AIRMAN HERO SAVES DROWING GIRL

Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Proffitt recently pulled a young girl from the ocean after a riptide pulled her out too far at Sullivan's Island, S.C. Proffitt faced another life-saving moment when he saved a co-worker who was choking on a turkey sandwich. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tom Brading
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Airman Saves Little Girl at Beach
By Air Force Airman 1st Class Tom Brading
Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs Office

JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C., Aug. 15, 2012 - Air Force Staff Sgt. Robert Proffitt reacted quickly at the beach to save the life of a drowning little girl.
　
It started out as a beautiful weekend summer day on the ocean at Sullivan's Island, S.C.
　
Desperate cries for help were echoing faintly over the rolling ocean waves. The pleas were from a 7-year-old girl, pulled out past the breakers by a violent riptide and with every scream her weakened body gave in a little more to the powerful ocean current.
　
Proffitt, who's assigned to the 373rd Training Squadron here, was nearby enjoying a day at the beach with his wife and children. He was wading far out in the water and heard the girl's cries for help.
　
"I could see her more than 100 yards from the beach," Proffitt said. "I didn't have time to think about it. I just reacted."
　
Proffitt swam out to the girl. By the time he reached her, all he could see was her hair swaying effortlessly with the tide. Her body had slipped beneath the water. He pulled her head above water and she took a deep breath, but she had no energy to move.
　
"Had I arrived shortly after the moment I did, I would have never seen her," Proffitt said.
　
After grabbing the girl, he looked back toward the beach -- he had never been this far from shore. He couldn't feel the ocean bottom and the girl was clutching to his back as he slowly began paddling toward the beach.
　
"Every movement was a struggle," Proffitt said. "I had already used so much energy. Just keeping my head above water seemed to be a challenge. However, I kept thinking to myself: 'Do not let her die,' and so I kept fighting."
　
Proffitt continued fighting until he reached the shore. Once he felt the sand under his feet, he knew he was close enough to yell for help. A group of people brought both Proffitt and the girl safely back onto the beach.
　
The moment Proffitt was on dry land, he fell to his knees and stared up into the sky.
　
"It was a miracle," he said.
　
The little girl was safely returned to her parents.
　
However, this wasn't the first time Proffitt was challenged with the task of saving someone's life.
　
Months prior to the beach incident, Proffitt happened to be at the right place at the right time during the lunch hour at work. Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Semmerling was eating a turkey sandwich when the unthinkable happened.
　
"I was eating turkey because it's supposed to be healthy," Semmerling said. "But, after I took a bite, I began choking. I couldn't breathe."
　
Semmerling attempted to cough the turkey up by pounding his chest with his fist, but nothing seemed to work. He ran down the hall, his face turning from red to blue, when he stumbled into Proffitt's office.
　
"When he came in to my office, I had no idea what was wrong," Proffitt said. "But when I looked at his face, it was shades of blue, red and purple. I knew I had to react."
　
Without hesitation, Proffitt jumped from his desk and spun Semmerling, a 220-pound man, 180 degrees with ease and began doing the Heimlich maneuver. Proffitt continued monitoring the condition of his friend, and after a few thrusts, the turkey that was stuck in Semmerling's throat shot across the room.
　
"If it wasn't for Sgt. Proffitt, I wouldn't be here today," Semmerling said. "He is a hero."
　
Proffitt insists that he isn't a hero.
　
"I'm no hero," Proffitt said. "I've just been put into situations that required me to react. The Air Force has taught me lifesaving skills, and the importance of reacting quickly."

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND EARTHQUAKES

Photo Credit: NOAA/Wikikmedia
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Has Vital Role in Catastrophe Planning, Official SaysBy Claudette Roulo
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2012 - The Defense Department makes valuable contributions in U.S. disaster preparedness planning, a senior defense official said today.

At a panel discussion sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, Paul N. Stockton, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas' security, addressed the role the Pentagon plays in disaster planning and response.

Thanks to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Stockton said, he got "a big wake-up call" during a 2011 national exercise that simulated the events surrounding a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone, which touches on the states of Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Kentucky.

"That scenario would have produced destruction on a scale that would differ from Hurricane Katrina in two important dimensions," he explained. "First of all, on a quantitative scale, we would have had many, many more casualties over a much wider geographic area.

"There's a second dimension that I believe is even more important," he continued. "A seismic event of that scale would produce a long-term loss of power -- a loss of electric power for weeks to months over a multistate region." Such a power loss would result in the cascading failure of critical infrastructure, he said.

Gas stations would be closed, Stockton said. Water would be in short supply, because electric pumps are needed to draw water from aquifers hundreds of feet underground, and urban wildfires would rage through cities, he added.

The Defense Department's challenge is how to better position itself to support civil authorities during disaster response activities, Stockton said. Building resilience against cascading failures of critical infrastructure -- even, as in the case of the electric grid, when it is owned by the private sector -- is essential to mission assurance, he said.

"Our responsibility to the Department of Defense is to ensure that we can still execute the core missions of the department that the president assigns to us, even if critical infrastructure goes down," Stockton said.

It's not a question of if a complex catastrophe will strike, he said, but when.

"We need to continue to improve our ... capacity to provide support to civil authorities when the call comes," Stockton said.

To that end, Stockton pointed to a new complex catastrophe initiative signed by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta that would enable DOD to bring all of its capabilities, from all components, to bear in support of civil authorities. The initiative will make defense support of civil authorities faster and more effective in delivering life-saving and life-sustaining requirements, Stockton said.

In addition to the DOD initiative, a presidential policy directive requires revision and addition of national response and recovery plans, Stockton said, noting that the initiatives are intended to streamline disaster planning and disaster recovery.

"It's enormously helpful to us that the administration has led the integration of all of these lines of effort, including recovery, that we knew were important, [and] that we knew where DOD could make important contributions, but we lacked an overarching policy framework," he said.

"It's great when you're in support to be given the framework within which you're going to be able to operate and be able to serve," he added, "and that's what we have today."

U.S. MILITARY WORKS TO PREVENT AIDS IN BOTSWANA

Air Force Capt. Francis Obuseh looks on as a Botwana Defense Force soldier counsels males before they undergo safe male circumcisions at a humanitarian civilian assistance clinic in the tiny village of Monwane during Southern Accord 12 in Botswana. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman L Morgan'

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
　

U.S. Medics Support Botswana HIV Prevention Efforts
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
THEBEPHATSHWA AIR BASE, Botswana, Aug. 14, 2012 - A U.S. military medical team here for the Southern Accord 12 exercise is helping the Botswana Defense Force confront its country's most pressing health crisis one circumcision surgery at a time.

The U.S. team is working side by side with its military hosts to promote Botswana's national program of education, HIV screening and male circumcision surgeries to stem what's become a national epidemic, explained Army Col. (Dr.) Michael Kelly, an Army Reserve surgeon deployed here from the Army Reserve Medical Command in Washington.

The Botswana Ministry of Health's goal, Kelly said, is to bring the number of new HIV diagnoses to zero by 2016. That's an ambitious plan, in light of an HIV rate that has skyrocketed since the first case of AIDS was diagnosed in Botswana in 1985.

Today, 17.6 percent of the general population is infected with HIV, and the rate continues to climb by 2.2 percent per year, Maj. Mooketsi Ditsela, the Botswana Defense Force's HIV coordinator, told American Forces Press Service. Men ages 30 to 45 suffer the highest infection rates, topping 40 percent, according to Health Ministry statistics.

As the Botswana government adopted an aggressive national prevention strategy, it teamed the Health Ministry with the Botswana Defense Force, which was showing signs of progress in reducing infections within its ranks.

In addition to education about the risks of unprotected sex and multiple partners and the importance of proper condom use, the national program includes a "safe male circumcision" strategy, Ditsela said. Unlike in the United States, circumcision is not a cultural norm in Botswana, Kelly explained. Yet research shows that the simple procedure can reduce HIV infections among males by as much as 60 percent.

So in meetings to plan humanitarian civic assistance projects for Southern Accord 12, Air Force Capt. Francis Obuseh wasn't completely surprised by the Botswanans' request for help in conducting male circumcisions.

Working with a partner-nation military to conduct male circumcisions during those clinics would be a first for the U.S. military, Obuseh said. Few U.S. medical doctors are experienced in the procedure. Kelly, for example, said he hadn't performed one in about 30 years, when he was undergoing his surgery residency.

But as an epidemiologist who grew up in Nigeria and has studied HIV around the African continent, Obuseh welcomed the opportunity to teach U.S. medics new skills, strengthen the partnership between the two militaries' medical teams and to make a valuable contribution to the Botswanan people.

"This is excellent way for them to partner together in an area of great importance that can make a lasting difference," he said.

Obuseh emphasized that the circumcisions were just one part of a comprehensive HIV program for the local villagers, funded in part by the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, program.

Members of the Botswana Defense Force provide HIV counseling, screening and education about the safe male circumcision procedure. Meanwhile, the U.S. medical personnel are working side by side with them, performing the surgeries. To prepare the U.S. surgeons, nurses and surgical technicians who arrived here earlier this month for Southern Accord 12, Botswana Defense Force medical personnel conducted two days of classes to teach them the techniques.

They put them to practice yesterday for the third medical clinic since they arrived, performing circumcisions on 28 men ranging in age from 14 to 49 not far from the base in the tiny village of Monwane.

Army Spc. Chris Kepler, a medic with the 396th Combat Support Hospital, said he "begged and pleaded" for the chance to serve as circulating nurse for the clinic. He scurried among five operating areas sectioned off within a generator-powered tent, preparing rooms, drawing medications and applying dressings once the surgeries were completed.

"This is a lot of work, but it's exciting to be a part of a humanitarian mission like this," Kepler said. "I feel that we are serving a bigger purpose and getting a chance to give back. ... I wouldn't trade this experience for the world."

Army Spc. Christina Shoemaker, a 396th CSH surgical technician, acknowledged the challenges of working in an austere environment with limited instruments and a steady flow of patients. But just as she knows she is helping to change their lives, she said, her experience here is changing her own.

"This has been a really big influence on me that I will take home," she said, expressing interest in working with HIV-positive patients at a local veterans hospital as a volunteer. "It's a great feeling knowing that we have helped these people," she said.

Army Capt. Julie Karpinski, a registered nurse with the 396th CSH, said she enjoyed learning a new skill while making a contribution she knows will benefit the people of Botswana long after Southern Accord 12 ends.

"If you can't change the fact that HIV is here, at least this procedure is minimizing the transmission rate. And that is huge," she said. "Being a part of it is wonderful."

Southern Accord is a joint, combined training exercise led by U.S. Army Africa to expand capabilities between the U.S. military and Botswana Defense Force and enhance their interoperability. In addition to training activities relevant to peace support operations, it includes engineering projects and four medical and dental clinics in local communities.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND ENERGY SECURITY

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Report Details Military's Energy Investments

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2012 - In the second report of its kind, a top DOD official has certified that the Defense Department's proposed 2013-2017 budget effectively funds initiatives to give troops better energy options.

Author Sharon E. Burke, assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, said the report, "Energy Investments for Military Operations: for Fiscal Year 2013," is required in the 2009 Defense Authorization Act, the same legislation that created her office.

"The [report's] most important message is that the department has a considerable investment in energy security for the purpose of improving military effectiveness and defense capabilities," Burke told American Forces Press Service.

The department has long managed energy use in domestic facilities and has taken many steps to improve energy use, she added, "but before this office was created we really hadn't looked at how we use energy in military operations, which is where we use 75 percent of our energy."
"The innovative approach the Defense Department is taking to achieving greater operational efficiency and boosting combat effectiveness is exactly in line with our new defense strategy," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a statement.

"These investments in new energy technologies, more than 90 percent of which are for energy efficiency or energy- performance upgrades will enable our forces to operate longer and at greater distance while enhancing our energy security at home and, in many cases, reducing costs," Panetta added.

Burke said the notion that energy is a warfighting asset is old and new.

"It's as old as warfare to see logistics and supply lines as mission-critical elements and also as strategic and tactical assets that are both strengths and targets in a time of war," she noted.

For the first operational energy certification report, published in January 2011, Burke said her office was just beginning to collect the required information.

This year Burke and her team worked with several offices in DOD including the comptroller, the military services, the Joint Staff and the Office of the Director for Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, or CAPE, "for a fuller picture of how the department is investing in energy security," she explained.

"It is a great step forward for the department to be able to document these investments," Burke said.

In June 2011 DOD released its first Operational Energy Strategy, outlining how it could better use energy to support its strategic goals and the country's energy security goals, lower warfighter risk and save taxpayer resources.

The strategy's main goal is to promote the energy security of military operations in three ways, Burke said -- by reducing the demand for fuel, diversifying energy supplies and incorporating these considerations into building the future force.

For the report, Burke and her team scoured DOD's budget to see how well the department's energy investment matched these three elements.

Burke found that DOD is budgeting $1.6 billion for initiatives that will improve energy use and $9 billion in energy-security investments for the department across the five-year Future Years Defense Program, she said. These initiatives compare with $16.3 billion the department has budgeted for petroleum for military operations in 2013.

"What I found was that [the investments] track very well with the strategy," she said. "About 90 percent of the investments will go to reduce demand for energy so to improve our energy performance and our energy efficiency. And the remaining 10 percent is mostly for alternative and renewable energy."

Such investments pay for a range of efforts, from more efficient shelters and ruggedized solar devices that the Marines plan to deploy in Afghanistan, to engine upgrades for the KC-135 aerial refueling tanker, legacy improvements to equipment coming back from the war zone, microgrid installation and many more.

"Each year we're getting better information, Burke said, " ... [and] financial commitments in this area are also increasing."

Burke's team also is getting better documentation of how the department actually uses and is planning to use energy.

The certification report for fiscal 2013 chronicles the department's commitment to operational energy security, Burke said, and the report for 2014 will have even more complete information.

"We have seven specific targets as we implement the strategy," she said. "As those targets are being met, we will have better information in certain areas."

Burke's certification report is not required to be public or to be released to Congress, she said.

"I'm only required to notify Congress if I decertify," she added, "but I feel like it's very important for people to have access to this information ... so they can see where we're actually making our commitments."

"FEDS FEEDS FAMILIES"

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DOD Employees Collect Food for the Hungry

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15, 2012 - Defense Department employees are doing their best to feed those in the National Capital Region who go hungry, and a federal program that collects food donations was recognized at the Pentagon today.

Through August, the government-wide "Feds Feed Families" campaign, now in its fourth year, is helping to feed families in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. It is part of a nationwide program that provides food to 3.9 million people.

At today's event, Capital Area Food Bank operations chief Mark McCaffrey thanked Pentagon employees for their donations, saying it was in keeping with their role as public servants. The food bank collects items for about 700 different organizations throughout the region.

"One in two children in the area are food insecure," McCaffrey said. The need is especially acute in the summer, as many of the children's only good meal each day is served as part of the school lunch program.

And the military is not immune. Last year, the food bank established a food pantry truck at Fort Belvoir, Va., that now serves 250 families, McCaffrey said.

DOD employees at many bases and posts are holding similar food drives.

The Pentagon effort has already collected 969,000 pounds of non-perishable foodstuffs, said Paige Hinkle-Bowles, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for civilian personnel policy.

"I have no doubt we will be able to raise our goal of 1.5 million pounds by the end of the month," Hinkle-Bowles said.

USGS SAYS AFGHANISTAN HAS MODERATE TO ABUNDANT COAL

Photo:  Coal Mine U.S.  From U.S. Bureau Of Land Management
FROM: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Afghanistan has moderate to potentially abundant coal resources. However, most deposits are relatively deep or currently inaccessible, and reserves are largely undeveloped. Historically, coal has been used in the country for powering small industries (notably cement production, textile manufacturing, and food processing) and as a primary source of household fuel. The main factors limiting widespread use of coal are rugged terrain, lack of transportation networks, and the absence of industrial infrastructure.

USGS scientists carried out comprehensive assessments of Afghanistan’s coal resources beginning in 2005 in cooperation with the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industries (MMI). Various agencies of MMI involved in this cooperative effort included the Afghan Geological Survey (AGS), the North Coal Department (NCD), and the Coal Mines Section of the Mining Affairs Department. The primary focus of the assessment was to determine the quality, quantity, and distribution of coal throughout Afghanistan, identify the stratigraphic and areal extent of coal deposits, and quantify coal resources on a regional and national level. Assessment activities were conducted in close cooperation with MMI as well as other governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders to assure that the Afghan coal mining sector can be developed in a safe, sustainable, environmentally sound, and economically rational way.

NAVY SEEKS PROPOSALS FOR DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS FOR SHIPS

100119-N-0365D-001 NICHOLAS ISLAND, Calif. (Jan. 19, 2010) Members of the Directed Energy and Electric Weapon Systems Program Office, of Naval Sea Systems Command, fire a laser through a beam director on a Kineto Tracking Mount, controlled by a MK-15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons System. This event successfully tracked, engaged, and destroyed an unmanned aerial vehicle in an over-the-water combat representative scenario. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
　
FROM: U.S. NAVY
ONR Solicits Bids for Solid-State Laser Weapons for Ships
By Grace Jean, Office of Naval Research Public Affairs
ARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR) continues to seek industry proposals to develop an affordable solid-state laser weapon prototype for Navy ships, part of a broad agency announcement published Aug. 14.


"We are in the process of developing a laser weapon prototype for the naval surface fleet to counter small unmanned aerial vehicles and small boat threats," said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Matthew Klunder.


ONR hosted an industry day in May to provide the research and development community with information about its Solid-State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM) program. Managers incorporated feedback into the announcement, which solicits industry's investment in the program on a number of levels, from subcomponents to systems design.


"We're looking for an open systems solution to this warfighting capability because we believe it's cost effective and can provide the best value to the government," said Peter Morrison, ONR program officer.


The SSL-TM program builds upon ONR's directed-energy developments in kilowatt-scale lasers. Among the programs, the Maritime Laser Demonstration developed a proof-of-concept technology that was tested at sea in 2011 aboard a decommissioned Navy ship. The demonstrator was able to disable a small boat target.


During the first week of August off the California coast the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), ONR and Navy Air and Missile Defense Command (NAMDC) sponsored a series of successful laser weapon concept development tests aboard a U.S. Navy destroyer. The Navy intends to use the technical data collected from this test to inform potential development of a Navy laser weapon system.


All of these efforts could help the Department of the Navy become the first of the armed forces to deploy cost-effective, high-energy laser weapons.

AGENCIES ISSUE PROPOSED RULE ON APPRAISALS FOR HIGHER-RISK MORTGAGES

FROM: FDIC

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Federal Housing Finance Agency
National Credit Union Administration
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

WASHINGTON— Six federal financial regulatory agencies today issued a proposed rule to establish new appraisal requirements for "higher-risk mortgage loans." The proposed rule would implement amendments to the Truth in Lending Act enacted by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. Under the Dodd-Frank Act, mortgage loans are higher-risk if they are secured by a consumer's home and have interest rates above a certain threshold.

For higher-risk mortgage loans, the proposed rule would require creditors to use a licensed or certified appraiser who prepares a written report based on a physical inspection of the interior of the property. The proposed rule also would require creditors to disclose to applicants information about the purpose of the appraisal and provide consumers with a free copy of any appraisal report.

Creditors would have to obtain an additional appraisal at no cost to the consumer for a home-purchase higher-risk mortgage loan if the seller acquired the property for a lower price during the past six months. This requirement would address fraudulent property flipping by seeking to ensure that the value of the property being used as collateral for the loan legitimately increased.

The proposed rule is being issued by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

The Federal Register notice is attached. The agencies are seeking comments from the public on all aspects of the proposal. The public will have 60 days, or until October 15, 2012, to review and comment on most of the proposal. However, comments related to the proposed Paperwork Reduction Act analysis will be due 60 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register. Publication of the proposal in the Federal Register is expected shortly.

WATCHING HURRICANES FROM SPACE

FROM:  NASA
Why and How NASA Investigates Hurricanes
06.01.05
Why: Why is NASA involved in hurricane research? Image: A bridge is devastated during Hurricane Hugo. Click on image to enlarge. Credit: NOAA

NASA has a history of developing state-of-the-art remote sensors treating all aspects of weather and climate. There is a long legacy, a heritage, in observing the atmosphere from space; NASA launched the very first weather satellite back in 1960 (TIROS-1); for the first time, hurricane threats to the U.S. could be seen approaching from across the Atlantic.

Today, NASA's research into hurricanes addresses two key questions under NASA's Science Mission Directorate Earth-Sun Division Strategic Plan:

1) How are global precipitation, evaporation and the cycling of water changing?
2) How well can weather forecast duration and reliability be improved by new space-based observations, data assimilation and modeling?
How: How Does NASA Do It?

(1) Innovative Sensors and Satellites.
NASA remote sensors and satellites have been used to study hurricanes for years. One of the most fascinating aspects to NASA's new technology is that the latest generation of NASA sensors can see processes occurring below the clouds. Some of the satellites being used for hurricane research include:

TRMM (The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite): TRMM can observe the vertical structure of rain and how intense the rain is falling from the clouds.

QuickSCAT: This "Scatterometer" instrument can help us visualize the circular movement of the winds that form a tropical cyclone as they occur above the sea surface. It can also tell the strength of winds in the tropical cyclone's core.

AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System): This instrument on the Aqua satellite looks through the clouds to the ocean surface, and provides scientists with sea surface temperature. That temperature is important because it determines how strong the storm is, and whether it's going to get stronger or weaker, as hurricanes feed off warm waters.

AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder): The Aqua satellite's AIRS instrument provides vertical profiles of temperature and moisture, called soundings, with much greater coverage than weather balloons. This is critical for understanding the structure of the tropical atmosphere over vast oceans and inaccessible areas of land, such as rain forests and deserts.

Image: A large wooden plank is impaled through a palm tree during the high winds of Hurricane Andrew. Click on image to enlarge Credit: NOAA
　
(2) Field Experiments. Several kinds of experiments are conducted in the field. The Convection and Moisture Experiment (CAMEX) was primarily designed to validate satellite measurements of moisture and to create a better understanding of the water cycle, but also places an emphasis upon studies of tropical cyclones. The Tropical Cloud Systems and Processes (TCSP) Experiment, a follow-up to CAMEX is slated for the summer of 2005 in Costa Rica. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division will join NASA in this field mission.


NASA also uses aircraft such as the ER-2, which acts as a virtual satellite and test-bed for many of NASA's satellite remote sensing instruments. Two remote sensors are the EDOP (ER-2 Doppler Radar) and AMPR (Advanced Microwave Precipitation Radiometer) - two instruments that provide detailed vertical information on vertical precipitation and cloud structure, air motions within the storm, and very useful for validating TRMM.

3) State of the Art Computer Models. The computer models NASA uses include observations from NASA's remote sensors and satellites, and in turn can be used to better specify what the sensors should measure. Some examples of computer models include: the finite-volume General Circulation Model (fvGCM), the Atmospheric General Circulation Model (AGCM) and Mesoscale Model 5 (MM5) hurricane simulations, and Project Columbia, which is an advancement in NASA's supercomputing capability through deployment of an integrated computing, visualization and data storage environment.

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN AUGUST 15, 2012

Photo:  Bullet Riddled Building in Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Weapons, Explosives Dealer

From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 15, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban weapons dealer in the Sangin district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials said.

The weapons dealer provided homemade explosives and other bomb-making material to Taliban fighters.

He also was involved in plans to smuggle a large quantity of explosives into the region for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents during the operation.
Also today, in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province, a combined force arrested a Taliban leader who recruited fighters and provided them with weapons and explosives for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. The force also detained several suspects during the operation.
In operations yesterday:
In the Panjwai district of Kandahar province, a combined force conducted a precision airstrike against insurgents. The force confirmed the strike killed one insurgent and did not injure any civilians or damage civilian property.

Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Appendix A: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA, GE. DEMPSEY REASSURED BY EGYPTIAN LEADERS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, U.S.-EGYPT RELATIONS

Panetta, Dempsey Reassured By Talks with New Egyptian Leaders

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2012 - U.S. officials have good relations with the new Egyptian national defense leaders, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke with their new Egyptian counterparts today, they told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing.

Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi replaced his defense minister and other top generals Aug. 12.

Panetta said he had spoken with Egypt's new defense minister, Army Gen. Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. "He is a highly experienced officer who was trained and spent a lot of time in the United States," the secretary said, adding that he thinks the general trained at Fort Benning, Ga., and at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pa.

The general "expressed his unwavering commitment to the U.S.- Egypt mil-to-mil relationship, which has been really an anchor of stability in the Middle East for more than 30 years."

Panetta said he told the general he looks forward to continuing the U.S. relationship with the Egyptian military. "General el-Sisi has stressed that he takes seriously Egypt's obligations under the Camp David treaty, and he's committed to preventing the Sinai from becoming a staging area for militants," he said.

Dempsey spoke with Egypt's new Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Army Gen. Sidqi Sobhi Sayed. "He is another Army War College graduate, so he's a man with a longstanding relationship with the United States military," he said. "And I sense a positive trend towards civil control of a professional and a respected military."

The relationship between the two militaries transcends individuals, Dempsey said. "I, too, was encouraged by President Morsi's increased emphasis on security in the Sinai, which has been a concern to all of us," he added.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA SAYS TO REMEMBER SACRIFICES IN AFGHANISTAN

Photo Credit:  U.S. Marines

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Remember Progress, Sacrifices in Afghanistan, Panetta Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 14, 2012 - Amid a news-filled summer here at home and the nation's attention focused on the just-concluded Olympics, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today urged Americans to remember a war is still going on in Afghanistan, and called on them to honor the sacrifices service members are making there.


Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed Afghanistan during a Pentagon news briefing. The two conferred earlier in the day with Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Kabul.


"I just want the American people to take the time and reflect on these sacrifices," Panetta said. "It's because of those sacrifices that I think we're moving in the right direction to achieve our goal in Afghanistan.


"That's a tribute to General Allen's leadership and to the countless sacrifices of thousands of Americans and international and Afghan forces who have stepped forward to make us safer," he added.


The leaders spoke of the campaign and Panetta summarized the progress measured against four goals: to build the capabilities of Afghan forces, to pressure the insurgency, to transition to an Afghan security lead, and to maintain the international coalition's unity of effort.


It is a tough fight in Afghanistan, especially at the height of the summer fighting season, the secretary said, but added that progress can be measured. Afghan security forces continue to grow in size and capabilities, he said. There are roughly 350,000 Afghan soldiers and police today and the country will reach its goal of 352,000 in the next few months, he said.


Afghan forces' capabilities are also growing, Panetta said. "The growth of Afghan special operations and having that capability has allowed Afghans to plan, conduct and lead special operations missions every day and every night," he said.


Afghan forces recently activated a special operations forces command with 10,000 soldiers, and in one recent 24-hour period in one regional command, 27 of 35 SOF operations were Afghan-led.
Capable Afghan security forces will cripple the insurgency, Panetta said. The Taliban and other groups recognize this and are attacking to undermine the trust between the coalition and Afghan forces, he said. The Taliban has taken credit for a number of "green-on-blue" attacks to sow distrust.


"Make no mistake about it, I've been very concerned about these incidents ... because of the lives lost and because of the potential damage to our partnership efforts," Panetta said.


Another reason for the uptick in insurgent attacks is because Afghan and coalition forces are taking the fight to the enemy, the secretary said.


"When you're aggressive and when you're conducting operations against them, obviously the number of casualties are going to increase," he said.


The fighting is away from cities and villages and the goal of protecting the population is being realized, Panetta said, allowing ISAF to continue with the transition to Afghan lead. "The transition has been and remains ... very much a successful operation," he said.


Afghan soldiers and police protect more than half of the population today and that percentage will rise to 75 percent in the coming months, Panetta said.


"Security gains made in these areas have been sustained," he said. "Indeed, in the first six months of this year insurgent attacks were down about 15 percent in areas that are undergoing transition compared to 2011."


Encouraging unity of effort is the final goal and ensuring the strong support of the Afghan people and the international community is paramount, the secretary said.


"In my discussions with General Allen and with my foreign counterparts ... I've been struck by the shared determination of the international community and coalition to overcome the challenges and stay committed to the effort," he said.


DOD leaders are encouraged that Pakistan recently has taken a more positive, visible step to advance the shared objective of a secure and peaceful Afghanistan, Panetta said.


"Their decision to open up the NATO supply lines means a great deal to us in terms of our ability to transit containers and materiel that are now moving across the border into Afghanistan," he said. "Similarly, cross-border cooperation with Pakistan is increasing."


American forces are drawing down in Afghanistan. But even with the drawdown – set to be complete next month – there will still be 68,000 U.S. service members in the country.


"As secretary of defense ... one of my toughest jobs is to write condolence letters to the families of our fallen heroes," Panetta said. "And frankly, I seem to be writing more lately."


More than 1,950 Americans in uniform have died in Afghanistan, and thousands more have been injured. "The pain and the heartbreak of this war weigh heavily on me," he said. "And yet when I talk to the families of the fallen, when you meet with them and when you meet with our wounded troops at Bethesda, I am struck by their commitment to seeing this mission through and to ensuring that these sacrifices are not in vain.


"At a time when I am sure that there's an awful lot to be mad about, there's a lot to be proud of when it comes to our men and women in uniform," he said. "And we shouldn't forget that."

REPORT ON POLAR BEARS FROM U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICES

FROM: U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICES
Polar Bear
　
Polar bears are the largest carnivores and a unique symbol of the Arctic. Nineteen populations of polar bears are distributed in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Norway, and Russia. The world wide population is estimated to be 22,000-25,000 bears. Two populations occur in Alaska: the southern Beaufort Sea stock, shared with Canada; and the Bering Chukchi/Seas stock, shared with the Russian Federation (Range Map)

In Alaska, the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) protects polar bears by prohibiting "take" of polar bears. The MMPA provides for specific exceptions to the prohibition on taking, including a provision that allows Alaska Natives to hunt polar bears for subsistence and the creation of handicrafts.

World wide, polar bear populations remain relatively stable; however, climate change, contamination of the Arctic environment, potential over-harvest, and increasing human development in polar bear habitat pose conservation challenges for polar bears.

On May 15, 2008, the Service published a Final Rule in the Federal Register listing the polar bear as a threatened species throughout their global range under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This listing was based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat. The Service is currently developing a Conservation/Recovery Plan for polar bears.

Last updated: November 1, 2011

SECRETARY OF STATE CLINTON SENDS BEST WISHES ON REPUBLIC OF KOREA'S INDEPENDENCE DAY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Republic of Korea Independence Day
Remarks
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
August 13, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of the Republic of Korea as you celebrate the anniversary of your independence this August 15.
　
The United States and the Republic of Korea share a long history of friendship and cooperation based on common values and interests. From combating regional and global threats, to strengthening our economies, to enhancing people-to-people ties between our two nations, we are working together toward a better future for both our countries and the world.
　
As you celebrate this important day with family, friends, and loved ones, know that the United States stands with you as an ally and friend. To Korean people all over the world: I wish you the very best on this special day and in the year to come.

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS: DIVING, BIG BRIDGE AND, HUNGER TASK FORCE

FROM:  U.S. NAVY
120810-N-IL826-202 MILWAUKEE (Aug. 10, 2012) Navy Diver 2nd Class Jonathan Pounders, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 interacts with children at the Discovery World Museum during the Navy's commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 in Milwaukee. The celebration coincides with Milwaukee Navy Week, one of 15 signature events planned across America in 2012. The weeklong event commemorates the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, hosting service members from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kenneth Robinson/Released)

　

120813-N-LE393-049 NEWPORT, R.I. (August 13, 2012) The guided-missile cruiser USS San Jacinto (CG 56) passes underneath the Claiborne Pell Bridge before a visit to Newport, R.I. San Jacinto is scheduled to provide shipboard tours and training for the Surface Warfare Officers School. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Dietrich/Released)

　
120810-N-IL826-032 MILWAUKEE (Aug. 10, 2012) Crew members assigned to the Cyclone-class Coastal patrol ship USS Hurricane (PC 3) volunteer and pack food for the Hunger Task Force during the Navy'Äôs commemoration of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 in Milwaukee. The celebration coincides with Milwaukee Navy Week, one of 15 signature events planned across America in 2012. The weeklong event commemorates the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, hosting service members from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kenneth Robinson/Released)

TREASURY LIFTS SANCTIONS AGAINST DEFECTED SYRIAN PRIME MINISTER

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today is lifting sanctions against former Prime Minister of Syria Riyad Hijab who recently severed his ties with the Assad regime. This action is being taken because Hijab is no longer a senior official of the Government of Syria. Hijab’s name will be removed from Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) and Blocked Persons List, and he is no longer subject to an asset freeze.

Since the uprising against the Assad regime began last year, the United States has used a number of different authorities to target and sanction those involved in human rights abuse in Syria, senior Syrian government officials, and the Syrian government itself in an effort to hasten the removal of the Assad regime from power and end the government’s campaign of violence against the Syrian people.

"Recent civilian and military defections from the Assad regime are further indications that the government is crumbling and losing its grip on power," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. "The United States encourages other officials within the Syrian government, in both the political and military ranks, to take similarly courageous steps to reject the Assad regime and stand with the Syrian people."

On July 18, 2012, Treasury designated 29 senior officials of the Syrian government, including Prime Minister Riyad Hijab, pursuant to Executive Order 13573 of May 18, 2011 "Blocking Property of Senior Officials of the Government of Syria." Three weeks later Hijab chose to defect from the Syrian government and denounce its campaign of violence.

One of the goals of identifying and levying sanctions on specific individuals is to encourage them to reconsider their involvement with the current Syrian government. Today’s action illustrates the flexibility and responsiveness of the U.S. sanctions regime, allowing a prompt response to events on the ground. It is not too late for others who continue to provide support to the Assad regime to sever their ties and to be relieved of the burden of sanctions.

Newly appointed Prime Minister Wael Nader Al-Halqi was designated by the Treasury Department in July 2012, in his previous position as the Minister of Health. The sanctions against Al-Halqi remain in effect.

Who gets botulism?

Who gets botulism?

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN AUGUST 14, 2012

Photo:  Troops On C-17

Globemaster III En Route To Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Marine Corps Photo

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Combined Force Arrests Taliban Weapons Dealer
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 14, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban weapons dealer and detained two suspected insurgents in the Panjwai district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.
　
The weapons dealer provided Taliban fighters with weapons, ammunition and improvised explosive device material for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. At the time of his arrest, officials said, he was trying to arrange weapons training for insurgents in the province.
　
In other news today:
-- In the Now Zad district of Helmand province, a combined force found and destroyed 16 IEDs and more than 4,100 pounds of wet opium.
　
-- Afghan and coalition security force officials confirmed that a Haqqani network leader responsible for numerous attacks against Afghan and coalition forces was one of those detained during an Aug. 9 operation in the Shwak district of Paktia province.
　
In operations yesterday:
-- In the Chimtal district of Balkh province, a combined force arrested a Taliban weapons supplier who provided machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and IEDs to insurgents for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in and around the district. The weapons supplier also placed IEDs along local roads.
　
-- During an operation in the Watahpur district of Kunar province, a combined force conducted a precision airstrike against a group of armed insurgents. The force confirmed the strike had killed multiple insurgents and had not injured civilians or damaged civilian property.
　
-- In the Sabari district of Khost province, a combined force arrested a Haqqani weapons supplier. The supplier smuggled assault rifles into the district and tried to acquire grenades for a planned attack against Afghan and coalition forces. He is also responsible for coordinating multiple attacks against security forces. The combined force also detained several suspected insurgents and seized firearms.
　
In Aug. 12 operations:
--In the Pul-e Alam district of Logar province, a combined force arrested a Haqqani network leader who directed and conducted numerous attacks against Afghan and coalition forces in the province. Before his arrest, the Haqqani leader tried to acquire IED components for additional attacks. The security force also detained three suspected insurgents.
　
-- An Afghan security force, supported by coalition troops, arrested senior Taliban leader Mawawi Akbar in the Surobi district of Kabul province. Before his arrest, Akbar was one of the most senior Taliban insurgents operating in Surobi, and he was responsible for facilitating the movement of suicide bombers throughout the province.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update