Sunday, July 21, 2013
OKLAHOMA GETS $4.5 MILLION FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL AND PROTECTIVE MEASURES
FROM: FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
MORE THAN $4.5 MILLION APPROVED FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL AND EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE MEASURES IN OKLAHOMA
Release date:
July 17, 2013
Release Number:
DR 4117 NR017
OKLAHOMA CITY – More than $4.5 million has already been approved in federal funding for debris clearance and emergency protective measures in Oklahoma following the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that occurred from May 18 – June 2, 2013.
Of the total, $4.1 million covers eligible debris removal costs under a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Pilot Program. The accelerated debris removal program was initiated in Oklahoma following the devastating spring storms.
Under the pilot program, debris removed within 30 days of May 18, the start of the incident period, is reimbursed at 85 percent. State and local funds will cover the remaining 15 percent of the cost-share. The program funds expenses such as debris removal and debris recycling.
A fundamental element of the pilot program is the provision of financial incentives for applicants for accomplishing timely removal of debris and for developing a pre-incident debris management plan. Additional funding for debris removal costs will be forthcoming as eligible applicants continue to define debris plans and formulate costs.
"Debris removal after disasters of this magnitude can be a daunting task. Oklahoma appreciates the opportunity to be part of this pilot program," said State Coordinating Officer and Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management Deputy Director Michelann Ooten.
"Anytime we can test a pilot program and provide financial incentives at the same time is a win-win for all," said Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman.
Meanwhile, an additional $380,000 has been approved for Emergency Protective Measures. These are actions taken by applicants before, during, and after a disaster to save lives, protect public health and safety, and prevent damage to improved public and private property.
MORE THAN $4.5 MILLION APPROVED FOR DEBRIS REMOVAL AND EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE MEASURES IN OKLAHOMA
Release date:
July 17, 2013
Release Number:
DR 4117 NR017
OKLAHOMA CITY – More than $4.5 million has already been approved in federal funding for debris clearance and emergency protective measures in Oklahoma following the severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding that occurred from May 18 – June 2, 2013.
Of the total, $4.1 million covers eligible debris removal costs under a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Public Assistance Alternative Procedures Pilot Program. The accelerated debris removal program was initiated in Oklahoma following the devastating spring storms.
Under the pilot program, debris removed within 30 days of May 18, the start of the incident period, is reimbursed at 85 percent. State and local funds will cover the remaining 15 percent of the cost-share. The program funds expenses such as debris removal and debris recycling.
A fundamental element of the pilot program is the provision of financial incentives for applicants for accomplishing timely removal of debris and for developing a pre-incident debris management plan. Additional funding for debris removal costs will be forthcoming as eligible applicants continue to define debris plans and formulate costs.
"Debris removal after disasters of this magnitude can be a daunting task. Oklahoma appreciates the opportunity to be part of this pilot program," said State Coordinating Officer and Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management Deputy Director Michelann Ooten.
"Anytime we can test a pilot program and provide financial incentives at the same time is a win-win for all," said Federal Coordinating Officer Sandy Coachman.
Meanwhile, an additional $380,000 has been approved for Emergency Protective Measures. These are actions taken by applicants before, during, and after a disaster to save lives, protect public health and safety, and prevent damage to improved public and private property.
'RACHEL ROBOCALL' ILLEGAL ROBOCALL CREDIT CARD SCHEME SETTLED BY FTC
FROM: U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
FTC Settles ‘Rachel’ Robocall Enforcement Case
The Federal Trade Commission has settled with a set of defendants associated with the A+ Financial Center scheme. They were charged in last year’s joint law enforcement sweep against five companies that made millions of illegal pre-recorded robocalls claiming to be from “Rachel” and “Cardholder Services” and pitching credit card interest rate reduction services.
In the five complaints announced in November 2012, the FTC charged the companies and their principals with misleading consumers about their services, calling phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, illegally collecting up-front fees, and making illegal robocalls. According to the FTC, the A+ Financial Center defendants told consumers that for an up-front fee of between $495 and $1,595, they would lower their credit card interest rate, often promising rates as low as six percent or even zero percent. But after collecting the fee, the defendants did little if anything to help consumers lower their credit card interest rates, or obtain the promised long-term savings.
In settling the FTC’s charges, the defendants are banned from making robocalls, continuing to pitch unsecured debt relief services, misrepresenting the attributes of any financial product or service, and engaging in abusive telemarketing practices such as calling numbers on the Do Not Call Registry. The order also prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting the attributes of any goods or services, and from misrepresenting their relationship with any bank, credit card issuer, credit reporting agency, other lender, or government entity. It also requires them to have reliable evidence to support any claims they make to consumers.
In addition, the proposed order prohibits the A+ defendants from disclosing or benefiting from their customer lists, and prohibits them from collecting or trying to collect money from any consumer who bought their service. Finally, it imposes a judgment of $9,238,155, which will be suspended after defendants transfer all of their assets (except $25,000), including a 2007 Mercedes Benz CL, a 1999 boat valued at approximately $17,000, and a 2002 boat worth about $45,000.
The case against A+ Financial Center, LLC was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the following defendants: A+ Financial Center, LLC, also doing business as Accelerated Financial Centers, LLC; Accelerated Accounting Services LLC; Christopher L. Miano, individually and as the managing member of Accelerated Accounting Services LLC; and Dana M. Miano, individually and as the managing member of A+ Financial Center, LLC.
The Commission vote approving the proposed settlement was 4-0.
Information for Consumers
The FTC has tips for consumers, as well as two new consumer education videos explaining robocalls and describing what consumers should do when they receive one. See ftc.gov/robocalls for more information.
NOTE: Consent judgments have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.
FTC Settles ‘Rachel’ Robocall Enforcement Case
The Federal Trade Commission has settled with a set of defendants associated with the A+ Financial Center scheme. They were charged in last year’s joint law enforcement sweep against five companies that made millions of illegal pre-recorded robocalls claiming to be from “Rachel” and “Cardholder Services” and pitching credit card interest rate reduction services.
In the five complaints announced in November 2012, the FTC charged the companies and their principals with misleading consumers about their services, calling phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, illegally collecting up-front fees, and making illegal robocalls. According to the FTC, the A+ Financial Center defendants told consumers that for an up-front fee of between $495 and $1,595, they would lower their credit card interest rate, often promising rates as low as six percent or even zero percent. But after collecting the fee, the defendants did little if anything to help consumers lower their credit card interest rates, or obtain the promised long-term savings.
In settling the FTC’s charges, the defendants are banned from making robocalls, continuing to pitch unsecured debt relief services, misrepresenting the attributes of any financial product or service, and engaging in abusive telemarketing practices such as calling numbers on the Do Not Call Registry. The order also prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting the attributes of any goods or services, and from misrepresenting their relationship with any bank, credit card issuer, credit reporting agency, other lender, or government entity. It also requires them to have reliable evidence to support any claims they make to consumers.
In addition, the proposed order prohibits the A+ defendants from disclosing or benefiting from their customer lists, and prohibits them from collecting or trying to collect money from any consumer who bought their service. Finally, it imposes a judgment of $9,238,155, which will be suspended after defendants transfer all of their assets (except $25,000), including a 2007 Mercedes Benz CL, a 1999 boat valued at approximately $17,000, and a 2002 boat worth about $45,000.
The case against A+ Financial Center, LLC was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida against the following defendants: A+ Financial Center, LLC, also doing business as Accelerated Financial Centers, LLC; Accelerated Accounting Services LLC; Christopher L. Miano, individually and as the managing member of Accelerated Accounting Services LLC; and Dana M. Miano, individually and as the managing member of A+ Financial Center, LLC.
The Commission vote approving the proposed settlement was 4-0.
Information for Consumers
The FTC has tips for consumers, as well as two new consumer education videos explaining robocalls and describing what consumers should do when they receive one. See ftc.gov/robocalls for more information.
NOTE: Consent judgments have the force of law when approved and signed by the District Court judge.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.
TOP U.S. MILITARY LEADERS TELL SENATORS COMMANDERS SHOULD HAVE PROSECUTION AUTHORITY IN SEXUAL ASSAULT CASES
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Commanders Should Retain Prosecution Authority, Leaders Say
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 - The nation's top military leaders told senators today that commanders should retain responsibility for prosecuting service members accused of sexual assault.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that taking that authority away could harm good order and discipline.
Dempsey and Winnefeld are under Senate consideration for second two-year terms in their posts.
Keeping commanders in the process ensures there is an active deterrent to the crime, Winnefeld said. "Somebody who is contemplating a sexual assault knows that they're going to be caught, that they're going to be prosecuted, and if they're prosecuted, they're going to be punished," he said. "It's our strong view that the commander is responsible for that."
Dempsey told the senators that Army officials have looked at the numbers on sexual assault prosecutions over the past two years and found 35 cases in which civilian district attorneys refused to take sexual assault cases to court.
"And the chain of command in the military insisted that the case be taken inside the military chain of command," he said.
Of those cases, 25 resulted in a court-martial conviction.
"That's a 71 percent conviction rate," the chairman said. The civilian rate is between 18 and 22 percent.
Dempsey stressed that this was done because commanders insisted on taking these cases. "I worry that if we turn this over to somebody else, whether it's a civilian DA or an entity in the military, that they're going to make the same kind of decisions that those civilian prosecutors make," he said.
Commanders must be responsible for ensuring the command climate does not tolerate sexual assault in any manner, Winnefeld said.
"It's about teaching people what a heinous crime this is," he added. "It's about reporting it if you see it. It's about intervening if you see it about to happen -- a whole host of measures that commanders must take to establish the climate inside their commands."
The Marine Corps also had examples similar to the Army, the admiral said. The Marine Corps went back to 2010 and found 28 cases in which civilian prosecutors declined to take the case.
"Of those, 16 of them, the Marine Corps was able to obtain a conviction of court-martial -- 57 percent," Winnefeld said. "So those are 16 perpetrators that are no longer walking the street and 16 victims who received justice who would not have received it otherwise."
Commanders Should Retain Prosecution Authority, Leaders Say
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 - The nation's top military leaders told senators today that commanders should retain responsibility for prosecuting service members accused of sexual assault.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that taking that authority away could harm good order and discipline.
Dempsey and Winnefeld are under Senate consideration for second two-year terms in their posts.
Keeping commanders in the process ensures there is an active deterrent to the crime, Winnefeld said. "Somebody who is contemplating a sexual assault knows that they're going to be caught, that they're going to be prosecuted, and if they're prosecuted, they're going to be punished," he said. "It's our strong view that the commander is responsible for that."
Dempsey told the senators that Army officials have looked at the numbers on sexual assault prosecutions over the past two years and found 35 cases in which civilian district attorneys refused to take sexual assault cases to court.
"And the chain of command in the military insisted that the case be taken inside the military chain of command," he said.
Of those cases, 25 resulted in a court-martial conviction.
"That's a 71 percent conviction rate," the chairman said. The civilian rate is between 18 and 22 percent.
Dempsey stressed that this was done because commanders insisted on taking these cases. "I worry that if we turn this over to somebody else, whether it's a civilian DA or an entity in the military, that they're going to make the same kind of decisions that those civilian prosecutors make," he said.
Commanders must be responsible for ensuring the command climate does not tolerate sexual assault in any manner, Winnefeld said.
"It's about teaching people what a heinous crime this is," he added. "It's about reporting it if you see it. It's about intervening if you see it about to happen -- a whole host of measures that commanders must take to establish the climate inside their commands."
The Marine Corps also had examples similar to the Army, the admiral said. The Marine Corps went back to 2010 and found 28 cases in which civilian prosecutors declined to take the case.
"Of those, 16 of them, the Marine Corps was able to obtain a conviction of court-martial -- 57 percent," Winnefeld said. "So those are 16 perpetrators that are no longer walking the street and 16 victims who received justice who would not have received it otherwise."
FTC APPROVES NEW ENERGYGUIDE LABELS FOR APPLIANCES
FROM: FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
FTC Approves Changes to EnergyGuide Labels for Appliances to Reflect New Tests for Measuring Energy Costs
The Federal Trade Commission has approved new EnergyGuide labels for refrigerators and clothes washers, and updated comparative energy consumption information on labels for other appliances, to help consumers compare products in light of new Department of Energy (DOE) tests for measuring energy costs.
Under the Energy Labeling Rule, manufacturers must attach yellow EnergyGuide labels to certain products, stating an annual operating cost and an energy consumption rating, and a range for comparing the highest and lowest energy consumption for all similar models. EnergyGuide labels appear on clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, room air conditioners, central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, pool heaters, and televisions. The new EnergyGuide labels for refrigerators and clothes washers will help consumers identify which models have been tested under significantly revised DOE test procedures that manufacturers will begin using next year and make proper comparisons about energy costs.
For more information about EnergyGuide labels, read Shopping for Home Appliances? Use the EnergyGuide Label.
The Commission vote approving the Federal Register Notice was 4-0. It is available on the FTC’s website and as a link to this press release and will be published in the Federal Register soon. The amendments to the Rule will become effective on November 15, 2013.
FTC Approves Changes to EnergyGuide Labels for Appliances to Reflect New Tests for Measuring Energy Costs
The Federal Trade Commission has approved new EnergyGuide labels for refrigerators and clothes washers, and updated comparative energy consumption information on labels for other appliances, to help consumers compare products in light of new Department of Energy (DOE) tests for measuring energy costs.
Under the Energy Labeling Rule, manufacturers must attach yellow EnergyGuide labels to certain products, stating an annual operating cost and an energy consumption rating, and a range for comparing the highest and lowest energy consumption for all similar models. EnergyGuide labels appear on clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, water heaters, room air conditioners, central air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, heat pumps, pool heaters, and televisions. The new EnergyGuide labels for refrigerators and clothes washers will help consumers identify which models have been tested under significantly revised DOE test procedures that manufacturers will begin using next year and make proper comparisons about energy costs.
For more information about EnergyGuide labels, read Shopping for Home Appliances? Use the EnergyGuide Label.
The Commission vote approving the Federal Register Notice was 4-0. It is available on the FTC’s website and as a link to this press release and will be published in the Federal Register soon. The amendments to the Rule will become effective on November 15, 2013.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
DOD LEADERS SAY U.S. ON TRACK IN AFGHANISTAN
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
U.S. on Track in Afghanistan, Military Leaders Tell Senate
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 - Despite Taliban resistance, U.S. military objectives in Afghanistan are on track, senior U.S. military leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. told the committee during their reconfirmation hearing that the International Security Assistance Force mission is on track to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan and end its mission by 2015.
President Barack Obama nominated Dempsey and Winnefeld for second terms as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Dempsey told the senators that Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the ISAF commander, said he will achieve his campaign objectives in developing the Afghan security forces.
"Now, he does also acknowledge there are some potential gaps that he will have better clarity on after this fighting season," Dempsey said.
The chairman and vice chairman told the senators that they have given their recommendations for the size of a residual force the United States will leave in Afghanistan post-2014.
"We've provided several options," Dempsey said. "As the Joint Chiefs, we have made a recommendation on the size, and we've also expressed our view on when that announcement would best meet the campaign objectives."
The United States and Afghanistan must finalize a bilateral security arrangement -- with legal protections for American service members -- before a decision is made. Dempsey said he would stress this when he meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Dempsey told the senators he seeks opinions about Afghanistan.
"Besides speaking with General Dunford on a weekly basis and visiting him about quarterly, I also reach out to as many other people as I can possibly reach out to who can give us other views," he said.
All these reports align, the chairman added.
Having American troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 is crucial to success in the country, Dempsey said.
"Although I've told you that the progress of the security forces has been significant," he added, "they would not have the level of confidence to sustain themselves over time if it happens that precipitously."
U.S. on Track in Afghanistan, Military Leaders Tell Senate
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 - Despite Taliban resistance, U.S. military objectives in Afghanistan are on track, senior U.S. military leaders told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey and Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr. told the committee during their reconfirmation hearing that the International Security Assistance Force mission is on track to achieve its objectives in Afghanistan and end its mission by 2015.
President Barack Obama nominated Dempsey and Winnefeld for second terms as chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Dempsey told the senators that Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., the ISAF commander, said he will achieve his campaign objectives in developing the Afghan security forces.
"Now, he does also acknowledge there are some potential gaps that he will have better clarity on after this fighting season," Dempsey said.
The chairman and vice chairman told the senators that they have given their recommendations for the size of a residual force the United States will leave in Afghanistan post-2014.
"We've provided several options," Dempsey said. "As the Joint Chiefs, we have made a recommendation on the size, and we've also expressed our view on when that announcement would best meet the campaign objectives."
The United States and Afghanistan must finalize a bilateral security arrangement -- with legal protections for American service members -- before a decision is made. Dempsey said he would stress this when he meets with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Dempsey told the senators he seeks opinions about Afghanistan.
"Besides speaking with General Dunford on a weekly basis and visiting him about quarterly, I also reach out to as many other people as I can possibly reach out to who can give us other views," he said.
All these reports align, the chairman added.
Having American troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 is crucial to success in the country, Dempsey said.
"Although I've told you that the progress of the security forces has been significant," he added, "they would not have the level of confidence to sustain themselves over time if it happens that precipitously."
GENERAL WELSH SAYS CUTS HARM AIR FORCE READINESS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Air Force Readiness Harmed by Steep Cuts, Welsh Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 - The rigid requirements of sequestration spending cuts have made it difficult for the Air Force to maintain readiness, the service's top officer said yesterday.
Speaking to CNN's John King at the annual Aspen Institute Security Forum in Aspen, Colo., Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said each service has four major accounts: personnel, infrastructure and facilities, modernization, and readiness.
"We have had a great amount of difficulty recently doing anything about the infrastructure and facility costs -- we can't seem to get to a point where we can reduce those," he said. "We have not been able to reduce the people costs. In fact, the people costs have gone up exponentially over the last 10 years."
So, he said, sequestration requirements have driven the Air Force to look at modernization and readiness costs. "Those are the only places we have to take money from," Welsh said.
"We are trading modernization against readiness," he added. It's the only place we have to go for funding because of this abrupt, arbitrary mechanism that is sequestration -- and it's causing a real problem on the readiness side of the house and putting out ability to modernize over time at risk."
The civilian employee furloughs necessitated by the spending cuts are a problem for the Air Force for two reasons, Welsh said. "The first is a very human reason -- we have about 180,000 civilians in our Air Force. Those civilian airmen are integral to every mission we do, and in some cases, they are the mission -- they're the entire workforce."
About 150,000 of those civilians are being furloughed for 20 percent of the remaining fiscal year, he said. Most of them are lower-wage scale employees who are going to have trouble making ends meet, Welsh added.
From a corporate perspective, the Air Force is losing 70 million man-hours of work during the furlough period, he said. "That's going to leave a bruise," he added.
The Air Force and the Defense Department as a whole recognize that they have to be part of solving the nation's fiscal problems, Welsh said. But the department has to make overly steep cuts in the modernization and readiness account in the first two years of sequestration, he added, because personnel or infrastructure can't be cut quickly enough.
Impacts to operations already are being felt, Welsh said. "We've prioritized everything that we know about, ... but if something new happened, we'd be affected dramatically, because our ability to respond quickly is affected."
In his discussion with King, Welsh also addressed a number of recent headline-making events.
Recent leaks of classified material are a lesson re-learned, he said. The existing safeguards need to be adjusted based on these cases to ensure that personnel with access to classified information will protect it properly, he said.
"I think the key is [to] control access to information," he added. "Everybody doesn't need it, and you have to very carefully vet people who have the skills to operate on your networks because we know the cyber domain is now a huge vulnerability -- as well as an opportunity."
Solving the sexual harassment and sexual assault crisis will require the services and the Defense Department to partner with Congress, victims' advocacy groups, universities and experts around the country, the general said.
"I don't care who else has the problem; my problem is the United States Air Force. ... The trauma of this crime is to the entire institution," he said.
Last year, 792 sexual assaults were reported in the Air Force, he said.
"The real number is higher than that. ... According to our surveys, only about 17 percent of the people report it," the general told King. "If you take a look at one victim -- not 792, just one -- and you look at the pain, the suffering, the lifetime of anguish, ... this is horrible. And multiply that by 792 times, and it's appalling."
For the Air Force, Welsh said, it's not about addressing some spike in activity. It's about making lasting changes across the entire spectrum of the force.
"From trying to screen for predatory behavior," he said, "to deterring this kind of conduct from those idiots who become criminals ... who might not technically be ... violent predators, but they put themselves in situations where they take advantage of other people."
Turning to the situation in Syria, Welsh said sequestration would make implementing a no-fly zone there difficult. "It would take some time to do it right," he added, "because some of the units that we would use ... haven't been flying."
Because of continuing rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force's overall readiness levels have been declining since about 2003, Welsh said.
"We had to back off a little bit on full-spectrum training ... where we try and simulate the most-difficult threat we can and train realistically," the general said. In addition, the Air Force was forced to use some readiness funds to pay for modernization, he added.
"The Air Force is old," Welsh said. "Our aircraft fleet is older, on average, than it's ever been. ... Modernization is not optional for the Air Force. We've got to modernize."
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is imperative to the future of the Air Force, Welsh said. Upgrading the existing fleet may save money, he said, but it will not make it competitive.
"A fourth-generation aircraft meeting a fifth-generation aircraft in combat will be more cost-efficient," Welsh said. "It will also be dead before it ever knows it's in a fight.
"Not having the F-35 right now ... operationally makes zero sense to the warfighter," he continued. Russia and China are rushing to produce their own fifth-generation fighters, the general noted, "which will put our fourth-generation fleet at immediate risk."
Welsh said he doubts the United States will fight China or Russia in the next five years, "but the reality today is that about 53 different countries around the world fly Chinese or Russian top-end fighters."
And despite the drawdown in Afghanistan, the Air Force isn't going to get less busy. It still will perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions all over the world, Welsh said, and will be doing an airlift mission every 90 seconds, every hour of every day.
About 15,000 space operators will be providing missile warning for the United States, about 25,000 airmen will be on the nuclear alert mission, satellite operators will be flying about 170 different satellites and more than 50,000 airmen will be engaged in cyber command and control, Welsh said.
"Our Air Force does an awful lot of stuff behind the curtain that people don't really see," he added.
Readiness will be affected if personnel, health care and retirement costs are not reined in, Welsh said.
"We have to solve the problem," he added. "We just have to -- there's no other option. Or we'll be doing nothing but paying people in the next 20, 30 years. We won't be turning a wheel. ... There's no magic bucket you go to [in order] to get more money."
Welsh acknowledged "a certain ambivalence" about the Air Force among the American people, "because they really don't know everything we do. And it's easy to get disconnected."
In the areas around Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve bases, it's easier for the larger Air Force to stay connected to communities, he said. The civilian airmen come to work on base and live in the community, Welsh noted.
"So, we're actually better in those communities than we are anywhere else," he said, "and we have to figure out how to take that strength and expand it."
Air Force Readiness Harmed by Steep Cuts, Welsh Says
By Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 18, 2013 - The rigid requirements of sequestration spending cuts have made it difficult for the Air Force to maintain readiness, the service's top officer said yesterday.
Speaking to CNN's John King at the annual Aspen Institute Security Forum in Aspen, Colo., Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said each service has four major accounts: personnel, infrastructure and facilities, modernization, and readiness.
"We have had a great amount of difficulty recently doing anything about the infrastructure and facility costs -- we can't seem to get to a point where we can reduce those," he said. "We have not been able to reduce the people costs. In fact, the people costs have gone up exponentially over the last 10 years."
So, he said, sequestration requirements have driven the Air Force to look at modernization and readiness costs. "Those are the only places we have to take money from," Welsh said.
"We are trading modernization against readiness," he added. It's the only place we have to go for funding because of this abrupt, arbitrary mechanism that is sequestration -- and it's causing a real problem on the readiness side of the house and putting out ability to modernize over time at risk."
The civilian employee furloughs necessitated by the spending cuts are a problem for the Air Force for two reasons, Welsh said. "The first is a very human reason -- we have about 180,000 civilians in our Air Force. Those civilian airmen are integral to every mission we do, and in some cases, they are the mission -- they're the entire workforce."
About 150,000 of those civilians are being furloughed for 20 percent of the remaining fiscal year, he said. Most of them are lower-wage scale employees who are going to have trouble making ends meet, Welsh added.
From a corporate perspective, the Air Force is losing 70 million man-hours of work during the furlough period, he said. "That's going to leave a bruise," he added.
The Air Force and the Defense Department as a whole recognize that they have to be part of solving the nation's fiscal problems, Welsh said. But the department has to make overly steep cuts in the modernization and readiness account in the first two years of sequestration, he added, because personnel or infrastructure can't be cut quickly enough.
Impacts to operations already are being felt, Welsh said. "We've prioritized everything that we know about, ... but if something new happened, we'd be affected dramatically, because our ability to respond quickly is affected."
In his discussion with King, Welsh also addressed a number of recent headline-making events.
Recent leaks of classified material are a lesson re-learned, he said. The existing safeguards need to be adjusted based on these cases to ensure that personnel with access to classified information will protect it properly, he said.
"I think the key is [to] control access to information," he added. "Everybody doesn't need it, and you have to very carefully vet people who have the skills to operate on your networks because we know the cyber domain is now a huge vulnerability -- as well as an opportunity."
Solving the sexual harassment and sexual assault crisis will require the services and the Defense Department to partner with Congress, victims' advocacy groups, universities and experts around the country, the general said.
"I don't care who else has the problem; my problem is the United States Air Force. ... The trauma of this crime is to the entire institution," he said.
Last year, 792 sexual assaults were reported in the Air Force, he said.
"The real number is higher than that. ... According to our surveys, only about 17 percent of the people report it," the general told King. "If you take a look at one victim -- not 792, just one -- and you look at the pain, the suffering, the lifetime of anguish, ... this is horrible. And multiply that by 792 times, and it's appalling."
For the Air Force, Welsh said, it's not about addressing some spike in activity. It's about making lasting changes across the entire spectrum of the force.
"From trying to screen for predatory behavior," he said, "to deterring this kind of conduct from those idiots who become criminals ... who might not technically be ... violent predators, but they put themselves in situations where they take advantage of other people."
Turning to the situation in Syria, Welsh said sequestration would make implementing a no-fly zone there difficult. "It would take some time to do it right," he added, "because some of the units that we would use ... haven't been flying."
Because of continuing rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Air Force's overall readiness levels have been declining since about 2003, Welsh said.
"We had to back off a little bit on full-spectrum training ... where we try and simulate the most-difficult threat we can and train realistically," the general said. In addition, the Air Force was forced to use some readiness funds to pay for modernization, he added.
"The Air Force is old," Welsh said. "Our aircraft fleet is older, on average, than it's ever been. ... Modernization is not optional for the Air Force. We've got to modernize."
The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter is imperative to the future of the Air Force, Welsh said. Upgrading the existing fleet may save money, he said, but it will not make it competitive.
"A fourth-generation aircraft meeting a fifth-generation aircraft in combat will be more cost-efficient," Welsh said. "It will also be dead before it ever knows it's in a fight.
"Not having the F-35 right now ... operationally makes zero sense to the warfighter," he continued. Russia and China are rushing to produce their own fifth-generation fighters, the general noted, "which will put our fourth-generation fleet at immediate risk."
Welsh said he doubts the United States will fight China or Russia in the next five years, "but the reality today is that about 53 different countries around the world fly Chinese or Russian top-end fighters."
And despite the drawdown in Afghanistan, the Air Force isn't going to get less busy. It still will perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions all over the world, Welsh said, and will be doing an airlift mission every 90 seconds, every hour of every day.
About 15,000 space operators will be providing missile warning for the United States, about 25,000 airmen will be on the nuclear alert mission, satellite operators will be flying about 170 different satellites and more than 50,000 airmen will be engaged in cyber command and control, Welsh said.
"Our Air Force does an awful lot of stuff behind the curtain that people don't really see," he added.
Readiness will be affected if personnel, health care and retirement costs are not reined in, Welsh said.
"We have to solve the problem," he added. "We just have to -- there's no other option. Or we'll be doing nothing but paying people in the next 20, 30 years. We won't be turning a wheel. ... There's no magic bucket you go to [in order] to get more money."
Welsh acknowledged "a certain ambivalence" about the Air Force among the American people, "because they really don't know everything we do. And it's easy to get disconnected."
In the areas around Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve bases, it's easier for the larger Air Force to stay connected to communities, he said. The civilian airmen come to work on base and live in the community, Welsh noted.
"So, we're actually better in those communities than we are anywhere else," he said, "and we have to figure out how to take that strength and expand it."
LANL INVOLVED IN DEVELOPMENT OF HIGHER-STRENGTH, LIGHTER-WEIGHT STEELS FOR AUTO INDUSTRY
FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY
Auto industry steel project to boost efficiency, safety
Los Alamos partners with Colorado School of Mines in $1.2 million clean-energy manufacturing project
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 11, 2013—Higher-strength, lighter-weight steels could be coming to a car near you in the near future as part of a U.S. Department of Energy advanced manufacturing initiative. Los Alamos National Laboratory and Colorado School of Mines (CSM) researchers are lending their expertise to a three-year, $1.2 million project to develop a new class of advanced steels for the automotive industry, materials that will be produced using cleaner manufacturing methods and eliminating the traditional heat-treatment and associated costs and hazards of the process.
“The new project’s goal is to eliminate the time and energy required to heat these parts to around 900°C (red-hot) by creating steels that will meet the safety requirement and still be formable at room temperature,” said Kester Clarke, one of the Los Alamos researchers. The current method for forming safety-critical “b-pillars” for automotive applications is a process called hot-stamping.
As experts in phase transformations in steels, microstructural evolution and alloying/processing response, researchers will use specialized Los Alamos capabilities to help meet the project’s advanced manufacturing initiatives.
The project, “Quenching and Partitioning Process Development to Replace Hot Stamping of High Strength Automotive Steel,” is led by CSM Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Professor Emmanuel De Moor, along with colleagues David Matlock and John Speer of the school’s Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center. Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers Amy Clarke (a Mines alumna), Robert Hackenberg and Kester Clarke (also a Mines graduate) are also part of the effort as well as industrial partners AK Steel, General Motors Corporation, Nucor Steel, Severstal, Toyota and United States Steel Corporation.
Specialized equipment at Los Alamos such as a quench dilatometer will be used to provide critical details about phase transformations during heating and cooling, which will, in turn, guide the development of steel compositions and thermal processing routes. Advanced microstructure characterization techniques, including electron microscopy, neutron diffraction and bulk thermal- and deformation-processing capabilities will be used to simulate industrial-scale processing.
The project is part of a DOE $23.5 million investment in innovative manufacturing R&D projects. This new funding for advanced manufacturing—as well as $54 million invested in 13 projects during the first round of selections in June of 2012—will serve as a ground floor investment in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office hosted a summit in Washington DC June 24-25.
Auto industry steel project to boost efficiency, safety
Los Alamos partners with Colorado School of Mines in $1.2 million clean-energy manufacturing project
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., July 11, 2013—Higher-strength, lighter-weight steels could be coming to a car near you in the near future as part of a U.S. Department of Energy advanced manufacturing initiative. Los Alamos National Laboratory and Colorado School of Mines (CSM) researchers are lending their expertise to a three-year, $1.2 million project to develop a new class of advanced steels for the automotive industry, materials that will be produced using cleaner manufacturing methods and eliminating the traditional heat-treatment and associated costs and hazards of the process.
“The new project’s goal is to eliminate the time and energy required to heat these parts to around 900°C (red-hot) by creating steels that will meet the safety requirement and still be formable at room temperature,” said Kester Clarke, one of the Los Alamos researchers. The current method for forming safety-critical “b-pillars” for automotive applications is a process called hot-stamping.
As experts in phase transformations in steels, microstructural evolution and alloying/processing response, researchers will use specialized Los Alamos capabilities to help meet the project’s advanced manufacturing initiatives.
The project, “Quenching and Partitioning Process Development to Replace Hot Stamping of High Strength Automotive Steel,” is led by CSM Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Professor Emmanuel De Moor, along with colleagues David Matlock and John Speer of the school’s Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center. Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers Amy Clarke (a Mines alumna), Robert Hackenberg and Kester Clarke (also a Mines graduate) are also part of the effort as well as industrial partners AK Steel, General Motors Corporation, Nucor Steel, Severstal, Toyota and United States Steel Corporation.
Specialized equipment at Los Alamos such as a quench dilatometer will be used to provide critical details about phase transformations during heating and cooling, which will, in turn, guide the development of steel compositions and thermal processing routes. Advanced microstructure characterization techniques, including electron microscopy, neutron diffraction and bulk thermal- and deformation-processing capabilities will be used to simulate industrial-scale processing.
The project is part of a DOE $23.5 million investment in innovative manufacturing R&D projects. This new funding for advanced manufacturing—as well as $54 million invested in 13 projects during the first round of selections in June of 2012—will serve as a ground floor investment in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's new Clean Energy Manufacturing Initiative. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Office hosted a summit in Washington DC June 24-25.
Friday, July 19, 2013
U.S. MILITARY CONTRACTS AWARDED FOR JULY 19, 2013
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
FOR RELEASE AT
5 p.m. ET No. 526-13
July 19, 2013
Contracts
Army
Dell Federal Systems LP, Round Rock, Texas, (W91QUZ-07-D-0006); International Business Machine Corp., Bethesda, Md., (W91QUZ-07-D-0007); Unicom Government Inc., Herndon, Va., (W91QUZ-07-D-0008); CDW Government LLC, Vernon Hills, Ill., (W91QUZ-07-D-0009); Iron Bow Technologies LLC, Chantilly, Va., (W91QUZ-07-D-0010); and World Wide Technology Inc., Maryland Heights, Mo., (W91QUZ-07-D-0011); were awarded a firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, task-order contract with a maximum value of $494,000,000 for the hardware, software and related integration services in support of the Information Technology Enterprise Solution-2. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 18 bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Thales -- Raytheon Systems Company LLC, Fullerton, Calif., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract with a maximum value of $83,500,000 for spare parts, components and repairs for various radar systems. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-13-D-C104).
Bosh Global Services, Newport News, Va., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, multi-year, option-filled contract with a maximum value of $60,000,000 for small unmanned aircraft systems training, logistics support and technical management services. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala. Fiscal 2013 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,000 are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with seven bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity (W911QY-13-D-0097).
FSA + JKC Joint Venture One LLC, Tampa, Fla., was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum value of $53,822,000 for the renovation of Scott Barracks at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. Fiscal 2013 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with six bids received. The Army Contracting Command, West Point, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W911SD-13-C-0007).
Greenway Enterprises Inc., Helena, Mont., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, task-order contract with a maximum value of $49,000,000 for construction projects for western states, primarily in Utah, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Md., is the contracting activity (W912DR-13-D-0023).
Northrop Grumman, Rolling Meadows, Ill., was awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, multi-year contract with a maximum value of $17,225,000 for the procurement of repair and calibration of secondary items in support of the integrated family of test equipment. Fiscal 2013 procurement funds in the amount of $200,000 are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-13-D-0038).
GPS Source Inc., Pueblo West, Colo., was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum value of $16,613,430 for the procurement of defense advanced global positioning system receiver distributed devices. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-13-D-C116).
Navy
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $9,552,979 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide security hardware, associated software, equipment installation, system test, accreditation, certification and delivery of nuclear weapon security system equipment at U.S. Navy Installations. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $10,917,152. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif. (34.2 percent); Kings Bay, Ga. (28.49 percent); Silverdale, Wash. (12.17 percent); Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (11.62 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (9.3 percent); Honolulu, Hawaii (4.22 percent). Work is expected to be completed Oct. 30, 2015. If all the options are exercised, work will continue through March 31, 2016. Fiscal 2013 Other Procurement, Navy, Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy, and Research, Development, Test & Evaluation contract funds in the amount of $9,552,979 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $484,750 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-6 and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00030-13-C-0043).
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a $7,526,038 cost-plus-award-fee modification to the previously awarded task order under a Basic Ordering Agreement (N00024-09-G-2301 ER09) to provide engineering and management services for advance planning and design in support of the post-shakedown availability for the USS Independence (LCS 2). Bath Iron Works will provide design, planning, and material support services for the vessel. Efforts will include program management, advance planning, engineering, design, material kitting, liaison, and scheduling. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (55 percent), and San Diego, Calif. (45 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2014. Fiscal 2013 Research, Development, Test & Evaluation and Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $7,526,038 will be obligated at the time of award. Funding in the amount of $602,083 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Basic Ordering Agreement was awarded on a sole-source basis pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c)(1). The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Bath, Maine, is the contracting activity.
FOR RELEASE AT
5 p.m. ET No. 526-13
July 19, 2013
Contracts
Army
Dell Federal Systems LP, Round Rock, Texas, (W91QUZ-07-D-0006); International Business Machine Corp., Bethesda, Md., (W91QUZ-07-D-0007); Unicom Government Inc., Herndon, Va., (W91QUZ-07-D-0008); CDW Government LLC, Vernon Hills, Ill., (W91QUZ-07-D-0009); Iron Bow Technologies LLC, Chantilly, Va., (W91QUZ-07-D-0010); and World Wide Technology Inc., Maryland Heights, Mo., (W91QUZ-07-D-0011); were awarded a firm-fixed-price, multiple-award, task-order contract with a maximum value of $494,000,000 for the hardware, software and related integration services in support of the Information Technology Enterprise Solution-2. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with 18 bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity.
Thales -- Raytheon Systems Company LLC, Fullerton, Calif., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, multi-year contract with a maximum value of $83,500,000 for spare parts, components and repairs for various radar systems. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-13-D-C104).
Bosh Global Services, Newport News, Va., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, multi-year, option-filled contract with a maximum value of $60,000,000 for small unmanned aircraft systems training, logistics support and technical management services. Work will be performed in Huntsville, Ala. Fiscal 2013 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $5,000 are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with seven bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity (W911QY-13-D-0097).
FSA + JKC Joint Venture One LLC, Tampa, Fla., was awarded a firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum value of $53,822,000 for the renovation of Scott Barracks at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. Fiscal 2013 operations and maintenance funds are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with six bids received. The Army Contracting Command, West Point, N.Y., is the contracting activity (W911SD-13-C-0007).
Greenway Enterprises Inc., Helena, Mont., was awarded a firm-fixed-price, task-order contract with a maximum value of $49,000,000 for construction projects for western states, primarily in Utah, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Md., is the contracting activity (W912DR-13-D-0023).
Northrop Grumman, Rolling Meadows, Ill., was awarded a cost-plus-fixed-fee, multi-year contract with a maximum value of $17,225,000 for the procurement of repair and calibration of secondary items in support of the integrated family of test equipment. Fiscal 2013 procurement funds in the amount of $200,000 are being obligated on this award. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with one bid received. The Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-13-D-0038).
GPS Source Inc., Pueblo West, Colo., was awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, firm-fixed-price contract with a maximum value of $16,613,430 for the procurement of defense advanced global positioning system receiver distributed devices. Performance location and funding will be determined with each order. The bid was solicited through the Internet, with two bids received. The Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-13-D-C116).
Navy
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co., Sunnyvale, Calif., is being awarded a $9,552,979 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to provide security hardware, associated software, equipment installation, system test, accreditation, certification and delivery of nuclear weapon security system equipment at U.S. Navy Installations. This contract contains options, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $10,917,152. Work will be performed in Sunnyvale, Calif. (34.2 percent); Kings Bay, Ga. (28.49 percent); Silverdale, Wash. (12.17 percent); Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. (11.62 percent); Pittsfield, Mass. (9.3 percent); Honolulu, Hawaii (4.22 percent). Work is expected to be completed Oct. 30, 2015. If all the options are exercised, work will continue through March 31, 2016. Fiscal 2013 Other Procurement, Navy, Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy, and Research, Development, Test & Evaluation contract funds in the amount of $9,552,979 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $484,750 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not competitively procured in accordance with FAR 6.302-6 and 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). The Navy's Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00030-13-C-0043).
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, is being awarded a $7,526,038 cost-plus-award-fee modification to the previously awarded task order under a Basic Ordering Agreement (N00024-09-G-2301 ER09) to provide engineering and management services for advance planning and design in support of the post-shakedown availability for the USS Independence (LCS 2). Bath Iron Works will provide design, planning, and material support services for the vessel. Efforts will include program management, advance planning, engineering, design, material kitting, liaison, and scheduling. Work will be performed in Bath, Maine (55 percent), and San Diego, Calif. (45 percent), and is expected to be completed by March 2014. Fiscal 2013 Research, Development, Test & Evaluation and Fiscal 2013 Operations & Maintenance, Navy funding in the amount of $7,526,038 will be obligated at the time of award. Funding in the amount of $602,083 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Basic Ordering Agreement was awarded on a sole-source basis pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c)(1). The Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair, Bath, Maine, is the contracting activity.
SECRETARY OF STATE HAGEL SAYS SPECIAL OPS FORCES VALUABLE TO SECURITY
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Stresses Value of Special Operations Forces to Security
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Steven Fox
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., July 18, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel highlighted the value of special operations forces during a visit with Marines at the Stone Bay facility here yesterday.
The secretary told Marines and sailors of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command that MARSOC's strength lies in its seasoned Marines who are capable of dealing with developing situations in a complex operational environment.
"Special operations are going to continue to be a critical, critical component of our national security," Hagel said. "I see a tremendous future. We can learn a lot from what special operations does. It's going to be a main piece of our national defense strategy."
Defense Department officials said the purpose of Hagel's visit was to candidly engage with Marines and sailors here on military budget cut impacts and to gain understanding of how MARSOC plans to posture an enabled Marine Special Operations Company for current and future operations.
In meeting with service members here, the secretary expressed his appreciation to them and their families for their continued sacrifice.
"I understand that I'm the first secretary of defense to visit MARSOC, and let me just say thank you," he said. "I try to come out to better understand my job so that I can better support you."
Hagel also stressed that current budget realities in a dangerous world require the Defense Department to learn to do more with less.
"The last 10 or 12 years, the defense budget has been unchallenged, and those days are over," he said. "We have to be more agile and flexible."
Hagel Stresses Value of Special Operations Forces to Security
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Steven Fox
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., July 18, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel highlighted the value of special operations forces during a visit with Marines at the Stone Bay facility here yesterday.
The secretary told Marines and sailors of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command that MARSOC's strength lies in its seasoned Marines who are capable of dealing with developing situations in a complex operational environment.
"Special operations are going to continue to be a critical, critical component of our national security," Hagel said. "I see a tremendous future. We can learn a lot from what special operations does. It's going to be a main piece of our national defense strategy."
Defense Department officials said the purpose of Hagel's visit was to candidly engage with Marines and sailors here on military budget cut impacts and to gain understanding of how MARSOC plans to posture an enabled Marine Special Operations Company for current and future operations.
In meeting with service members here, the secretary expressed his appreciation to them and their families for their continued sacrifice.
"I understand that I'm the first secretary of defense to visit MARSOC, and let me just say thank you," he said. "I try to come out to better understand my job so that I can better support you."
Hagel also stressed that current budget realities in a dangerous world require the Defense Department to learn to do more with less.
"The last 10 or 12 years, the defense budget has been unchallenged, and those days are over," he said. "We have to be more agile and flexible."
EPA WILL FUND $9.5 MILLION FOR GREAT LAKES RESTORATION INITIATIVE GRANTS
FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Up To $9.5 Million Available From EPA for 2013 Great Lakes Restoration Projects
CHICAGO – (July 15, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a Request for Applications soliciting proposals from states, municipalities, tribes, universities and nonprofit organizations for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants to fund new projects to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Up to $9.5 million will be available during the current funding cycle. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects in the Great Lakes basin. Applications are due August 14, 2013.
"This round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will be used for projects that reduce exposure to toxic substances from fish consumption, control invasive species, and improve water quality in the Great Lakes," said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager Susan Hedman. "The work funded by these grants will help to restore and protect waters that are essential to the health and jobs of millions of Americans."
Up To $9.5 Million Available From EPA for 2013 Great Lakes Restoration Projects
CHICAGO – (July 15, 2013) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today issued a Request for Applications soliciting proposals from states, municipalities, tribes, universities and nonprofit organizations for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative grants to fund new projects to restore and protect the Great Lakes. Up to $9.5 million will be available during the current funding cycle. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis for projects in the Great Lakes basin. Applications are due August 14, 2013.
"This round of Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding will be used for projects that reduce exposure to toxic substances from fish consumption, control invasive species, and improve water quality in the Great Lakes," said EPA Great Lakes National Program Manager Susan Hedman. "The work funded by these grants will help to restore and protect waters that are essential to the health and jobs of millions of Americans."
AMOUNT OF WATER TREES NEED AND THE CHANGING ATMOSPHERE
 |
| On the ground: looking into Harvard Forest's trees from a less lofty perch. Credit: NSF Harvard Forest LTER Site |
Changing Atmosphere Affects How Much Water Trees Need
Spurred by increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, forests over the last two decades have become dramatically more efficient in how they use water.
Scientists affiliated with the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site report the results in this week's issue of the journal Nature.
Harvard Forest is one of 26 such NSF LTER sites in ecosystems from deserts to grasslands, coral reefs to coastal waters, around the world.
Studies have long predicted that plants would begin to use water more efficiently, that is, lose less water during photosynthesis, as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose.
A research team led by Trevor Keenan and Andrew Richardson of Harvard University, however, has found that forests across the globe are losing less water than expected and becoming even more efficient at using it for growth.
Using data collected in forests in the northeastern United States and elsewhere around the world, Keenan and Richardson found increases in efficiency larger than those predicted by state-of-the-art computer models.
The research was done in collaboration with scientists from the USDA Forest Service, Ohio State University, Indiana University and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany.
"This could be considered a beneficial effect of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide," said Keenan, the first author of the Nature paper.
"What's surprising is we didn't expect the effect to be this big. A large proportion of the ecosystems in the world are limited by water--they don't have enough water during the year to reach their maximum potential growth.
"If they become more efficient at using water, they should be able to take more carbon out of the atmosphere due to higher growth rates."
While increased atmospheric carbon dioxide may benefit forests in the short-term, Richardson emphasized that the overall climate picture would remain grim if levels continue to rise.
"We're still very concerned about what rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide mean for the planet," Richardson said.
"There is little doubt that as carbon dioxide continues to rise--and last month we just passed a critical milestone, 400 parts per million for the first time in human history--rising global temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns will, in coming decades, have very negative consequences for plant growth in many ecosystems around the world."
How do increasing carbon dioxide levels lead to more efficient water use?
The answer, Keenan said, is in the way photosynthesis works.
To take in the carbon dioxide they need, plants open tiny pores, called stomata, on their leaves. As carbon dioxide enters, however, water vapor is able to escape.
Higher levels of carbon dioxide mean the stomata don't need to open as wide, or for as long, so the plants lose less water and grow faster.
To take advantage of that fact, commercial growers have for years pumped carbon dioxide into greenhouses to promote plant growth.
To test whether such a "carbon dioxide fertilization effect" was taking place in forests, Keenan, Richardson and others turned to long-term data measured using a technique called eddy covariance.
This method, which relies on sophisticated instruments mounted on tall towers extending above the forest canopy, allows researchers to determine how much carbon dioxide and water are going into and out of the ecosystem.
With more than 20 years of data, the towers at the NSF Harvard Forest LTER site--which have the longest continuous record in the world--are an important resource for studying how forests have responded to changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, scientists say.
"A goal of the NSF LTER program is understanding forest ecosystems and the basis for predicting fluxes of energy and materials in these ecosystems," said Matt Kane, program director in NSF's Division of Environmental Biology, "as well as distributions of forest biota as a result of global climate change."
"Findings from this study are important to our understanding of forest ecosystems--and how they can be managed more effectively now and in the future."
Though more than 300 towers like Harvard Forest's have sprung up around the globe, many of the earliest--and hence with the longest data records--are in the northeastern United States.
When the researchers began to look at those records, they found that forests were storing more carbon and becoming more efficient in how they used water.
The phenomenon, however, wasn't limited to a single region. When the scientists examined long-term data sets from all over the world, the same trend was evident.
"We went through every possible hypothesis of what could be going on, and ultimately what we were left with is that the only phenomenon that could cause this type of shift in water-use efficiency is rising atmospheric carbon dioxide," Keenan said.
Going forward, Keenan, who is now at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, is working to get access to data collected from yet more sites, including several that monitor tropical and arctic systems.
"This larger dataset will help us better understand the extent of the response we observed," he said.
"That in turn will help us build better models, and improve predictions of the future of the Earth's climate.
"Right now, all the models we have underrepresent this effect by as much as an order of magnitude, so the question is: What are the models not getting? What do they need to incorporate to capture this effect, and how will that affect their projections for climate change?"
The research was also supported by NOAA. Field measurements at the sites, which are part of the AmeriFlux network, have also been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the USDA Forest Service.
-NSF-
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)