Inexpensive Coin-Sized Sensor Detects Bombs

Focus on Defense:

ARLINGTON, Va., May 31, 2008 -- An Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded team has created an inexpensive sensor the size of a penny that detects bombs made with improvised peroxide explosive devices.

The University of California at San Diego research team includes Dr. William Trogler, one of the inventors of the electronic device, and Drs. Andrew Kummel and Ivan Schuller. Together, they created the small sensors using ultra thin films. The sensors are made of cobalt and copper and have a fast response time and sensitivity that enables them to detect even minute amounts of peroxide vapors. When peroxide is present, the film made of cobalt shows a reduction in current while the copper films show an increase.

"The main, long-term goal of our basic research program is to develop the science and technology to create rugged, lower power, small-sensor packages with high chemical properties that are practical for military purposes and in homeland security," Dr. Trogler said.

He noted that low power micro and nanosensors are ideally suited for small unmanned air vehicles, or UAV, platforms. UAVs and micro UAVs can use the technology in remote sensing for protecting facilities from chemical warfare agents when investigating chemical properties of a vapor cloud.

Dr. Trogler emphasized that the team's chief challenge is to extend the array sensing approach to broader applications.

"In order to do this, we need further basic research to understand and control the interaction between the agents, toxins, fuels and the central metal ions in the sensor materials," Dr. Trogler said.

Initial work with a sensing algorithm is promising in yielding test results from an array.

"We hope to develop this into a practical microsensing array platform for a wide range of agents, toxins, fuels and manufacturing of specific odors," he said.

Previous devices created for similar detection purposes were large and expensive. The current sensor cost less than a dollar per device. The university has applied for a patent on the ultrathin sensor, but its licensing has not been finalized. In the meantime, it has attracted the interest of potential licensing partners who favor its size, cost and additional potential use in commercial applications.

By funding research programs like the one mentioned here, led by Dr. Trogler and his team at UCSD, AFOSR continues to expand the horizon of scientific knowledge through its leadership and management of the Air Force's basic research program.

(Story by Maria Callier, Air Force Office of Scientific Research Public Affairs.)

Related: UC San Diego Scientists Develop Sensor for Homemade Bombs

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CTF 150: Maintaining A Lawful Maritime Order

ARABIAN SEA (2008 FILE PHOTO) Members of a 'visit, board, search and seizure' team prepare to inspect a dhow in the Arabian Sea. (U.S. Navy photo.)

Focus on Defense:

FS MARNE, At Sea, May 31, 2008 -- Some of the world's most heavily traveled waters are in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden. Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, a multinational coalition task force, is conducting operations in these busy and sometimes dangerous waters to help build a lawful maritime order.

Commanded by French Rear Adm. Jean-Louis Kerignard, CTF 150 is comprised of approximately six to eight ships and conducts Maritime Security Operations (MSO) to deter illicit activities in the maritime arena.

"Our goal for CTF 150 is to provide a safe area for all ships within the region," Kerignard said aboard FS Marne (A 630), the task force flagship. "Our main purpose is to deny the use of the sea by terrorists. We do this by our presence and show of force within the region."

CTF 150, part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) or the coalition, is charged with maintaining continuous Coalition presence and conducts Maritime Security Operations (MSO) southwest of the Straits of Hormuz in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and patrols the Indian Ocean.

The coalition has a common purpose and goal - to increase the security and prosperity of the region by working together for a better future.

In this mission, the coalition is working to defeat terrorism, prevent piracy, reduce illegal trafficking of people and drugs, and promote the maritime environment as a safe place for mariners with legitimate business.

"It is important for us to be here, so we can show our support for the coalition and to participate in operations against terrorist organizations," said Cmdr. Jerome Origny, Marne's commanding officer.

"It has been a privilege and an honor to provide maritime security in this region."

Marne, along with USS Shoup (DDG 86), USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) and FGS Emden (F 210) are currently operating in CTF 150 and bring important capabilities that are essential to carrying out successful operations, said Kerignard.

"The asset that each of the ships within the region provides is essential to the success of CTF 150 operations," said Kerignard. "We're working closely together with our coalition partners to conduct operations that counter illicit activities in the maritime arena and to create a lawful maritime order."

Marne, homeported in Toulion, France, is deployed to the CTF 150 area of operations conducting MSO which help develop security in the maritime environment. From security arises stability that results in global economic prosperity. These operation complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.

(From a U.S. Naval Forces Central Command Public Affairs press release.)

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U.S. Army Adjusts to Modern Battlefield, Senior Military Official Says

Bloggers' Roundtable:

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2008 -- The Army has continued to refine the way it fights in today’s modern battlefield, a senior military official said Thursday.

“We have an important new concept that is working, that we need to essentially give capability to, and that’s the modular force,” Army Lt. Gen. Stephen Speakes, the service’s deputy chief of staff for programs, said during a conference call with online journalists and bloggers.

“The way that we’re going to empower the modular force is through Future Combat Systems,” Speakes said.

For almost 10 years, the Army has researched and developed technology that eventually will replace Cold War–era systems with the modular capability that will be used to fight in today’s modern battlefield. Fund shortages in the late 1990s put some programs on hold, and the military has had to restart critical research and development for technologies that the military has known for some time that it needs, Speakes explained.

“It took us time to develop the capabilities that we’ll now see the results from,” he said. “So, the first point was we had to start a brand-new concept of research, development, and technology investment. The second point is that we had to have the … new vision of how we’re going to fight.”

The Army wants to keep soldiers safer on the battlefield, the general said. “What we want is a concept that through both manned and unmanned systems, aerial and ground systems, all primarily through robotics, that we’re able to extend the battlefield and also reduce the risk of soldiers,” he explained. But he cautioned that reduced risk won’t make soldiers invulnerable on the battlefield.

“What we’re going to try to do is extend the battlefield through the network,” Speakes said. “Ultimately, our vision is to bring the network to the soldier.” It’s critical for soldiers to have the capability to communicate through text, voice, and visual images from anywhere to anyone, he said.

“So the concept then, [is one] of robotics, empowered by the network, all designed to reduce soldiers’ vulnerability and increase soldiers’ situational awareness,” the general said.

Military officials recently introduced the first of eight new vehicles that are part of the modernization plan that harmonizes capabilities using common platforms, Speakes said. The new vehicles use a system that is 70 percent common in order to harmonize their capability or a common platform, Speakes said. And because the new techniques and technology are evolving, he added, there will be no need to keep creating new armor.

“The lessons of the IED battlefield what we’ve seen over the last three or four years have now been reflected in the important changes,” he said.

The Army has never created a whole new concept for its technology and weapons development, the general said.

“If we did something for a good reason five years ago that is not right today, we’ll go ahead and move forward and change that design plan in order to make it relevant for today and tomorrow,” he said.

(Story by Navy Seaman William Selby, New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

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USS Kitty Hawk Bids Japan a Final 'Sayonara'

YOKOSUKA, Japan (May 28, 2008) Sailors spell out "Sayonara" on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) as the ship departs Yokosuka, Japan for the final time. Sayonara is Japanese for "goodbye." Kitty Hawk will be replaced by the nuclear-powered aircraft carier USS George Washington (CVN 73). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle D. Gahlau.)

Focus on Defense:

USS KITTY HAWK, At Sea, May 31, 2008 -- USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) left Japan for the last time May 28, with hundreds of friends, family members and distinguished visitors watching as the ship left the piers where it has operated from for nearly a decade.

The Navy's oldest active-duty aircraft carrier left for Pearl Harbor. There it will pass on its responsibilities as the only carrier operating permanently outside of the United States to the USS George Washington (CVN 73) later this summer.

Thomas Schieffer, the U.S. ambassador to Japan; Hitoshi Kimura, Japan's senior vice-minister of foreign affairs; and Rear Adm. James Kelly, U.S. Naval Forces Japan commander, were among the guests that included local business, civic and military leaders.

Rear Adm. Rick Wren, Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group commander, highlighted and praised the ship's accomplishments during its time in Yokosuka.

"As commander of Battle Force 7th Fleet, I want to thank the men and women of USS Kitty Hawk for their contributions to maritime security in this region," Wren said.

Kitty Hawk made 20 deployments in the Western Pacific during that time, taking part in a number of exercises, including: Cobra Gold; Foal Eagle; Malabar; Annual Exercise; Rim of the Pacific; Talisman Saber; and Keen Sword, the largest joint exercise for the Navy and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

Wren also thanked the Japanese for their help and cooperation in hosting Kitty Hawk.

"I also want to extend my deepest appreciation to the citizens of this wonderful nation … for their support to the [Forward Deployed Naval Forces] carrier," Wren said.

Wren and Capt. Todd Zecchin, Kitty Hawk's commanding officer, then boarded and waved goodbye to the crowd as the ship's crew raised its brow from the quarterdeck and flag on its mast.

More than 1,000 Kitty Hawk Sailors 'manned the rails' as the ship pulled out into Truman Bay while the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's band played "Anchor's Aweigh" from the pier.

As the ship pulled away, it released hundreds of red, white and blue balloons.

Sailors then formed on the flight deck and spelled out 'sayonara,' which means 'goodbye' in Japanese for a commemorative farewell photograph.

About 900 Kitty Hawk Sailors and over 100 members of will return to Japan in the embarked Carrier Strike Group 5 and Destroyer Squadron 15 staff members will return to Japan in August on George Washington, as will the 2,000 Sailors of Carrier Air Wing 5, which operates from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, when not embarked on the carrier.

The remainder of Kitty Hawk's crew will return to the West Coast to decommission the ship in Bremerton, Wash., in early 2009.

The ship's pending decommissioning has stirred some nostalgic feelings from the crew.

"It's going to be emotional for me, because in my opinion, Kitty Hawk still has a lot of years left," said Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) Geronimo Crisostomo, who served a total of three tours on Kitty Hawk. "It can still do the job out there."

During its 10 years in Japan, the Kitty Hawk has proven it can do the job – and make history.

On March 22, 2001, Kitty Hawk became the first aircraft carrier to enter Singapore's Changi Naval Base Pier.

The first F/A-18F Super Hornet landing on board Kitty Hawk's 4.1-acre flight deck took place Feb. 19, 2004.

Kitty Hawk also worked to establish itself as a symbol of goodwill and friendship with the Japanese, making port visits to Otaru and Sasebo. The ship was also the first U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to visit Muroran on the northern island of Hokkaido.

The USS Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is on its spring deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean. The strike group is the U.S. Navy's largest and includes the carrier, seven ships of Destroyer Squadron 15, two Aegis weapons system equipped guided-missile cruisers and Carrier Air Wing 5. The ships operate from Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, and the air wing operates from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. Together, they serve as the 7th Fleet's combatant force.

(Story by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Carlos Gomez, Kitty Hawk Public Affairs.)

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Forces in Iraq Kill 13 Enemy Fighters, Nab 14

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi troops killed 13 enemy fighters and captured 14 others during recent operations, military officials said.

In operations today:

• Coalition forces killed an al-Qaida in Iraq weapons dealer and detained another man near Tikrit. Perceiving hostile intent after the man made threatening movements toward them, coalition forces shot and killed him. The man was identified as the targeted weapons dealer, who was involved in a Tigris River Valley bomb-making network, officials said.

• An operation south of Sinjar netted an individual reportedly involved in bombings and an illegal terrorist court system in Ninevah province. Military officials said the wanted man tested positive for explosives residue. An additional suspect was detained.

• Coalition forces captured two more alleged bombing-network operatives and three additional suspects near Beiji. Officials said one of the men confessed to killing three Americans and emplacing roadside bombs in the area and that the other was involved in bombing networks in the Tigris River Valley and Mosul.

• While coalition forces were targeting a senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader in Tarmiyah, military officials said, a group of men approached them. The coalition forces identified themselves, and all but one man in the group turned away. Perceiving hostile intent, the coalition forces shot and killed him. One of the captured men is believed to coordinate attacks against coalition forces, officials said. The other allegedly provides falsified documents for foreign terrorists. Two additional suspected terrorists were detained.

• Iraqi and coalition forces captured a wanted man and two other suspected terrorists who are allegedly tied to al-Qaida leaders in Kirkuk. Farther south, the force detained an alleged foreign-terrorist facilitator with ties to a suicide-bombing network in Abu Ghraib, military officials said.

In operations yesterday:

• Members of a “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group killed nine enemy fighters during a firefight at a checkpoint near Owja, south of Tikrit. Members of the group were attacked when a fuel truck approached the checkpoint and engaged the guards with small-arms fire. The driver then got out and detonated a suicide vest. The remaining enemy fighters continued to target the security group, and Iraqi army soldiers and police responded to the firefight, eliminating the threat, officials said.

• Acting on a tip from local citizens, Iraqi soldiers found a large weapons cache near the Rega area of Salahuddin province. The cache contained various sizes of rounds commonly used to manufacture homemade bombs.

• In separate operations, Iraqi army soldiers discovered six homemade bombs and a weapons cache containing rocket-propelled grenades in northern Baghdad.

In operations May 28, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers killed two enemy fighters who were armed with rocket-propelled-grenade launchers. They also seized grenades, RPGs and various other bomb-making materials during operations in Baghdad.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Forces in Iraq Kill 10, Nab 11

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed 10 enemy fighters, captured 11 suspects, and uncovered scores of weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.

In two-day operations that culminated today, coalition forces detained 11 suspected al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists, including two wanted men.

One of the wanted men allegedly conducted bombing attacks against Iraqi security forces and the other is believed to be a senior al-Qaida in Iraq leader in Salahuddin and Anbar provinces, military officials said.

“We will continue to put pressure on al-Qaida in Iraq together with the Iraqi security forces to protect innocent citizens from these terrorists,” said Army Maj. John Hall, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.

In Iraq yesterday:

• Coalition forces killed 10 members of Iranian-backed “special groups” in the Fedaliyah neighborhood of eastern Baghdad’s New Baghdad district. Troops engaged the weapon-wielding militants after observing them emplace homemade bombs.

• Troops captured a key suspected special groups financier in Mahmudiyah, about 10 miles south of the Iraqi capital. Military officials believe the suspect is the primary financier between Iranian intelligence elements and special groups operatives from Mahmudiyah to southern Baghdad.

• Coalition and Iraqi forces found weapons caches in the following areas: northwest of Baghdad, and in the Aamel, Rashid, West Rashid and Mansour districts of the Iraqi capital. The stockpiles totaled dozens of mortar rounds, rockets, bomb-making materials, homemade explosives, assault rifles and ammunition, and other military equipment.

During two separate operations May 27, coalition and Iraqi forces discovered hidden lodes of illegal weapons. A find in the Saydiyah district of southern Baghdad yielded weaponry and ammunition of various sizes, and a local citizens group in Arab Jabour uncovered a 200-pound bomb.

“The more bombs we get off the battlefield the better,” Army 1st Lt. Jeno Giorgi, a military spokesman, said of the bomb discovered in the Arab Jabour farm field. “It's one less coalition force or Iraqi casualty.”

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Troops in Afghanistan Kill Enemy Fighters, Disarm Bombs

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2008 -- Coalition and Afghan national security forces killed an unknown number of enemy fighters and neutralized homemade bombs in Afghanistan over the past two days, military officials said.

Combined forces killed several extremists during an operation today in Helmand province.

While patrolling near the Sangin district center, troops received fire from militants. The combined ground force responded with small-arms fire and called in precision air strikes, killing the enemy fighters.

Troops also destroyed a cache of mortar rounds during the operation.

In Farah province yesterday, coalition forces killed several extremists with small-arms fire and precision air strikes.

In the midst of responding to an allied unit under attack, coalition forces received machine gun, mortar, and rocket-propelled-grenade fire from a nearby compound. During successive engagements, troops used precision aircraft strikes on confirmed enemy locations, killing an unknown number of militants.

Immediately following the operation, coalition and Afghan National Army leaders met with village elders to explain the situation and reassure the local civilians of their safety.

No civilians or coalition forces were harmed in the engagement.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan yesterday, a villager in Helmand province discovered several homemade bombs near his home and turned them over to local Afghan forces. Afghan national security forces disarmed the explosives.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

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USS Harry S Truman Preps Sailors for Return to Homeport

Official U.S. Navy file photo of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).

Focus on Defense:

USS HARRY S. TRUMAN, At Sea, May 29, 2008 -- Sailors of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) are participating in several new classes, May 22-31, designed to help those returning from deployment.

The classes offered are: returning to children, thrift savings plan, traffic safety, Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), car buying, motorcycle safety, singles class, returning to intimacy, money management, and returning to a a spouse.

Classes help individual Sailors as well as families, by informing the Sailor about what to expect once the ship returns to homeport. The education provided could be the deciding factor in many difficult situations.

"Anybody who wants to be successful financially, should attend the money management class," said Mary Spear, financial educator and credit counselor for the fleet and family support center, also the instructor for the money management class.

The "returning to children" and "returning to intimacy" classes are family-oriented and stress the importance of working together to ease the transition of the Sailor back into the family environment.

"If a Sailor knows what to anticipate, it makes the transition a lot easier," said Spear. "Everyone should realize that it takes time to reintegrate, whether it be a week or a month. Every Sailor is different."

Spear also teaches the car buying class, in which she informs Sailors about various resources that they may use to get the best possible deal when choosing a vehicle.

"Of the 5,000 Sailors on this ship, 40 percent, or roughly 2,100 Sailors, will buy a new or used car within 60 days of the return to homeport. Out of that 2,100, 95 percent will spend too much for a car, too much for financing and end up with a poor deal."

The classes serve to fully prepare Sailors for a seamless transition back to life ashore.

(Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Joshua Moore, USS Truman Public Affairs.)

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Pentagon Submits Emergency Funds Transfer Request to Congress

Focus on Defense:

Proposed Reprogramming Action Needed to Cover the Absence of Supplemental Funding

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2008 -- The Department of Defense yesterday submitted to the Congress reprogramming actions proposing to transfer a total of $9.7 billion to the Army and defense-wide accounts by borrowing the funds from other service accounts. This emergency action was necessary to extend Army and defense-wide operations in the absence of requested supplemental appropriations funds.

The two reprogramming requests would use transfer authority the Congress has provided the department and, if approved, would allow operations to continue until late July. The first reprogramming action would transfer $5.7 billion from the military personnel accounts of the other services to the Army's military personnel account; the second would transfer $4 billion from the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) accounts of the other services and the DoD Working Capital Fund to the Army and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) O&M accounts.

The department previously outlined the steps that would be necessary to take to sustain operations, including maximizing the use of all available transfer authority as represented in these reprogramming actions. Without the ability to transfer these funds, the Army will run out of military personnel funds necessary to pay its soldiers by June 15. Accordingly, the department is requesting that the appropriate Congressional committees act on the reprogramming action by no later than June 9.

Congressional approval of this $9.7 billion reprogramming will only allow another few weeks of operations until the department as a whole runs out of critical funding. Should Congress fail to pass the GWOT supplemental appropriations legislation by mid-July, the department will have exhausted all military personnel and operations funding and will, at minimum, be unable to make payroll for both military and civilian personnel throughout the department. Service members and selected essential civilian employees, including those engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, would continue to serve, but without pay. Non-essential civilian employees would be furloughed pursuant to applicable personnel procedures.

(From a U.S. Defense Department press release.)

NOTE: This is a refresh of an earlier article.

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Forces in Iraq Nab Dozens of Suspects, Find Weapons Caches

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2008 -- Forces in Iraq captured dozens of suspects and found multiple caches of weapons in recent days, military officials said.
Iraqi national policemen discovered a substantial munitions cache early this morning in the Aamel area of Rashid, in southeastern Baghdad.

The national police seized 11 explosively formed projectiles -- bombs specifically designed to pierce armored vehicles -- as well as various sizes of mortar rounds, various explosives, rocket-propelled-grenade launchers, sniper rifles, a machine gun, grenades, a rocket sled, mortar base plates, and several artillery timers.

“Taking these weapons off the streets of Baghdad is a tremendous step in safeguarding the people of Baghdad,” said Army Lt. Col. Steve Stover, a spokesman for Multinational Division Baghdad and 4th Infantry Division. “The national police continue to demonstrate their professionalism in keeping the local populace safe and secure.”

In operations yesterday:

• Information from an April 21 operation led coalition forces to Mosul, where they detained four suspected terrorists believed to be associated with al-Qaida in Iraq senior leaders. This included a wanted man believed to have fled to Mosul to avoid pressure from Iraqi and coalition forces in western Iraq.

• Iraqi police and local members of “Sons of Iraq,” a citizen security group, detained 41 men in the Salahuddin province. They also confiscated about 700 rounds of machine-gun ammunition from the detainees, officials said.

• Iraqi soldiers found four weapons caches. They soldiers seized an RPG launcher and rocket, a trigger device, various size mortars and rounds, bomb-making materials, a homemade bomb, helmets, and life preservers.

• Iraqi special operations forces captured three suspected Iranian-backed “special groups” enemy fighters in two separate operations around Baghdad. The two suspects are accused of kidnapping, torturing and killing Iraqi citizens. The third suspect is reported to be responsible for attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces, military officials said.

• Iraqi soldiers took a number of weapons out of the control of enemy fighters during Operation Peace in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, seizing a total of 27 bombs designed to penetrate armored vehicles, and one mortar tube.

• In two separate operations in Sadr City, Iraqi soldiers found assault rifles and ammunition, sniper rifles, two RPG launchers, mortar rounds and ammunition, a set of body armor, a radio, blasting caps, ammunition pouches, and a pair of binoculars.

• An Iraqi led coalition forces to two large weapons caches near Duar, 18 miles south of Baghdad. The larger of the two caches, 30 meters from the second cache, was found buried 3 feet deep in the side of a hill. The combined caches contained more than 900 pounds of homemade explosives, various artillery and other military equipment and scores of rounds.

In operations May 26:

• Coalition forces captured a wanted man believed to have been a leader of al-Qaida in Iraq since 2005. The suspect also allegedly was involved in an attack on U.S. troops near Donkey Island, in Anbar province, June 30, officials said. Seven other suspected terrorists also were captured.

• Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained a suspected terrorist in Tarmiyah, northwest of Baghdad. Soldiers detained the suspect, who is accused of recruiting juveniles in the area to carry out attacks on Iraqi security forces and coalition forces. Military officials linked the suspect to an explosion at an Iraqi security checkpoint in the Tarmiyah area in which four Iraqi security force members were killed.

• Iraqi special operations forces captured a suspected terrorist in eastern Mosul. The leader is suspected of operating an al-Qaida in Iraq cell in the Mosul area. Three other suspects were detained. The terrorist and his cell are suspected of being responsible for homemade-bomb attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces, officials said.

• A tip led Multinational Division Center soldiers to about 900 pounds of homemade explosives north of Patrol Base Shanghai, about 22 kilometers southwest of Baghdad. In another operation, they uncovered a cache consisting of 18 50-pound bags of homemade explosive, military officials said.

• Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered RPG rounds and a machine gun in the Adhamiyah district. In another operation, soldiers seized an 82 mm mortar round, a rocket, two homemade bombs, 12 bags of gun powder, and two hand grenades in the Karkh district. In the Furat area of the Rashid district, soldiers seized an RPG launcher, two RPG warheads and two RPG boosters, military officials said.

• During a cordon-and-search operation, the Iraqi army found a large weapons cache in Tamim province. The cache consisted of RPG launchers and rockets, hundreds of anti-aircraft artillery rounds, various propellant charges, a machine gun, hundreds of communication devices and more than 2,500 meters of detonation cord, officials said.

• Iraqi security forces, a Sons of Iraq a security group, and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered three weapons caches in Baghdad containing homemade explosives, mortar rounds, various rockets and fuses, assault rifles and hand grenades, officials said.

• Iraqi army soldiers discovered a large explosives cache in Mosul. The cache consisted of homemade explosives, nitrate and liquid nitrate, oxygen tanks, gunpowder, and ball bearings. During operations Lion’s Roar and Mother of Two Springs, the Iraqi army and Iraqi police have discovered 40 weapons and explosives caches throughout Mosul and Ninevah province, military officials said.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Burma Nixes U.S. Military Help; China Accepts Aid

U.S. Air Force airmen assigned to Yokota Air Base, Japan, and Burmese troops unload humanitarian relief supplies from a U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Sonya Croston.)

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2008 -- The Burmese government has yet to grant permission for U.S. military vessels to offload humanitarian supplies for its cyclone-stricken citizens, while the Chinese government has welcomed U.S. military-provided aid for its earthquake-stricken people, a senior U.S. military officer said here today.

Cyclone Nargis hit Burma on May 3, causing nearly 80,000 deaths and displacing hundreds of thousands. The United Nations has estimated that up to 2.5 million Burmese are in dire need of assistance, according to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand.

Burma’s ruling military committee, called a junta, has steadfastly refused to allow U.S. Navy ships to deliver tons of needed humanitarian supplies to Burmese ports or allow U.S. helicopters to fly in aid to devastated regions, Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.

On May 12, the Burmese government began allowing U.S. military cargo aircraft to fly in humanitarian aid from Thailand to the Burmese airport in Rangoon. Since then, U.S. planes laden with food, water, blankets, mosquito netting and plastic sheeting have averaged about five flights into Rangoon each day, Keating noted. In this way, he said, about 1.4 million pounds of relief supplies have been delivered to Burma to date.

Current U.S. military flights to Rangoon are carrying goods provided by various nongovernmental aid organizations, Keating said, such as the United Nations, the World Food Program and other agencies.

“It doesn’t matter to us whose stuff it is we are moving,” Keating emphasized, noting the goal is to provide humanitarian aid to Burmese cyclone victims.

Upon reaching Rangoon, Keating explained, the U.S. military-transported relief goods are subsequently being distributed to the Burmese population by nongovernmental organizations and the Burmese government.

Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Goodman, commander of U.S. Marine forces in the Pacific region, remains in Thailand in charge of Task Force Operation Caring Response for Burma, Keating said.

Keating recalled his May 12 flight to Rangoon from Thailand aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 transport plane, accompanied by U.S. State Department officials.

“I reassured the Burmese delegation of a couple of points,” Keating recalled. “One, we were ready to provide relief assistance immediately. Two, we were capable of moving 250,000 pounds or so a day of relief material into Burma.”

Keating also informed Burmese officials that U.S. military helicopters could move humanitarian supplies inland from Rangoon to hard-hit places like the Irrawaddy delta region.

“We would come in and be entirely self-sufficient,” Keating said he told Burmese officials. The U.S. troops, the admiral added, would also depart Burma “every evening” if its government desired that.

Burmese officials were invited to ride aboard the U.S. helicopters as they delivered aid, Keating recalled. The Burmese officials also were urged to visit the U.S. flotilla that’s laden with supplies and waits off the Burmese coast.

The Burmese officials in Rangoon responded that they couldn’t grant the necessary permission and the question would have to be taken up with higher authorities, Keating recalled.

“We went to great lengths to try to assure them and reassure them that we had no military intentions” in Burma, Keating said. “We wanted to provide relief, and we were capable of doing that already.”

Meanwhile, the USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry, USS Mustin and USS Juneau still remain in the Bay of Bengal, about 50 nautical miles off Burma’s coast, awaiting permission from the Burmese government to deliver humanitarian supplies.

The U.S. servicemembers in the naval flotilla “badly, desperately want to help” the Burmese people, Keating emphasized. But the U.S. Navy ships, he predicted, would not be posted off Burma indefinitely.

In contrast to the Burmese government, the Chinese government has readily accepted U.S. military-provided humanitarian aid for earthquake victims, Keating pointed out.

The People’s Republic of China’s Sichuan province was hit by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake on May 12 that’s estimated to have killed more than 30,000 people.

Last weekend, the U.S. military dispatched two C-17 cargo jets to China laden with tens of thousands of pounds of relief supplies including generators, food, tents, water, and water-purification equipment provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Around that time, Keating recalled receiving permission to use the U.S.-China military hot line to talk with a senior Chinese air force general. The Chinese general, he said, was aware of the arrival of the U.S.-provided aid.

Two more U.S. military airplanes recently arrived in China, Keating noted, one carrying members of a Los Angeles Fire Department urban rescue team and the other delivering tents.

“Principally, there are millions of folks who are without shelter, and so one of the things that the Chinese tell us they need is tents,” Keating explained.

The People’s Republic of China forwarded more than $5 million in aid to the United States for Hurricane Katrina relief in September 2005.

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

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Lowest Violence in Four Years Attributed to Improved Iraqi Forces

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2008 -- Last week, Iraq experienced the lowest level of “security incidents” since March 2004, a reduction that military officials attribute in part to improvements in Iraqi security forces.

“The collective efforts … to increase the capacity of the Iraqi security forces is a key part of the reason why we saw last week the lowest level of security incidents in Iraq the past four years,” Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said this morning during a news conference in Baghdad.

“It is also why we are seeing Iraqi citizens increasingly supporting their security forces by calling in tips on criminal activity and illegal weapons,” Bergner continued. “And it is why we are seeing the Iraqi security forces conducting effective operations in Basra, Mosul and Baghdad to enforce the rule of law.”

Army Lt. Gen. James M. Dubik, commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, said he and other officials tasked with building and training the national security forces in Iraq are seeing continued progress.

“The last 12 months have witnessed a marked decrease in violence, along with a corresponding increase in the capability, professionalism and effectiveness of the Iraqi security forces,” he told reporters during the news conference.

The media have devoted much attention to the temporary 33,000-troop surge announced last year, which military officials have praised for helping tamp down violence in Iraq, Dubik said. But equally important, he added, is the complementary surge in the numbers and overall quality of the Iraqi forces.

Since June 2007, the Iraqi army has added 52,000 soldiers, the air force has expanded by 21 aircraft, and Iraq’s special operations forces have increased by 1,400 personnel. At the same time, the nation’s armed forces have dramatically increased their ability to sustain and replenish themselves, Dubik said.

“Last year at this time, the Iraqi army had only about 2,500 up-armored Humvees; right now it’s almost 3,200, and by the end of this year, there will be over 6,200 up-armored Humvees in the army alone,” he said, adding that the Iraqi air force increased its number of sorties over the same time from 30 weekly missions to 225.

Since this time last year, Iraqi security forces have grown by about 46,000 Iraqi police members and 15,000 Iraqi national police, Dubik said. As the forces swell, the Interior Ministry has made a “concerted effort” to ensure the members are trained to comport themselves professionally at the national and provincial levels.

“This has contributed greatly to an increase in confidence in the people that the police are to serve and protect,” he added. “I’m very proud to be a partner in this endeavor.”

(Story by John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service.)

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Married Army Couples Reenlist at Rare Double Ceremony in Iraq

Married couple, Sgt. Michael Daly and Sgt. Yeimie Osorio, both of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, recite the oath of enlistment at a reenlistment ceremony, May 27. The oath was administered by fellow married couple, Capt. Jay Johnston and Capt. Jennifer Johnston. (U.S. Army photo/Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton, Task Force XII)

Capt. Jennifer Johnston (left), and Sgt. Yeimie Osorio of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, pose for a photo next to their husbands, Capt. Jay Johnston and Sgt. Michael Daly (right), May 27. Osorio and Daly have been married for two years and chose to reenlist together. The Johnstons administered the oath. (U.S. Army photo/gt. 1st Class Chris Seaton, Task Force XII)

Dispatches from the Front:

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, May 28, 2008 -- For proof that the Army can be a family affair, one need look no further than the Daly family. They are a married couple in Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s Task Force XII who reenlisted in a double ceremony. If you’re still not convinced, you can talk to the Johnston family, the husband and wife team who administered the oath.

Sgt. Michael Daly, a native of Tampa, Fla. met his wife Sgt. Yeimie Osorio, from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, a few years ago while deployed to Afghanistan. They married two years ago and have managed to stay together, in the same unit, Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 3rd Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, ever since. In July, 2007, the couple deployed again, this time to Iraq.

“It’s good having your spouse here, but sometimes it’s a little difficult,” said Osorio. “We’d like to be able to treat each other the same way as we do back home, all ‘lovey dovey,’ but here, we work every day, and we’re soldiers 24 hours a day.”

Their situation is not all that unique. There are several married couples in Task Force XII. Among them are Capt. Jay Johnston and his wife Capt. Jennifer Johnston.

Jay, who now commands Company C, 412th Aviation Support Battalion, spent 1.5 years working as the signal officer for 3rd Bn., 158th Avn. Reg., where he was Daly’s supervisor.

Jennifer works in the air mission request cell of 3rd Bn., 158th Avn. Reg., with Osorio.

“I already knew that if I reenlisted, I wanted him to do the oath,” said Daly. “Since my wife and his wife work together, this worked out really well.”

The two couples faced each other during the ceremony, each pair reciting the oath in unison – first the Johnstons, then Osorio and Daly.

“I’ve done a lot of reenlistment ceremonies,” said Jay. “This one was unique though.”

Upon redeployment, Osorio and Daly will begin a new chapter in their lives as an Army married couple. The two will report to recruiter school at Fort Jackson, S.C.

The two said they hope to share their story with future soldiers who may be interested in joining the Army family. They also hope to work in the same recruiting station, but say they’re ready for anything.

“We both stay in the Army because wherever he goes, I want to be with him – even if it means deploying or working long hours in a recruiting station,” said Osorio.

“I wish them the best of luck,” said Jay. “I know they’ll do great on recruiting because they’re both great soldiers.”

(Story by Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton, Task Force XII.)

Tags: DOD, War, Military, GWOT, terrorism, al Qaeda, al Qaida, Middle East, Operation Iraqi Freedom, United States, U.S., coalition, Iraq, Dispatches from the Front, Multinational Force
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U.S. Defense Department Submits Emergency Budget Request to Congress

Focus on Defense:

Proposed Reprogramming Action Needed to Cover the Absence of Supplemental Funding

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2008 -- The Department of Defense yesterday submitted to the Congress reprogramming actions proposing to transfer a total of $9.7 billion to the Army and defense-wide accounts by borrowing the funds from other service accounts. This emergency action was necessary to extend Army and defense-wide operations in the absence of requested supplemental appropriations funds.

The two reprogramming requests would use transfer authority the Congress has provided the department and, if approved, would allow operations to continue until late July. The first reprogramming action would transfer $5.7 billion from the military personnel accounts of the other services to the Army's military personnel account; the second would transfer $4 billion from the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) accounts of the other services and the DoD Working Capital Fund to the Army and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) O&M accounts.

The department previously outlined the steps that would be necessary to take to sustain operations, including maximizing the use of all available transfer authority as represented in these reprogramming actions. Without the ability to transfer these funds, the Army will run out of military personnel funds necessary to pay its soldiers by June 15. Accordingly, the department is requesting that the appropriate Congressional committees act on the reprogramming action by no later than June 9.

Congressional approval of this $9.7 billion reprogramming will only allow another few weeks of operations until the department as a whole runs out of critical funding. Should Congress fail to pass the GWOT supplemental appropriations legislation by mid-July, the department will have exhausted all military personnel and operations funding and will, at minimum, be unable to make payroll for both military and civilian personnel throughout the department. Service members and selected essential civilian employees, including those engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, would continue to serve, but without pay. Non-essential civilian employees would be furloughed pursuant to applicable personnel procedures.

(From a U.S. Defense Department press release.)

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Airmen MIA From Vietnam War are Identified

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, May 27, 2008 -- The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of four U.S. servicemen, missing in action from the Vietnam War, have been identified and will be returned to their families for burial with full military honors.

They are Maj. Barclay B. Young, of Hartford, Conn.; and Senior Master Sgt. James K. Caniford, of Brunswick, Md. The names of the two others are being withheld at the request of their families. All men were U.S. Air Force. Caniford will be buried May 28 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C., and Young's burial date is being set by his family.

Remains that could not be individually identified are included in a group which will be buried together in Arlington. Among the group remains is Air Force Lt. Col. Henry P. Brauner of Franklin Park, N.J., whose identification tag was recovered at the crash site.

On March 29, 1972, 14 men were aboard an AC-130A Spectre gunship that took off from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, on an armed reconnaissance mission over southern Laos. The aircraft was struck by an enemy surface-to-air missile and crashed. Search and rescue efforts were stopped after a few days due to heavy enemy activity in the area.

In 1986, joint U.S.- Lao People's Democratic Republic teams, lead by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), surveyed and excavated the crash site in Savannakhet Province, Laos. The team recovered human remains and other evidence including two identification tags, life support items and aircraft wreckage. From 1986 to 1988, the remains were identified as those of nine men from this crew.

Between 2005 and 2006, joint teams resurveyed the crash site and excavated it twice. The teams found more human remains, personal effects and crew-related equipment. As a result, JPAC identified Young, Caniford and the other crewmen using forensic identification tools, circumstantial evidence, mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons.

(From a U.S. Defense Department press release.)

Related Site: Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office

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