S.D. NATIONAL GUARD HELPS AFTER EARLY WINTER STORM HITS

South Dakota National Guard soldiers assist an electrical crew with setting a utility pole near Faith, S.D., Oct. 10, 2013. Army National Guard photo 

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
South Dakota National Guard Continues Storm Aid
South Dakota National Guard

RAPID CITY, S.D., Oct. 11, 2013 - South Dakota National Guard members continue to support the state after the Oct. 4 winter storm that crippled western South Dakota.
Nearly 50 soldiers and airmen have been called to state active duty to support residents since Oct. 5. They've helped to clear roads, remove snow and assist electrical cooperative crews with gaining access to locations needing power lines repaired.
More than a dozen other full-time National Guard members have also provided support to state active-duty personnel in response to the storm. So far, 19 separate missions have been requested of the Guard since operations began.

Eight missions are complete and the Guard expects to continue to assist electric companies in power restoration efforts for the next seven to 10 days.

Guard forces and equipment began responding immediately after the blizzard and sent to locations hardest hit in Harding, Meade, Perkins and Pennington counties. Equipped with snow blowers, front-end loaders, bulldozers, heavy expanded mobility tactical trucks and Humvees, Guard members were dispatched locally and from across the state to help communities dig out from the record-breaking storm.

"Our soldiers and airmen are proud to be able to respond to local emergencies such as this," said Maj. Gen. Tim Reisch, adjutant general of the SDNG. "Our service in a state active-duty status like this is foundational to what the National Guard is all about."

Across the region, snow totals averaged 30 inches, with some isolated areas recording almost five feet, setting new snowfall records for October in the Black Hills and many western counties. Snow accumulation, along with freezing temperatures and wind gusts up to 70 mph, downed thousands of tree limbs and electrical power lines, blocked roadways and decimated livestock caught in the storm.

Emergency management officials from multiple counties requested support from the state's emergency management office and the governor, who declared a state of emergency and activated National Guard forces to assist.

The call for Guard assistance came early Oct. 5 and coordination began immediately to bring in personnel and dig out equipment. With roads nearly impassable and no travel advised, several soldiers trekked on foot several miles to reach the Guard headquarters on Camp Rapid in Rapid City to set up operations. Soldiers also trudged through deep snow in the towns of Belle Fourche and Sturgis to begin opening equipment yards. From across the state, Guard personnel from units in Aberdeen, Mobridge, Sioux Falls and Yankton were dispatched to deliver equipment and to assist recovery efforts.

According to local power companies, more than 38,000 customers lost electricity during the storm and reported more than 3,800 downed power poles.

While snow removal missions are complete, the Guard continues to support power crews who are working from house to house to restore electricity in rural areas, working alongside them pulling electrical bucket trucks out of the snow and mud after they work on a utility pole.

Guard units providing state active duty personnel to the storm recovery efforts include Alpha and Bravo Batteries of the 1-147th Field Artillery Battalion, 109th Regional Support Group, 842nd Engineer Company, 200th Engineer Company, 155th Engineer Company, Joint Force Headquarters and the 114th Fighter Wing.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY VISITS EMBASSY IN KUALA LUMPUR

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Meeting With Staff and Families of Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Joseph Y. Yun
U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 10, 2013

AMBASSADOR YUN: Thank you, guys, for being here. I am so fortunate. Many, many ambassadors don’t get a chance to introduce the Secretary, but in my first four weeks, (inaudible). (Laughter.) I’ve traveled with the Secretary a couple of times. I know how tiring it is. He is so gracious and charming, and he looks great, fresh. (Laughter.)

So this is our Embassy. Thank you, for everyone, on a wet night for being – for giving us such a warm welcome to the Secretary.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you. Joe, thank you very, very much. Thank you, all. It’s great to be here with you. You have, I’ve got to tell you, a great ambassador in Joe Yun. I cannot (inaudible). (Applause.) They had to twist my arm for me to give him up in the State Department to let him come out here, but I’m glad he is, and he was very, very diplomatic in his introduction of me, because he took great pleasure in introducing me, but the truth is I know he’s really sad he’s not introducing the President of the United States. (Laughter.)

But nevertheless, I’m happy that he is introducing me. I’m very, very pleased to be here with all of you. Thank you for taking time to come out here. I want to introduce Dr. Melanie Billings-Yun, who is here somewhere.

AMBASSADOR YUN: She couldn’t be here. She --

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh, she couldn’t be here?

AMBASSADOR YUN: Yeah.

SECRETARY KERRY: She’s being a doctor somewhere. (Laughter.) What can I say? Well, somebody – anyway, Lee, thanks for your great work, appreciate all you’re doing as DCM, and thank you, all of you. I understand we have five employees here who each have spent something like 35 years. I don't know if they’re all here.

AMBASSADOR YUN: I think some of them are here.

SECRETARY KERRY: Have we got – let me see, I wrote them down so that I could embarrass them appropriately. (Laughter.) Gerard George, is Gerard here? Gerard, there’s Gerard. (Applause.) And Andrew Sin? Andrew here somewhere? Who else have we got? I can’t read my own writing. Oh, Letchu Alagirisamy?

QUESTION: No.

SECRETARY KERRY: No? Not here? Gosh. Okay. Selena Liew Kim Lan?

QUESTION: No.

SECRETARY KERRY: Not here also? How about Irene Tham Chee Lin?

QUESTION: Irene --

SECRETARY KERRY: Irene? Irene, we can all say – well, they’re all working for (inaudible). (Laughter.) Well, I’m glad they’re working hard, but between the five of them, they’ve put in 190 years in helping our Embassy and the United States of America. And even though only one of them is here, how about a round of applause for all of them. (Applause.) Thank you. They’re fantastic, pretty amazing.

And is Matt Ingeneri here?

AMBASSADOR YUN: He’s with Froman.

SECRETARY KERRY: Oh, he’s with Froman, all right. Well, I want to just congratulate him for all the work he has done on this global summit, which is absolutely incredible, and I look forward to addressing it tomorrow, but – everybody’s out working. I mean, Christ. (Laughter.)

Anyway, thank you all. I really just wanted to be able to meet you and, first of all, tell you that the President is obviously not happy that he is not able to be out here doing the business that he needed to do over the course of the last few days. And while I’m proud to be here as the Secretary, the Secretary, as we all know, is not the President and doesn’t have the ability that – the meaning, obviously, of a presidential visit.

So the President will get out here. I’m actually confident of that. But I know he sends his best wishes to every single one of you, but also his apologies for what is going on in Washington, (inaudible) from all of us. I spent 28-plus years in the United States Senate, and it is really painful, sad, to watch what is happening – I should say not happening – right now. But it’s affecting all of you; it affects everybody – the uncertainties, the disruption, the question marks about our country and our government. Believe me, I’ve had some conversations in the last few days out here with leaders about it. It’s impossible – for the Government of the United States of America to be shut down when there are people out here – not to say, “Question mark, what’s going on here? What does this mean and what does the long term mean?” And so my hope is this will end quickly. I know you hope the same thing.

I want to thank you for hanging in, staying at it, not being deterred, not being demoralized, and for recognizing that all of us got into this because we care about the values and the principles that we’re trying to share with the world, and that doesn’t change because of what is happening in Washington. So we’re on the same mission, and we can hold our heads high and be proud that every single one of us are out there trying the best we can to represent our country and to stand up and advance our interests. That’s what this is all about.

Every single one of you is an ambassador. I know we have about 118 or so local staff. How many of you are local staff who – thank you, all of you, very, very much. (Applause.) There’s no way for us to do what we do here or to try to do what we do without your help and support, and I know that sometimes it can be difficult. And we appreciate enormously the fact that you’re committed to this task, and some of you for, as I say, as many as 35 years, which is quite extraordinary.

And for all the rest of you, the hundred and, I guess, 20 or so – 118 or so who are in the Embassy and the some 75 families represented here, many of you sitting right here, I really am happy to say, on behalf of your country, on behalf of the President of the United States, a profound thank you to all of you for what you’re doing. Every one of you may not be walking around yet. Some of you newer people are either in the consular division or in your first or second round. You don’t get the title of ambassador, but there isn’t one of you who isn’t an ambassador every day. And for a lot of people, you may be the first person they ever see that has contact with America, in some cases maybe the only person, but in other cases, you’ll go – they may go on through travel or through one of our education exchange programs or through other things to go to America, or to be in some other country where they have a sense of what they learned by being part of our journey. And it makes a difference in their lives too.

So this is a big deal. This part of the world is changing faster than any other place on the face of this planet. You are part of an extraordinary moment of history. When you think of the journey of this region over the last 20, 30, 40, 50 years, and you go back to the Cold War, and even World War II, where we find ourselves today in this region is stunning. And I’ll tell you, as I sat around that table, listening to the Prime Minister of Vietnam, to the Prime Minister of Laos, to the prime minister of any number of them – of Singapore, of Malaysia, and all these places expressing this commonality of interests, every single one of them feeling the sense of globalization and change and the impact on their governments.

I was talking with the prime – well, I won’t say because it’s not appropriate, it’s a personal conversation – but I just was talking with one prime minister at lunch today who was telling me how it can’t – nobody can go back. There’s too much accountability now. The social media has changed everything. Instant accountability and globalization itself has created a set of norms that’s conditioning behavior, and so everybody’s sort of now reaching for the brass ring. That’s why things like the TPP, the trade agreement, and other things are raising standards and people realize, “Whoa, we better be part of that if we’re going to be successful and continue to go down this road of growth and development, and provide for our citizens.” And the beauty of it is citizens everywhere know what citizens everywhere else are getting, and they know what their problems are, and they know what the challenges are. So we’re now on a much smaller planet with a much greater degree of shared responsibility and shared opportunity, and you all are on the cutting edge of that, making history literally every single day in this transformation that is taking place.

So keep it up, don’t worry. We will get through this in America. We will get back on track. This will end. You will get paid. Things will happen and you’ll enjoy the turkeys I hope you ordered for Thanksgiving, and life will go on, and we’re going to continue to do what we do, because I think that we’re involved in one of the greatest adventures you can ever be involved in. You get up every morning and go to work with the belief that you’re really making a difference for the lives of other people and making a difference for your country. It doesn’t get better than that.

So, thank you all very, very much. (Applause.)

UN SECRETARY GENERAL COMMENTS ON PROGRESS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Rasmussen: Progress in Afghanistan Remarkable, Undeniable
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2013 - The partial government shutdown has not affected U.S. contributions to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan or other NATO missions, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told reporters in Brussels today.

"So far we haven't seen any negative impact on U.S. contributions to NATO-led operations," Rasmussen said, noting that U.S. military members have been exempted from the shutdown.

Speaking at his monthly news conference, the secretary general also dismissed reported allegations by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that NATO hasn't done enough in Afghanistan.

"Thanks to the immense efforts and the solemn sacrifices of the troops and civilians from ISAF contributing nations, Afghanistan has come a long way in the past decade," Rasmussen said. "The changes have been remarkable, and our investment in lives and resources has been unprecedented. Nobody can deny that. And this effort should be respected."

Rasmussen said he is struck by the Afghan people's recognition of NATO's contribution.

"We have sacrificed much in blood and treasure to assist the Afghan people, and ... whenever I meet Afghans, they express appreciation for that," he said.

While working to ensure the sovereignty of the Afghan state, NATO and other troop-contributing nations in Afghanistan have helped build a strong Afghan National Security Force that now numbers about 350,000, Rasmussen said.

"We have seen the resilience and the growing professionalism of Afghan forces," he said. "And I am confident that the Afghan security forces will be able to take full responsibility by the end of 2014 as planned."

Meanwhile, Afghanistan is preparing to hold elections next year that will be fully led and managed by the Afghans.

"Six months before the polls, preparations are more advanced than for any other elections in Afghanistan's modern history," Rasmussen said.

The registration of candidates was recently completed, with a multi-ethnic lineup of presidential tickets, he said. In addition, women are actively participating as voters, election workers and candidates -- with at least one woman vying for office in every provincial council.

Rasmussen emphasized the importance of "transparent, inclusive and credible" elections, with the results acceptable to the Afghan people so "the political process provides the certainty and predictability that both Afghans and the international community expect."

He welcomed Great Britain's offer to host the 2014 NATO Summit at a turning point for the alliance as it prepares to complete the longest and largest operation in its history.

"This will be a critical opportunity to take stock of our ongoing work, including in Afghanistan, and to look to the future," he said.

"The summit will also ensure that we continue to build on the lessons that we have learned, to strengthen the alliance and keep it ready to deal with modern security challenges," Rasmussen said.

"It will reaffirm the vital transatlantic bond on which NATO was founded," he added. "And it will further enhance our partnerships, which are key to our future success in a world where risks cross borders and we are all interconnected."

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESIDENT OBAMA'S WEEKLY ADDRESS

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE WEEKLY ADDRESS 
Weekly Address: End the Government Shutdown

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said that Republicans in the House of Representatives chose to shut down the government over a health care law they don’t like. He urged the Congress to pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached.  The President made clear he will work with anyone of either party on ways to grow this economy, create new jobs, and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul – but not under the shadow of these threats to our economy.

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
October 5, 2013


Good morning.  Earlier this week, the Republican House of Representatives chose to shut down a government they don’t like over a health care law they don’t like.  And I’ve talked a lot about the real-world consequences of this shutdown in recent days – the services disrupted; the benefits delayed; the public servants kicked off the job without pay.

But today, I want to let the Americans dealing with those real-world consequences have their say.  And these are just a few of the many heartbreaking letters I’ve gotten from them in the past couple weeks – including more than 30,000 over the past few days.

Kelly Mumper lives in rural Alabama.  She works in early education, and has three children of her own in the Marines.  Here’s what she wrote to me on Wednesday.

“Our Head Start agency…was forced to stop providing services on October 1st for over 770 children, and 175 staff were furloughed.  I am extremely concerned for the welfare of these children.  There are parents who work and who attend school.  Where are they leaving their children…is it a safe environment…are [they] getting the food that they receive at their Head Start program?”

On the day Julia Pruden’s application to buy a home for her and her special needs children was approved by the USDA’s rural development direct loan program, she wrote me from Minot, North Dakota.

“We put in an offer to purchase a home this weekend, and it was accepted…if funding does not go through, our chances of the American Dream [are] down the drain…We have worked really hard to get our credit to be acceptable to purchase a home…if it weren’t for the direct lending program provided by the USDA, we would not qualify to buy the home we found.”

These are just two of the many letters I’ve received from people who work hard; try to make ends meet; try to do right by their families.  They’re military or military spouses who’ve seen commissaries closed on their bases.  They’re veterans worried the services they’ve earned won’t be there.  They’re business owners who’ve seen their contracts with the government put on hold, worried they’ll have to let people go.  I want them to know, I read the stories you share with me.

These are our fellow Americans.  These are the people who sent us here to serve.  And I know that Republicans in the House of Representatives are hearing the same kinds of stories, too.

As I made clear to them this week, there’s only one way out of this reckless and damaging shutdown: pass a budget that funds our government, with no partisan strings attached.  The Senate has already done this.  And there are enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House of Representatives willing to do the same, and end this shutdown immediately.  But the far right of the Republican Party won’t let Speaker John Boehner give that bill a yes-or-no vote.

Take that vote.  Stop this farce.  End this shutdown now.

The American people don’t get to demand ransom in exchange for doing their job. Neither does Congress. They don’t get to hold our democracy or our economy hostage over a settled law. They don’t get to kick a child out of Head Start if I don’t agree to take her parents’ health insurance away. That’s not how our democracy is supposed to work.

That's why I won't pay a ransom in exchange for reopening the government. And I certainly won't pay a ransom in exchange for raising the debt ceiling. For as reckless as a government shutdown is, an economic shutdown that comes with default would be dramatically worse.

I'll always work with anyone of either party on ways to grow this economy, create new jobs, and get our fiscal house in order for the long haul. But not under the shadow of these threats to our economy.

Pass a budget. End this government shutdown.

Pay our bills. Prevent an economic shutdown.

These Americans and millions of others are counting on Congress to do the right thing. And I will do everything I can to make sure they do.

Thank you.

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY VISIT TO KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 
Press Availability in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Press Availability
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 10, 2013


SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I know that President Obama was very disappointed to cancel his visit, especially given his personal connection and commitment to the region. But I also know that he believes very deeply in the importance of the relationship between the United States and Malaysia and also in the potential for a relationship in the years to come.

Today, our two nations are really working together in more areas than ever before, in economics, in climate, in connectivity, law enforcement, counterterrorism, counter-proliferation, maritime security, science, education – you name it, and we are doing it and doing it together. We’re very grateful for Malaysia’s leadership on every single one of these issues.

I had the occasion at a couple of the dinners in the last few days and at the ASEAN meeting as well as the APEC and similarly at the East Asia Summit to have long and good conversations with the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Najib. And I’m grateful for the discussions that we had, as well as with the Foreign Minister. And having just left Brunei and the first-ever summit that has taken place between the U.S. and ASEAN, I want to thank Malaysia for its leadership through every single one of those meetings on all of the topics of importance to us. So we’re very much looking forward to Malaysia’s chair of ASEAN, which will take place a year hence in 2015.

I’m also proud to say that the ties between our people are clearly getting stronger. Thanks to the close coordination between President Obama and Prime Minister Najib, today American Fulbright English teaching assistants are connecting to Malaysian students all over the country in Kuala Lumpur all the way to Kuantan. And I know firsthand the importance of that program, because I was lucky to have my daughter take part as a Fulbrighter, and I know how profound the impact of that program can be. In fact, all of those exchanges make a difference, and that’s why we’re deeply committed to them here in the region.

These critical connections are also behind our commitment in expanding our people-to-people initiatives like the Global Entrepreneurial Summit, which I will have the privilege of addressing tomorrow. I think it speaks to Malaysia’s important role in driving regional prosperity that it is holding and hosting the fourth global summit right here in Kuala Lumpur. And tomorrow, when I speak to them, I’m going to have a chance to talk to young people from around the world who are here in order to find ways to pursue their dreams and make their communities stronger and better.

On behalf of President Obama, the United States is really proud to be part of that effort. But we’re convinced that we can do even more to help young leaders be able to achieve their goals. In order for their success – excuse me – and the success of other entrepreneurs, both in the United States and Malaysia, to be as far reaching as possible, it’s imperative that we support open trade and open investment wherever we can.

Today, the United States and Malaysia have a very strong economic relationship. We are Malaysia’s fourth-largest trading partner and we are the largest foreign investor in Malaysian industries. But we believe we can do more. And the Trans-Pacific Partnership, we think is the instrument to help get us there. Prime Minister Najib and I had a very productive meeting with the TPP leaders in Bali earlier this week. And I really look forward to working with our partners in Malaysia in order to finalize that agreement by the end of the year.

We recognize there are always hurdles in each country, but as U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Froman has said, we are prepared to be both flexible and creative in order to help countries be able to meet both the timing and the goals.

So on behalf of President Obama, I want to thank Malaysia for its very committed partnership. I want to thank them for their friendship. And I look forward to continuing what has already been a very productive trip to the region with a dynamic set of meetings tomorrow morning. With that, I’m happy to take a couple questions.

MS. PSAKI: Anne.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. On Egypt, having taken this step on aid, what leverage does the United States still have to encourage the result you want there, a transition to – a return to civilian rule, given that neither the previous elected government nor the current interim military government seem to listen to you so far? What hope do you have that the result will be different?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, I disagree with the premise of that. We’ve had a series of constant conversations regarding the roadmap, the road forward for Egypt. And we will continue to have those conversations. And I think the interim government understands very well our commitment to the success of this government, which we want to see achieve. And by no means is this a withdrawal from our relationship or severing of our serious commitment to helping the government meet those goals.

Obviously, we want to make sure that the roadmap results in a constitution that recognizes universal human rights, that respects minorities, that brings people to the table in an inclusive way, and we’re convinced that – and ultimately results in free and fair elections. In our conversations with the Egyptians, they insist to us that that is exactly the roadmap that they are on, that that is what they intend to achieve. And what we’re doing is holding back a certain element of the aid which we don’t believe is relevant to the immediate needs of this government in terms of the roadmap or in terms of their security.

Now with respect to security, with respect to the Sinai, with respect to the peace process, and with respect to the security needs of the region, we are continuing to provide assistance because it’s in our interest as well as theirs and our friends in the region to do so. In addition, we’re going to continue to provide spare and replacement parts and related services for some of the programs that we think are important to continuing military education and training, because that’s important to our interests. And they are grateful and, I think, understand that.

In addition, we’re going to continue to support areas that directly benefit the Egyptian people – education, private sector development. We will be engaged in that. And we will continue to make certain that the roadmap remains a primary goal for the interim government, because I believe they do want to continue the relationship in a positive way with the United States. Now, we will not be providing direct cash assistance to the budget of the government at this moment in time, and we’re reserving delivery with respect to any key large systems like the Apache or M1A1 tanks and a few things like that.

So I think that on the contrary, we’re going to continue. We want this government to succeed, but we want it also to be the kind of government that Americans will feel comfortable supporting and being engaged in.

QUESTION: How long do you think that suspension will last? And also, could I just ask you very quickly to comment on the kidnapping of the Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan?

SECRETARY KERRY: Sure. I think this recalibration of assistance is really geared to try to leverage the outcomes that citizens in American care about enormously, that Egyptians care about equally – more importantly, that the Egyptian people want for their country. And so as we see this roadmap evolve and actually be met, which the Egyptian Government has said, we expect the renewal of certain of those systems as it is deemed by the President of the United States to be relevant to that particular moment and to the relationship. So this will be on a basis of performance, and it’ll be on the basis of what evolves over the course of the roadmap in the next months.

With respect to Libya, I spoke this afternoon with Ambassador Deborah Jones and we’ve been, obviously, in touch with Washington regarding this. It is clearly a situation that is still evolving. The Libyan Prime Minister, to our understanding, has been released. It is our understanding that there has been no statement yet issued as to the who, what, why, and how. And so we’re staying in very close touch, obviously. Our embassy personnel are secure. We’re confident about our abilities to keep them in that security. But as the situation evolves over the next hours and days, we will obviously share more with you. But it is an evolving situation.

One of the things that it really underscores is something that we’ve been really focused on in these last months, which is building capacity in Libya. And we’ve had a number of meetings and discussions about this over the course of the last months. It’s something we and others, our friends and allies involved in Libya – the French, the British, Italians, and others – are all unified in trying to address. And we have hopes that we can continue to do that probably with greater speed and with greater success, but that is a very major focus that this really underscores the events of the last 24 hours.

MODERATOR: Indira.

QUESTION: Thank you, Secretary Kerry. Is this on? South Africa and Brazil both had nuclear weapons programs, and today they’re both enriching uranium. Iran has said that its right to peaceful enrichment is non-negotiable in the upcoming talks. Can you assure Iran’s new government, which says it wants a deal within a year but is facing strong opposition from domestic hardliners at home, that it too will be allowed to enrich like South Africa and Brazil once it comes clean on all illicit activities?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, obviously the question of enrichment is at the center of the negotiations themselves, and I’m not about to negotiate here in Kuala Lumpur today in answer to your question. But we have made it clear to Iran that they can have a peaceful nuclear program as they meet the requirements of the international community as expressed in the additional protocols and in the resolutions that have been passed by the UN Security Council.

Now, there is a negotiation coming up in the next few days. We’ve had private discussions; I’ve personally had private discussion with the Foreign Minister, and I think it’s best to keep those discussions private and personal at this point in time. But Iran knows what it needs to do in order to be able to have a peaceful program, and we’re prepared to negotiate a resolution and believe, as President Obama has said many times, that a negotiated, peaceful resolution is by far his preference. So we will negotiate, but we’re not going to negotiate publicly in the next days.

MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone.

SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you all. Have a good evening. Thanks.

VIRTUAL CURRICULUM ASSISTS TROOPS LEAVING SERVICE

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
New Virtual Curriculum Assists Separating Troops
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2013 - The Defense Department continues to assist service members and their families in preparing for the transition to civilian life with a new virtual curriculum, a Defense Department official said here.

During a telephone interview with American Forces Press Service, Susan S. Kelly, director of the Transition to Veterans Program office, discussed the redesign of the Transition Assistance Program and its evolution to include the Transition GPS virtual curriculum on the Joint Knowledge Online portal, or JKO, which became available today.

"We recognize that many of our service members don't have access to brick and mortar classrooms for transition instruction" Kelly said. "The JKO portal is our effort to take all of the redesigned TAP curriculum, which is called Transition GPS, ... and put it into an environment where they can access it whenever they need it from anywhere in the world."

Service members, she said, can improve their job search skills, find out about Veterans Administration benefits, learn how to find and apply to a college or university that fits their goals, or how to start their own business by accessing the Transition GPS virtual curriculum.

An essential part of the virtual curriculum capability, Kelly added, is to support the ability to meet career readiness standards published by the Defense Department.

"Those career readiness standards extend all the way from registering in VA's 'e-Benefits' so they're connected to the Veterans Affairs family immediately, all the way to career readiness standards for employment, where service members have to develop a job application packet, resume, personal and professional references as well as job applications," she said.

Those standards also include a completed application for institutions of higher learning or technical institutions if service members are planning to go to college or receive a certification using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, Kelly said.

"There's a whole expanse of career readiness standards that the military members must meet before they separate," she said. "The Transition GPS curriculum has modules that build the skills for the service members to meet each one of those career readiness standards."

The ultimate goal is for the service members to determine what their personal goals are when they enter civilian life and to posture them well to be successful in pursuing those goals, Kelly said.

"The goal of the entire TAP redesign is to get military members career-ready for their civilian lives and to help them do very, very deliberate planning for both themselves and their families to do well as they become civilians," she added.

The best way for a service member to begin this process is to contact the transition assistance program staff on their installation, Kelly said. Soldiers should contact the Army Career Alumni Program, sailors and Marines can use fleet and family support centers, and airmen can begin this process at their nearest airmen and family readiness center.

"That's the first entry point for them to get scheduled for classes," Kelly said. For those who are geographically separated or isolated from installations, she added, the virtual curriculum is there for them on the JKO website.

Kelly also noted it's important that this virtual curriculum is being hosted on the JKO portal.

"That's where service members go for military training now in the joint world," she said. "So we are putting transition preparation training into that military training platform."

The virtual curriculum is a major accomplishment in the TAP redesign according to Kelly. It's the first time that the Veterans Employment Initiative Task Force, as an interagency partnership that includes the DOD and the Veterans Affairs, Labor and Education departments, as well as the Small Business Administration and the Office of Personnel Management, has developed and hosted a complete curriculum for service members on one website.

Kelly noted that the virtual curriculum can also be used by service members who are exploring their options as they think about continuing in the military or transitioning out.

"You don't have to be enrolled in the TAP class to use this website," she said. "Any service member can log in and use it, even years before they make the decision to transition to civilian life."

Preparing for separation is a part of any service member's military career, Kelly said.

"You want to align what you're gaining out of military training and experience with what you want to do as a civilian when you separate," she added.

OPCW BRIEFING TO THE PRESS

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW): Director General's Briefing to the Press

Taken Question

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

October 9, 2013

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QUESTION: The DG of the OPCW said inspectors are to visit 20 sites that the Syrians declared, but the U.S. has said that there are at least 45 sites – have Syrians not declared all of their sites, or are we counting differently? If we are only visiting fewer than half of the sites, how can we characterize this as an “encouraging” start?

ANSWER: According to the September 27 OPCW Executive Council Decision, the OPCW will visit all declared sites within 30 days of adoption of the Executive Council Decision (October 27). The same decision and UN Security Council Resolution 2118 require that Syria permit the OPCW unfettered, immediate access to all other sites of interest. Syria's initial declaration of its chemical weapons holdings and facilities required under Article III of the Chemical Weapons Convention is due to the OPCW on October 27, pursuant to the OPCW Executive Council Decision.

We will continue to assess the completeness and accuracy of Syria's disclosures to the OPCW. As the Syrian disclosure to the OPCW has not been released to the public by the OPCW, we will not at this time discuss its details or our assessment of it.

The fact that just a month ago the Syrian regime did not even acknowledge it had chemical weapons, and now inspectors are not only on the ground but they are overseeing the initial stages of destruction, is a step forward. However, there is more work to be done, and the international community will be paying close attention to whether the Syrian regime is abiding by all of its obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 2118 and the OPCW Executive Council Decision. It's critical that Syria's declaration of its chemical weapons holdings and facilities be complete.

NSA DIRECTOR ASKS INDUSTRY'S HELP IN GETTING AMERICAN PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THE FACTS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Alexander Calls on Industry to Help Set Record Straight
By Nick Simeone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2013 - The nation's top cyber commander called on industry today to "put the facts on the table" about the National Security Agency following leaks about the agency's surveillance programs, blaming inaccurate or sensational reporting for congressional failure to approve measures that he said are needed to protect the nation from a devastating cyberattack.

"We need the American people to understand the facts. And it's got to start with what we're actually doing -- not what we could be doing -- with the data," Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, NSA director and commander of U.S. Cyber Command, told an industry conference in suburban Maryland. "Most of the reporting is, 'They could be doing 'A.' The facts are they're doing 'B.'"

Warning that he doesn't want to have to explain why he failed to prevent another 9/11, Alexander appealed to industry to help in light of the damaging leaks in June by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Snowden has been charged in absentia with violating the Espionage Act and stealing government property for turning over secret documents to reporters detailing classified NSA programs, actions that Alexander has blamed for causing irreversible and significant damage to the security of the United States and its allies.

In the time since the leaks, Alexander said, the media have complicated matters through exaggerated or inaccurate reporting.

"Everything that comes out is almost sensationalized and inflamed by what it could be, not by what it is, and that singularly in my mind will impact our ability to get cyber legislation and defend the nation," he said. "And if you think about the numbers of disruptive attacks over the last year, and destructive attacks, and you plot that out statistically, what it says to me is it's getting worse, and that's going to grow."

Alexander pointed to a series of recent destructive cyberattacks around the world, including on Saudi Aramco, a Saudi oil company, where he said data in more than 30,000 systems was destroyed last year, as well as attacks against Qatar's Rasgas gas company and twin attacks in South Korea earlier this year.

"Then, look at what hit Wall Street over the last year: over 300 distributed denial-of-service attacks. How do we defend against those?"

Alexander called for laws that would encourage industry and government to share information about potential threats in real time. "This will become hugely important in the future," he said. We've got to have legislation that allows us to communicate back and forth."

To get there, the general said, the rhetoric on media leaks must change and the trust factor must be fixed, "because we're not going to move forward with all that hanging out there."

In the absence of congressional action, President Barack Obama has issued an executive order promoting increased sharing of information about cyber threats across government and industry. However, Alexander said, the nation's cyber defenses remain dependent on closer, real-time cooperation between the government and Internet service providers and the anti-virus community.

"Our team -- government, industry and allies -- have to be ready to act, and we're not," he said. "We're stuck because of where we are in the debate, so what you could do to help is get the facts. We need your help to inform the American people and Congress about what we're doing."