U.S.-ALGERIA RELATIONS

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department.
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
The United States established diplomatic relations with Algeria in 1962 following its independence from France. Algeria severed relations with the United States in 1967, in the wake of the Arab-Israeli War. Relations were reestablished in 1974.
　
The United States and Algeria consult closely on key international and regional issues such as law enforcement cooperation, both in the field of counterterrorism and in countering more conventional transnational crimes. The two countries have finalized language for a customs mutual assistance agreement and have signed a mutual legal assistance treaty. The United States and Algeria have conducted bilateral military exercises. Exchanges between the Algerian and U.S. militaries are frequent, Algeria has hosted senior U.S. military officials and ship visits, and the United States hosted an Algerian port visit for the first time this year.
　
Algeria has remained relatively stable despite the turmoil that has engulfed the region beginning in 2011. While there have been sporadic demonstrations, they have remained primarily socio-economic in nature, with few calls for the government to step down. The United States viewed legislative elections held in 2012 as a welcome step in Algeria's progress toward democratic reform.
　
U.S. Assistance to Algeria

U.S. bilateral foreign assistance to Algeria is designed to strengthen Algeria's capacity to combat terrorism and crime, and support the building of stable institutions that contribute to the security and stability of the region. Foreign assistance supports Algeria's ongoing fight against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other hostile actors in the region.
　
Funding through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) has been allocated to support the work of Algeria's developing civil society through programming that provides training to journalists, businesspeople, female entrepreneurs, legislators, legal professionals, and the heads of leading nongovernmental organizations. MEPI also has provided funding for economic development programs, and U.S. outreach programs support education in Algeria.
　
Bilateral Economic Relations

The United States is one of Algeria’s top trading partners, and Algeria is one of the top U.S. trading partners in the Middle East/North African region. Most U.S. direct investment in Algeria has been in the hydrocarbon sector. The main U.S. import from Algeria is crude oil. The two countries have signed a trade and investment framework agreement, establishing common principles on which the economic relationship is founded and forming a platform for negotiating other bilateral agreements. The U.S. Government encourages Algeria to make necessary changes to accede to the World Trade Organization, move toward transparent economic policies, and liberalize its investment climate. The United States has funded a program supporting Algerian efforts to develop a functioning, transparent banking and income tax system.
　
Algeria's Membership in International Organizations

Algeria and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Algeria also is a Partner for Cooperation with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, an observer to the Organization of American States, and an observer to the World Trade Organization.

WHO IS GETTING DEFENSE CONTRACTS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

CONTRACTS

Defense Logistics Agency

Graybar Electric Company, Inc., St. Louis, Mo., was issued a modification on contract SPM500-04-D-BP14/P00026. The award is a firm fixed price, prime vendor, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract with a maximum $160,244,324 for maintenance, repair and operations for the Alaska Region. There are no other locations of performance. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. There were seven responses to the FedBizOps solicitation. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013 Defense Working Capital funds. The date of performance completion is August 17, 2013. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
　
Science Application International Corp., Fairfield, N.J., was issued a modification on contract SPM500-04-D-BP15/P00025. The award is a firm fixed price, prime vendor, indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract with a maximum $105,033,859 for maintenance, repair and operations for the Northwest Region. There are no other locations of performance. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. There were five responses to the FedBizOps solicitation. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012 and fiscal 2013 Defense Working Capital funds. The date of performance completion is August 17, 2013. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
　
Frank Gargiulo Produce*, Hillside, N.J., was issued a modification on contract SPM300-08-D-P027. The award is a fixed price with economic price adjustment, indefinite quantity contract with a maximum $18,909,453 for fresh fruit and vegetable support in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania zone. There are no other locations of performance. Using military services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and USDA school customers. There were six responses to the web solicitation. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2012-2014 Defense Working Capital funds. The date of performance completion is February 27, 2014. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
　
Air Force
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems of San Diego, Calif. (FA8620-10-G-3038 0013) is being awarded an $87,338,761 firm fixed price, cost plus fixed fee contract for MQ-9 Reaper FY10/11 retrofit kits and installations for up to 80 aircraft. The location of performance is San Diego, Calif. Work is to be completed by August 17, 2016. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/WIIK, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio.
　
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors, Liverpool, N.Y., (FA8707-12-C-0018) is being awarded a $35,980,000 firm fixed price contract for the continued technology development of the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar system and Preliminary Design Review and Capability Demonstration of the radar prototype. The location of performance is Liverpool, N.Y. Work is to be completed by Nov. 20, 2013. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/HBDK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
　
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Electronic Systems Division of Linthicum Heights, MD (FA8707-12-C-0019) is being awarded a $34,748,186 firm fixed price contract for the continued technology development of the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar system and Preliminary Design Review and Capability Demonstration of the radar prototype. The location of performance is Linthicum Heights, MD. Work is to be completed by Nov. 20, 2013. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/HBDK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
　
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass. (FA8707-12-C-0020) is being awarded a $35,195,000 firm fixed price contract for the continued technology development of the Three-Dimensional Expeditionary Long-Range Radar system and Preliminary Design Review and Capability Demonstration of the radar prototype. The location of performance is Sudbury, Mass. Work is to be completed by Nov. 20, 2013. The contracting activity is AFLCMC/HBDK, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass.
　
Navy
Offshore Service Vessels, L.L.C., Galliano, La., is being awarded $47,420,000 to exercise an option under a previously awarded contract (N00033-05-C-3300) to purchase vessels and flexible piping equipment that comprise the Offshore Petroleum Distribution System (OPDS). The vessels include a U.S.-flagged self-sustaining vessel, MV VADM K.R. Wheeler and one tender vessel, MV Fast Tempo. The OPDS has been under long-term charter to Military Sealift Command since 2005, and has the capability to operate as an at-sea pumping station, quickly and efficiently delivering fuel to soldiers and Marines operating ashore where port facilities are inadequate or non-existent. The ship transfers to U.S. government ownership on Aug. 20, 2012, and will continue to operate worldwide. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity (N00033-05-C-3300).
　
Acosta, Inc., Jacksonville, Fla., is being awarded a $7,850,597 indefinite-delivery requirements contract with fixed-price and economic price adjustment provisions to provide for various resale items in support of Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) Ship Store Program. The contract shall provide NEXCOM with a vehicle for placing orders for the various supplies required by the command, which will then be placed in the inventory of Ship's Store for the purpose of resale to the ship's crew. The contract contains four one-year option periods, which if exercised, will bring the contract value to $39,252,985. Work will be performed in the following pre-determined zones: Zone A - Alameda, Calif.; Concord, Calif.; Oakland, Calif.; San Francisco Bay Area, Calif., and Richmond, Calif., Zone B - Chino, Calif.; Long Beach, Calif.; Port Hueneme, Calif. and San Diego, Calif., Zone C - Portland, Ore.; Bremerton, Wash.; Everett, Wash, and Seattle, Wash., Zone G - Little Creek, Va.; Newport News, Va.; Norfolk, Va.; Portsmouth, Va. and Yorktown, Va. Work is expected to be completed Dec. 31, 2013. If all options are exercise, work will continue through Dec. 31, 2017. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. Funding will be at the delivery order level. The requirement was not available for competition as Acosta, Inc., is the wholesaler/distributor authorized by the various manufacturers it represents to serve as the sole distribution channel to NEXCOM, and the Ship's Store Program. The Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N00189-12-D-0044).

POULTRY PLANT CONVICTED OF VIOLATING CLEAN WATER ACT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Monday, August 20, 2012
North Carolina Poultry Processing Plant Convicted for Knowing Violations of Clean Water Act

WASHINGTON – A federal jury today found House of Raeford Farms Inc., the owner and operator of a poultry slaughtering and processing facility located in Raeford, North Carolina, guilty of 10 counts of knowing violations of the Clean Water Act.
　
House of Raeford allowed plant employees to bypass the facility’s pretreatment system and send its untreated wastewater directly to the city of Raeford’s wastewater treatment plant, without notifying city officials. In addition, House of Raeford failed to prevent employees from sending thousands of gallons of wastewater into a pretreatment system that did not have the capacity to adequately treat the wastewater before it was discharged to the city plant. The untreated wastewater that was discharged directly to the city plant was contaminated with waste from processing operations, including blood, grease and body parts from slaughtered turkeys. A House of Raeford former employee admitted that the facility would continue to "kill turkeys" despite being warned that the unauthorized bypasses had an adverse impact on the city’s wastewater treatment plant. The city plant was responsible for treating industrial, commercial and residential wastewater before it was discharged to Rockfish Creek in Hoke County.
　
The bypasses and failure to report them violated House of Raeford’s pretreatment permit as well as the city’s sewer use ordinance. Many of the bypasses took place while House of Raeford was subject to a consent order with the city that required it to construct a new pretreatment system and comply with all requirements of its pretreatment permit. A number of the bypasses were recorded in log books kept by House of Raeford Inc. wastewater operators, and were never revealed to the city.
　
"The convictions today demonstrate the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting those who knowingly violate pretreatment permits and the Clean Water Act by releasing untreated and contaminated wastewater to municipal wastewater treatment plants," said Ignacia S. Moreno, Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. "The violations here are especially egregious and will not be tolerated. The evidence showed that House of Raeford allowed overflows of untreated wastewater to bypass a critical part of their pretreatment system. Many of these bypasses were not disclosed to the city of Raeford, and placed an additional burden on the city’s wastewater treatment plant."
　
"Publicly owned wastewater treatment plants must be protected from companies that cut corners by discharging wastewater illegally," said Maureen O’Mara, Special Agent in Charge of of EPA Region 4, which covers the southeast United States including North Carolina. "The defendants in this case deliberately discharged turkey parts, blood and grease into the wastewater plant for over 16 months, bypassing treatment. Today’s conviction sends the message that the American public will not tolerate companies putting profit ahead of compliance."
　
"Families and businesses depend on having clean water. Our SBI agents will continue to work closely with their federal partners to protect the safety of our water supply and hold polluters accountable," said North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper.
　
House of Raeford Inc. faces a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the gain or loss resulting from the offenses, whichever is greater, per count. Sentencing has been scheduled for Nov. 28, 2012.
　
The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department’s Environmental Crimes Section and was investigated by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Criminal Investigation Division and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

AIR NATIONAL GUARD HISTORY AND HEROS

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Captain Russell "Rusty" Schweickart was the first astronaut with an Air Guard background, selected for astronaut training in October 1963 while serving as an F-86 pilot in the 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron, Massachusetts Air National Guard. In March 1969, Schwieckart was the Lunar Module Pilot on the Apollo 9 mission, which tested the Apollo moon-landing systems in low Earth orbit.


　
　

Major Donald J.Strait with P-51D "Jersey Jerk" in Europe, 1945. Enlisting in the New Jersey National Guard before World War II, Strait went to flight school, becoming one of two fighter aces with National Guard backgrounds with 13.5 victories. Postwar, Strait commanded the New Jersey Air National Guard, retiring in 1978 as a major general.

Contracts for August 21, 2012

Contracts for August 21, 2012

F-15E ACCIDENT REPORT RELEASED

F-15E ACCIDENT REPORT RELEASED

NATIONAL GUARD PARTNERSHIPS IN AFRICA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Air Force Master Sgt. Chris Choate, center, shows members of the Botswanan military how to properly secure a litter on a C-130 Hercules aircraft as part of an aeromedical evacuation exercise, Aug. 11, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Lausanne Morgan

Ham to Seek More National Guard Partnerships in Africa


By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
THEBEPHATSHWA AIR BASE, Botswana, Aug. 20, 2012 - As the North Carolina National Guard builds on successes of the Southern Accord 12 exercise that wrapped up here last week with Botswana, the commander of U.S. Africa Command said he'll press to expand the State Partnership Program on the continent.
　
Amy Gen. Carter F. Ham, who calls himself "a big fan" of the National Guard program, said he hopes to increase the number of partnerships in Africa to as many as a dozen within the next two years.
　
"The State Partnership Program is one of the most important tools that we have in our collective kit bag," Ham said during an interview here with Soldiers Radio and Television Service correspondent Gail McCabe. "And we see that certainly here between North Carolina and Botswana, where it is hugely powerful."
　
Ham said he has asked the National Guard Bureau chief, Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, to consider additional partnerships. "I would like to get two more this year, and maybe two more next year, and then see how that might unfold," he said. Ham told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year Libya could be a good candidate for the program.
　
The State Partnership Program has grown dramatically since it was formed 20 years ago to support former Soviet bloc countries after the Soviet Union collapsed. Today, the program includes partnerships with 63 countries around the world.
　
Africom currently has eight state partnerships. The California National Guard is partnered with Nigeria, the New York Guard with South Africa, the North Dakota National Guard with Ghana, the Michigan National Guard with Liberia, the Vermont National Guard with Senegal, the Utah National Guard with Morocco, and the Wyoming National Guard with Tunisia.
　
The North Carolina Guard has partnered with Botswana since 2008.
　
Based on its partnership with Moldova since 1995, the North Carolina Guard applied lessons learned to quickly build a productive relationship with Botswana, Army Maj. Gen. Gregory A. Lusk, North Carolina's adjutant general, told American Forces Press Service.
　
"We had the benefit of a partnership with Moldova that was a very mature relationship," he said. "So based on that experience, we knew where we could go in fostering a partnership with Botswana, and we were able to do it more efficiency and much quicker."
　
Lusk, on his third trip to Botswana over the past year, said relationships forged with the Botswana Defense Force went a long way toward increasing the effectiveness of Southern Accord 12, U.S. Army Africa's largest-ever exercise on the continent.
　
The exercise, which ran Aug. 1 to 17, brought together almost 700 U.S. soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors and an equal number of their Botswana Defense Force counterparts for classroom and field exercises as well as humanitarian outreach projects.
　
In addition, the Air Force integrated its annual Medlite exercise into Southern Accord for the first time this year, with members of the North Carolina Air National Guard teaching aeromedical evacuation techniques to Botswana Defense Force medical personnel.
　
Army Col. Randy Powell, commander of the North Carolina Guard's 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, credited the State Partnership Program with ensuring that when he arrived here to serve as the joint task force commander for the exercise, he didn't have to start at square one to get the lay of the land.
　
"This is my forth visit to Botswana, and each one builds on the next, creating better understanding and closer collaboration," Powell said. "That foundation has been vital to getting this exercise under way smoothly and making it such a big success."
　
Regular engagement between the North Carolina Guard and the Botswana Defense Force, with members of both militaries traveling between the two countries for training, has created a model of cooperation and synchronization, he said. Botswana has "such a professional military that you feel like you are working with someone in your own military," Powell said. "We have a lot in common in terms of interoperability, and we continue to build on that."
　
"It's all about continuity and enduring relationships," said Army Maj. Gen. Timothy J. Kadavy, deputy director of the Army National Guard, as he watched U.S. and Botswanan forces conduct the final field training exercise during Southern Accord. "You don't get those relationships unless you come back again and again and again. That is important in understanding and building trust."
　
As the State Partnership Program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, Kadavy said he's enthusiastic about plans to expand in Africa.
　
"The Guard wants to support Africom to the best of our ability," he said, recognizing that Africom and U.S. embassy teams are in the best position to judge which countries want to form partnerships and are prepared to do so.
　
With Southern Accord now concluded, Lusk said he looks forward to seeing the North Carolina National Guard take progress made during the exercise to the next level.
　
"To be able to do an exercise of this magnitude now shows, very visibly, that we have turned the corner in terms of where this partnership has gone," he said. "It allows us to jumpstart our efforts and accelerate where we are bound."
　
"The sky is really the limit of what you can do with the engagements, and tying them together with what the Army service components and the geographical combatant commanders are doing," agreed Kadavy.
　
"It is just a matter of coordination, and thinking through and seeing how we can synchronize and gain the synergy of what they want to do and what we can provide through State Partnership Programs to assist and empower those types of engagements and exercises," he said.

U.S. JUSTICE GOING DIGITAL: WATCH OUT CROOKS

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

On May 23, 2012, the White House released the Federal Digital Strategy that outlined the use of "modern tools and technologies to seize the digital opportunity and fundamentally change how the Federal Government serves both its internal and external customers–building a 21st century platform to better serve the American People." That means making sure information and services are easily accessible on the internet anytime, anywhere, and on any device. It means you will be able to find and share information that is important to you, your family and your community.

In the past few years, the Department of Justice has taken many steps to make the department’s information more available and accessible. We’ve added hundreds of data sets to data.gov, have begun using social media to bring information directly to you, and added more information to our website than ever before. But we know we can do more. As we begin to formulate our digital strategy, we want your input on which information and services you’d like us to prioritize and make more tech and mobile-friendly. There are two areas where we’d like your input:

What Justice Department information would you like to be able to access on mobile devices?
What Justice Department information, data, or applications would you like to us make available via APIs (Applied Programming Interface)?
Send us your thoughts on digital strategy at opengov@usdoj.gov.

We’ve come up with a few possibilities for each area. You can see the list on our Digital Strategy web page, justice.gov/digitalstrategy.

We welcome your feedback on the possible candidates for improvement, or other opportunities we may have overlooked. Your feedback, combined with other internal and external conversations, will guide our digital plan in the coming months and years.

Actively controlling inflammation

Actively controlling inflammation

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN AUGUST 21, 2012

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
An A-10 Thunderbolt II is refueled over Afghanistan during overseas contingency operations, August 2, 2012. The 22d Expeditionary Air Refueling Sq. (EARS) conducts missions out of Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, and plays an integral role in keeping air assets refueled in support of U.S. and coalition ground forces. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Clay Lancaster)
　
Airstrike Kills Insurgents in Kunar Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 21, 2012 - An airstrike in the Watahpur district of Afghanistan's Kunar province yesterday killed several insurgents, including an al-Qaida affiliated Taliban leader, military officials reported.
　
Targeted was Mutaqi, also known as Mullah Amir Muhammad or Malik, who was responsible for passing critical information among senior al-Qaida-associated Taliban leaders in the province, officials said, and was involved in planning suicide bombing attacks in the region.
　
A post-strike assessment by a combined Afghan and coalition security force confirmed no civilians had been injured and no civilian property had been damaged during of the operation.
　
In operations today:
-- A combined force in Ghazni province's Gelan district arrested an al-Qaida-associated Taliban insurgent who assisted in the movement of al-Qaida fighters throughout the region and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. Prior to his arrest, he was attempting to acquire explosives for future attacks. The security force also detained another suspected insurgent and seized bomb-making materials.
　
-- An Afghan and coalition security force detained two suspected insurgents in Logar province's Baraki Barak district during a search for a Taliban leader who plans and executes attacks against coalition patrols.
　
In other news, a combined force in the Kabul district of Kabul province yesterday arrested the insurgent leader responsible for a July 12 bomb attack that killed Hanifa Safi, the Afghan minister for female affairs. The attack occurred in Lagham province's Mehtar Lam district.
　
In an Aug. 19 operation, an Afghan crisis response unit supported by coalition troops arrested several insurgents in Wardak province's Sayyid Abad district. The insurgents are responsible for recent attempts to abduct Afghan interpreters working for the International Security Assistance Force, and were planning to kidnap Afghan and civilian ISAF employees.

Mutual Assured Stability: Essential Components and Near Term Actions

Mutual Assured Stability: Essential Components and Near Term Actions

NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES IN SOUTH DAKOTA AWARDED $4.6 MILLION IN SUICIDE PREVENTION GRANTS

Photo:  HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius
FROM: U.S. HEALTH AN D HUMAN SERVICES
SAMHSA awards up to $4.6 million in youth suicide prevention grants to tribes through South Dakota
　
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced that four tribes in South Dakota were being awarded a combined total of up to $4.6 million over the course of the next three years to promote suicide prevention efforts in their communities. Secretary Sebelius announced the awards during her visit to South Dakota today.
　
"Suicide is the third leading cause of death among American adolescents. In fact, more children and young adults die from suicide each year than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, and chronic lung diseases combined and American Indian communities have been particularly hard hit by this public health menace," said Secretary Sebelius. "The most tragic aspect of this is that suicide is preventable. These grants will help states, tribes and communities across our nation build on and strengthen their youth suicide prevention programs so that they can reach more at-risk youth, giving them the help and hope they need to live long, productive lives."
　
The grants are being provided through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act, which provides authorization and funding for grants fostering youth suicide prevention efforts.
　
The Oglala Lakota College Campus Suicide Prevention Program is receiving up to $102,000 each year for up to three years in Garrett Lee Smith Campus Suicide Prevention grant funds to serve the 1,800 students of Oglala Lakota College living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and in Rapid City, S.D. These areas have a combined American Indian population of over 50,000.
　
Three other tribes will receive Garrett Lee Smith State-Sponsored Youth Suicide Prevention Program grants.
　
The Rosebud Sioux Tribe Wiconi Wakan Health and Healing Center will receive up to $480,000 each year for up to three years to provide culturally relevant and appropriate youth suicide prevention and early intervention strategies to its community. The Wiconi Wakan Health and Healing Center's overall goal is to increase the number of at-risk youth who are receiving referrals and treatment for behavioral health services.
　
The Oglala Sioux Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention/Sweetgrass Project will receive up to $480,000 each year for up to three years to develop and implement a comprehensive and sustainable program to prevent suicide among tribal youth, ages 15-24. This project has been designed to increase community awareness and support, strengthen capacity and resources for early identification of at-risk youth, and develop comprehensive and sustainable systems to prevent youth suicide.
　
The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of South Dakota will receive up to $479,300 each year for up to three years to reach youth aged 12 to 24 living on the Crow Creek Reservation. This project will advance the goals and objectives laid out in the Tribe’s suicide prevention plan as well as those in the South Dakota Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The goals and objectives of the project include enhancing suicide awareness in the community and school system, building service provider’s capabilities, strengthening collaboration among stakeholder groups, and increasing capabilities of local partners involved in suicide prevention.
　
The actual grant award amounts for all of these programs will depend on the availability of funds.

MARINE EOD TECHNICIAN ATTRIBUTES REASON FOR SUCCESS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christopher P. Lukas stands before his two great passions of motorcycles and the explosive ordnance disposal insignia for his unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 10, 2012. He credits the mentorship of his leaders in the EOD field for his success. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Paul Peterson


Face of Defense: Marine Credits Success to Mentorship
By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Paul Peterson
2nd Marine Logistics Group
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C., Aug. 14, 2012 - He plays a cat-and-mouse game with explosives for a living, but accepting credit for his achievements makes him shift uneasily in his seat.
　
Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Christopher P. Lukas, an explosive ordnance disposal team leader with 2nd EOD Company, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, swept the field to receive the Marine Corps Engineer Association's 2012 EOD Technician of the Year award. It is for "the most outstanding contribution as an EOD Marine," but Lukas isn't sure it is solely his to accept.
　
For him, working with explosives is a family affair.
　
"We end up closer than brothers because of the way we have to operate in our career field," said Lukas, who spent his youth traveling as part of a military family. "You basically know what the other individual thinks."
　
He credits his achievements to the mentorship of fellow Marines such as Chief Warrant Officer 2 Christopher West and Gunnery Sgts. Jonathan Key and William Isele. The names, Lukas said, are more than just past mentors -- they reflect how he thinks and who he is as a team leader today.
　
Their example taught him to step forward while others are backing away, Lukas explained. Leadership at all levels showed him how to think like his opponents and approach each situation with a plan. His leaders, he added, gave him the ability to adapt when the situation changed.
　
"We rely on each other so much that I think their names need to be on [the award]," said Lukas, struggling to explain why his name came out on top. "I'm not going to sit here and say I deserve something or not. I started out as Gunnery Sergeant Key's team member for the last deployment, and all I did was what he trained me to do."
　
His modest tone hid the fact that Lukas found a calling in the EOD field, which he joined after nearly eight years calibrating and repairing aviation equipment. The lessons of Key, West, Isele and many others found an open mind in Lukas, who claims a desire to learn as one of his greatest strengths.
　
"At the end of the day, I learned everything I know from those guys," said Lukas, who found himself a team leader halfway through his last deployment. "The tables have somewhat turned. We're sitting here, and I'm training some new guys. I continually find myself saying, 'I learned this from that guy, or I learned that from this guy.'"
　
All that information came to a crossroads when he took on the role of team leader in Afghanistan, where strategy and the safety of his team members became his top priority. Lukas worked in an area rife with improvised explosive devices. He said he couldn't turn away when the call to lead came.
　
"You live with them every day, and get to know their personalities," said Lukas as he recalled the brotherhood and tragedies that thrust him into a leadership role. "Some of the best moments were just sitting and talking with those guys. Obviously, the worst were whenever someone got hurt."
　
Lukas' leadership responsibilities weighed heavily upon him. He took Key's example to heart as he led Marines through the IED threats of Afghanistan, where Lukas found himself tempted to take on each hazard his team faced.
　
"Everybody looks at somebody else and thinks, 'I could never do that,'" he said. "It basically boils down to your training and the people who are going to teach you what you need to know."
　
Every name has a place on that award, Lukas said, adding that he could not do his job without the support of his EOD family in the field, just as he could not do it without the support of his wife and children at home. Each, he said, helped to shape and protect the Marine who received the award.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

PRESIDENT OBAMA CONCERNED ABOUT INSIDER ATTACKS IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Obama 'Deeply Concerned' About Afghanistan Insider Attacks

By Amaani Lyle
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2012 - President Barack Obama said today that he, senior coalition military leaders and their Afghan counterparts will continue intensifying measures to thwart the spate of insider attacks by people wearing Afghan military and police uniforms.


During a White House news conference, the president said he spoke with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was in Afghanistan today, and plans to speak with Afghan President Hamid Karzai.


"[Dempsey] is having intensive consultations not only with our commander, [Marine Corps Gen.] John Allen, on the ground, but also with Afghan counterparts," Obama said. "And I'll be reaching out to President Karzai as well, because we've got to make sure that we're on top of this."


Some of the attackers, the president said, are members of the Afghan security forces, and others have donned Afghan military or police uniforms to carry out their attacks. Coalition forces already have a range of successful vetting measures in play, he added, and pressure needs to remain.


As of yesterday, there have been 32 insider attacks this year that have resulted in 22 deaths, a senior defense official said. In all, 40 coalition personnel had been killed and 69 others have been wounded in such attacks. Over the same period in 2011, the official added, 16 attacks resulted in 28 deaths and 43 wounded.


The security transition under way in Afghanistan includes navigating the complexities that stem from closer contact with Afghan troops as coalition trainers prepare them to take responsibility for security throughout the country, Obama said.


"Part of what we've got to do is to make sure that this model works, but it doesn't make our [troops] more vulnerable," he added. "In the long term, we will see fewer U.S. casualties and coalition casualties by sticking to our transition plan and making sure that we've got the most effective Afghan security force possible."

SOLAR ARRAY PLANNED FOR DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
by Jennifer Elmore
Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency Public Affairs


TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- The Air Force plans to expand its renewable energy portfolio substantially with a 14.5-megawatt photovoltaic solar array at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. The base has entered into an agreement with SunEdison, LLC to design, finance, build, operate and maintain the array on 170 acres of underutilized base property. Construction will begin soon with completion planned for no later than December 2012.

The power purchase agreement provides electricity to Davis-Monthan at a reduced rate for a period of 25 years saving the base from $400,000 to $500,000 a year in utility costs. The project will provide 35 percent of the energy needed to power Davis-Monthan. It will be slightly larger than the Nellis AFB, Nev., photovoltaic solar array built in 2007.

According to Ken Gray, the Rates and Renewables Branch Chief at the Air Force Civil Engineer Support Agency, Tyndall AFB, Fla., the array has to be built and generating electricity by the end of the year.

"The project as it was conceived, contracted and offered to us is only viable and can only be done cost effectively for SunEdison if they can participate in a program to sell the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to Tucson Electric Power. That program ends the 31st of December 2012," said Gray.

Purchasing RECs helps Tucson Electric Power meet state renewable portfolio standards and receive federal tax incentives. A REC is sold or traded as an environmental commodity. The REC owner is credited with purchasing renewable energy.

The Air Force currently operates 131 solar, wind, waste-to-energy and landfill gas projects, which help meet goals established by the Energy Policy Act 2005 and Executive Order 13423. It has plans to build 30 new projects by the end of 2013 - not an easy task.

The Davis-Monthan solar array required the first Department of Defense approval for an Air Force project of this type. Gray said complying with the National Environmental Policy Act, known as NEPA, process is also challenging in Arizona where many historical Native American areas exist.

"Getting this project through the developmental stage has highlighted to us areas where we need to improve our process of garnering approval and authority to do our renewable energy projects," said Gray. "We think lessons learned during the development of this project will allow us to shorten execution time to six months." Planning the Davis-Monthan solar array began in 2010.

The Air Force is also planning a six-megawatt solar array at Otis Air National Guard Base, Mass., and a 10-megawatt solar array at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "We expect to have these awarded in FY13," said Gray.

OIL REFINERY COMPANY WILL PAY $3.8 MILLION FINE AND INSTALL POLLUTION CONTROLS

FROM: U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

Sinclair Oil to Pay $3.8 Million Penalty and Install Pollution Controls at Wyoming Refineries to Resolve Violations of 2008 Consent Decree

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice announced a settlement with two subsidiaries of Sinclair Oil Corporation to resolve alleged violations of air pollution limits established in a 2008 consent decree at refineries in Casper and Sinclair, Wyo. Sinclair Casper Refining Co. and Sinclair Wyoming Refining Co. will pay stipulated penalties totaling $3,844,000 and spend approximately $10.5 million on additional pollution control equipment and other projects to resolve the allegations. The settlement will require the Sinclair companies to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by approximately 24 tons per year, sulfur dioxide (SO2) by approximately 385 tons per year, and particulate matter by approximately 59 tons per year.


"EPA is committed to ensuring that companies comply with environmental requirements that protect people's health," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "This settlement holds Sinclair accountable for exceeding the emissions limits agreed to in a previous settlement for Clean Air Act violations and ensures that the people of Wyoming have cleaner, healthier air."


"Parties who enter into consent decrees with the United States must adhere to their obligations, and failure to comply will result in further penalties," said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. "This settlement requires Sinclair to pay a significant $3,844,000 penalty and provide additional emission reductions beyond those required in the original settlement."


The alleged violations stem from Sinclair’s failure to meet the terms of the 2008 consent decree, including exceeding NOx emissions limits at the Casper and Sinclair, Wyoming refineries and failing to comply with requirements to operate and maintain a flare gas recovery system at the Sinclair Refinery, resulting in excess emissions of SO2. The problems will be addressed by installing and operating a selective catalytic reduction system to control NOx emissions and by upgrading the flare gas recovery system to meet SO2 emissions limits. Sinclair will also complete a project to provide road paving at its Casper refinery that will reduce particulate matter emissions by an additional 59 tons per year and reduce fuel oil burning at the Casper refinery from the existing 188 tons per year limit to no more than 95 tons per year.


The settlement is subject to a 30-day public comment period and final court approval.

KEEPING DRUG MONEY FROM THE TALIBAN

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Members of the 455th Expeditionary Aerial Port Squadron prepare to unload a C-17 Globemaster III during a relief in place/transfer of authority mission March 20, 2012, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The RIP/TOA moved more than 17,000 passengers and 4,000 tons of cargo and allowed 1st Infantry Division to settle into their new mission of working with the Afghan government and Afghan National Security Forces. U.S. Air Force photo, Airman 1st Class Ericka Engblom
　
Joint Task Force Aims to Keep Drug Money From Taliban
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2012 - Corruption is not inevitable in Afghanistan, but is a more recent phenomenon caused by 30 years of war, a coalition officer said here today.
　
And with coalition help, the Afghan government is making progress against it, said Col. Paul Van Den Broek, a New Zealand soldier in charge of Joint Task Force Shafafiyat – a Dari and Pashto word meaning "transparency."
　
"Will it be fast? No. But it is happening," the colonel told reporters traveling with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who met with Afghan and coalition leaders here today.
　
The Afghan government suggested the need for the task force, the colonel said, to reduce corruption so it does not present a "fatal threat" to the viability of the Afghan state.
　
That threat does exist now, the colonel added, and at its heart is the nexus of drugs and the Taliban.
　
The Taliban provide land for farmers to grow poppies, they provide the workers, they tax the product, and they provide protection, run the laboratories and then traffic the narcotics, he explained.
　
"To the Taliban, it is key money that they need to operate in the war," the colonel said. "It is a case of narcotics leaving Afghanistan in exchange for lethal aid coming in."
　
Van Den Broek likened the situation to insurgents in Colombia using cocaine to fund operations or the Irish Republican Army using racketeering to pay for arms and bombs.
　
Not all narcotics rings in Afghanistan are run by the Taliban, the colonel said, noting that other criminal networks operate in the country. But the Taliban simply cannot operate without drugs and the money they bring in, he added.
　
This, Van Den Broek said, is where his task force gets involved. "There has been progress made in bringing down these networks," he said.
　
Still, he acknowledged, the threat remains, and he quoted a Taliban shadow governor as saying "Where there is poppy, there is Taliban. Where there is no poppy, there is no Taliban."
　
"We are working to make sure there is no Taliban," the colonel said.

THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE

Photo:  Minute Man III.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.
FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
Nuclear enterprise experts train and attend symposium

by Capt. Angela Webb
20th Air Force Public Affairs
F. E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, Wyo. (ANFS) -- Approximately 16 general and flag officers, led by the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, took part in an airborne emergency action officers exercise and Strategic Deterrence Conference at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., Aug. 6-9.

Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, is responsible for the global command and control of U.S. strategic forces to meet decisive national security objectives. In this capacity, the general frequently calls upon his leaders to participate in group exercises that ensure the nuclear deterrence mission is conducted in a safe, secure and effective manner.

The Airborne Command Post was initiated by U.S. Air Force's Strategic Air Command in 1961, nicknamed the "Looking Glass." The network of specially equipped alert aircraft would launch with an airborne emergency action officer and supporting battlestaff to utilize network communication assets and "mirror" the capabilities in ground-based command centers.

The Airborne Command Post's airborne emergency action officers are general or flag officers who will take command of U.S. strategic forces in the event that the ground command centers were degraded or destroyed. In addition, the Airborne Command Post provides a secondary launch capability for the nations' ICBM force. This system, the Airborne Launch Control System, is operated by the world's only airborne ICBM launch control officers.

In 2008, then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton A. Schwartz began to set important nuclear enterprise guidance and policies in place, one of which was building the airborne emergency action officers force. Today, there are approximately 30 general and flag officers trained and certified in the airborne emergency action officers mission.


ICBM ground units are located at Malmstrom AFB, Mont.; F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo.; and Minot AFB, N.D. The 625th Strategic Operations Squadron, located at Offutt AFB, Neb., also includes a number of unique missions: Airborne Launch Control System training, operations, testing and evaluation; the Strategic Automated Command and Control System; ICBM targeting and targeting system operations; and ballistic missile engineering and trajectory analysis. Along with their counterparts in the underground launch control centers across the Great Plains, Airborne Launch Control System crews are on alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to execute the nuclear mission.


"Nuclear deterrence and global strike operations require great trust in, and responsibility from, 20th Air Force personnel every day," said Maj. Gen. Michael J. Carey, 20th Air Force and Task Force 214 commander. "Ensuring all personnel are qualified on the aircraft and weapons systems they operate and work on is vital to the reliability of the nuclear forces, and means that we are ready to respond at a moment's notice."

FDIC LAUNCHES ECONOMIC INCLUSION PROGRAM IN WEST VIRGINA

Map West Virgina.  Credit:  Wikimedia.

FDIC Launches Alliance for Economic Inclusion Coalition in West Virginia

FROM: U.S. FEDERAL DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today launched an Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) initiative in West Virginia in partnership with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), other state and federal agencies, financial institutions, and community-based stakeholders.
　
"The West Virginia Small and Micro Business AEI will provide a forum in which West Virginia's small business service providers can work together and foster productive collaborations with other partners," said Acting Chairman Martin Gruenberg. "These collaborations have the potential to develop stronger lending opportunities for financial institutions and a better future for small businesses."
　
ARC Federal Co-Chair Earl F. Gohl said, "I want to commend Chairman Gruenberg for bringing this initiative to Southern West Virginia. Having the FDIC interested in the capital and credit needs of small and micro business in this part of the Appalachian Region speaks volumes and helps to provide a pathway to access full service banking and other financial services. ARC is looking forward to working with the FDIC and its other partners in this effort."
　
This AEI Coalition is designed to provide a mechanism to identify small and micro business needs in West Virginia associated with obtaining credit, technical assistance and educational opportunities. The AEI and its members will then develop and implement strategies to enhance existing resources and develop additional resources and capacity to fill the identified needs.
　
The next steps for the AEI include fostering Money Smart for Small Business alliance networks with rural Small Business Development Centers and conducting small business symposiums in collaboration with other partners.
　
Existing AEI coalitions have focused on bringing unbanked and underserved populations into the financial mainstream through financial education and establishing consumer friendly bank accounts. The West Virginia Small and Micro Business AEI is the first AEI to focus specifically on building resources to further small and micro business formation and growth. This focus was selected after feedback from consultations with the Appalachian Regional Commission and other local stakeholders.
　
The Alliance for Economic Inclusion (AEI) is the FDIC's national initiative to establish broad-based coalitions of financial institutions, community-based organizations and other partners in several markets across the country to bring all unbanked and underserved populations into the financial mainstream markets. The more than 1,300 AEI members have opened more than 400,000 bank accounts through the FDIC's AEI program.

SBSS Satellite Reaches Operational Acceptance and IOC

SBSS Satellite Reaches Operational Acceptance and IOC

U.S.-YEMEN RELATIONS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

The United States established diplomatic relations with North Yemen in 1946 and South Yemen in 1967. The North had previously been part of the Ottoman Empire, and the South had been ruled by the United Kingdom. The Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) severed relations with the United States on June 7, 1967 in the wake of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Diplomatic relations were reestablished in July 1972 after a visit to Sana’a by U.S. Secretary of State William P. Rogers. The U.S. embassy in Aden closed when the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen severed diplomatic relations with the United States on October 24, 1969. In 1970, the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen changed its name to the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen and on April 30, 1990, the United States resumed diplomatic relations with the country. The Yemen Arab Republic and the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen unified under the Republic of Yemen in 1990. In 1994 civil war broke out in Yemen over North-South contentions and the country continues to struggle with issues over unification. After reunification Yemen elected Ali Abdullah Saleh, former president of the Yemen Arab Republic, to lead the country.
　
In early 2011 demonstrations against the Saleh government began and later led to the president's ouster through a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) negotiated agreement giving temporary power to then Vice President, Abdo Rabo Mansour Hadi.
　
In February 2012 Hadi was elected by the Yemeni people to serve as president during the two-year transition period at which point new leadership will be elected. Since the signing of the GCC-led agreement Yemen has experienced a significant transformation and is charting a path to democracy. A successful democratic transition will require the country to overcome a number of serious, complex, and interrelated challenges. Currently, the United States enjoys a close and collaborative relationship with the Republic of Yemen government and the Yemeni people. The United States supports Yemen's efforts to achieve this goal through a comprehensive strategy that promotes political, economic, and security sector reforms that will enable the government to respond to the needs and aspirations of the Yemeni people.
　
U.S. Assistance to Yemen
Yemen continues to face significant humanitarian and economic obstacles in a security environment that is increasingly unstable. Over the next two years, the Yemeni government has committed to convene a National Dialogue Conference representing all Yemen’s people, establish a constitutional reform process, present an amended constitution for approval by the Yemeni people in a referendum, reform the electoral system including an updated voter registration list, and hold presidential and parliamentary elections as determined by the new constitution.
　
As the Republic of Yemen government (RoYG) continues to make progress on their political transition, the United States will seek to support Yemen by providing humanitarian assistance, delivering economic assistance, supporting good governance, encouraging expanded political participation, assisting with the development of a professional and capable security sector, and providing security assistance to combat the threat of violent extremism. The U.S. government will also continue to support the Yemeni private sector and non-governmental partners, in conjunction with the ROYG, to improve standards of living, reduce poverty and unemployment, expand infrastructure and access to services by advocating for improved policies and regulations in order to enhance the business investment and operational climate in the country. A fact sheet on fiscal year 2012 U.S. assistance to Yemen, as of August 2012, can be found here.
　
Bilateral Economic Relations
Energy exports generate the majority of Yemen's governmental revenue. Most U.S. investment in Yemen is in the oil and gas exploration and production sectors. The United States and Yemen have signed a trade and investment framework agreement. The two also have concluded bilateral market access negotiations as part of Yemen's efforts to accede to the World Trade Organization. The bilateral agreement provides new market access opportunities for U.S. providers of agriculture, goods, and services.
　
Yemen's Membership in International Organizations
Yemen and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank. Yemen also is an observer to the World Trade Organization and the Organization of American States. Additionally, Yemen is a member of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Yemen also participates in the nonaligned movement; and, although not a member of the GCC, is allowed limited participation in some organizational affairs.

ARMY GENERAL DEMPSEY SAYS AFGHANS CONCERNED OVER INSIDER ATTACKS

Photo Credit:  U.S. Navy
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE
Dempsey: Afghans Share Concern Over Insider Attacks

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2012 - Afghan leaders are just as concerned as coalition authorities are about insider attacks, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said today after meetings here.
　
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said this is the first time in his dozens of trips to the region that Afghans have exhibited this same level of concern.
　
"I am reassured that the Afghan military and civilian leaders understand how important this moment is," he said.
　
This year has seen 32 incidents of Afghan soldiers and police turning weapons on coalition personnel, said Brig. Gen. Gunter Katz of the German air force, a NATO spokesman. The alliance is taking precautions and will continue to study the situation, he said.
　
Dempsey said his meeting with Gen. Sher Muhammad Karimi, Afghanistan's defense chief, showed him the Afghans recognize the problem.
　
"In the past, it's been us pushing on them to make sure they do more," Dempsey said at Kabul Air Base. "This time, without prompting, when I met General Karimi, he started with a conversation about insider attacks – and, importantly, insider attacks not just against us, but insider attacks against the Afghans, too."
　
Dempsey said he does not anticipate changing the basic way coalition forces work with their Afghan allies, but acknowledged that remains to be determined. "The actual key to this might not be to pull back and isolate ourselves, but [to] reach out and embrace them even more," the general said. "Again, this is my instinct based on conversations today that I now have to flesh out with our leaders."
　
In addition to meeting with Karimi, Dempsey met with Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command; Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force; and Army Lt. Gen. James Terry, the commander of ISAF Joint Command.

Dempsey also discussed the nascent anti-Taliban movement in Afghanistan's Ghazni province and other areas in the country.
　
A senior NATO intelligence official told reporters residents of Ghazni's Andar district protested against the local Taliban closing schools and attacking village leaders. In April, they banded together and forced the Taliban out. The movement has since spread, and residents have spontaneously banded against the Taliban in 26 other areas of the country.
　
Dempsey called the movement "a very positive step, and one that should be encouraged."
　
The chairman said he does not want to overstate the importance of the movement, because it is somewhat isolated. But it indicates the Taliban's message is being rejected, he added.
　
Dempsey said the Taliban started the fighting season with three objectives: discrediting Afghanistan's central government, impeding the development of the national security forces, and recapturing lost territory.
　
"In every one of those objectives they've failed," he said. "We have given a real opportunity for the Afghan government to establish its governance by allowing the security environment to show progress and, therefore, hope."

U.S. AIR FORCE HISTORICAL AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
1st Lt Thomas E. Williams was the earliest known African-American Pilot in the ANG. He joined in NJ on 7 May 1954 and was killed during a routine training mission on 15 January 1955 when his F-86A went into an unrecoverable spin

While escorting B-29s near "MiG Alley" over North Korea on 26 June 1951, 1st Lt. Arthur E. Olinger and Capt. Harry Underwood of the 182nd FBS, Texas, shared credit for the Air Guard’s first jet kill, a MiG-15.

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR AUGUST 20, 2012

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combined Force Arrests Taliban Leader in Helmand Province

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2012 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.
　
The leader acted as a go-between for senior Taliban leadership in the province, communicating orders for attacks to subordinate Taliban fighters in the area, officials said. He also oversaw the placement and activation of improvised explosive devices in the area so insurgents were able to operate safely, they added.
　
The security force also detained a suspected insurgent and seized more than $3,400 in cash during the operation.
　
In other operations today:
-- A combined force detained numerous suspected insurgents in Kandahar province's Kandahar district while searching for a Taliban leader responsible for directing roadside bomb placement in the Panjwai and Zharay districts.
　
-- In Logar province's Mohammad Aghah district, a combined force detained several suspected insurgents while searching for a Haqqani network arms supplier who provides weapons, explosives and bomb components to Haqqani fighters throughout the province.
　
Meanwhile, Afghan and coalition forces confirmed today that one of several insurgents killed in an Aug. 17 airstrike in Kunar province's Watahpur district was Taliban leader Yasir, who had ties to al-Qaida. Yasir organized and conducted attacks against Afghan and coalition forces and was involved in an Aug. 8 suicide attack in Asadabad district, which killed three U.S. soldiers and a U.S. civilian.
　
Yesterday, Afghan and coalition officials confirmed that a senior Taliban leader, Maulawi Nur Mohammad, and his deputy, Atiqullah, were among dozens of heavily armed insurgents killed in an Aug. 18 airstrike in a remote area of Kunar province's Chapah Darah district.
　
In operations yesterday:
-- A combined force in Laghman province's Alisheng district searching for a Taliban leader who acquires weapons and ammunition for insurgents and facilitates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces came under attack. The force engaged the insurgents, killing three attackers, and detained three suspected insurgents.
　
-- A combined force in Khost province's Khost district detained several suspected insurgents during a search for a Haqqani network leader who plans and coordinates attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

　
In Aug. 18 operations:
-- A combined force in Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district found 220 pounds of opium, $1,000 in cash and communications equipment.
　
-- In Kandahar's Kandahar district, a combined force arrested a Taliban weapons dealer and two other insurgents. The weapons facilitator was trying to deliver a roadside bomb to insurgents when he was arrested.
　
-- A combined force detained several suspected insurgents in Kandahar's Kandahar district while searching for a Taliban weapons dealer.
　
-- In Helmand's Now Zad district, security combined force found and destroyed 4,850 pounds of wet opium, 38 IEDs and 55 pounds of explosives.
　
-- A combined force arrested several suspected insurgents and killed an insurgent after he threatened to attack them during an operation to arrest Haqqani network-affiliated insurgent leaders in Logar province's Baraki Barak district. The security force also found heavy weapons, ammunition, bomb components and homemade explosives.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE DAILY PRESS BRIEFING

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RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM:  U.S. NAVY, USS NEW YORK
120816-N-NN926-070 GULF OF ADEN (Aug. 16, 2012) A landing craft air cushion prepares to enter the well deck aboard the amphibious transport dock ship USS New York (LPD 21) during amphibious operations. New York, with the embarked 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group deployed in support of maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Zane Ecklund/Released)

PENTAGON HELPS SEARCH FOR MISSING PHILIPPINE INTERIOR SECRETARY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Pentagon Aids Search for Missing Philippine Official
　
By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20, 2012 - The Defense Department is helping the Philippine government search for the nation's interior secretary, who has been missing since his plane crashed two days ago, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today.
　
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and two pilots have not been heard from since their small plane crashed about 500 meters offshore Aug. 18, Little told reporters. An aide escaped the plane after the crash, he added.
　
The Philippine government asked the United States for help in the search and rescue operation, Little said.
　
"Secretary Robredo is a respected and valuable leader and partner in the Philippines," he said. "Our thoughts are with those in the aircraft, their families, and with the people of the Philippines during this difficult time."
　
Little noted the United States provided initial aerial support following the plane crash upon request and is preparing to provide additional assistance. The Philippine government also has requested underwater assistance, and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has approved that assistance, Little said.
　
"We're finalizing plans to support the search and rescue operation with underwater salvage assets," he added.

LASER RESEARCH MAY YIELD CANCER TREATMENT

FROM: LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY

Laser Research Shows Promise for Cancer Treatment
New insights gained on how lasers generate ions in dense plasmas

　
LOS ALAMOS, NEW MEXICO, August 20, 2012—Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have observed for the first time how a laser penetrates dense, electron-rich plasma to generate ions. The process has applications for developing next generation particle accelerators and new cancer treatments.
　
The results, published online August 19 in Nature Physics, also confirm predictions made more than 60 years ago about the fundamental physics of laser-plasma interaction. Plasmas dense with electrons normally reflect laser light like a mirror. But a strong laser can drive those electrons to near the speed of light, making the plasma transparent and accelerating the plasma ions.
　
"That idea has been met with some skepticism in the field," said Rahul Shah of LANL’s plasma physics group. "We think that we’ve settled that controversy."
　
The team, which also included researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany and Queens University in Belfast, UK, used the 200 trillion-watt short-pulse TRIDENT laser at Los Alamos National Laboratory to observe the transparency phenomenon at 50 femtosecond resolution. Until now, those dynamics have been witnessed only in computer simulations.
　
The team found close agreement between the model and their experiments, which confirms what Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have long suspected—that directing a short-pulse laser at a very thin carbon foil target will make the foil transparent to the laser.
　
"In a sense it also validates the simulation code that researchers have been using for some time," said Sasi Palaniyappan of LANL’s plasma physics group. "At the same time it also tells us that we’re doing an experiment that’s as close as possible to simulation."
　
The results will help advance work to control the shape and timing of laser pulses, precision that is necessary for developing next-generation, laser-driven particle accelerators, he said. The researchers have recently been awarded internal laboratory funding from the office of Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) to pursue these applications.
　
They now plan to add a second foil target, which could benefit from further focusing and faster turn-on of the laser light transmitted through the first foil. One application of the resulting ultra-short ion bunches is to rapidly heat material and study the ensuing dynamics.
　
Particles accelerated by conventional accelerators aren’t fast enough for such physics experiments. Also, energetic ions are applicable to cancer therapy. A more compact, laser-driven ion source would make treatment less expensive and more accessible to patients.
　
This work was sponsored by the Los Alamos National Laboratory Directed Research and Development program, U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Office of Fusion Energy Sciences and the U.S. Domestic Nuclear Detection Office. The paper is titled "Dynamics of relativistic transparency and optical shuttering in expanding overdense plasmas."

VIDEO: Introducing the new Recreation.Gov

VIDEO: Introducing the new Recreation.Gov

DISCRIMINATION CLAIMS AT EMPLOYMENT AGENCY SETTLED

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Justice Department Settles Claims of Discrimination Against Philadelphia Employment Agency

The Justice Department announced today that it reached a settlement agreement with Best Packing Services Employment Agency Inc., which is based in Philadelphia, resolving allegations that the company discriminated under the anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), when it impermissibly delayed the start date of two refugees after requiring them to provide specific Form I-9 documentation.
　
In two charges filed with the department, the refugees alleged that they were not allowed to begin employment until they produced unexpired, Department of Homeland Security-issued employment authorization documents, despite the fact that they initially presented sufficient documentation for employment eligibility verification purposes. The charging parties had presented unexpired state identification cards and unrestricted Social Security cards at the time of hire. Both were permanently work-authorized but lost several weeks’ worth of wages as a result of Best Packing’s practices. The department’s investigation revealed that Best Packing did not demand specific Form I-9 documentation from U.S. citizens, but allowed them to provide state identification cards and unrestricted Social Security cards. The anti-discrimination provision prohibits treating employees differently in the employment eligibility verification and reverification processes based on citizenship status or national origin.
　
As part of the settlement, Best Packing will undertake immediate corrective action to address and rectify its employment eligibility verification policies and practices. As part of its corrective action, Best Packing will provide full back pay to both victims. Under the settlement agreement, the company agrees to pay $4,379 in back pay, to conform all of its actions to ensure compliance with the INA’s anti-discrimination provision and to train its human resources personnel about the company’s responsibility to avoid discrimination in the employment eligibility verification process.
　
"The Civil Rights Division is pleased that Best Packing has prioritized compliance with the Immigration and Nationality Act," said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. "We encourage all employers to evaluate their policies and practices to ensure compliance with the INA’s anti-discrimination provision."
　
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA, which protects work-authorized individuals from employment discrimination on the basis of citizenship status or national origin discrimination, including discrimination in hiring and the employment eligibility verification process.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

ESA Portal - Belgium - Nederlands - Nieuwe weersatelliet MSG 3 moet continuïteit verzekeren

ESA Portal - Belgium - Nederlands - Nieuwe weersatelliet MSG 3 moet continuïteit verzekeren

U.S.-CAMEROON RELATIONS

Map Credit:  U.S. State Department
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
The United States established diplomatic relations with Cameroon in 1960, following its independence from a French-administered trusteeship. Cameroon has had two presidents since independence. U.S. relations with Cameroon are positive, although from time to time they have been affected by concerns over human rights abuses and the pace of political and economic liberalization. The two countries are partners in addressing issues of democracy, good governance, and economic development. The United States hopes to continue to work with Cameroon to consolidate democratic gains and economic growth, particularly as Cameroon embarks upon municipal and legislative elections planned for 2013. The United States supports Cameroon's efforts to strengthen electoral institutions, enhance transparency, and allow for contestation of results.
　
U.S. Assistance to Cameroon
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) runs a number of programs in Cameroon, mainly through its regional office in Ghana, and primarily in the health sector. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also has activities in Cameroon, mainly in HIV/AIDS prevention. Peace Corps volunteers work in five program sectors: agroforestry, community health, education and information technology, small business development, and youth development (focused primarily on girls and young women). The Public Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Cameroon organizes and funds diverse cultural, educational, and informational exchanges. It maintains a library and helps foster the development of Cameroon's independent press by providing information in a number of areas, including U.S. human rights and democratization policies. The Embassy administers both the Ambassador’s Special Self-Help and Democracy and Human Rights Fund programs and the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. Through several State Department and USAID regional funds, the Embassy also provides funds for biodiversity protection, refugees, HIV/AIDS, democratization, and girl's scholarships.
　
Bilateral Economic Relations
Cameroon is eligible for preferential trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Cameroon's exports to the United States include mineral fuel and oil, cocoa, rubber, wood, and coffee while imports from the United States include machinery, articles for donation, aircraft, vehicles, and plastics. The United States is a leading investor in Cameroon, largely through the Chad-Cameroon petroleum pipeline project and energy provider AES Sonel. The United States and Cameroon have a bilateral investment treaty.
　
Cameroon's Membership in International Organizations
Cameroon supports the principle of noninterference in the affairs of third countries and increased assistance to underdeveloped countries. Cameroon and the United States belong to a number of the same international organizations, including the United Nations, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, and World Trade Organization.