GENERAL DEMPSEY HOSTS USO HOLIDAY TOUR SHOW AT BAGRAM AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN



Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, onstage, hosts one of his annual USO holiday tour shows at Bagram Airfeld, Afghanistan, Dec. 16, 2012. DOD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, USO TOUR, AFGHANISTAN, CHAIRMAN JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF, GEN. DEMPSEY

Chairman's USO Tour Show Entertains Troops in Afghanistan

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

BAGRAM, Afghanistan, Dec. 17, 2012 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff greeted and praised troops at two U.S. bases in Afghanistan during his annual USO holiday tour show.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, along with his senior enlisted advisor, Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, and their spouses visited Bagram Airfield here, followed by a visit to Kandahar Airfield the following day, entertaining troops with what the general called "some extraordinarily talented people."

"They're great Americans, and they're patriots," Dempsey told troops at Bagram. "And they really care about you. They've given up their holidays. I'm actually very privileged to be traveling with them, and bringing them here to you tonight."

Battaglia, who spoke after the chairman and before the start of the entertainment portion of the show, had a similar message for service members at both bases.

"As our 18th chairman said, it is, indeed, a privilege and honor to spend part of Christmas and the holiday season with you all," he said. "We'd love to stay here with you through Christmas, through New Years, you know we would."

The sergeant major said while it's unfortunate that most of the troops are unable to be home with their families for the holidays, they are certainly not alone.

"While you're not at home or not able to be home with your biological family to spend the holiday season, you're here, by God, with your uniformed military family to spend it," Battaglia said. "And it doesn't get much better than that, right?"

Both senior leaders used different, but effective methods, to energize the crowds. Battaglia led service members in a raucous chant of "U-S-A," while Dempsey highlighted the troops' individual pride of their units and branches of service.

"Those folks that the chairman are going to introduce you to, in just a minute here, are from a country that you love, they're from a country that you protect, and from a country in which you live," Battaglia said. "It's the USA, and that would be the most motivating force right now. Those three letters -- all in unison."

Dempsey introduced each USO celebrity to kick off both shows. Washington Nationals Major League Baseball players Ross Detwiler and Craig Stammen; Matt Hendricks from the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals; comedian Iliza Schlesinger, winner of NBC's Last Comic Standing; and country music singer Kellie Pickler and her band performed on behalf of the USO.

Additionally, the chairman recognized USO President Sloan D. Gibson, and Shane Hudella of "Defending the Blue Line," an organization that donates hockey equipment to military families.

Following both shows, Dempsey showcased his own talent, serenading the packed venues with his rendition of singer Bing Crosby's "A White Christmas."

"It is Christmas and I hope that you had a few moments to remember that and to forget about everything else in your life right now," the chairman said.

Dempsey also praised the troops for their service to the nation.

"I hope you know how proud we are of what you do every day for the country," he said. "We're proud of your service. You're all volunteers -- that includes the civilians out there that have come over here to help support the men and women in uniform. And we're really proud of you."

LEBANESE RESIDENT MICHEL SAMAHA DESIGNATED AS SPECIALLY DESIGNATED GLOBAL TERRORIST

Map: Lebanon.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

The Department of State designated Michel Samaha as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under section 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. Samaha, a former Lebanese Minister of Information and Tourism, was arrested by Lebanese authorities in August 2012 for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Lebanon.

The Department of Treasury concurrently designated Michel Samaha as a Specially Designated National pursuant to Executive Order 13441 on the grounds that Samaha’s actions had the purpose or effect of undermining Lebanon’s democratic processes or institutions, contributing to the breakdown of the rule of law in Lebanon, supporting the reassertion of Syrian control or otherwise contributing to Syrian interference in Lebanon, or infringing upon or undermining Lebanese sovereignty.

Samaha has remained in Lebanese custody and has been charged with plotting to assassinate political and religious figures in Lebanon through targeted bombings. The goal of these attacks appears to have been an attempt to incite sectarian clashes in Lebanon on behalf of the Syrian regime. Samaha was also accused of transporting explosives for the planned attacks into Lebanon.

According to available information, in July 2012 former Syrian General Intelligence Directorate chief and current head of the Syrian National Security Bureau Ali Mamluk was involved in a plot with Samaha to conduct bombing attacks against Lebanese political and religious figures in northern Lebanon, and Mamluk provided money and explosives to Samaha for that purpose.

In August 2012, Samaha provided the explosives and cash to his paid accomplice at Samaha’s residence in Lebanon. On August 9, 2012, the Lebanese Internal Security Forces (ISF) arrested Samaha and brought him to ISF headquarters where, after being confronted with the evidence against him, Samaha admitted to complicity in the plot.

The designations under E.O. 13224 and under E.O. 13441 block all of Samaha’s property interests subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with or for the benefit of Samaha.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FINDS VIOLATIONS OF LAW AT LOS ANGELES FASHION DISTRICT LOCATION



Credit:  Wikmedia Commons. 

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Extensive violations of federal, state laws found among garment contractors at Los Angeles Fashion District location

Shops producing garments sold by major retailers underpaid 185 workers by $326,000

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement found serious violations of federal and state labor laws by each of 10 garment contractors inspected during a sweep of a single building in the Los Angeles Fashion District earlier this year. Division investigators found widespread violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions, resulting in the recovery of more than $326,200 in back wages for 185 employees.

The garments being produced by violators were destined for sale at more than 30 retailers nationwide, including Aldo Group Inc., Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp., Charlotte Russe Holding Inc., Dillard's Inc., Forever 21 Inc., Frasier Clothing Co. (Susan Lawrence), HSN Inc. (Home Shopping Network), Rainbow Apparel Inc., Ross Stores Inc., TJX Cos. Inc. (TJ Maxx and Marshall's), Urban Outfitters Inc. and Wet Seal Inc.

"The extent of the violations discovered by these investigations was disappointing. Retailers need to actively ensure that clothes produced in the U.S. for sale to the American public are made by workers who are paid at least the U.S. minimum wage and proper overtime," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "Federal, state, local and industry stakeholders can work together to foster a vibrant, and compliant, domestic fashion industry."

"The garment industry is a vital part of the economy of Los Angeles and California," said Julie Su, California's labor commissioner. "State law prohibits garment manufacturers from operating without a proper license, from violating state minimum wage and overtime laws, and from playing shell games to avoid paying workers properly. We are intent on making sure that sweatshop practices are eliminated so that consumers can proudly purchase garments made in L.A., honest companies can compete and garment workers can thrive."

Teams of federal and state investigators conducted unannounced investigations of employers operating out a large garment building at 830 S. Hill St. in downtown Los Angeles, where previous investigations had revealed significant labor violations and sweatshop-like employment conditions.

Investigators found many garment employees were paid a piece rate — that is, paid for each piece they sewed or cut —without regard to minimum wage or overtime pay requirements. On average, workers' wages amounted to less than $6.50 per hour — well below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour and the California minimum wage of $8 per hour. None of these employees received the overtime premium of time and one-half their regular rates of pay for hours worked over 40 per week, as required under the FLSA. Significant record-keeping violations also were disclosed, including falsified time cards and under-reporting or failing to maintain accurate records of actual hours worked by garment employees.

The "hot goods" provision of the FLSA prohibits the shipment in interstate commerce of goods that were produced in violation of the act's minimum wage, overtime or child labor provisions. Upon determining that garments were produced in violation of the FLSA, the division requested that the garment contractors voluntarily not ship the goods until the violations were resolved. Several manufacturers, for whom the violators were producing goods, paid a portion of the back wages due, after which the division lifted its objection to the shipment of the goods.

State investigators issued citations to three establishments not registered as garment contractors and cited the shops for failing to provide itemized deductions, pay the state minimum wage or comply with state overtime pay requirements.

The investigations conducted at this location are part of the Wage and Hour Division's multi-year enforcement initiative focused on Southern California's garment industry, in which it historically has found consistent and widespread violations of the FLSA's minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions. The initiative is concentrating on employers in Los Angeles and Orange counties, including those operating out of large garment buildings in the city's Fashion District.

The FLSA requires that covered employees be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour as well as time and one-half their regular rates for hours worked over 40 per week. In general, "hours worked" includes all time an employee must be on duty, or on the employer's premises or at any other prescribed place of work, from the beginning of the first principal work activity to the end of the last principal activity of the workday. Additionally, the law requires that accurate records of employees' wages, hours and other conditions of employment be maintained. California's minimum wage is $8 per hour, higher than the U.S. minimum wage, and overtime pay is required after eight hours worked in a day under state law. California employers are subject to both standards.

INTERNATIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR COUNTERING VIIOLENT EXTREMISM FACT SHEET



Burj-Al-Arab Hotel In Dubai.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Co-Chairs Fact Sheet: International Center of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Counterterrorism
December 14, 2012

Below is the text of the Fact Sheet issued by the Co-Chairs (Turkey and the United States) of the Global Counterterrorism Forum for the December 14, 2012, GCTF Ministerial-Level Plenary in Abu Dhabi.

"We have to continue working together to defeat extremist ideology, blunt the spread of radicalization, and slow the flow of recruits to terrorist networks. The UAE took an important step when it announced it would host the first-ever international center developed to combat extremism and develop those best practices that will do so."
--Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton

"It is only through our collective efforts and sustained commitment that we, as a global community, will be able to address one of the most pressing issues in the context of counterterrorism, namely countering violent extremism."
--H.H. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan


Background: On 14 December 2012, ministers and other senior officials from the 30 members of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) will inaugurate the first-ever international center of excellence for countering violent extremism (CVE), with its headquarters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At the September 2011 ministerial-level launch of the GCTF in New York, the United Arab Emirates offered to host this center in response to the growing desire from GCTF members and the wider international community for the establishment of an independent, multilateral center devoted to training, dialogue, collaboration, and research to counter violent extremism in all of its forms and manifestations, one that can bring together the experts, expertise, and experience that exist in countries around the globe.

This initiative could not be more timely. There is widespread agreement on the need to prevent individuals from starting down the path toward radicalization, the embrace of violence, and support for terrorism, as well as to divert those already on that path before they are fully committed and mobilized. With the opening of the International Center of Excellence on Countering Violent Extremism in Abu Dhabi there will now be an international institution dedicated to addressing this challenge.

Mandate: The Center’s mandate will focus on three core areas:
1) Training: Providing government and non-governmental stakeholders with the necessary training and practical tools to design and implement effective programs and policies to counter violent extremism in all of its forms;
2) Dialogue: Providing a dedicated platform to facilitate dialogue among community leaders, teachers and other educators as well as relevant national and local actors involved in CVE; and
3) Research: Conducting and commissioning research to gain a deeper understanding of the drivers of violent extremism, and which approaches are effective in countering it.

Relationship between the Center and the GCTF: Preventing individuals from starting down the path towards radicalization, the embrace of violence, and support for terrorism, is a priority for the GCTF. Although the Center will be independent from the GCTF and all of its members, a close partnership between the two bodies will be critical to their success. GCTF members have been engaged in the development of the Center and will be supportive of the Center’s governance and operation.

GCTF members are encouraged to support the Center in a number of ways. This includes:
• providing voluntary financial contributions to the Center
• sponsoring and delivering courses
• seconding staff (e.g., trainers or dialogue facilitators)
• sponsoring resident and non-resident research fellows and other visiting instructors
• identifying appropriate participants for the relevant Center activities.

With support from GCTF members and other countries, the Center will respond to and further develop efforts flowing from the GCTF CVE Working Group’s priorities. For example, the Center expects to develop a robust independent capability to evaluate CVE initiatives sponsored by GCTF members and other Center partners. Through its own sponsored initiatives and by providing support to those of others, the Center expects to advance work in the fields of CVE communications and messaging, as well as to play a key role in deepening understanding of how institutions – ranging from education through health and social services to law enforcement and prisons – can build resilience against violent extremism and to provide a reference point and training for officials in how to craft policies, programs and activities that minimize the risk of individuals being radicalized into violent extremism. Throughout its work, the Center will place a premium on collaboration and dialogue and will take practical steps to develop, expand and strengthen the emerging international CVE community of practice. Already, the Center has published the first issue of its Newsletter, and work is underway to create a web-portal for virtual collaboration.

Partnerships: Building and leveraging partnerships with existing international and regional training centers and academies, relevant academic and research institutions, and UN counterterrorism programs, including the newly-established UN Centre on Counter-Terrorism, as well as relevant private sector and non-governmental organizations from around the world will be a priority for the Center.

Multinational Governance and Staff: A multinational International Steering Board will provide the Center with the necessary policy and strategic guidance. It will initially be comprised of the ten co-chairs of the five GCTF Working Groups. The Center’s multinational staff, which will grow gradually over time, will be led by a Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer and include a mix of seconded CVE experts and direct-hires. The CEO will lead the Center and serve as the primary interface between the Center and the ISB and other senior external officials. The COO will help lead the Center, run regular meetings with Center staff, cooperate with the CFO on budget issues, oversee the performance of the central department management, as well as develop and submits the Center’s annual operational plan.

The Initial 12-18 Months: During its initial 12-18 months the Center intends to focus its efforts in a few key areas:
• convening CVE expert brainstorming sessions that support the GCTF’s CVE Working Group’s priorities;
• developing and piloting initial CVE training curricula, while seeking to integrate and leverage the efforts of GCTF CVE Working Group activities; and
• developing an international CVE community of practice, including by creating a Network of CVE Professionals from around the globe.

In addition, the Center intends to host a lecture and film series, as well as topical CVE workshops and conferences organized by international partners.

Curriculum Development: Among the initial subject matter areas where the Center will develop curricula and host workshops could include:
• media and messaging
• the role the security sector plays in CVE
• capacity building aimed at strengthening state institutions entrusted with the CVE mission
• empowering local actors
• empowering educators
• empowering knowledge and innovation
• the role of and empowering victims of terrorism
• the role of cultural and sports diplomacy in CVE
• the role of and engaging non-traditional CVE actors and initiatives.

CVE Center of Excellence Launch Schedule:
12 December UNODC half-day workshop on victims of terrorism
12 December UNICRI half-day workshop on prison de-radicalization
13 December GCTF Coordinating Committee to discuss Center and future programs
14 December Center Launch and GCTF Ministerial

U.S.-RUSSIA RELATIONS

 

Photo: Saint Basil's Cathedral, Moscow in winter. From: CIA World Factbook

 
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
U.S. Relations With Russia
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs
Fact Sheet
December 14, 2012
The United States seeks a relationship with Russia based on cooperation in the pursuit of mutual interests and a frank and open discussion of disagreements based on mutual respect as the two countries seek to address the shared challenges of the 21st century.

Russia matters for the defense and promotion of U.S. national interests in a way matched by few other countries in the world. Russia is the world’s largest country by landmass and is a key geopolitical player in the East Asia-Pacific region, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Europe. Russia and the U.S. collectively control over 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, and Russia is the world’s largest producer of hydrocarbons. It is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a member of the G8 and G20, and a key player in the Quartet on Middle East peace, the P5+1 talks on Iran, and the Six-Party talks on North Korea.

On such critical issues as preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, combating terrorism, countering narcotics, addressing the effects of climate change, increasing trade and investment to enhance economic prosperity, and managing global financial markets, the United States is better positioned to advance our national interests if we can work with Russia in the spirit of cooperation. Russia’s long-term prosperity, modernity, integration into the global economy, and political liberalization are all in the interest of the United States.

The New START Treaty was signed on April 8, 2010, and entered into force on February 5, 2011, and demonstrates U.S. and Russian leadership in reducing the number of nuclear weapons in the world. New START reduces the limits on the number of U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear arms by a third and restores important verification and inspection measures. On April 13, 2010, the two countries also signed a Plutonium Management and Disposition Agreement, which will enable the disposal of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium on each side, or enough for about 17,000 nuclear weapons. On January 11, 2011, the U.S. and Russia concluded an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, establishing a legal basis for cooperation and expanding opportunities for U.S. companies in Russia.

In terms of stabilizing Afghanistan, Russia has been a critical partner. Thanks to Russia’s agreement to allow the transit of U.S. personnel and equipment across Russian territory in support of the ISAF mission, as of June 2012, more than 2,374 flights and over 404,000 military personnel have transited this corridor, while Russia’s ground transit arrangement with NATO has resulted in the shipment of over 50,000 containers of supplies to Afghanistan.

We are working together to prevent Iran and North Korea from pursuing nuclear weapons programs. Together with Russia, we crafted United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929, which introduced the most comprehensive set of multilateral sanctions to date on Iran. In 2010 Russia canceled the planned sale of an advanced air-defense system (the S-300) to Iran, further advancing our non-proliferation aims. The U.S. also worked closely with Russia to pass United Nations Security Council Resolution 1874, which strengthens financial and arms embargoes on North Korea.

The United States and Russia are increasing people-to-people connections through education, culture, sports, media, and other professional interactions. The objective of these efforts is to promote the mutual understanding required to build lasting ties between our two peoples. In the field of cultural and public diplomacy, the "American Seasons" program in Russia has brought a wide spectrum of cultural offerings to the Russian public. In 2012, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra completed its first tour to Russia in more than two decades. Also in 2012, U.S. audiences applauded the return of the Bolshoi Ballet to the Kennedy Center and enjoyed the Mariinsky Ballet’s performances of "Cinderella". The "Russian Seasons" cultural program in America included the bicentennial celebration of the founding of the Russian settlement at Fort Ross, California. Bilateral agreements have also been concluded on cooperation in intercountry adoptions as well as liberalization of practices governing entry visas. The bilateral Agreement Regarding Cooperation in Adoption of Children which was signed in 2011 by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov provides better safeguards for adoptive children taking into account the interests and obligations of the adoptive parents. In September 2012, a historic U.S.-Russia visa agreement entered into effect, making Russian and American travelers for business or tourism eligible to receive visas valid for multiple entries during a period of 36 months.

The United States and Russia do not see eye to eye on all issues, but our relationship accommodates frank discussion of disagreements in a spirit of mutual respect with the aim of managing our differences. Where we have differences – on Georgia, Syria, human rights, etc., – we will address them openly and honestly, and will stand by our principles. Pursuing cooperation where it is in our mutual interest enables a more substantial, less polemical dialogue on the hard issues. Our full bilateral agenda for 2013 features deepening economic ties with Russia, the newest member of the WTO; making progress where we can on missile defense; and expanding the work of the Bilateral Presidential Commission.

Bilateral Presidential Commission

In April 2009, Presidents Obama and Medvedev agreed to the formation of the Bilateral Presidential Commission (BPC). The Bilateral Presidential Commission is the premier forum for cooperation between the United States and Russia, and provides a framework for dialogue and the identification of new opportunities based on our shared interests.

The Bilateral Presidential Commission’s 21 working groups continue to produce concrete, substantive results that impact not only our governments but also regular people living in both our countries. Its ongoing expansion – including recently-added working groups on innovation, rule of law and military technical cooperation – and new initiatives demonstrate that our vast bureaucracies are learning the habits and recognizing the benefits of continuing cooperation in between presidential and other high-level meetings.

The BPC continues to function as the vehicle that provides regular attention to our biggest mutual policy objectives via a transparent and structured mechanism. It brings together over 40 U.S. and Russian agencies, as well as numerous NGOs and businesses.

The BPC’s principal objectives include the strengthening of strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between Russians and Americans. Its core principles include a focus on common interests, a two-way partnership and exchange, a frank dialogue respectful of differences, and the completion of tangible results.

The BPC aims to institutionalize the government-to-government and people-to-people aspects of the bilateral relationship. Increased participation by the non-government sphere – involving private enterprise, NGOs, and other elements of civil society in both countries – is and will remain an important goal of the Commission.


Bilateral Economic Relations

The United States is working vigorously to expand bilateral trade and investment cooperation to benefit both Russia and the United States. Over the past three years, the positive atmosphere resulting from the "reset" of bilateral relations has led to an unprecedented advance in economic cooperation between our countries. From 2009 to 2011, U.S. exports to Russia rose 57 percent and total U.S.-Russia trade increased over 80 percent. U.S. companies reported numerous major business deals in Russia in 2012, including the ExxonMobil-Rosneft deal in May for exploration in the Arctic shelf, Boeing’s $15 billion in aircraft sales in Russia over the past five years, and Ex-Im Bank’s June MOU signing with Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, to support up to $1 billion in exports to Russia.

In December 2011, culminating 18 years of hard work and dedication, Russia was invited to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), a major accomplishment that will bring the world’s largest economy outside the WTO into the organization and bind it to a set of rules governing trade, as well as a dispute-resolution mechanism to enforce those rules. To ensure that U.S. companies and workers can take full advantage of Russia’s WTO membership, Congress enacted legislation to extend permanent normal trade relations to Russia.

Our governments are also engaged in a wide range of joint efforts under the Bilateral Presidential Commission in the areas of trade, investment, multilateral economic cooperation, commercial engagement, and innovation that will benefit the people of both countries

Russian Membership in International Organizations

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia took steps to become a full partner in the world's principal political groupings. In December 1991, Russia assumed the permanent UN Security Council seat formerly held by the Soviet Union. Over the years, Russia has increased its international profile and played a growing role in regional issues. Russia and the United States both belong to a number of other international organizations and groupings, including the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Middle East Quartet, P5+1 on Iran, Six-Party Talks on North Korea, G-8, and G-20.

In 1994 Russia joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Partnership for Peace initiative. In 1997 the NATO-Russia Founding Act established formal relations between the NATO and Russia, and in 2002 the NATO-Russia Council was created.

THE UNIVERSAL SECRETS



This artist’ rendering – a timeline of the universe – shows a representation of the evolution of the universe over 13.7 billion years. (Photo courtesy of NASA/WMAP Science Team)

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 'ARMED WITH SCIENCE'

by jtozer
Air Force Discovers Secrets of The Universe
Looking skyward, scientists worldwide now know the universe’s size, composition, approximate age and rate of expansion, thanks in part to "essential" data derived from a time-sensitive test conducted at the

Arnold Engineering Development Complex‘s (AEDC) Mark 1 Aerospace Space Chamber.

On June 30, 2001, a Delta II launch vehicle carried NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) on a mission to make fundamental measurements of cosmology – to literally study the properties of the entire universe.

Jim Burns, AEDC’s space chambers lead, said that the center’s efforts came to light in a recent article published by NASA.

"The solar arrays for NASA‘s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) were tested in Mark 1 during the late 1990s or early 2000," Burns said. "NASA’s recent story regarding this particular project, like others we’ve supported with testing at AEDC during the 1990s and into this decade, shows the impact our work is having on research today.

this decade, shows the impact our work is having on research today.
"Many years, literally, can transpire between when this type of technology is conceived, developed, and tested at a place like AEDC and before the final mission payoff is realized."
"In this case that payoff changed how we view the universe and led to the 2010 Shaw Prize and 2012 Gruber Cosmology Prize awarded to Dr. Charles Bennett. And that mission laid the foundation for subsequent and very important ongoing research and related space exploration."

Bennett, an Alumni Centennial Professor of Physics and Astronomy and John Hopkins University Gilman Scholar, is a physics and astronomy department faculty member at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md.

Bennett said AEDC’s role was "absolutely critical" in helping to pave the way for this landmark NASA Explorer mission to "map" the universe and study its properties.

In 2000, Bennett was NASA Goddard’s principal investigator for the MAP project and had tasked Alphonso Stewart to find the best place to ground test the probe’s solar array and deployment equipment.

Stewart, an aerospace engineer with NASA Goddard Space Center‘s Mechanical Engineering Branch, was the lead solar array deployment system engineer for the 2000 testing in AEDC’s Mark 1 Aerospace Chamber.

Bennett kept in close touch with Stewart all during the testing at AEDC to monitor the deployment, functionality and survivability of the solar array.

"It would be devastating if it [had] failed; there would have been no recovery from a failure," Bennett said. "NASA would ask me occasionally, ‘and what if this deployment fails,’ and I would just tell them, ‘end of mission.’

"‘We will get nothing out of it if that happens’ – not the answer they wanted to hear – but it was the truth. Frankly, I leaned very hard on Alphonso and made sure that he understood that this had to work. This was not a best effort. This had to work."


Stewart, who is currently NASA Goddard’s lead deployable(s) engineer for the James Webb Space telescope, said finding and then choosing AEDC’s Mark 1 Aerospace Chamber as the site for the test paid off in more ways than his team had envisioned.

"At the time, we needed a facility large enough and cold enough to check the functioning of the array," he said. "That system is both a solar array as well as a thermal shield, it actually shields the spacecraft from the sun, so it get can get very cold.

"For example, when facing the sun, the shield is designed to attenuate the heat it generates down to minus 150 degrees [Celsius], and Arnold’s [Mark 1] facility had the ability to go to minus 200 at the time. So, we were able to test the shield in that very cold environment.

"We didn’t know this [at the time], but we found out that the blanket was so efficient in its ability to reject heat that just within the 30 or 40 seconds of deployment, it changes 100 degrees. We did not calculate that, we just actually saw that in the test.

"And by knowing that, we were able to adjust the size – to make extra material in the blanket because as it deploys, it’s shrinking. So that when it does get to the end of the deployment, there is still enough material to allow it to open up. Not knowing that, you would have had a problem when you got on orbit, the system just wouldn’t open up properly."
Bennett said after his team had searched the country for a facility to test their equipment, he is grateful for the support provided by AEDC and their team on that history-making test.
"This satellite [WMAP] has made the most accurate measurement of the age of the universe and that made the Guinness Book of World’s Records," Bennett said. "The universe is 13.7 billion years old – when I was in school, we didn’t know if it was 9 billion or 22 billion – now we know the age of the universe to one percent.

"It’s an extraordinary change and we also now know the results of this satellite about the components of the universe; the contents. For example, your body is made of atoms, mine is, we all are. Your chair is made of atoms, and the Earth is made of atoms.

"You might normally think of everything in the universe as made of atoms, but it turns out, according to the measurements [provided by] this satellite, that the atoms are only 4.6 percent of the content of the universe, actually a tiny amount."

Bennett, continuing, said, "Five times more (prevalent) than the atoms, there’s something that we call cold, dark matter. This is a kind of material that has gravity, but it doesn’t give off any light at all. That’s why we call it dark matter. We can tell it’s there by its gravity, but not by giving off any light.

"The biggest missing piece of the pie is something that was only recently discovered called dark energy. A Nobel Prize last year was given to the discovery of this dark energy. This satellite actually helped those guys get the Nobel Prize because we showed that the dark energy was there and that it’s 73 percent of the universe."

Bennett said the dark energy "acts like an anti-gravity, it pushes the universe apart."

He emphasized that it will take more work to determine what the dark energy and dark cold matter are composed of, "but we do know from this satellite about the percentage that each of these make up; the pieces of the pie."

Bennett said it also helps to understand how the WMAP functioned.

"The probe was somewhat like a radio receiver," he said. "In the old days, we used to get our radio and TV signals as electromagnetic spectrum waves received and routed to analog receivers, not digitized signals like we get through cable or routed from satellites. And between stations or channels, we had something we called snow or noise. It turns out that one percent of that is actually from space. That’s from the beginning of the universe; one percent of that static."

By Philip Lorenz III, from
www.af.mil

OPERATION ICE BRIDGE VIDEO

FROM: NASA

OPERATION ICEBRIDGE: Exploring Antarctica Operation IceBridge is an airbone NASA mission aimed at studying changes in land and sea ice at Earth’s poles. In October and November 2012, IceBridge completed its fourth Antarctic campaign. Twelve of the campaign’s missions focused on changes in land ice, while the remaining four studied the ice that covers the seas of Weddell, Bellingshausen and Amundsen, in the west coast of the continent.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR DECEMBER 17, 2012

Afgahnistan Operations.  Credit:  U.S. Marine Corps

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR DECEMBER 17, 2012

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

ISAF Commander Condemns Kabul Explosion, Offers Condolences
Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2012 - The commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan strongly condemned today's explosion in Kabul, which reportedly killed at least one Afghan civilian and injured more than a dozen others, military officials said.

"Like many of the insurgents' attacks, this morning's explosion in Kabul served only to kill and injure innocent Afghan civilians," Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen said in a statement. "I condemn this act, and all indiscriminate insurgent attacks that harm Afghan civilians.

"I offer condolences to the family and friends of those killed and injured in Kabul this morning," Allen continued. "I also extend my continued thanks and admiration to the Afghan National Security Forces, who immediately secured the scene and rendered assistance to the innocent civilians harmed in this attack. The ISAF community of nations stands with these brave protectors of the Afghan people."

In Afghanistan operations today:

-- An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader in the Nad 'Ali district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.

The arrested Taliban leader had emplaced improvised explosive devices and coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces throughout the Nad 'Ali district, officials said.

The security force also detained one other suspected insurgent.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force arrested two insurgents during a search for a Haqqani leader in the Pul-e 'Alam district of Logar province. The sought-after insurgent leader coordinates and plans attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- In the Jaghatu district of Wardak province, a combined force arrested two insurgents and seized several weapons during a search for Taliban suicide attack planners. The planners are believed to have been preparing for an attack against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- A combined force arrested a Haqqani leader, detained four other suspects and seized several weapons and ammunition in the Sabari district of Khost province. The arrested Haqqani leader conducted rocket-propelled grenade attacks against Afghan and coalition troops. He also acquired and transferred grenade launchers, rockets and other weapons for Haqqani insurgents operating in the district.

Yesterday, a combined force arrested a Taliban facilitator in the Jalalabad district of Nangarhar province. The facilitator had provided direct support to the insurgents who conducted the Dec. 2 attack on Jalalabad Airfield.

In a Dec. 15 operation, an Afghan-led, coalition-supported force arrested a Taliban leader and detained two other suspects in the Kandahar district of Kandahar province. The Taliban leader supplied insurgents with weapons and ammunition, coordinated attacks and oversaw the transfer of homemade explosives and IED-making materials.

And on Dec. 14, a combined force discovered an IED cache in the Washir district of Helmand province. The cache contained seven IEDs, weapons and IED-making materials. All the items found in the cache were destroyed.

GERMAN COMPANY CHARGED BY SEC WITH FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES VIOLATIONS

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C., Dec. 17, 2012 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Germany-based insurance and asset management company Allianz SE with violating the books and records and internal controls provisions of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for improper payments to government officials in Indonesia during a seven-year period.

The SEC’s investigation uncovered 295 insurance contracts on large government projects that were obtained or retained by improper payments of $650,626 by Allianz’s subsidiary in Indonesia to employees of state-owned entities. Allianz made more than $5.3 million in profits as a result of the improper payments.

Allianz, which is headquartered in Munich, agreed to pay more than $12.3 million to settle the SEC’s charges.

"Allianz’s subsidiary created an 'off-the-books' account that served as a slush fund for bribe payments to foreign officials to win insurance contracts worth several million dollars," said Kara Brockmeyer, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s FCPA Unit.

According to the SEC’s order instituting settled administrative proceedings against Allianz, the misconduct occurred from 2001 to 2008 while the company’s shares and bonds were registered with the SEC and traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Two complaints brought the misconduct to Allianz’s attention. The first complaint submitted in 2005 reported unsupported payments to agents, and a subsequent audit of accounting records at Allianz’s subsidiary in Indonesia uncovered that managers were using "special purpose accounts" to make illegal payments to government officials in order to secure business in Indonesia. The misconduct continued in spite of that audit.

According to the SEC’s order, the second complaint was made to Allianz’s external auditor in 2009. Allianz failed to properly account for certain payments in their books and records. The improper payments were disguised in invoices as an "overriding commission" for an agent that was not associated with the government insurance contract. In other instances, the improper payments were structured as an overpayment by the government insurance contract holder, who was later "reimbursed" for the overpayment. Excess funds were then paid to foreign officials who were responsible for procuring the government insurance contracts. Allianz lacked sufficient internal controls to detect and prevent the wrongful payments and improper accounting.

The SEC’s order found that Allianz violated the books and records and internal controls provisions of the FCPA, specifically Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Without admitting or denying the findings, Allianz agreed to cease and desist from further violations and pay disgorgement of $5,315,649, prejudgment interest of $1,765,125, and a penalty of $5,315,649 for a total of $12,396,423.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Irene Gutierrez, Jennifer Baskin and Tracy L. Price of the FCPA Unit.

President Obama Speaks at Newtown High School | The White House

President Obama Speaks at Newtown High School | The White House

REPORTED SYRIAN AIRSTRIKE ON PALESTINIAN REFUGEES CAUSES U.S. CONCERNS



Map:  Syria.  Credit:  CIA

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Airstrike Killing Palestinian Refugees in Yarmouk, Syria
Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 17, 2012
　

The United States is deeply concerned by reports that dozens of civilians, including women and children, were killed or wounded in Yarmouk, an area of Damascus home to 150,000 Palestinian refugees, as a result of aerial bombardment and fighting between Syrian government forces and armed opposition on December 16. These latest attacks mark a significant and alarming escalation of the conflict in Syria. All parties must stop unlawful attacks on civilians and comply with international law. Those who are responsible for atrocities against the civilian population must be held accountable. We express our deepest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in Yarmouk.

In addition to the suffering endured by the Syrian people, the United States is concerned about the situation of the more than 500,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria who are also increasingly suffering from the escalating violence. The Government of Syria should allow all humanitarian actors full and unfettered access in order to protect and assist the victims of the conflict.

The U.S. Government remains the largest bilateral financial supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), including its emergency operations in Syria. UNRWA is providing cash and food assistance to the more than 350,000 Palestinians in Syria who have been directly affected by the conflict, as well as sheltering displaced Syrians and other civilians in its schools and other facilities. Vulnerable refugees in Syria are also receiving emergency health care, water, sanitation, and educational support through partners with U.S. Government funding.

THIRD CARRIBEAN-U.S. SECURITY COOPERATION DIALOGUE

110616-N-XD935-040 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (June 16, 2011) Divers dive onto a 22-ton engine block off the coast of Barbados. Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 is participating in Navy Diver-Southern Partnership Station, a multinational partnership engagement designed to increase interoperability and partner nation capacity through diving operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Jayme Pastoric/Released)

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Third Caribbean - United States Security Cooperation Dialogue
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 13, 2012

Following is the text of a joint statement issued by Antigua and Barbuda; the Commonwealth of the Bahamas; Barbados; the Commonwealth of Dominica; the Dominican Republic; Grenada; the Co-operative Republic of Guyana; the Republic of Haiti; Jamaica; the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the Republic of Suriname; the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and the United States of America at the Caribbean Security Dialogue in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, December 5, 2012.

Begin text:

We, the Governments of Antigua and Barbuda; the Commonwealth of the Bahamas; Barbados; the Commonwealth of Dominica; the Dominican Republic; Grenada; the Co-operative Republic of Guyana; the Republic of Haiti; Jamaica; the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the Republic of Suriname; the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; and the United States of America (US);

REAFFIRMING our commitment to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Partnership launched on 27 May, 2010, at the Inaugural Caribbean-US Security Cooperation Dialogue in Washington, D.C.;

REAFFIRMING also our keen interest in advancing our commitments stated in the Caribbean-United States Declaration of Principles ; the Caribbean-United States Plan of Action on Security Cooperation ; the Joint Caribbean-United States Framework for Security Cooperation Engagement and the Joint Statement of the Second Caribbean-US Security Cooperation Dialogue held in the Bahamas in 2011;

RECOMMITTING to the priorities of substantially reducing illicit trafficking, advancing public safety and security and further promoting social justice as outlined in the Caribbean-United States Declaration of Principles;

RECOGNIZING the work done by the Commission and the Technical Working Groups over the past year as outlined in the Joint Implementation Report;

COMMENDING the leadership shown by Caribbean states in formulating and implementing policies to promote security, and encouraging continuation of efforts through regional integration mechanisms and national contributions of adequate financing based on timely fiscal and budgetary policy decisions;

UNDERSCORING the value of international partner support and the need to maximize the effectiveness and sustainability of that support in order to reduce duplication of efforts and generate a more effective impact in advancing common security objectives in the Caribbean;

WELCOMING new international partners and expressing appreciation to the Government of Canada's initiative to organize donors and implementers in the security partnership framework in the Caribbean;

ACKNOWLEDGING the requirement for enhanced regional cooperation and sustainability of our efforts over the long-term to effectively address security in the Caribbean;

DECLARE our intent to strengthen our cooperation in the period 2012-2013 in the following ways:
Strengthening our institutions and partnerships by: • Recognizing the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) as the primary entity for the coordination of all regional security programs and projects among the CARICOM States and with the Dominican Republic;
• Providing resources to CARICOM IMPACS;
• Recognizing the institutions and mechanisms of the Dominican Republic focused on enhancing security and implementation with CARICOM States and IMPACS;
• Requesting that international partners coordinate with IMPACS to provide effective political, technical and financial support;
• Implementing a mechanism for the dissemination of information on CBSI and regional efforts to enhance security in the Caribbean through a virtual site for official use and a website for public use;
• Ensuring the monitoring and evaluation of program implementation for effective results;
• Identifying national focal points for the internal dissemination and coordination of information with respect to the CBSI within and among countries and with the CBSI Secretariat;
• Ensuring full representation of Member States at CBSI meetings, including Technical Working Group meetings;
• Inviting other nations, regional and international organizations and private sector institutions to partner with us, as appropriate, in advancing security throughout the Caribbean;
• Addressing corruption in the public sector so as to build public trust and confidence in national institutions.
2. Substantially reducing illicit trafficking by:
• Developing a common maritime and airspace strategy, as well as standard operating procedures or other measures including, as appropriate, those provided in the CARICOM Maritime and Airspace Security Cooperation Agreement, and the Caribbean Regional Maritime Agreement
that allow for the coordination of maritime interdiction efforts between and among Caribbean countries, to include regional security institutions such as the Regional Security System (RSS) and the security institutions of the Dominican Republic;
• Continuing progress on a counter illict trafficking strategy for the Caribbean;
• Adopting the programs, initiatives, guidelines and Action Plan of the Hemispheric Drug Strategy of the Inter American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC);
• Enhancing mechanisms for training and counter narcotics coordination and operations among our nations, in particular, by supporting the Technical Assistance Field Team Program (TAFT);
• Considering all necessary agreements and arrangements to facilitate the operation of the Cooperative Sensor and Information Integration (CSII) Programme;
• Developing a common action plan among the Caribbean States and international partners to comprehensively address firearms trafficking;
• Establishing dedicated units for firearms trafficking, where appropriate, to ensure a focus on identifying illegal sources and methods;
• Fully investigating the origin of all seized firearms through tracing and ballistics analysis;
• Implementing regionally, programmes to counter the illicit trafficking in firearms, in particular, the Regional Integrated Ballistic Information Network;
• Establishing national firearms commissions that work effectively, regionally and with international partners;
• Considering policy and legislative reforms, as appropriate, and in accordance with national laws, to implement information sharing mechanisms on a region-wide basis, including the sharing of –
• radar and sensor data for the purpose of detecting, monitoring and interdicting illicit activities in the Caribbean
• ballistic forensic data,
• biometric data.
3. Advancing Public Safety and Security by:

• Enacting judicial reforms and continuing to build judicial capacity to ensure that criminals are brought to justice;
• Fully implementing the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) to facilitate the exchange of data among all Caribbean countries, subject to domestic laws;
• Developing regional polygraph capabilities across the region;
• Developing a sustainable and complementary sub-regional and regional defence, maritime and security training capacity in the Caribbean that utilizes existing national and regional training facilities and facilitates harmonization of security measures;
• Enacting and streamlining legislative authorities in the Caribbean that allow for the seizure of assets used in illicit activity and, in turn, making these assets available for law enforcement and crime prevention initiatives;
• Developing national cybersecurity strategies and enacting, where applicable, cybercrime legislation.
4. Further Promoting Social Justice by:
• Instituting Youth Workforce Development programmes in Caribbean nations to focus on life skills training, technical and vocational training based on market needs, and private sector assistance with internships and job placements;
• Increasing economic and skills development opportunites for youth and other vulnerable populations;
• Continuing to pursue policy reforms at the national and regional levels to expand productive opportunities for youth in areas such as education, employment, entrepreneurship, volunteerism sports and culture;
• Supporting improvements in basic education, including the monitoring of school management and performance, developing public/private partnerships and improving literacy and numeracy for primary school students and young adults;
• Cooperating with regional and international organizations, non-governmental organizations, private sector, community service agencies, religious instititutions and the media in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of effective crime prevention programs;
• Establishing a regional repository of best practices in the areas of crime prevention and social justice to facilitate networking, policy development and program development;
• Developing a regional juvenile justice policy and harmonised legislation that promotes community intervention and alternatives to sentencing and incarceration, including modernization of diversion, detention, and rehabilitation processes;
• Establishing and strengthening drug prevention programs for the reduction in the supply and demand of illicit drugs to youth and vulnerable populations.


Map:  Trinadad And Tobago.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

WE THANK
the Government and people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for their hospitality and efforts in hosting the Third High Level Dialogue of the CBSI.

WE LOOK FORWARD to the Fourth High Level Security Cooperation Dialogue to be held in December in 2013.

WE STRESS our commitment to maintain regular dialogue to meet the common challenges we face in advancing the security and prosperity of our people.

ARMY COOKS IN JAPAN EXERCISE



Army Spc. Tieka Jones, a military food service specialist and reservist from Las Vegas with the 35th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, makes final preparations for the dinner meal as part of the bilateral Yama Sakura 63 training exercise at Camp Sendai, Japan. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. William Jones

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Face of Defense: Army Cooks Excel in Japan Bilateral Exercise
By Army Sgt. William Jones
118th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP SENDAI, Dec. 12, 2012 - Army reservists Spc. Tieka Jones, 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and Spc. Jasmine Gomez, 693rd Quartermaster Co., employed their culinary skills during a recent overseas duty training assignment here.

The two soldiers and other troops who deployed with the 35th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion added a lot of the special touches during the Yama Sukara 63 training exercise held here that made "chow" a little closer to what mom used to make.

Yama Sakura is a bilateral training exercise held twice a year with members of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force and the U.S. military. Yama Sakura began 30 years ago. It is designed to enhance the combat readiness and interoperability between the two nations. American and Japanese service members exchange ideas, tactics, techniques and military experiences during the exercise, now in its 31st iteration.

When the 35th CSSB deployed to Japan to participate in this year's Yama Sakura exercise, they did so with only a moderate-sized contingent of active-duty cooks and the rest of the team came from the reserve components. The part-time soldiers serving on active duty in support of the exercise quickly proved their worth as they prepared two hot meals each day for 800 men and women participating in the exercise.

The food service soldiers worked long hours performing their duties with excellence, officials said. Jones and Gomez made a point to make eye contact and greet each person as they went through the food line. Gomez was frequently seen lugging several heavy insulated food containers from the mobile kitchen trailer to the serving line several times during each meal.

The reservists' outstanding contributions were noticed by Army Col. Nora Marcos, Deputy Chief of Staff and chief information officer for U.S. Army Japan, who recognized the soldiers during a recent staff meeting.

"Jones and Gomez have really worked hard while they were here at Camp Sendai and they both have a great attitude," said Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Kessler, the dining facility manager. "Jones always has a smile and people have commented on that to me and you cannot outwork Gomez."

A real holiday season

A real holiday season

COGNITIVE SIMULATION TOOL MAY HELP IMPROVE CULTUREAL INTERACTION

U.S. Military and Provincial Troops in Afghanistan.  Credit:  U.S. Navy.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,  'ARMED WITH SCIENCE'

by jtozer

Top Tech-Cognitive Simulation Tool

Top Technology is an Armed with Science series that highlights the latest and greatest federal laboratory inventions which are available for transfer to business partners.
Naval Research Laboratory has patented an artificial intelligence and cognitive modeling technology designed to better understand what can happen in culturally diverse circumstances. It’s called the Cognitive Simulation Tool, and it could very well change the way we interact with people from different cultures.

So what is it?

The techno-babble for the
Cognitive Simulation Tool is that NRL has patented this technology so it applies to a learning algorithm grounded in social science to model interactions of agents/actors from different groups or cultures. The tool embedding this technology uses agent-based simulation of preference-driven agents endowed with cognitive maps representing their causal beliefs.

What does that mean?

That means that this is simulation technology that allows us to get a better understanding of what can happen when two very different groups have to interact with each other. Agents can modify their cognitive maps through social learning, and a user can seed the simulation with diverse belief structures and activate the simulation to predict coalitions/conflicts and shifts of allegiance.

Basically, it’s a what-if social scenario simulator (say that ten times fast).

What does it do?

I don’t think I need to tell you that the balance of social interaction can be a delicate one.

When it comes to speaking or working with foreign nationals, being able to respect them and possibly encourage cooperation to a mutual benefit can be influential, and in some cases necessary. This technology is designed to measure the impact of a foreign presence on a society before systems collide. It can predict coalitions, population attitudes in response to exogenous events, and even visualize group information.

How can this help the warfighter?

Service members typically spend a lot of time interacting with different people from different social, economic and religious backgrounds. Having a better understanding of how to approach people is as valuable as having situational awareness. Indeed, it’s a viable element of SA. This tool could provide service members with the skills they need to interact with diverse groups effectively and positively, while also teaching them how to be more effective at certain forms of communication.

Also it includes a video gaming system, so that’s bound to be fun.

My take?

I think everyone could benefit from a little social interaction training. If people could plan ahead on how to interact with others I think the world would be a less awkward place.

Imagine how different first dates would be if you’d already ruled out all those cheesy one-liners and unfunny jokes. Or an interview simulator that allowed you to figure out if your self-depreciating humor would fall flat or not. Now I’m not saying this Cognitive Simulation Tool is capable of that – it’s certainly not going to fix all the awkward conversations in the world – but it can help service members to cross certain cultural barriers in times where it could really be important to do so.

Like on a deployment. Or establishing new multi-cultural collaborations. Or ordering food in a foreign country.

Now, this is something that falls under the heading of education and homeland security, but really I think it would help our warfighters to become better, more effective ambassadors to these other countries. Part of our mission is to be able to connect to people from other countries. It’s intuitive that we ought to prepare our troops for any and all circumstances they might encounter.

Having adequate training that prepares warfighters for any real-world scenario is important.

Having a social interaction simulator is, in my opinion, a long time coming.

My take on this is make it so, NRL. And besides, you know I’m a fan of anything that brings us that much closer to a holodeck.

MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR PART IN FORECLOSURE RESUCE SCAM

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 37 Months in Prison for Foreclosure Rescue Scam and Theft of Government Funds

WASHINGTON – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for operating a foreclosure rescue scam that defrauded distressed homeowners who were struggling to pay their mortgages, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.

Alex P. Soria, 65, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George in the District of Nevada. In addition to his prison term, Soria was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $320,266 in restitution.

In August 2012, Soria pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with his scheme to defraud distressed homeowners and one count of theft of government funds for defrauding the Social Security Disability Insurance benefits program.

According to court documents, Soria identified homeowners whose mortgage debt exceeded the value of their homes and charged them a fee purportedly to reduce the principal balance of their mortgages using money from the Department of the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). Soria admitted in court that he lied to homeowners about his affiliation with several mortgage lenders and that he provided victims with fraudulent letters stating they had been approved for loans. Soria also admitted he falsely told victims that his loan program had been successful in the past and charged homeowners for loan modifications he knew he could not deliver. Court documents show that Soria concealed from homeowners the fact that the state of Nevada had issued a cease and desist order which legally prohibited him from working in the mortgage industry. Soria collected over $100,000 in fees from distressed homeowners, many of whom lost their homes to foreclosure after Soria failed to deliver the loan modifications he promised.

As part of the same case, Soria also admitted to stealing government funds by continuing to collect Social Security Disability Insurance benefits while at the same time receiving income from his foreclosure relief operation. The Social Security Disability Insurance program is a federal program that replaces the wages of individuals who become unable to work due to a disability. Soria admitted to collecting over $200,000 in disability benefits from 1990 to 2010 while at the same time receiving income that he concealed from the Social Security Administration.

This case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Brian R. Young and Mary Ann McCarthy of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada assisted with the investigation and prosecution. The case was investigated by the Offices of Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Social Security Administration.

This prosecution is part of efforts underway by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force (FFETF), which was created in November 2009 to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. With more than 20 federal agencies, 94 U.S. attorneys’ offices and state and local partners, it’s the broadest coalition of law enforcement, investigatory and regulatory agencies ever assembled to combat fraud. Since its formation, the task force has made great strides in facilitating increased investigation and prosecution of financial crimes; enhancing coordination and cooperation among federal, state and local authorities; addressing discrimination in the lending and financial markets and conducting outreach to the public, victims, financial institutions and other organizations. Over the past three fiscal years, the Justice Department has filed more than 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 15,000 defendants, including more than 2,700 mortgage fraud defendants. For more information on the task force, visit www.stopfraud.gov.

CONTRACTOR PLEADS GUILTY IN FRAUDULENT POLICE VEHICLE SALE TO IRAQ

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Monday, December 10, 2012

British Contractor Agrees to Plead Guilty to Wire Fraud Conspiracy Related to Iraq Reconstruction Efforts

WASHINGTON – British contractor APTx Vehicle Systems Limited agreed today to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States, the Coalition Provisional Authority that governed Iraq from April 2003 to June 2004, the government of Iraq and JP Morgan Chase Bank. A civil settlement agreement resolving a related action filed under the False Claims Act was also announced today.

APTx was charged with one count of wire fraud conspiracy in a criminal information filed today in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. As part of the plea agreement filed with the information, APTx agreed to pay a criminal fine of $1 million.

The charges and resolutions were announced today by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart F. Delery of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen M. Ortiz.

According to the criminal information, APTx engaged in a fraudulent scheme involving an August 2004 contract valued at over $8.4 million for the procurement of 51 vehicles for the Iraqi Police Authority. The contract was initially awarded to a different, "prime" contractor, which in turn subcontracted the procurement to APTx for over $5.7 million. Payment under the contract was by letters of credit issued by JP Morgan Bank.

The criminal information further charges that in May and June 2005, APTx submitted shipping documents to JP Morgan to draw down on the letters of credit, which falsely and fraudulently asserted that all 51 vehicles were produced and ready to ship to Iraq. In fact, as APTx knew, none of the vehicles had been built, none of the vehicles were legally owned or held by APTx and none of the vehicles were in the process of transport to Iraq. The fraudulent shipping documents also listed a company as the freight carrier that APTx knew was not a shipping company and named a fictitious company as the freight forwarder.

In a related civil settlement agreement, APTx, along with Alchemie Grp Ltd., a United Kingdom corporation, and Haslen Back, the director and shareholder of Alchemie, agreed to pay $2 million to the United States to resolve claims originated by Ian Rycroft, an individual retained by the prime contractor to oversee transportation of the vehicles, under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act in the District of Massachusetts. The False Claims Act authorizes private whistleblowers to bring suit for false claims submitted to the United States and to share in any recovery. Rycroft’s estate will receive $540,000 as its share of the settlement amount.

Benjamin Kafka, a representative for APTx in the United States, was charged on April 13, 2009, with one count of misprision of a felony in connection with his role in the wire fraud conspiracy. According to court documents, Kafka allegedly allowed APTx to use his corporate name and identity as the freight carrier and freight forwarder on the fraudulent shipping documents presented to JP Morgan.

The criminal case is being prosecuted by Director of Procurement Fraud Catherine Votaw and Trial Attorney William H. Bowne III of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, and by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eugenia M. Carris and Jeffrey Cohen of the District of Massachusetts. The civil case is being handled by Trial Attorney Diana Younts of the Civil Division, and by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Wichers of the District of Massachusetts. The investigation was conducted by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service Boston Resident Agency and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C.