FROM: THE WHITE HOUSE
December 13, 2013
Message to the Congress -- Report Consistent with War Powers Resolution
Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)
I am providing this supplemental consolidated report, prepared by my Administration and consistent with the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148), as part of my efforts to keep the Congress informed about deployments of U.S. Armed Forces equipped for combat.
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN SUPPORT OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM OBJECTIVES
In furtherance of U.S. counterterrorism efforts, the United States continues to work with partners around the globe, with a particular focus on the U.S. Central Command's and U.S. Africa Command's areas of responsibility. In this context, the United States has deployed U.S. combat-equipped forces to enhance the counterterrorism capabilities and support the counterterrorism operations of our friends and allies, including special operations and other forces for sensitive operations in various locations around the world. Specific information about counterterrorism deployments to select countries is provided below, and a classified annex to this report provides further information.
Military Operations Against al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and Associated Forces and in Support of Related U.S. Counterterrorism Objectives
Since October 7, 2001, the United States has conducted combat operations in Afghanistan against al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces. In support of these and other overseas operations, the United States has deployed combat-equipped forces to a number of locations in the U.S. Central, Pacific, European, Southern, and Africa Command areas of operation. Such operations and deployments have been reported previously, consistent with Public Law 107-40 and the War Powers Resolution, and operations and deployments remain ongoing. These operations, which the United States has carried out with the assistance of numerous international partners, have been successful in seriously degrading al-Qa'ida's capabilities and brought an end to the Taliban's leadership of Afghanistan.
The United States is committed to thwarting the efforts of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces to carry out future acts of international terrorism, and we have continued to work with our counterterrorism partners to disrupt and degrade the capabilities of al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, and associated forces. As necessary, in response to this terrorist threat, I will direct additional measures to protect U.S. citizens and interests. It is not possible to know at this time the precise scope or the duration of the deployments of U.S. Armed Forces necessary to counter this terrorist threat to the United States.
Afghanistan. United States Armed Forces continue to pursue and engage remaining al-Qa'ida and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan while transitioning to an Afghan security lead. There are approximately 55,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and the United States Armed Forces are on track to meet the Afghanistan Force Management Level of 34,000 by February 12, 2014.
The United Nations (U.N.) Security Council most recently extended its authorization of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan until December 31, 2014, in U.N. Security Council Resolution 2120 (October 10, 2013). The mission of ISAF, under North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) command and in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is to reduce the capability and will of the insurgency, support the growth in capacity and capability of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), and facilitate improvements in governance and socio-economic development in order to provide a secure environment for sustainable stability that is observable to the population. Forty-eight nations, including the United States and all 28 NATO members, contribute forces to ISAF. For the last few years, the ISAF campaign has focused on preparing the ANSF for full security transition in 2014.
In June 2013, at the "Milestone 2013" ceremony, the ANSF assumed the lead for security nationwide. ISAF is now in support of the ANSF. The only unilateral operations that ISAF conducts are in support of its own security, sustainment, and redeployment. In the coming months, ISAF will focus on developing the sustainability of the ANSF and assisting the ANSF as the Afghan government plans for the elections in 2014. The security transition process -- as agreed to at the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon and reaffirmed at the 2012 NATO Summit in Chicago -- remains on track and the ANSF are expected to assume full responsibility for security across the whole of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.
As I noted in my report of June 14, 2013, on March 25, 2013, the United States signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Afghan government under which the United States transferred all Afghan nationals detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan to the custody and control of the Afghan government. Pursuant to the MOU, any new Afghan detainees are to be transferred to Afghan custody and control within 96 hours after capture. United States forces in Afghanistan continue to detain approximately 53 third-country nationals under the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), as informed by the law of war.
Libya. In Libya, on October 5, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces captured longtime al-Qa'ida member Abu Anas al Libi.
Somalia. In Somalia, the U.S. military has worked to counter the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida and associated elements of al-Shabaab. On the night of October 4, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces conducted a raid in Somalia to capture a member of al-Qa'ida who is also a top commander in the terrorist group al-Shabaab. The operation did not result in the capture of the targeted individual.
Yemen. The U.S. military has also been working closely with the Yemeni government to dismantle operationally and ultimately eliminate the terrorist threat posed by al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), the most active and dangerous affiliate of al-Qa'ida today. Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP operatives and senior leaders in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests.
Cuba. Combat-equipped forces, deployed since January 2002 to the Naval Base, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, continue to conduct humane and secure detention operations for the approximately 162 detainees at Guantanamo Bay under the authority provided by the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40), as informed by the law of war.
Military Operations in Niger in Support of U.S. Counterterrorism Objectives
As indicated in my report of June 14, 2013, U.S. military personnel in Niger continue to provide support for intelligence collection and to facilitate intelligence sharing with French forces conducting operations in Mali and with other partners in the region. The total number of U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger is approximately 200.
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN CENTRAL AFRICA
In October and November 2011, U.S. military personnel with appropriate combat equipment deployed to Uganda to serve as advisors to regional forces of the African Union Regional Task Force (AU-RTF) that are working to apprehend or remove Joseph Kony and other senior Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) leaders from the battlefield, and to protect local populations. The number of U.S. military personnel deployed to the central Africa region, including advisors deployed for this mission and personnel providing logistical and support functions to this and other missions, is approximately 120.
United States forces are working with select partner nation forces of the AU-RTF to enhance cooperation, information-sharing and synchronization, operational planning, and overall effectiveness. Elements of these U.S. forces have deployed to forward locations in the LRA-affected areas, including the Republic of South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic in order to enhance regional efforts against the LRA. These forces, however, will not engage LRA forces except in self-defense. It is in the U.S. national security interest to help our regional partners in Africa to develop their capability to address threats to regional peace and security, including the threat posed by the LRA. The United States is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to help the governments and people of this region in their efforts to end the threat posed by the LRA and to address the impact of the LRA's atrocities.
MARITIME INTERCEPTION OPERATIONS
As noted in previous reports, the United States remains prepared to conduct maritime interception operations on the high seas in the areas of responsibility of each of the geographic combatant commands. These maritime operations are aimed at stopping the movement, arming, and financing of certain international terrorist groups, and also include operations aimed at stopping proliferation by sea of weapons of mass destruction and related materials.
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN EGYPT
Approximately 715 military personnel are assigned to the U.S. contingent of the Multinational Force and Observers, which have been present in Egypt since 1981.
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN JORDAN
As detailed in my report of June 21, 2013, at the request of the Government of Jordan, a combat-equipped detachment of approximately 700 U.S. personnel remain in Jordan following participation in a training exercise that ended on June 20, 2013. The detachment includes Patriot missile systems, fighter aircraft, and related support, command, control, and communications personnel and systems. These forces joined U.S. forces already in Jordan for a total of approximately 1,500 U.S. military personnel. These forces will remain in Jordan, in full coordination with the Government of Jordan, until the security situation becomes such that they are no longer needed.
U.S./NATO OPERATIONS IN KOSOVO
The U.N. Security Council authorized Member States to establish a NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in Resolution 1244 on June 10, 1999. The original mission of KFOR was to monitor, verify, and, when necessary, enforce compliance with the Military Technical Agreement between NATO and the then-Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (now Serbia), while maintaining a safe and secure environment. Today, KFOR deters renewed hostilities in cooperation with local authorities, bilateral partners, and international institutions. The principal military tasks of KFOR forces are to help maintain a safe and secure environment and to ensure freedom of movement throughout Kosovo.
Currently, 23 NATO Allies contribute to KFOR. Eight non-NATO countries also participate. The U.S. contribution to KFOR is approximately 670 U.S. military personnel out of the total strength of approximately 4,900 personnel.
REGIONAL SECURITY OPERATIONS
As stated in my report of June 14, 2013, U.S. Armed Forces remain in Libya and Yemen to support the security of U.S. personnel. These forces will remain deployed, in full coordination with the respective host governments, until the security situation no longer requires them.
Additional information about regional security operations is provided in the classified annex.
I have directed the participation of U.S. Armed Forces in all of these operations pursuant to my constitutional and statutory authority as Commander in Chief (including the authority to carry out Public Law 107-40 and other statutes) and as Chief Executive, as well as my constitutional and statutory authority to conduct the foreign relations of the United States. Officials of my Administration and I communicate regularly with the leadership and other Members of Congress with regard to these deployments, and we will continue to do so.
Sincerely,
BARACK OBAMA
Monday, December 16, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS TO U.S. CONSULATE STAFF/FAMILIES IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Meeting With Consulate Ho Chi Minh Staff and Families
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear
U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 14, 2013
AMBASSADOR SHEAR: Welcome, everybody. Mr. Secretary, I’d like to introduce you to team Ho Chi Minh City. (Cheering and applause.) I’d like especially to introduce you to our new Marine detachment, five new Marines led by Staff Sergeant Childress. Where are you? (Applause.) There they are. I’d like also to welcome 10 or 12 loyal employees of the embassy, who worked for us prior to 1975. There they are. (Applause.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Wow.
AMBASSADOR SHEAR: I’d like to recognize the great locally employed staff here, as well as the American staff. Mr. Secretary, without the folks you see here, we just couldn’t do what we do.
So, without further ado, I give you Secretary of State John Kerry. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador. Chao cac ong cac ba. Nice to see you all. I’m very, very happy to be here. I want to thank our ambassador, David Shear, for his terrific work. He’s winding up here. He’s been here for over two years, now. And we are lucky to have good professionals like him and Rena Bitter. Thank you, Rena, for serving as CG here. She’s newly here.
But what a great facility here now. I must say last time I was in Ho Chi Minh City – I still – I slip all the time, I call it Saigon, you know. Shhh. (Laughter.) But the embassy was still here, the old embassy building that you worked in. And this obviously came into being in 1997, so it’s changed a little bit. Am I right, 1997 it came into being? So I guess the embassy building would have been torn down by then, because I was here in 2000 with President Clinton, but we didn’t come into the consulate. That’s the difference. Okay, I got it. Just refreshing.
Obviously, this is a very historic place, as you all know. And this memorial behind me documents both the downside of the history and the upside of the history. And what we’re looking at today is the upside of the history, which you all are working on brilliantly, and I’m very, very grateful for you for doing that.
When I was here, I was here in 1968, ’69, and I came up here to what was then Saigon in 1969. And I remember sitting up on the roof of the Rex Hotel, and none of these other tall buildings were here, none of them. And we sat up there, and it was – I was very – I had gotten away from my unit for a couple of days, and I was here for some meetings. And we would sit up there, and we were having a beer, which we couldn’t have normally where we were, and you’d look out at the flares all around the city. And every so often you’d here this brrt of gunfire from what we called Puff the Magic Dragon, that was flying around, which was a C-130 that would shoot. It was really eerie. I can’t tell you how totally bizarre it was to be sitting on top of a hotel, having a beer, sitting around, talking with people – a lot of press people used to hang out there – while all around you, you would be seeing and hearing the sounds of a war. And that was the sort of strangeness and duality of that period of time.
It led Senator McCain and me – and he spent, obviously, a different kind of time here; he was up north in Hanoi in prison. And when we both got to the United States Senate, we both felt compelled to try to find a way to change the relationship, to end the war. In many ways, the war hadn’t ended. Even though we weren’t here fighting, there was a war going on still about what had happened and who was responsible and did we have prisoners of war left behind or didn’t we. There were very high emotions about it.
And so, we set about to try to change that. And for 10 years – literally, for 10 years – we worked in order to get, first, the George H.W. Bush Administration to change the policy on the embargo. And then we worked on the Bill Clinton Administration to normalize relations. And in the year 2000, President Clinton became the first President of the United States to visit Vietnam since Lyndon Johnson. And I was pleased and honored to be able to come here with him and be here in this city, as we visited and tried to move to this new relationship.
Now, all of you are carrying that on. You are the ones really defining this new relationship in modern terms, as Vietnam goes through this enormous transformation. I can’t tell you how much of a transformation it is. None of these big, tall buildings were here 20 years ago. And now there are – 40 percent of the country is under the age of 25, a young country for whom the war is ancient history, and, by the way, for whom the war was just the American war, as opposed to the French war or the China war. It was just one of many.
And so now we have a chance to bring Vietnam into the broad community of nations in trade, in governance, and in human rights, in the rights that people have, in the way they’re respected and what their choices are in the course of their lives. These are the things that you all are working on, and we’re working on together.
We’re looking at the new trade relationship, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is an enormous opportunity to raise the standards by which people are doing business, which will have an impact on workers, on their job security, on their safety, on their pay, and on their rights. All of those things are affected. And it will create more jobs at home in America and here in Vietnam.
So we’re now on a wonderfully constructive, positive track towards the future. And every single one of you are the face of America and the values of that here, whether you are Vietnamese or another country’s national, whether you’re Foreign Service or Civil Service or TDY, or whatever you may be, political appointee. You are all the face of our consulate here, and our embassy in Hanoi, and of our country in Vietnam.
So I want to say thank you to you. I especially want to say thank you to all – we have about 257 local hires, people who work here locally, as this distinguished group did when they worked in the embassy way back in the 1960s and ’70s. And would everybody join me in saying thank you to them, their employee, for their work when they were here? It’s an honor to meet you. (Applause.) And all of the other – who are all the other local employees? Raise your hands, local employees. Thank you, all of you. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. (Applause.)
And I want to welcome the United States Marine Corps. They are the five – the first people here in the Marine Corps since 1975. And this is now our Marine security detachment here. And, gentlemen, semper fi, thank you for being here, and we thank what you’re doing. Appreciate it. Thank you. (Applause.)
So I just – look, it’s holiday time. Somebody here can tell me a good place I can go buy some Christmas presents quickly because I’m in trouble, otherwise. (Laughter.) I need some help. But on behalf of President Obama, myself – I have the honor to serve now as Secretary – there isn’t a greater honor than to serve with all of you, because every day we get to get up and go to work and try to make life better for other people. And we get to represent values that are worth fighting for. And I think every single one of you – you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t believe in that and you didn’t care about it. I thank you profoundly on behalf of your country, on behalf of me, as Secretary, on behalf of President Obama. And I wish all of you wonderful, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy whatever everybody else celebrates. Have a great time. God bless, and take care. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
Meeting With Consulate Ho Chi Minh Staff and Families
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam David B. Shear
U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 14, 2013
AMBASSADOR SHEAR: Welcome, everybody. Mr. Secretary, I’d like to introduce you to team Ho Chi Minh City. (Cheering and applause.) I’d like especially to introduce you to our new Marine detachment, five new Marines led by Staff Sergeant Childress. Where are you? (Applause.) There they are. I’d like also to welcome 10 or 12 loyal employees of the embassy, who worked for us prior to 1975. There they are. (Applause.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Wow.
AMBASSADOR SHEAR: I’d like to recognize the great locally employed staff here, as well as the American staff. Mr. Secretary, without the folks you see here, we just couldn’t do what we do.
So, without further ado, I give you Secretary of State John Kerry. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Mr. Ambassador. Chao cac ong cac ba. Nice to see you all. I’m very, very happy to be here. I want to thank our ambassador, David Shear, for his terrific work. He’s winding up here. He’s been here for over two years, now. And we are lucky to have good professionals like him and Rena Bitter. Thank you, Rena, for serving as CG here. She’s newly here.
But what a great facility here now. I must say last time I was in Ho Chi Minh City – I still – I slip all the time, I call it Saigon, you know. Shhh. (Laughter.) But the embassy was still here, the old embassy building that you worked in. And this obviously came into being in 1997, so it’s changed a little bit. Am I right, 1997 it came into being? So I guess the embassy building would have been torn down by then, because I was here in 2000 with President Clinton, but we didn’t come into the consulate. That’s the difference. Okay, I got it. Just refreshing.
Obviously, this is a very historic place, as you all know. And this memorial behind me documents both the downside of the history and the upside of the history. And what we’re looking at today is the upside of the history, which you all are working on brilliantly, and I’m very, very grateful for you for doing that.
When I was here, I was here in 1968, ’69, and I came up here to what was then Saigon in 1969. And I remember sitting up on the roof of the Rex Hotel, and none of these other tall buildings were here, none of them. And we sat up there, and it was – I was very – I had gotten away from my unit for a couple of days, and I was here for some meetings. And we would sit up there, and we were having a beer, which we couldn’t have normally where we were, and you’d look out at the flares all around the city. And every so often you’d here this brrt of gunfire from what we called Puff the Magic Dragon, that was flying around, which was a C-130 that would shoot. It was really eerie. I can’t tell you how totally bizarre it was to be sitting on top of a hotel, having a beer, sitting around, talking with people – a lot of press people used to hang out there – while all around you, you would be seeing and hearing the sounds of a war. And that was the sort of strangeness and duality of that period of time.
It led Senator McCain and me – and he spent, obviously, a different kind of time here; he was up north in Hanoi in prison. And when we both got to the United States Senate, we both felt compelled to try to find a way to change the relationship, to end the war. In many ways, the war hadn’t ended. Even though we weren’t here fighting, there was a war going on still about what had happened and who was responsible and did we have prisoners of war left behind or didn’t we. There were very high emotions about it.
And so, we set about to try to change that. And for 10 years – literally, for 10 years – we worked in order to get, first, the George H.W. Bush Administration to change the policy on the embargo. And then we worked on the Bill Clinton Administration to normalize relations. And in the year 2000, President Clinton became the first President of the United States to visit Vietnam since Lyndon Johnson. And I was pleased and honored to be able to come here with him and be here in this city, as we visited and tried to move to this new relationship.
Now, all of you are carrying that on. You are the ones really defining this new relationship in modern terms, as Vietnam goes through this enormous transformation. I can’t tell you how much of a transformation it is. None of these big, tall buildings were here 20 years ago. And now there are – 40 percent of the country is under the age of 25, a young country for whom the war is ancient history, and, by the way, for whom the war was just the American war, as opposed to the French war or the China war. It was just one of many.
And so now we have a chance to bring Vietnam into the broad community of nations in trade, in governance, and in human rights, in the rights that people have, in the way they’re respected and what their choices are in the course of their lives. These are the things that you all are working on, and we’re working on together.
We’re looking at the new trade relationship, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which is an enormous opportunity to raise the standards by which people are doing business, which will have an impact on workers, on their job security, on their safety, on their pay, and on their rights. All of those things are affected. And it will create more jobs at home in America and here in Vietnam.
So we’re now on a wonderfully constructive, positive track towards the future. And every single one of you are the face of America and the values of that here, whether you are Vietnamese or another country’s national, whether you’re Foreign Service or Civil Service or TDY, or whatever you may be, political appointee. You are all the face of our consulate here, and our embassy in Hanoi, and of our country in Vietnam.
So I want to say thank you to you. I especially want to say thank you to all – we have about 257 local hires, people who work here locally, as this distinguished group did when they worked in the embassy way back in the 1960s and ’70s. And would everybody join me in saying thank you to them, their employee, for their work when they were here? It’s an honor to meet you. (Applause.) And all of the other – who are all the other local employees? Raise your hands, local employees. Thank you, all of you. Thank you very much. We appreciate it. (Applause.)
And I want to welcome the United States Marine Corps. They are the five – the first people here in the Marine Corps since 1975. And this is now our Marine security detachment here. And, gentlemen, semper fi, thank you for being here, and we thank what you’re doing. Appreciate it. Thank you. (Applause.)
So I just – look, it’s holiday time. Somebody here can tell me a good place I can go buy some Christmas presents quickly because I’m in trouble, otherwise. (Laughter.) I need some help. But on behalf of President Obama, myself – I have the honor to serve now as Secretary – there isn’t a greater honor than to serve with all of you, because every day we get to get up and go to work and try to make life better for other people. And we get to represent values that are worth fighting for. And I think every single one of you – you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t believe in that and you didn’t care about it. I thank you profoundly on behalf of your country, on behalf of me, as Secretary, on behalf of President Obama. And I wish all of you wonderful, happy holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, happy whatever everybody else celebrates. Have a great time. God bless, and take care. Thank you. Thank you. (Applause.)
TWO ARMY NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS PLEAD GUILTY FOR ROLES IN BRIBERY AND FRAUD SCHEMES
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Friday, December 13, 2013
Two Army National Guard Soldiers Plead Guilty in Connection with Bribery and Fraud Schemes to Defraud the U.s. Army National Guard Bureau
To Date, 19 Individuals Have Pleaded Guilty in Ongoing Corruption Investigation
Two U.S. Army National Guard soldiers pleaded guilty for their roles in bribery and fraud schemes that caused a total of at least $70,000 in losses to the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
Specialist Edia Antoine, 28, and former Staff Sergeant Ernest Millien, 49, both of Houston, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery. The cases against both defendants arise from an investigation involving allegations that former and current military recruiters and U.S. soldiers in the San Antonio and Houston areas engaged in a wide-ranging corruption scheme to illegally obtain fraudulent recruiting bonuses. To date, the investigation has led to charges against 25 individuals, 19 of whom have pleaded guilty.
According to court documents filed in both cases, in approximately September 2005, the National Guard Bureau entered into a contract with Document and Packaging Broker Inc. (Docupak) to administer the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP). The G-RAP was a recruiting program that offered monetary incentives to soldiers of the Army National Guard who referred others to join the Army National Guard. Through this program, a participating soldier could receive up to $3,000 in bonus payments for referring another individual to join. Based on certain milestones achieved by the referred soldier, a participating soldier would receive payment through direct deposit into the participating soldier’s designated bank account. To participate in the program, soldiers were required to create online recruiting assistant accounts.
Antoine and Millien both admitted they paid Army National Guard recruiters for the names and Social Security numbers of potential Army National Guard soldiers. They used the personal identifying information for these potential soldiers to claim that they were responsible for referring these potential soldiers to join the Army National Guard, when in fact they had not referred them. As a result of these fraudulent representations, Antoine and Millien collected approximately $17,000 and at least $12,500 in fraudulent bonuses, respectively.
The charge of bribery carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss. The charge of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss.
Antoine and Millien are scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the Southern District of Texas on June 24, 2014.
These cases are being investigated by Special Agents from the San Antonio Fraud Resident Agency of Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. The cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sean F. Mulryne, Mark J. Cipolletti and Heidi Boutros Gesch of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson of the Southern District of Texas.
Friday, December 13, 2013
Two Army National Guard Soldiers Plead Guilty in Connection with Bribery and Fraud Schemes to Defraud the U.s. Army National Guard Bureau
To Date, 19 Individuals Have Pleaded Guilty in Ongoing Corruption Investigation
Two U.S. Army National Guard soldiers pleaded guilty for their roles in bribery and fraud schemes that caused a total of at least $70,000 in losses to the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau. Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson of the Southern District of Texas made the announcement.
Specialist Edia Antoine, 28, and former Staff Sergeant Ernest Millien, 49, both of Houston, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and one count of bribery. The cases against both defendants arise from an investigation involving allegations that former and current military recruiters and U.S. soldiers in the San Antonio and Houston areas engaged in a wide-ranging corruption scheme to illegally obtain fraudulent recruiting bonuses. To date, the investigation has led to charges against 25 individuals, 19 of whom have pleaded guilty.
According to court documents filed in both cases, in approximately September 2005, the National Guard Bureau entered into a contract with Document and Packaging Broker Inc. (Docupak) to administer the Guard Recruiting Assistance Program (G-RAP). The G-RAP was a recruiting program that offered monetary incentives to soldiers of the Army National Guard who referred others to join the Army National Guard. Through this program, a participating soldier could receive up to $3,000 in bonus payments for referring another individual to join. Based on certain milestones achieved by the referred soldier, a participating soldier would receive payment through direct deposit into the participating soldier’s designated bank account. To participate in the program, soldiers were required to create online recruiting assistant accounts.
Antoine and Millien both admitted they paid Army National Guard recruiters for the names and Social Security numbers of potential Army National Guard soldiers. They used the personal identifying information for these potential soldiers to claim that they were responsible for referring these potential soldiers to join the Army National Guard, when in fact they had not referred them. As a result of these fraudulent representations, Antoine and Millien collected approximately $17,000 and at least $12,500 in fraudulent bonuses, respectively.
The charge of bribery carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss. The charge of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000 or twice the pecuniary gain or loss.
Antoine and Millien are scheduled to be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal of the Southern District of Texas on June 24, 2014.
These cases are being investigated by Special Agents from the San Antonio Fraud Resident Agency of Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit. The cases are being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sean F. Mulryne, Mark J. Cipolletti and Heidi Boutros Gesch of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Pearson of the Southern District of Texas.
U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT SAYS ALMOST $250 MILLION BACK WAGES RECOVERED FOR WORKERS IN FISCAL 2013
FROM: U.S. LABOR DEPARTMENT
A Quarter Billion Dollars in Back Wages
In fiscal year 2013, the Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in back wages for workers around the country whose employers improperly denied them pay they had earned. The cases processed during that 12-month period benefited more than 269,250 workers who recouped $249,954,412 in back wages. Nearly a third of that money was secured for low-wage workers. "Employers who commit minimum wage, overtime and other wage violations deny workers their full hard-earned income, and we are committed to ensuring that the money is in the hands of those who worked for it," said Laura Fortman, principal deputy administrator for the Wage and Hour Division. "That's money that they will spend on the rent, on transportation, to put food on the table, and to buy clothes for their kids." Since the beginning of 2009, the Wage and Hour Division has closed 145,884 cases nationwide, resulting in more than a billion dollars in back wages for 1,238,589 workers.
A Quarter Billion Dollars in Back Wages
In fiscal year 2013, the Wage and Hour Division recovered nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in back wages for workers around the country whose employers improperly denied them pay they had earned. The cases processed during that 12-month period benefited more than 269,250 workers who recouped $249,954,412 in back wages. Nearly a third of that money was secured for low-wage workers. "Employers who commit minimum wage, overtime and other wage violations deny workers their full hard-earned income, and we are committed to ensuring that the money is in the hands of those who worked for it," said Laura Fortman, principal deputy administrator for the Wage and Hour Division. "That's money that they will spend on the rent, on transportation, to put food on the table, and to buy clothes for their kids." Since the beginning of 2009, the Wage and Hour Division has closed 145,884 cases nationwide, resulting in more than a billion dollars in back wages for 1,238,589 workers.
RECENT U.S. ARMY PHOTOS FROM AFGHANISTAN
FROM: U.S. ARMY
As seen through a night-vision device, a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter departs Forward Operating Base Shank to conduct a security and reconnaissance mission over Logar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The helicopter crew is assigned to the 2nd Battalion Assault, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Capt Peter Smedberg. 131204
As seen through a night-vision device, a U.S. Army HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter makes its approach into the forward arming and refueling point on Forward Operating Base Shank after completing a medical evacuation mission over Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The helicopter crew is assigned to the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. U.S. Army photo by Capt Peter Smedberg -
CALIFORNIA COMPANY AND PRINCIPAL CHARGED WITH COMMODITY POOL FRAUD AND MISAPPROPRIATION
FROM: U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION
CFTC Charges Direct Investment Products, Inc. and Its Principal, Alexander Glytenko, with Commodity Pool Fraud and Misappropriation
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil enforcement action charging Carlsbad, California-based Direct Investment Products, Inc. (DIP) and its principal, Alexander Glytenko, with fraudulently soliciting approximately $3.9 million from approximately 761 individuals residing in Russia and various former republics of the former Soviet Union to trade futures, among other products, through a commodity pool known as DIP Capital Partners (the Pool) and misappropriating at least $464,000 of the pool participant funds.
The CFTC Complaint alleges that, from approximately 2005 until approximately 2010, the Defendants, either directly or through their agents, knowingly misrepresented the Pool’s performance history to both prospective and actual participants by a) presenting profitable performance figures for various of the Pool’s funds for years in which they knew the Pool did not exist, b) presenting hypothetical trading performance without labeling it as such, and c) presenting at least two years of profitable performance results for one of the Pool’s funds when, in fact, that fund had experienced losses during those years.
Specifically, the CFTC Complaint alleges, among other things, that, in the course of soliciting prospective participants for the Pool, the Defendants fraudulently claimed that the Pool made annual profits from 2003 through 2008 ranging from 12.60% to 47.20%, and that two of the Pool’s individual funds made annual profits from 2004 through 2008 ranging from 12.01% to 41.12% and 10.16% to 49.79%, respectively. The Complaint also alleges that the Defendants made similarly fraudulent profit claims in statements provided to actual participants, with some showing historical profits going back as far as 2002.
In fact, according to the Complaint, the Pool did not even exist until 2005, the profit figures claimed by the Defendants were not reflective of actual trading, but were based on the hypothetical performance of Defendant’s proprietary trading strategy, and certified financial statements of one of the Pool’s funds showed actual losses in 2007 and 2008.
The Complaint further alleges that in 2009, at a time when the Defendants had imposed a freeze on the withdrawal of participants’ funds as a result of substantial losses incurred by the Pool, Glytenko used participants’ funds to make a loan of $464,000 from DIP to himself. This loan has never been repaid, according to the Complaint.
DIP has been registered with the CFTC as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) and as a Commodity Pool Operator (CPO) since April 2007. Glytenko has been registered as an Associated Person (AP) of DIP since April 2007.
In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks civil monetary penalties, restitution, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction against further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Alan I. Edelman, James H. Holl, III, Michelle Bougas, Dmitriy Vilenskiy, and Gretchen L. Lowe.
CFTC Charges Direct Investment Products, Inc. and Its Principal, Alexander Glytenko, with Commodity Pool Fraud and Misappropriation
Washington, DC - The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) filed a civil enforcement action charging Carlsbad, California-based Direct Investment Products, Inc. (DIP) and its principal, Alexander Glytenko, with fraudulently soliciting approximately $3.9 million from approximately 761 individuals residing in Russia and various former republics of the former Soviet Union to trade futures, among other products, through a commodity pool known as DIP Capital Partners (the Pool) and misappropriating at least $464,000 of the pool participant funds.
The CFTC Complaint alleges that, from approximately 2005 until approximately 2010, the Defendants, either directly or through their agents, knowingly misrepresented the Pool’s performance history to both prospective and actual participants by a) presenting profitable performance figures for various of the Pool’s funds for years in which they knew the Pool did not exist, b) presenting hypothetical trading performance without labeling it as such, and c) presenting at least two years of profitable performance results for one of the Pool’s funds when, in fact, that fund had experienced losses during those years.
Specifically, the CFTC Complaint alleges, among other things, that, in the course of soliciting prospective participants for the Pool, the Defendants fraudulently claimed that the Pool made annual profits from 2003 through 2008 ranging from 12.60% to 47.20%, and that two of the Pool’s individual funds made annual profits from 2004 through 2008 ranging from 12.01% to 41.12% and 10.16% to 49.79%, respectively. The Complaint also alleges that the Defendants made similarly fraudulent profit claims in statements provided to actual participants, with some showing historical profits going back as far as 2002.
In fact, according to the Complaint, the Pool did not even exist until 2005, the profit figures claimed by the Defendants were not reflective of actual trading, but were based on the hypothetical performance of Defendant’s proprietary trading strategy, and certified financial statements of one of the Pool’s funds showed actual losses in 2007 and 2008.
The Complaint further alleges that in 2009, at a time when the Defendants had imposed a freeze on the withdrawal of participants’ funds as a result of substantial losses incurred by the Pool, Glytenko used participants’ funds to make a loan of $464,000 from DIP to himself. This loan has never been repaid, according to the Complaint.
DIP has been registered with the CFTC as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) and as a Commodity Pool Operator (CPO) since April 2007. Glytenko has been registered as an Associated Person (AP) of DIP since April 2007.
In its continuing litigation, the CFTC seeks civil monetary penalties, restitution, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, trading and registration bans, and a permanent injunction against further violations of the federal commodities laws, as charged.
CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Alan I. Edelman, James H. Holl, III, Michelle Bougas, Dmitriy Vilenskiy, and Gretchen L. Lowe.
FORMER D.C. ACCOUNTANT RECEIVES PRISON SENTENCE FOR TAX FRAUD
FROM: U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Former Washington, D.C.-Area Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud
The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that John T. Hoang, of Woodbridge, Va., was sentenced in federal district court in Washington, D.C., for willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns for the 2004 tax year. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon sentenced Hoang to serve 48 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release and 240 hours of community service. Judge Leon also ordered him to pay $331,896 in restitution to the IRS. Hoang previously pled guilty on July 31, 2013.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Hoang was a certified public accountant (CPA) and an attorney. From January 2005 through April 2007, Hoang operated John T. Hoang CPA, a tax return preparation business,, and was one of two partners who owned Tax-Smart Technology Services. Hoang operated these businesses from various locations in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax, Va. In 2008, a federal district court in Virginia barred Hoang from preparing federal tax returns.
As alleged in court documents, in his capacity as a tax return preparer, Hoang prepared and supervised the preparation of client tax returns to be filed with the IRS and various state taxing authorities. For the tax years 2004, 2005 and 2006, Hoang prepared hundreds of U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns and earned substantial income from his tax preparation activities. Hoang further received a substantial portion of the refunds issued by the IRS to his clients through his businesses. Despite earning revenue through his businesses of approximately $1 million in 2004; $2 million in 2005; and $3 million in 2006, Hoang failed to file any federal income tax returns or pay any federal income taxes for himself or his businesses during this time.
Hoang admitted that he prepared and caused the preparation of false and fraudulent 2004, 2005 and 2006 income tax returns for his clients. When preparing these false tax returns and related schedules for his clients, Hoang created wholly fictitious business income and expenses for what seemed to be a technology licensing business. The false information resulted in the client-taxpayers reporting fake losses from business activity and receiving either refunds larger than those they were entitled or decreases in the amount of taxes due. Hoang admitted that the tax loss caused by certain false returns he prepared was greater than $30,000 per return, and that he prepared at least 24 such false returns for the 2004 through 2006 tax years.
As part of the plea agreement, Hoang admitted that the total tax loss caused by his criminal conduct is greater than $1.5 million.
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jorge Almonte and Jeffrey B. Bender of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Former Washington, D.C.-Area Accountant Sentenced to Prison for Tax Fraud
The Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced today that John T. Hoang, of Woodbridge, Va., was sentenced in federal district court in Washington, D.C., for willfully aiding and assisting in the preparation of false income tax returns for the 2004 tax year. U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon sentenced Hoang to serve 48 months in prison, 24 months of supervised release and 240 hours of community service. Judge Leon also ordered him to pay $331,896 in restitution to the IRS. Hoang previously pled guilty on July 31, 2013.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Hoang was a certified public accountant (CPA) and an attorney. From January 2005 through April 2007, Hoang operated John T. Hoang CPA, a tax return preparation business,, and was one of two partners who owned Tax-Smart Technology Services. Hoang operated these businesses from various locations in Washington, D.C., and Fairfax, Va. In 2008, a federal district court in Virginia barred Hoang from preparing federal tax returns.
As alleged in court documents, in his capacity as a tax return preparer, Hoang prepared and supervised the preparation of client tax returns to be filed with the IRS and various state taxing authorities. For the tax years 2004, 2005 and 2006, Hoang prepared hundreds of U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns and earned substantial income from his tax preparation activities. Hoang further received a substantial portion of the refunds issued by the IRS to his clients through his businesses. Despite earning revenue through his businesses of approximately $1 million in 2004; $2 million in 2005; and $3 million in 2006, Hoang failed to file any federal income tax returns or pay any federal income taxes for himself or his businesses during this time.
Hoang admitted that he prepared and caused the preparation of false and fraudulent 2004, 2005 and 2006 income tax returns for his clients. When preparing these false tax returns and related schedules for his clients, Hoang created wholly fictitious business income and expenses for what seemed to be a technology licensing business. The false information resulted in the client-taxpayers reporting fake losses from business activity and receiving either refunds larger than those they were entitled or decreases in the amount of taxes due. Hoang admitted that the tax loss caused by certain false returns he prepared was greater than $30,000 per return, and that he prepared at least 24 such false returns for the 2004 through 2006 tax years.
As part of the plea agreement, Hoang admitted that the total tax loss caused by his criminal conduct is greater than $1.5 million.
The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Jorge Almonte and Jeffrey B. Bender of the Justice Department’s Tax Division.
SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY'S REMARKS AT AMERICAN CENTER IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks to Members of the American Chamber of Commerce and Fulbright Economic Teaching Program Participant
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
American Center
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 14, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Mr. Ambassador, David, thank you very, very much. And thank you so much for your great leadership these past years. Xin chao, Vietnam. I’m very, very happy to be here and to be back. It’s an honor for me to be here with so many people who’ve really been taking part in and contributing to the great transformation and the great success that is taking place here in Vietnam.
I’ll just share a little bit of – a little bit of nostalgia with you. When I first came back here around 1990, this was a very different country. The United States and Vietnam were still very stuck. There was an embargo, and we had not resolved difficult issues that remained from the war. Many of us dreamed of a time back then when we would think of Vietnam not in terms of war, but of only a country and the normal things that countries engage in. And I am proud and pleased to say that today, certainly for me, represents that moment.
The last time I was here was in the year 2000 with President Clinton when we came right after the normalization had taken place, and the embargo had been lifted some years earlier with President Bush, George Herbert Walker Bush. And a number of us – Senator John McCain and myself – were involved in that journey from the beginning. There were very difficult issues to still resolve. We had prisoner of war/missing in action issue which was felt deeply, as it should have been and was, by people all across America. And of course, there were issues here in Vietnam about Agent Orange and the residuals of the war.
I can’t think of two countries that have worked harder, done more, and done better to try to bring themselves together and change history and change the future and provide a future for people which is now very, very different. There are still things to be achieved, things to be done. I’ll say a few words about that. But I can remember when I touched down in Hanoi back then. I could still see all the craters from bombs. There was almost no motorbikes. Everything was a bicycle; very, very few cars. Not a stoplight worked in Hanoi at that point in time, and there were just a couple of hotels. It was a place that had been frozen in time.
No one can help but marvel at the modern Vietnam. What has taken place in just a little over 20 years is extraordinary. And so this is not a transformation that just happens by coincidence, may I say. It’s a product of the commitment and the vision of a lot of people here in this room.
I want to thank David for his job as ambassador and the work that all of our embassy personnel and consular personnel, Foreign Service, Civil Service, local hires, third national country. Everybody joins together as a team and works very, very effectively to do things.
Our ties are growing stronger every day we continue to work. We have the educational exchanges that we talked about today. And I believe that, actually, David participated in not one but I think three educational exchange programs in Asia, just as an example of the background and depth that can help to contribute to these kinds of efforts.
It is, frankly, why the vision of educators and education has been so important to this transformation. And I just want to take a moment to say that I can’t think of anyone who’s done more to help make that happen than the combined team of Tom Vallely and Ben Wilkinson, who are leading Harvard’s – Harvard University’s efforts here in Vietnam, and the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, a program I was proud to first support as a senator. And we put it in place and it was built into the largest Fulbright program in the world. Today, I think it’s the second-largest program in the world, and we’ve got to see if we can’t make it the largest again if we keep working at it. But I want to thank Tom and Ben for all that they do to contribute to this transformation.
I also want to thank the American Chamber of Commerce, and the American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and industry have also made just a gigantic difference here. AmCham’s experience in Vietnam has really ushered in a new era of cooperation for the bilateral trade agreement in 2001, to the WTO session in 2007, and now we are working on the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership. I’ll say a word about it.
But just think about this for a minute: Our bilateral trade has grown 50-fold, 50 times since 1995, to more than $25 billion a year now, and we are on track to meet our target of doubling our U.S. exports to Vietnam in five years, which was the goal that President Obama set five years ago. Vietnam has the potential to become one of the United States’ leading economic partners in the region, and we’re going to continue to work at that.
Today, we’re on the doorstep of another great transformation that could open more doors to opportunity, and it could make our partnership much more vibrant, and frankly, could make our markets a lot more energized and rewarding. What I’m talking about are the opportunities that would come from the Trans-Pacific Partnership from the high-standard trade pact that Vietnam and the United States are negotiating with 10 of our Pacific partners. The partnership’s high standards would maintain the momentum that has been created for market reforms, for modernization, for regional integration that the Government of Vietnam has actually made a priority. It will also complement Vietnam’s efforts to transform state-owned enterprises and important sectors of the economy like energy and banking, which will attract greater investment.
And today, I am happy to announce that we will provide an initial $4.2 million for USAID’s Governance for Inclusive Growth. It’s a program to help implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is not aid. I want to make that clear. This is an investment, and it’s an investment in broad-based and sustainable growth.
And I think this is just one more way that the United States wants to support Vietnam as it grows its own role in the global economy. And just think about it; you’ll see it out in the streets walking around. Forty percent of the population here is younger than 25. I was thinking about it as I was driving in, watching all the motorbikes. And I said a lot of the people riding those motorbikes were eight, nine, and ten years old when I was last here, just to give you an example of growth and time passing.
To create high-paying jobs and economic opportunity, there are a number of essential things, and I want to say something about it. You need a free market. You need a free marketplace of ideas. People need to be able to express their thoughts. You need to be able to dare to fail. You need to be able to be creative. You need to be able to talk and promote new ideas about trade and development and creation of new products.
And the United States believes firmly, as we have seen from Slovenia all the way to South Korea, that building a society that is more open and more free is critical to a country’s long-term strength and success. Vietnam has proven that greater openness is a great catalyst for a stronger and more prosperous society, and today Vietnam has an historic opportunity to prove that even further. A commitment to an open internet, to a more open society, to the rights of people to be able to exchange their ideas, to high-quality education, to a business environment that supports innovative companies, and to the protection of individual people’s human rights and their ability to be able to join together, express their views – all of these things create a more vibrant and a more powerful economy as well as a society. It strengthens a country; it doesn’t weaken it. And the United States urges leaders here to embrace that possibility and to protect those rights.
American institutions of higher learning in Vietnam already provide some of the highest-quality education in the world, and I have long supported this program, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Ho Chi Minh City, which has provided a huge number of Vietnamese officials in government now opportunities to study economic policy. And this exchange process is a wonderful way for people to see what the rest of the world is doing and bring back ideas to their own country, and not be afraid of change and of the possibilities of the future.
When I met with today’s foreign minister of Vietnam in New York City – actually, when I met him in Washington – he came to meet me first in Washington – the foreign minister handed me a photo. And I looked at the photo and I saw a young, black-haired, brown-haired John Kerry and a young foreign minister standing together outside of Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where I first met him on one of these exchanges 30 years ago or 20-whatever years ago.
That’s how it works, folks. And now there are foreign ministers, prime ministers, environment ministers, finance ministers, presidents of countries all over the world who have shared their educational experience in a different place. I’m very pleased that the leadership of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program is here today, and I look forward to working with the Vietnamese Government to establish a Fulbright University of Vietnam in the near future.
We also see a lot of innovative American companies here, and I had a chance to meet with a number of you who are engaged in entrepreneurial activity. Chad Ovel here today from AA Corporation, which has helped to introduce sustainable forestry to Vietnam and he’s helped to show that we don’t have to choose between being pro-environment and pro-economic; they go hand in hand, and the future will demand that they go hand in hand. The success of Sherry Boger at Intel and Khoa Pham at Microsoft highlights how high standards for intellectual property help to make innovation and job creation possible.
And we just did a wonderful signing ceremony in there with General Electric. General Electric is another American company that is benefitting from growing economic ties but also helping Vietnam to grow at the same time. And GE signed a deal with Vietnam Airlines back in October to sell this country’s flag carrier 1.7 billion in aircraft engines for the Boeing 787 aircraft. And a few minutes ago, as some of you saw, we just signed an agreement worth approximately $94 million for the Cong Le company to provide a second tranche of turbines for a signature wind farm project in Bac Lieu province. This project, with financing that comes from the U.S. Import-Export Bank and the Vietnam Development Bank, will help meet Vietnam’s growing demand for electricity, but it does so bringing clean power generation to the Mekong Delta and can set an example for the ways in which the new energy paradigm can be defined.
So whether – here in Vietnam, whether we are talking about our commitment to economic exchange, greater educational exchange, or our support for young entrepreneurs and a cleaner environment, I’m proud that the United States is putting a full complement of our diplomatic tools to work. And it’s clear that the partnership between Vietnam and the United States is stronger than ever, and most exciting, I am convinced we’re only just beginning. This is the beginning, and there are just enormous possibilities ahead of us. With the continued commitment of all of you in this room and your partners across the country, I am absolutely convinced the bonds between the United States and Vietnam can be the pillars of much greater prosperity and of a shared prosperity for decades to come.
And I’ll tell you something. Years ago, that vision we all had that we wanted to be able to think of Vietnam – when we said the word “Vietnam,” for years and years you’d say, “Vietnam,” and wow, you just thought about a war. And a lot of us didn’t want to do that. Now you say the word “Vietnam” and you think about a country and you think about a very changed playing field where this is one of the growing, contributing, transforming nations of the world. And I think the possibilities for the future are just gigantic. So with the right focus on the openness and freedom of the society, with the right respect for people and their rights, and with the right focus on growth and education, there is no question in my mind that all of that energy and all of that effort invested in trying to set this new direction is going to pay off big-time.
So it’s my honor to be here. Thank you very much, all of you, for joining in this. And thank you particularly to the entrepreneurs who are the ones really making this difference on the ground. It’s great to be with you. Thank you. (Applause.)
Remarks to Members of the American Chamber of Commerce and Fulbright Economic Teaching Program Participant
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
American Center
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
December 14, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: Mr. Ambassador, David, thank you very, very much. And thank you so much for your great leadership these past years. Xin chao, Vietnam. I’m very, very happy to be here and to be back. It’s an honor for me to be here with so many people who’ve really been taking part in and contributing to the great transformation and the great success that is taking place here in Vietnam.
I’ll just share a little bit of – a little bit of nostalgia with you. When I first came back here around 1990, this was a very different country. The United States and Vietnam were still very stuck. There was an embargo, and we had not resolved difficult issues that remained from the war. Many of us dreamed of a time back then when we would think of Vietnam not in terms of war, but of only a country and the normal things that countries engage in. And I am proud and pleased to say that today, certainly for me, represents that moment.
The last time I was here was in the year 2000 with President Clinton when we came right after the normalization had taken place, and the embargo had been lifted some years earlier with President Bush, George Herbert Walker Bush. And a number of us – Senator John McCain and myself – were involved in that journey from the beginning. There were very difficult issues to still resolve. We had prisoner of war/missing in action issue which was felt deeply, as it should have been and was, by people all across America. And of course, there were issues here in Vietnam about Agent Orange and the residuals of the war.
I can’t think of two countries that have worked harder, done more, and done better to try to bring themselves together and change history and change the future and provide a future for people which is now very, very different. There are still things to be achieved, things to be done. I’ll say a few words about that. But I can remember when I touched down in Hanoi back then. I could still see all the craters from bombs. There was almost no motorbikes. Everything was a bicycle; very, very few cars. Not a stoplight worked in Hanoi at that point in time, and there were just a couple of hotels. It was a place that had been frozen in time.
No one can help but marvel at the modern Vietnam. What has taken place in just a little over 20 years is extraordinary. And so this is not a transformation that just happens by coincidence, may I say. It’s a product of the commitment and the vision of a lot of people here in this room.
I want to thank David for his job as ambassador and the work that all of our embassy personnel and consular personnel, Foreign Service, Civil Service, local hires, third national country. Everybody joins together as a team and works very, very effectively to do things.
Our ties are growing stronger every day we continue to work. We have the educational exchanges that we talked about today. And I believe that, actually, David participated in not one but I think three educational exchange programs in Asia, just as an example of the background and depth that can help to contribute to these kinds of efforts.
It is, frankly, why the vision of educators and education has been so important to this transformation. And I just want to take a moment to say that I can’t think of anyone who’s done more to help make that happen than the combined team of Tom Vallely and Ben Wilkinson, who are leading Harvard’s – Harvard University’s efforts here in Vietnam, and the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program, a program I was proud to first support as a senator. And we put it in place and it was built into the largest Fulbright program in the world. Today, I think it’s the second-largest program in the world, and we’ve got to see if we can’t make it the largest again if we keep working at it. But I want to thank Tom and Ben for all that they do to contribute to this transformation.
I also want to thank the American Chamber of Commerce, and the American Chamber of Commerce Vietnam and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and industry have also made just a gigantic difference here. AmCham’s experience in Vietnam has really ushered in a new era of cooperation for the bilateral trade agreement in 2001, to the WTO session in 2007, and now we are working on the TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership. I’ll say a word about it.
But just think about this for a minute: Our bilateral trade has grown 50-fold, 50 times since 1995, to more than $25 billion a year now, and we are on track to meet our target of doubling our U.S. exports to Vietnam in five years, which was the goal that President Obama set five years ago. Vietnam has the potential to become one of the United States’ leading economic partners in the region, and we’re going to continue to work at that.
Today, we’re on the doorstep of another great transformation that could open more doors to opportunity, and it could make our partnership much more vibrant, and frankly, could make our markets a lot more energized and rewarding. What I’m talking about are the opportunities that would come from the Trans-Pacific Partnership from the high-standard trade pact that Vietnam and the United States are negotiating with 10 of our Pacific partners. The partnership’s high standards would maintain the momentum that has been created for market reforms, for modernization, for regional integration that the Government of Vietnam has actually made a priority. It will also complement Vietnam’s efforts to transform state-owned enterprises and important sectors of the economy like energy and banking, which will attract greater investment.
And today, I am happy to announce that we will provide an initial $4.2 million for USAID’s Governance for Inclusive Growth. It’s a program to help implement the Trans-Pacific Partnership. This is not aid. I want to make that clear. This is an investment, and it’s an investment in broad-based and sustainable growth.
And I think this is just one more way that the United States wants to support Vietnam as it grows its own role in the global economy. And just think about it; you’ll see it out in the streets walking around. Forty percent of the population here is younger than 25. I was thinking about it as I was driving in, watching all the motorbikes. And I said a lot of the people riding those motorbikes were eight, nine, and ten years old when I was last here, just to give you an example of growth and time passing.
To create high-paying jobs and economic opportunity, there are a number of essential things, and I want to say something about it. You need a free market. You need a free marketplace of ideas. People need to be able to express their thoughts. You need to be able to dare to fail. You need to be able to be creative. You need to be able to talk and promote new ideas about trade and development and creation of new products.
And the United States believes firmly, as we have seen from Slovenia all the way to South Korea, that building a society that is more open and more free is critical to a country’s long-term strength and success. Vietnam has proven that greater openness is a great catalyst for a stronger and more prosperous society, and today Vietnam has an historic opportunity to prove that even further. A commitment to an open internet, to a more open society, to the rights of people to be able to exchange their ideas, to high-quality education, to a business environment that supports innovative companies, and to the protection of individual people’s human rights and their ability to be able to join together, express their views – all of these things create a more vibrant and a more powerful economy as well as a society. It strengthens a country; it doesn’t weaken it. And the United States urges leaders here to embrace that possibility and to protect those rights.
American institutions of higher learning in Vietnam already provide some of the highest-quality education in the world, and I have long supported this program, the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Ho Chi Minh City, which has provided a huge number of Vietnamese officials in government now opportunities to study economic policy. And this exchange process is a wonderful way for people to see what the rest of the world is doing and bring back ideas to their own country, and not be afraid of change and of the possibilities of the future.
When I met with today’s foreign minister of Vietnam in New York City – actually, when I met him in Washington – he came to meet me first in Washington – the foreign minister handed me a photo. And I looked at the photo and I saw a young, black-haired, brown-haired John Kerry and a young foreign minister standing together outside of Tuft’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where I first met him on one of these exchanges 30 years ago or 20-whatever years ago.
That’s how it works, folks. And now there are foreign ministers, prime ministers, environment ministers, finance ministers, presidents of countries all over the world who have shared their educational experience in a different place. I’m very pleased that the leadership of the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program is here today, and I look forward to working with the Vietnamese Government to establish a Fulbright University of Vietnam in the near future.
We also see a lot of innovative American companies here, and I had a chance to meet with a number of you who are engaged in entrepreneurial activity. Chad Ovel here today from AA Corporation, which has helped to introduce sustainable forestry to Vietnam and he’s helped to show that we don’t have to choose between being pro-environment and pro-economic; they go hand in hand, and the future will demand that they go hand in hand. The success of Sherry Boger at Intel and Khoa Pham at Microsoft highlights how high standards for intellectual property help to make innovation and job creation possible.
And we just did a wonderful signing ceremony in there with General Electric. General Electric is another American company that is benefitting from growing economic ties but also helping Vietnam to grow at the same time. And GE signed a deal with Vietnam Airlines back in October to sell this country’s flag carrier 1.7 billion in aircraft engines for the Boeing 787 aircraft. And a few minutes ago, as some of you saw, we just signed an agreement worth approximately $94 million for the Cong Le company to provide a second tranche of turbines for a signature wind farm project in Bac Lieu province. This project, with financing that comes from the U.S. Import-Export Bank and the Vietnam Development Bank, will help meet Vietnam’s growing demand for electricity, but it does so bringing clean power generation to the Mekong Delta and can set an example for the ways in which the new energy paradigm can be defined.
So whether – here in Vietnam, whether we are talking about our commitment to economic exchange, greater educational exchange, or our support for young entrepreneurs and a cleaner environment, I’m proud that the United States is putting a full complement of our diplomatic tools to work. And it’s clear that the partnership between Vietnam and the United States is stronger than ever, and most exciting, I am convinced we’re only just beginning. This is the beginning, and there are just enormous possibilities ahead of us. With the continued commitment of all of you in this room and your partners across the country, I am absolutely convinced the bonds between the United States and Vietnam can be the pillars of much greater prosperity and of a shared prosperity for decades to come.
And I’ll tell you something. Years ago, that vision we all had that we wanted to be able to think of Vietnam – when we said the word “Vietnam,” for years and years you’d say, “Vietnam,” and wow, you just thought about a war. And a lot of us didn’t want to do that. Now you say the word “Vietnam” and you think about a country and you think about a very changed playing field where this is one of the growing, contributing, transforming nations of the world. And I think the possibilities for the future are just gigantic. So with the right focus on the openness and freedom of the society, with the right respect for people and their rights, and with the right focus on growth and education, there is no question in my mind that all of that energy and all of that effort invested in trying to set this new direction is going to pay off big-time.
So it’s my honor to be here. Thank you very much, all of you, for joining in this. And thank you particularly to the entrepreneurs who are the ones really making this difference on the ground. It’s great to be with you. Thank you. (Applause.)
NSF LOOKS AT DIFFERENT WAYS RELATED CORAL SPECIES SURVIVE CLIMATE CHANGE
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Related coral species differ in how they survive climate change effects
Genetic data reveal a tale of two corals
December 12, 2013
Ocean waters warming from climate change are placing coral reefs in jeopardy, but a new discovery suggests that two similar-looking coral species differ in how they survive.
One withstands warmer ocean temperatures better than the other.
"We've found that a previously unrecognized species was hiding some corals' ability to respond to climate change," says Iliana Baums, a biologist at Penn State University.
Baums led the research team that included Jennifer Boulay of Penn State, Jorge Cortes of the University of Costa Rica and Michael Hellberg of Louisiana State University.
A paper describing the discovery is published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"These scientists have identified a 'cryptic,' or hidden, species in a common group of corals," says Michael Lesser, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"The two corals have very different responses to their environment," says Lesser, "and different interactions with other organisms on coral reefs."
Coral reefs protect shorelines from battering by hurricanes and generate millions of dollars in recreation revenue each year. They also provide habitat for an abundance of species used by humans as seafood and serve as a discovery ground for new medicines.
The researchers sampled the lobe coral Porites lobata in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
"The environment for reef growth isn't the best in the Eastern Tropical Pacific," says Baums, "due to seasonally cold waters, water chemistry that makes it difficult for corals to lay down their skeletons [low aragonite for calcification], and recurring warm waters from the El Niño Southern Oscillation."
The scientists found an unexpected pattern: two coral species that look deceivingly similar and sometimes live together in the same location.
The samples were not all Porites lobata, as the researchers initially thought. Instead, some belonged to the species Porites evermanni.
"That surprised us," Baums says. "The two look identical, and we thought they were the same coral species, but Porites evermanni has a very different genetic makeup.
"We knew about Porites evermanni--it's not a new species--but we didn't expect to find it in the Eastern Pacific. Usually it's in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands."
Boulay wondered if the two differed in the way they live. She found that Porites evermanni was less susceptible to bleaching than Porites lobata.
Bleaching happens when the symbiotic relationship corals have with single-celled algae inside them breaks apart as water temperatures go up.
"If water temperatures continue to rise, coral species that succumb to bleaching more easily will die," Baums says. "We're going to see a shift in the relative abundance, for example, of these two Porites species."
Boulay found other important differences: Porites evermanni had many genetically identical clones, which means that the species is reproducing asexually by breaking apart, although Porites lobata did not.
The clonally-reproducing Porites evermanni also, on average, housed many more tiny mussels that lived in its skeletons. The mussels poked through the surface of the corals and formed keyhole-shaped openings.
The researchers then wanted to determine the connection between Porites evermanni's ability to clonally reproduce and its interactions with mussels and with other members of the reef community.
Jorge Cortes remembered that several years ago a scientist had reported finding that some corals are a target of biting triggerfish.
"That was the missing piece," Baums says. "We realized that triggerfish were eating the mussels inside the coral skeletons. To get at the mussels, the fish have to bite the coral.
"They then spit out the fragments, and those fragments land on the ocean floor and grow into new coral colonies.
"No one had realized how important fish might be in helping corals reproduce. Now there's evidence that triggerfish attacks on Porites evermanni result in asexual reproduction--the coral fragments cloning themselves."
The other coral species, Porites lobata, has fewer mussels and reproduces sexually through its larvae.
It takes two to tango, Baums says, so usually you need a partner. "But in areas of the Eastern Pacific Ocean that are so harsh that only a few individuals can survive, it might be easier for the coral to clone itself."
As for the difference in bleaching, there are two possible explanations, the scientists believe.
One is that the symbiotic algae that live in the coral species are different, and one can withstand hotter temperatures. "Just like in your garden: the tomatoes like the heat more than the cauliflower does," says Baums.
Another possibility is that the difference is not in the symbiotic algae, but in the corals themselves.
"There's been a lot of attention given to how different symbiotic algae react to increases in water temperatures and whether, if a coral species could switch to hardier algae, it could survive in hotter waters," Baums says.
But what the researchers found suggests a different scenario. Although the two Porites corals have the same symbiotic algae species, bleaching still differs.
It may be the corals themselves instead of their symbiotic algae that contribute to bleaching.
A tale of two corals, and a tale, perhaps, of more than two factors.
-NSF-
Related coral species differ in how they survive climate change effects
Genetic data reveal a tale of two corals
December 12, 2013
Ocean waters warming from climate change are placing coral reefs in jeopardy, but a new discovery suggests that two similar-looking coral species differ in how they survive.
One withstands warmer ocean temperatures better than the other.
"We've found that a previously unrecognized species was hiding some corals' ability to respond to climate change," says Iliana Baums, a biologist at Penn State University.
Baums led the research team that included Jennifer Boulay of Penn State, Jorge Cortes of the University of Costa Rica and Michael Hellberg of Louisiana State University.
A paper describing the discovery is published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
"These scientists have identified a 'cryptic,' or hidden, species in a common group of corals," says Michael Lesser, program director in the National Science Foundation's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.
"The two corals have very different responses to their environment," says Lesser, "and different interactions with other organisms on coral reefs."
Coral reefs protect shorelines from battering by hurricanes and generate millions of dollars in recreation revenue each year. They also provide habitat for an abundance of species used by humans as seafood and serve as a discovery ground for new medicines.
The researchers sampled the lobe coral Porites lobata in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
"The environment for reef growth isn't the best in the Eastern Tropical Pacific," says Baums, "due to seasonally cold waters, water chemistry that makes it difficult for corals to lay down their skeletons [low aragonite for calcification], and recurring warm waters from the El Niño Southern Oscillation."
The scientists found an unexpected pattern: two coral species that look deceivingly similar and sometimes live together in the same location.
The samples were not all Porites lobata, as the researchers initially thought. Instead, some belonged to the species Porites evermanni.
"That surprised us," Baums says. "The two look identical, and we thought they were the same coral species, but Porites evermanni has a very different genetic makeup.
"We knew about Porites evermanni--it's not a new species--but we didn't expect to find it in the Eastern Pacific. Usually it's in the waters off the Hawaiian Islands."
Boulay wondered if the two differed in the way they live. She found that Porites evermanni was less susceptible to bleaching than Porites lobata.
Bleaching happens when the symbiotic relationship corals have with single-celled algae inside them breaks apart as water temperatures go up.
"If water temperatures continue to rise, coral species that succumb to bleaching more easily will die," Baums says. "We're going to see a shift in the relative abundance, for example, of these two Porites species."
Boulay found other important differences: Porites evermanni had many genetically identical clones, which means that the species is reproducing asexually by breaking apart, although Porites lobata did not.
The clonally-reproducing Porites evermanni also, on average, housed many more tiny mussels that lived in its skeletons. The mussels poked through the surface of the corals and formed keyhole-shaped openings.
The researchers then wanted to determine the connection between Porites evermanni's ability to clonally reproduce and its interactions with mussels and with other members of the reef community.
Jorge Cortes remembered that several years ago a scientist had reported finding that some corals are a target of biting triggerfish.
"That was the missing piece," Baums says. "We realized that triggerfish were eating the mussels inside the coral skeletons. To get at the mussels, the fish have to bite the coral.
"They then spit out the fragments, and those fragments land on the ocean floor and grow into new coral colonies.
"No one had realized how important fish might be in helping corals reproduce. Now there's evidence that triggerfish attacks on Porites evermanni result in asexual reproduction--the coral fragments cloning themselves."
The other coral species, Porites lobata, has fewer mussels and reproduces sexually through its larvae.
It takes two to tango, Baums says, so usually you need a partner. "But in areas of the Eastern Pacific Ocean that are so harsh that only a few individuals can survive, it might be easier for the coral to clone itself."
As for the difference in bleaching, there are two possible explanations, the scientists believe.
One is that the symbiotic algae that live in the coral species are different, and one can withstand hotter temperatures. "Just like in your garden: the tomatoes like the heat more than the cauliflower does," says Baums.
Another possibility is that the difference is not in the symbiotic algae, but in the corals themselves.
"There's been a lot of attention given to how different symbiotic algae react to increases in water temperatures and whether, if a coral species could switch to hardier algae, it could survive in hotter waters," Baums says.
But what the researchers found suggests a different scenario. Although the two Porites corals have the same symbiotic algae species, bleaching still differs.
It may be the corals themselves instead of their symbiotic algae that contribute to bleaching.
A tale of two corals, and a tale, perhaps, of more than two factors.
-NSF-
Saturday, December 14, 2013
RECENT U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS
FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE
An F-15 Eagle assigned to Barnes Air National Guard Base, Westfield, Mass., takes off Dec. 7, 2013, from Westover Air Reserve Base at Chicopee, Mass., heading toward an annual exercise in Florida. The jets flew training missions out of Westover ARB for approximately six months while the runway at Barnes Municipal Airport was undergoing several months of repairs. The F-15 is an extremely maneuverable, all-weather tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force gain and maintain air superiority. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kelly Goonan)
Toy Drop: Army paratroopers float to the ground after successfully jumping from a C-130 Hercules Dec. 7, 2013, in support of Operation Toy Drop at Fort Bragg, N.C. The 16th Annual Randy Oler Operation Toy Drop, hosted by the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (Airborne), is the largest combined airborne operation in the world. During the event, Fort Bragg’s paratroopers and allied jumpmasters donate toys to be distributed to children’s homes and social service agencies across the local community. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Logan Brandt)
STATE DEPARTMENT FACT SHEET: GLOBAL PEACE OPERATIONS INITIATIVE (GPOI)
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI)
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 13, 2013
The Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) is a U.S. Government-funded security assistance program working to meet the growing global demand for specially trained personnel to conduct international peace operations by building the capabilities of U.S. partner countries to train and sustain peacekeepers; increasing the number of capable military troops and formed police units available for deployment; and facilitating the preparation, logistical support, and deployment of peacekeepers. GPOI promotes international peace and security, saving lives while reducing the burden on U.S. military forces, and helping set the stage for post-conflict recovery around the world.
GPOI currently partners with 69 countries and regional organizations. Through these partnerships, GPOI implementers have:
Facilitated the training of 228,658 foreign military personnel to serve on international peacekeeping missions through both direct training activities (176,047 peacekeepers) and enabling the indigenous training by GPOI partner countries (52,611 peacekeepers);
Supported 45 national and regional peace operations training centers and three regional headquarters for the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), as well as financial, technical, and staffing support to the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (COESPU), an Italian-led center to facilitate the training of stability/formed police unit trainers.
Facilitated the deployment of 180,223 personnel from 38 countries to 25 operations around the world. Currently, there are over 116,000 military, police, and civilian personnel from 115 countries serving in 15 UN peacekeeping operations deployed on four continents.
GPOI is managed by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which works in close coordination with the Department of State regional bureaus, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, Regional Combatant Commands, and other DoD organizations, to develop regional program plans and implement train and equip activities with partner nations worldwide.
GPOI was launched in 2005 as the U.S. contribution to the G8 Action Plan for Expanding Global Capability for Peace Support Operations, adopted at the 2004 G8 Sea Island Summit.
The primary objective of GPOI in FY 2005-2009 was to train and equip at least 75,000 peacekeepers by 2010. GPOI implementers met and surpassed this target, training nearly 87,000 peacekeepers by September 30, 2009. More than 77,000 of this total were African troops trained through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. In GPOI’s current activities, program emphasis has shifted from the direct training of peacekeepers by U.S. personnel to building sustainable, self-sufficient, national training capabilities by partner countries, with the target of facilitating training for an additional 242,500 troops.
Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI)
Fact Sheet
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
December 13, 2013
The Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI) is a U.S. Government-funded security assistance program working to meet the growing global demand for specially trained personnel to conduct international peace operations by building the capabilities of U.S. partner countries to train and sustain peacekeepers; increasing the number of capable military troops and formed police units available for deployment; and facilitating the preparation, logistical support, and deployment of peacekeepers. GPOI promotes international peace and security, saving lives while reducing the burden on U.S. military forces, and helping set the stage for post-conflict recovery around the world.
GPOI currently partners with 69 countries and regional organizations. Through these partnerships, GPOI implementers have:
Facilitated the training of 228,658 foreign military personnel to serve on international peacekeeping missions through both direct training activities (176,047 peacekeepers) and enabling the indigenous training by GPOI partner countries (52,611 peacekeepers);
Supported 45 national and regional peace operations training centers and three regional headquarters for the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), as well as financial, technical, and staffing support to the Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units (COESPU), an Italian-led center to facilitate the training of stability/formed police unit trainers.
Facilitated the deployment of 180,223 personnel from 38 countries to 25 operations around the world. Currently, there are over 116,000 military, police, and civilian personnel from 115 countries serving in 15 UN peacekeeping operations deployed on four continents.
GPOI is managed by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which works in close coordination with the Department of State regional bureaus, as well as the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, Regional Combatant Commands, and other DoD organizations, to develop regional program plans and implement train and equip activities with partner nations worldwide.
GPOI was launched in 2005 as the U.S. contribution to the G8 Action Plan for Expanding Global Capability for Peace Support Operations, adopted at the 2004 G8 Sea Island Summit.
The primary objective of GPOI in FY 2005-2009 was to train and equip at least 75,000 peacekeepers by 2010. GPOI implementers met and surpassed this target, training nearly 87,000 peacekeepers by September 30, 2009. More than 77,000 of this total were African troops trained through the Africa Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) program. In GPOI’s current activities, program emphasis has shifted from the direct training of peacekeepers by U.S. personnel to building sustainable, self-sufficient, national training capabilities by partner countries, with the target of facilitating training for an additional 242,500 troops.
EX-IM BANK BOARD ADOPTS REVISED ENVIRONMENTAL GUIDELINES TO REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Washington, DC — The board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) this week adopted revisions to its environmental procedures and guidelines governing high-carbon intensity projects, aligning the Bank with President Obama’s goal of reducing carbon pollution, while maintaining the Bank’s focus on continuing to help create and support American export-related jobs.
“No one has been more supportive of U.S. exports and the American jobs they produce and maintain than this Bank and this board. Since 2009, we have supported nearly 1.2 million jobs.” said Fred P. Hochberg, Ex-Im chairman and president. “We can’t do it, however, without considering the environmental costs associated with transactions.”
The revised guidelines adopted today require carbon capture and storage in most countries in order to secure Bank financing for coal-fired power plants, but would provide flexibility for the Bank with respect to the important energy needs of the poorest countries in the world.
The policy revisions were drafted by Ex-Im Bank staff and reviewed extensively by exporters, the public, leading environmental groups, the Administration and other federal agencies through an extensive and transparent vetting process.
“The Bank engages in an important balancing act — in supporting our exporters, we have to weigh the potential impacts on the environment associated with our financing,” Hochberg said. “This balancing act is a Congressional mandate, is a directive in our Charter, is part of our mission and it is something we at the Bank take seriously.”
Hochberg noted that: “Our proposed guidelines would balance the Bank’s obligations to its many different stakeholders and also its efforts to support the growth of export-related U.S. jobs.”
“Without guidelines or limits, ever-increasing numbers of new coal plants worldwide will just continue to emit more carbon pollution into the air we breathe,” said Hochberg. “But America cannot do this alone. I strongly support the Administration’s efforts to build an international consensus such that other nations follow our lead in restricting financing of new coal-fired power plants.”
Ex-Im has been a leader among the world’s export credit agencies (ECAs) in adopting measures to protect the environment while financing exports.
· In 1995 the Bank was the first ECA to adopt environmental procedures and guidelines governing its export financing.
· In 1999 the Bank began tracking and publicly reporting projected carbon emissions produced by projects it financed. Even today Ex-Im is the only ECA that tracks and reports carbon emissions.
· In 2009 the Bank approved a formal carbon policy, and in 2010 it approved supplemental guidelines for high-carbon intensity projects.
The guideline revisions approved today are not designed to impact mining projects or coal exports produced by American coal miners. Ex-Im staff have worked with other agencies to ensure that the flexibility of these guidelines would be consistent with those of other federal agencies.
In addition to approving the revisions to its environmental guidelines, the board today approved seven transactions that together will support more than 11,200 U.S. export-related jobs.
Washington, DC — The board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) this week adopted revisions to its environmental procedures and guidelines governing high-carbon intensity projects, aligning the Bank with President Obama’s goal of reducing carbon pollution, while maintaining the Bank’s focus on continuing to help create and support American export-related jobs.
“No one has been more supportive of U.S. exports and the American jobs they produce and maintain than this Bank and this board. Since 2009, we have supported nearly 1.2 million jobs.” said Fred P. Hochberg, Ex-Im chairman and president. “We can’t do it, however, without considering the environmental costs associated with transactions.”
The revised guidelines adopted today require carbon capture and storage in most countries in order to secure Bank financing for coal-fired power plants, but would provide flexibility for the Bank with respect to the important energy needs of the poorest countries in the world.
The policy revisions were drafted by Ex-Im Bank staff and reviewed extensively by exporters, the public, leading environmental groups, the Administration and other federal agencies through an extensive and transparent vetting process.
“The Bank engages in an important balancing act — in supporting our exporters, we have to weigh the potential impacts on the environment associated with our financing,” Hochberg said. “This balancing act is a Congressional mandate, is a directive in our Charter, is part of our mission and it is something we at the Bank take seriously.”
Hochberg noted that: “Our proposed guidelines would balance the Bank’s obligations to its many different stakeholders and also its efforts to support the growth of export-related U.S. jobs.”
“Without guidelines or limits, ever-increasing numbers of new coal plants worldwide will just continue to emit more carbon pollution into the air we breathe,” said Hochberg. “But America cannot do this alone. I strongly support the Administration’s efforts to build an international consensus such that other nations follow our lead in restricting financing of new coal-fired power plants.”
Ex-Im has been a leader among the world’s export credit agencies (ECAs) in adopting measures to protect the environment while financing exports.
· In 1995 the Bank was the first ECA to adopt environmental procedures and guidelines governing its export financing.
· In 1999 the Bank began tracking and publicly reporting projected carbon emissions produced by projects it financed. Even today Ex-Im is the only ECA that tracks and reports carbon emissions.
· In 2009 the Bank approved a formal carbon policy, and in 2010 it approved supplemental guidelines for high-carbon intensity projects.
The guideline revisions approved today are not designed to impact mining projects or coal exports produced by American coal miners. Ex-Im staff have worked with other agencies to ensure that the flexibility of these guidelines would be consistent with those of other federal agencies.
In addition to approving the revisions to its environmental guidelines, the board today approved seven transactions that together will support more than 11,200 U.S. export-related jobs.
RECENT DOD PHOTOS FROM AFGHANISTAN
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
A U.S. soldier, along with Afghan army commandos, conduct a clearance operation of Perozi village in Panjwai district in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The soldier is assigned to Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan. U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Bertha A. Flores.
An Afghan army commando uses a metal detector to scan an area thought to contain improvised explosive devices during a clearance operation of Perozi village in Panjwai district in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Dec. 4, 2013. The Afghan soldier, an engineer, is assigned to 2nd Company, 3rd Special Operations Kandak. U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Bertha A. Flore
STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL'S TESTIMONY ON P5+1 JOINT PLAN OF ACTION WITH IRAN
FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Assessing the P5+1 Joint Plan of Action With Iran
Testimony
Wendy R. Sherman
Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Written Statement Before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Washington, DC
December 12, 2013
Good morning, Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Crapo, distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to discuss the details of the Joint Plan of Action (JPA) concluded with Iran and our P5+1 partners on November 24 in Geneva.
Let me begin by noting that the diplomatic opportunity before us is a direct result of the cooperation between Congress and the Administration to put in place and implement a comprehensive and unprecedented sanctions regime designed to press Iran to address international concerns with its nuclear program.
Our collaboration on sanctions is what brought Iran to the table. However, it is important to underscore that what we do from this point forward is just as critical, if not more so, in terms of testing Iran’s intentions. In that regard, I look forward to our consultations over the important weeks and months ahead.
Today, I want to give you the facts about what was agreed to in Geneva, so you can judge the merits of the JPA for yourself.
Iran Commitments
We have long recognized that the Iranian nuclear program constitutes one of the most serious threats to U.S. national security and our interests in the Middle East. Thanks to the sanctions pressure, and a firm and united position from the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, UK, U.S. and Germany, in coordination with the EU), we have reached an understanding that constitutes the most significant effort to halt the advance of Iran’s nuclear program in nearly a decade. As a consequence, the JPA agreed to in Geneva is profoundly in America’s national security interest, and makes our regional partners safer and more secure.
The JPA is sequenced, with a 6-month period designed explicitly to block near-term Iranian pathways to a nuclear weapon, while creating space for a long-term comprehensive solution. The goal of that comprehensive solution is to resolve the international community’s concerns with Iran’s nuclear program. What this initial plan does is help ensure that Iran’s nuclear program cannot advance while negotiations towards that solution proceed.
Upon implementation in the coming weeks, this initial step will immediately: halt progress of the Iranian nuclear program; roll it back in key respects; and introduce unprecedented monitoring into Iran’s nuclear activities. Taken together, these measures will prevent Iran from enhancing its ability to create a nuclear weapon and increase the confidence in our ability to detect any move towards nuclear break-out or diversion of material towards a covert program.
The details demonstrate why this is the case. First, as stated, Iran must halt the progress of its enrichment program. This means, under the express terms of the JPA, that Iran cannot increase its enrichment capacity. Iran’s stockpile of 3.5 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) cannot grow – it will be the same amount or less at the end of the six month period as it is as the beginning. Iran cannot build new enrichment facilities for the production of enriched uranium. Iran cannot install additional centrifuges of any type in their production facilities, operate more centrifuges, nor replace existing centrifuges with more advanced types. Moreover, Iran must limit centrifuge production to those needed to replace damaged machines; thus Iran cannot expand its stockpile of centrifuges.
Second, during this initial phase, Iran will roll back or neutralize key aspects of its program. Iran must cease all enrichment over five percent. The piping at Fordow and Natanz that is used to more efficiently enrich uranium over five percent must be dismantled. Iran must neutralize its entire 20 percent stockpile of enriched uranium hexafluoride by diluting it to a lower level of enriched uranium hexafluoride or converting it to oxide for fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor.
Finally, Iran cannot advance work on the plutonium track. At Arak, Iran cannot commission the heavy water reactor under construction nor transfer fuel or heavy water to the reactor site. Iran cannot test additional fuel or produce more fuel for the reactor nor install remaining components for the reactor. Iran cannot construct a facility for reprocessing spent fuel. Without reprocessing, Iran cannot separate plutonium from spent fuel and therefore cannot obtain any plutonium for use in a nuclear weapon. As such, this first step freezes the timeline for beginning operations at the Arak reactor and halts progress on any plutonium pathway to a weapon.
Significantly, the monitoring measures outlined in the JPA will provide much more timely warning of a breakout at Iran’s declared enrichment facilities and add new checks against the diversion of equipment for any potential covert enrichment program. Some have rightfully asked why we should trust Iran to live up to these commitments. As Secretary Kerry has said, the JPA is not based on trust, it is based on verification – and the verification mechanisms set forth in the JPA are unprecedented.
Under its express terms, Iran must permit daily access by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to the facilities at Natanz and Fordow and allow more frequent access to the Arak reactor. Iran must allow IAEA inspectors access to sites related to centrifuge assembly and production of centrifuge rotors (both key aspects of the program). Iran must allow IAEA inspectors access to uranium mines and mills. Iran must provide design information for the Arak heavy water reactor. These monitoring mechanisms will provide additional warning of breakout or diversion of equipment all along the nuclear fuel cycle and would not be in place without the understanding reached in Geneva.
In summary, even in its initial phase, the JPA stops any advances in each of the potential pathways to a weapon that has long concerned us and our closest allies. It eliminates Iran’s stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride. It stops installation of additional centrifuges at production facilities, especially Iran’s most advanced centrifuge design, together with freezing further accumulation of 3.5 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride. And it ensures that the Arak reactor cannot be brought on line while we negotiate a comprehensive solution.
P5+1 Commitments
In return for these concrete actions by Iran and as Iran takes the required steps, the P5+1 will provide limited, temporary, and reversible relief while maintaining the core architecture of our sanctions regime – including key oil and banking sanctions. And we will vigorously enforce these and all other existing sanctions.
We estimate that this limited relief will provide approximately $6-7 billion in revenue.
First, we will hold steady Iran’s exports of crude oil at levels that are down over 60 percent since 2011. This means that Iran will continue to lose $4-5 billion per month while the JPA is in effect compared to 2011. Let me be clear, however. We will not allow Iran’s exports to increase and we will continue collaboration with our international partners to ensure that they understand that any increases in Iranian oil purchases – or any new purchases of Iranian oil – remain subject to sanctions.
Second, we are prepared to allow Iran to access $4.2 billion in its restricted assets, not in a lump sum, but in monthly allocations that keep up with verified Iranian progress on its nuclear commitments. Remember, Iran will continue to lose $4-5 billion a month due to our oil sanctions compared to 2011, so this access to funds is less than one month of those losses. And this is a fraction of Iran’s total needs for imports or its budget shortfall.
Third, the P5+1 agreed to suspend certain sanctions on gold and precious metals, Iran’s auto sector and on Iran’s petrochemical exports. The suspension of the sanctions on gold and precious metals will not allow Iran to use restricted assets to purchase gold and precious metals, rather it allows Iranians to import and export gold and precious metals. The suspension of the sanctions on the auto industry will allow Iran to obtain support and services from third countries for the assembly and manufacturing of light and heavy vehicles. The suspension of sanctions on petrochemical exports means Iran will be able to sell petrochemicals and retain the revenues from these sales. We estimate that Iran will earn approximately $1.5 billion in revenue from the temporary suspension of these sanctions.
We will also license the supply and installation of spare parts for the safety of flight for airplanes to occur in Iran. We will also license safety inspections and related services to occur in Iran. Notably, this will not apply to any airline subject to sanctions under our counter-terrorism authorities.
In addition, solely for the financing of humanitarian transactions and tuition assistance for Iranians studying abroad, we will facilitate access to Iran’s overseas accounts for these specific transactions. Even before the JPA, we never intended to deprive the Iranian people of humanitarian goods, like food and medicine. In fact, Congress has explicitly exempted these transactions from sanctions.
There have been some that have incorrectly represented the limited relief as being far more. So, let me reiterate. The total relief envisioned in the JPA amounts to between $6-7 billion – nowhere near the $20 or $40 billion that some have reported. The total relief for Iran envisioned in the JPA would be a modest fraction of the approximately $100 billion in foreign exchange holdings that are inaccessible or restricted because of our ongoing sanctions pressure. This sanctions pressure, moreover, will continue to increase over the six months of this initial phase through the continued enforcement of our sanctions.
Continued Enforcement of Sanctions
It is important to understand that the overwhelming majority of our sanctions remain in place and we will continue to vigorously enforce those sanctions to ensure that Iran receives only the limited relief that we agreed to. This will include aggressive enforcement of sanctions under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA), the Iran Sanctions Act, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, and the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012. This means that sanctions will continue to apply to broad swaths of Iran’s economy including its energy, financial, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors. By rigorous monitoring we will also prevent abuse of the relief that is part of the JPA. Were we to see increased purchases of oil or sanctions evasion, we are prepared to act swiftly to sanction the offenders.
Moreover, the U.S. trade embargo remains in place and U.N. Security Council’s sanctions remain in place. All sanctions related to Iran’s military program, state sponsorship of terrorism, and human rights abuses and censorship remain in place. Our vigilance will continue.
What is also important to understand is that we remain in control. If Iran fails to live up to its commitments as agreed to in Geneva, we would be prepared to work with Congress to ramp up sanctions. In that situation, we would be well-positioned to maximize the impact of any new sanctions because we would likely have the support of the international community, which is essential for any increased pressure to work
In comparison, moving forward on new sanctions now would derail the promising and yet-to-be-tested first step outlined above, alienate us from our allies, and risk unraveling the international cohesion that has proven so essential to ensuring our sanctions have the intended effect.
The Way Ahead
In assessing this deal on the merits, we must compare where we would be without it.
Without the JPA, Iran’s program would continue to advance: Iran could spin thousands of additional centrifuges; install and spin next-generation centrifuges that reduce its breakout times; advance on the plutonium track by fueling and commissioning the Arak heavy water reactor and install remaining components ; and grow its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride. It could do all of that, moreover, without the new inspections that are part of this deal and give us new tools to help detect breakout.
With the JPA, we halt the program in its tracks, roll it back in key respects, and put time on the clock to negotiate a long-term, comprehensive solution with strict limits and verifiable assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
In a perfect world, we could get to such a comprehensive solution right away. But the reality is that in the absence of the JPA, we would have had an Iranian nuclear program that could double its enrichment capacity, grow its stockpile of enriched uranium, and make progress on starting up the Arak reactor.
We are now moving forward to prepare for implementation. This week, our experts are in Vienna discussing with their P5+1 counterparts, Iran, and the IAEA, the mechanisms and timeframes for beginning implementation and setting a start date. These are technical and complex discussions, and it is critical that we do them well and right -- working to protect our national security interests at every step along the way.
At the same time, the JPA and its implementation is only a first step. There are still many issues related to Iran’s nuclear program that must be addressed, and in the process, Iran must work with the IAEA to resolve all past and present issues of concern. That is why our ultimate aim is a comprehensive agreement that fully addresses all of our longstanding concerns.
Conclusion
Finally, let me be clear about one thing: Our policy with regard to Iran has not changed. The President has been clear that he will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapon. While his strong preference is for a diplomatic solution, he is prepared to use all elements of American power to prevent that outcome.
Our commitment to working with our partners, in the region and elsewhere, to hold Iran accountable for all its actions also remains firm. These negotiations will solely focus on Iran’s nuclear program. So we will continue to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region. We will continue to hold Iran accountable for its support for terrorism. Iran remains listed as a State Sponsor of Terror and our sanctions for their support of terror remain in place.
Our sanctions on Iran’s human rights abusers will also continue and so will our support for the fundamental rights of all Iranians. Last week, National Security Advisor Rice reiterated our support for the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and called on Iran to allow him to visit Iran. We will continue to speak forcefully for the oppressed inside Iran, including through our support, later this month, for a resolution before the UN General Assembly condemning Iran’s human rights practices
We call on Iran to release Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati and support our efforts to bring Robert Levinson home. As Secretary Kerry has said, one day is too long to be in captivity, and one day for any American citizen is more than any American wants to see somebody endure. Mr. Abedini, Mr. Hekmati, and Mr. Levinson have been gone too long and we will continue to do everything we can, using quiet diplomacy.
And we will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. That is what these negotiations are all about. We have been encouraged that nearly 70 countries have expressed support for the understandings reached in Geneva, including statements of support from our partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council, with whom we remain closely engaged. The sentiment from our partners has been clear: give this process a chance. If Iran lives up to its commitments then the world will become a safer place. If it does not, then we retain all options to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. The coming months will be a test of Iranian intentions, and of the possibility for a peaceful resolution to this crisis.
Throughout, and as always, we look forward to working closely with the Congress to ensure that U.S. national security interests are protected and advanced.
Thank you.
Assessing the P5+1 Joint Plan of Action With Iran
Testimony
Wendy R. Sherman
Under Secretary for Political Affairs
Written Statement Before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Washington, DC
December 12, 2013
Good morning, Chairman Johnson, Ranking Member Crapo, distinguished members of the committee. Thank you for inviting me to discuss the details of the Joint Plan of Action (JPA) concluded with Iran and our P5+1 partners on November 24 in Geneva.
Let me begin by noting that the diplomatic opportunity before us is a direct result of the cooperation between Congress and the Administration to put in place and implement a comprehensive and unprecedented sanctions regime designed to press Iran to address international concerns with its nuclear program.
Our collaboration on sanctions is what brought Iran to the table. However, it is important to underscore that what we do from this point forward is just as critical, if not more so, in terms of testing Iran’s intentions. In that regard, I look forward to our consultations over the important weeks and months ahead.
Today, I want to give you the facts about what was agreed to in Geneva, so you can judge the merits of the JPA for yourself.
Iran Commitments
We have long recognized that the Iranian nuclear program constitutes one of the most serious threats to U.S. national security and our interests in the Middle East. Thanks to the sanctions pressure, and a firm and united position from the P5+1 (China, France, Russia, UK, U.S. and Germany, in coordination with the EU), we have reached an understanding that constitutes the most significant effort to halt the advance of Iran’s nuclear program in nearly a decade. As a consequence, the JPA agreed to in Geneva is profoundly in America’s national security interest, and makes our regional partners safer and more secure.
The JPA is sequenced, with a 6-month period designed explicitly to block near-term Iranian pathways to a nuclear weapon, while creating space for a long-term comprehensive solution. The goal of that comprehensive solution is to resolve the international community’s concerns with Iran’s nuclear program. What this initial plan does is help ensure that Iran’s nuclear program cannot advance while negotiations towards that solution proceed.
Upon implementation in the coming weeks, this initial step will immediately: halt progress of the Iranian nuclear program; roll it back in key respects; and introduce unprecedented monitoring into Iran’s nuclear activities. Taken together, these measures will prevent Iran from enhancing its ability to create a nuclear weapon and increase the confidence in our ability to detect any move towards nuclear break-out or diversion of material towards a covert program.
The details demonstrate why this is the case. First, as stated, Iran must halt the progress of its enrichment program. This means, under the express terms of the JPA, that Iran cannot increase its enrichment capacity. Iran’s stockpile of 3.5 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride (UF6) cannot grow – it will be the same amount or less at the end of the six month period as it is as the beginning. Iran cannot build new enrichment facilities for the production of enriched uranium. Iran cannot install additional centrifuges of any type in their production facilities, operate more centrifuges, nor replace existing centrifuges with more advanced types. Moreover, Iran must limit centrifuge production to those needed to replace damaged machines; thus Iran cannot expand its stockpile of centrifuges.
Second, during this initial phase, Iran will roll back or neutralize key aspects of its program. Iran must cease all enrichment over five percent. The piping at Fordow and Natanz that is used to more efficiently enrich uranium over five percent must be dismantled. Iran must neutralize its entire 20 percent stockpile of enriched uranium hexafluoride by diluting it to a lower level of enriched uranium hexafluoride or converting it to oxide for fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor.
Finally, Iran cannot advance work on the plutonium track. At Arak, Iran cannot commission the heavy water reactor under construction nor transfer fuel or heavy water to the reactor site. Iran cannot test additional fuel or produce more fuel for the reactor nor install remaining components for the reactor. Iran cannot construct a facility for reprocessing spent fuel. Without reprocessing, Iran cannot separate plutonium from spent fuel and therefore cannot obtain any plutonium for use in a nuclear weapon. As such, this first step freezes the timeline for beginning operations at the Arak reactor and halts progress on any plutonium pathway to a weapon.
Significantly, the monitoring measures outlined in the JPA will provide much more timely warning of a breakout at Iran’s declared enrichment facilities and add new checks against the diversion of equipment for any potential covert enrichment program. Some have rightfully asked why we should trust Iran to live up to these commitments. As Secretary Kerry has said, the JPA is not based on trust, it is based on verification – and the verification mechanisms set forth in the JPA are unprecedented.
Under its express terms, Iran must permit daily access by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors to the facilities at Natanz and Fordow and allow more frequent access to the Arak reactor. Iran must allow IAEA inspectors access to sites related to centrifuge assembly and production of centrifuge rotors (both key aspects of the program). Iran must allow IAEA inspectors access to uranium mines and mills. Iran must provide design information for the Arak heavy water reactor. These monitoring mechanisms will provide additional warning of breakout or diversion of equipment all along the nuclear fuel cycle and would not be in place without the understanding reached in Geneva.
In summary, even in its initial phase, the JPA stops any advances in each of the potential pathways to a weapon that has long concerned us and our closest allies. It eliminates Iran’s stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride. It stops installation of additional centrifuges at production facilities, especially Iran’s most advanced centrifuge design, together with freezing further accumulation of 3.5 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride. And it ensures that the Arak reactor cannot be brought on line while we negotiate a comprehensive solution.
P5+1 Commitments
In return for these concrete actions by Iran and as Iran takes the required steps, the P5+1 will provide limited, temporary, and reversible relief while maintaining the core architecture of our sanctions regime – including key oil and banking sanctions. And we will vigorously enforce these and all other existing sanctions.
We estimate that this limited relief will provide approximately $6-7 billion in revenue.
First, we will hold steady Iran’s exports of crude oil at levels that are down over 60 percent since 2011. This means that Iran will continue to lose $4-5 billion per month while the JPA is in effect compared to 2011. Let me be clear, however. We will not allow Iran’s exports to increase and we will continue collaboration with our international partners to ensure that they understand that any increases in Iranian oil purchases – or any new purchases of Iranian oil – remain subject to sanctions.
Second, we are prepared to allow Iran to access $4.2 billion in its restricted assets, not in a lump sum, but in monthly allocations that keep up with verified Iranian progress on its nuclear commitments. Remember, Iran will continue to lose $4-5 billion a month due to our oil sanctions compared to 2011, so this access to funds is less than one month of those losses. And this is a fraction of Iran’s total needs for imports or its budget shortfall.
Third, the P5+1 agreed to suspend certain sanctions on gold and precious metals, Iran’s auto sector and on Iran’s petrochemical exports. The suspension of the sanctions on gold and precious metals will not allow Iran to use restricted assets to purchase gold and precious metals, rather it allows Iranians to import and export gold and precious metals. The suspension of the sanctions on the auto industry will allow Iran to obtain support and services from third countries for the assembly and manufacturing of light and heavy vehicles. The suspension of sanctions on petrochemical exports means Iran will be able to sell petrochemicals and retain the revenues from these sales. We estimate that Iran will earn approximately $1.5 billion in revenue from the temporary suspension of these sanctions.
We will also license the supply and installation of spare parts for the safety of flight for airplanes to occur in Iran. We will also license safety inspections and related services to occur in Iran. Notably, this will not apply to any airline subject to sanctions under our counter-terrorism authorities.
In addition, solely for the financing of humanitarian transactions and tuition assistance for Iranians studying abroad, we will facilitate access to Iran’s overseas accounts for these specific transactions. Even before the JPA, we never intended to deprive the Iranian people of humanitarian goods, like food and medicine. In fact, Congress has explicitly exempted these transactions from sanctions.
There have been some that have incorrectly represented the limited relief as being far more. So, let me reiterate. The total relief envisioned in the JPA amounts to between $6-7 billion – nowhere near the $20 or $40 billion that some have reported. The total relief for Iran envisioned in the JPA would be a modest fraction of the approximately $100 billion in foreign exchange holdings that are inaccessible or restricted because of our ongoing sanctions pressure. This sanctions pressure, moreover, will continue to increase over the six months of this initial phase through the continued enforcement of our sanctions.
Continued Enforcement of Sanctions
It is important to understand that the overwhelming majority of our sanctions remain in place and we will continue to vigorously enforce those sanctions to ensure that Iran receives only the limited relief that we agreed to. This will include aggressive enforcement of sanctions under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA), the Iran Sanctions Act, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012, and the Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act of 2012. This means that sanctions will continue to apply to broad swaths of Iran’s economy including its energy, financial, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors. By rigorous monitoring we will also prevent abuse of the relief that is part of the JPA. Were we to see increased purchases of oil or sanctions evasion, we are prepared to act swiftly to sanction the offenders.
Moreover, the U.S. trade embargo remains in place and U.N. Security Council’s sanctions remain in place. All sanctions related to Iran’s military program, state sponsorship of terrorism, and human rights abuses and censorship remain in place. Our vigilance will continue.
What is also important to understand is that we remain in control. If Iran fails to live up to its commitments as agreed to in Geneva, we would be prepared to work with Congress to ramp up sanctions. In that situation, we would be well-positioned to maximize the impact of any new sanctions because we would likely have the support of the international community, which is essential for any increased pressure to work
In comparison, moving forward on new sanctions now would derail the promising and yet-to-be-tested first step outlined above, alienate us from our allies, and risk unraveling the international cohesion that has proven so essential to ensuring our sanctions have the intended effect.
The Way Ahead
In assessing this deal on the merits, we must compare where we would be without it.
Without the JPA, Iran’s program would continue to advance: Iran could spin thousands of additional centrifuges; install and spin next-generation centrifuges that reduce its breakout times; advance on the plutonium track by fueling and commissioning the Arak heavy water reactor and install remaining components ; and grow its stockpile of 20 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride. It could do all of that, moreover, without the new inspections that are part of this deal and give us new tools to help detect breakout.
With the JPA, we halt the program in its tracks, roll it back in key respects, and put time on the clock to negotiate a long-term, comprehensive solution with strict limits and verifiable assurances that Iran’s nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.
In a perfect world, we could get to such a comprehensive solution right away. But the reality is that in the absence of the JPA, we would have had an Iranian nuclear program that could double its enrichment capacity, grow its stockpile of enriched uranium, and make progress on starting up the Arak reactor.
We are now moving forward to prepare for implementation. This week, our experts are in Vienna discussing with their P5+1 counterparts, Iran, and the IAEA, the mechanisms and timeframes for beginning implementation and setting a start date. These are technical and complex discussions, and it is critical that we do them well and right -- working to protect our national security interests at every step along the way.
At the same time, the JPA and its implementation is only a first step. There are still many issues related to Iran’s nuclear program that must be addressed, and in the process, Iran must work with the IAEA to resolve all past and present issues of concern. That is why our ultimate aim is a comprehensive agreement that fully addresses all of our longstanding concerns.
Conclusion
Finally, let me be clear about one thing: Our policy with regard to Iran has not changed. The President has been clear that he will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapon. While his strong preference is for a diplomatic solution, he is prepared to use all elements of American power to prevent that outcome.
Our commitment to working with our partners, in the region and elsewhere, to hold Iran accountable for all its actions also remains firm. These negotiations will solely focus on Iran’s nuclear program. So we will continue to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region. We will continue to hold Iran accountable for its support for terrorism. Iran remains listed as a State Sponsor of Terror and our sanctions for their support of terror remain in place.
Our sanctions on Iran’s human rights abusers will also continue and so will our support for the fundamental rights of all Iranians. Last week, National Security Advisor Rice reiterated our support for the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and called on Iran to allow him to visit Iran. We will continue to speak forcefully for the oppressed inside Iran, including through our support, later this month, for a resolution before the UN General Assembly condemning Iran’s human rights practices
We call on Iran to release Saeed Abedini and Amir Hekmati and support our efforts to bring Robert Levinson home. As Secretary Kerry has said, one day is too long to be in captivity, and one day for any American citizen is more than any American wants to see somebody endure. Mr. Abedini, Mr. Hekmati, and Mr. Levinson have been gone too long and we will continue to do everything we can, using quiet diplomacy.
And we will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. That is what these negotiations are all about. We have been encouraged that nearly 70 countries have expressed support for the understandings reached in Geneva, including statements of support from our partners in the Gulf Cooperation Council, with whom we remain closely engaged. The sentiment from our partners has been clear: give this process a chance. If Iran lives up to its commitments then the world will become a safer place. If it does not, then we retain all options to ensure that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon. The coming months will be a test of Iranian intentions, and of the possibility for a peaceful resolution to this crisis.
Throughout, and as always, we look forward to working closely with the Congress to ensure that U.S. national security interests are protected and advanced.
Thank you.
CDC REPORT ON SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH LYME CARDITIS
FROM: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Three Sudden Cardiac Deaths Associated with Lyme Carditis — United States, November 2012–July 2013
Lyme carditis is a known but rare cause of sudden cardiac death. Lyme carditis can cause heart palpitations, chest pain, light-headedness, fainting, and shortness of breath in addition to the commonly recognized Lyme disease symptoms of fever, rash, and body aches. If you live in an area where Lyme disease is common and have these symptoms, see a healthcare provider immediately. Between November 2012 and July 2013, three young adults who lived in high-incidence Lyme disease regions suffered from sudden cardiac death associated with undiagnosed Lyme carditis. Lyme carditis is a known, but rare cause of death in persons who have Lyme disease. The CDC and state and local health departments investigated these three deaths. Two of the three individuals who died had corneas transplanted to three separate recipients before the cause of death was notified, but there was no evidence of disease transmission. Prompt recognition and early, appropriate therapy for Lyme disease with antibiotics is essential. These deaths underscore the urgent need for better methods of primary prevention of Lyme disease and other tickborne infections.
Three Sudden Cardiac Deaths Associated with Lyme Carditis — United States, November 2012–July 2013
Lyme carditis is a known but rare cause of sudden cardiac death. Lyme carditis can cause heart palpitations, chest pain, light-headedness, fainting, and shortness of breath in addition to the commonly recognized Lyme disease symptoms of fever, rash, and body aches. If you live in an area where Lyme disease is common and have these symptoms, see a healthcare provider immediately. Between November 2012 and July 2013, three young adults who lived in high-incidence Lyme disease regions suffered from sudden cardiac death associated with undiagnosed Lyme carditis. Lyme carditis is a known, but rare cause of death in persons who have Lyme disease. The CDC and state and local health departments investigated these three deaths. Two of the three individuals who died had corneas transplanted to three separate recipients before the cause of death was notified, but there was no evidence of disease transmission. Prompt recognition and early, appropriate therapy for Lyme disease with antibiotics is essential. These deaths underscore the urgent need for better methods of primary prevention of Lyme disease and other tickborne infections.
EXPORT-IMPORT BANK REPORTS FINANCING OVER $27 BILLION IN FISCAL YEAR 2013
FROM: U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Export-Import Bank Financing Exceeds $27 Billion in FY’13
Supports more than 200,000 U.S. Jobs
Record Number of Small Businesses Reached
Washington, DC – In Fiscal Year 2013 (FY’13) results released today, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) unveiled its annual numbers highlighting its approval of more than $27 billion in authorizations, which supported approximately 205,000 American jobs in communities across the country.
“This year American businesses exported a record $2.3 trillion worth of goods and services, and Ex-Im Bank played a key role in that success,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “Over the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has created or sustained an estimated 1.2 million American jobs – including 205,000 jobs in FY’13 alone. The Bank is a great example of government operating at the speed of business. I would like to thank the dedicated Ex-Im Bank staff who help our nation’s businesses big and small remain globally competitive.”
Ex-Im Bank worked with more than 3,400 small businesses (89 percent of all transactions) – making it the highest number of small business deals in the Bank’s history. As part of its efforts to increase this portfolio, Ex-Im Bank has hosted more than 60 Global Access for Small Business forums across the country since launching the program in January 2011.
Key highlights
Ex-Im financing created or supported an estimated 205,000 export-related U.S. jobs.
In FY’13, Ex-Im Bank authorized financing for a record high 3,842 export transactions, which totaled an estimated export value of $37.4 billion.
In FY’13, Ex-Im Bank approved 3,413 small-business authorizations – the highest number of small-business authorizations in the Bank’s history.
In the last five years (FY’09 to FY’13), Ex-Im Bank has assisted in financing more than $188 billion of U.S. exports and supported 1.2 million American jobs.
Manufacturing was the industry with the highest authorized amount at $8.4 billion, surpassing Aircraft for the first time since 1997.
Export-Import Bank Financing Exceeds $27 Billion in FY’13
Supports more than 200,000 U.S. Jobs
Record Number of Small Businesses Reached
Washington, DC – In Fiscal Year 2013 (FY’13) results released today, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) unveiled its annual numbers highlighting its approval of more than $27 billion in authorizations, which supported approximately 205,000 American jobs in communities across the country.
“This year American businesses exported a record $2.3 trillion worth of goods and services, and Ex-Im Bank played a key role in that success,” said Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg. “Over the past five years, Ex-Im Bank has created or sustained an estimated 1.2 million American jobs – including 205,000 jobs in FY’13 alone. The Bank is a great example of government operating at the speed of business. I would like to thank the dedicated Ex-Im Bank staff who help our nation’s businesses big and small remain globally competitive.”
Ex-Im Bank worked with more than 3,400 small businesses (89 percent of all transactions) – making it the highest number of small business deals in the Bank’s history. As part of its efforts to increase this portfolio, Ex-Im Bank has hosted more than 60 Global Access for Small Business forums across the country since launching the program in January 2011.
Key highlights
Ex-Im financing created or supported an estimated 205,000 export-related U.S. jobs.
In FY’13, Ex-Im Bank authorized financing for a record high 3,842 export transactions, which totaled an estimated export value of $37.4 billion.
In FY’13, Ex-Im Bank approved 3,413 small-business authorizations – the highest number of small-business authorizations in the Bank’s history.
In the last five years (FY’09 to FY’13), Ex-Im Bank has assisted in financing more than $188 billion of U.S. exports and supported 1.2 million American jobs.
Manufacturing was the industry with the highest authorized amount at $8.4 billion, surpassing Aircraft for the first time since 1997.
3-D PRINTED REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR THE HUMAN BODY
FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
3-D printed implants may soon fix complex injuries
Researchers adapt technology for 3-D printing metals, ceramics and other materials to create custom medical implants designed to fix complicated injuries
December 12, 2013
In an age where 3-D printers are becoming a more and more common tool to make custom designed objects, some researchers are using the technology to manufacture replacement parts for the most customized and unique object of all--the human body.
With funding from the National Science Foundation, a husband and wife duo--materials scientist Susmita Bose and materials engineer Amit Bandyopadhyay--are leading a team of researchers at Washington State University to create implants that more closely mimic the properties of human bone, and can be custom-designed for unusual injuries or anatomy.
"In the majority of cases, results are fantastic with off-the-shelf implants," Bandyopadhyay says. "However, physicians come across many patients in which the anatomy or injury is so unique they can't take a part off the shelf. In these unique situations, the surgeon becomes a carpenter."
Using a technology called Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS®), these new implants integrate into the body more effectively, encouraging bone regrowth that ultimately results in a stronger, longer lasting implant.
Parts on demand
In the LENS® process, tiny particles are blown into the path of a laser and melted. The material cools and hardens as soon as it is out of the laser beam, and custom parts can be quickly built up layer by layer. The process is so precise that parts can be used straight off the printer without the polishing or finishing needed in traditional manufacturing.
Implant manufacturers using this strategy could simply start with a CT scan or MRI and use that to make a 3-D model of the injury. A consultation with a physician would determine where the problem was and how to repair it.
According to Bandyopadhyay, "the most exciting part is it doesn't take months. Within a few hours the first iteration of a design can be done. It then takes another five to six hours to manufacture it. As long as the physician is connected to the Internet, within three days he or she can have a custom, patient-specific implant in hand."
There is a real need for these sorts of solutions for people with complex injuries, such as victims of traffic accidents or natural disasters.
Making the best even better
Not every implant needs to be custom manufactured. In most cases, surgeons can choose a standard-size implant based on the anatomy of the patient.
The standard materials for weight-bearing implants--titanium or stainless steel--are well-tolerated by the human body. Nevertheless, these metals have different properties from the bone they replace. Although bone seems stiff and solid, it in fact has some "spring" and millions of microscopic pores.
Because a metal implant is much stiffer, the surrounding bone doesn't have to support as much weight as it normally would. This is a significant problem with today's implants. Bones weaken and break down when they aren't properly exercised.
LENS® can be used to make parts out of many different materials, including metals and ceramics. Unlike many traditional manufacturing processes, LENS® allows different kinds of materials to be easily combined into a single part. The heating and cooling processes are so fast that the component materials don't react with one another to create unexpected materials or properties.
"Once we built confidence that the properties of LENS®-manufactured implants were the same as standard implants, we then focused on materials that were difficult to manufacture, like tantalum. We can make a tantalum implant or coating in less than 15 minutes, even though its melting temperature is over 3000 degrees Celsius," Bandyopadhyay says.
Tantalum is non-irritating and can directly bond to hard tissue like bone. This gives researchers like Bandyopadhyay greater control over how implants interact with the body.
A metal core can be coated with a thin ceramic layer, for example, so that new bone is more likely to grow and bond with the implant. And because LENS® builds a layer at a time, implants can be manufactured with structures that are difficult to make using traditional techniques. They can have pores in the center but be solid at the edges, or have texture on the surface to help bond with bone or other biological materials.
Porous structures are particularly challenging to make using traditional manufacturing, yet they are potentially critical in making implants that more closely mimic natural bone. The LENS® process allows implants to be manufactured with microscopic holes for bone to grow into and attach. The holes have the added benefit of making the metal part less stiff and more like the bone it replaces, also helping the bone grow.
When bone grows into an implant, it forms a strong bond between the two and makes the bone less likely to degrade. The less the bone degrades, the less chance a replacement might be needed.
Wave of the future
Early in development the greatest challenge was to show that the material produced using the LENS® process showed similar mechanical and physical properties compared to standard implants. Over time, the technology has matured to a level where it is reliable enough to become commercially feasible.
Bandyopadhyay expects that by 2020 custom-designed and manufactured implants will become commonplace.
According to Bandyopadhyay, "Biomedical device companies have invested heavily in this research and are setting up 3-D printing facilities. The FDA approved its first 3-D printed device last year."
-- Katie Feldman, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and National Science Foundation, Directorate for Engineering
Investigators
Susmita Bose
Amit Bandyopadhyay
3-D printed implants may soon fix complex injuries
Researchers adapt technology for 3-D printing metals, ceramics and other materials to create custom medical implants designed to fix complicated injuries
December 12, 2013
In an age where 3-D printers are becoming a more and more common tool to make custom designed objects, some researchers are using the technology to manufacture replacement parts for the most customized and unique object of all--the human body.
With funding from the National Science Foundation, a husband and wife duo--materials scientist Susmita Bose and materials engineer Amit Bandyopadhyay--are leading a team of researchers at Washington State University to create implants that more closely mimic the properties of human bone, and can be custom-designed for unusual injuries or anatomy.
"In the majority of cases, results are fantastic with off-the-shelf implants," Bandyopadhyay says. "However, physicians come across many patients in which the anatomy or injury is so unique they can't take a part off the shelf. In these unique situations, the surgeon becomes a carpenter."
Using a technology called Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS®), these new implants integrate into the body more effectively, encouraging bone regrowth that ultimately results in a stronger, longer lasting implant.
Parts on demand
In the LENS® process, tiny particles are blown into the path of a laser and melted. The material cools and hardens as soon as it is out of the laser beam, and custom parts can be quickly built up layer by layer. The process is so precise that parts can be used straight off the printer without the polishing or finishing needed in traditional manufacturing.
Implant manufacturers using this strategy could simply start with a CT scan or MRI and use that to make a 3-D model of the injury. A consultation with a physician would determine where the problem was and how to repair it.
According to Bandyopadhyay, "the most exciting part is it doesn't take months. Within a few hours the first iteration of a design can be done. It then takes another five to six hours to manufacture it. As long as the physician is connected to the Internet, within three days he or she can have a custom, patient-specific implant in hand."
There is a real need for these sorts of solutions for people with complex injuries, such as victims of traffic accidents or natural disasters.
Making the best even better
Not every implant needs to be custom manufactured. In most cases, surgeons can choose a standard-size implant based on the anatomy of the patient.
The standard materials for weight-bearing implants--titanium or stainless steel--are well-tolerated by the human body. Nevertheless, these metals have different properties from the bone they replace. Although bone seems stiff and solid, it in fact has some "spring" and millions of microscopic pores.
Because a metal implant is much stiffer, the surrounding bone doesn't have to support as much weight as it normally would. This is a significant problem with today's implants. Bones weaken and break down when they aren't properly exercised.
LENS® can be used to make parts out of many different materials, including metals and ceramics. Unlike many traditional manufacturing processes, LENS® allows different kinds of materials to be easily combined into a single part. The heating and cooling processes are so fast that the component materials don't react with one another to create unexpected materials or properties.
"Once we built confidence that the properties of LENS®-manufactured implants were the same as standard implants, we then focused on materials that were difficult to manufacture, like tantalum. We can make a tantalum implant or coating in less than 15 minutes, even though its melting temperature is over 3000 degrees Celsius," Bandyopadhyay says.
Tantalum is non-irritating and can directly bond to hard tissue like bone. This gives researchers like Bandyopadhyay greater control over how implants interact with the body.
A metal core can be coated with a thin ceramic layer, for example, so that new bone is more likely to grow and bond with the implant. And because LENS® builds a layer at a time, implants can be manufactured with structures that are difficult to make using traditional techniques. They can have pores in the center but be solid at the edges, or have texture on the surface to help bond with bone or other biological materials.
Porous structures are particularly challenging to make using traditional manufacturing, yet they are potentially critical in making implants that more closely mimic natural bone. The LENS® process allows implants to be manufactured with microscopic holes for bone to grow into and attach. The holes have the added benefit of making the metal part less stiff and more like the bone it replaces, also helping the bone grow.
When bone grows into an implant, it forms a strong bond between the two and makes the bone less likely to degrade. The less the bone degrades, the less chance a replacement might be needed.
Wave of the future
Early in development the greatest challenge was to show that the material produced using the LENS® process showed similar mechanical and physical properties compared to standard implants. Over time, the technology has matured to a level where it is reliable enough to become commercially feasible.
Bandyopadhyay expects that by 2020 custom-designed and manufactured implants will become commonplace.
According to Bandyopadhyay, "Biomedical device companies have invested heavily in this research and are setting up 3-D printing facilities. The FDA approved its first 3-D printed device last year."
-- Katie Feldman, AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow and National Science Foundation, Directorate for Engineering
Investigators
Susmita Bose
Amit Bandyopadhyay
Friday, December 13, 2013
U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR DECEMBER 13, 2013
FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Training, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $124,531,317 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-6294) for the development and production of the acoustic rapid commercial-off-the-shelf insertion (A-RCI) and common acoustics processing for Technology Insertion 12 (TI12) through Technology Insertion 14 (TI14) for the U.S. submarine fleet. A-RCI is a sonar system that integrates and improves towed array, hull array, sphere array, and other ship sensor processing, through rapid insertion of commercial off-the-shelf based hardware and software. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., (60 percent) and Clearwater, Fla., (40 percent) and is expected to be completed by December 2014. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds; fiscal 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funds and fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $20,573,237 will be obligated at the time of the award. Contract funds in the amount of $8,385,273 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., Pittsfield, Mass., is being awarded a $115,049,349 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and fixed-price-incentive contract for engineering, development, and production efforts necessary to support to United States and United Kingdom Trident II Strategic Weapons Systems, SSBN Fire Control Subsystem (FCS) and support to SSGN Attack Weapons Control Subsystem, and continued engineering and trade studies on US SSBN replacement and UK SSBN successor common missile compartment. These efforts include technical engineering and support, including performance evaluation, logistics, fleet documentation, and reliability maintenance engineering services for the deployed US and UK SSBN fleets; US SSBN replacement and UK SSBN successor FCS development, production, integration, planning, and installation; SSP alteration (SPALT) kits (hardware, software, and fleet documentation) for the US and UK; planning, management, and field engineering services for the Trident-II SWS; FCS engineered refueling overhauls; planning, management, and field engineering services for attack weapons control system major modernization periods and voyage repair periods; long-term supportability and sustainment efforts aimed at implementation of new technology within the subsystem as required to offset obsolescence and avoid cost growth; and training hardware, software, curricula, and technical engineering support including support to equipment repair and SPALTs. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and one option year, is $217,685,976. Work will be performed in Pittsfield, Mass., and work is expected to be completed March 31, 2016. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 other procurement, Navy contract funds in the amounts of $8,211,247 and $12,343,418 respectively; fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,942,052; fiscal 2012, 2013, and 2014 UK contract funds in the amounts of $760,000, $1,298,432, and $7,653,569 respectively; fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation contract funds in the amount of $2,795,309; and fiscal 2014 weapons procurement, Navy contract funds in the amount of $1,251,739 are being obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $28,975,275 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (N00030-14-C-0005)
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Training, Liverpool, N.Y., is being awarded a $24,462,051 fixed-price incentive, firm-fixed-price, and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the production and support of AN/BQS-25 low-cost conformal arrays (LCCA). The AN/BQS-25 LCCA is a passive planar array mounted on the aft submarine sail structure that is integrated with the Acoustic Rapid commercial-off-the-shelf insertion AN/BQQ-10 system to provide situational awareness and collision avoidance for improved tactical control in high density environments. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $92,476,516. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (90 percent), Akron, Ohio (7 percent), and Marion, Mass. (3 percent), and is expected to complete by March 2015. Fiscal 2013 other procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $3,846,509 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-14-C-6227).
Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., is being awarded a $14,425,908 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-11-D-0030) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services in support of the Naval Air Systems Command's Air Vehicle Engineering Department and the Manned Flight Simulator/Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facilities. Services to be provided support the development and utilization of advanced air vehicle technology for evaluating air vehicle flying qualities and controllability, developing simulation software, and building prototype simulations. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in December 2014. Funds will not be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded an $11,764,551 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N68936-11-D-0028) to provide additional engineering, technical and programmatic support services for development of products within the Airborne Electronic Attack Integrated Product Team; to include, EA-6B operational flight software, EA-6B unique planning component and EA-18G operational flight software. Work will be performed in Pt. Mugu, Calif. (80 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (20 percent); and is expected to be completed by July 2014. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Pt. Mugu, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Southeast Aerospace, Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $7,350,121 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded contract (N68836-13-D-0004) to exercise option one to extend the term of the contract to provide additional quantity of 23 additional parts kits, and miscellaneous components for the Avionics System Upgrade of the T-44 aircraft. With the exercise of this option, the total contract value will be $16,568.406. Work will be performed at Melbourne Fla., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 24, 2015. No funds are being obligated at the time of award and will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders issued against the contract. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with five offers received in response to the solicitation. Naval Supply Systems Fleet Logistics Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
General Atomics Aeronautical, Poway, Calif., was awarded an $110,453,269 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for continuing logistic services to the Warrior unmanned aircraft system. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $8,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec.15, 2015. One bid was solicited with one received. Work will be performed in Afghanistan and Poway, Calif. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0008).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $92,915,233 contract modification (P00015) to contract W58RGZ-12-C-0009 to exercise option year two of the Apache attack helicopter performance based logistics program to modernize target designation sight/pilot's night vision sensor equipment. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $92,915,233 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2014. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Ala., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Md., was awarded a $65,288,028 contract modification (P00037) to contract W15P7T-11-C-H267 for continued operations and sustainment of the vehicle and dismount exploitation radar (VADER) currently deployed in theater. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $24,861,376 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2014. Work will be performed at Linthicum Heights, Md., Hagerstown, Md., and Afghanistan. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Ala., is the contracting activity.
Encompass Digital Media Inc, Atlanta, Ga., was awarded a $10,915,918 firm-fixed-price contract for a Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) operations hub. The hub will transmit and receive broadcast-quality high definition/standard definition video, two-way data, stories, stills, audio and data from DVIDS worldwide satellite transmitters (SATCOM). It will maintain up and downlink service to all government portable SATCOM terminals accessing the DVIDS integrated network. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $4,200,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 15, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Atlanta, Ga. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal; Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-14-C-0014).
AIR FORCE
Boeing Boeing Co., Seal Beach, Calif., has been awarded a $59,617,404 modification (P00024) on an existing firm-fixed-price contract (FA8807-13-C-0001) for on-orbit support, factory reach-back, maintenance, and storage. This contract provides for exercise of options for additional launch and on-orbit support for GPS IIF space vehicles. Work will be performed at El Segundo, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., and Cape Canaveral, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2014. Fiscal 2012, 2013 and 2014 missile procurement funds in the amount of $56,867,404 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center Contracting Directorate, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity.
J. Torres Company Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., has been awarded a $7,396,934, firm-fixed-price contract for integrated solid waste services at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to include municipal solid waste, recycling, and landfill services. The location of performance is Edwards AFB, Calif. The work is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance in the amount of $129,501 are being obligated at time of award. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with numerous offers solicited, and three offers received. Air Force Test Center, Aerospace Systems Support Branch, Edwards AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA9301-14-D-0006).
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass., has been awarded a $6,896,385 modification (P0005) on an existing cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement contract (FA8730-13-C-0003) for the Taiwan Surveillance Radar program follow-on support string upgrade engineering change proposal. The contract modification provides a continental United States sustainment string upgrade that creates a controlled site-like testing environment for build deployment and system troubleshooting at the CONUS development facility. Work will be performed at Sudbury, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 8, 2017. This contract involves foreign military sales to Taiwan. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HBNA, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
O.C. Lugo Co., Inc.*, New York, N.Y., has been awarded a maximum $15,300,000 modification (P00105) exercising the first one-year option period on a two-year base contract (SPM8EF-129-D-0002) with three one-year option periods for chlorate candles and igniters. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is New York with a March 13, 2015 performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
Thomas Scientific Inc.*, Swedesboro, N.J., has been awarded a maximum $9,600,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for laboratory supplies and wares. This contract is a competitive acquisition, and four offers were received. Location of performance is New Jersey with a Jan. 1, 2015 performance completion date. This contract is a one-year base with four one-year option periods. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2DE-14-D-7349).
NAVY
Lockheed Martin Corp., Mission Systems and Training, Manassas, Va., is being awarded a $124,531,317 modification to a previously awarded contract (N00024-11-C-6294) for the development and production of the acoustic rapid commercial-off-the-shelf insertion (A-RCI) and common acoustics processing for Technology Insertion 12 (TI12) through Technology Insertion 14 (TI14) for the U.S. submarine fleet. A-RCI is a sonar system that integrates and improves towed array, hull array, sphere array, and other ship sensor processing, through rapid insertion of commercial off-the-shelf based hardware and software. Work will be performed in Manassas, Va., (60 percent) and Clearwater, Fla., (40 percent) and is expected to be completed by December 2014. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 research, development, test and evaluation funds; fiscal 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 shipbuilding and conversion, Navy funds and fiscal 2014 other procurement, Navy funding in the amount of $20,573,237 will be obligated at the time of the award. Contract funds in the amount of $8,385,273 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Inc., Pittsfield, Mass., is being awarded a $115,049,349 cost-plus-incentive-fee, cost-plus-fixed-fee, and fixed-price-incentive contract for engineering, development, and production efforts necessary to support to United States and United Kingdom Trident II Strategic Weapons Systems, SSBN Fire Control Subsystem (FCS) and support to SSGN Attack Weapons Control Subsystem, and continued engineering and trade studies on US SSBN replacement and UK SSBN successor common missile compartment. These efforts include technical engineering and support, including performance evaluation, logistics, fleet documentation, and reliability maintenance engineering services for the deployed US and UK SSBN fleets; US SSBN replacement and UK SSBN successor FCS development, production, integration, planning, and installation; SSP alteration (SPALT) kits (hardware, software, and fleet documentation) for the US and UK; planning, management, and field engineering services for the Trident-II SWS; FCS engineered refueling overhauls; planning, management, and field engineering services for attack weapons control system major modernization periods and voyage repair periods; long-term supportability and sustainment efforts aimed at implementation of new technology within the subsystem as required to offset obsolescence and avoid cost growth; and training hardware, software, curricula, and technical engineering support including support to equipment repair and SPALTs. The maximum dollar value, including the base period and one option year, is $217,685,976. Work will be performed in Pittsfield, Mass., and work is expected to be completed March 31, 2016. Fiscal 2013 and 2014 other procurement, Navy contract funds in the amounts of $8,211,247 and $12,343,418 respectively; fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Navy contract funds in the amount of $8,942,052; fiscal 2012, 2013, and 2014 UK contract funds in the amounts of $760,000, $1,298,432, and $7,653,569 respectively; fiscal 2014 research, development, test and evaluation contract funds in the amount of $2,795,309; and fiscal 2014 weapons procurement, Navy contract funds in the amount of $1,251,739 are being obligated at time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $28,975,275 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole source acquisition in accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(1). Strategic Systems Programs, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (N00030-14-C-0005)
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems & Training, Liverpool, N.Y., is being awarded a $24,462,051 fixed-price incentive, firm-fixed-price, and cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for the production and support of AN/BQS-25 low-cost conformal arrays (LCCA). The AN/BQS-25 LCCA is a passive planar array mounted on the aft submarine sail structure that is integrated with the Acoustic Rapid commercial-off-the-shelf insertion AN/BQQ-10 system to provide situational awareness and collision avoidance for improved tactical control in high density environments. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $92,476,516. Work will be performed in Syracuse, N.Y. (90 percent), Akron, Ohio (7 percent), and Marion, Mass. (3 percent), and is expected to complete by March 2015. Fiscal 2013 other procurement, Navy funds in the amount of $3,846,509 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with two offers received. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., is the contracting activity (N00024-14-C-6227).
Science Applications International Corp., McLean, Va., is being awarded a $14,425,908 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-11-D-0030) to exercise an option for technical and engineering services in support of the Naval Air Systems Command's Air Vehicle Engineering Department and the Manned Flight Simulator/Air Combat Environment Test and Evaluation Facilities. Services to be provided support the development and utilization of advanced air vehicle technology for evaluating air vehicle flying qualities and controllability, developing simulation software, and building prototype simulations. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in December 2014. Funds will not be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Bethpage, N.Y., is being awarded an $11,764,551 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N68936-11-D-0028) to provide additional engineering, technical and programmatic support services for development of products within the Airborne Electronic Attack Integrated Product Team; to include, EA-6B operational flight software, EA-6B unique planning component and EA-18G operational flight software. Work will be performed in Pt. Mugu, Calif. (80 percent); and Baltimore, Md. (20 percent); and is expected to be completed by July 2014. No funds will be obligated at time of award; funds will be obligated on individual orders as they are issued. The Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Pt. Mugu, Calif., is the contracting activity.
Southeast Aerospace, Melbourne, Fla., is being awarded a $7,350,121 modification (P00004) to a previously awarded contract (N68836-13-D-0004) to exercise option one to extend the term of the contract to provide additional quantity of 23 additional parts kits, and miscellaneous components for the Avionics System Upgrade of the T-44 aircraft. With the exercise of this option, the total contract value will be $16,568.406. Work will be performed at Melbourne Fla., and is expected to be completed by Jan. 24, 2015. No funds are being obligated at the time of award and will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. Funds will be obligated on individual task orders issued against the contract. This contract was competitively procured via Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with five offers received in response to the solicitation. Naval Supply Systems Fleet Logistics Center, Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
General Atomics Aeronautical, Poway, Calif., was awarded an $110,453,269 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for continuing logistic services to the Warrior unmanned aircraft system. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $8,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec.15, 2015. One bid was solicited with one received. Work will be performed in Afghanistan and Poway, Calif. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-C-0008).
Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Fla., was awarded a $92,915,233 contract modification (P00015) to contract W58RGZ-12-C-0009 to exercise option year two of the Apache attack helicopter performance based logistics program to modernize target designation sight/pilot's night vision sensor equipment. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $92,915,233 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2014. Work will be performed in Orlando, Fla. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Ala., is the contracting activity.
Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Linthicum Heights, Md., was awarded a $65,288,028 contract modification (P00037) to contract W15P7T-11-C-H267 for continued operations and sustainment of the vehicle and dismount exploitation radar (VADER) currently deployed in theater. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $24,861,376 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 31, 2014. Work will be performed at Linthicum Heights, Md., Hagerstown, Md., and Afghanistan. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal (Aviation), Ala., is the contracting activity.
Encompass Digital Media Inc, Atlanta, Ga., was awarded a $10,915,918 firm-fixed-price contract for a Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System (DVIDS) operations hub. The hub will transmit and receive broadcast-quality high definition/standard definition video, two-way data, stories, stills, audio and data from DVIDS worldwide satellite transmitters (SATCOM). It will maintain up and downlink service to all government portable SATCOM terminals accessing the DVIDS integrated network. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, Army funds in the amount of $4,200,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 15, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet with one received. Work will be performed in Atlanta, Ga. Army Contracting Command, Rock Island Arsenal; Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-14-C-0014).
AIR FORCE
Boeing Boeing Co., Seal Beach, Calif., has been awarded a $59,617,404 modification (P00024) on an existing firm-fixed-price contract (FA8807-13-C-0001) for on-orbit support, factory reach-back, maintenance, and storage. This contract provides for exercise of options for additional launch and on-orbit support for GPS IIF space vehicles. Work will be performed at El Segundo, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., and Cape Canaveral, Fla., and is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2014. Fiscal 2012, 2013 and 2014 missile procurement funds in the amount of $56,867,404 are being obligated at time of award. The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center Contracting Directorate, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting activity.
J. Torres Company Inc., Bakersfield, Calif., has been awarded a $7,396,934, firm-fixed-price contract for integrated solid waste services at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to include municipal solid waste, recycling, and landfill services. The location of performance is Edwards AFB, Calif. The work is expected to be complete by Dec. 31, 2018. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance in the amount of $129,501 are being obligated at time of award. This award is the result of a competitive acquisition with numerous offers solicited, and three offers received. Air Force Test Center, Aerospace Systems Support Branch, Edwards AFB, Calif., is the contracting activity (FA9301-14-D-0006).
Raytheon Co., Integrated Defense Systems, Sudbury, Mass., has been awarded a $6,896,385 modification (P0005) on an existing cost-plus-fixed-fee, firm-fixed-price, cost-reimbursement contract (FA8730-13-C-0003) for the Taiwan Surveillance Radar program follow-on support string upgrade engineering change proposal. The contract modification provides a continental United States sustainment string upgrade that creates a controlled site-like testing environment for build deployment and system troubleshooting at the CONUS development facility. Work will be performed at Sudbury, Mass., and is expected to be completed by Nov. 8, 2017. This contract involves foreign military sales to Taiwan. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/HBNA, Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., is the contracting activity.
DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
O.C. Lugo Co., Inc.*, New York, N.Y., has been awarded a maximum $15,300,000 modification (P00105) exercising the first one-year option period on a two-year base contract (SPM8EF-129-D-0002) with three one-year option periods for chlorate candles and igniters. This is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is New York with a March 13, 2015 performance completion date. Using military service is Navy. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa.
Thomas Scientific Inc.*, Swedesboro, N.J., has been awarded a maximum $9,600,000 fixed-price with economic-price-adjustment, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for laboratory supplies and wares. This contract is a competitive acquisition, and four offers were received. Location of performance is New Jersey with a Jan. 1, 2015 performance completion date. This contract is a one-year base with four one-year option periods. Using services are Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and federal civilian agencies. Type of appropriation is fiscal 2014 defense working capital funds. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., (SPM2DE-14-D-7349).
HHS ON HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS AND PAINKILLERS
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Sports can be tough competition for high school boys, and sometimes pain from an injury is bad enough for a doctor to prescribe painkillers. But a researcher warns that opioid drugs can cause problems if they’re not watched closely.
At the University of Michigan, Philip Veliz looked at national survey data on 1,540 teens. He found boy athletes were more likely than non-athletes to report having used and misused opioids in the previous year. Veliz suspects injuries led to the prescriptions.
He says drug use needs careful supervision:
"Parents should be the ones monitoring these medications and they should be the ones who dispense the medications to their adolescents."
The study in the Journal of Adolescent Health was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Sports can be tough competition for high school boys, and sometimes pain from an injury is bad enough for a doctor to prescribe painkillers. But a researcher warns that opioid drugs can cause problems if they’re not watched closely.
At the University of Michigan, Philip Veliz looked at national survey data on 1,540 teens. He found boy athletes were more likely than non-athletes to report having used and misused opioids in the previous year. Veliz suspects injuries led to the prescriptions.
He says drug use needs careful supervision:
"Parents should be the ones monitoring these medications and they should be the ones who dispense the medications to their adolescents."
The study in the Journal of Adolescent Health was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.
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