RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

 

FROM: U.S. NAVY
The Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Washington Chambers (T-AKE 11) launches a BQM-74 targeting drone during a live-fire missile exercise as part of the at-sea phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2013. More than 1,200 Sailors and Marines are participating in CARAT Thailand. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Dille (Released) 130608-N-AX577-071

Gunner's Mate Seaman Yoel Martinez, left, from Miami assigned to the weapons department aboard the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), fires a .50-caliber machine gun from the ship while Fire Controlman 3rd Class Aaron Sousa, from Lincoln, Calif., observes under instruction during a live-fire exercise during the at-sea phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2013. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Timor Leste. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Patrick Dille (Released) 130609-N-AX577-032
 

DOD COMMUNICATIONS CHALLENGES OUTLINED

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Official outlines challenges in securing DOD communications

by Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

6/13/2013 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The threat of a cyberattack that would disrupt or deny connectivity is one of many information technology challenges the Defense Department faces, the Pentagon's chief information officer said here June 12.

"There's nothing that we do in DOD from the standpoint of mission security that does not rely on connectivity," Terri Takai told an audience of private-sector leaders and government information technology communities at the FedTalks 2013 conference.

Everyone seems to take connectivity for granted, Takai said, but maintaining it requires security measures, and a cyberattack could circumvent those measures.

"We have to think about how we will operate when that connectivity is disrupted or denied," she said.

It's an enormous challenge. With a budget of $39 billion spread across all four military branches and 40 defense agencies, Takai is charged with providing secure communications for the entire military.

"I support over 3.3 million people," she said. "We're located in 153 countries, and many of those countries are a challenge for being able to get connectivity. And then we're probably in more than 6,000 locations all over the world."

In addition to cyber threats, Takai said, the Defense Department's information technology community also must work through shrinking budgets, challenges posed by nations or groups that DOD partners with, and changing missions.

For example, she said, the Defense Department's shift toward the Asia-Pacific region means fewer U.S assets on the ground and more in the air and at sea. This requires new arrangements for a range of communications, including increased use of satellites, both government and commercial.

"It changes the dynamics of the way we look at how we provide communication capabilities," Takai said, and new partners in the region will have to be included in secure communications networks.

"That's a whole different group of countries to work with," she added, "and for me it's a whole different set of countries to be thinking about, 'How am I going to connect in a very secure way?'"

LABOR DEPARTMENT MAKES $2 MILLION AVAILABLE TO REDUCE CHILD LABOR IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

$2 million in funding available from US Labor Department to reduce child labor in Afghanistan's home-based carpet production
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of International Labor Affairs today announced a $2 million competitive solicitation to fund one or more projects to reduce child labor in the home-based production of carpets in Afghanistan.

One or more qualifying organizations will receive funding to support Afghanistan's efforts to reduce the worst forms of child labor in the production of home-based woven carpets. Each organization selected will partner with at least one company whose source of carpets is from home-based production sites. The project(s) will involve the development and implementation of a sustainable social compliance system for that company's carpet supply chain and establishment of an independent monitoring system to verify its compliance with company standards on child labor.

For children working in home-based weaving workplaces, the project(s) will provide remediation services to support their withdrawal. In addition to social compliance, the project(s) will work to collect reliable data on child labor in the carpet supply chain in Afghanistan and will raise awareness on the dangers of child labor in the carpet industry.

Children working in the carpet sector reportedly start as young as six or seven years old and can work up to 12 hours a day. They suffer from a number of poor working conditions, including exposure to dust from the wool and noxious fumes, resulting in respiratory diseases. Little awareness exists in Afghanistan about the hazards faced by children working in the sector.

Exercise Dawn Blitz: History Made with Osprey Landing on Japanese Ship

Exercise Dawn Blitz: History Made with Osprey Landing on Japanese Ship

NSF DISCUSSES THE FUTURE OF THE WHITEBARK PINE

Whitebark Pine.  Credit:  U.S. Forest Service/ Wikimedia. 

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Whitebark Pine Trees: Is Their Future at Risk?
There's trouble ahead for the whitebark pine, a mountain tree that's integral to wildlife and water resources in the western United States and Canada.


Over the last decade, some populations of whitebark pines have declined by more than 90 percent. But these declines may be just the beginning.

New research results, supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and published today in the Journal of Ecology, suggest that as pine stands are increasingly fragmented by widespread tree death, surviving trees may be hindered in their ability to produce their usually abundant seeds.

"With fewer seeds, you get less regeneration," says ecologist Joshua Rapp, affiliated with NSF's Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site and lead author of the paper.

Whitebark pine populations vary between producing a high number of seed cones some years, and a low number of seed cones other years.

This variation depends on four factors: male pollen cones, female seed cones, wind and proximity.

Each year, pollen from male cones is carried on the air to fertilize female seed cones perched atop nearby trees.

"In low-cone years, less pollen is released, reaching extremely few female cones," says Elizabeth Crone, senior ecologist at the NSF Harvard Forest LTER site and co-author of the paper.

"But as more and more whitebark pines die, every year becomes a low-cone year."

In isolated pockets of trees, the gene pool is also diminished, meaning the seeds produced may be less viable over time.

"For decades, researchers have struggled to understand why many different organisms--trees, fish, corals, insects--from various habitats reproduce synchronously and at certain intervals," says Saran Twombly, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, which funded the research.

"By combining field data on seed and pollen production for whitebark pines with models that simulate mature cone production, this study helps to answer that question for these pines."

To reach their conclusions, the scientists had to look back in time.

They inspected branches from seven whitebark pine sites in western Montana, counting the scars left by pollen cones and seed cones.

"All the years with a high number of seed cones had one thing in common: a high number of pollen cones," says Rapp. "The success of the seeds seems to depend on the amount of pollen produced."

Whitebark pine seeds are an essential food source for many animals in mountain habitats.

The Clark's Nutcracker, a mountain bird, can store up to 100,000 seeds in underground caches each year. Squirrels also store thousands of seeds underground.

A diminished number of seed cones has an effect on grizzly bears, the scientists say; the bears regularly raid squirrel seed caches to prepare for winter hibernation.

"In the past, low years for whitebark pine cones have led to six times more conflicts between grizzlies and humans, as hungry bears look for food in campgrounds," says Crone.

"Now, concerns about viability of whitebark pine populations are one of the main reasons grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park are still listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act."

Birds, squirrels and bears are not the only species that depend on whitebark pine.

Vast stands of whitebark pine help to maintain the mountain snowpacks that provide water to more than 30 million people in 16 U.S. states each year.

Whitebark pines are often the only trees at the highest elevations. Their branches retain snow as it blows across gusty mountaintops. Their shade moderates snow-melt in the spring, keeping flows down the mountain in check.

A small percentage of whitebark pine trees have outlived the ongoing destruction by pests and disease. These trees are the next area of focus for Crone's team.

"We want to find out whether the surviving trees are still producing cones," Crone says. "They represent the future of whitebark pines."

-NSF-

European Space Agency United Kingdom (EN) Update

European Space Agency United Kingdom (EN) Update

U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing - June 17, 2013

Daily Press Briefing - June 17, 2013

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR JUNE 17, 2013

Afghan children watch as U.S. soldiers and Afghan national security forces enter their school to deliver humanitarian aid school supplies in Jalalabad City in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, May 25, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jon Heinrich 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Afghan, Coalition Forces Arrest Extremists During Search

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested two extremists during a search for a Taliban leader in the Sar-e Pul district of Afghanistan's Sar-e Pul province yesterday, military officials reported.

The Taliban leader oversees a group responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, facilitates the movement of weapons throughout northern Afghanistan and collects illegal taxes from civilians to fund extremist activities.


In June 15 Afghanistan operations:

-- A combined force in Logar province's Muhammad Aghah district killed five extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Taliban leader who plans, enables and executes attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of improvised explosive device materials, weapons and equipment and supplies extremists with suicide bombs.

-- In Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district, a combined force killed four extremists and wounded another during a search for a senior Haqqani network leader who commands extremist cells that attack Afghan and coalition forces. He also facilitates the movement of fighters within Paktia and Khost provinces and coordinates directly with senior Taliban leadership.

-- A combined force in Logar province's Muhammad Aghah district killed two extremists during a search for a Haqqani network leader who oversees ambushes and complex attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He procures IED components, builds IEDs and trains extremists in their use. He also plans suicide IED attacks against Afghan government officials and facilitates the distribution of mines, IEDs, and weapons to extremist cells.

-- Afghan local and uniformed police found and neutralized an IED in Logar province's Baraki Barak district. The national security directorate received a tip about a possible IED and passed the information to the district police chief, who assembled a patrol that found and neutralized the IED after ensuring the safety of nearby civilians.

-- A combined force in Paktia province's Sayyid Karam district killed an extremist and wounded two others during a search for a Haqqani network leader who oversees an IED network.


In June 14 operations:

-- Afghan local police found and destroyed six IEDs in Kandahar province's Panjw'i district while patrolling around a newly established checkpoint.

-- Afghan special forces soldiers, advised by coalition forces, detained three enemy fighters in Farah province's Bala Boluk district during an operation designed to disrupt Taliban activity.

Remarks by President Obama, U.K. Prime Minister Cameron, European Commission President Barroso, and European Council President Van Rompuy on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | The White House

Remarks by President Obama, U.K. Prime Minister Cameron, European Commission President Barroso, and European Council President Van Rompuy on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership | The White House

19th CARAT Malaysia Begins, Brings New Capabilities to Build Maritime Partnerships

19th CARAT Malaysia Begins, Brings New Capabilities to Build Maritime Partnerships

SEC, FINRA ISSUE JOINT WARNING OVER E-MAIL "PUMP-AND-DUMP STOCK SCHEMES"

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C., June 12, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) today issued a warning to investors about a sharp increase in e-mail linked to "pump-and-dump" stock schemes.

The investor alert entitled Inbox Alert-Don't Trade on Pump-And-Dump Stock E-mails notes that the latest McAfee Threats Report confirms a steep rise in spam e-mail linked to bogus "pump-and-dump" stock schemes designed to trick unsuspecting investors. These false claims could also be made on social media such as Facebook and Twitter as well as on bulletin boards and chat room pages.

"Investors should always be wary of unsolicited investment offers in the form of an e-mail from a stranger," said Lori Schock, Director of the SEC's Office of Investor Education and Advocacy. "The best response to investment spam is to hit delete."

"Spam e-mail is the bait used to lure people into making bad investment decisions. No one should ever make an investment based on the advice of an unsolicited email," said Cameron Funkhouser, Executive Vice President of FINRA's Office of Fraud Detection and Market Intelligence.

Pump-and-dump promoters frequently claim to have "inside" information about an impending development. Others may say they use an "infallible" system that uses a combination of economic and stock market data to pick stocks. These scams are the inbox equivalent of a boiler room sales operation, hounding investors with potentially false information about a company.

The fraudsters behind these scams stand to gain by selling their shares after the stock price is "pumped" up by the buying frenzy they create through the mass e-mail push. Once these fraudsters "dump" their shares by selling them and stop hyping the stock, investors lose their money or are left with worthless or near worthless stock.

MOON WATER: THE VIDEO

FROM: NASA WATER

Water on the Moon

Since the 1960s, scientists have suspected that frozen water could survive in cold, dark craters at the moon's poles. While previous lunar missions have detected hints of water on the moon, new data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter pinpoints areas near the south pole where water is likely to exist. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

DRUG KINGPIN SENTENCED TO DEATH

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Thursday, June 13, 2013

Philadelphia Drug Kingpin Sentenced to Death, Co-defendant to Face Life in Prison

Firebombed and Murdered Six in Witness’s Family, Murdered Six Others

A federal jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that voted in favor of death for a North Philadelphia drug kingpin, Kaboni Savage, today voted in favor of life for a co-defendant, Steven Northington. Savage was sentenced to death last week by U.S. District Court Judge R. Barclay Surrick.


Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman for the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Hanko of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division made the announcement after the jury’s decisions.

On May 31, 2013, a jury voted in favor of death for Savage, 38, who is the first defendant in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to receive the death penalty in federal court. Savage was convicted on May 13, 2013, of 12 counts of murder in aid of racketeering, one count of retaliating against a witness by murder, conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, and one count of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. Savage ordered the Oct. 9, 2004, firebombing of the home of Eugene Coleman’s family. Coleman was a federal witness at the time. Six people were killed in the arson murder, including four children. Savage was sentenced to death on June 3, 2013.

Today, the same jury voted in favor of life for Northington, 41, who was convicted of the murders of Barry Parker in 2003 and of Tybius Flowers in 2004 in addition to racketeering (RICO) conspiracy. Northington will be formally sentenced by U.S. District Judge Surrick on June 19, 2013.

"For more than a decade, Kaboni Savage and members of his organization used murder and violence to intimidate and retaliate against anyone who threatened their drug trade, and along the way mercilessly killed a cooperating witness’s family members, including innocent children," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Raman. "We are hopeful that the jury’s verdict brings some measure of justice to the victims of Savage’s heinous crimes."

"Achieving justice sometimes requires us to ask the citizens on a jury to make the most difficult sentencing decision imaginable," said U.S. Attorney Memeger. "In this case, after convicting the defendants of crimes involving murder, the jurors chose death for Kaboni Savage and life for Stephen Northington. The defendants’ horrific conduct struck at the very heart of our criminal justice system, which depends on witnesses testifying without fearing for their lives or the lives of their family members. We appreciate the time and effort that the jury committed to reaching a fair verdict as to each defendant. While the verdicts cannot restore the loss of life taken by members of the Kaboni Savage drug organization, we hope that the jury verdicts bring some sense of closure to the victims’ families and friends. I want to thank the phenomenal investigative and trial team that worked so hard over many years to bring the defendants to justice for their despicable crimes."

"Kaboni Savage and his crew murdered men, women, and children – for money, power, and, ultimately, just for revenge," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Hanko. "They thought no more of taking lives than of taking a phone call. After more than a decade of brutality, Northington’s life sentence and Savage’s death sentences are justly deserved."

Savage’s sister and co-defendant, Kidada Savage, was also found guilty of the RICO conspiracy and the Coleman family murders. Co-defendant Robert Merritt was found guilty of the RICO conspiracy. They each face a mandatory life sentence at sentencing.

Savage’s drug enterprise operated primarily in the North Philadelphia area from at least late 1997 to 2010. After Savage was indicted on drug charges in 2004, he ordered the murders of the family of government witness Eugene Coleman. Lamont Lewis, who has pleaded guilty, firebombed the Coleman family home on Savage’s orders which Kidada Savage relayed to Lewis.

In addition to the six people inside the Coleman home, Savage was convicted of the following murders:

• Kenneth Lassiter, 44, of Lansdale, Pa., on March 19, 1998, near the corner of 8th and Butler Streets in Philadelphia;

• Mansur "Shafiq" Abdullah, 22, of 11th Street, Philadelphia, on Sept. 6, 2000. Abdullah was shot and his burned body was later recovered in the 4200 block of North Park Avenue in Philadelphia;

• Carlton "Mohammed" Brown, 27, of Darien Street, Philadelphia, on Sept. 13, 2001;

• Barry Parker, 32, of Susquehanna Avenue, Philadelphia, on February 26, 2003, in the 3900 block of North Franklin Street in Philadelphia;

• Tyrone Toliver, 26, of Cherry Hill, N.J., on March 14, 2003, in the 3500 block of North Palmetto Street in Philadelphia; and

• Tybius Flowers, 32, of K Street, Philadelphia, on March 1, 2004, in the 3700 block of N. 8th Street in Philadelphia.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, and the Maple Shade, New Jersey Police Department. The United States Bureau of Prisons, the United States Marshals Service, and the Philadelphia/Camden High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force also assisted in the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Steven Mellin of the Criminal Division’s Capital Case Unit at the U.S. Department of Justice and Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Troyer and John M. Gallagher.

THE GOLDEN COYOTE EXERCISE



Army Capt. Frank Brown, communication officer with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 213th Regional Support Group, attaches the feed horn to the stabilizing arm of a portable satellite system at Forward Operating Base Custer in Custer State Park, S.D., June 6, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Coltin Heller

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMET OF DEFENSE

Face of Defense: Guard Soldier Takes On 'Golden Coyote'

By Army Sgt. Coltin Heller
109th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
CAMP RAPID, S.D., June 10, 2013 - Any training exercise presents challenges to soldiers participating in them. Among those challenges, communication is a vital requirement for all soldiers, regardless of their specialty.

Army Capt. Frank Brown, communications officer with the Pennsylvania National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 213th Regional Support Group, faced the challenge of setting up and maintaining the various means of communication for 213th RSG soldiers during Golden Coyote, an annual training exercise held in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The exercise provides service members from 11 states and four foreign nations with training opportunities in logistical and tactical environments, in addition to real-world missions such as bridge construction and humanitarian aid.

"We're charged with providing voice and data communication assets to the Regional Support Group," said Brown, who calls Harrisburg, Pa., home. "We're also pulling voice and data from the signal support elements from the 443rd Signal, providing [classified and unclassified] voice and data through those services."

Brown accepted the position of brigade signal officer after being approached by Army Lt. Col. Robby Robinson, the 213th RSG's executive officer.

"I've only been in the position for two to three months, so I'm still assessing my soldiers and their capabilities," Brown said, "and we're trying to find common ground -- who's good at what -- and task them accordingly and share that knowledge amongst the soldiers so that we all learn from each other."

Brown and his soldiers established a working network within their exercise headquarters building before heading out to the field, where they faced several obstacles.

"We have several [forward operating bases] displaced by hundreds of miles, so the communication challenges are going to be unique," Brown said. "The learning curve of some of the communication assets we've had to deploy, due to the displaced locations, is something that some of us haven't touched in several years."

Brown helped his soldiers set up equipment such as a radio antenna, a deployed digital training campus and a mobile satellite dish enabling Internet connectivity for units in the field.

Spending time in the field is nothing new to Brown, who enlisted in the Marine Corps after he graduated from high school in 1993.

"I joined the active duty Marine Corps as a parachute rigger, ... then I joined the Marine security force in Washington state, served out there for a couple years, and I transferred up to Maine to a cold-weather infantry unit up there," he said. During his time in Maine, he added, he went to college, majoring in criminology. After spending some years in Maine, he transferred to Pennsylvania to attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania, which he said had one of the better criminology degree programs.

Brown transferred to the Pennsylvania National Guard, and joined the officer corps with a direct commission.

Despite the challenges he and his soldiers faced, such as weather and technical issues, Brown looked forward to the training during Golden Coyote and had confidence in his soldiers.

"I'm looking forward to the challenges out here," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting to collaborate with my soldiers and build a cohesive team there so we can overcome the challenges that the signal community is going to bring us in the future."

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL TELLS CONGRESS HELPING OTHERS IS CRITICAL

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Hagel Tells Congress Friendship Is Worth Funding
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2013 - Spending defense money on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the United States and overseas is a critically important part of U.S. foreign policy that clearly in the national interest, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told Congress today.


Appearing before the Senate Budget Committee with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Hagel noted the National Guard, Army Reserve and Air Force Reserve, in particular, have resources devoted to aiding in disasters. Around the world, he added, U.S. defense funding for such programs will continue.

"We ... have had over the years a significant capacity to help countries during these disasters," Hagel said. "It's clearly in our interests around the world, and it's humanitarian. Where we can help, we will continue to help."

National security is the Defense Department's foremost mission, the secretary said. "But that unfolds into many areas," he added.

"When you're making friends around the world, when you're developing partners and allies, you're developing the next generation of global citizens who see America helping [them]," the secretary said. "I'd say that cuts right directly to the international interest and security of our country. And we can do that, and we have been doing it. We do it better probably than anybody does, in the military."

NASA VIDEO: MOON PHASE AND LIBRATION

FROM: NASA

South-Up Moon Phase and Libration 2013
This visualization shows the moon's phase and libration at hourly intervals throughout 2013, as viewed from the Southern Hemisphere. Each frame represents one hour. In addition, this visualization shows the moon’s orbit position, sub-Earth and subsolar points, and distance from Earth at true scale. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

THE ARMY BIRTHDAY CELBRATION SPEECH BY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Birthday Celebration

As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, Pentagon Auditorium, Washington D.C., Thursday, June 13, 2013

Thank you. Thank you. Good morning. Happy birthday. Mr. Secretary [McHugh], thank you for your leadership and what you continue to do for this institution, General Odierno, for your leadership at a very challenging time in the history of the United States Army.


Sergeant Major Chandler, thank you. You and your enlisted men and women continue to inspire us all. I want to also acknowledge and thank the DOD leadership present here today for what you continue to do for this institution and for our country. Thank you.

Special acknowledgement and happy birthday to our oldest Army veteran here, wherever he is, Colonel Wittich, where is Colonel Wittich? Colonel Wittich happy birthday. Thank you. You've never looked better and more fit.

Also, our youngest Army representative here, I think is here somewhere, Private First Class Selig? And thank you, as we thank all of our members of the United States Army here today and all over the world, and we thank and celebrate those who have served in the United States Army and our veterans, and in particular, as Secretary McHugh noted, our wounded warriors here today and their families. Thank you for what you've done.

I will begin my brief remarks with an acknowledgement, as the Chief and Secretary have already noted, to the families of our Army – current Army, our past Army, our future Army, for what you've done. And I think General Odierno said it pretty well. The sacrifices that families make are not covered in great glory or attention, but they deserve as much recognition and thanks as do our members. So to the families, thank you. Thank you.

As has been noted, a 238th birthday is rather significant. That represents an institution that has essentially been around longer than the republic and has grown as vibrantly and effectively and been as important to the world and to this republic as any one institution.

General Odierno talked about trust. And as we all know, that is the coin of the realm. And I would add one component to that, and that's confidence. I don't know of an institution in our country that has held the trust and the confidence of our citizenry more than the United States Army and the military.

That's rather significant, through the history of this country, I don't know of another country in the world that can say that. And that is the result of many, many things. But more than anything else, it's just as General Odierno talked about what has defined and shaped the culture, but it's the definition of why we have an Army. And I'll share with you two examples of what I'm talking about.

Over the last two days, I have had the great privilege of revisiting my former home, the Congress, in hearings. It's always a joyous event as many of you know, especially our distinguished leaders in the front row here. And you're always much enhanced and you earn your pay, of course, but you always learn a hell of a lot. And you're much enhanced as you leave those hearings, of course.

Two interesting questions were asked during those three hearings, yesterday in particular, and they came from the House Budget Committee. One was about the Army and our military doing humanitarian work. Why would the military, the Army, be focused, have in its budget assistance for natural disasters around the world? And why is that important to your mission? Or is that your mission? We thought the Department of Defense was about the security of our country.

Well, it gave me an opportunity to address that, because many times that component of our force structure is lost. And I said, bottom line, when you look at what the soldier is about, more than any other part of our society, it's about preserving the peace, because it's the soldier, when we don't have peace, that makes the sacrifices.

And so MacArthur said it eloquently. Other great leaders in our country's history in the Army have said it. The soldier wants peace more than anyone else. And so when you look at investments in helping others – and we have countless examples from every war, over the 238 years of this institution – great photographs of American G.I.'s in World War II bending down on their knees, giving a young German boy or girl a chocolate bar.

Former Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl used to tell the story, the first orange – the first orange he ever saw in his life, he was seven years old. The American troops were marching into this German village, and every German citizen was scared to death, thinking that they would be massacred. And the American troops hugged these children, gave them chocolate bars and oranges. And Kohl tells that story – told it many, many times, and tears would come to his eyes when he would tell that story.

The point being, what is a better investment in peace and stability and security and developing friendships and partnerships for the future of the world than what our military does in that capacity? Yes, we fight wars. We're the best at it, have been, will continue to be. But there's another dynamic to what you do.

Another question I was asked yesterday: "Well, Mr. Secretary, can you address the issue of the bifurcation, the split, misunderstanding in our society today when we have 1 percent of our population serves in the military? Is that healthy? Should we change that? Are you disconnected from society?"

Good question. It's a question, as a matter of fact, when I was in the United States Senate, I more than occasionally spoke on, on the Senate floor. But part of the answer I gave back to the congressman was acknowledging it's a relevant question, it's an important question, but part of the way I would answer it – and I did answer it – is the continued astounding confidence and trust the American people have in this institution. In Gallup's last 15 years of most trusted institutions in America, the military is in the stratosphere. Everybody else isn't doing well. But the military has stayed way the hell on top.

And so that's good news, in many ways. You could also say, well, yeah, but it's that one percent that bears all the burden, makes all the sacrifices, does all the fighting, does all the dying. That's true. But even with that difference, there is still an astounding respect for our military in society. Even though they are disconnected, probably more so than at any time in the history of this nation, and it still connects and resonates with the American public.

Now, those values that were instilled and shaped this institution 237, 238 years ago just weren't a narrative. They had to be sustained over 238 years - duty, honor, country. I don't know of an institution that's done that better than this institution.

Thank you for what you are doing, what you've done, and what you continue to do for this country. These are difficult times. I don't have to tell any of you, especially for our Army leadership having to deal with the budget issues and these – these great uncertainties that hang over all of us.

But if you ever want to put your money on an institution, you want to put it on the Army, because the Army has weathered a lot of things and our military has, and we'll get through this. And we will rebalance. And we will adapt, as we always have. And that'll be much because we will go back and stay anchored to the traditions and the values and the family and the partnerships of who we are as not just American citizens, but part of a remarkable, remarkable institution that we celebrate today and we recognize today.

Now, for 12 years, when I was in the Senate, I had the privilege of serving the state of Nebraska, and every June 14th, if the Senate was in session, I would go to the Senate floor, and I would give a happy birthday speech to the Army. So it became the only thing I was ever known for, actually.

It would be brief, of course, and substantive, as all my speeches were, but I'd always end it with a birthday greetings and a happy birthday and a very healthy "hooah!"

There we are. Happy birthday.

Weekly Address: Celebrating Father’s Day Weekend | The White House

Weekly Address: Celebrating Father’s Day Weekend | The White House

SECRETARY KERRY MAKES REMARKS WITH BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Remarks With British Foreign Secretary William Hague After Their Meeting
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
June 12, 2013

SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you very much. It’s a huge pleasure for me to welcome my friend and partner in so many efforts, the Foreign Secretary of Great Britain, William Hague.


The United States and the United Kingdom obviously share a now time-honored and time-defined relationship, and it’s grounded in so much – our history, our values, our traditions. It is, without question, an essential, if not the essential relationship, and based on a common agenda that we share, our mutual cooperation on so many global issues, from peace and stability in the Middle East, Afghanistan, proliferation, Libya, Egypt, you run the gamut; we have been able to work together in effective ways. We’re the closest of military allies, having served alongside each other in major campaigns over the last 20 years, six major campaigns in total, including right now in Afghanistan, where our troops are serving side-by-side. And we promote together a very vigorous and a capable NATO.

But it’s fair to say that this special relationship really touches many different issues. Let me just say that two days ago, our governments signed a memorandum of understanding for the Global Innovation Initiative. And this important initiative is going to support multilateral research emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and it will focus on issues such as climate change, which we have just discussed at length, and sustainable development. And this initiative will also further our higher education cooperation, which is a priority of both President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron. It will bolster collaborations between universities in the United States and the United Kingdom.

I also want to applaud Prime Minister Cameron and Foreign Secretary Hague for their important leadership in the lead-up to the G-8. The UK is helping to take a lead on an important initiative to prevent sexual violence in conflict areas around the world. We met in London on that as a prep leading up to the G-8, and the Foreign Secretary convened a very important gathering and I think there was some important progress made in our discussions there. And we stood together in April, the G-8 foreign ministers, to affirm what will lead into the meetings in Ireland, Northern Ireland.

Our relationship is also rooted in our very, very close economic cooperation. We are each each other’s largest investors. Almost one million people in the United States work for British companies, and almost one million people work for American companies in the UK. We are also both committed to making this economic relationship stronger. President Obama’s commitment to launch the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union is a significant way to make it stronger. And we look forward to the deliberations that will take place in a few days in the EU with respect to the mandate for those negotiations. We are convinced, both of us, that a successful conclusion to this agreement would have a profound, important impact boosting both of our economies and, in fact, the economies of Europe as a whole.

Together, our two countries also remain committed to a Syrian-led political solution to the crisis there. We are deeply concerned about the dire situation in Syria, including the involvement of Hezbollah, as well as Iran, across state lines in another country. So we are focusing our efforts now on doing all that we can to support the opposition as they work to change the balance on the ground. And together, we have provided tremendous humanitarian assistance in an effort to mitigate the human suffering that is taking place in Syria. We remain committed to the Geneva 2 conference. We both understand the complications with the situation on the ground and moving forward rapidly. But there will have to be a political solution, ultimately, to the situation on the ground, and that is the framework that will continue to be the outline, and we remain committed to it.

Throughout each of our careers, I think it’s fair to say that Foreign Secretary Hague and I have spoken candidly about the urgent need for a two-state solution in the Middle East. This is a top priority for President Obama, a top priority for Prime Minister Cameron, and we will continue to work towards it together.

With respect to Iran’s nuclear program, as President Obama said in Israel in March, Iran must not get a nuclear weapon. We appreciate the United Kingdom’s leadership in continuing to push for the EU efforts to adopt and implement strict EU sanctions on Iran. They are making a difference, and they are – the UK has also been critical in its leadership of the P-5+1 in those efforts.

So I am delighted to welcome, as you can see in all that I have just described, a vital partner, and in our case, I’m happy to say, a close friend. We’ve gotten to know each other better and better in this process, and I think we enjoy working together enormously. And I’m happy to welcome you here, William. Thank you.

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Thank you very much, John. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great pleasure to be back here in Washington, D.C and with my great friend and colleague, who I’ve hugely enjoyed – come to enjoy working with already over the last four months, Secretary Kerry. The United States is the United Kingdom’s greatest ally in world affairs, and the range of issues that we have discussed today reflects that.

And I want to pay tribute to the energy and the resolve and the commitment that Secretary Kerry has brought to this role as Secretary of State. I’ve particularly welcomed his personal leadership on the Middle East peace process. He’s put an enormous amount of his time and energy into creating the foundations for a return to negotiations. And no single act would do more to unlock a more peaceful and stable Middle East than a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

A two-state solution is the only way to end this conflict and achieve peace and security for both sides, but the window for a viable settlement is closing fast, and the regional environment is growing more difficult and more dangerous, as you know, all the time. The United States can count on the full and active support of the United Kingdom in getting both sides to the negotiating table bilaterally, through our relationships with Israelis and Palestinians, and using our role in the European Union as well.

We also discussed the meeting of the G-8 in Northern Ireland, as you’ve heard, where we hoped to make progress on the priorities of trade and tax and transparency set out by Prime Minister David Cameron. I also reiterated our commitment to the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the United States and the EU. This is the biggest opportunity in a generation to power new jobs and growth in Europe and America and to provide an immense boost to the world economy. The United Kingdom is fully behind it.

We’ve also discussed our work together to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan. We’ve identified new areas in which the State Department and the Foreign Office can work together on climate change issues. And the British Government greatly looks forward to welcoming President Obama to the G-8. We see this as an important opportunity to discuss many matters in world affairs, but it’s also an important opportunity to discuss with world leaders, including President Putin, the most urgent crisis anywhere in the world today, the terrible and deepening conflict in Syria.

Syria has been a focus, of course, of our talks today. We’re both deeply concerned by what is happening to innocent people there. The regime appears to be preparing new assaults, endangering the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of Syrians who are already in desperate need. And the scale of the regime’s repression and the human suffering that it has caused beggars belief. A campaign of murder and tyranny that they have waged for more than 800 days now is not only a moral outrage, it’s a grave threat to the wider region, it’s a danger to our own national security, and this includes the risks of growing radicalization, the involvement of Hezbollah and Iranian proxies, and credible reports of the use of chemical weapons.

So we agreed today that we cannot turn away from Syria and its people. The United Kingdom believes the situation demands a strong, coordinated, and determined approach by the UK, the U.S., and our allies in Europe and in the region.

I want to pay tribute to the governments and people of Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon for their extraordinary generosity in hosting the vast refugee population and the burden that they’re shouldering for the whole world because of their proximity to this appalling conflict. And we will all have to do more in the coming weeks to assist with the immense humanitarian effort that is necessary.

We agreed today, of course, that our priority remains to see a diplomatic process in Geneva that succeeds in reaching a negotiated end to the conflict. But we will have to be prepared to do more to save lives, to pressure the Assad regime to negotiate seriously, and to prevent the growth of extremism and terrorism if diplomatic efforts are going to succeed. So we have discussed that thoroughly, how to help the regime and opposition come to the negotiating table, as well as to protect civilian life.

And we should never forget that this conflict began when the Assad regime turned its tanks, helicopter gunships, and heavy weapons against peaceful protesters. We shouldn’t forget that 1.6 million people have become refugees and more than 4 million are internally displaced. These are innocent victims of war and repression, and they’ve been at the forefront of our minds in our discussions here in Washington today.

Thank you very much.

MS. PSAKI: The first question will be from Jill Dougherty of CNN.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Secretary Kerry – I have a question, actually, for both Secretary Kerry and Secretary Hague. After this catastrophic defeat for the opposition in Qusayr, do you still believe that they can win and do it without the weapons that they are asking for? That’s to both of you.

And then Secretary Kerry, these reports of NSA surveillance – are you hearing from allies concerned? Did you hear it from Secretary Hague today concerned about this? We’re hearing the Germans are disturbed. They’ll be talking with President Obama about it.

And then finally just a very quick one on the OIG. Are you concerned that these – that allegations of serious, perhaps even illegal behavior or conduct, are not being investigated because of any alleged undue influence by senior State Department officials?

Thank you very much.

SECRETARY KERRY: Okay. Let me take your three questions in order, beginning with the NSA leaks.

The answer is no, I think the Secretary and I both understand the very delicate but vital balance between privacy and the protection of people in our country. And the Secretary made a very fine statement on the floor of the parliament in which, at the beginning of the week, he made clear the British Government’s position with respect to this. And I’ll just say for us, as you’re hearing now more and more, the members of Congress understand that Congress passed on this, voted for it several times, and the judiciary branch of our country has reviewed this and been engaged in this. This is a three-branch of government effort to keep America safe, and in fact, it has not read emails or looked at or listened to conversations, the exception of where a court may have made some decision which was predicated on appropriate evidence.

The United States of America has been hugely protected over the course of these last years by the valiant efforts of our law enforcement community, our international law enforcement efforts, the FBI, our agencies, the Homeland Security, all of whom have coordinated in remarkable ways to prevent some very terrible events from taking place. And I think they have done so in a remarkable balance of the values of our nation with respect to privacy, freedom, and the Constitution. And I think over time, this will withstand scrutiny and people will understand that.

That said, on the OIG I’ll just say very quickly all employees of this Department are held to the highest standards of behavior, and now and always. And I welcome the OIG who was asked – I’m a former prosecutor. I can tell you as a former prosecutor I take very seriously a investigative process, and I am confident that the OIG’s process where he has invited outsiders to come and review whatever took place a year ago will be reviewed. And I welcome that, I think the Department welcomes that, because we do want the highest standards applied.

And finally with respect to Syria, your question on Syria is specifically about whether or not --

QUESTION: About specifically with, after Qusayr --

SECRETARY KERRY: Yeah, I got it, whether or not they’re going to be able to win and so forth. Yeah.

QUESTION: Whether you have confidence.

SECRETARY KERRY: Look, I think that nobody wins in Syria the way things are going; the people lose, and Syria as a country loses. And what we have been pushing for, all of us involved in this effort, is a political solution that ends the violence, saves Syria, stops the killing and destruction of an entire nation. And that’s what we’re pushing for. So it’s not a question to me whether or not the opposition can, quote, "win." It’s a question of whether or not we can get to this political solution.

And the political solution that the Russians have agreed to contemplates a transition government. The implementation of Geneva 1 is the goal of Geneva 2, and that is a transition government with full executive authority which gives the Syrian people as a whole, everybody in Syria, the chance to have a new beginning where they choose their future leadership. Now, that’s the goal. And we have said that we will do everything we can and we’re able to do to help the opposition be able to achieve that goal and to reach a point where that can be implemented. And that’s what we’re trying to do. And I think that there’s a unanimity about the importance of trying to find a way to peace, not a way to war. Now, the Assad regime is making that very difficult.

We will be – as everybody knows and has written about, we’re meeting to talk about the various balances in this issue right now. And I have nothing to announce about that at this point, but clearly, the choice of weapons that he has engaged in across the board challenge anybody’s values and standards of human behavior. And we’re going to have to make judgments for ourselves about how we can help the opposition to be able to deal with that.

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: On that, I want to support what Secretary Kerry has said. He’s spoken quite rightly, as I often have, of there only being a political solution in the end in Syria. Whatever happens, however long it goes on for, in the end there has to be a political solution. There isn’t a solution for either side of only military conquest. The Syria that would be left at the end of that is not a Syria that would be able to function at all. And so there has to be a political solution. That is why I particularly pay tribute to Secretary Kerry’s efforts to create a new process in Geneva, building on what we agreed last year at Geneva, a transitional government with full executive powers, formed by mutual consent.

But what the regime is doing at the moment, and what you’ve seen over the last couple of weeks in the military action, supported in this case by Hezbollah, is making a political solution more difficult. It may be designed to make a political solution more difficult. And so our efforts in Syria have been to try to save lives, to prevent radicalization, to send a message to the regime that in the end there does have to be a political solution. That’s why the United Kingdom has sent practical support to the opposition, to the national coalition, why we send so much humanitarian support. This is what our diplomatic effort is working towards. And so I think Secretary Kerry are in complete agreement about this. I also don’t have any new announcement that we’re making today about this. But we are determined that we will address this issue together and do our utmost to create the conditions for a political solution in Syria.

On the NSA and intelligence matters, that’s not been the focus of our discussions today. We’ve noted recent controversies, and the Secretary was very kind about my speech in the House of Commons on Monday. The intelligence sharing relationship between the UK and the U.S. is unique in the world. It is the strongest in the world. And it contributes massively to the national security of both countries. I think that’s something that the citizens of our countries should have confidence in, and in particular have confidence in that that relationship is based on a framework of law in both countries, law that is vigorously upheld. And so I repeat what I said in the House of Commons on Monday about the importance of that. And it’s a relationship we must never endanger, because it has saved many lives over recent decades in countering terrorism and in contributing to the security of all our citizens.

MODERATOR: The second question is Tom Whipple, The Times.

QUESTION: Thank you. I’ve got one question for both of you on Syria, if you don’t mind. But first of all, Foreign Secretary, to pick you up on the NSA story, I mean, you have made it clear in Parliament you don’t think British intelligence is breaking the law using information gathered by whatever means by U.S. intelligence. I’m not sure you that you’ve addressed what safeguards there are protecting British people from U.S. intelligence using these kinds of wholesale trawling of phone records and online activity we’ve been hearing about directly on innocent people in the UK.

And on Syria, we have heard what you’ve been saying about Syria for 800 days now. Have you discussed what military help you can give Syria’s rebels? And have you agreed on anything?

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Well, on the first point, the UK and the U.S. are very close partners on cyber security, on intelligence sharing. There couldn’t be two more trusted partners in the world than the United Kingdom and the United States. And I think that should give some level of assurance to the citizens of our countries. I pointed out in the House of Commons on Monday the legal protections that are there. And of course, I’ve made very clear that any information received by the United Kingdom is subject to all the laws of the United Kingdom. And so that remains the answer. That is the situation.

But no two countries in the world work more closely to protect the privacy of their citizens than the United Kingdom and the United States. There may be threats from elsewhere, of course, and there are, from criminal networks, sometimes from other states. It’s the UK and the U.S. that work together in trying to deal with that. So it’s not the United States we should be looking at when we’re worried about those things.

On the question about Syria, we’ve discussed many things about Syria, but I think we’ve dealt with this point earlier where we are restating today our determination that the UK, the U.S., our other allies in Europe and across the region, will work closely on this. Secretary Kerry has done a great deal in recent weeks to pull together a group of foreign ministers. We’ve met several times, including in Istanbul and in Amman recently, to coordinate our actions and our diplomacy and our support for the national coalition. We will continue to do that, and we may well have to intensify that in various ways over the coming weeks and months in order to make it more likely that we can achieve a political solution in Syria. So we’ve discussed all the ramifications of that today, but I can’t go into any more detail than that at the moment.

SECRETARY KERRY: Which part of it do you want me to answer?

QUESTION: Sorry. About Syria. We’ve heard you say similar things for 800 days about Syria.

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, not me. I haven’t been in office for 800 days.

QUESTION: Officials like yourself, sir. Can you say – can you give us a sense, any sense at all, what you’ve been talking about in terms of the kind of help you may be offering the Syrian rebels, and why you aren’t able to say anything more than you’re saying at the moment, which you’re staying pretty tight-lipped about what you’ve been discussing in terms of this help you can give the rebels? At some point, it’s going to be too late for that, isn’t it? Do you think we’ve reached that point?

SECRETARY KERRY: I’m not going to make judgments about the points, where we are or aren’t. I’ll just say to you that as I said to you, we are determined to do everything that we can in order to help the opposition to be able to reach – to save Syria. And that stands. That’s exactly what we’re going to do. I have nothing new to announce today. When and if I do, you’ll hear about it. But at this moment, we are in consideration, as everybody knows – it’s been written about this week. People are talking about what further options might be exercised here. And we certainly had some discussion about that, obviously. But we don’t have anything to announce at this moment.

Thank you, all. Appreciate it.

FOREIGN SECRETARY HAGUE: Thank you very much.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thanks very much.