Saturday, February 2, 2008

Combat Camera: Aboard USS Ronald Reagan; Feb. 2, 2008

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 30, 2008) The pilot of an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to the "Rough Riders" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 125 salutes the catapult officer, or "shooter," before launching from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher D. Blachly (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 30, 2008) An EA-6B Prowler assigned to the "Vikings" of Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 129 lands on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Dominique M. Lasco (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 30, 2008) Two catapult officers, or "shooters," give the signal to launch an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher D. Blachly (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 15, 2008) Operations Specialist 3rd Class Dion Johnson talks on a sound-powered telephone on the bridge of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) while the ship pulls into its homeport of San Diego, Calif. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Aaron Holt (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan 15, 2008) Quartermaster 3rd Class Nicholas Rader charts a course on a map on the bridge of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) while the ship pulls into its homeport of San Diego, Calif. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Aaron Holt (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 14, 2008) U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps members from Santa Barbara, Calif., learn about the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan's (CVN 76) Combat Direction Center while on a guided tour of the ship. Ronald Reagan is underway in the Pacific Ocean conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer S. Kimball (RELEASED)

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Jan. 11, 2008) Air Traffic Controller 2nd Class Andrew Dorich, assigned to the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), describes his ribbons to a child while on liberty. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Kathleen Gorby (Released)

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (Jan 12, 2008) A jogger uses the bike path along Cabrillo Blvd. as the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), sits anchored offshore. Reagan Sailors are on a scheduled port visit to Santa Barbara, Calif. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael Moriatis (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 9, 2008) An MH-60S Seahawk, assigned to the "Blackjacks" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21, lifts off the Military Sealift Command ammunition ship USNS Flint (T-AE 32) during an ammunition on load with the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is underway in the Pacific Ocean conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Benjamin Brossard (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 9, 2008) A Sailor assigned to the Military Sealift Command ammunition ship USNS Flint (T-AE 32) attaches a sling to an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, assigned the "Blackjacks" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21, during an ammunition on load with the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is underway in the Pacific Ocean conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jennifer S. Kimball (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (Jan. 9, 2008) The Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Military Sealift Command ammunition ship USNS Flint (T-AE 32) steam alongside one another during an underway replenishment. Through connected and vertical replenishment, the two ships exchanged more than two million pounds of ordnance over a two-day period. Ronald Reagan is underway in the Pacific Ocean conducting routine carrier operations. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher D. Blachly (Released)

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Suicide Bombings May Show Insurgents' Desperation

News in Balance

News in Balance:

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., Feb. 2, 2008 (AFPS) -- The double-suicide bombings in Baghdad on Feb. 1, carried out by two women, may indicate desperation on the part of a beleaguered insurgency, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters here.

The insurgents’ use of women to launch suicide attacks may be “a manifestation of the success of our military operations,” Gates told reporters at Fort Campbell, Ky. Feb. 1, after meeting with 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) soldiers and military spouses.

More than 70 people died and dozens were injured as the result of two suicide bombings carried out by two women in separate areas of the Iraqi capital city, according to news reports.

The actions of terrorists in employing women to conduct such horrendous attacks “is totally against the culture of the Arab world (and) is totally against Islamic faith,” Gates said. “We just have to make sure that the people of Iraq and others in the Middle East recognize how horrible these people are in terms of the culture they’re trying to attack.”

Al Qaeda’s callous disregard for human life is why Sunni residents united to eject the terrorists from Anbar province, Gates said.

As U.S. and Iraqi security forces and concerned local citizens groups continue to pressure al Qaeda and other insurgents, it is evident the terrorists are fast-losing whatever influence they’d previously possessed over the Iraqi population, he said.

Also due to the success of the surge operations, terrorists in Iraq are now having difficulty mounting vehicle-borne bomb attacks, Gates said.

Some news reports say the two women who launched today’s Baghdad suicide-bomb attacks may have been mentally challenged.

“And, the fact that they’re having to resort to using women, and possibly women who don’t know what they’re being asked to do, also may suggest that they’re having trouble getting foreign fighters to come into the country and sacrifice their lives,” Gates said.

(Story by Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service.)

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Guard F-15 Crashes Off Hawaii; Pilot Rescued

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F-15 PILOT RESCUE -- A Coast Guard rescue crew hoist a downed F-15 Hawaii Air National Guard pilot approximately 60 miles south of Oahu at 1:45 p.m. Friday Feb. 1, 2008. (Photo by Air Station Barbers Point, U.S. Coast Guard.)

News in Balance:

HONOLULU, Feb. 2, 2008 -- Oahu-based Coast Guard crews rescued a downed Hawaii Air National Guard pilot about 60 miles south of Oahu today at approximately 2:15 p.m.

Three rescue aircraft crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point and crewmembers aboard the Coast Guard cutter Ahi, an 87-foot patrol boat, immediately responded to the incident, which occurred at 1:37 p.m. The Coast Guard was notified at 1:45 p.m. concerning the distress.

A crewmember aboard one of the rescue helicopters hoisted the pilot and transferred him to The Queen's Medical Center at approximately 3 p.m. The pilot was reported to be in good condition.

Crewmembers from the cutter Ahi, the cutter Kukui, a 225-foot buoy tender, and Coast Guard aircraft crews will stay on scene to check for pollution and debris.

Video

The Associated Press reports the cause of the crash was being investigated. The plane had experienced no problems during a routine training exercise earlier in the day.

The crash comes just a few weeks after the Hawaii Air National Guard, which uses the fighter jets to patrol island airspace, resumed flying the jet. The Guard returned 13 of its 20 planes to the air on Jan. 9. The remaining seven were still grounded and were undergoing inspections by engineers.

The Hawaii National Guard's F-15 jets, built between 1974 and 1978, were acquired in 1987 and had never before experienced a crash, officials said.

The pilot, whose identity was not released, had extensive flight experience, said Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the Hawaii National Guard commander.

The pilot said he could not control the plane and started to lose altitude before the crash, according to Lee. That's when he made the decision to eject and parachuted to the water 60 miles south of Honolulu.

(Compiled from Coast Guard and press sources.)

Related local news sources:
Honolulu Star-Bulletin
WKON2
KITV

Related:
Most Air Force F-15s Fit to Fly
Air Force Grounds F-15 A-D Models Until Further Notice

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Combat Camera: On Board USS Theodore Roosevelt; Feb. 2, 2008

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 28, 2008) Flight deck personnel prepare an F/A-18 Hornet for launch aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) during carrier qualifications off the coast of Virginia. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 30, 2008) Hull Maintenance Technician Fireman Fabian Villota grinds a piece of pipe to use as a guide for mooring lines on the fo'c'sle of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Roosevelt is conducting carrier qualifications off the coast of Virginia. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Christopher Hall (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2008) Two EA-6B Prowlers, assigned to the "Scorpions" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Roosevelt is conducting carrier qualifications off the Virginia coast. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2008) Two F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft, assigned to the "Gladiators" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Roosevelt is conducting carrier qualifications off the Virginia coast. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2008) An SH-60F Seahawk assigned to the "Tridents" of Helicopter Squadron (HS) 3 is prepared for plane guard duty before flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Roosevelt is conducting carrier qualifications off the Virginia coast. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2008) An Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) directs an EA-6B Prowler, assigned to the "Scorpions" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132, to a catapult for launch aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). Roosevelt is conducting carrier qualifications off the Virginia coast. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 29, 2008) An EA-6B Prowler, assigned to the "Scorpions" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 132, completes an arrested landing on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is conducting carrier qualifications off the coast of Viriginia. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Jonathan Snyder (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 17, 2007) Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Kevin Harris stands watch as part of USS Theodore Roosevelt's (CVN 71) force protection detail as she transits the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is underway conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Laird (Released)

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (Dec. 17, 2007) Aviation Ordnanceman 3rd Class Ken Barriere stands watch as part of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt's (CVN 71) force protection detail as she transits the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Theodore Roosevelt has been conducting carrier qualifications. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Laird (Released)

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Friday, February 1, 2008

U.S. Navy Names Three New Virginia Class Attack Submarines

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FILE PHOTO - NEW LONDON, Conn. (Jan. 24, 2008) The fast-attack submarine USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) Chief of the Boat Master Chief Machinist Mate Manny Meneses checks the aft end of the boat as Philadelphia pulls into Submarine Base New London. Philadelphia returned from a scheduled six-month deployment during which they were attached to the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group. U.S. Navy photo by John Narewski (Released)

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 (NNS) -- Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Donald C. Winter announced Jan. 30 the names of three Virginia class submarines: the Missouri, California and Mississippi.

The selection of Missouri honors the continuous support of the military by the people of the "Show Me State," and its leaders. Designated SSN 780, Missouri is the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state.

The last Missouri (BB 63), a U.S. Navy battleship, saw action in World War II, Korean War and the 1991 Gulf War. Missouri was also the site where Fleet Adm. Chester Nimitz and Gen. Douglas MacArthur, and many other U.S. and Allied officers, accepted the unconditional surrender of the Japanese at the end of World War II on Sept. 2, 1945.

The selection of California, designated SSN 781, honors the thousands of men and women from California who serve in today's armed forces, and the millions of Californian veterans and their families. As home to major Naval and Marine Corps installations, the selection of California also reflects the tremendous support provided to the Navy and Marine Corps by countless communities across the Golden State. This will be the seventh ship to bear the name California.

The selection of Mississippi, designated SSN 782, is dedicated to the state's long standing tradition of shipbuilding in support of our nation's defense. It also honors the indomitable spirit of the people of Mississippi who have made great strides in recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. This fighting spirit will be an inspiration to all sailors who embark aboard Mississippi.

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FILE PHOTO - Official U.S. Navy file photo of Virginia-class submarine North Carolina (SSN 777) while the boat is under contruction in Newport News. North Carolina is the fourth Virginia-class submarine being built. Official U.S. Navy photo.

There have been four previous ships named Mississippi. The first Mississippi, a side wheeler, served as Commodore Matthew Perry's flagship for his historic voyage to Japan and fought with Admiral Farragut's forces on the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

These next-generation attack submarines will provide the Navy with the capabilities it requires to maintain the nation's undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. They will have improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance capabilities and special warfare enhancements that will enable it to meet the Navy's multi-mission requirements.

Missouri, California and Mississippi will be able to attack targets ashore with highly accurate Tomahawk cruise missiles and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, littoral waters or other sea-based forces.

Other missions include anti-submarine and anti-ship warfare; Special Forces delivery and support; mine delivery and minefield mapping. With enhanced communications connectivity, the submarines also will provide important battle group and joint task force support, with full integration into carrier battle group operations.

The Virginia class is 7,800-tons and 377 feet in length, has a beam of 34 feet, and can operate at more than 25 knots submerged. It is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling during the planned life of the ship – reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time.

These new, nuclear powered submarines are being built by General Dynamics Electric Boat (Connecticut) and Northrop Grumman Newport News (Virginia).

(From the Department of Defense.)

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Pentagon: Commission's Guard-Reserve Report 'Fundamentally Flawed'

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 (AFPS) -- Core elements of a congressional commission’s report aimed at overhauling the U.S. military’s reserve forces are “fundamentally flawed,” Defense Department officials said today.

The Commission on the National Guard and Reserves yesterday delivered its final report to Congress and Pentagon officials. The report included 95 recommendations on transitioning the reserves into a feasible and sustainable operational reserve.

At the crux of the Defense officials’ objection to the report is a recommendation that would in effect make the National Guard a domestic response force for civil emergencies, essentially eliminating its go-to-war mission.

“That is sharply at odds with the position that we have taken in our strategy for homeland defense and civil support,” said Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas’ security affairs, speaking to journalists at the Pentagon. “We believe that the National Guard has a primary role to play in domestic disaster response -- but that mission assignment should not be to the exclusion of National Guard’s traditional war-fighting missions overseas.”

The recommendation is that the Defense Department shift capabilities useful for state-controlled responses to domestic emergencies to the National Guard, and shift capabilities in the National Guard that are not required for state missions, but are required for its federal missions, to the military reserve components or active-duty military.

This would in effect place nearly all civil support capabilities within the National Guard and move wartime missions to the federal military.

“What the … commission is recommending … is that the National Guard become a domestic disaster response capability exclusively. We think that’s wrong,” McHale said.

Alongside McHale at the briefing today was National Guard Bureau Chief, Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum. He said that the active-duty military could not feasibly fill the gaps left my removing the Guard from its wartime mission. Right now, the Guard makes up 40 percent of the combat power of the U.S. military. More than 355,000 serve troops in the Army National Guard and 106,000 in the Air Guard.

“We would unhinge the volunteer force, and we would break the total force,” Blum said.

Department officials are also at odds with the recommendation to place active-duty military forces under the command and control of the governors of the states in which they are deployed.

“Fifty different governors will command our active duty military forces in a patchwork quilt of command and control that would guarantee an inability to achieve unity of command and unity of effort in a crisis,” McHale said.

That recommendation, he said, is at odds with the federal system of government and Article II of the Constitution.

“There can be only one commander-in-chief, and that is the president of the United States,” McHale said. “To decentralize that command and control to 50 separate state governors invites confusion.”

Another recommendation by the commission would cut reservists’ drill pay in half. The commission recommends reducing the 29 duty status codes the reserves now have to only two – either on active duty or not.

The problem is that reservists now get four days pay for a two day drill period. The commission recommends one day’s pay, for one day’s work. The drilling reservist would receive, for the same duty, half the pay he is currently receiving. Or they would have to put in twice as many duty days to receive the same pay.

“We believe that is a mistake,” McHale said. “We believe it is precisely the wrong message to be sent to National Guardsmen and Reservists who at this point in our history are deserving of our appreciation and respect. Their compensation ought not be cut.”

The pay cut could have also an impact on recruiting and retention, he said.

“We believe that this proposal moves in precisely the wrong direction in terms of encouraging reserve participation and expressing appreciation for the sacrifice that reservists and their families have made in support of our nation,” McHale said.

Department officials disagreed with the harsh criticism leveled at the disaster preparedness of the nation yesterday by the commission chairman, retired Marine Maj. Gen. Arnold Punaro.

McHale called some of Punaro’s characterizations “unfortunate and inaccurate” and said that, while some plans are still being developed, the Department could respond to a disaster and has both trained personnel and up-to-date equipment in place.

McHale pointed to the National Guard’s 53 certified civil support teams and 17 chemical emergency response force packages modeled after the Marine Corps chemical, biological incident response force.

“Our department’s catastrophic response capabilities are the best funded, best equipped, best trained in the world,” McHale said.

The secretary said that most of these plans and resources didn’t exist before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Defense Department is in the final stages of identifying and resourcing task forces made up of 15,000 department personnel trained and equipped to respond to a domestic detonation of a weapon of mass destruction.

“That kind of capability has never existed in such a task organization during the history of the Department of Defense,” McHale said.

The department is developing plans to respond to nuclear detonations and multiple dirty bomb, chemical and anthrax attacks, as well as hurricanes and earthquakes. They should be final in the next year, he said.

Blum addressed the equipment shortfalls identified in the report. Punaro said yesterday that nearly 90 percent of the National Guard is not combat ready, lacking adequate funding, training and equipment.

Blum said that the report was accurate, but did not account for what he called and “unprecedented” $45 billion in funding being channeled into the Guard to fix those problems. By next year 69 percent of the forces should be equipped and 77 percent by 2013.

“We didn’t get into that problem overnight. And we’re not going to dig out of it in one night,” Blum said.

Also, Blum said, at the end of 2013 the Guard will represent an organization that is equipped as a fully modernized, mirror-image of the active force, for the first time in the nation's history.

McHale and Blum both acknowledged that some of the proposals by the commission had merit, and even validated some of the policies and changes made by the department in the past four years.

“There are many parts of this report that are of value,” McHale said. “We are not rejecting this report out of hand.”

Army Maj. Gen. Guy Swan III, director of operations for U.S. Northern Command, which is responsible for homeland defense, told the American Forces Press Service in an interview that he also feels that the report was “necessary” and is “of some utility,” but he said it doesn’t apply correctly to the current situation.

“The report paints a picture that, in my view, is more dated than anything else,” Swan said. He mentioned that many in his command are disappointed at how critical the report has been “because much of what is in that report has been addressed through a variety of means over the past couple of years.”

Swan said that “if you looked at the report two years ago or three years ago, it was probably quite accurate,” but many of the reports’ criticisms have been acted upon in the past year or two.

Over the past couple of years he has spent serving within NORTHCOM, Swan said he has “seen remarkable cooperation and improvements with the National Guard, with the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies.”

He said the command relies heavily upon the National Guard in order to accomplish its mission.

“We cannot do our mission at NORTHCOM without coordination and cooperation with the National Guard. It just can’t be done,” Swan said. “We see the guard as part of the broader friendly forces that might be involved in an operation, along with first responders, state emergency management personnel, and other federal agencies.”

But Swan reiterated that the National Guard has a “viable, needed wartime mission.” He said he does not think reducing the Guard’s role simply to homeland defense would be a good move.

“I don’t think we want to have a National Guard that is one dimensional. Frankly, I think the Guard is better than that,” Swan said. “It has been demonstrated during operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans. They are a multidimensional force, and they can do the homeland operations as well.”

Swan said he doesn’t think the Guard should be limited to either a wartime mission or a homeland defense mission. He said there are shortfalls in resourcing, which the report has been helpful in identifying, and those issues are being dealt with in the appropriate Defense Department forums.

“I don’t think it’s an issue of either or. It is to some degree an issue of resources, and that is being addressed,” Swan said. “In my view, the Guard needs to be part of the national defense establishment writ large.”

(Story by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service; additional contributions by John Valceanu, American Forces Press Services.)

Related:
Commission Wants Sweeping Changes for Guard, Reserves
Commission on the National Guard and Reserves

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Troops in Iraq Prevent Suspected al-Qaeda Assassination Attempt

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

BAGHDAD, Feb. 1, 2008 -- Multi-National Division - Baghdad soldiers prevented a suspected al-Qaeda assassination attempt on a Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) leader when they discovered a car bomb in Doura Jan. 30.

After receiving an early morning tip, Company B, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, attached to Task Force Dragon, found an improvised bomb underneath the CLC leader’s car.

The CLC are volunteers who help Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces secure various parts of the district by guarding infrastructure, and providing information on anti-Coalition activities to ISF and Task Force Dragon elements.
“We believe that al-Qaeda is targeting the CLCs because of their effectiveness in helping us disrupt anti-Coalition activities in the Rashid District,” said Maj. Kirk Luedeke, Task Force Dragon spokesman. “We are proud of their courage and of the work they are doing in helping secure the district.”
The bomb was safely disposed of by explosive ordnance disposal personnel who destroyed the device on site.

(From a Multinational Corps - Iraq news release.)

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Pentagon: No Decision on Iraq Pause; More Troops Needed in Afghanistan

News in Balance

News in Balance:

Iraq Ground Conditions to Determine Redeployments

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 (AFPS) -- Conditions on the ground will determine troop redeployment out of Iraq, and more troops are needed in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today at a Pentagon news conference.

Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen said no decision has been made about a pause after the first tranche of surge forces return from Iraq. Staffs at U.S. Central Command, in Washington and in Iraq are working on recommendations about troop levels in Iraq for presentation to President Bush in April.

One of the five surge brigades has already redeployed from Iraq to the United States, with the other four scheduled to move out of the country by July. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Command Iraq, has said publicly that he might want a pause to be able to assess the situation in Iraq after the surge brigades leave.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has said he hopes that further redeployments after July would be possible. The chairman said that while the secretary has recently restated that hope, “the hope is not going to drive a solution set.”

“Conditions on the ground will, of course, continue to remain an important factor (in scheduling redeployments),” Mullen said. “Today's bombing in Baghdad, which took nearly 70 lives, is a stark reminder of that.”

Neither Petraeus nor U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker has made any specific recommendations about future force levels in Iraq, the chairman said. “They're working it, thinking about it, and that's their job,” the admiral said.

In April, Petraeus, Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, the commander of U.S. Central Command, and Mullen will present their recommendations to President Bush for his decision.

“All of us, at all levels inside the military, remain committed to getting this right for the Iraqi people, for the American people and for our troops and their families,” Mullen said. “We aren't working in opposition to each other. In fact, there's quite a bit of collaboration going on. And we all know what the stakes are. But we are working with and from different perspectives, and that's how it should be.”

Petraeus is looking at the situation from his post in Baghdad. Fallon is examining it with respect to the entire CENTCOM region. Mullen and the rest of the Joint Chiefs will look at the situation and assess its global implications.

“Right now we need some time to gain these perspectives, and we'll continue to work very hard on it,” the chairman said.

The chairman also touched on the need for more NATO troops in Afghanistan.Mullen said he appreciates the challenges NATO is facing in Afghanistan.

“The U.S. military remains committed to our mission in Afghanistan and to helping our NATO allies defeat what I've described as a classic growing insurgency,” he said.

NATO countries are “challenged” to meet the number of troops that NATO commanders say they need. Some 3,200 Marines will deploy to the country beginning in March to take up some of the shortfall. Two battalions of Marines will join NATO combat forces in Regional Command – South and another battalion will help train Afghan security forces.

The chairman also wants to see caveats – restrictions – imposed by member governments lifted so troops of all nations can help conduct the missions in Afghanistan.

Mullen and Gates will continue to speak with NATO allies about fully manning the NATO requirement. Gates will meet with NATO defense ministers next week and President Bush will meet with NATO chiefs of state in April.

(Story by Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service.)

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Additional Imagery: World-record Navy Railgun Test Firing

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Dr. Elizabeth D'Andrea, program manager, electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) innovative Naval prototype, escorts the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead, into the electromagnetic launch facility following the Navy's Office of Naval Research successful record-setting firing of an EMRG at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va. ONR's EMRG program is part of the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. U.S. Navy Photograph by Mr. John F. Williams (Released)

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Photograph taken from a high-speed video camera during a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va., on January 31, 2008, firing at 10.64MJ (megajoules) with a muzzle velocity of 2520 meters per second. The Office of Naval Research's EMRG program is part of the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. This photograph is a frame taken from a high-speed video camera. U.S. Navy Photograph (Released)

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Photograph taken from a high-speed video camera during a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va., on January 31, 2008, firing at 10.64MJ (megajoules) with a muzzle velocity of 2520 meters per second. The Office of Naval Research's EMRG program is part of the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. This photograph is a frame taken from a high-speed video camera. U.S. Navy Photograph (Released)

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Photograph taken from a high-speed video camera during a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va., on January 31, 2008, firing at 10.64MJ (megajoules) with a muzzle velocity of 2520 meters per second. The Office of Naval Research's EMRG program is part of the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. This photograph is a frame taken from a high-speed video camera. U.S. Navy Photograph (Released)

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Jim Poyner, senior engineer, Gun Weapons Branch, gives the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead, a tour of the Navy's Office of Naval Research electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, Va., following the successful record-setting firing. A test slug was fired at 10.64MJ (megajoules) with a muzzle velocity of 2520 meters per second. ONR's EMRG program is part of the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. U.S. Navy Photograph by Mr. John F. Williams (Released)

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DAHLGREN, Va. (Jan. 31, 2008) Andrew Wyman, left, Test Engineer, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWCDD) Dahlgren Division, shows the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Gary Roughead, a test slug following the Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR)successful record-setting firing of the electromagnetic railgun (EMRG) at NSWCDD, on January 31, 2008. ONR's EMRG program is part of the Department of the Navy's Science and Technology investments, focused on developing new technologies to support Navy and Marine Corps war fighting needs. U.S. Navy Photograph by Mr. John F. Wiliams (Released)

See: U.S. Navy Demonstrates World's Most Powerful Railgun

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Attacks in Iraq Down to Two-Year Low

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 (AFPS) -- Attacks have dropped in Baghdad to levels seen in 2005, a senior commander in Iraq said today.

Coalition forces also are finding and clearing more bombs than they have in the past four years, Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson, chief of staff of Multinational Corps Iraq, told reporters in the Pentagon via satellite from Camp Liberty, in Baghdad.

This comes on the heels of the new year’s offensive, Operation Phantom Phoenix, aimed at driving al Qaeda and other extremists from safe havens in outlying provinces.

In the past week of operations, the overall number of attacks nationwide remained down and below the average of the past three months, Anderson said.

“The security situation today is about the same as we experienced statistically in early 2005,” the commander said.

Weekly attacks in the Baghdad security districts for the past 15 weeks matched levels last seen consistently in 2005. Bombings increased last week, but remained below the long-term average for the 23rd week in a row, he said. Throughout Iraq, weekly casualties decreased by three percent last week, continuing to remain below the long-term average for the 21st week in a row, Anderson said. Civilian casualties have dropped from 1,700 in January 2007 to 170 this month.

Part of the success is due to locals being more willing to turn over extremists’ hideouts and weapons caches, Anderson said. As local citizens feel more secure, they are coming forward with information on extremists’ activities in their villages and provinces.

“The extremists' ability to intimidate the populous is clearly diminishing. Iraqi citizens across the country are actively engaging the extremists,” Anderson said.

Concerned local citizens organized into neighborhood watch-type groups now number about 80,000 across the country and are helping fill critical security roles where they live, especially in areas where there are few Iraqi security forces.

“We will not allow al Qaeda and other extremists to take sanctuary in any part of the country,” Anderson said. “We are not leaving safe areas or holes. We will not give up gains already achieved by the coalition.”
(Story by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service.)

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Coalition Condemns Suicide Attacks; Detain Seven in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 1, 2008 (AFPS) -- Coalition forces condemned today’s nearly simultaneous suicide attacks in two Baghdad markets that left dozens dead or injured in the Iraqi capital.
“We share the outrage of the Iraqi people, and we condemn the brutal enemy responsible for these attacks,” Multinational Force Iraq officials said in a news release. “This indiscriminate violence, targeting families enjoying themselves on the holy day, again shows the nature of this barbaric enemy.”
Multinational Division Baghdad forces are working closely with authorities to ensure they have sufficient medical supplies and humanitarian assistance for the victims and their families.

“We stand ready to provide additional support and will work closely with Iraqi authorities to find the perpetrators of this attack and help bring them to justice,” military officials said.

In other operations today, coalition forces detained seven suspected terrorists during operations to disrupt al Qaeda networks in Mosul.

During a series of operations in the western part of the city, forces captured three wanted individuals allegedly associated with the former senior leader of the al Qaeda network in the city. The three suspects are reportedly brothers, one of whom allegedly works directly for the former terrorist leader. Also, intelligence reports indicate the brothers have ties to other al Qaeda leadership in the region.

On the other side of the city, coalition forces conducted an operation targeting an alleged judge of an illegal terrorist court system. An individual believed to be the previous terrorist judge involved in the interrogation of al Qaeda kidnapping victims was detained during an operation Jan. 17. Four suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.
“These operations represent further progress in the campaign to disrupt al Qaeda in northern Iraq,” said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman. “As terrorists shift their operations to new locations, Iraqi and coalition forces will follow, aggressively attacking their networks, and capturing or killing their members.”
(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

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