FROM: EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
U.S. Exports Reach $187.1 Billion in May
Exports Up 41% Since 2009
Washington, D.C. – The United States exported $187.1 billion in goods and services in May 2013, according to data released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the U.S. Commerce Department.
Exports of goods and services over the last twelve months totaled $2.2 trillion, which is 41.2 percent above the level of exports in 2009. Exports have been growing at an annualized rate of 10.6 percent during the same period when compared to 2009.
“These numbers reflect the continued competitiveness of American exporters in the global marketplace,” said Export-Import Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “It is clear that foreign countries continue to ‘buy American’ because of the superior quality of our products and services and the unrivaled innovation of our workforce. Ex-Im Bank remains committed to supporting U.S. jobs by promoting U.S. exports.”
Over the last twelve months, among the major export markets (i.e., markets with at least $6 billion in annual imports of U.S. goods), the countries with the largest annualized increase in U.S. goods purchases, when compared to 2009, were Panama (29.4 percent), United Arab Emirates (24.1 percent), Russia (23.4 percent), Peru (22.2 percent), Chile (21.5 percent), Colombia (19.7 percent), Venezuela (19.4 percent), South Africa (19.1 percent), Hong Kong (18.9 percent), and Argentina (18.8 percent).
Saturday, July 6, 2013
REMARKS BY FIRST LADY OBMAMA AND FIRST LADY BUSH AT AFRICAN FIRST LADIES SUMMIT
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
Remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama and First Lady Laura Bush in a Conversation at the African First Ladies Summit
Serena Hotel
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
9:56 A.M. SAT
MS. ROBERTS: What a great occasion, and what a tremendous honor for me to be here. Thank you so very, very much for inviting me to come to Tanzania. And thank you, Mrs. Kikwete, for hosting this. This is very -- it's important to do.
President Obama said in South Africa on Sunday, quoting the best possible source -- his mother -- (laughter) -- he said that you can measure how well a country does by how it treats its women. And, of course, President Obama's mother said that long before we had the data -- and we now have tons and tons of data to show that the single two biggest factors in development are the education of girls and the economic empowerment of women.
And for all the reasons that you've just delineated, Mrs. Bush -- the importance of the education of girls and the empowerment of women. So my hat's off to all of you, and especially the first ladies of Africa -- who are wearing wonderful hats, by the way -- because you work on these issues every day in your countries, pushing and prodding the powers that be -- and yes, your husbands -- to do the right things; to help your countries by helping the women and girls in your countries. So congratulations to you.
And this is a session where we are going to have some congratulations and also some learning. And in that spirit, I was going to start by saying, why can't the guys get together like this, but now they are getting together. (Laughter.) They're getting together this morning; I think they've probably taken their example from you.
MRS. OBAMA: They're learning from us as women. (Laughter.)
MS. ROBERTS: Exactly. But you know, this question of "First Lady" has always been somewhat fraught. You quoted Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Bush, but it really -- particularly, I know in the United States, Americans have always been a little bit wary about first ladies -- they're not elected, and they can't be fired -- (laughter) -- and they have a whole lot of power. But it can also be a little confining, I think is a fair way to put it.
Martha Washington, our first First Lady, wrote in the first year that she was First Lady, she wrote to her niece that she felt like a "Chief State Prisoner." (Laughter.) But she was able to do good -- she lobbied for all of those veterans that she had been to camp with through the Revolutionary War. And people don’t realize that first ladies have been doing that kind of thing from Martha Washington --
MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely.
MS. ROBERTS: And, Mrs. Obama, you talked about -- you've talked about, wherever you go, there's a light that shines, and that you're able to shine that light on something that needs attention that wouldn’t otherwise get it. Talk about that a little bit.
MRS. OBAMA: That’s absolutely true. I always joke that we have probably the best jobs in the world because, unlike our husbands who have to react and respond to crisis on a minute-by-minute basis -- they come into office with a wonderful, profound agenda, and then they're faced with the reality. (Laughter.)
On the other hand, we get to work on what we're passionate about. And I think that that’s something that I would encourage all first ladies to never lose sight of. You have an opportunity to speak to your passions and to really design and be very strategic about the issues you care most about. And I just found it just a very freeing and liberating opportunity.
MS. ROBERTS: No state prisoner? (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: No, there are prison elements to it. (Laughter.) But it's a really nice prison, so --
MRS. BUSH: But with a chef. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: You can't complain. But there is definitely elements that are confining.
MS. ROBERTS: And she said that before tweeting and cell phones.
MRS. OBAMA: That’s right, 24-hour media.
MS. ROBERTS: And she could cover her hair with that cap. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Right. But being able to pursue our passions and do things that not only help our country and connect us with the rest of the world, it's a great privilege. So while people are sort of sorting through our shoes and our hair -- (laughter) -- whether we cut it or not --
MRS. BUSH: Whether we have bangs.
MRS. OBAMA: Whether we have bangs. (Laughter.) Who would have thought? I didn’t call that one. (Laughter.)
MRS. BUSH: I said that just because our daughter, Barbara, cut bangs at the same time Michelle did. They commiserated --
MRS. OBAMA: I was doing what Barbara was doing. (Laughter.) I was just following her lead. But we take our bangs and we stand in front of important things that the world needs to see. And eventually, people stop looking at the bangs and they start looking at what we're standing in front of.
MRS. BUSH: We hope.
MRS. OBAMA: They do, and that’s the power of our roles.
MS. ROBERTS: Mrs. Bush, you quoted, again, Lady Bird Johnson, talking about, I have a podium and I'm going to use it. But it's a unique role, and there must be a learning curve. And I remember as you were leaving the White House, you said that at first you were "dense" -- (laughter) -- about how hard it was; how the role is really not something that you understood the power of.
MRS. BUSH: Well, and I should have understood it, because I had a mother-in-law who was a First Lady. I had watched her, of course, the whole time she served in public office with her husband, my father-in-law, President Bush. And so, I really had an advantage that -- the only other First Lady that’s had this advantage was Louisa Adams, whose mother-in-law had been first lady as well.
So I really did come to the White House knowing a lot about the White House and knowing where things were, and we even knew the staff -- the butlers and the ushers -- because we had stayed there so often with President Bush and Barbara. But what I didn’t really understand was how people would listen to the First Lady.
And right after attacks of September 11th when -- I gave the presidential radio address to talk about women in Afghanistan. And right after that, I was in a department store with my daughter, Jenna -- she was a freshman in college and I was in Austin seeing her -- and we want to a department store. And the women who sold cosmetics at the department store said, thank you so much, Ms. Bush, thank you for speaking for the women in Afghanistan. And that was the first time it really occurred to me that people really did hear me, and that I really did have that podium that Lady Bird Johnson knew about and had told us about.
And so, I want to encourage every first lady to speak out and speak up and let people know, because people are watching and they are listening. And you can be so constructive for your country if you speak up about issues that you think are important.
MS. ROBERTS: Did you have an experience like that?
MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely, but I just want to take a moment to commend Mrs. Bush, because she and her staff helped my team with that transition. And that’s a powerful lesson for other leaders, is that there's a lot of give and take when you're campaigning, but when the dust settles, we are all in this together. And Laura has been just so helpful. Her Chief of Staff, Anita McBride, and many of the team members left notes for my staff. My chief of staff calls Anita on a regular basis -- (laughter) -- I think it's daily or weekly or something like that.
But having your predecessors be people who are willing to extend themselves on behalf of the country, to help with that transition makes the world of difference. But nothing prepares you. (Laughter.) Nothing prepares you for this role. I mean, it is so startling that the transition of power in the United States happens so quickly that you don’t have access to the house until the President takes the oath of office.
So, literally --
MRS. BUSH: During the inaugural parade -- one family moves out and the next family moves in. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Literally. And I remember walking into that house and I didn’t even know where the bathrooms were. (Laughter.) But I had to get ready for a ball. (Laughter.) It was like, and I've got to look nice? It's like, what door is this, and you're opening up all these doors, and you can't find your toothpaste, you don’t know where your kids are. (Laughter.) So that’s day one.
MRS. BUSH: Exactly.
MS. ROBERTS: That’s a daunting experience. One of the things -- we did ask the first ladies of Africa if they wanted to submit some questions, and one of the things that was true throughout the questions was the sense of continuity; that -- was there a way to keep your efforts going after the spotlight does go away. Now, Mrs. Bush, is this one of your ways of doing that?
MRS. BUSH: Yes, this is. But for George and me, through the Bush Institute, we're able to focus on four areas that were so important to us when George was President.
When you are President, every issue comes to the desk of the President of the United States. First ladies have it a little bit easier because we can choose specific issues to focus on, but now that we're home, through the Bush Institute -- the policy institute that’s part of our Bush Presidential Center at SMU -- we are able to continue to work on issues that were important to us.
MS. ROBERTS: And you said, Mrs. Obama, that you want your issues to have a lasting effect, so how do you do that?
MRS. OBAMA: Four to eight years is really a blink of an eye. And you often find that you're just starting to get your teeth into your issues, and then it's time to go. But none of the issues --
MS. ROBERTS: -- your children.
MRS. OBAMA: That’s true, that’s true. (Laughter.) That’s absolutely true. But none of the work that we do and any of us does will be concluded at the end of a term. I tell the young people that I work with around health, the military families that I support, that for me, these issues are -- I say a forever proposition.
This isn't work that I'm just doing
(Audio drops out.)
MRS. OBAMA: -- that I find in this position that there are girls around the world who are looking to us and how we behave and how we carry on our issues. And they're going to be watching us for decades to come.
MS. ROBERTS: There's that prisoner thing again.
MRS. OBAMA: There it is. (Laughter.) Keeps coming --
MRS. BUSH: But there are things that you could establish, like the National Book Festival that I started. I'm the librarian, and so it was a very obvious sort of thing for me to start. I started a Texas book festival in Dallas -- I mean, in Austin, when George was governor, and then started one that the Library of Congress now runs. And so it continues to go on.
But Michelle's right -- we'll never finish with education. We'll never get to rub our hands together and say, oh, we took care of that. There will be another little class of kindergartners. And it's something we'll always work on.
MS. ROBERTS: Well, again, it's like child-raising. Yes, it's like child-raising.
MRS. BUSH: Exactly -- it's never over.
MS. ROBERTS: But, Mrs. Bush, you all talked about the -- agenda and it gets disrupted, but your agenda got disrupted too. And you were on Capitol Hill about to testify before Ted Kennedy's committee about education when September 11th --
MRS. BUSH: That’s right. I mean, of course, things happen that you don’t expect, like what happened to us in the United States on September 11th. And the National Book Festival that I founded, it -- just then the weekend before -- the Saturday before that, September 8th. And then I was scheduled -- in fact, I went onto Capitol Hill on the morning of September 11th because I was going to brief the Senate Education Committee on a summit that I had hosted that summer on early childhood education, and got to the Capitol and joined Senator Kennedy in his office then as we watched on television and started to see the towers fall. And we knew -- he knew and I knew -- that everything had changed for us and for our country, really.
And that’s what happens to presidents also; those kinds of issues come up that you don’t expect, and it changes your whole focus. In fact, in our new presidential museum, the very first part of it is everything that we thought we would be working on -- tax cuts, the book festival, the faith-based and community service projects, tee ball on the South Lawn of the White House -- (laughter) -- our first state dinner, which was with Mexico -- which is where we really expected to spend a lot of our time in the Americas because we were from a border state -- and then September 11th --
MS. ROBERTS: And that’s how you got involved with the women of Afghanistan.
MRS. BUSH: That’s right.
MS. ROBERTS: One of the questions that has come in from the South African -- or from the African first ladies refers to both of you as the mothers of girls -- and you are now the grandmother of a girl.
MRS. BUSH: That’s right, the grandmother of another girl -- baby Margaret Laura. (Applause.)
MS. ROBERTS: And the question of the education of girls -- and you, of course, know how important it is in your own lives, but as I alluded to earlier, one of the things we now have just so much data on is that if you educate a girl, you can save a country. And the first ladies here are saying, what can you do to work with them globally for the education of girls?
MRS. BUSH: Well, we both obviously spend a lot of time on education, especially the education of girls. But the fact is, in the United States, now more girls are graduating from high school than boys. And more girls are in college and more girls are in masters programs -- women are -- than boys. And that --
(Audio interruption.)
MRS. OBAMA: -- Mandela's most important quote of the millions of things he has said is that education is probably the most powerful weapon for change. But a lot of our kids don’t understand that. In the United States, many of them take it for granted. Many of them have a mindset that they can't do it because they've been grown up to be taught that they can't.
So there's a large part of my initiative that’s really trying to get into the heads of these young people and use my story as an example of what -- the power of education. And I tell kids all across the country, I want them to look at me not as the First Lady, but as one of them.
I was a girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, my parents didn’t have much money, but they invested in my education. And they invested in my education as equally as they did my brother; there was no different bar. And as a result of that training and preparation, I have had opportunities and I am sitting here now as First Lady of the United States of America because of education. (Applause.)
MS. ROBERTS: It was -- one of the things that the PEPFAR program is doing is not just reaching -- not just treating people -- which is, of course, wonderful -- but getting to the orphans and vulnerable children. I was in -- Ethiopia with Save The Children where this 13-year-old girl that had been through our program stood up and started talking about what was needed in the community, and then the local minister from that region told her she was crazy and she just stood right back up and just went -- and I -- you go, girl. And that really does make a difference in the future.
MRS. BUSH: Well, it is important to reach parents as well. So the parents know that they need to make sure their children are educated -- in whatever way they can.
We know from research that mothers who can bring in a little bit of money, they're more likely to spend their money on their fees for their children's education and on their uniforms and others things they need to go to school. So all of it really works together -- the economic empowerment as well as just the understanding of how important education is.
MRS. OBAMA: And I just want to take a moment to recognize Mama Kikwete's work educating female orphans here, the school she has started. (Applause.) I got an opportunity to sit with some of the children and watch a cultural program. But there are so many young girls that don’t have families, they don’t have role models. And as Mama Kikwete understands, they need a safe place to land, a place where they can get food and shelter and love and direction.
So I applaud Mama Kikwete and all the first ladies who are providing that kind of safe harbor for our young girls. So, congratulations. (Applause.)
MS. ROBERTS: Well, you talk about the role models, and you talked about yourselves as role models, but, Mrs. Bush, you said at one point, I think that our first ladies are a lot more complicated than they get treated in the media. I suspect every first lady here would agree with that. Why do you think that is? Why do you think that it's always those sort of --
MRS. BUSH: Well, I think -- in the United States, it has a lot to do with the way you look. That’s a lot of the discussion about women. That’s a problem everywhere in the United States -- for girls as well. The way you look -- girls worry about all sorts of problems that they shouldn’t have to worry about. They should be worried about what they're doing and how they're being educated instead of whether they look pretty or they look sexy. (Applause.)
But that’s the way we treat women, sadly. And it's obviously when you read in the press -- I mean, it's like talking about the bangs, or somebody writing about them, really -- worse -- the press writing about them.
MS. ROBERTS: Do you think you get put in a box?
MRS. BUSH: Yes, a little bit.
MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely. I constantly get asked, especially in the first term, are you more like Laura Bush, or are you more like Hillary Clinton? And I'm like, is that it? That’s all I -- (laughter) --
MRS. BUSH: Exactly the problem -- everyone said -- reporters -- are you Hillary Clinton or Barbara Bush? And I always just said, well, I think I'll be Laura Bush; I do Laura Bush pretty well, having grown up as her. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: But this is also why it's important for us to make sure that more women use their voices and their power. Because we know, as women, that we're not that complicated, but we are complex. We are deep, diverse, enlightened people in the universe. And the world will be better off when our voices are at the table.
We just bring a different perspective. We are mothers. We are nurturers. We have to juggle a lot. I love my husband, but sometimes when he has, like, five things to do at one time, it's funny to watch it. (Laughter.) You don’t know where you jacket is right now -- (laughter) -- can't find that shoe, Mr. President. (Laughter.) It's a little --
MRS. BUSH: I always think -- but they're good at focus.
MRS. OBAMA: Very focused. Focus. (Laughter.) But I think that that’s the -- and we as women cannot underestimate the value of what we bring, and I think that’s what young girls are taught -- that their voices aren't important; be small, be quiet.
MRS. BUSH: The way we look is more important --
MRS. OBAMA: The way they look is more important --
MRS. BUSH: -- than what they learn and say.
MRS. OBAMA: And we are missing 50 percent of the intellect that could go -- and needs to go to -- that’s true. But I want to keep it fair. I don’t want the men to feel too --
MS. ROBERTS: Left out.
MRS. OBAMA: -- lesser.
MS. ROBERTS: You know, you talked -- just briefly mentioned the campaign trail. And of course, both of you spent a great deal of time on the campaign trail, and wives -- and it has been wives so far -- are sort of in the role of validators, character witnesses for their husbands on the trail. But then you get to the White House and you have another role, which seemed to me to be incredibly difficult, which is that sometimes you have to be the only truth teller.
Now, this is true of all spouses to some degree, but when I have to tell my husband the truth, there's not his political future or the peace of the world riding on it.
MRS. OBAMA: It's just "that tie looks bad." (Laughter.)
MS. ROBERTS: So how do you deal with sometimes being the only person who can tell your husband the truth?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I have that famous story -- I think I told it to the first ladies last year in New York -- about how Barbara Bush, my mother-in-law, said, don’t criticize George's speeches -- (laughter) -- because she criticized her George's speech and he came home for weeks afterwards with letters saying it was the best speech he'd ever given. (Laughter.)
So I took her advice -- this was years ago when George was running for Congress -- and we were driving into our driveway after a campaign event in another town. We were just driving up, and he said, how was my speech? And I said, well, it wasn't really very good, and he drove into the garage wall. (Laughter and applause.)
But I think you have to be really careful, actually -- (laughter) -- with -- tells him the truth. Actually, the President --
Remarks by First Lady Michelle Obama and First Lady Laura Bush in a Conversation at the African First Ladies Summit
Serena Hotel
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
9:56 A.M. SAT
MS. ROBERTS: What a great occasion, and what a tremendous honor for me to be here. Thank you so very, very much for inviting me to come to Tanzania. And thank you, Mrs. Kikwete, for hosting this. This is very -- it's important to do.
President Obama said in South Africa on Sunday, quoting the best possible source -- his mother -- (laughter) -- he said that you can measure how well a country does by how it treats its women. And, of course, President Obama's mother said that long before we had the data -- and we now have tons and tons of data to show that the single two biggest factors in development are the education of girls and the economic empowerment of women.
And for all the reasons that you've just delineated, Mrs. Bush -- the importance of the education of girls and the empowerment of women. So my hat's off to all of you, and especially the first ladies of Africa -- who are wearing wonderful hats, by the way -- because you work on these issues every day in your countries, pushing and prodding the powers that be -- and yes, your husbands -- to do the right things; to help your countries by helping the women and girls in your countries. So congratulations to you.
And this is a session where we are going to have some congratulations and also some learning. And in that spirit, I was going to start by saying, why can't the guys get together like this, but now they are getting together. (Laughter.) They're getting together this morning; I think they've probably taken their example from you.
MRS. OBAMA: They're learning from us as women. (Laughter.)
MS. ROBERTS: Exactly. But you know, this question of "First Lady" has always been somewhat fraught. You quoted Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Bush, but it really -- particularly, I know in the United States, Americans have always been a little bit wary about first ladies -- they're not elected, and they can't be fired -- (laughter) -- and they have a whole lot of power. But it can also be a little confining, I think is a fair way to put it.
Martha Washington, our first First Lady, wrote in the first year that she was First Lady, she wrote to her niece that she felt like a "Chief State Prisoner." (Laughter.) But she was able to do good -- she lobbied for all of those veterans that she had been to camp with through the Revolutionary War. And people don’t realize that first ladies have been doing that kind of thing from Martha Washington --
MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely.
MS. ROBERTS: And, Mrs. Obama, you talked about -- you've talked about, wherever you go, there's a light that shines, and that you're able to shine that light on something that needs attention that wouldn’t otherwise get it. Talk about that a little bit.
MRS. OBAMA: That’s absolutely true. I always joke that we have probably the best jobs in the world because, unlike our husbands who have to react and respond to crisis on a minute-by-minute basis -- they come into office with a wonderful, profound agenda, and then they're faced with the reality. (Laughter.)
On the other hand, we get to work on what we're passionate about. And I think that that’s something that I would encourage all first ladies to never lose sight of. You have an opportunity to speak to your passions and to really design and be very strategic about the issues you care most about. And I just found it just a very freeing and liberating opportunity.
MS. ROBERTS: No state prisoner? (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: No, there are prison elements to it. (Laughter.) But it's a really nice prison, so --
MRS. BUSH: But with a chef. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: You can't complain. But there is definitely elements that are confining.
MS. ROBERTS: And she said that before tweeting and cell phones.
MRS. OBAMA: That’s right, 24-hour media.
MS. ROBERTS: And she could cover her hair with that cap. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Right. But being able to pursue our passions and do things that not only help our country and connect us with the rest of the world, it's a great privilege. So while people are sort of sorting through our shoes and our hair -- (laughter) -- whether we cut it or not --
MRS. BUSH: Whether we have bangs.
MRS. OBAMA: Whether we have bangs. (Laughter.) Who would have thought? I didn’t call that one. (Laughter.)
MRS. BUSH: I said that just because our daughter, Barbara, cut bangs at the same time Michelle did. They commiserated --
MRS. OBAMA: I was doing what Barbara was doing. (Laughter.) I was just following her lead. But we take our bangs and we stand in front of important things that the world needs to see. And eventually, people stop looking at the bangs and they start looking at what we're standing in front of.
MRS. BUSH: We hope.
MRS. OBAMA: They do, and that’s the power of our roles.
MS. ROBERTS: Mrs. Bush, you quoted, again, Lady Bird Johnson, talking about, I have a podium and I'm going to use it. But it's a unique role, and there must be a learning curve. And I remember as you were leaving the White House, you said that at first you were "dense" -- (laughter) -- about how hard it was; how the role is really not something that you understood the power of.
MRS. BUSH: Well, and I should have understood it, because I had a mother-in-law who was a First Lady. I had watched her, of course, the whole time she served in public office with her husband, my father-in-law, President Bush. And so, I really had an advantage that -- the only other First Lady that’s had this advantage was Louisa Adams, whose mother-in-law had been first lady as well.
So I really did come to the White House knowing a lot about the White House and knowing where things were, and we even knew the staff -- the butlers and the ushers -- because we had stayed there so often with President Bush and Barbara. But what I didn’t really understand was how people would listen to the First Lady.
And right after attacks of September 11th when -- I gave the presidential radio address to talk about women in Afghanistan. And right after that, I was in a department store with my daughter, Jenna -- she was a freshman in college and I was in Austin seeing her -- and we want to a department store. And the women who sold cosmetics at the department store said, thank you so much, Ms. Bush, thank you for speaking for the women in Afghanistan. And that was the first time it really occurred to me that people really did hear me, and that I really did have that podium that Lady Bird Johnson knew about and had told us about.
And so, I want to encourage every first lady to speak out and speak up and let people know, because people are watching and they are listening. And you can be so constructive for your country if you speak up about issues that you think are important.
MS. ROBERTS: Did you have an experience like that?
MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely, but I just want to take a moment to commend Mrs. Bush, because she and her staff helped my team with that transition. And that’s a powerful lesson for other leaders, is that there's a lot of give and take when you're campaigning, but when the dust settles, we are all in this together. And Laura has been just so helpful. Her Chief of Staff, Anita McBride, and many of the team members left notes for my staff. My chief of staff calls Anita on a regular basis -- (laughter) -- I think it's daily or weekly or something like that.
But having your predecessors be people who are willing to extend themselves on behalf of the country, to help with that transition makes the world of difference. But nothing prepares you. (Laughter.) Nothing prepares you for this role. I mean, it is so startling that the transition of power in the United States happens so quickly that you don’t have access to the house until the President takes the oath of office.
So, literally --
MRS. BUSH: During the inaugural parade -- one family moves out and the next family moves in. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: Literally. And I remember walking into that house and I didn’t even know where the bathrooms were. (Laughter.) But I had to get ready for a ball. (Laughter.) It was like, and I've got to look nice? It's like, what door is this, and you're opening up all these doors, and you can't find your toothpaste, you don’t know where your kids are. (Laughter.) So that’s day one.
MRS. BUSH: Exactly.
MS. ROBERTS: That’s a daunting experience. One of the things -- we did ask the first ladies of Africa if they wanted to submit some questions, and one of the things that was true throughout the questions was the sense of continuity; that -- was there a way to keep your efforts going after the spotlight does go away. Now, Mrs. Bush, is this one of your ways of doing that?
MRS. BUSH: Yes, this is. But for George and me, through the Bush Institute, we're able to focus on four areas that were so important to us when George was President.
When you are President, every issue comes to the desk of the President of the United States. First ladies have it a little bit easier because we can choose specific issues to focus on, but now that we're home, through the Bush Institute -- the policy institute that’s part of our Bush Presidential Center at SMU -- we are able to continue to work on issues that were important to us.
MS. ROBERTS: And you said, Mrs. Obama, that you want your issues to have a lasting effect, so how do you do that?
MRS. OBAMA: Four to eight years is really a blink of an eye. And you often find that you're just starting to get your teeth into your issues, and then it's time to go. But none of the issues --
MS. ROBERTS: -- your children.
MRS. OBAMA: That’s true, that’s true. (Laughter.) That’s absolutely true. But none of the work that we do and any of us does will be concluded at the end of a term. I tell the young people that I work with around health, the military families that I support, that for me, these issues are -- I say a forever proposition.
This isn't work that I'm just doing
(Audio drops out.)
MRS. OBAMA: -- that I find in this position that there are girls around the world who are looking to us and how we behave and how we carry on our issues. And they're going to be watching us for decades to come.
MS. ROBERTS: There's that prisoner thing again.
MRS. OBAMA: There it is. (Laughter.) Keeps coming --
MRS. BUSH: But there are things that you could establish, like the National Book Festival that I started. I'm the librarian, and so it was a very obvious sort of thing for me to start. I started a Texas book festival in Dallas -- I mean, in Austin, when George was governor, and then started one that the Library of Congress now runs. And so it continues to go on.
But Michelle's right -- we'll never finish with education. We'll never get to rub our hands together and say, oh, we took care of that. There will be another little class of kindergartners. And it's something we'll always work on.
MS. ROBERTS: Well, again, it's like child-raising. Yes, it's like child-raising.
MRS. BUSH: Exactly -- it's never over.
MS. ROBERTS: But, Mrs. Bush, you all talked about the -- agenda and it gets disrupted, but your agenda got disrupted too. And you were on Capitol Hill about to testify before Ted Kennedy's committee about education when September 11th --
MRS. BUSH: That’s right. I mean, of course, things happen that you don’t expect, like what happened to us in the United States on September 11th. And the National Book Festival that I founded, it -- just then the weekend before -- the Saturday before that, September 8th. And then I was scheduled -- in fact, I went onto Capitol Hill on the morning of September 11th because I was going to brief the Senate Education Committee on a summit that I had hosted that summer on early childhood education, and got to the Capitol and joined Senator Kennedy in his office then as we watched on television and started to see the towers fall. And we knew -- he knew and I knew -- that everything had changed for us and for our country, really.
And that’s what happens to presidents also; those kinds of issues come up that you don’t expect, and it changes your whole focus. In fact, in our new presidential museum, the very first part of it is everything that we thought we would be working on -- tax cuts, the book festival, the faith-based and community service projects, tee ball on the South Lawn of the White House -- (laughter) -- our first state dinner, which was with Mexico -- which is where we really expected to spend a lot of our time in the Americas because we were from a border state -- and then September 11th --
MS. ROBERTS: And that’s how you got involved with the women of Afghanistan.
MRS. BUSH: That’s right.
MS. ROBERTS: One of the questions that has come in from the South African -- or from the African first ladies refers to both of you as the mothers of girls -- and you are now the grandmother of a girl.
MRS. BUSH: That’s right, the grandmother of another girl -- baby Margaret Laura. (Applause.)
MS. ROBERTS: And the question of the education of girls -- and you, of course, know how important it is in your own lives, but as I alluded to earlier, one of the things we now have just so much data on is that if you educate a girl, you can save a country. And the first ladies here are saying, what can you do to work with them globally for the education of girls?
MRS. BUSH: Well, we both obviously spend a lot of time on education, especially the education of girls. But the fact is, in the United States, now more girls are graduating from high school than boys. And more girls are in college and more girls are in masters programs -- women are -- than boys. And that --
(Audio interruption.)
MRS. OBAMA: -- Mandela's most important quote of the millions of things he has said is that education is probably the most powerful weapon for change. But a lot of our kids don’t understand that. In the United States, many of them take it for granted. Many of them have a mindset that they can't do it because they've been grown up to be taught that they can't.
So there's a large part of my initiative that’s really trying to get into the heads of these young people and use my story as an example of what -- the power of education. And I tell kids all across the country, I want them to look at me not as the First Lady, but as one of them.
I was a girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago, my parents didn’t have much money, but they invested in my education. And they invested in my education as equally as they did my brother; there was no different bar. And as a result of that training and preparation, I have had opportunities and I am sitting here now as First Lady of the United States of America because of education. (Applause.)
MS. ROBERTS: It was -- one of the things that the PEPFAR program is doing is not just reaching -- not just treating people -- which is, of course, wonderful -- but getting to the orphans and vulnerable children. I was in -- Ethiopia with Save The Children where this 13-year-old girl that had been through our program stood up and started talking about what was needed in the community, and then the local minister from that region told her she was crazy and she just stood right back up and just went -- and I -- you go, girl. And that really does make a difference in the future.
MRS. BUSH: Well, it is important to reach parents as well. So the parents know that they need to make sure their children are educated -- in whatever way they can.
We know from research that mothers who can bring in a little bit of money, they're more likely to spend their money on their fees for their children's education and on their uniforms and others things they need to go to school. So all of it really works together -- the economic empowerment as well as just the understanding of how important education is.
MRS. OBAMA: And I just want to take a moment to recognize Mama Kikwete's work educating female orphans here, the school she has started. (Applause.) I got an opportunity to sit with some of the children and watch a cultural program. But there are so many young girls that don’t have families, they don’t have role models. And as Mama Kikwete understands, they need a safe place to land, a place where they can get food and shelter and love and direction.
So I applaud Mama Kikwete and all the first ladies who are providing that kind of safe harbor for our young girls. So, congratulations. (Applause.)
MS. ROBERTS: Well, you talk about the role models, and you talked about yourselves as role models, but, Mrs. Bush, you said at one point, I think that our first ladies are a lot more complicated than they get treated in the media. I suspect every first lady here would agree with that. Why do you think that is? Why do you think that it's always those sort of --
MRS. BUSH: Well, I think -- in the United States, it has a lot to do with the way you look. That’s a lot of the discussion about women. That’s a problem everywhere in the United States -- for girls as well. The way you look -- girls worry about all sorts of problems that they shouldn’t have to worry about. They should be worried about what they're doing and how they're being educated instead of whether they look pretty or they look sexy. (Applause.)
But that’s the way we treat women, sadly. And it's obviously when you read in the press -- I mean, it's like talking about the bangs, or somebody writing about them, really -- worse -- the press writing about them.
MS. ROBERTS: Do you think you get put in a box?
MRS. BUSH: Yes, a little bit.
MRS. OBAMA: Absolutely. I constantly get asked, especially in the first term, are you more like Laura Bush, or are you more like Hillary Clinton? And I'm like, is that it? That’s all I -- (laughter) --
MRS. BUSH: Exactly the problem -- everyone said -- reporters -- are you Hillary Clinton or Barbara Bush? And I always just said, well, I think I'll be Laura Bush; I do Laura Bush pretty well, having grown up as her. (Laughter.)
MRS. OBAMA: But this is also why it's important for us to make sure that more women use their voices and their power. Because we know, as women, that we're not that complicated, but we are complex. We are deep, diverse, enlightened people in the universe. And the world will be better off when our voices are at the table.
We just bring a different perspective. We are mothers. We are nurturers. We have to juggle a lot. I love my husband, but sometimes when he has, like, five things to do at one time, it's funny to watch it. (Laughter.) You don’t know where you jacket is right now -- (laughter) -- can't find that shoe, Mr. President. (Laughter.) It's a little --
MRS. BUSH: I always think -- but they're good at focus.
MRS. OBAMA: Very focused. Focus. (Laughter.) But I think that that’s the -- and we as women cannot underestimate the value of what we bring, and I think that’s what young girls are taught -- that their voices aren't important; be small, be quiet.
MRS. BUSH: The way we look is more important --
MRS. OBAMA: The way they look is more important --
MRS. BUSH: -- than what they learn and say.
MRS. OBAMA: And we are missing 50 percent of the intellect that could go -- and needs to go to -- that’s true. But I want to keep it fair. I don’t want the men to feel too --
MS. ROBERTS: Left out.
MRS. OBAMA: -- lesser.
MS. ROBERTS: You know, you talked -- just briefly mentioned the campaign trail. And of course, both of you spent a great deal of time on the campaign trail, and wives -- and it has been wives so far -- are sort of in the role of validators, character witnesses for their husbands on the trail. But then you get to the White House and you have another role, which seemed to me to be incredibly difficult, which is that sometimes you have to be the only truth teller.
Now, this is true of all spouses to some degree, but when I have to tell my husband the truth, there's not his political future or the peace of the world riding on it.
MRS. OBAMA: It's just "that tie looks bad." (Laughter.)
MS. ROBERTS: So how do you deal with sometimes being the only person who can tell your husband the truth?
MRS. BUSH: Well, I have that famous story -- I think I told it to the first ladies last year in New York -- about how Barbara Bush, my mother-in-law, said, don’t criticize George's speeches -- (laughter) -- because she criticized her George's speech and he came home for weeks afterwards with letters saying it was the best speech he'd ever given. (Laughter.)
So I took her advice -- this was years ago when George was running for Congress -- and we were driving into our driveway after a campaign event in another town. We were just driving up, and he said, how was my speech? And I said, well, it wasn't really very good, and he drove into the garage wall. (Laughter and applause.)
But I think you have to be really careful, actually -- (laughter) -- with -- tells him the truth. Actually, the President --
Friday, July 5, 2013
DOD REPORTS RECRUITING IS STRONG
FROM: U.S DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Recruiting Remains Strong Through May
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2013 - All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal year 2013 through May, Defense Department officials announced today.
Here are the numbers for the active force for the first eight months of the fiscal year:
-- Army: 45,947 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 45,435;
-- Navy: 24,344 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 24,344;
-- Marine Corps: 17,214 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 17,174;
-- Air Force: 18,695 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 18,695.
The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps exhibited strong retention numbers for the eighth month of fiscal year 2013. The Navy exhibited strong retention numbers in the mid-career and career categories. However, the Navy's achievement of 90 percent in the initial category relates to reduced accessions from four to six years ago.
Five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their 2013 numerical accession goals through May. While the Army Reserve met its May goals, it remains 1,662 accessions short of its fiscal year goal.
Here are the reserve component numbers:
-- Army National Guard: 34,034 accessions, 102 percent of its goal of 33,266;
-- Army Reserve: 17,815 accessions, 91 percent of its goal of 19,477;
-- Navy Reserve: 3,594 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 3,594;
-- Marine Corps Reserve: 5,804 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 5,766;
-- Air National Guard: 6,732 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 6,732;
-- Air Force Reserve: 4,856 accessions, 109 percent of its goal of 4,439.
All reserve components have met their attrition goals, officials said, noting that the availability of this data lags accession statistics by a month.
DOD Recruiting Remains Strong Through May
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2013 - All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal year 2013 through May, Defense Department officials announced today.
Here are the numbers for the active force for the first eight months of the fiscal year:
-- Army: 45,947 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 45,435;
-- Navy: 24,344 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 24,344;
-- Marine Corps: 17,214 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 17,174;
-- Air Force: 18,695 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 18,695.
The Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps exhibited strong retention numbers for the eighth month of fiscal year 2013. The Navy exhibited strong retention numbers in the mid-career and career categories. However, the Navy's achievement of 90 percent in the initial category relates to reduced accessions from four to six years ago.
Five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their 2013 numerical accession goals through May. While the Army Reserve met its May goals, it remains 1,662 accessions short of its fiscal year goal.
Here are the reserve component numbers:
-- Army National Guard: 34,034 accessions, 102 percent of its goal of 33,266;
-- Army Reserve: 17,815 accessions, 91 percent of its goal of 19,477;
-- Navy Reserve: 3,594 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 3,594;
-- Marine Corps Reserve: 5,804 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 5,766;
-- Air National Guard: 6,732 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 6,732;
-- Air Force Reserve: 4,856 accessions, 109 percent of its goal of 4,439.
All reserve components have met their attrition goals, officials said, noting that the availability of this data lags accession statistics by a month.
AIR FORCE JAG CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
Air Force JAG turns 20
by Rebecca Burylo
Air University Public Affairs
7/2/2013 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- Celebrating 20 years of providing the Air Force with trained and qualified judge advocates, civilian attorneys and paralegals, the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School recently commemorated the historic occasion.
"The 20th anniversary of the JAG School building dedication is a momentous day in the JAG School's history," said Col. Kenneth Theurer, commandant of AFJAGS.
The school offers opportunities for attorneys and paralegals to enhance their legal education.
"The in-resident courses, distance education and publications provided by the JAG School give our students the legal training needed to properly advise commanders on many of the Air Force's day-to-day operations around the world," he said.
Events to celebrate the anniversary included a dinner inviting leaders, donors and military retirees who took part in the planning and development of AFJAGS. Army retired Brig. Gen. Malinda Dunn was the guest lecturer at the fourth annual Maj. Gen. David C. Morehouse distinguished lecture series June 20.
Twenty years ago in May, Morehouse, the 10th judge advocate general of the Air Force, held the official dedication ceremony for the William L. Dickenson Law Center housing AFJAGS. Thus began the school's legacy of education at Maxwell as the educational home of the Air Force JAG Corps.
The Morehouse lectures honors his memory.
Dunn served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps for 28 years and is currently the executive director of the American Inns of Court Foundation.
Speaking on the relationship among the rule of law, professionalism and leadership, Dunn provided insight, inspiration and personal experiences from her time deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her examples showcased the essential characteristics law has on economic growth, foreign investments, citizens' confidence in government and "for everything else to function in a governing country," said Dunn.
She told the attorneys present that as leaders and "torch-bearers of the rule of law," they are given the utmost responsibility to protect liberties essential to a free society.
"It is the highest honor to lead in any context. It's not about us, it's about the difference we can make," said Dunn. "As lawyers our ultimate responsibility is to protect the principles of the rule of law."
"It is our responsibility," she added, "To uphold the profession of law and to ensure by our actions that the public respects the rule of law. We owe it to the profession, we owe it to the country and if we don't do it, who will do it? If we aren't keepers of the torch, who is?"
Dunn served as the first female staff judge advocate of the 82nd Airborne Division, the first female chief of personnel for the Army JAG Corps, the first female staff judge advocate for the 18th Airborne Corps and the first woman to become an active-duty general officer in the Army JAG Corps.
Originally established in 1950 as the Judge Advocate General Division of the Air Command and Staff School, the program began as a small 12-week course teaching 70 judge advocates, three times a year. Five years later it was moved to the United States Air Force Chaplain's School where it taught introductory training in military law.
Later, the school was moved under Air University's Institute for Professional Development, where its legal curriculum broadened into several different courses offered for judge advocates and paralegals. It was not until 1993 that the AFJAGS began its permanent residence on Maxwell's Academic Circle.
The school transferred from Air Education and Training Command to the Air Force Legal Operations Agency in 2006 and continues to add new courses to its curriculum, which now encompasses paralegal, deployed fiscal law and contingency contracting, area defense counsel and distance learning courses.
Today, AFJAGS instructs more than 3,000 students during 30 resident courses taught each year. Faculty also provides instruction to students attending the Air University schools.
Air Force JAG turns 20
by Rebecca Burylo
Air University Public Affairs
7/2/2013 - MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFNS) -- Celebrating 20 years of providing the Air Force with trained and qualified judge advocates, civilian attorneys and paralegals, the Air Force Judge Advocate General's School recently commemorated the historic occasion.
"The 20th anniversary of the JAG School building dedication is a momentous day in the JAG School's history," said Col. Kenneth Theurer, commandant of AFJAGS.
The school offers opportunities for attorneys and paralegals to enhance their legal education.
"The in-resident courses, distance education and publications provided by the JAG School give our students the legal training needed to properly advise commanders on many of the Air Force's day-to-day operations around the world," he said.
Events to celebrate the anniversary included a dinner inviting leaders, donors and military retirees who took part in the planning and development of AFJAGS. Army retired Brig. Gen. Malinda Dunn was the guest lecturer at the fourth annual Maj. Gen. David C. Morehouse distinguished lecture series June 20.
Twenty years ago in May, Morehouse, the 10th judge advocate general of the Air Force, held the official dedication ceremony for the William L. Dickenson Law Center housing AFJAGS. Thus began the school's legacy of education at Maxwell as the educational home of the Air Force JAG Corps.
The Morehouse lectures honors his memory.
Dunn served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps for 28 years and is currently the executive director of the American Inns of Court Foundation.
Speaking on the relationship among the rule of law, professionalism and leadership, Dunn provided insight, inspiration and personal experiences from her time deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Her examples showcased the essential characteristics law has on economic growth, foreign investments, citizens' confidence in government and "for everything else to function in a governing country," said Dunn.
She told the attorneys present that as leaders and "torch-bearers of the rule of law," they are given the utmost responsibility to protect liberties essential to a free society.
"It is the highest honor to lead in any context. It's not about us, it's about the difference we can make," said Dunn. "As lawyers our ultimate responsibility is to protect the principles of the rule of law."
"It is our responsibility," she added, "To uphold the profession of law and to ensure by our actions that the public respects the rule of law. We owe it to the profession, we owe it to the country and if we don't do it, who will do it? If we aren't keepers of the torch, who is?"
Dunn served as the first female staff judge advocate of the 82nd Airborne Division, the first female chief of personnel for the Army JAG Corps, the first female staff judge advocate for the 18th Airborne Corps and the first woman to become an active-duty general officer in the Army JAG Corps.
Originally established in 1950 as the Judge Advocate General Division of the Air Command and Staff School, the program began as a small 12-week course teaching 70 judge advocates, three times a year. Five years later it was moved to the United States Air Force Chaplain's School where it taught introductory training in military law.
Later, the school was moved under Air University's Institute for Professional Development, where its legal curriculum broadened into several different courses offered for judge advocates and paralegals. It was not until 1993 that the AFJAGS began its permanent residence on Maxwell's Academic Circle.
The school transferred from Air Education and Training Command to the Air Force Legal Operations Agency in 2006 and continues to add new courses to its curriculum, which now encompasses paralegal, deployed fiscal law and contingency contracting, area defense counsel and distance learning courses.
Today, AFJAGS instructs more than 3,000 students during 30 resident courses taught each year. Faculty also provides instruction to students attending the Air University schools.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
NATO COMMANDER IN EUROPE SPEAKS ON IMPORTANCE OF SPECIAL OPERATORS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Breedlove: Special Operators Provide Decisive Capability
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 - Special operators, working together through the NATO Special Forces Headquarters, have provided the decisive edge during NATO missions in Europe, Afghanistan and Africa, and continue to improve their capabilities across the land, air and sea domains, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in Europe said today.
"These 'quiet professionals' provide unique current and emerging capabilities that enable our team to respond rapidly and precisely in ways no one else can," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, noted in a blog posting. "As our military teams across the alliance find more efficient and effective ways of providing the right forces at the right place and at the right time, we will increasingly look to our special operators to get the job done."
Breedlove praised the role of special operators after presiding today over the NATO Special Forces Headquarters' change of command ceremony. Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank J. Kisner passed command to Navy Vice Adm. Sean A. Pybus.
Breedlove recognized the operational support the headquarters has provided more than 2,200 allied and partner special operations service members serving in Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force mission. Meanwhile, the NATO Special Forces Headquarters has provided special operations expertise to Operation Unified Protector in Libya, Operation Ocean Shield off the Horn of Africa, Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea and other NATO missions, he said.
The general attributed much of the success of these missions -- and future ones -- to the NATO Special Operations Forces Training and Education Program. This initiative is "the centerpiece of building and sustaining allied and partner SOF capability," he said, with more than 3,500 special operations personnel from 34 nations graduating from the program's 26 courses that span the spectrum of special operations capabilities.
Breedlove singled out examples of these capabilities across the region. Members of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, based in Stuttgart, Germany, "are accomplishing great things every day on the ground, in the air and on the seas across the European theater and beyond," he said.
New aircraft arriving in the theater will bring additional capability, specifically in support of crises response, disaster preparedness and emergency airlift missions, he noted. The first of two CV-22 Osprey aircraft at the British Royal Air Force base at Mildenhall, United Kingdom, represent "a first for U.S. special operations aviation in Europe, providing transformational vertical-lift capability to our theater," he said.
Also arriving are the first of 12 MC-130J Commando II aircraft, "uniquely capable of low-visibility, low-level aerial refueling missions for special operations helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, as well as infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of ground and maritime special operations forces," the general said.
"These aircraft bring new capabilities to our theater that are welcome additions," Breedlove said. "These important upgrades will allow our special operators to fly further, faster, higher and longer than ever before, dramatically increasing our theater special operations capabilities and range of modern support to our European partners."
Meanwhile, Special Operations Command Europe continues to focus on expanding theater-wide SOF capabilities. Efforts to train, develop and enable European allies and partners "thickens our lines," Breedlove said.
In Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force's Combined Special Operations Task Force 10, led by the only U.S. special operations forces serving under NATO operational control, includes special operators from Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Breedlove recognized the contributions the element is making across nine Afghan provinces, with "profound effects on enabling the Afghans to assume full responsibility for their national security."
Navy Special Warfare Unit 2, Special Operations Command Europe's maritime element, also remains heavily engaged in Afghanistan, Breedlove noted. Teamed primarily with Romanian and Polish forces and Afghan law enforcement officials, they are "bringing some very bad people to justice," he said.
Meanwhile, the unit has built strong relationships with allies from Greece and Denmark and Norwegian navy special warfare teams to create "a theater maritime response capability second to none," Breedlove said.
Looking to the future, Breedlove said coalitions will remain the cornerstone of international military missions. Just as in current operations, he said special operators will be looked to "to get the job done."
"From what I have seen thus far, our quiet professionals in NATO and Eucom are exactly the right people to meet this challenge," he said. "They are a special breed, and I'm grateful for what they bring to our team."
Breedlove: Special Operators Provide Decisive Capability
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 - Special operators, working together through the NATO Special Forces Headquarters, have provided the decisive edge during NATO missions in Europe, Afghanistan and Africa, and continue to improve their capabilities across the land, air and sea domains, the senior U.S. and NATO commander in Europe said today.
"These 'quiet professionals' provide unique current and emerging capabilities that enable our team to respond rapidly and precisely in ways no one else can," Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, noted in a blog posting. "As our military teams across the alliance find more efficient and effective ways of providing the right forces at the right place and at the right time, we will increasingly look to our special operators to get the job done."
Breedlove praised the role of special operators after presiding today over the NATO Special Forces Headquarters' change of command ceremony. Air Force Lt. Gen. Frank J. Kisner passed command to Navy Vice Adm. Sean A. Pybus.
Breedlove recognized the operational support the headquarters has provided more than 2,200 allied and partner special operations service members serving in Afghanistan under the International Security Assistance Force mission. Meanwhile, the NATO Special Forces Headquarters has provided special operations expertise to Operation Unified Protector in Libya, Operation Ocean Shield off the Horn of Africa, Operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea and other NATO missions, he said.
The general attributed much of the success of these missions -- and future ones -- to the NATO Special Operations Forces Training and Education Program. This initiative is "the centerpiece of building and sustaining allied and partner SOF capability," he said, with more than 3,500 special operations personnel from 34 nations graduating from the program's 26 courses that span the spectrum of special operations capabilities.
Breedlove singled out examples of these capabilities across the region. Members of U.S. Special Operations Command Europe, based in Stuttgart, Germany, "are accomplishing great things every day on the ground, in the air and on the seas across the European theater and beyond," he said.
New aircraft arriving in the theater will bring additional capability, specifically in support of crises response, disaster preparedness and emergency airlift missions, he noted. The first of two CV-22 Osprey aircraft at the British Royal Air Force base at Mildenhall, United Kingdom, represent "a first for U.S. special operations aviation in Europe, providing transformational vertical-lift capability to our theater," he said.
Also arriving are the first of 12 MC-130J Commando II aircraft, "uniquely capable of low-visibility, low-level aerial refueling missions for special operations helicopters and tilt-rotor aircraft, as well as infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of ground and maritime special operations forces," the general said.
"These aircraft bring new capabilities to our theater that are welcome additions," Breedlove said. "These important upgrades will allow our special operators to fly further, faster, higher and longer than ever before, dramatically increasing our theater special operations capabilities and range of modern support to our European partners."
Meanwhile, Special Operations Command Europe continues to focus on expanding theater-wide SOF capabilities. Efforts to train, develop and enable European allies and partners "thickens our lines," Breedlove said.
In Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force's Combined Special Operations Task Force 10, led by the only U.S. special operations forces serving under NATO operational control, includes special operators from Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Breedlove recognized the contributions the element is making across nine Afghan provinces, with "profound effects on enabling the Afghans to assume full responsibility for their national security."
Navy Special Warfare Unit 2, Special Operations Command Europe's maritime element, also remains heavily engaged in Afghanistan, Breedlove noted. Teamed primarily with Romanian and Polish forces and Afghan law enforcement officials, they are "bringing some very bad people to justice," he said.
Meanwhile, the unit has built strong relationships with allies from Greece and Denmark and Norwegian navy special warfare teams to create "a theater maritime response capability second to none," Breedlove said.
Looking to the future, Breedlove said coalitions will remain the cornerstone of international military missions. Just as in current operations, he said special operators will be looked to "to get the job done."
"From what I have seen thus far, our quiet professionals in NATO and Eucom are exactly the right people to meet this challenge," he said. "They are a special breed, and I'm grateful for what they bring to our team."
OSPREY COMES TO ENGLAND
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Ospreys migrate to England6/26/2013 - An MC-130H Combat Talon II from the 7th Special Operations Squadron refuels a CV-22B Osprey off the coast of Greenland, June 21, 2013. The CV-22, assigned to the 7th SOS, is the first of 10 slated to arrive as part of the 352nd Special Operations Group expansion, which is slated to last through the end of 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Laura Yahemiak/Released)
RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS
FROM: U.S. NAVY
The guided-missile cruiser USS Monterey (CG 61) conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO 199). Monterey is deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Billy Ho (Released) 130630-N-QL471-325
The aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) is pierside in Mayport, Fla., before their 2013 Tiger Cruise. Dwight D. Eisenhower is returning to her homeport of Norfolk, Va., after operating in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Wesley J. Breedlove (Released) 130701-N-SR567-069
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL ISSUES MESSAGE REGARDING INDEPENDENCE DAY
 |
| Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel |
Hagel Issues Independence Day Message
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2013 - In his Independence Day message issued today, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel thanked U.S. troops and their families for their service to the nation.
Here is the text of the secretary's message:
On this Independence Day, I want to express my appreciation to the men and women and their families who serve our country across the nation and around the world. Thank you for everything you do to help keep our nation safe.
It's been 237 years since a small band of patriots signed the Declaration of Independence, in which they pledged their lives and their sacred honor to defend our unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Since then, generations of Americans have made that same pledge, boldly standing up in the face of tyranny, oppression, and persecution.
That legacy lives on today. This week marked the 40th anniversary of the all-volunteer force, a symbol of how our brave men and women in uniform continue to protect the freedoms declared by our founding fathers more than two centuries ago. Their devotion to duty is just as strong, as is their willingness to risk their lives for each other and our country. And their dedication is a reminder that the preservation of America's liberties does not come without cost.
Those who serve in our armed forces, and their families, have given much in the name of defending the ideals and free institutions we often take for granted. Today, as we celebrate our nation's birth, let us honor their dutiful service and strive to be worthy of their tremendous sacrifices.
God bless you, our great nation, and all who serve to protect it. Happy Fourth of July!
EPA ISSUES WARNING OF FIRE AND EXPLOSION RISKS WHEN USING REFRIGERANT SUBSTITUTES
FROM: ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Warns Against Use of Refrigerant Substitutes That Pose Fire and Explosion Risk
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning homeowners, propane manufacturers and sellers, home improvement contractors and air conditioning technicians of potential safety hazards related to the use of propane or other unapproved refrigerants in home air conditioning systems.
EPA is currently investigating instances where propane has been marketed and used as a substitute for HCFC-22 (R-22), a refrigerant that is widely used in home air conditioning systems.
Home air conditioning systems are not designed to handle propane or other similar flammable refrigerants. The use of these substances poses a potential fire or explosion hazard for homeowners and service technicians.
EPA is aware of incidents that have occurred both overseas and in the U.S. where individuals have been injured as a result of the use of propane and other unapproved refrigerants in air conditioning systems. We are investigating and will take enforcement actions where appropriate. Other names for these unapproved refrigerants include R-290, 22a, 22-A, R-22a, HC-22a, and CARE 40.
At this time, EPA has not approved the use of propane refrigerant or other hydrocarbon refrigerants in any type of air conditioner. Homeowners and technicians are strongly recommended to limit use of propane or other hydrocarbons to only those appliances specifically designed for these substances and that are properly marked to alert technicians that the equipment contains a flammable substance. EPA has approved the use of propane as a substitute refrigerant for R-22 in industrial process refrigeration systems and in new, stand-alone retail food refrigerators and freezers that are specifically designed to use flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants.
R-22 is being phased out of production and importation under the Montreal Protocol, an environmental treaty ratified by every country in the world designed to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of ozone depleting substances. EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program has already listed numerous refrigerants with improved environmental, health and safety profiles and continues to evaluate other refrigerants that can be used to replace R-22 and other ozone-depleting substances.
EPA Warns Against Use of Refrigerant Substitutes That Pose Fire and Explosion Risk
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning homeowners, propane manufacturers and sellers, home improvement contractors and air conditioning technicians of potential safety hazards related to the use of propane or other unapproved refrigerants in home air conditioning systems.
EPA is currently investigating instances where propane has been marketed and used as a substitute for HCFC-22 (R-22), a refrigerant that is widely used in home air conditioning systems.
Home air conditioning systems are not designed to handle propane or other similar flammable refrigerants. The use of these substances poses a potential fire or explosion hazard for homeowners and service technicians.
EPA is aware of incidents that have occurred both overseas and in the U.S. where individuals have been injured as a result of the use of propane and other unapproved refrigerants in air conditioning systems. We are investigating and will take enforcement actions where appropriate. Other names for these unapproved refrigerants include R-290, 22a, 22-A, R-22a, HC-22a, and CARE 40.
At this time, EPA has not approved the use of propane refrigerant or other hydrocarbon refrigerants in any type of air conditioner. Homeowners and technicians are strongly recommended to limit use of propane or other hydrocarbons to only those appliances specifically designed for these substances and that are properly marked to alert technicians that the equipment contains a flammable substance. EPA has approved the use of propane as a substitute refrigerant for R-22 in industrial process refrigeration systems and in new, stand-alone retail food refrigerators and freezers that are specifically designed to use flammable hydrocarbon refrigerants.
R-22 is being phased out of production and importation under the Montreal Protocol, an environmental treaty ratified by every country in the world designed to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of ozone depleting substances. EPA’s Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program has already listed numerous refrigerants with improved environmental, health and safety profiles and continues to evaluate other refrigerants that can be used to replace R-22 and other ozone-depleting substances.
PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO HELP COMBAT WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
FACT SHEET: U.S. Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
July 01, 2013
Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic animal populations. Many species -- most notably elephants and rhinoceroses -- now face the risk of significant decline or even extinction. Like other forms of illicit trade, wildlife trafficking undermines security across nations. Well-armed, well-equipped, and well-organized networks of poachers, criminals, and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in illegally taken wildlife.
The United States is committed to combating wildlife trafficking, related corruption, and money laundering. With our international partners, we are working to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, and building capacity to address these challenges bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally.
A New Executive Order to Better Coordinate the U.S. Response
Today the President will sign an Executive Order (E.O.) to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and assist foreign governments in building the capacity needed to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime.
The E.O. establishes a Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking charged with developing a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. It also establishes an Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking comprised of eight individuals with relevant expertise from outside the Government to make recommendations to the Task Force.
New Assistance to Support Regional Partners
As the President will announce today in Tanzania, the U.S. Department of State will provide an additional $10 million in regional and bilateral training and technical assistance in Africa to combat wildlife trafficking. This will include approximately $3 million in bilateral assistance to South Africa, $3 million in bilateral assistance to Kenya, and $4 million in regional assistance throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
This training and technical assistance aims to:
1) Strengthen policies and legislative frameworks;
2) Enhance investigative and law enforcement functions;
3) Support regional cooperation among enforcement agencies; and,
4) Develop capacities to prosecute and adjudicate crimes related to wildlife trafficking.
In addition, USAID will launch a wildlife technology challenge, which will promote the use of innovative technologies like mobile phone applications and wildlife DNA analysis techniques to assist in combating wildlife trafficking.
The State Department, USAID, and the Department of Interior U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will also assign a USFWS official to our Embassy in Dar es Salaam to support the Government of Tanzania's efforts to develop an overarching wildlife security strategy.
New U.S. Enforcement and Regulatory Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
The Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which was signed into law on January 2013, enables the Secretary of State to offer rewards up for information leading to the arrest, conviction, or identification of significant members of transnational criminal organizations who operate primarily outside the United States.
The law also allows for rewards for information that dismantles such organizations or leads to the disruption of their financial mechanisms. The United States intends to leverage this new authority, as appropriate, to combat the most significant perpetrators of wildlife trafficking.
In addition, the Department of Interior will enhance regulations that directly affect illegal wildlife trafficking of elephants and rhinoceroses. These regulations pertain to U.S. federal laws including the Endangered Species Act, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act.
Successes to Date and Building on On-going Activities
These new commitments build on on-going efforts within the U.S. Government, and with foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to reduce demand and strengthen enforcement and institutional capabilities. Representative examples include:
Capacity Building from Asia to Africa
USAID supports over $12 million per year in counter-wildlife trafficking activities, including support for anti-poaching activities in Africa and Asia, capacity building, and demand reduction campaigns in Asia.
The State Department and Department of the Interior / USFWS support the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana, which has trained 350 law enforcement officers in wildlife crime investigations since 2002.
To specifically address transcontinental trafficking, USAID is funding a three-year program with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC to improve understanding of current trends in wildlife trafficking and identify priority wildlife trafficking issues on behalf of the broader law enforcement and security communities.
The State Department is providing more than $2 million to support investigation, interdiction, and prosecution efforts in East Asia and the Pacific, including park ranger training and special investigative training for wildlife managers at the U.S. International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok.
The USFWS is providing an additional $2 million annually to support the Wildlife Without Borders capacity building program, which aids government agencies and non-governmental partners in enhancing wildlife law enforcement training, promoting best practices for community stewardship of wildlife resources, and addressing other critical conservation needs.
The Department of Justice and the USFWS jointly investigate and prosecute wildlife trafficking cases, working alongside international partners, to provide training and state-of-the-art forensic support for investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes.
Conservation and Demand Reduction
The USFWS provides $10 million annually to enhance and support wildlife conservation throughout Africa and Asia. The funds support essential wildlife protection activities in 25 African countries, including improving capacity to carry out investigations and prosecutions of wildlife crime; developing effective park law enforcement and management to deter illegal hunting; improving management of key wildlife species and protected areas; and developing community management schemes.
USAID invests $200 million a year in biodiversity conservation, $70 million of which is in Africa. These investments provide support for community-based approaches to natural resources management in Africa, including community-scouting and ranger programs.
In consumer nations in Asia, USFWS supports government partners in awareness and demand reduction campaigns, which include public outreach to discourage consumption, noting the cost to wildlife of purchased exotic items, and highlighting criminal consequences of consuming illegally trafficked or purchased wildlife products.
Building a Coalition of Partnerships
The United States is working with the International Consortium to Combat Wildlife Crime and other interested partners to support the creation of a global network of regional and national Wildlife Enforcement Networks to improve communication and strengthen response actions across enforcement agencies globally. USAID has invested $17 million since 2005 to specifically support improving these regional networks of wildlife enforcement officials, as well as increasing public awareness, reducing demand for wildlife products, and building political will. The United States is also supporting the creation of new networks in central Africa and the Horn of Africa, among others in Asia and South America.
Additionally, the United States encourages participation by governments, civil society, and the private sector in existing partnerships that combat wildlife crime, such as the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT).
Raising the Issue in International Fora
The United States successfully co-sponsored a resolution at the 2013 UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice encouraging UN Member States to classify wildlife trafficking as a "serious" crime as defined in the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. This will facilitate further international cooperation among states that have ratified or acceded to the treaty, and will lead to increased penalties for traffickers.
Through U.S. advocacy, the 2012 APEC Leaders Declaration included commitments to address both the supply and demand for endangered and protected wildlife, including through capacity building and increased enforcement.
FACT SHEET: U.S. Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
July 01, 2013
Wildlife trafficking is a multi-billion dollar illicit business that is decimating Africa’s iconic animal populations. Many species -- most notably elephants and rhinoceroses -- now face the risk of significant decline or even extinction. Like other forms of illicit trade, wildlife trafficking undermines security across nations. Well-armed, well-equipped, and well-organized networks of poachers, criminals, and corrupt officials exploit porous borders and weak institutions to profit from trading in illegally taken wildlife.
The United States is committed to combating wildlife trafficking, related corruption, and money laundering. With our international partners, we are working to reduce demand, strengthen enforcement, and building capacity to address these challenges bilaterally, regionally, and multilaterally.
A New Executive Order to Better Coordinate the U.S. Response
Today the President will sign an Executive Order (E.O.) to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and assist foreign governments in building the capacity needed to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime.
The E.O. establishes a Presidential Task Force on Wildlife Trafficking charged with developing a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking. It also establishes an Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking comprised of eight individuals with relevant expertise from outside the Government to make recommendations to the Task Force.
New Assistance to Support Regional Partners
As the President will announce today in Tanzania, the U.S. Department of State will provide an additional $10 million in regional and bilateral training and technical assistance in Africa to combat wildlife trafficking. This will include approximately $3 million in bilateral assistance to South Africa, $3 million in bilateral assistance to Kenya, and $4 million in regional assistance throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
This training and technical assistance aims to:
1) Strengthen policies and legislative frameworks;
2) Enhance investigative and law enforcement functions;
3) Support regional cooperation among enforcement agencies; and,
4) Develop capacities to prosecute and adjudicate crimes related to wildlife trafficking.
In addition, USAID will launch a wildlife technology challenge, which will promote the use of innovative technologies like mobile phone applications and wildlife DNA analysis techniques to assist in combating wildlife trafficking.
The State Department, USAID, and the Department of Interior U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) will also assign a USFWS official to our Embassy in Dar es Salaam to support the Government of Tanzania's efforts to develop an overarching wildlife security strategy.
New U.S. Enforcement and Regulatory Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking
The Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program, which was signed into law on January 2013, enables the Secretary of State to offer rewards up for information leading to the arrest, conviction, or identification of significant members of transnational criminal organizations who operate primarily outside the United States.
The law also allows for rewards for information that dismantles such organizations or leads to the disruption of their financial mechanisms. The United States intends to leverage this new authority, as appropriate, to combat the most significant perpetrators of wildlife trafficking.
In addition, the Department of Interior will enhance regulations that directly affect illegal wildlife trafficking of elephants and rhinoceroses. These regulations pertain to U.S. federal laws including the Endangered Species Act, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act.
Successes to Date and Building on On-going Activities
These new commitments build on on-going efforts within the U.S. Government, and with foreign governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to reduce demand and strengthen enforcement and institutional capabilities. Representative examples include:
Capacity Building from Asia to Africa
The State Department and Department of the Interior / USFWS support the International Law Enforcement Academy in Gaborone, Botswana, which has trained 350 law enforcement officers in wildlife crime investigations since 2002.
To specifically address transcontinental trafficking, USAID is funding a three-year program with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC to improve understanding of current trends in wildlife trafficking and identify priority wildlife trafficking issues on behalf of the broader law enforcement and security communities.
The State Department is providing more than $2 million to support investigation, interdiction, and prosecution efforts in East Asia and the Pacific, including park ranger training and special investigative training for wildlife managers at the U.S. International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok.
The USFWS is providing an additional $2 million annually to support the Wildlife Without Borders capacity building program, which aids government agencies and non-governmental partners in enhancing wildlife law enforcement training, promoting best practices for community stewardship of wildlife resources, and addressing other critical conservation needs.
The Department of Justice and the USFWS jointly investigate and prosecute wildlife trafficking cases, working alongside international partners, to provide training and state-of-the-art forensic support for investigating and prosecuting wildlife crimes.
Conservation and Demand Reduction
USAID invests $200 million a year in biodiversity conservation, $70 million of which is in Africa. These investments provide support for community-based approaches to natural resources management in Africa, including community-scouting and ranger programs.
In consumer nations in Asia, USFWS supports government partners in awareness and demand reduction campaigns, which include public outreach to discourage consumption, noting the cost to wildlife of purchased exotic items, and highlighting criminal consequences of consuming illegally trafficked or purchased wildlife products.
Building a Coalition of Partnerships
Additionally, the United States encourages participation by governments, civil society, and the private sector in existing partnerships that combat wildlife crime, such as the Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT).
Raising the Issue in International Fora
Through U.S. advocacy, the 2012 APEC Leaders Declaration included commitments to address both the supply and demand for endangered and protected wildlife, including through capacity building and increased enforcement.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
THE 4OTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ALL-VOLUNTEER FORCE
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Top Service Members Mark All-volunteer Force's Anniversary
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 - In a letter issued yesterday to the men and women of the armed forces, the nation's top two military officers and senior enlisted member marked the 40th anniversary of the all-volunteer force.
The letter -- signed by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman -- reads as follows:
Since the Nation's founding, our sons and daughters have volunteered to leave the everyday comforts of their homes, their neighborhoods, and their families to join and serve a cause greater than themselves. They have joined a profession bound by honor, sacrifice, bravery, and -- in many cases -- danger. They serve a greater purpose -- protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States.
On 1 July 1973, the United States instituted the All-Volunteer Force. Those who choose to wear the cloth of our Nation do so with a great sense of pride and allegiance. To volunteer speaks volumes to the character, patriotism, and commitment of America's most precious resource -- our men and women who serve.
As we commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force, we would like to pass our heartfelt appreciation to all those who have served and are serving in the United States Armed Forces. You are America's strength -- you honor our past, and you preserve our future.
Well done, Warriors -- thank you for your service!
Top Service Members Mark All-volunteer Force's Anniversary
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 2, 2013 - In a letter issued yesterday to the men and women of the armed forces, the nation's top two military officers and senior enlisted member marked the 40th anniversary of the all-volunteer force.
The letter -- signed by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs; and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman -- reads as follows:
Since the Nation's founding, our sons and daughters have volunteered to leave the everyday comforts of their homes, their neighborhoods, and their families to join and serve a cause greater than themselves. They have joined a profession bound by honor, sacrifice, bravery, and -- in many cases -- danger. They serve a greater purpose -- protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States.
On 1 July 1973, the United States instituted the All-Volunteer Force. Those who choose to wear the cloth of our Nation do so with a great sense of pride and allegiance. To volunteer speaks volumes to the character, patriotism, and commitment of America's most precious resource -- our men and women who serve.
As we commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the All-Volunteer Force, we would like to pass our heartfelt appreciation to all those who have served and are serving in the United States Armed Forces. You are America's strength -- you honor our past, and you preserve our future.
Well done, Warriors -- thank you for your service!
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