U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY CYBER TEAM DOES WELL IN COMPETITION

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE 
Academy cyber team showcases international prowess 
 Published December 13, 2013
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --

The Air Force Academy's Cyber Competition team placed first out of 47 teams in the western hemisphere, and fifth among 123 teams overall in the University of California Santa Barbara International Capture the Flag cyber competition Dec. 6.

In the competition, each university team received an identical computer with a collection of 10 vulnerable services, and had to simultaneously protect their machines, attack services on other team's computers and identify malicious network traffic.

"The competition required me to learn skills to rapidly develop software to exercise the vulnerabilities in the competition, which, in itself, is exhilarating," said Cadet 2nd Class Kevin Cooper.

Fellow team members said they relished the continually-evolving challenges.

"There are always new problems and puzzles in these competitions," said Cadet 3rd Class Josh Hayden. "I was really glad that even though I am the newest member of the team, I was still able to contribute to our success."

"Being on the cyber team has helped me greatly in preparing to be a cyberspace operations officer in the Air Force, and it gives more context on the threats we'll face defending the U.S. in cyber," said Cadet 1st Class Ryan Zacher, the team captain.

The Cyber Competition Team was coached by Dr. Martin Carlisle, the Academy Center for Cyberspace Research director, with assistance from Maj. David Caswell, Maj. Mike Chiaramonte and Capt. David Hancock, all from the Academy's Computer Sciences Department.

"It's a privilege to be able to work with the Cyber Competition Team," Carlisle said. "They continually impress me with their level of dedication and how successfully they compete on the international stage."

This is the latest in a series of top finishes for the Cyber Competition team, which has showcased its cyber-prowess in a growing number of competitions worldwide. In September, the team placed 10th of 349 undergraduate teams from the U.S. and Canada in the New York University Poly Cyber Security Awareness Week Capture the Flag qualifiers.

The team won the National Security Agency's Cyber Defense Exercise for 2012 and 2013, as well as taking home cyber trophies in 2003 and 2006.

The Academy Cyber Competition team members who competed in this latest cyber competition are Cadets 1st Class Ryan Zacher, Sam Kiekhaefer, Chase King, Keane Lucas, Ray Sou, and Chad Speer; Cadets 2nd Class Matt Aust, Kevin Cooper, Zach Madison, and Bill Parks, and Cadets 3rd Class CJ Edwards, Josh Hayden, Justin Niquette and Eric Wardner.

(Courtesy of U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs)

CDC TOUTS BENEFITS OF INFLUENZA VACCINATIONS

FROM:  CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION 
Influenza Illnesses and Hospitalizations Averted by Influenza Vaccination — United States, 2012–13 Influenza Season

Influenza vaccination produces a substantial health benefit in terms of preventing illness, medical visits and hospitalizations, but further raising vaccination rates and producing more effective vaccines would greatly increase the benefits realized by influenza vaccination in the United States. In this report, CDC uses a model first published in June 2013 to estimate the number of influenza-associated illnesses, medically attended illnesses and hospitalizations that were prevented last season as a result of flu vaccination. Based on this model, CDC estimates that flu vaccination in 2012-2013 reduced the numbers of flu illnesses, medically attended illnesses and hospitalizations by 17 percent over what would have occurred in the absence of influenza vaccination. This report shows the benefits of the flu vaccination program in terms of reducing flu illnesses, including serious illnesses resulting in hospitalizations.

SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA WILL BE PART OF DOD RANDOM DRUG TESTING

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
DOD Adds Synthetic Marijuana to Random Drug Testing
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2013 – The Defense Department has expanded its zero tolerance for the use of illicit drugs to include synthetic marijuana, also known as “spice,” the director of DOD’s drug testing and program policy said here today.
In an interview with American Forces Press Service and the Pentagon Channel, Army Lt. Col. Tom Martin said that in addition to the broad range of drugs for which the military already randomly tests service members, synthetic marijuana will also be included.

“The message we’re getting out now is that when you participate in our random urinalysis program, synthetic marijuana products or synthetic marijuana will now be tested along with our other drugs,” he said. “It’s been known in the general population, both in the medical community and various media reports, that synthetic marijuana drug use is a serious health concern.”

Martin noted that while the military typically has a much lower level of drug use than in society at large, synthetic marijuana “still poses a significant risk to both the safety and readiness of our force.”

“Prior to synthetic marijuana being banned,” he said, “the department went out and did a random study looking at a sampling of military urine specimens from all the different services to see if synthetic marijuana was being used by our members. At that time, the positive rate, or the number of service members who tested positive, was about 2.5 percent.”

To put that in perspective, he said, in 2012 the overall positive rate for all the drugs tested for in the urinalysis program was 0.9 percent.

“In 2012, synthetic marijuana products were banned through legislation,” Martin said. “So we went back and did a similar study, and what we found is that the actual numbers went down.” However, he added, a high number of service members are using synthetic marijuana.

In addition to testing for synthetic marijuana, Martin said, the military also randomly tests all service members for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines and other drugs in the amphetamine class, including methamphetamines and the drug known as “ecstasy.” The test also looks for codeine and morphine, oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, Vicodin, and different diazepines, such as Valium and Xanax.

Martin said even deployed troops are subject to random drug testing. “They are still mandated to be tested under the military’s random urinalysis program; however, the frequency is determined by the operational tempo,” he said.
If a random drug testing detects the presence of illegal drugs, Martin said, troops are subject to punishment under military law guidelines.

“Any service member who tests positive for either an illicit drug or misuse of a prescription drug falls under any actions deemed appropriate under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, as well actions that are appropriate as deemed by their commander,” he said.

With the addition of synthetic marijuana to an already stringent drug testing policy, Martin reiterated the department’s commitment to zero tolerance for the abuse of illicit drugs.

“All service members participating in our urinalysis program will be tested for cannabinoids,” he said. “And if they do test positive, they will be dealt with according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

MAN CHARGED WITH TRYING TO EXPLODE CAR BOMB AT WICHITA AREA AIRPORT

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, December 13, 2013
Kansas Man Charged in Plot to Explode Car Bomb at Airport

A man has been charged in federal court with attempting to explode a car bomb at Wichita Mid Continent Airport, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John Carlin and U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced today. The defendant was arrested as part of an FBI undercover investigation, and the device used by the defendant was, in fact, inert and at no time posed a danger to the public.

Terry Lee Loewen, 58, of Wichita, Kan., is charged in a criminal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court in Wichita with one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, one count of attempting to damage property by means of an explosive and one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

“There was no breach of Mid-Continent’s Airport’s security,” said U.S. Attorney Grissom.  “At no time was the safety of travelers or members of the public placed in jeopardy.”

Loewen, who works as an avionics technician, is alleged to have spent months developing a plan that involved using his access card to airport grounds to drive a van loaded with explosives to the terminal.  He planned to pull the trigger on the explosives himself and die in the explosion.

Agents arrested Loewen about 5:40 a.m. Friday after he attempted to enter the airport tarmac and deliver a vehicle loaded with what he believed were high explosives.  Members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) took him into custody without incident.

Loewen has been under investigation by the Wichita Joint Terrorism Task Force since early summer 2013. It is alleged that, prior to his attempted attack, he made statements that he was resolved to commit an act of violent jihad against the United States. Over a period of months, he took a series of actions to advance the plot. According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, Loewen:

studied the layout of the airport and took photographs of access points;
researched flight schedules;  
assisted in acquiring components for the car bomb;
and talked about his commitment to trigger the device and martyr himself.

On Friday, Loewen went to Mid-Continent Airport to detonate the car bomb.  He was taken into custody when he attempted to open a security access gate. FBI Evidence Response Teams are executing search warrants related to the case.  Although the investigation is ongoing, no additional arrests are anticipated.

“Lone wolves - home grown violent extremists remain a very serious threat to our nation’s security, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael Kaste.  “Today’s arrest emphasizes the continual need for the public to remain vigilant as law enforcement relies on the public’s assistance.”

If convicted, Loewen would face a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.

The investigation was conducted by the Wichita FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes members from the FBI, Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Highway Patrol. Assisting with the investigation were the FBI Kansas City Division, the Transportation Security Administration, the Wichita Airport Authority, and the Wichita Police Department.

The case is being handled by prosecutors from the United States Attorney’s Office and the Justice Department’s National Security Division.
 
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The charges merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S MESSAGE TO CONGRESS REGARDING WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
December 13, 2013
Message to the Congress -- Report Consistent with War Powers Resolution
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

I am providing this supplemental consolidated report, prepared by my Administration and consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148), as part of my efforts to keep the Congress informed about deployments of U.S. Armed Forces equipped for combat.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN SUPPORT OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM OBJECTIVES

In furtherance of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, the United States continues to work with partners around the globe, with a particular focus on the U.S. Central Command's and U.S. Africa Command's areas of responsibility. In this context, the United States has deployed U.S. combat-equipped forces to enhance the counterterrorism capabilities and support the counterterrorism operations of our friends and allies, including special operations and other forces for sensitive operations in various locations around the world. Specific information about counterterrorism deployments to select countries is provided below, and a classified annex to this report provides further information.

Military Operations Against al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and Associated Forces and in Support of Related U.S. Counterterrorism Objectives

Since October 7, 2001, the United States has conducted combat operations in Afghanistan against al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces. In support of these and other overseas operations, the United States has deployed combat-equipped forces to a number of locations in the U.S. Central, Pacific, European, Southern, and Africa Command areas of operation. Such operations and deployments have been reported previously, consistent with Public Law 107-40 and the War Powers Resolution, and operations and deployments remain ongoing. These operations, which the United States has carried out with the assistance of numerous international partners, have been successful in seriously degrading al-Qa'ida's capabilities and brought an end to the Taliban's leadership of Afghanistan.

The United States is committed to thwarting the efforts of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces to carry out future acts of international terrorism, and we have continued to work with our counterterrorism partners to disrupt and degrade the capabilities of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces. As necessary, in response to this terrorist threat, I will direct additional measures to protect U.S. citizens and interests. It is not possible to know at this time the precise scope or the duration of the deployments of U.S. Armed Forces necessary to counter this terrorist threat to the United States.

Afghanistan. United States Armed Forces continue to pursue and engage remaining al-Qa'ida and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan while transitioning to an Afghan security lead. There are approximately 55,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and the United States Armed Forces are on track to meet the Afghanistan Force Management Level of 34,000 by February 12, 2014.

The United Nations (U.N.) Security Council most recently extended its authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan until December 31, 2014, in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2120 (October 10, 2013). The mission of ISAF, under North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) command and in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is to reduce the capability and will of the insurgency, support the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and facilitate improvements in governance and socio-economic development in order to provide a secure environment for sustainable stability that is observable to the population. Forty-eight nations, including the United States and all 28 NATO members, contribute forces to ISAF. For the last few years, the ISAF campaign has focused on preparing the ANSF for full security transition in 2014.

In June 2013, at the "Milestone 2013" ceremony, the ANSF assumed the lead for security nationwide. ISAF is now in support of the ANSF. The only unilateral operations that ISAF conducts are in support of its own security, sustainment, and redeployment. In the coming months, ISAF will focus on developing the sustainability of the ANSF and assisting the ANSF as the Afghan government plans for the elections in 2014. The security transition process -- as agreed to at the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon and reaffirmed at the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago -- remains on track and the ANSF are expected to assume full responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

As I noted in my report of June 14, 2013, on March 25, 2013, the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Afghan government under which the United States transferred all Afghan nationals detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan to the custody and control of the Afghan government. Pursuant to the MOU, any new Afghan detainees are to be transferred to Afghan custody and control within 96 hours after capture. United States forces in Afghanistan continue to detain approximately 53 third-country nationals under the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), as informed by the law of war.

Libya. In Libya, on October 5, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces captured longtime al-Qa'ida member Abu Anas al Libi.

Somalia. In Somalia, the U.S. military has worked to counter the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida and associated elements of al-Shabaab. On the night of October 4, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces conducted a raid in Somalia to capture a member of al-Qa'ida who is also a top commander in the terrorist group al-Shabaab. The operation did not result in the capture of the targeted individual.

Yemen. The U.S. military has also been working closely with the Yemeni government to dismantle operationally and ultimately eliminate the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qa'ida today. Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and senior leaders in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests.

Cuba. Combat-equipped forces, deployed since January 2002 to the Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, continue to conduct humane and secure detention operations for the approximately 162 detainees at Guantanamo Bay under the authority provided by the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), as informed by the law of war.

Military Operations in Niger in Support of U.S. Counterterrorism Objectives

As indicated in my report of June 14, 2013, U.S. military personnel in Niger continue to provide support for intelligence collection and to facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali and with other partners in the region. The total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger is approximately 200.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA

In October and November 2011, U.S. military personnel with appropriate combat equipment deployed to Uganda to serve as advisors to regional forces of the African Union Regional Task Force (AU-RTF) that are working to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and other senior Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leaders from the battlefield, and to protect local populations. The number of U.S. military personnel deployed to the central Africa region, including advisors deployed for this mission and personnel providing logistical and support functions to this and other missions, is approximately 120.

United States forces are working with select partner nation forces of the AU-RTF to enhance cooperation, information-sharing and synchronization, operational planning, and overall effectiveness. Elements of these U.S. forces have deployed to forward locations in the LRA-affected areas, including the Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic in order to enhance regional efforts against the LRA. These forces, however, will not engage LRA forces except in self-defense. It is in the U.S. national security interest to help our regional partners in Africa to develop their capability to address threats to regional peace and security, including the threat posed by the LRA. The United States is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to help the governments and people of this region in their efforts to end the threat posed by the LRA and to address the impact of the LRA's atrocities.

MARITIME INTERCEPTION OPERATIONS

As noted in previous reports, the United States remains prepared to conduct maritime interception operations on the high seas in the areas of responsibility of each of the geographic combatant commands. These maritime operations are aimed at stopping the movement, arming, and financing of certain international terrorist groups, and also include operations aimed at stopping proliferation by sea of weapons of mass destruction and related materials.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN EGYPT

Approximately 715 military personnel are assigned to the U.S. contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers, which have been present in Egypt since 1981.

MILITARY OPERATIONS IN JORDAN

As detailed in my report of June 21, 2013, at the request of the Government of Jordan, a combat-equipped detachment of approximately 700 U.S. personnel remain in Jordan following participation in a training exercise that ended on June 20, 2013. The detachment includes Patriot missile systems, fighter aircraft, and related support, command, control, and communications personnel and systems. These forces joined U.S. forces already in Jordan for a total of approximately 1,500 U.S. military personnel. These forces will remain in Jordan, in full coordination with the Government of Jordan, until the security situation becomes such that they are no longer needed.

U.S./NATO OPERATIONS IN KOSOVO

The U.N. Security Council authorized Member States to establish a NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Resolution 1244 on June 10, 1999. The original mission of KFOR was to monitor, verify, and, when necessary, enforce compliance with the Military Technical Agreement between NATO and the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia), while maintaining a safe and secure environment. Today, KFOR deters renewed hostilities in cooperation with local authorities, bilateral partners, and international institutions. The principal military tasks of KFOR forces are to help maintain a safe and secure environment and to ensure freedom of movement throughout Kosovo.

Currently, 23 NATO Allies contribute to KFOR. Eight non-NATO countries also participate. The U.S. contribution to KFOR is approximately 670 U.S. military personnel out of the total strength of approximately 4,900 personnel.

REGIONAL SECURITY OPERATIONS

As stated in my report of June 14, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces remain in Libya and Yemen to support the security of U.S. personnel. These forces will remain deployed, in full coordination with the respective host governments, until the security situation no longer requires them.

Additional information about regional security operations is provided in the classified annex.

I have directed the participation of U.S. Armed Forces in all of these operations pursuant to my constitutional and statutory authority as Commander in Chief (including the authority to carry out Public Law 107-40 and other statutes) and as Chief Executive, as well as my constitutional and statutory authority to conduct the foreign relations of the United States. Officials of my Administration and I communicate regularly with the leadership and other Members of Congress with regard to these deployments, and we will continue to do so.

Sincerely,

BARACK OBAMA

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS TO U.S. CONSULATE STAFF/FAMILIES IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

FROM:   U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Meeting With Consulate Ho Chi Minh Staff and Families
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear
U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 14, 2013

AMBASSADOR SHEAR: Welcome, everybody. Mr. Secretary, I’d like to introduce you to team Ho Chi Minh City. (Cheering and applause.) I’d like especially to introduce you to our new Marine detachment, five new Marines led by Staff Sergeant Childress. Where are you? (Applause.) There they are. I’d like also to welcome 10 or 12 loyal employees of the embassy, who worked for us prior to 1975. There they are. (Applause.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Wow.

AMBASSADOR SHEAR: I’d like to recognize the great locally employed staff here, as well as the American staff. Mr. Secretary, without the folks you see here, we just couldn’t do what we do.

So, without further ado, I give you Secretary of State John Kerry. Thank you very much. (Applause.)

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador. Chao cac ong cac ba. Nice to see you all. I’m very, very happy to be here. I want to thank our ambassador, David Shear, for his terrific work. He’s winding up here. He’s been here for over two years, now. And we are lucky to have good professionals like him and Rena Bitter. Thank you, Rena, for serving as CG here. She’s newly here.

But what a great facility here now. I must say last time I was in Ho Chi Minh City – I still – I slip all the time, I call it Saigon, you know. Shhh. (Laughter.) But the embassy was still here, the old embassy building that you worked in. And this obviously came into being in 1997, so it’s changed a little bit. Am I right, 1997 it came into being? So I guess the embassy building would have been torn down by then, because I was here in 2000 with President Clinton, but we didn’t come into the consulate. That’s the difference. Okay, I got it. Just refreshing.

Obviously, this is a very historic place, as you all know. And this memorial behind me documents both the downside of the history and the upside of the history. And what we’re looking at today is the upside of the history, which you all are working on brilliantly, and I’m very, very grateful for you for doing that.

When I was here, I was here in 1968, ’69, and I came up here to what was then Saigon in 1969. And I remember sitting up on the roof of the Rex Hotel, and none of these other tall buildings were here, none of them. And we sat up there, and it was – I was very – I had gotten away from my unit for a couple of days, and I was here for some meetings. And we would sit up there, and we were having a beer, which we couldn’t have normally where we were, and you’d look out at the flares all around the city. And every so often you’d here this brrt of gunfire from what we called Puff the Magic Dragon, that was flying around, which was a C-130 that would shoot. It was really eerie. I can’t tell you how totally bizarre it was to be sitting on top of a hotel, having a beer, sitting around, talking with people – a lot of press people used to hang out there – while all around you, you would be seeing and hearing the sounds of a war. And that was the sort of strangeness and duality of that period of time.

It led Senator McCain and me – and he spent, obviously, a different kind of time here; he was up north in Hanoi in prison. And when we both got to the United States Senate, we both felt compelled to try to find a way to change the relationship, to end the war. In many ways, the war hadn’t ended. Even though we weren’t here fighting, there was a war going on still about what had happened and who was responsible and did we have prisoners of war left behind or didn’t we. There were very high emotions about it.

And so, we set about to try to change that. And for 10 years – literally, for 10 years – we worked in order to get, first, the George H.W. Bush Administration to change the policy on the embargo. And then we worked on the Bill Clinton Administration to normalize relations. And in the year 2000, President Clinton became the first President of the United States to visit Vietnam since Lyndon Johnson. And I was pleased and honored to be able to come here with him and be here in this city, as we visited and tried to move to this new relationship.

Now, all of you are carrying that on. You are the ones really defining this new relationship in modern terms, as Vietnam goes through this enormous transformation. I can’t tell you how much of a transformation it is. None of these big, tall buildings were here 20 years ago. And now there are – 40 percent of the country is under the age of 25, a young country for whom the war is ancient history, and, by the way, for whom the war was just the American war, as opposed to the French war or the China war. It was just one of many.

And so now we have a chance to bring Vietnam into the broad community of nations in trade, in governance, and in human rights, in the rights that people have, in the way they’re respected and what their choices are in the course of their lives. These are the things that you all are working on, and we’re working on together.

We’re looking at the new trade relationship, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is an enormous opportunity to raise the standards by which people are doing business, which will have an impact on workers, on their job security, on their safety, on their pay, and on their rights. All of those things are affected. And it will create more jobs at home in America and here in Vietnam.

So we’re now on a wonderfully constructive, positive track towards the future. And every single one of you are the face of America and the values of that here, whether you are Vietnamese or another country’s national, whether you’re Foreign Service or Civil Service or TDY, or whatever you may be, political appointee. You are all the face of our consulate here, and our embassy in Hanoi, and of our country in Vietnam.

So I want to say thank you to you. I especially want to say thank you to all – we have about 257 local hires, people who work here locally, as this distinguished group did when they worked in the embassy way back in the 1960s and ’70s. And would everybody join me in saying thank you to them, their employee, for their work when they were here? It’s an honor to meet you. (Applause.) And all of the other – who are all the other local employees? Raise your hands, local employees. Thank you, all of you. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. (Applause.)

And I want to welcome the United States Marine Corps. They are the five – the first people here in the Marine Corps since 1975. And this is now our Marine security detachment here. And, gentlemen, semper fi, thank you for being here, and we thank what you’re doing. Appreciate it. Thank you. (Applause.)

So I just – look, it’s holiday time. Somebody here can tell me a good place I can go buy some Christmas presents quickly because I’m in trouble, otherwise. (Laughter.) I need some help. But on behalf of President Obama, myself – I have the honor to serve now as Secretary – there isn’t a greater honor than to serve with all of you, because every day we get to get up and go to work and try to make life better for other people. And we get to represent values that are worth fighting for. And I think every single one of you – you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t believe in that and you didn’t care about it. I thank you profoundly on behalf of your country, on behalf of me, as Secretary, on behalf of President Obama. And I wish all of you wonderful, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy whatever everybody else celebrates. Have a great time. God bless, and take care. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)

TWO ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS PLEAD GUILTY FOR ROLES IN BRIBERY AND FRAUD SCHEMES

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Friday, December 13, 2013
Two Army National Guard Soldiers Plead Guilty in Connection with Bribery and Fraud Schemes to Defraud the U.s. Army National Guard Bureau
To Date, 19 Individuals Have Pleaded Guilty in Ongoing Corruption Investigation

Two U.S. Army National Guard soldiers pleaded guilty for their roles in bribery and fraud schemes that caused a total of at least $70,000 in losses to the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau.   Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.

Specialist Edia Antoine, 28, and former Staff Sergeant Ernest Millien, 49, both of Houston, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery.   The cases against both defendants arise from an investigation involving allegations that former and current military recruiters and U.S. soldiers in the San Antonio and Houston areas engaged in a wide-ranging corruption scheme to illegally obtain fraudulent recruiting bonuses.   To date, the investigation has led to charges against 25 individuals, 19 of whom have pleaded guilty.

According to court documents filed in both cases, in approximately September 2005, the National Guard Bureau entered into a contract with Document and Packaging Broker Inc. (Docupak) to administer the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP).   The G-RAP was a recruiting program that offered monetary incentives to soldiers of the Army National Guard who referred others to join the Army National Guard.   Through this program, a participating soldier could receive up to $3,000 in bonus payments for referring another individual to join.   Based on certain milestones achieved by the referred soldier, a participating soldier would receive payment through direct deposit into the participating soldier’s designated bank account.   To participate in the program, soldiers were required to create online recruiting assistant accounts.

Antoine and Millien both admitted they paid Army National Guard recruiters for the names and Social Security numbers of potential Army National Guard soldiers.   They used the personal identifying information for these potential soldiers to claim that they were responsible for referring these potential soldiers to join the Army National Guard, when in fact they had not referred them.   As a result of these fraudulent representations, Antoine and Millien collected approximately $17,000 and at least $12,500 in fraudulent bonuses, respectively.

The charge of bribery carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss.   The charge of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss.

Antoine and Millien are scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the Southern District of Texas on June 24, 2014.

These cases are being investigated by Special Agents from the San Antonio Fraud Resident Agency of Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit.  The cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sean F. Mulryne, Mark J. Cipolletti and Heidi Boutros Gesch of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson of the Southern District of Texas.

Wetlands and Wonder

U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT SAYS ALMOST $250 MILLION BACK WAGES RECOVERED FOR WORKERS IN FISCAL 2013

FROM:  U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT 
A Quarter Billion Dollars in Back Wages

In fiscal year 2013, the Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in back wages for workers around the country whose employers improperly denied them pay they had earned. The cases processed during that 12-month period benefited more than 269,250 workers who recouped $249,954,412 in back wages. Nearly a third of that money was secured for low-wage workers. "Employers who commit minimum wage, overtime and other wage violations deny workers their full hard-earned income, and we are committed to ensuring that the money is in the hands of those who worked for it," said Laura Fortman, principal deputy administrator for the Wage and Hour Division. "That's money that they will spend on the rent, on transportation, to put food on the table, and to buy clothes for their kids." Since the beginning of 2009, the Wage and Hour Division has closed 145,884 cases nationwide, resulting in more than a billion dollars in back wages for 1,238,589 workers.

Soaring Over Titan: Extraterrestrial Land of Lakes

RECENT U.S. ARMY PHOTOS FROM AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. ARMY 
As seen through a night-vision device, a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter departs Forward Operating Base Shank to conduct a security and reconnaissance mission over Logar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The helicopter crew is assigned to the 2nd Battalion Assault, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Capt Peter Smedberg. 131204

As seen through a night-vision device, a U.S. Army HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter makes its approach into the forward arming and refueling point on Forward Operating Base Shank after completing a medical evacuation mission over Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The helicopter crew is assigned to the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Capt Peter Smedberg -

CALIFORNIA COMPANY AND PRINCIPAL CHARGED WITH COMMODITY POOL FRAUD AND MISAPPROPRIATION

FROM:  U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 
CFTC Charges Direct Investment Products, Inc. and Its Principal, Alexander Glytenko, with Commodity Pool Fraud and Misappropriation

Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil enforcement action charging Carlsbad, California-based Direct Investment Products, Inc. (DIP) and its principal, Alexander Glytenko, with fraudulently soliciting approximately $3.9 million from approximately 761 individuals residing in Russia and various former republics of the former Soviet Union to trade futures, among other products, through a commodity pool known as DIP Capital Partners (the Pool) and misappropriating at least $464,000 of the pool participant funds.

The CFTC Complaint alleges that, from approximately 2005 until approximately 2010, the Defendants, either directly or through their agents, knowingly misrepresented the Pool’s performance history to both prospective and actual participants by a) presenting profitable performance figures for various of the Pool’s funds for years in which they knew the Pool did not exist, b) presenting hypothetical trading performance without labeling it as such, and c) presenting at least two years of profitable performance results for one of the Pool’s funds when, in fact, that fund had experienced losses during those years.

Specifically, the CFTC Complaint alleges, among other things, that, in the course of soliciting prospective participants for the Pool, the Defendants fraudulently claimed that the Pool made annual profits from 2003 through 2008 ranging from 12.60% to 47.20%, and that two of the Pool’s individual funds made annual profits from 2004 through 2008 ranging from 12.01% to 41.12% and 10.16% to 49.79%, respectively. The Complaint also alleges that the Defendants made similarly fraudulent profit claims in statements provided to actual participants, with some showing historical profits going back as far as 2002.

In fact, according to the Complaint, the Pool did not even exist until 2005, the profit figures claimed by the Defendants were not reflective of actual trading, but were based on the hypothetical performance of Defendant’s proprietary trading strategy, and certified financial statements of one of the Pool’s funds showed actual losses in 2007 and 2008.

The Complaint further alleges that in 2009, at a time when the Defendants had imposed a freeze on the withdrawal of participants’ funds as a result of substantial losses incurred by the Pool, Glytenko used participants’ funds to make a loan of $464,000 from DIP to himself. This loan has never been repaid, according to the Complaint.

DIP has been registered with the CFTC as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) and as a Commodity Pool Operator (CPO) since April 2007. Glytenko has been registered as an Associated Person (AP) of DIP since April 2007.

In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks civil monetary penalties, restitution, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction against further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Alan I. Edelman, James H. Holl, III, Michelle Bougas, Dmitriy Vilenskiy, and Gretchen L. Lowe.

FORMER D.C. ACCOUNTANT RECEIVES PRISON SENTENCE FOR TAX FRAUD

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Former Washington, D.C.-Area Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud

The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that John T. Hoang, of Woodbridge, Va., was sentenced in federal district court in Washington, D.C., for willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns for the 2004 tax year.  U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon sentenced Hoang to serve 48 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release and 240 hours of community service.  Judge Leon also ordered him to pay $331,896 in restitution to the IRS.  Hoang previously pled guilty on July 31, 2013.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Hoang was a certified public accountant (CPA) and an attorney.  From January 2005 through April 2007, Hoang operated John T. Hoang CPA, a tax return preparation business,, and was one of two partners who owned Tax-Smart Technology Services.  Hoang operated these businesses from various locations in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax, Va.  In 2008, a federal district court in Virginia barred Hoang from preparing federal tax returns.

As alleged in court documents, in his capacity as a tax return preparer, Hoang prepared and supervised the preparation of client tax returns to be filed with the IRS and various state taxing authorities.  For the tax years 2004, 2005 and 2006, Hoang prepared hundreds of U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns and earned substantial income from his tax preparation activities.  Hoang further received a substantial portion of the refunds issued by the IRS to his clients through his businesses.  Despite earning revenue through his businesses of approximately $1 million in 2004; $2 million in 2005; and $3 million in 2006, Hoang failed to file any federal income tax returns or pay any federal income taxes for himself or his businesses during this time.

Hoang admitted that he prepared and caused the preparation of false and fraudulent 2004, 2005 and 2006 income tax returns for his clients.  When preparing these false tax returns and related schedules for his clients, Hoang created wholly fictitious business income and expenses for what seemed to be a technology licensing business.  The false information resulted in the client-taxpayers reporting fake losses from business activity and receiving either refunds larger than those they were entitled or decreases in the amount of taxes due.  Hoang admitted that the tax loss caused by certain false returns he prepared was greater than $30,000 per return, and that he prepared at least 24 such false returns for the 2004 through 2006 tax years.

As part of the plea agreement, Hoang admitted that the total tax loss caused by his criminal conduct is greater than $1.5 million.
 
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jorge Almonte and Jeffrey B. Bender of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS AT AMERICAN CENTER IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Remarks to Members of the American Chamber of Commerce and Fulbright Economic Teaching Program Participant
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
American Center
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 14, 2013

SECRETARY KERRY: Mr. Ambassador, David, thank you very, very much. And thank you so much for your great leadership these past years. Xin chao, Vietnam. I’m very, very happy to be here and to be back. It’s an honor for me to be here with so many people who’ve really been taking part in and contributing to the great transformation and the great success that is taking place here in Vietnam.

I’ll just share a little bit of – a little bit of nostalgia with you. When I first came back here around 1990, this was a very different country. The United States and Vietnam were still very stuck. There was an embargo, and we had not resolved difficult issues that remained from the war. Many of us dreamed of a time back then when we would think of Vietnam not in terms of war, but of only a country and the normal things that countries engage in. And I am proud and pleased to say that today, certainly for me, represents that moment.

The last time I was here was in the year 2000 with President Clinton when we came right after the normalization had taken place, and the embargo had been lifted some years earlier with President Bush, George Herbert Walker Bush. And a number of us – Senator John McCain and myself – were involved in that journey from the beginning. There were very difficult issues to still resolve. We had prisoner of war/missing in action issue which was felt deeply, as it should have been and was, by people all across America. And of course, there were issues here in Vietnam about Agent Orange and the residuals of the war.

I can’t think of two countries that have worked harder, done more, and done better to try to bring themselves together and change history and change the future and provide a future for people which is now very, very different. There are still things to be achieved, things to be done. I’ll say a few words about that. But I can remember when I touched down in Hanoi back then. I could still see all the craters from bombs. There was almost no motorbikes. Everything was a bicycle; very, very few cars. Not a stoplight worked in Hanoi at that point in time, and there were just a couple of hotels. It was a place that had been frozen in time.

No one can help but marvel at the modern Vietnam. What has taken place in just a little over 20 years is extraordinary. And so this is not a transformation that just happens by coincidence, may I say. It’s a product of the commitment and the vision of a lot of people here in this room.

I want to thank David for his job as ambassador and the work that all of our embassy personnel and consular personnel, Foreign Service, Civil Service, local hires, third national country. Everybody joins together as a team and works very, very effectively to do things.

Our ties are growing stronger every day we continue to work. We have the educational exchanges that we talked about today. And I believe that, actually, David participated in not one but I think three educational exchange programs in Asia, just as an example of the background and depth that can help to contribute to these kinds of efforts.

It is, frankly, why the vision of educators and education has been so important to this transformation. And I just want to take a moment to say that I can’t think of anyone who’s done more to help make that happen than the combined team of Tom Vallely and Ben Wilkinson, who are leading Harvard’s – Harvard University’s efforts here in Vietnam, and the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, a program I was proud to first support as a senator. And we put it in place and it was built into the largest Fulbright program in the world. Today, I think it’s the second-largest program in the world, and we’ve got to see if we can’t make it the largest again if we keep working at it. But I want to thank Tom and Ben for all that they do to contribute to this transformation.

I also want to thank the American Chamber of Commerce, and the American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and industry have also made just a gigantic difference here. AmCham’s experience in Vietnam has really ushered in a new era of cooperation for the bilateral trade agreement in 2001, to the WTO session in 2007, and now we are working on the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership. I’ll say a word about it.

But just think about this for a minute: Our bilateral trade has grown 50-fold, 50 times since 1995, to more than $25 billion a year now, and we are on track to meet our target of doubling our U.S. exports to Vietnam in five years, which was the goal that President Obama set five years ago. Vietnam has the potential to become one of the United States’ leading economic partners in the region, and we’re going to continue to work at that.

Today, we’re on the doorstep of another great transformation that could open more doors to opportunity, and it could make our partnership much more vibrant, and frankly, could make our markets a lot more energized and rewarding. What I’m talking about are the opportunities that would come from the Trans-Pacific Partnership from the high-standard trade pact that Vietnam and the United States are negotiating with 10 of our Pacific partners. The partnership’s high standards would maintain the momentum that has been created for market reforms, for modernization, for regional integration that the Government of Vietnam has actually made a priority. It will also complement Vietnam’s efforts to transform state-owned enterprises and important sectors of the economy like energy and banking, which will attract greater investment.

And today, I am happy to announce that we will provide an initial $4.2 million for USAID’s Governance for Inclusive Growth. It’s a program to help implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is not aid. I want to make that clear. This is an investment, and it’s an investment in broad-based and sustainable growth.

And I think this is just one more way that the United States wants to support Vietnam as it grows its own role in the global economy. And just think about it; you’ll see it out in the streets walking around. Forty percent of the population here is younger than 25. I was thinking about it as I was driving in, watching all the motorbikes. And I said a lot of the people riding those motorbikes were eight, nine, and ten years old when I was last here, just to give you an example of growth and time passing.

To create high-paying jobs and economic opportunity, there are a number of essential things, and I want to say something about it. You need a free market. You need a free marketplace of ideas. People need to be able to express their thoughts. You need to be able to dare to fail. You need to be able to be creative. You need to be able to talk and promote new ideas about trade and development and creation of new products.

And the United States believes firmly, as we have seen from Slovenia all the way to South Korea, that building a society that is more open and more free is critical to a country’s long-term strength and success. Vietnam has proven that greater openness is a great catalyst for a stronger and more prosperous society, and today Vietnam has an historic opportunity to prove that even further. A commitment to an open internet, to a more open society, to the rights of people to be able to exchange their ideas, to high-quality education, to a business environment that supports innovative companies, and to the protection of individual people’s human rights and their ability to be able to join together, express their views – all of these things create a more vibrant and a more powerful economy as well as a society. It strengthens a country; it doesn’t weaken it. And the United States urges leaders here to embrace that possibility and to protect those rights.

American institutions of higher learning in Vietnam already provide some of the highest-quality education in the world, and I have long supported this program, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Ho Chi Minh City, which has provided a huge number of Vietnamese officials in government now opportunities to study economic policy. And this exchange process is a wonderful way for people to see what the rest of the world is doing and bring back ideas to their own country, and not be afraid of change and of the possibilities of the future.

When I met with today’s foreign minister of Vietnam in New York City – actually, when I met him in Washington – he came to meet me first in Washington – the foreign minister handed me a photo. And I looked at the photo and I saw a young, black-haired, brown-haired John Kerry and a young foreign minister standing together outside of Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where I first met him on one of these exchanges 30 years ago or 20-whatever years ago.

That’s how it works, folks. And now there are foreign ministers, prime ministers, environment ministers, finance ministers, presidents of countries all over the world who have shared their educational experience in a different place. I’m very pleased that the leadership of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program is here today, and I look forward to working with the Vietnamese Government to establish a Fulbright University of Vietnam in the near future.

We also see a lot of innovative American companies here, and I had a chance to meet with a number of you who are engaged in entrepreneurial activity. Chad Ovel here today from AA Corporation, which has helped to introduce sustainable forestry to Vietnam and he’s helped to show that we don’t have to choose between being pro-environment and pro-economic; they go hand in hand, and the future will demand that they go hand in hand. The success of Sherry Boger at Intel and Khoa Pham at Microsoft highlights how high standards for intellectual property help to make innovation and job creation possible.

And we just did a wonderful signing ceremony in there with General Electric. General Electric is another American company that is benefitting from growing economic ties but also helping Vietnam to grow at the same time. And GE signed a deal with Vietnam Airlines back in October to sell this country’s flag carrier 1.7 billion in aircraft engines for the Boeing 787 aircraft. And a few minutes ago, as some of you saw, we just signed an agreement worth approximately $94 million for the Cong Le company to provide a second tranche of turbines for a signature wind farm project in Bac Lieu province. This project, with financing that comes from the U.S. Import-Export Bank and the Vietnam Development Bank, will help meet Vietnam’s growing demand for electricity, but it does so bringing clean power generation to the Mekong Delta and can set an example for the ways in which the new energy paradigm can be defined.

So whether – here in Vietnam, whether we are talking about our commitment to economic exchange, greater educational exchange, or our support for young entrepreneurs and a cleaner environment, I’m proud that the United States is putting a full complement of our diplomatic tools to work. And it’s clear that the partnership between Vietnam and the United States is stronger than ever, and most exciting, I am convinced we’re only just beginning. This is the beginning, and there are just enormous possibilities ahead of us. With the continued commitment of all of you in this room and your partners across the country, I am absolutely convinced the bonds between the United States and Vietnam can be the pillars of much greater prosperity and of a shared prosperity for decades to come.

And I’ll tell you something. Years ago, that vision we all had that we wanted to be able to think of Vietnam – when we said the word “Vietnam,” for years and years you’d say, “Vietnam,” and wow, you just thought about a war. And a lot of us didn’t want to do that. Now you say the word “Vietnam” and you think about a country and you think about a very changed playing field where this is one of the growing, contributing, transforming nations of the world. And I think the possibilities for the future are just gigantic. So with the right focus on the openness and freedom of the society, with the right respect for people and their rights, and with the right focus on growth and education, there is no question in my mind that all of that energy and all of that effort invested in trying to set this new direction is going to pay off big-time.

So it’s my honor to be here. Thank you very much, all of you, for joining in this. And thank you particularly to the entrepreneurs who are the ones really making this difference on the ground. It’s great to be with you. Thank you. (Applause.)

NSF LOOKS AT DIFFERENT WAYS RELATED CORAL SPECIES SURVIVE CLIMATE CHANGE

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
Related coral species differ in how they survive climate change effects
Genetic data reveal a tale of two corals
December 12, 2013

Ocean waters warming from climate change are placing coral reefs in jeopardy, but a new discovery suggests that two similar-looking coral species differ in how they survive.

One withstands warmer ocean temperatures better than the other.

"We've found that a previously unrecognized species was hiding some corals' ability to respond to climate change," says Iliana Baums, a biologist at Penn State University.

Baums led the research team that included Jennifer Boulay of Penn State, Jorge Cortes of the University of Costa Rica and Michael Hellberg of Louisiana State University.

A paper describing the discovery is published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

"These scientists have identified a 'cryptic,' or hidden, species in a common group of corals," says Michael Lesser, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.

"The two corals have very different responses to their environment," says Lesser, "and different interactions with other organisms on coral reefs."

Coral reefs protect shorelines from battering by hurricanes and generate millions of dollars in recreation revenue each year. They also provide habitat for an abundance of species used by humans as seafood and serve as a discovery ground for new medicines.

The researchers sampled the lobe coral Porites lobata in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

"The environment for reef growth isn't the best in the Eastern Tropical Pacific," says Baums, "due to seasonally cold waters, water chemistry that makes it difficult for corals to lay down their skeletons [low aragonite for calcification], and recurring warm waters from the El Niño Southern Oscillation."

The scientists found an unexpected pattern: two coral species that look deceivingly similar and sometimes live together in the same location.

The samples were not all Porites lobata, as the researchers initially thought. Instead, some belonged to the species Porites evermanni.

"That surprised us," Baums says. "The two look identical, and we thought they were the same coral species, but Porites evermanni has a very different genetic makeup.

"We knew about Porites evermanni--it's not a new species--but we didn't expect to find it in the Eastern Pacific. Usually it's in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands."

Boulay wondered if the two differed in the way they live. She found that Porites evermanni was less susceptible to bleaching than Porites lobata.

Bleaching happens when the symbiotic relationship corals have with single-celled algae inside them breaks apart as water temperatures go up.

"If water temperatures continue to rise, coral species that succumb to bleaching more easily will die," Baums says. "We're going to see a shift in the relative abundance, for example, of these two Porites species."

Boulay found other important differences: Porites evermanni had many genetically identical clones, which means that the species is reproducing asexually by breaking apart, although Porites lobata did not.

The clonally-reproducing Porites evermanni also, on average, housed many more tiny mussels that lived in its skeletons. The mussels poked through the surface of the corals and formed keyhole-shaped openings.

The researchers then wanted to determine the connection between Porites evermanni's ability to clonally reproduce and its interactions with mussels and with other members of the reef community.

Jorge Cortes remembered that several years ago a scientist had reported finding that some corals are a target of biting triggerfish.

"That was the missing piece," Baums says. "We realized that triggerfish were eating the mussels inside the coral skeletons. To get at the mussels, the fish have to bite the coral.

"They then spit out the fragments, and those fragments land on the ocean floor and grow into new coral colonies.

"No one had realized how important fish might be in helping corals reproduce. Now there's evidence that triggerfish attacks on Porites evermanni result in asexual reproduction--the coral fragments cloning themselves."

The other coral species, Porites lobata, has fewer mussels and reproduces sexually through its larvae.

It takes two to tango, Baums says, so usually you need a partner. "But in areas of the Eastern Pacific Ocean that are so harsh that only a few individuals can survive, it might be easier for the coral to clone itself."

As for the difference in bleaching, there are two possible explanations, the scientists believe.

One is that the symbiotic algae that live in the coral species are different, and one can withstand hotter temperatures. "Just like in your garden: the tomatoes like the heat more than the cauliflower does," says Baums.

Another possibility is that the difference is not in the symbiotic algae, but in the corals themselves.

"There's been a lot of attention given to how different symbiotic algae react to increases in water temperatures and whether, if a coral species could switch to hardier algae, it could survive in hotter waters," Baums says.

But what the researchers found suggests a different scenario. Although the two Porites corals have the same symbiotic algae species, bleaching still differs.

It may be the corals themselves instead of their symbiotic algae that contribute to bleaching.

A tale of two corals, and a tale, perhaps, of more than two factors.

-NSF-

RECENT U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE 
An F-15 Eagle assigned to Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Mass., takes off Dec. 7, 2013, from Westover Air Reserve Base at Chicopee, Mass., heading toward an annual exercise in Florida. The jets flew training missions out of Westover ARB for approximately six months while the runway at Barnes Municipal Airport was undergoing several months of repairs. The F-15 is an extremely maneuverable, all-weather tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force gain and maintain air superiority. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kelly Goonan)

Toy Drop:  Army paratroopers float to the ground after successfully jumping from a C-130 Hercules Dec. 7, 2013, in support of Operation Toy Drop at Fort Bragg, N.C. The 16th Annual Randy Oler Operation Toy Drop, hosted by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), is the largest combined airborne operation in the world. During the event, Fort Bragg’s paratroopers and allied jumpmasters donate toys to be distributed to children’s homes and social service agencies across the local community. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Logan Brandt)

STATE DEPARTMENT FACT SHEET: GLOBAL PEACE OPERATIONS INITIATIVE (GPOI)

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI)
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 13, 2013

The Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) is a U.S. Government-funded security assistance program working to meet the growing global demand for specially trained personnel to conduct international peace operations by building the capabilities of U.S. partner countries to train and sustain peacekeepers; increasing the number of capable military troops and formed police units available for deployment; and facilitating the preparation, logistical support, and deployment of peacekeepers. GPOI promotes international peace and security, saving lives while reducing the burden on U.S. military forces, and helping set the stage for post-conflict recovery around the world.

GPOI currently partners with 69 countries and regional organizations. Through these partnerships, GPOI implementers have:


Facilitated the training of 228,658 foreign military personnel to serve on international peacekeeping missions through both direct training activities (176,047 peacekeepers) and enabling the indigenous training by GPOI partner countries (52,611 peacekeepers);

Supported 45 national and regional peace operations training centers and three regional headquarters for the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), as well as financial, technical, and staffing support to the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (COESPU), an Italian-led center to facilitate the training of stability/formed police unit trainers.

Facilitated the deployment of 180,223 personnel from 38 countries to 25 operations around the world. Currently, there are over 116,000 military, police, and civilian personnel from 115 countries serving in 15 UN peacekeeping operations deployed on four continents.

GPOI is managed by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which works in close coordination with the Department of State regional bureaus, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, Regional Combatant Commands, and other DoD organizations, to develop regional program plans and implement train and equip activities with partner nations worldwide.

GPOI was launched in 2005 as the U.S. contribution to the G8 Action Plan for Expanding Global Capability for Peace Support Operations, adopted at the 2004 G8 Sea Island Summit.

The primary objective of GPOI in FY 2005-2009 was to train and equip at least 75,000 peacekeepers by 2010. GPOI implementers met and surpassed this target, training nearly 87,000 peacekeepers by September 30, 2009. More than 77,000 of this total were African troops trained through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. In GPOI’s current activities, program emphasis has shifted from the direct training of peacekeepers by U.S. personnel to building sustainable, self-sufficient, national training capabilities by partner countries, with the target of facilitating training for an additional 242,500 troops.

Weekly Address: Marking the One-Year Anniversary of the Tragic Shooting ...

EX-IM BANK BOARD ADOPTS REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

FROM:  U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK

Washington, DC — The board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) this week adopted revisions to its environmental procedures and guidelines governing high-carbon intensity projects, aligning the Bank with President Obama’s goal of reducing carbon pollution, while maintaining the Bank’s focus on continuing to help create and support American export-related jobs.

“No one has been more supportive of U.S. exports and the American jobs they produce and maintain than this Bank and this board. Since 2009, we have supported nearly 1.2 million jobs.” said Fred P. Hochberg, Ex-Im chairman and president. “We can’t do it, however, without considering the environmental costs associated with transactions.”

The revised guidelines adopted today require carbon capture and storage in most countries in order to secure Bank financing for coal-fired power plants, but would provide flexibility for the Bank with respect to the important energy needs of the poorest countries in the world.

The policy revisions were drafted by Ex-Im Bank staff and reviewed extensively by exporters, the public, leading environmental groups, the Administration and other federal agencies through an extensive and transparent vetting process.

“The Bank engages in an important balancing act — in supporting our exporters, we have to weigh the potential impacts on the environment associated with our financing,” Hochberg said. “This balancing act is a Congressional mandate, is a directive in our Charter, is part of our mission and it is something we at the Bank take seriously.”

Hochberg noted that: “Our proposed guidelines would balance the Bank’s obligations to its many different stakeholders and also its efforts to support the growth of export-related U.S. jobs.”

“Without guidelines or limits, ever-increasing numbers of new coal plants worldwide will just continue to emit more carbon pollution into the air we breathe,” said Hochberg. “But America cannot do this alone. I strongly support the Administration’s efforts to build an international consensus such that other nations follow our lead in restricting financing of new coal-fired power plants.”

Ex-Im has been a leader among the world’s export credit agencies (ECAs) in adopting measures to protect the environment while financing exports.

·         In 1995 the Bank was the first ECA to adopt environmental procedures and guidelines governing its export financing.
·         In 1999 the Bank began tracking and publicly reporting projected carbon emissions produced by projects it financed. Even today Ex-Im is the only ECA that tracks and reports carbon emissions.
·         In 2009 the Bank approved a formal carbon policy, and in 2010 it approved supplemental guidelines for high-carbon intensity projects.
The guideline revisions approved today are not designed to impact mining projects or coal exports produced by American coal miners. Ex-Im staff have worked with other agencies to ensure that the flexibility of these guidelines would be consistent with those of other federal agencies.

In addition to approving the revisions to its environmental guidelines, the board today approved seven transactions that together will support more than 11,200 U.S. export-related jobs.

RECENT DOD PHOTOS FROM AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
A U.S. soldier, along with Afghan army commandos, conduct a clearance operation of Perozi village in Panjwai district in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The soldier is assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan. U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Bertha A. Flores.

An Afghan army commando uses a metal detector to scan an area thought to contain improvised explosive devices during a clearance operation of Perozi village in Panjwai district in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The Afghan soldier, an engineer, is assigned to 2nd Company, 3rd Special Operations Kandak. U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Bertha A. Flore