Thursday, April 30, 2015
COMPANY PLEADS GUILTY TO PRICE FIXING, BID RIGGING OF AUTO PARTS
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
YAMADA MANUFACTURING CO. AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY TO PRICE FIXING AND BID RIGGING ON AUTOMOBILE PARTS INSTALLED IN U.S. CARS
Company Agrees to Pay $2.5 Million Criminal Fine
WASHINGTON — Yamada Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $2.5 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for manual (non-electric or non-hydraulic-powered) steering columns installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today.
According to a one-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Ohio in Cincinnati, Yamada Manufacturing, based in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, conspired to rig bids and fix prices of steering columns sold to certain subsidiaries of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. in the United States and elsewhere. According to the charge, Yamada carried out the conspiracy from at least as early as the fall of 2007 and continuing until as late as September 2012. Yamada Manufacturing has agreed to cooperate in the department’s ongoing investigation. The plea agreement is subject to court approval.
“Yamada’s collusion deprived Honda and its U.S. customers the benefits of freely set prices for manual steering columns, a simple but necessary auto part,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Companies that conspire to undermine competition and harm U.S. consumers will continue to be held accountable for their crimes.”
According to the charge, Yamada Manufacturing, and others participating in the scheme, conspired through a meeting and conversations in which they discussed and agreed upon bids and price quotations to be submitted to Honda. Based on those discussions, Yamada Manufacturing and its co-conspirators sold steering columns to Honda at collusive and non-competitive prices and employed measures to keep their conduct secret.
Including Yamada Manufacturing, 35 companies and 29 executives have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the division’s ongoing investigation into price fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry and have agreed to pay a total of more than $2.5 billion in criminal fines.
Yamada Manufacturing is charged with one count of price fixing and bid rigging in violation of the Sherman Act, which carries maximum penalties of a $100 million criminal fine for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
The charges are the result of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the automotive parts industry, which is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s criminal enforcement sections and the FBI. Today’s charges were brought by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
YAMADA MANUFACTURING CO. AGREES TO PLEAD GUILTY TO PRICE FIXING AND BID RIGGING ON AUTOMOBILE PARTS INSTALLED IN U.S. CARS
Company Agrees to Pay $2.5 Million Criminal Fine
WASHINGTON — Yamada Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $2.5 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids for manual (non-electric or non-hydraulic-powered) steering columns installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere, the Department of Justice announced today.
According to a one-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Ohio in Cincinnati, Yamada Manufacturing, based in Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan, conspired to rig bids and fix prices of steering columns sold to certain subsidiaries of Honda Motor Co. Ltd. in the United States and elsewhere. According to the charge, Yamada carried out the conspiracy from at least as early as the fall of 2007 and continuing until as late as September 2012. Yamada Manufacturing has agreed to cooperate in the department’s ongoing investigation. The plea agreement is subject to court approval.
“Yamada’s collusion deprived Honda and its U.S. customers the benefits of freely set prices for manual steering columns, a simple but necessary auto part,” said Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Companies that conspire to undermine competition and harm U.S. consumers will continue to be held accountable for their crimes.”
According to the charge, Yamada Manufacturing, and others participating in the scheme, conspired through a meeting and conversations in which they discussed and agreed upon bids and price quotations to be submitted to Honda. Based on those discussions, Yamada Manufacturing and its co-conspirators sold steering columns to Honda at collusive and non-competitive prices and employed measures to keep their conduct secret.
Including Yamada Manufacturing, 35 companies and 29 executives have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty in the division’s ongoing investigation into price fixing and bid rigging in the auto parts industry and have agreed to pay a total of more than $2.5 billion in criminal fines.
Yamada Manufacturing is charged with one count of price fixing and bid rigging in violation of the Sherman Act, which carries maximum penalties of a $100 million criminal fine for corporations. The maximum fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
The charges are the result of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the automotive parts industry, which is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s criminal enforcement sections and the FBI. Today’s charges were brought by the Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office and the FBI’s Cincinnati Field Office with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.
CDC SAYS NEW MEASLES VACCINATION COULD INCREASE GLOBAL COVERAGE
FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Microneedle Patch for Measles Vaccination Could Be a Game Changer
Promises to Increase Reach of Immunization Coverage Globally
A new microneedle patch being developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could make it easier to vaccinate people against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The microneedle patch is designed to be administered by minimally trained workers and to simplify storage, distribution, and disposal compared with conventional vaccines.
The microneedle patch under development measures about a square centimeter and is administered with the press of a thumb. The underside of the patch is lined with 100 solid, conical microneedles made of polymer, sugar, and vaccine that are a fraction of a millimeter long. When the patch is applied, the microneedles press into the upper layers of the skin; they dissolve within a few minutes, releasing the vaccine. The patch can then be discarded.
“Each day, 400 children are killed by measles complications worldwide. With no needles, syringes, sterile water or sharps disposals needed, the microneedle patch offers great hope of a new tool to reach the world’s children faster, even in the most remote areas,” said James Goodson, Ph.D., epidemiologist from the CDC’s Global Immunization Division. “This advancement would be a major boost in our efforts to eliminate this disease, with more vaccines administered and more lives saved at less cost.
Getting the measles vaccine to remote areas is expected to be easier because the patch is more stable at varying temperatures than the currently available vaccines and takes up less space than the standard vaccine. Because microneedles dissolve in the skin, there is no disposal of needles, reducing the risk of accidental needlesticks. The measles patch is expected be manufactured at a cost comparable to the currently available needle and syringe vaccine.
Twenty million people are affected by measles each year. Unfortunately, global coverage with the measles vaccine has been stagnant for the last few years at around 85 percent, which is well below the coverage of up to 95 percent needed to interrupt transmission of the disease.
Because measles is vaccine-preventable and the measles virus survives only in human hosts, the world’s health officials are aiming for measles elimination. Having a simple patch administered by minimally trained vaccinators could help increase vaccination coverage and achieve the goal of measles elimination.
Microneedle Patch for Measles Vaccination Could Be a Game Changer
Promises to Increase Reach of Immunization Coverage Globally
A new microneedle patch being developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) could make it easier to vaccinate people against measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
The microneedle patch is designed to be administered by minimally trained workers and to simplify storage, distribution, and disposal compared with conventional vaccines.
The microneedle patch under development measures about a square centimeter and is administered with the press of a thumb. The underside of the patch is lined with 100 solid, conical microneedles made of polymer, sugar, and vaccine that are a fraction of a millimeter long. When the patch is applied, the microneedles press into the upper layers of the skin; they dissolve within a few minutes, releasing the vaccine. The patch can then be discarded.
“Each day, 400 children are killed by measles complications worldwide. With no needles, syringes, sterile water or sharps disposals needed, the microneedle patch offers great hope of a new tool to reach the world’s children faster, even in the most remote areas,” said James Goodson, Ph.D., epidemiologist from the CDC’s Global Immunization Division. “This advancement would be a major boost in our efforts to eliminate this disease, with more vaccines administered and more lives saved at less cost.
Getting the measles vaccine to remote areas is expected to be easier because the patch is more stable at varying temperatures than the currently available vaccines and takes up less space than the standard vaccine. Because microneedles dissolve in the skin, there is no disposal of needles, reducing the risk of accidental needlesticks. The measles patch is expected be manufactured at a cost comparable to the currently available needle and syringe vaccine.
Twenty million people are affected by measles each year. Unfortunately, global coverage with the measles vaccine has been stagnant for the last few years at around 85 percent, which is well below the coverage of up to 95 percent needed to interrupt transmission of the disease.
Because measles is vaccine-preventable and the measles virus survives only in human hosts, the world’s health officials are aiming for measles elimination. Having a simple patch administered by minimally trained vaccinators could help increase vaccination coverage and achieve the goal of measles elimination.
U.S. 12th COMBAT AVIATION BRIGADE IN GERMANY TO RESTRUCTURE AS PART OF CHANGES IN EUROPE
Right: A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the U.S. Army Europe's 12th Combat Aviation Brigade cruises over Budapest, Hungary, during Exercise Saker Falcon in April 2014. Defense Department officials have announced a restructuring of the brigade and subordinate units in Germany as part of the Army's Aviation Restructuring Initiative in Europe. U.S. Embassy Budapest photo by A. Reategui.
DoD to Restructure U.S. Aviation Brigade in Germany
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, April 29, 2015 – The Defense Department will restructure the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade and subordinate units in Germany as part of the Army's Aviation Restructuring Initiative in Europe, defense officials said today in a statement.
The 12th CAB restructuring will reduce the U.S. presence in Germany by about 1,900 military positions and an estimated 2,850 family members, officials said.
The department will maintain aviation capabilities in Germany using a continuous rotation to augment the remaining aviation assets and personnel, officials said, and will augment aviation assets further if surge capabilities are needed.
The Army will provide a rotational presence of an aviation battalion task force, two medevac teams and an air traffic service company to complement the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade, they added.
Operation Atlantic Resolve
The units rotating to Europe will support Operation Atlantic Resolve and major training exercises in central and eastern Europe and in Germany.
In the near term, the defense officials said, three local national employee positions will be reduced. Long-term impacts on local national employment won’t be clear until the restructuring is complete, they added.
Carter and von der Leyen
In a telephone call with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen today, Defense Secretary Ash Carter outlined the restructure as part of the Army's Aviation Restructuring Initiative in Europe and discussed the Army's plan for rotational forces to complement the brigade, officials said in a separate statement summarizing the call.
Carter and von der Leyen vowed to remain closely connected throughout the restructure process, the statement said, and they expressed mutual appreciation for the strong military relationship between the United States and Germany.
Both leaders said they look forward to meeting again in Europe, officials said.
EXEC PAY AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: SEC PROPOSES DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENT
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SEC Proposes Rules to Require Companies to Disclose the Relationship Between Executive Pay and a Company’s Financial Performance
04/29/2015 03:46 PM EDT
The Securities and Exchange Commission today voted to propose rules to require companies to disclose the relationship between executive compensation and the financial performance of a company. The proposed rules, which would implement a requirement mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, would provide greater transparency and allow shareholders to be better informed when they vote to elect directors and in connection with advisory votes on executive compensation.
“These proposed rules would better inform shareholders and give them a new metric for assessing a company’s executive compensation relative to its financial performance,” said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. “The proposal would require enhanced disclosure that can be compared across companies.”
The proposed rule would require a company to disclose executive pay and performance information for itself and companies in a peer group in a table and to tag the information in an interactive data format. A company would be required to disclose executive compensation actually paid for its principal executive officer using the amount already disclosed in the summary compensation table required in the proxy statement, making adjustments to the amounts included for pensions and equity awards. The amount disclosed for the remaining executive officers would be the average compensation actually paid to those executives. As the measure of performance, a company would also be required to report its total shareholder return (TSR) and the TSR of companies in a peer group.
All companies would be required to disclose the information for the last five fiscal years, except for smaller reporting companies, which would only be required to provide disclosure for the last three fiscal years. The proposed rules provide phase-in periods for these requirements.
The comment period for the proposed rules will be 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
SEC Proposes Rules to Require Companies to Disclose the Relationship Between Executive Pay and a Company’s Financial Performance
04/29/2015 03:46 PM EDT
The Securities and Exchange Commission today voted to propose rules to require companies to disclose the relationship between executive compensation and the financial performance of a company. The proposed rules, which would implement a requirement mandated by the Dodd-Frank Act, would provide greater transparency and allow shareholders to be better informed when they vote to elect directors and in connection with advisory votes on executive compensation.
“These proposed rules would better inform shareholders and give them a new metric for assessing a company’s executive compensation relative to its financial performance,” said SEC Chair Mary Jo White. “The proposal would require enhanced disclosure that can be compared across companies.”
The proposed rule would require a company to disclose executive pay and performance information for itself and companies in a peer group in a table and to tag the information in an interactive data format. A company would be required to disclose executive compensation actually paid for its principal executive officer using the amount already disclosed in the summary compensation table required in the proxy statement, making adjustments to the amounts included for pensions and equity awards. The amount disclosed for the remaining executive officers would be the average compensation actually paid to those executives. As the measure of performance, a company would also be required to report its total shareholder return (TSR) and the TSR of companies in a peer group.
All companies would be required to disclose the information for the last five fiscal years, except for smaller reporting companies, which would only be required to provide disclosure for the last three fiscal years. The proposed rules provide phase-in periods for these requirements.
The comment period for the proposed rules will be 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL TO TRAIN LAW OFFICERS IN UKRAINE
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
State Department Partners With California Highway Patrol To Provide Expertise to Ukraine's
New Patrol Police Force
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 28, 2015
Marking the first overseas deployment by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) under formal partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the CHP recently collaborated with the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior Affairs (MOI) on a four-week training session for 30 Ukrainian law enforcement officers. The Ukrainian officers will be responsible for training cadets for Ukraine’s brand new Patrol Police, a key component of Ukraine’s ongoing reform efforts. This CHP training program was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
During the training in Kyiv, CHP’s four officers provided tactical patrol training, technical expertise, and mentoring, covering a wide variety of subjects, including car stops, handcuffing, and defending against attacks. The Ukrainian course graduates are now certified to instruct incoming classes of recruits for the newly established Ukrainian Patrol Police. More than 11,000 Ukrainians have applied to join the Patrol Police, and nearly 30% of the applicants are women. The first Patrol Police force of approximately 2,000 officers will report for duty in Kyiv in June.
Through this project, INL supports the Ukrainian MOI’s effort to transform the relationship between citizens and police by creating a meritocratic police force focused on protecting and serving the public. The Patrol Police, which is being launched first in Kyiv and then rolled out nationwide, will replace the unpopular traffic police and is seen as a step towards combating police corruption. This is the MOI’s top reform priority and is a direct response to the demands of the people of Ukraine.
State Department Partners With California Highway Patrol To Provide Expertise to Ukraine's
New Patrol Police Force
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 28, 2015
Marking the first overseas deployment by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) under formal partnership with the U.S. Department of State, the CHP recently collaborated with the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior Affairs (MOI) on a four-week training session for 30 Ukrainian law enforcement officers. The Ukrainian officers will be responsible for training cadets for Ukraine’s brand new Patrol Police, a key component of Ukraine’s ongoing reform efforts. This CHP training program was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).
During the training in Kyiv, CHP’s four officers provided tactical patrol training, technical expertise, and mentoring, covering a wide variety of subjects, including car stops, handcuffing, and defending against attacks. The Ukrainian course graduates are now certified to instruct incoming classes of recruits for the newly established Ukrainian Patrol Police. More than 11,000 Ukrainians have applied to join the Patrol Police, and nearly 30% of the applicants are women. The first Patrol Police force of approximately 2,000 officers will report for duty in Kyiv in June.
Through this project, INL supports the Ukrainian MOI’s effort to transform the relationship between citizens and police by creating a meritocratic police force focused on protecting and serving the public. The Patrol Police, which is being launched first in Kyiv and then rolled out nationwide, will replace the unpopular traffic police and is seen as a step towards combating police corruption. This is the MOI’s top reform priority and is a direct response to the demands of the people of Ukraine.
PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STATEMENT ON 7Oth ANNIVERSARY OF DACHAU CONCENTRATION CAMP LIBERATION
FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
April 29, 2015
Statement by the President on the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau
On this day, we remember when American forces liberated Dachau 70 years ago, dismantling the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime. Dachau is a lesson in the evolution of darkness, how unchecked intolerance and hatred spiral out of control.
From its sinister inception in 1933, Dachau held political prisoners – opponents of the Third Reich. It became the prototype for Nazi concentration camps and the training ground for Schutzstaffel (SS) camp guards. As the seed of Nazi evil grew, the camp swelled with thousands of others across Europe targeted by the Nazis, including Jews, other religious sects, Sinti, Roma, LGBT persons, the disabled, and those deemed asocial.
Our hearts are heavy in remembrance of the more than 40,000 individuals from every walk of life who died, and the more than 200,000 who suffered at Dachau. As we reflect on the anniversary of Dachau’s liberation, we draw inspiration from, and recall with gratitude, the sacrifices of so many Americans – in particular our brave soldiers – to win victory over oppression. Drawing from the words of Captain Timothy Brennan, who wrote to his wife and child after liberating the camp - “You cannot imagine that such things exist in a civilized world” – we fervently vow that such atrocities will never happen again. History will not repeat itself.
April 29, 2015
Statement by the President on the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Dachau
On this day, we remember when American forces liberated Dachau 70 years ago, dismantling the first concentration camp established by the Nazi regime. Dachau is a lesson in the evolution of darkness, how unchecked intolerance and hatred spiral out of control.
From its sinister inception in 1933, Dachau held political prisoners – opponents of the Third Reich. It became the prototype for Nazi concentration camps and the training ground for Schutzstaffel (SS) camp guards. As the seed of Nazi evil grew, the camp swelled with thousands of others across Europe targeted by the Nazis, including Jews, other religious sects, Sinti, Roma, LGBT persons, the disabled, and those deemed asocial.
Our hearts are heavy in remembrance of the more than 40,000 individuals from every walk of life who died, and the more than 200,000 who suffered at Dachau. As we reflect on the anniversary of Dachau’s liberation, we draw inspiration from, and recall with gratitude, the sacrifices of so many Americans – in particular our brave soldiers – to win victory over oppression. Drawing from the words of Captain Timothy Brennan, who wrote to his wife and child after liberating the camp - “You cannot imagine that such things exist in a civilized world” – we fervently vow that such atrocities will never happen again. History will not repeat itself.
UNDER SECRETARY SEWALL'S REMARKS ON PREVENTING MASS ATROCITIES
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Making Progress: US Prevention of Mass Atrocities
Remarks
Sarah Sewall
Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Chicago, IL
April 24, 2015
Thank you very much, Ambassador Daalder, for your warm welcome to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. You are certainly missed at the State Department. I join you this afternoon to mark the third anniversary of the Atrocities Prevention Board, but first I have to applaud you and your team for the Council’s commitment to educating the public about the important global challenges that we face and strengthening the public discourse about U.S. foreign policy. Thank you.
Three years ago yesterday, President Obama announced that mass atrocities prevention is both a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility. The President committed the United States to becoming a global leader in preventing large-scale violence against civilians worldwide, but he made clear that the U.S. cannot and should not intervene militarily every time there is an injustice or an imminent atrocities threat. Instead he called for the U.S. government to use its full arsenal of tools - diplomatic, political, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement - to prevent these terrible crimes.
As one such tool, the President established the Atrocities Prevention Board, referred to in government-speak as the APB, to put this prevention approach into practice. This interagency forum serves a horizon-scanning function by identifying atrocity risks by looking at early warning indicators and bringing together senior officials from across the executive branch to develop coordinated, whole-of-government responses to mitigate them.
The Atrocities Prevention Board speeds up the cogs of our government’s bureaucracy by bringing attention to at-risk cases within the interagency policy process. To be clear, the APB was never envisioned as the singular solution to mass killings, nor is it meant to replace the work we are already engaged in to address atrocities. Rather, its role is to prompt coordination among the larger U.S. national security apparatus to better address these problems early on by recognizing warning signs. The APB’s comparative advantage, then, is focusing on potential or ongoing violence that might escape attention in existing policy fora rather than expending its energy focusing on cases where threats to civilians – such as Assad’s brutalities against the Syrian people – are well-recognized and are the subject of extensive work in regionally-focused policy discussions. This early warning, preventive approach gives the U.S. government additional reaction time to plan and implement appropriate de-escalation interventions. Another benefit of this whole-of-government approach is that when threats emerge, the APB can marshal attention, technical expertise, and occasionally financial resources from across the government to better support our embassy-led responses on the ground.
On this third anniversary of the APB, we are invigorated by the U.S. government’s progress in further highlighting atrocities prevention into the foreign policy process and institutionalizing the capabilities, analysis, and expertise that is needed to do prevention work.
Since becoming Under Secretary for Civilian Security, I’ve worked to strengthen the State Department’s internal response to the threat of mass atrocities and to build a closer relationship with our prevention partner, the U.S. Agency for International Development. I have also redirected the focus of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), to provide dedicated expertise and a formal analysis, planning, and coordinating role in support of APB priorities. As the new hub for State’s atrocities prevention work, the bureau works with USAID to produce assessments of the drivers of conflict in a targeted set of countries as well as corresponding risk assessments. This new analytical atrocities assessment framework allows CSO to work with the Department’s regional bureaus to develop evidence-based, civilian-focused intervention options, including diplomatic, programmatic, multilateral, and economic efforts. CSO is also developing a growing collection of best practices that are informing more targeted, effective government responses.
The APB has also formalized and increased our coordination efforts. At the State Department, we’ve established an Anti-Atrocities Coordination Group to help facilitate State’s work in at-risk countries, engage with regional experts who know the political, regional, and sub-national dynamics best, and help chart the course for institutionalizing the necessary atrocity prevention tools within the normal State processes. Finally, we continue to coordinate with our embassies on atrocity prevention work. Frontline officers are often the first to detect and report on emerging atrocity risks, and chiefs of mission can request that the APB conduct risk analysis of their host countries as well as identify appropriate interventions to mitigate the risk.
Let me provide some examples to illustrate how the U.S. Government identifies and responds to risks of extreme violence. When the Department’s atrocities watchers grew concerned about escalating tensions in Burundi, they sounded the alarm. This concern immediately initiated the APB process, elevating the level of attention on the threat. The State Department and USAID put together an interagency team from both the regional and functional parts of the government to conduct a thorough analysis of risks for violence, which led to a broad diplomatic engagement and programmatic strategy that was operationalized by our embassy in Bujumbura. The APB process also galvanized over $7 million in State and USAID funds to address the risks identified in the assessment through creative programming. For instance, the USG-financed projects provide conflict resolution training for community leaders, support a saving and lending program to improve economic opportunities for vulnerable youth, and empower civil society partners to monitor hate speech. With this additional funding, the Department was also able to deploy a prevention advisor to support the embassy in advance of Burundi’s upcoming national elections beginning in May. By sounding the alarm early and laying the groundwork two years ago, we are now in a much better position to monitor and respond to the worrying signs of political tension that are coming to the surface in Burundi. Let me be clear, we remain deeply concerned about the rising tensions, and the international community and the region must be vigilant as we urge President Nkurunziza to respect of the two term limit provision the Arusha Accords and continue to press for credible, peaceful elections. We continue to call on all parties in Burundi to play a peaceful role in this electoral process and refrain from violence. We have warned anyone who might be considering violence that they will not be welcome in the United States and that, as appropriate, we will deny visas to anyone who orders, plans, or participates in acts of violence. We will continue to monitor the situation in Burundi closely in the coming days and weeks and take steps to prevent, mitigate, and address violence.
Let’s also look at the Central African Republic. When violence quickly escalated in that African nation in December 2013, the Board’s atrocity prevention experts worked hand in hand with our regional bureaus as senior leaders from across government identified key interventions, including from DOD, USAID, and State. Together, over the last two years, we provided over $100 million in peacekeeping and security assistance and over $30 million in funding for conflict mitigation, reconciliation, justice and accountability, and governance. This has funded everything from community and grassroots peace and reconciliation programs to the purchase of vehicles and other equipment desperately needed by peace keeping forces. This is in addition to the $452 million we have provided in assessed funds to the UN for the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA). With 2.5 million people – over half the country’s population – in dire need of humanitarian assistance, we have also provided almost $200 million in critical aid, saving thousands of lives. And we have married funding with increased diplomatic and public engagement, including naming a Special Representative and transmitting a peace message recorded by President Obama on local radio stations throughout the country at the height of the crisis.
Another example of this Administration’s commitment to atrocity prevention is US support for the counter-Lord’s Resistance Army mission in the central Africa region that has led to dramatic results in protecting civilians from LRA atrocities. Over the past three years, the Ugandan-led African Union Regional Task Force – with Defense Department logistics and support from US Special Operations Forces and State civilian liaisons – has removed three of the LRA’s top five most senior and notorious commanders from the battlefield. The United States worked with leaders from the Task Force’s member countries to ensure that LRA number-two commander Dominic Ongwen, who was transferred to the International Criminal Court in January, faced justice, and we continue to offer up to $5 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of LRA leader Joseph Kony. During that time, defections and releases from the LRA have significantly increased, with more than 250 individuals putting down their arms and leaving the LRA, and the number of people killed by the LRA has dropped by over 75 percent. According to the U.N., the number of people displaced by the LRA decreased from approximately 400,000 one year ago to roughly 160,000 in 2014, the lowest number in a decade.
Obviously, the USG has been focused on countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) by building a strong multilateral coalition to address the spreading threat as it grew in Syria and then Iraq. In this case, the APB did not need to play a role in raising awareness of ISIL’s atrocities; instead, it was able to play a value-added role by focusing attention on particular cases, helping to prompt swift action. For example, when ISIL drove tens of thousands of members of the Iraqi Yazidi religious minority from their homes last year, the APB again helped ensure a swift USG response by working with our Embassy and consulates in Iraq along with the State Department’s Religious Freedom Office to collect credible information. This information helped inform the U.S. decision to launch strikes that degraded ISIL’s capabilities and gave the local Kurdish military forces enough momentum to break the siege and free the Yazidis from Mount Sinjar.
We recently registered another achievement in advancing a preventive approach to mass atrocities - this time in Nigeria, which conducted a largely peaceful election last month. The US government has long been focused on preventing violence in Nigeria, and the APB worked to complement that focus by spurring contingency planning and advocating for more of an atrocity prevention focus into the normal interagency policy processes. To prevent the violence that left over 800 dead after the 2011 national vote, the APB provided support for the implementation of the USG’s election assistance strategy for Nigeria, contributing to and enhancing multiple USG agencies’ efforts to prevent violence and ensure transparency and credibility more than a year in advance of the election. And while there were dozens killed during this election, which is too many still, there was a dramatic decrease in violence – a decrease many attribute to increased transparency, credibility, and a democratic transfer of power. The APB also helped galvanize the interagency to more effectively address the horrific atrocities being committed by the violent extremist group, Boko Haram, identifying gaps in the regional governments’ security approach, finding some new resources, and developing programs to strengthen the region’s and local communities’ capacity to respond. For example, the APB has contributed to ongoing efforts by the USG to work with the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin to support their cooperative efforts to take on Boko Haram, which may eventually include a Multinational Joint Task Force to better coordinate these efforts, while at the same time supporting local communities and law enforcement efforts that address the root causes of the insurgency. In northeast Nigeria, USAID has launched an initiative to improve stability and strengthen democratic institutions. The program focuses on strengthening links between local government, civil society, and communities to mitigate and prevent conflict, increasing access to credible information, and reducing youth vulnerability to violent extremist influences. We are encouraged by the commitment of Nigeria’s President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to tackle the Boko Haram threat.
In addition to amplify our prevention efforts, we are also seeking to encourage like-minded partners to adopt a similar approach. I recently led a group of State and USAID officials to meet with UN interlocutors who oversee issues of atrocity prevention, which resulted in a collaborative dialogue that I intend to regularize. We are also further highlighting mass atrocities prevention in ongoing bilateral and multilateral diplomatic discussions, such as the U.S.-EU Civilian Security and Development Dialogue.
Despite its important achievements and the President’s commitment to elevating atrocity prevention as a U.S. foreign policy priority, challenges remain. Chief among these are resource constraints. While APB meetings do not require funding, effective prevention tools do depend on resources, particularly sources of funding that can be accessed and mobilized swiftly. While we have sometimes succeeded in marshaling funding to respond to an escalating crisis, in this constrained budget environment, we often see prevention needs that we are unable to meet before the crisis escalates. In a world of proliferating crises and limited resources, prevention work is more critical than ever.
Some observers have expressed dissatisfaction with the Obama Administration’s commitment to preventing mass atrocities across the globe. I understand their perspective. The APB has not halted violence worldwide; in its three years of existence, it has not protected every civilian from governments, insurgents and terrorists. As imperfect as our current efforts are, they represent undeniable progress – both in further prioritizing atrocity prevention and in delivering concrete results. On the APB’s third anniversary, we are certainly closer to realizing the President’s intent that the United States government embraces the mission of preventing mass atrocities. It is my hope that three years from now, the United States will have made its tools, resources, and actions even more effective in preventing mass violence against civilians.
President Obama took a bold step by elevating concern about mass atrocities as a foreign policy priority. Atrocity prevention, he said, is not just a matter of values and a moral responsibility but also a core national security interest. The President acknowledged that “It can be tempting to throw up our hands and resign ourselves to man’s endless capacity for cruelty,” but he reminded us that Elie Wiesel and other holocaust survivors chose never to give up. Nor can the United States of America.
Making Progress: US Prevention of Mass Atrocities
Remarks
Sarah Sewall
Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights
Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Chicago, IL
April 24, 2015
Thank you very much, Ambassador Daalder, for your warm welcome to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. You are certainly missed at the State Department. I join you this afternoon to mark the third anniversary of the Atrocities Prevention Board, but first I have to applaud you and your team for the Council’s commitment to educating the public about the important global challenges that we face and strengthening the public discourse about U.S. foreign policy. Thank you.
Three years ago yesterday, President Obama announced that mass atrocities prevention is both a core national security interest and a core moral responsibility. The President committed the United States to becoming a global leader in preventing large-scale violence against civilians worldwide, but he made clear that the U.S. cannot and should not intervene militarily every time there is an injustice or an imminent atrocities threat. Instead he called for the U.S. government to use its full arsenal of tools - diplomatic, political, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement - to prevent these terrible crimes.
As one such tool, the President established the Atrocities Prevention Board, referred to in government-speak as the APB, to put this prevention approach into practice. This interagency forum serves a horizon-scanning function by identifying atrocity risks by looking at early warning indicators and bringing together senior officials from across the executive branch to develop coordinated, whole-of-government responses to mitigate them.
The Atrocities Prevention Board speeds up the cogs of our government’s bureaucracy by bringing attention to at-risk cases within the interagency policy process. To be clear, the APB was never envisioned as the singular solution to mass killings, nor is it meant to replace the work we are already engaged in to address atrocities. Rather, its role is to prompt coordination among the larger U.S. national security apparatus to better address these problems early on by recognizing warning signs. The APB’s comparative advantage, then, is focusing on potential or ongoing violence that might escape attention in existing policy fora rather than expending its energy focusing on cases where threats to civilians – such as Assad’s brutalities against the Syrian people – are well-recognized and are the subject of extensive work in regionally-focused policy discussions. This early warning, preventive approach gives the U.S. government additional reaction time to plan and implement appropriate de-escalation interventions. Another benefit of this whole-of-government approach is that when threats emerge, the APB can marshal attention, technical expertise, and occasionally financial resources from across the government to better support our embassy-led responses on the ground.
On this third anniversary of the APB, we are invigorated by the U.S. government’s progress in further highlighting atrocities prevention into the foreign policy process and institutionalizing the capabilities, analysis, and expertise that is needed to do prevention work.
Since becoming Under Secretary for Civilian Security, I’ve worked to strengthen the State Department’s internal response to the threat of mass atrocities and to build a closer relationship with our prevention partner, the U.S. Agency for International Development. I have also redirected the focus of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO), to provide dedicated expertise and a formal analysis, planning, and coordinating role in support of APB priorities. As the new hub for State’s atrocities prevention work, the bureau works with USAID to produce assessments of the drivers of conflict in a targeted set of countries as well as corresponding risk assessments. This new analytical atrocities assessment framework allows CSO to work with the Department’s regional bureaus to develop evidence-based, civilian-focused intervention options, including diplomatic, programmatic, multilateral, and economic efforts. CSO is also developing a growing collection of best practices that are informing more targeted, effective government responses.
The APB has also formalized and increased our coordination efforts. At the State Department, we’ve established an Anti-Atrocities Coordination Group to help facilitate State’s work in at-risk countries, engage with regional experts who know the political, regional, and sub-national dynamics best, and help chart the course for institutionalizing the necessary atrocity prevention tools within the normal State processes. Finally, we continue to coordinate with our embassies on atrocity prevention work. Frontline officers are often the first to detect and report on emerging atrocity risks, and chiefs of mission can request that the APB conduct risk analysis of their host countries as well as identify appropriate interventions to mitigate the risk.
Let me provide some examples to illustrate how the U.S. Government identifies and responds to risks of extreme violence. When the Department’s atrocities watchers grew concerned about escalating tensions in Burundi, they sounded the alarm. This concern immediately initiated the APB process, elevating the level of attention on the threat. The State Department and USAID put together an interagency team from both the regional and functional parts of the government to conduct a thorough analysis of risks for violence, which led to a broad diplomatic engagement and programmatic strategy that was operationalized by our embassy in Bujumbura. The APB process also galvanized over $7 million in State and USAID funds to address the risks identified in the assessment through creative programming. For instance, the USG-financed projects provide conflict resolution training for community leaders, support a saving and lending program to improve economic opportunities for vulnerable youth, and empower civil society partners to monitor hate speech. With this additional funding, the Department was also able to deploy a prevention advisor to support the embassy in advance of Burundi’s upcoming national elections beginning in May. By sounding the alarm early and laying the groundwork two years ago, we are now in a much better position to monitor and respond to the worrying signs of political tension that are coming to the surface in Burundi. Let me be clear, we remain deeply concerned about the rising tensions, and the international community and the region must be vigilant as we urge President Nkurunziza to respect of the two term limit provision the Arusha Accords and continue to press for credible, peaceful elections. We continue to call on all parties in Burundi to play a peaceful role in this electoral process and refrain from violence. We have warned anyone who might be considering violence that they will not be welcome in the United States and that, as appropriate, we will deny visas to anyone who orders, plans, or participates in acts of violence. We will continue to monitor the situation in Burundi closely in the coming days and weeks and take steps to prevent, mitigate, and address violence.
Let’s also look at the Central African Republic. When violence quickly escalated in that African nation in December 2013, the Board’s atrocity prevention experts worked hand in hand with our regional bureaus as senior leaders from across government identified key interventions, including from DOD, USAID, and State. Together, over the last two years, we provided over $100 million in peacekeeping and security assistance and over $30 million in funding for conflict mitigation, reconciliation, justice and accountability, and governance. This has funded everything from community and grassroots peace and reconciliation programs to the purchase of vehicles and other equipment desperately needed by peace keeping forces. This is in addition to the $452 million we have provided in assessed funds to the UN for the UN peacekeeping mission (MINUSCA). With 2.5 million people – over half the country’s population – in dire need of humanitarian assistance, we have also provided almost $200 million in critical aid, saving thousands of lives. And we have married funding with increased diplomatic and public engagement, including naming a Special Representative and transmitting a peace message recorded by President Obama on local radio stations throughout the country at the height of the crisis.
Another example of this Administration’s commitment to atrocity prevention is US support for the counter-Lord’s Resistance Army mission in the central Africa region that has led to dramatic results in protecting civilians from LRA atrocities. Over the past three years, the Ugandan-led African Union Regional Task Force – with Defense Department logistics and support from US Special Operations Forces and State civilian liaisons – has removed three of the LRA’s top five most senior and notorious commanders from the battlefield. The United States worked with leaders from the Task Force’s member countries to ensure that LRA number-two commander Dominic Ongwen, who was transferred to the International Criminal Court in January, faced justice, and we continue to offer up to $5 million in rewards for information leading to the arrest, transfer, or conviction of LRA leader Joseph Kony. During that time, defections and releases from the LRA have significantly increased, with more than 250 individuals putting down their arms and leaving the LRA, and the number of people killed by the LRA has dropped by over 75 percent. According to the U.N., the number of people displaced by the LRA decreased from approximately 400,000 one year ago to roughly 160,000 in 2014, the lowest number in a decade.
Obviously, the USG has been focused on countering the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) by building a strong multilateral coalition to address the spreading threat as it grew in Syria and then Iraq. In this case, the APB did not need to play a role in raising awareness of ISIL’s atrocities; instead, it was able to play a value-added role by focusing attention on particular cases, helping to prompt swift action. For example, when ISIL drove tens of thousands of members of the Iraqi Yazidi religious minority from their homes last year, the APB again helped ensure a swift USG response by working with our Embassy and consulates in Iraq along with the State Department’s Religious Freedom Office to collect credible information. This information helped inform the U.S. decision to launch strikes that degraded ISIL’s capabilities and gave the local Kurdish military forces enough momentum to break the siege and free the Yazidis from Mount Sinjar.
We recently registered another achievement in advancing a preventive approach to mass atrocities - this time in Nigeria, which conducted a largely peaceful election last month. The US government has long been focused on preventing violence in Nigeria, and the APB worked to complement that focus by spurring contingency planning and advocating for more of an atrocity prevention focus into the normal interagency policy processes. To prevent the violence that left over 800 dead after the 2011 national vote, the APB provided support for the implementation of the USG’s election assistance strategy for Nigeria, contributing to and enhancing multiple USG agencies’ efforts to prevent violence and ensure transparency and credibility more than a year in advance of the election. And while there were dozens killed during this election, which is too many still, there was a dramatic decrease in violence – a decrease many attribute to increased transparency, credibility, and a democratic transfer of power. The APB also helped galvanize the interagency to more effectively address the horrific atrocities being committed by the violent extremist group, Boko Haram, identifying gaps in the regional governments’ security approach, finding some new resources, and developing programs to strengthen the region’s and local communities’ capacity to respond. For example, the APB has contributed to ongoing efforts by the USG to work with the governments of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Benin to support their cooperative efforts to take on Boko Haram, which may eventually include a Multinational Joint Task Force to better coordinate these efforts, while at the same time supporting local communities and law enforcement efforts that address the root causes of the insurgency. In northeast Nigeria, USAID has launched an initiative to improve stability and strengthen democratic institutions. The program focuses on strengthening links between local government, civil society, and communities to mitigate and prevent conflict, increasing access to credible information, and reducing youth vulnerability to violent extremist influences. We are encouraged by the commitment of Nigeria’s President-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, to tackle the Boko Haram threat.
In addition to amplify our prevention efforts, we are also seeking to encourage like-minded partners to adopt a similar approach. I recently led a group of State and USAID officials to meet with UN interlocutors who oversee issues of atrocity prevention, which resulted in a collaborative dialogue that I intend to regularize. We are also further highlighting mass atrocities prevention in ongoing bilateral and multilateral diplomatic discussions, such as the U.S.-EU Civilian Security and Development Dialogue.
Despite its important achievements and the President’s commitment to elevating atrocity prevention as a U.S. foreign policy priority, challenges remain. Chief among these are resource constraints. While APB meetings do not require funding, effective prevention tools do depend on resources, particularly sources of funding that can be accessed and mobilized swiftly. While we have sometimes succeeded in marshaling funding to respond to an escalating crisis, in this constrained budget environment, we often see prevention needs that we are unable to meet before the crisis escalates. In a world of proliferating crises and limited resources, prevention work is more critical than ever.
Some observers have expressed dissatisfaction with the Obama Administration’s commitment to preventing mass atrocities across the globe. I understand their perspective. The APB has not halted violence worldwide; in its three years of existence, it has not protected every civilian from governments, insurgents and terrorists. As imperfect as our current efforts are, they represent undeniable progress – both in further prioritizing atrocity prevention and in delivering concrete results. On the APB’s third anniversary, we are certainly closer to realizing the President’s intent that the United States government embraces the mission of preventing mass atrocities. It is my hope that three years from now, the United States will have made its tools, resources, and actions even more effective in preventing mass violence against civilians.
President Obama took a bold step by elevating concern about mass atrocities as a foreign policy priority. Atrocity prevention, he said, is not just a matter of values and a moral responsibility but also a core national security interest. The President acknowledged that “It can be tempting to throw up our hands and resign ourselves to man’s endless capacity for cruelty,” but he reminded us that Elie Wiesel and other holocaust survivors chose never to give up. Nor can the United States of America.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS WITH EU HIGH REPRESENTATIVE MOGHERINI
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks With EU High Representative Federica Mogherini
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
April 29, 2015
SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I am pleased to welcome the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, who is a key player in any number of priorities that we are engaged in right now, and a good friend. And I’m very, very appreciative for her contributions on any number of things that we’re working on. First of all, she is facilitating on behalf of the EU and the UN our meetings when we gather to try to work through the Iran nuclear negotiations. Perhaps more importantly immediately in terms of the challenges that we face, we are working together on Libya, which is at a critical moment where we believe that diplomacy is really being put to the test. And the EU, with the migrant situation, is particularly seized of this issue. And I appreciate Federica’s leadership and efforts to try to help galvanize some kind of diplomatic conference/meeting that can create a government under the UN mandate and begin to provide the stability that the people of Libya deserve and that the region needs in significant ways right now.
In addition, we are coordinating on the Mideast; we are coordinating with respect to Syria, humanitarian issues. We have the challenges, of course, of Ukraine. And here the EU is again critical to the sanctions regime that is essential to helping to impress on Russia the need to fully implement the Minsk agreements. There are some very important choices coming up in the next months regarding the continuation of the sanctions regime. It’s a critical moment for Russia to help implement that agreement fully. Right now there appear to be different views as to what the interpretation of the political requirements are. So we will be very engaged with the EU in working going forward with respect to the Minsk implementation.
So as you can see, with Yemen, with other issues, there is no end to the need for major EU-U.S. and other country coordination, and we’re very grateful to Federica for her leadership and for her willingness to be a key partner in helping to provide some solutions to these very thorny, tricky, complicated issues. So thank you for being here.
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE MOGHERINI: Thank you very much. It’s great to be back. It’s great to meet again and continue our work on all the issues you mentioned that are top priorities for the United States, as they are top priorities for the European Union. It is essential to us to work on this last mile of negotiations with Iran, and I am honored to facilitate to get an agreement that can improve the security of the region and of the entire world. And I would like to thank you personally for your leadership in this. It is essential in these times for the European Union to work together on saving lives of desperate people that are looking for a better future, fighting against the trafficking and smuggling of people, especially across the Mediterranean, in partnership with the UN, with the African Union, with the Arab countries, and also on the root causes of this, that in the end of the day are the many crises and wars we have around the region. We know as Europeans we live in one of the most complicated and dangerous places in the world today. We know we have a special responsibility in trying to prevent and face this crisis. We count on our cooperation, our strong friendship to do it more and more together as we’ve been doing in these months and years. And I thank you very much for welcoming here again.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Federica.
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE MOGHERINI: It’s great to be back.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you all.
Remarks With EU High Representative Federica Mogherini
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
April 29, 2015
SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I am pleased to welcome the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, who is a key player in any number of priorities that we are engaged in right now, and a good friend. And I’m very, very appreciative for her contributions on any number of things that we’re working on. First of all, she is facilitating on behalf of the EU and the UN our meetings when we gather to try to work through the Iran nuclear negotiations. Perhaps more importantly immediately in terms of the challenges that we face, we are working together on Libya, which is at a critical moment where we believe that diplomacy is really being put to the test. And the EU, with the migrant situation, is particularly seized of this issue. And I appreciate Federica’s leadership and efforts to try to help galvanize some kind of diplomatic conference/meeting that can create a government under the UN mandate and begin to provide the stability that the people of Libya deserve and that the region needs in significant ways right now.
In addition, we are coordinating on the Mideast; we are coordinating with respect to Syria, humanitarian issues. We have the challenges, of course, of Ukraine. And here the EU is again critical to the sanctions regime that is essential to helping to impress on Russia the need to fully implement the Minsk agreements. There are some very important choices coming up in the next months regarding the continuation of the sanctions regime. It’s a critical moment for Russia to help implement that agreement fully. Right now there appear to be different views as to what the interpretation of the political requirements are. So we will be very engaged with the EU in working going forward with respect to the Minsk implementation.
So as you can see, with Yemen, with other issues, there is no end to the need for major EU-U.S. and other country coordination, and we’re very grateful to Federica for her leadership and for her willingness to be a key partner in helping to provide some solutions to these very thorny, tricky, complicated issues. So thank you for being here.
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE MOGHERINI: Thank you very much. It’s great to be back. It’s great to meet again and continue our work on all the issues you mentioned that are top priorities for the United States, as they are top priorities for the European Union. It is essential to us to work on this last mile of negotiations with Iran, and I am honored to facilitate to get an agreement that can improve the security of the region and of the entire world. And I would like to thank you personally for your leadership in this. It is essential in these times for the European Union to work together on saving lives of desperate people that are looking for a better future, fighting against the trafficking and smuggling of people, especially across the Mediterranean, in partnership with the UN, with the African Union, with the Arab countries, and also on the root causes of this, that in the end of the day are the many crises and wars we have around the region. We know as Europeans we live in one of the most complicated and dangerous places in the world today. We know we have a special responsibility in trying to prevent and face this crisis. We count on our cooperation, our strong friendship to do it more and more together as we’ve been doing in these months and years. And I thank you very much for welcoming here again.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, Federica.
HIGH REPRESENTATIVE MOGHERINI: It’s great to be back.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you very much. Thank you all.
USS FARRAGUT RESPONDS TO IRANIAN NAVAL ACTIONS AGAINST COMMERCIAL SHIP
Right: An MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter flies by the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut during a replenishment-at-sea evolution in the Arabian Sea on Dec 4, 2012. U.S. Navy photo.
USS Farragut Responds to Distress Call From Maersk Tigris
By Cheryl Pellerin
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2015 – U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain answered a distress call this morning issued by the Maersk Tigris container ship, after an Iranian Navy ship fired shots across its bridge and Iranian personnel boarded the commercial vessel, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
Army Col. Steve Warren told members of the Pentagon press corps that at about 2:05 a.m. Eastern Time, several Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, or IRGCN, patrol vessels approached the M/V Maersk Tigris, a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo vessel.
The commercial ship was in Iranian territorial waters transiting inbound, or north, in the Strait of Hormuz, between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world’s major strategic choke points, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Shots Across the Bridge
“The ship's master was contacted and directed to proceed further into Iranian territorial waters. He declined and one of the IRGCN craft fired shots across the bridge of the Maersk Tigris,” Warren said.
After this, the master complied with the Iranian demand and proceeded into Iranian waters near Larak Island, Warren said. Larak Island is off the coast of Iran in the Persian Gulf.
Warren said the Maersk is still at sea. Initial reports are that members of the Iranian IRGCN have boarded her and there are no further updates, he added.
Navcent, having picked up the distress signal, directed the USS Farragut, an Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer, to proceed to the nearest location of the Maersk Tigris, Warren said.
Navcent also directed a Navy maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to observe the interaction between the Maersk vessel and the IRGCN craft, he added.
The Tigris’s destination, according to a marine-traffic website, was Jebel Ali, a port town 22 miles southwest of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Under a Marshall Islands Flag
Maersk is a Danish company, but the Maersk Tigris was sailing under a Marshall Islands flag.
The Republic of the Marshall Islands is a sovereign nation for which the United States has full authority and responsibility for security and defense under the terms of an amended compact that entered into force in 2004.
The United States and the Marshall Islands have full diplomatic relations, according to the U.S. State Department.
Navcent is the U.S. Navy element of U.S. Central Command. Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, the Gulf of Oman, the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Navcent consists of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and other subordinate task forces.
“Navcent is communicating with representatives of the shipping company,” Warren said. “We continue to monitor the situation.”
Innocent Passage
The Pentagon spokesman said the Strait of Hormuz is in Iranian territorial waters, which is within 12 miles of the Iranian coast.
But, he said, because the narrow strait is recognized as containing international shipping lanes, the principle of “innocent passage” is applied, so ships that abide by international rules of the sea are authorized to pass through the strait.
Warren said that there are no Americans among the 30 or so people aboard the Maersk Tigris.
JAPAN TO HAVE GREATER INTERNATIONAL ROLE
Right: U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, far right, and U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, second from right, shake hands with Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, far left, and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida after a joint press conference in New York City, April 27, 2015. DoD screen shot.
Carter: U.S, Japan Defense Guidelines ‘Break New Ground’
By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
NEW YORK, April 27, 2015 – American and Japanese national security leaders unveiled the new guidelines for U.S.-Japan defense cooperation today, saying the new rules will promote peace and stability not only in the region, but worldwide.
Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Japanese Foreign Affairs Minister Fumio Kishida and Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani announced the results of the Security Consultative Committee meeting here today.
Known as the “2-plus-2” meetings, the discussions covered all aspects of the U.S.-Japanese alliance, but the revision of the defense guidelines -- the first since 1997 -- took precedence.
The guidelines lay out how the United States and Japan will work together, and come after the Japanese government reinterpreted their constitution to allow a greater international role, including greater military cooperation.
Japanese leaders see the guidelines as strengthening the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. “Though we live in different hemispheres, at opposite ends of the globe, the United States could ask for no better friend and ally than Japan,” Kerry said during a news conference.
He added that the U.S. alliance with Japan has been the cornerstone of peace and prosperity in Asia since the end of World War II.
“The guidelines will enhance Japan’s security, deter threats and contribute to regional peace and stability,” the secretary of state said. “The United States and Japan stand together in calling for disputes in the region to be resolved peacefully. We reject any suggestion that freedom of navigation, overflight and other lawful uses of the sea and airspace are privileges granted by big states to small ones.”
Guidelines Fit Japan’s Expanded Role
Carter stressed that the revisions were a necessary process, given how much has changed in the world since 1997. Both the United States and Japan have new capabilities, and new threats have emerged, including a whole new domain of warfare in cyberspace, he said.
“The Asia-Pacific region has changed,” the defense secretary said. “Its weight in world affairs has increased, and that is reflected in the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific including its expression in our own defense capabilities.”
Carter noted that Japan is taking on a bigger role in world affairs. “These guidelines allow us to modernize the U.S.-Japan alliance at the same time, by breaking new ground on existing areas of military cooperation and helping us open new areas of military cooperation both in the Asia-Pacific and around the globe,” he said.
Carter and Nakatani will continue their consultations in Washington tomorrow with discussion on establishing a bilateral space cooperation working group. “The approval of the defense guidelines mark an important step in the rebalance’s next phase,” Carter said. “There will be many more.”
Kishida said through an interpreter that the revisions reflect “the enhancement of solidarity and the expansion of cooperation between Japan and the United States.”
The guidelines are the logical outgrowth of Japan’s new policy of “proactive contribution to peace based on the principle of international cooperation and the rebalance policy on the U.S. side,” the foreign minister said. “The new guidelines will enhance synergies of both policies.”
Other Business
Other business in the meetings included the U.S. affirmation that the Senkaku Islands are territories of Japan and fall under the U.S.-Japan Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
They also stressed the importance of cooperation in ballistic missile defense. This includes basing two more U.S. ballistic missile defense destroyers in Japan and continuing deployment of a second X-band radar in the country.
The two sides discussed ways to expand tri-lateral and multi-lateral cooperation. This includes Australia and South Korea and the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The ministers also talked about the realignment of U.S. forces based in Japan including relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma on the island of Okinawa.
CORINTHIAN COLLEGES, INC., ANNOUNCES IT IS SHUTTING DOWN
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Statement from Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell on the closure announcement from Corinthian Colleges, Inc.
APRIL 27, 2015
Students seeking better life options should be assured that their investments will pay off in increased knowledge, skills, and opportunity. Today, Corinthian Colleges, Inc., announced it was effectively ending operations, following the company's failure to find a buyer for its remaining campuses willing to abide by conditions put in place by the Department to protect students, borrowers and taxpayers. As Corinthian closes its doors for good, the Department will continue to keep students at the heart of every decision we make. Department staff will immediately begin outreach to Corinthian students to review all their options, which may include loan discharges for students whose school closed. What these students have experienced is unacceptable and we look forward to working with Congress in an effort to improve accountability and transparency in the career college industry. A college education remains the best investment a student can make in his or her future, and this Administration will continue to work to make a college degree affordable for all students, to hold colleges accountable, and to safeguard the interests of taxpayers.
Statement from Education Under Secretary Ted Mitchell on the closure announcement from Corinthian Colleges, Inc.
APRIL 27, 2015
Students seeking better life options should be assured that their investments will pay off in increased knowledge, skills, and opportunity. Today, Corinthian Colleges, Inc., announced it was effectively ending operations, following the company's failure to find a buyer for its remaining campuses willing to abide by conditions put in place by the Department to protect students, borrowers and taxpayers. As Corinthian closes its doors for good, the Department will continue to keep students at the heart of every decision we make. Department staff will immediately begin outreach to Corinthian students to review all their options, which may include loan discharges for students whose school closed. What these students have experienced is unacceptable and we look forward to working with Congress in an effort to improve accountability and transparency in the career college industry. A college education remains the best investment a student can make in his or her future, and this Administration will continue to work to make a college degree affordable for all students, to hold colleges accountable, and to safeguard the interests of taxpayers.
FDA APPROVES FIRST GENERIC VERSIONS OF DRUG APPROVED TO TREAT SCHIZOPHRENIA, BIPOLAR DISORDER
FROM: U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
The Division of Drug Information (DDI) is CDER's focal point for public inquiries. We serve the public by providing information on human drug products and drug product regulation by FDA.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Abilify (aripiprazole). Generic aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Hetero Labs Ltd., Teva Pharmaceuticals and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. have received FDA approval to market generic aripiprazole in multiple strengths and dosage forms.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder. About one percent of Americans have this illness. Typically, symptoms are first seen in adults younger than 30 years of age. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hearing voices, believing other people are reading their minds or controlling thoughts and being suspicious or withdrawn.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is another brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. The symptoms of bipolar disorder include alternating periods of depression and high or irritable mood, increased activity and restlessness, racing thoughts, talking fast, impulsive behavior and a decreased need for sleep.
All atypical antipsychotics contain a Boxed Warning alerting health care professionals about an increased risk of death associated with the off-label use of these drugs to treat behavioral problems in older people with dementia-related psychosis. No drug in this class is approved to treat patients with dementia-related psychosis.
The Division of Drug Information (DDI) is CDER's focal point for public inquiries. We serve the public by providing information on human drug products and drug product regulation by FDA.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first generic versions of Abilify (aripiprazole). Generic aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug approved to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Hetero Labs Ltd., Teva Pharmaceuticals and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. have received FDA approval to market generic aripiprazole in multiple strengths and dosage forms.
Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling brain disorder. About one percent of Americans have this illness. Typically, symptoms are first seen in adults younger than 30 years of age. Symptoms of schizophrenia include hearing voices, believing other people are reading their minds or controlling thoughts and being suspicious or withdrawn.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is another brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. The symptoms of bipolar disorder include alternating periods of depression and high or irritable mood, increased activity and restlessness, racing thoughts, talking fast, impulsive behavior and a decreased need for sleep.
All atypical antipsychotics contain a Boxed Warning alerting health care professionals about an increased risk of death associated with the off-label use of these drugs to treat behavioral problems in older people with dementia-related psychosis. No drug in this class is approved to treat patients with dementia-related psychosis.
10 CHARGED IN PENNY STOCK FRAUD SCHEME
FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Litigation Release No. 23243 / April 16, 2015
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Daniel P. McKelvey, et al., Civil Action No. 9:15-cv-80496 (S.D. Fla., filed April 16, 2015)
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced fraud charges against 10 individuals involved in a scheme to offer and sell penny stock in undisclosed "blank check" companies bound for reverse mergers while misrepresenting to the public that they were promising startups with business plans.
Blank check companies generally have no operations and no value other than their status as a registered entity, which makes them attractive targets for unscrupulous individuals seeking reverse mergers with clean shells ripe for pump-and-dump schemes. The federal securities laws impose various requirements on blank check companies to prevent such illicit use. The SEC alleges that Daniel P. McKelvey of Foster City, Calif., Alvin S. Mirman of Sarasota, Fla., and Steven Sanders of Lake Worth, Fla., routinely evaded these requirements by creating undisclosed blank check companies and installing figurehead company officers while falsely depicting in registration statements and other SEC filings that the companies were pursuing real business ventures under these officers. Allegedly concealed from the public was the fact that the companies were controlled at all times by McKelvey, Mirman, or Sanders for the sole purpose of entering into reverse mergers with unidentified companies so they could profit from the sales.
According to the SEC's complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, McKelvey, Mirman, and Sanders collectively developed nearly two dozen undisclosed blank check companies and sold most of them for a total of approximately $6 million in ill-gotten gains. They were thwarted from further sales when the SEC instituted stop order proceedings last year that led to the suspension of the registration statements of four issuers before they could be further packaged for sale. The scheme allegedly involved forging or falsifying hundreds of certifications filed with the companies' SEC filings as well as communications from impersonating e-mail accounts, management representation letters to accountants, notarizations on applications to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and securities purchase agreements used in the sales of the undisclosed blank check companies.
The SEC's complaint alleges that Steven Sanders's brother Edward G. Sanders of Coral Springs, Fla., Scott F. Hughes of Duluth, Ga., and Jeffrey L. Lamson of El Dorado Hills, Calif. assisted the scheme by acting as corporate nominees with knowledge of the false business plans, drafting or providing false business plans, or recruiting other nominee officers.
The SEC's complaint charges McKelvey, Mirman, Steven Sanders, Hughes, Lamson, and Edward Sanders with violating or aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud, reporting, recordkeeping, and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, financial penalties, and permanent injunctions as well as officer-and-director bars and penny stock bars.
The SEC's complaint also names four relief defendants for the purpose of recovering illicit proceeds of the scheme in their possession: Mirman's wife Ilene P. Mirman, a company managed by McKelvey called Forte Capital Partners LLC, and two companies managed by Steven Sanders named AU Consulting LLC and MBN Consulting LLC.
The SEC additionally charged four other figurehead officers and directors who agreed to settle their cases in separate administrative proceedings: Edward T. Farmer of Sarasota, Fla., William J. Gaffney of Cumming, Ga., Kevin D. Miller of Alpharetta, Ga., and Ronald A. Warren of Peachtree Corners, Ga. They consented to SEC orders without admitting or denying the findings that they violated the antifraud, reporting, recordkeeping, and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws. They are barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company and from participating in penny stock offerings, and they must disgorge ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest.
The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Jeffrey T. Cook in the Miami Regional Office as part of the Microcap Fraud Task Force. The case is being supervised by Eric R. Busto, and the SEC's litigation will be led by Patrick R. Costello.
Litigation Release No. 23243 / April 16, 2015
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Daniel P. McKelvey, et al., Civil Action No. 9:15-cv-80496 (S.D. Fla., filed April 16, 2015)
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced fraud charges against 10 individuals involved in a scheme to offer and sell penny stock in undisclosed "blank check" companies bound for reverse mergers while misrepresenting to the public that they were promising startups with business plans.
Blank check companies generally have no operations and no value other than their status as a registered entity, which makes them attractive targets for unscrupulous individuals seeking reverse mergers with clean shells ripe for pump-and-dump schemes. The federal securities laws impose various requirements on blank check companies to prevent such illicit use. The SEC alleges that Daniel P. McKelvey of Foster City, Calif., Alvin S. Mirman of Sarasota, Fla., and Steven Sanders of Lake Worth, Fla., routinely evaded these requirements by creating undisclosed blank check companies and installing figurehead company officers while falsely depicting in registration statements and other SEC filings that the companies were pursuing real business ventures under these officers. Allegedly concealed from the public was the fact that the companies were controlled at all times by McKelvey, Mirman, or Sanders for the sole purpose of entering into reverse mergers with unidentified companies so they could profit from the sales.
According to the SEC's complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, McKelvey, Mirman, and Sanders collectively developed nearly two dozen undisclosed blank check companies and sold most of them for a total of approximately $6 million in ill-gotten gains. They were thwarted from further sales when the SEC instituted stop order proceedings last year that led to the suspension of the registration statements of four issuers before they could be further packaged for sale. The scheme allegedly involved forging or falsifying hundreds of certifications filed with the companies' SEC filings as well as communications from impersonating e-mail accounts, management representation letters to accountants, notarizations on applications to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and securities purchase agreements used in the sales of the undisclosed blank check companies.
The SEC's complaint alleges that Steven Sanders's brother Edward G. Sanders of Coral Springs, Fla., Scott F. Hughes of Duluth, Ga., and Jeffrey L. Lamson of El Dorado Hills, Calif. assisted the scheme by acting as corporate nominees with knowledge of the false business plans, drafting or providing false business plans, or recruiting other nominee officers.
The SEC's complaint charges McKelvey, Mirman, Steven Sanders, Hughes, Lamson, and Edward Sanders with violating or aiding and abetting violations of the antifraud, reporting, recordkeeping, and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws. The SEC seeks disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, financial penalties, and permanent injunctions as well as officer-and-director bars and penny stock bars.
The SEC's complaint also names four relief defendants for the purpose of recovering illicit proceeds of the scheme in their possession: Mirman's wife Ilene P. Mirman, a company managed by McKelvey called Forte Capital Partners LLC, and two companies managed by Steven Sanders named AU Consulting LLC and MBN Consulting LLC.
The SEC additionally charged four other figurehead officers and directors who agreed to settle their cases in separate administrative proceedings: Edward T. Farmer of Sarasota, Fla., William J. Gaffney of Cumming, Ga., Kevin D. Miller of Alpharetta, Ga., and Ronald A. Warren of Peachtree Corners, Ga. They consented to SEC orders without admitting or denying the findings that they violated the antifraud, reporting, recordkeeping, and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws. They are barred from serving as an officer or director of a public company and from participating in penny stock offerings, and they must disgorge ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest.
The SEC's investigation, which is continuing, is being conducted by Jeffrey T. Cook in the Miami Regional Office as part of the Microcap Fraud Task Force. The case is being supervised by Eric R. Busto, and the SEC's litigation will be led by Patrick R. Costello.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
DOD REPORT ON RECENT AIRSTRIKES IN SYRIA AND IRAQ
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, April 28, 2015 – U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of the latest strikes, which took place between 8 a.m. yesterday and 8 a.m. today, local time, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Airstrikes in Syria
Attack and fighter aircraft conducted four airstrikes in Syria:
-- Near Hasakah, three airstrikes struck two ISIL fighting positions, destroying an ISIL armored vehicle.
-- Near Kobani, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
Airstrikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 airstrikes in Iraq, approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense:
-- Near Huwayjah, two airstrikes struck two ISIL staging areas.
-- Near Beiji, two airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units, destroying two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL warehouses and an ISIL motorcycle.
-- Near Fallujah, two airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units, destroying two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicle bombs, an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
-- Near Mosul, five airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units and two ISIL checkpoints, destroying two ISIL excavators, an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL vehicle.
-- Near Ramadi, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL excavator.
-- Near Sinjar, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying an ISIL building and an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Tal Afar, three airstrikes struck three ISIL tactical units, destroying an ISIL excavator, an ISIL building and an ISIL machine gun.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Airstrikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq
From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release
SOUTHWEST ASIA, April 28, 2015 – U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
Officials reported details of the latest strikes, which took place between 8 a.m. yesterday and 8 a.m. today, local time, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.
Airstrikes in Syria
Attack and fighter aircraft conducted four airstrikes in Syria:
-- Near Hasakah, three airstrikes struck two ISIL fighting positions, destroying an ISIL armored vehicle.
-- Near Kobani, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.
Airstrikes in Iraq
Attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 16 airstrikes in Iraq, approved by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense:
-- Near Huwayjah, two airstrikes struck two ISIL staging areas.
-- Near Beiji, two airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units, destroying two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL warehouses and an ISIL motorcycle.
-- Near Fallujah, two airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units, destroying two ISIL fighting positions, two ISIL vehicle bombs, an ISIL mortar system and an ISIL heavy machine gun.
-- Near Mosul, five airstrikes struck two ISIL tactical units and two ISIL checkpoints, destroying two ISIL excavators, an ISIL fighting position and an ISIL vehicle.
-- Near Ramadi, an airstrike destroyed an ISIL excavator.
-- Near Sinjar, an airstrike struck an ISIL tactical unit, destroying an ISIL building and an ISIL fighting position.
-- Near Tal Afar, three airstrikes struck three ISIL tactical units, destroying an ISIL excavator, an ISIL building and an ISIL machine gun.
Part of Operation Inherent Resolve
The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat they pose to Iraq, Syria, the region, and the wider international community. The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorist group's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.
Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Syria include the United States, Bahrain, Canada, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
U.S.-AUSTRALIA DEFENSE COOPERATION DISCUSSED IN 30-MINUTE MEETING
Right: U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work, left center, meets with Australian Assistant Minister for Defense Stuart Robert, right center, to discuss matters of mutual importance at the Pentagon, April 27, 2015. DoD photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Adrian Cadiz.
Leaders Discuss U.S.-Australia Defense Cooperation
DoD News, Defense Media Activity
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2015 – Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work met yesterday with Australian Assistant Minister for Defense Stuart Robert at the Pentagon to discuss the deep bilateral defense cooperation between the U.S. and Australia, according to a Defense Department news release.
During the 30-minute meeting, Work conveyed his gratitude for Australia’s current and past contributions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the release said.
The deputy secretary and assistant minister discussed opportunities for collaboration on the department’s Defense Innovation Initiative, progress on Australia’s 2015 Defence White Paper, and business reforms within their respective organizations, according to the release.
The two leaders also discussed progress implementing the U.S. force posture initiatives in Australia’s Northern Territory, the release said.
This was Work’s first meeting with Robert, according to the release.
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