent your country. But the whole world is in a state of transition right now. It is important for us to be able to help to bring stability and rule of law and alternatives to this kind of nihilistic violence that simply destroys and steals lives without offering any other constructive purpose whatsoever.

So I think we can walk with pride. I think the extended Foreign Service family feels a lot of pain today. But we also feel pride. And it’s my honor to be here with all of you to shake your hands, say hello to you, give everybody a hug, and let’s share together the feelings of the Smedinghoff family, who I talked to yesterday in Pennsylvania. There is no more painful conversation in the world. And they were extraordinary and are strong, and I ask you all to pray for them and their friends and their family, and just keep your heads high and keep doing what you do, because we’re so proud of you. Thank you very, very much.

COMPANY AND OWNER SENTENCED FOR $50 MILLION HEALTH CARE FRAUD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Friday, April 5, 2013

Miami-Based Health Care Clinic and Its Owners and Operators Sentenced for $50 Million Fraud Scheme

The owners and operators of Biscayne Milieu, a Miami-based mental-health clinic, and the clinic itself were sentenced today for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving the submission of more than $50 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida; Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Miami Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Christopher B. Dennis of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Office of Investigations Miami Office.

Antonio Macli, 73, Jorge Macli, 41 and Sandra Huarte, 49, all of Miami, and Biscayne Milieu were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola Jr. in the Southern District of Florida. Antonio Macli was sentenced to serve 360 months in prison; Jorge Macli was sentenced to serve 300 months in prison; and Huarte was sentenced to serve 262 months in prison. In addition, Biscayne Milieu, the corporate entity these defendants controlled, was sentenced to one year of probation. In addition to their prison terms, Antonio Macli, Jorge Macli and Huarte were each sentenced to serve three years of supervised release. Restitution payments for each of the defendants will be determined on April 25, 2013.

The defendants were each convicted on Aug. 24, 2012, of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, at least one substantive count of health care fraud, and conspiracy to offer and pay kickbacks following a two-month jury trial. Antonio and Jorge Macli and Huarte were also each convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and substantive money laundering counts at trial.

According to the evidence at trial, Biscayne Milieu was a closely held, family-run fraudulent clinic that was owned by Antonio Macli and his son Jorge Macli. Antonio Macli’s daughter Sandra Huarte was an executive at the clinic. Together the defendants created and oversaw a scheme in which they, along with their co-defendants, submitted over $50 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare through Biscayne Milieu, which purportedly operated a partial hospitalization program (PHP) – a form of intensive treatment for severe mental illness. Instead, the defendants devised a scheme in which they paid patient recruiters to refer ineligible Medicare beneficiaries to Biscayne Milieu for services that were never provided or that were not reimbursable under applicable Medicare rules. Many of the patients admitted to Biscayne Milieu that they were not eligible for PHP treatment because they were chronic substance abusers, suffered from dementia and would not benefit from group therapy, or were not mentally ill and were procuring false diagnoses of mental illness in order to obtain exemptions from the civics portion of the U.S. citizenship application.

The evidence at trial further showed that Antonio and Jorge Macli and Huarte collectively paid patient recruiters more than $1 million in illegal kickbacks to recruit Medicare patients who were ineligible for PHP treatment. Biscayne Milieu then billed Medicare for tens of millions of dollars in PHP treatments for these patients. Antonio and Jorge Macli and Huarte also hired doctors, therapists and other health care professionals to further their massive illegal scheme. Along with co-conspirators working at their direction, they created falsified medical records intended to conceal their Medicare fraud and phony "case manger" contracts in an attempt to hide their extensive illegal kickbacks.

Antonio Macli was the initiator of the fraud scheme, enlisted his son and daughter to participate in it and had primary control over the clinic’s bank accounts that received money stolen from Medicare that was then used to pay illegal kickbacks.

Jorge Macli was most responsible for the clinic’s day-to-day operations and took steps, on a daily basis, to conceal and further the fraud, including deflecting complaints from patients and staff and paying bribes to patients in exchange for their silence.

Huarte oversaw both the kickback payments and the Medicare billings for the clinic. Huarte ensured that Biscayne Milieu’s fraudulent claims could pass scrutiny by Medicare by creating fraudulent paperwork and medical files, and soliciting other employees to do the same, so that these false claims were paid.

Evidence further revealed that Antonio and Jorge Macli and Sandra Huarte engaged in a sophisticated scheme to use a series of ostensibly legitimate corporations to conceal and launder Biscayne Milieu’s fraudulent profits.

Various owners, doctors, managers, therapists, patient brokers and other employees of Biscayne Milieu have also been charged with various health care fraud, kickback, money laundering and other offenses in two indictments unsealed in September 2011 and May 2012. Biscayne Milieu, its owners, and more than 25 of the individual defendants charged in these cases have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of Florida Michael Davis, Marlene Rodriguez and James V. Hayes. Hayes was formerly a Trial Attorney in the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The case was investigated by the FBI with the assistance of HHS-OIG, and was brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida in coordination with the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.

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

NUCLEAR DETERRENCE AND THE STRATCOM MISSION

A B-2 Spirit bomber is towed to a parking spot at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. The B-2 is a key element of the U.S. nuclear triad, which includes ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable heavy bombers and associated aerial tankers, and the assured warning and command-and-control system that interconnects them. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Nuclear Deterrence Remains Key Stratcom Mission, Commander Says
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb., April 5, 2013 - Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and with the United States and Russia committed to deep cuts in their already-reduced nuclear arsenals, some might be tempted to think U.S. Strategic Command's most important mission is fading into the history books.

Maintaining a credible nuclear deterrent -- and the ability to operate its nuclear capabilities effectively if directed by the president -- was a foundation of U.S. national security throughout the Cold War, said Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler, the Stratcom commander.

Yet Stratcom's nuclear deterrence mission remains as critical as at any time in U.S. history, Kehler said, injected with a renewed focus and sense of urgency by the president's 2010 Nuclear Posture Review and the new national defense strategy.

So even as the United States began withdrawing numerous weapons abroad, deactivated entire classes of weapons and reduced its nuclear stockpile by 75 percent since the height of the Cold War, it has ensured that it maintains sufficient deterrent capability.

"As long as nuclear weapons exist, U.S. Strategic Command's top priority must be to deter nuclear attack with a safe, secure and effective strategic nuclear deterrent force," Kehler told the House and Senate armed services committees earlier this month.

Kehler's job is to look across the entire nuclear enterprise to ensure it remains operationally viable, and to verify the safety and effectiveness of the nuclear weapons stockpile. That includes the triad of ballistic missile submarines, intercontinental ballistic missiles, nuclear-capable heavy bombers and associated aerial tankers, and the assured warning and command-and-control system that interconnects them.

"I can assure you that today's nuclear weapons and triad of delivery platforms are safe, secure and effective," Kehler reported in testimony to the congressional panels.

Looking to the future, he said, the challenge will be to modernize and sustain the myriad aspects of the nuclear enterprise: from delivery systems and stockpile surveillance activities to upgrades to the nuclear command, control and communications capabilities.

"Our nuclear weapons and platforms are aging and are in need of either modernization or recapitalization, the majority occurring within the next 10 to 20 years," Navy Cmdr. Robert Thomas Jr., Stratcom's deputy division chief for global strike capabilities, resources and integration, told American Forces Press Service.

"We are talking about every platform -- the bombers, the submarines and intercontinental ballistic missiles -- and also every weapon employed on those platforms," Thomas said.

So Stratcom is working with the services and its interagency partners to develop a replacement for the Ohio-class submarine and to modernize or replace the Minuteman III ICBM and the B-52 Stratofortress and B-2 Spirit bombers, as well as the weapons they deliver.

"We are not talking about developing any new capabilities or new weapons. That is not what we are doing," Thomas emphasized. "What we are doing is maintaining the capability of our nuclear deterrent."

That deterrent remains vital, he said, not only to the United States, but also to the allies and partners it has pledged to protect.

Based on this threat and the approaching end of much of the U.S. nuclear infrastructure's life-cycle, Thomas said, Stratcom's efforts aren't occurring a minute too soon.

The Ohio-class submarines that are capable of launching ballistic missiles are slated to operate through the late 2020s and early 2030s. At that point, they will have reached their maximum life expectancy, serving for 42 years -- longer than any other submarine in Navy history.

"Last year's decision to delay the Ohio-class replacement program by two years is all the risk I would recommend in this critical program," Kehler said during his congressional testimony.

Replacement submarines are being developed now, with the first of 12 on schedule for delivery in 2031, just as the Ohio-class subs they replace go into retirement.

Meanwhile, Stratcom is working with the Air Force to determine whether to replace or extend the life of the Minuteman III ICBMs that have been in service since the 1970s. The current system has undergone several modernization programs since it was fielded, Thomas said, and Congress has mandated that the current force remain viable and credible through the 2030 timeframe.

A study of alternatives to sustain the ground-based leg of the triad beyond 2030 is underway.

The Air Force also is assessing how to modernize the nuclear-capable B-52 and B-2 bombers. The B-52 has undergone several modernization programs since it was first fielded in the early 1950s, and is expected to remain in service through 2040. The B-2, introduced in the late 1990s, will require similar efforts to remain viable into the 2050 timeframe, Thomas said.

In addition, Stratcom is working with the National Nuclear Security Administration to ensure the weapons development under its purview meets the command's strategic requirements.

"We are fairly unique in our role as a combatant command in looking holistically across the entire enterprise and making sure all these activities remain synchronized and aligned so we don't have capability gaps," Thomas said.

This synchronizing mission presents challenges in terms of not only budget constraints, but also of manufacturing capability to make it all happen within the required timeframe. "Schedules are important, because it does no good to deliver a weapon at the wrong time," Thomas said. "And if a platform or weapon is aging out, we have to have its replacement ahead of time so we can be confident the system works as designed to meet the mission requirements."

Further complicating the effort is the Nuclear Posture Review's emphasis on refurbishing existing nuclear weapons capabilities rather than developing new ones. Thomas said he recognizes the rationale, with the intent of reducing U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons as part of its national security strategy. "Building new weapons is not in line with that strategy or that position," he said.

Thomas compared the current approach to driving a 1965 Mustang that's been refitted with new systems and replacements for parts no longer made. Essentially, it's still a 1965 Mustang, he said, but now it relies on modern parts to keep running.

"In many respects, it would be a lot easier to go out and buy a new car, but we can't do that. We have to maintain the car we have," he said.

Another complication is the unilateral moratorium the United States has maintained on nuclear testing for the past two decades. This, Kehler told Congress, presents the challenge of certifying the effectiveness and reliability of nuclear weapons without actually testing them with nuclear explosions.

He noted advances in the computer simulations, modeling and other scientific and surveillance programs used instead for testing, and the importance of attracting the proper talent pool to the mission to sustain it into the future.

"We've got to maintain the science that underpins those weapons," Kehler told Congress. "We've got to make sure we are sustaining those weapons and surveilling those weapons as they age, as well as introducing life-extension programs as needed.

Ensuring the viability of the U.S. nuclear enterprise provides deterrence and, should that fail, gives the president options in how to deploy forces, Thomas said. But it also helps stem proliferation by assuring U.S. allies and partners, he added, so they do not feel a need to pursue their own nuclear-weapon capability.

"So it is as important now -- and perhaps even more important in a world that is more uncertain -- and into the future that we maintain a very credible nuclear force," he said. "And as long as we have these weapons, we are ensuring that they are safe, secure, credible and effective. And we are taking the appropriate steps to accomplish that."

HAITIAN POLICE TO TRAIN IN MIAMI

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Haitian National Police To Train at Miami-Dade Police Department

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 2, 2013

Twenty-one officers from the Haitian National Police Counternarcotics Unit (BLTS) started a three-week "Train the Trainer" course at the Miami-Dade Public Safety Training Institute (MDPSTI) yesterday, April 1. The training covers advanced law enforcement investigation techniques. The Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD) collaborated on the curriculum, equipment, and logistics for this training.

The three-week training aims to enhance the professional skills of the BLTS officers and build their professional network. Miami-Dade instructors will share knowledge and skills with their Haitian counterparts through in-service training at their Public Safety Training Institute. Increasing the capacity and skill of BLTS personnel will improve their abilities to address and combat drug trafficking and drug transshipment in and out of Haiti. In addition to endangering U.S. citizens, the drug trade in Haiti undermines the rule of law in that country by fostering corruption and fomenting armed violence perpetrated by criminal gangs and political opposition groups.

The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and the Miami-Dade Police Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding on November 19, 2012 to cooperate on training, advising, and mentoring international law enforcement personnel. Miami-Dade is one of more than 50 U.S. state and local agency partners from communities around the United States who help foreign law enforcement and judicial officials enhance their civilian security and justice sector capacity. Through these agreements, U.S. partners develop networks of contacts with foreign counterparts that assist them in stemming the tide of illicit drugs and transnational crime that are entering their own communities. Making international law enforcement connections on drug-related and gang-related issues has a long-term impact on cross-border, state-level, and community security.

The MDPD is one of the largest police departments in the southeastern United States, with a staff of approximately 4,700 employees. MDPSTI will offer four additional State Department supported training courses to a total of 74 BLTS officers over the course of the calendar year.

ARTIC SEA ICE MAX ONE OF LOWEST AMOUNTS ON RECORD

FROM: NASA
Arctic Sea Ice Max is 5th-Lowest on Record

This animation shows the seasonal change in the extent of the Arctic sea ice between March 1, 2012 and February 28, 2013. The annual cycle starts with the maximum extent reached on March 15, 2012. Every summer the Arctic ice cap melts down to its minimum extent before colder weather builds the ice cover back up. This new ice generated on an annual basis is called 'first-year' ice and is thinner than the older sea ice. The perennial ice is the portion of the ice cap that spans multiple years and represents its thickest component. On September 13, 2012, the sea ice minimum covered 3.439 million square kilometers, that is down by more than 3.571 million square kilometers from the high of 7.011 million square kilometers measured in 1980. The annual maximum extent for 2013 reached on February 28 reached an extent of 15.09 million square kilometers.

SATURN AND TITAN

FROM: NASA
Pioneer 11 Image of Saturn and Its Moon Titan
The Pioneer 11 spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral forty years ago, on April 5, 1973. Pioneer 11's path through Saturn's outer rings took it within 21,000 km of the planet, where it discovered two new moons (almost smacking into one of them in September 1979) and a new "F" ring. The spacecraft also discovered and charted the magnetosphere, magnetic field and mapped the general structure of Saturn's interior. The spacecraft's instruments measured the heat radiation from Saturn's interior and found that its planet-sized moon, Titan, was too cold to support life.

This image from Pioneer 11 shows Saturn and its moon Titan. The irregularities in ring silhouette and shadow are due to technical anomalies in the preliminary data later corrected. At the time this image was taken, Pioneer was 2,846,000 km (1,768,422 miles) from Saturn. Image credit-NASA Ames

GEN. DEMPSEY BELIEVES 2014 TROOP LEVELS IN AFGHANISTAN SHOULD NOT BE DECIDED NOW

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
'Too Soon' For Post-2014 Troop Level Decision, Dempsey Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service


BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 6, 2013 - Although it is too soon to tell what the post-2014 troop arrangement will be in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expects a decision by this summer, he said yesterday.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey arrived in Afghanistan today to, in part, hear from commanders on the ground what they think the Afghans need to help them develop, he said.

In an interview with reporters traveling with him to Afghanistan, Dempsey said evaluations are well underway on a range of options.

Each set of options is formed around a theme, Dempsey said.

"One is, at what level we will provide training and assistance ... at the lowest tactical level, all the way up to the institutional level," he said. Alternatively, training and assistance might be provided only at the institutional level.

What other agencies need to operate on the ground forms a second core question, the chairman said. He offered the U.S. Agency for International Development as one key organization to consider in post-transition planning.

The concerns of NATO partner nations must also be reconciled, Dempsey said. The NATO implementing directive for Afghanistan favors a hub-and-spoke approach to basing troops, he said.

"Once you ... lay that template out, it begins to illuminate what the options are for the post-2014 presence," the chairman said, "not only on basing, but on numbers."

"I'm not in the camp that is trying to rush that decision," he said, adding that he wants the Afghan security forces to have a chance to lead through two fighting seasons, as outlined in the NATO agreement signed last summer in Chicago. They will also be responsible for the security of the 2014 elections, Dempsey noted. "I want to see how they deal, frankly," the chairman said.

Milestone 2013 will mark the point when the Afghan security forces are in the lead nationwide, Dempsey said. "It'll be coming up here soon," he added. "We haven't exactly fixed the date."

To ensure the drawdown progresses smoothly and according to schedule, "we've got to have a steady rate of retrograde," Dempsey said.

"My military judgment is that the decision about the enduring presence, though it will be necessary to help us and our NATO allies plan, actually pinning it down is not a matter of urgency," he said. Rather than a definitive number of troops, he said, a range would be prudent.

CHAIRMAN OFJOINT CHIEFS TRAVELS TO AFGHANISTAN

Afghanistan.  Credit:  DOD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Dempsey Arrives in Afghanistan to Assess Progress
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 6, 2013 - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey arrived here today for several meetings with coalition and Afghan leaders.

The trip to Afghanistan follows on the heels of the U.S. Africa Command change of command the chairman attended yesterday, and Dempsey noted yesterday to reporters traveling with him that transitions are at the heart of both visits.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford assumed command of NATO's International Security Assistance Force about 60 days ago, the chairman said. He added that he plans to "review the campaign" with Dunford.

"He had a good, full 30-day transition period with [Gen.] John Allen," Dempsey said, but commanders want to get out and talk to their junior leaders to assess whether command intent is reaching them.

"One of the things I'm going to ask [Dunford], is ... what have you learned. If he tells me 'Nothing,' I'm going to say, 'Maybe we got the wrong guy,'" Dempsey said.

Dempsey will meet with senior military and civilian leaders, including Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Central Command; James B. Cunningham, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Army Lt. Gen. Keith M. Huber, commander of Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435.

The chairman will also meet with his counterpart, Afghan Army Gen. Sher Mohammad Karimi.

As the transition to an Afghan-secured Afghanistan progresses, several provinces have developed spontaneous anti-Taliban movements, a development the chairman said he finds encouraging.

"If this becomes our program, it won't work," he said. The power of such movements lies in the fact that they are generated and led by Afghans, the chairman added.

Taliban efforts at reconciliation with the Afghan government are a sign of progress, he said. A post-ISAF Afghanistan can't be the Afghanistan of 1990, Dempsey added.

There is more than one type of Taliban, Dempsey said, and while s small group may be unreconcilable, those that aren't could become part of the political system.

"Any conflict in history, when it is resolved, is resolved through some form of reconciliation," the chairman said. "I support the effort to try ... through the Afghans to encourage them to take reconciliation as an important line of effort."