Saturday, June 21, 2008

Nassau Strike Group Reenters the 6th Fleet Area of Operations

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ATLANTIC OCEAN (2008 FILE PHOTO) The amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) leads a formation of ships during an Atlantic Ocean crossing of the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrew King.)

Focus On Defense:

USS NASSAU, At Sea, June 21, 2008 -- The ships of the Nassau Strike Group (NAS ESG) reentered the Mediterranean, June 18, to conduct maritime security operations (MSO) in regional waters and theater security cooperation efforts.

The ships entered the region as part of an ongoing rotation of forces, demonstrating the United States' continued resolve toward enhancing regional security and promoting long-term stability.

Commanded by Capt. Robert G. Lineberry, commander, Amphibious Squadron 6, the NASSG is comprised of the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4); the amphibious transport dock ship USS Nashville (LPD 13); the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland (LSD 48); the guided-missile destroyers USS Ross (DDG 71) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84); the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), and the fast-attack submarine USS Albany (SSN 753).

"Our Sailors and Marines really enjoyed the chance to learn from our many multinational partners and contribute to the team effort in the region," said Lineberry. "PE 08 provided an excellent opportunity for all participants to share their ideas on maintaining safety and security, while building relationships and enhancing our interoperability."

While in the area, the NAS ESG will assist Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe (CNE) conduct the full range of maritime operations and theater security cooperation in concert with coalition, joint, interagency and other partners in order to advance security and stability in Europe and Africa.

The NAS ESG will also support the 2008 CNE operational objectives to improve maritime safety and security in Europe and Africa; be prepared for any contingency; provide exceptional stewardship to the regional workforce and their families; advance the art and science of maritime operations; advance awareness of the harmony of partner and U.S. interests and activities; and support U.S. European Command, U.S. Africa Command and other Navy Component Commanders.

The NASSG and its 2,800 Sailors and Marines were first in the region from Feb. 25-April 24, where they visited nine different countries and conducted several community relations projects. The strike group's operations in 6th Fleet included participation in Phoenix Express 2008 (PE 08), a two-week maritime exercise designed to increase the interoperability and collective maritime proficiencies of participating nations. In total, 3,100 service members from 11 nations participated in the U.S.-hosted, multinational exercise.

As the deployment sails forward, the NAS ESG will continue to execute its mission of providing the joint or combined force commander with a scalable maritime force capable of a full range of military options that is flexible, agile and quick to respond when called upon. The NAS ESG will further support the other tenets of the Navy's Maritime Strategy, which include forward presence, deterrence, sea control, power projection, and humanitarian assistance/disaster response.

The Maritime Strategy represents a new vision for the 21st century and establishes new capabilities to codify longstanding challenges, while maintaining focus on enduring naval missions.

"We are very pleased with our many accomplishments and milestones that we have achieved thus far during this deployment," said Lineberry. "The team is ready as we continue to perform our many missions and take each day and challenge as they come."

(Story from a Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group Public Affairs news release.)

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National Guard Steps Up Missouri Mission; Tackles Floods in 5 States

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Soldiers from the Missouri National Guard's 1138th Transportation Company reinforce the main wall along the Mississippi River in downtown Clarksville. (Photo by Gary Stevens.)

On the Home Front:

ARLINGTON, Va., June 21, 2008 – Missouri was the latest Midwest state to see increasing numbers of National Guard Citizen-Soldiers and –Airmen on duty in the face of the region’s worst flooding in 15 years.

“Our priority is to protect the lives of Missouri’s residents and their property,” Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt said during a visit to flood-affected areas with National Guard officials. “Then we will focus on recovery efforts.”

“As Missourians continue to face the rising waters of the Mississippi, their Missouri National Guard stands beside them in the fight,” said Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, the adjutant general.

More than 5,700 National Guardsmen and women were responding to flooding in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin on June 19, a peak since the Guard started deploying troops in the face of rising waters on June 7.

A response that began in Indiana spread with the water to Wisconsin on June 9, Iowa the next day and Illinois and Missouri on June 14. Indiana operations wound down on Wednesday after 11 days.

But the threat was far from winding down as The Associated Press reported sandbagging in towns along the Mississippi River in the face of cresting waters.

Residents in towns already flooded faced weeks of cleanup and mounds of trash to dispose of. Twenty-four people have died and 148 have been injured during June’s storms and flooding, the AP reported. Damages are estimated in the billions of dollars.

Fourteen Missouri counties were affected, National Guard Bureau officials reported.

Guard officials were monitoring both the Mississippi and Missouri rivers as more than 700 troops responded, focusing on Clarksville and Wentzville. Water had crested or breached levees, and more were threatened.

“We have troops doing work on the ground from Alexandria to Winfield,” said Capt. Tammy Spicer, a Missouri Guard spokesperson. Alexandria is in the north. Winfield is just north of St. Louis. The Guard was monitoring the situation the length of the Mississippi in Missouri, she said. The Missouri Guard has established a Northeast Task Force overseeing seven units supporting communities facing rising water, it was reported this week.

Lt. Col. William McKinney, the task force commander, said that the Guard is working hard to protect the local population and has deployed every necessary resource available.

Missouri National Guard members are currently mobilized in the communities of Hannibal, the boyhood home of famed American writer Mark Twain, and Clarksville, Canton, West Quincy, LaGrange and Alexandria, assisting with sandbagging operations, levee monitoring and limited security operations.

To combat future flooding threats, the Guard has also established a quick reaction force in Louisiana, Mo. The Guard has also posted liaison officers to work with state and local officials in Clark, Lewis, Marion, Ralls, Pike and Lincoln counties.

Among the units deployed is the 1438th Engineer Company from Macon. Several members from that unit were deployed to the area after returning from a two-week annual training exercise in South Dakota.

Spc. John Crawford, of St. Louis, said that though the flooding has kept him from returning to work his employers know the importance of his mission.

“It is a great thing the Guard is doing up here,” Crawford said. “I have been helping fill and transport sandbags to the levees.”The Guard was sandbagging, monitoring levees and securing evacuated areas. Minutemen and women were also providing command and control, communications and tactical operations support to civilian authorities. The latest operations were similar to Guard actions throughout the Midwest this month:
  • Illinois: More than 1,100 Guardmembers assisted with communications and sandbagging.

  • Indiana: Operation Noah’s Ark concluded Thursday. The height of the mission saw more than 1,400 Guardmembers on duty sandbagging, providing security, conducting search and rescue missions and distributing water.

  • Iowa: More than 4,200 Guardmembers remained on duty as the state faced a public health emergency caused by lost water supplies. Massive flooding rendered 83 of the state’s 99 counties under state disaster declarations. Guardmembers focused on preventing more flooding; providing drinking water, generators, security and transportation; conducting aerial damage assessment and other operations.

  • Wisconsin: About 230 Guardmembers provided communications, generators, security and transport. The Guard also assisted with aerial damage assessments, filling and grading on washed-out roads and removing debris, NGB officials reported.

Meanwhile, Guardmembers were on duty assisting Border Patrol agents in four Southwest Border states, tackling wildfires, ferrying drinking water to residents of several New Mexico towns, supporting Louisiana police, providing critical infrastructure protection in Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York, flying critical air sovereignty missions nationwide and running Counterdrug operations.

National Guardmembers also are on duty on a variety of missions in many foreign countries, including combat operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

(Story by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill, National Guard Bureau, with contributions by Robert Seyller of the Missouri National Guard Public Affairs Office.)

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Combat Camera: Illinois Air National Guard Reinforces Levees

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Airmen assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard team up with local residents to spread sheets of plastic over reinforced levees along the Mississippi River, June 19, 2008, near Pleasant Hill, Ill. The plastic sheets prevent erosion that could cause the levee to fail and flood thousands of acres of farmland and homes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jack Braden.)

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Illinois National Guardsmen unload a truck full of sand bags, June 19, 2008. The sandbags will be used to secure plastic sheets to help prevent erosion along the Sny levee near Pleasant Hill, Ill. The Sny levee protects communities along the Mississippi River for a distance of 52 miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios.)

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U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aaron Rath secures two sandbags with rope along the Sny levee near Pleasant Hill, Ill., June 19, 2008. Rath is an Air National Guardsman assigned to the 183th Fighter Wing located in Spring Field, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios.)

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Airmen assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard spread sheets of plastic over reinforced levees along the Mississippi River, June 19, 2008, near Pleasant Hill, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jack Braden.)

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U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Bell cuts rope to secure sand bags in place, June 19, 2008, to help prevent erosion of the Sny levee near Pleasant Hill, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Desiree N. Palacios.)

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Airmen assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard wade in knee-deep water to spread sheets of plastic over reinforced levees along the Mississippi River, June 19, 2008, near Pleasant Hill, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jack Braden.)

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Airmen assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard spread sheets of plastic over reinforced levees along the Mississippi River near Pleasant Hill, Ill., June 19, 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jack Braden.)

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U.S. Air Force Master Sgts. Brexton Hal, right, and Paul Butts unload sandbags used to hold large sheets of plastic in place on the reinforced levees along the Mississippi River, June 19, 2008. The two are assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard's 183th Fighter Wing located in Spring Field, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jack Braden.)

COMBAT CAMERA More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

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U.S. Military Divers Work to Raise Sunken Former Soviet Sub

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Providence, RI (2008 FILE PHOTO) Diver 1st Class Mark Sawyer, assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, Co. 21 based in Virginia Beach, Va., places a ratchet strap across a large patch that will be used to seal one of the escape hatches of the sunken former Soviet submarine Juliett 484 at the bottom of the Providence River. U.S. Navy and Army divers and with federal, state, and local authorities are participating in a joint service operation to raise the submarine from the water at Collier Point Park in Providence, R.I. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Eric Lippmann.)

Focus on Defense:

PROVIDENCE, R.I., June 21, 2008 -- U.S. Navy expeditionary combat salvage divers and a contingent of U.S. Army divers are taking part in a unique real-world training mission that is honing their skills while benefiting the local community in Providence.

Nearly 100 active and reserve Sailors and Soldiers, including 50 divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 in Norfolk, and the U.S. Army Dive Company based at Fort Eustis, Va. arrived in Providence, June 1 for training salvage operations on the sunken former Soviet submarine K-77, also known as Juliett 484.

The former Soviet cruise missile submarine sank at its mooring here during a freak storm on April 17, 2007.

This salvage operation, comprised of a heavy Navy diving and salvage footprint and a contingent of Army divers, is an extremely unique opportunity for training on a complete joint salvage mission, and is being performed as part of the Department of Defense's (DoD) Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) program. Through IRT, military units receive training by taking part in real-world, community-based projects.

"The Department of Defense would normally achieve readiness for our waterway clearance and salvage mission through baseline funding and normal training packages; however, this is a unique opportunity to get more effective training for nearly the same amount of money and benefit the local community at the same time," said Army Capt. Charles Denike, Army Diving Company commanding officer and Juliett Deputy Mission commander.

"So, instead of spending tax dollars by simulating a training environment, the Innovative Readiness Training program allows us to train in a complex joint, inter-agency real-world command and control, and diving and salvage project, ultimately maximizing the effectiveness of the taxpayers' dollars in a direct, measurable way in both our military program and in the local civil sector in the process. For Army, while Maritime Security is certainly a Navy mission, the opportunity here helps ensure the appropriate level of joint capability and capacity for potential future missions."

DoD involvement began in the summer of 2007, when Navy and Army divers conducted underwater surveys to determine how to safely recover K-77 from the Providence River. In April, the divers, supported by Naval Sea Systems Command engineers, continued necessary surveys and engineering calculations prior to the complex salvage operation. The project involves patching and pumping water from the submarine's pressure vessel, and repairing the submarine's ballast tanks, in order to ultimately raise it to the surface.

"This has been a unique experience in itself," said Sgt. Chaise Turner of the U.S. Army Dive Company. "You don't get the chance to dive on an old former Soviet submarine all the time."

"There's so much history behind it," added Navy Diver 1st Class (DV) Eric Riggenbach from MDSU 2. "I've dived on a few American submarines, but to see how a Soviet submarine was designed has been really interesting."

According to Cmdr. Dan Shultz, commanding officer, MDSU 2 and Juliett Mission commander, this project provides a valuable opportunity for both Army and Navy divers to hone their expeditionary diving and salvage skills in a real-world setting, skills that are vital in support of the nation's strategy for Maritime Security, including peacetime support to international humanitarian and disaster relief, engagement with international partners, as well as wartime missions.

"The ability of U.S. Navy and Army divers to clear waterways, ports and harbors is important to our nation's ability to help other nations open their own waterways and lanes for the movement of commerce," said Shultz. "This would also include our own ports and waterways critical commerce in the U.S., especially following a natural disaster or terrorist event."

Both the Navy and Army divers bring a vast range of experience in a variety of environments, but the shallow, murky water of the Providence River offers additional training value.

"A lot of the younger guys are getting the experience being in a zero-visibility situation with cold water and long dive times, as opposed to versus shorter times we're used to," explained Turner.

Riggenbach agreed. "This is probably one of the only opportunities we get to put hands on and operate certain equipment, that we normally only use on salvage ships."

Additionally, this mission provides the opportunity for the divers to train together in a joint setting, with Army and Navy divers integrated into one team.

"We've learned a lot from each other," said Riggenbach. "The Army does some things different than us, but they're very professional and hard working as we are. Whenever you get divers together, regardless of their service, we're still the same."

Supporting the divers are engineers from Naval Sea Systems Command's Supervisor of Diving and Salvage, and Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal Expeditionary Support Unit 2, who are providing logistics and communications support, as well as personnel to operate the Army Landing Craft Unit that serves as a diving platform.

(Story by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW/AW) Dave Nagle, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command Public Affairs.)

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Forces in Iraq Kill 4, Detain Dozens

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 20, 2008 -- Coalition and Iraq security forces killed four enemy fighters and detained dozens more during several operations over the past few days, military officials said.

Coalition forces killed four terrorists and detained 18 suspected terrorists yesterday and today during operations around Baghdad targeting al-Qaida in Iraq bombing networks.

Coalition forces conducted a series of operations near Balad, targeting the financier behind a bombing network in the Tigris River Valley. At one location today, coalition forces came under attack by small-arms fire from a nearby rooftop. They returned fire and killed four armed men. At other locations yesterday and today, coalition forces detained 16 additional suspected terrorists.

Coalition forces captured a suspected key leader in the al-Qaida in Iraq media network. Another operation netted a man believed to conspire directly with an al-Qaida in Iraq leader in Baghdad who oversees the terrorist network in the city.

In Mosul, coalition forces detained 12 people today, including two wanted men believed to oversee criminal attacks for the al-Qaida in Iraq network, officials said. About 130 kilometers southwest of Mosul, coalition forces found and destroyed three terrorist hideouts and a cache of weapons used by foreign terrorist facilitators near Biaj.

In operations yesterday:
  • Iraqi special operations forces captured four suspected cell members for the Islamic State of Iraq, a front organization for al-Qaida in Iraq, in eastern Mosul. Officials say the cell reportedly is responsible for homemade-bomb and mortar attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces.

  • Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers operating in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad detained a man suspected of attacks against coalition soldiers and Iraqi security forces. They also located a cache containing bomb-making materials. They also seized grenades, various sized rounds, and artillery fuses in and around Baghdad.

  • Iraqi security forces, with advice from coalition forces, started clearing operations in Amarah following a four-day amnesty period for weapons turn-in. During the amnesty period, artillery rounds and a machine gun were turned in to Iraqi security forces, and a militia headquarters was seized after the discovery of a large weapons cache containing hundreds of mines, mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, and four homemade rocket launchers.

  • Eight weapons caches were found in Baghdad’s Sadr City district.

In operations June 18:
  • Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained two men possessing a roadside bomb designed to pierce armor-hulled vehicles, fuses, anti-tank mines, rocket-propelled grenades, a 60 mm mortar, and a pair of two-way radios in the Aamel neighborhood.

  • After responding to a tip, soldiers arrested two triggermen waiting to detonate a roadside bomb in the Zubaida area.

  • In the Hadar community, soldiers detained a man suspected of numerous roadside-bomb attacks, weapons trafficking, and the murder of innocent Iraqis. They also uncovered a rocket-propelled grenade round with launcher, hand grenades, and about 650 7.62 mm rounds while conducting a combined patrol in the Bayaa neighborhood.

  • Iraqi national police saved a kidnapped child while patrolling the New Baghdad security district of eastern Baghdad. The soldiers investigated the source of the child’s screams and found the boy, who claimed he had been kidnapped. Two men were detained for the kidnapping. In the first suspected kidnapper's house, police found and seized a weapons cache consisting of armor-piercing roadside bombs, RPG launchers, an anti-tank mine, various rifles, a pistol, rounds of various sizes, C-4 explosives, and TNT with blasting caps.

  • Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers seized various munitions throughout Baghdad.

  • Iraqi national police found various ammunition rounds, blasting caps and several belts of RPK ammo in Baghdad’s West Rashid district. In another operation, soldiers found rockets, mortars, armor-piercing roadside bombs, an AK-47, anti-personnel RPGs, three rockets, an RPG propellant, bomb-making materials, anti-tank mines and radios.

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

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Thursday, June 19, 2008

High Gas Prices Hit Troops Where it Hurts

News in Balance

Focus on Defense:

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., June 19, 2008 -- For the first time since the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff began touring the world talking to troops, the increasing cost of gas is popping up on their list of concerns.

In didn’t come up when it was $2 per gallon, or $3, but now, with the cost of a gallon of gas topping out at more than $4 per gallon, the subject has come up in the last four of his “all-hands” meetings starting last week at Fort Stewart, Ga., and now at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., and Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base, both in Washington.

“Every single session [now], the price of gas has come up,” Mullen said.

One soldier at Fort Lewis wanted to know if the Pentagon was considering a gas cost of living allowance, similar to a housing allowance. Not yet, said the chairman. Even if the idea were under consideration, he added, the process would take so long that it would be years before it would yield anything to put in the soldier’s wallet.

At Nellis Air Force Base, the price of gas is particularly disconcerting to airmen who drive to Creech Air Force to work every day. The 100-mile roundtrip can sift through an airman first class’s fuel budget quickly. There are shuttles available, but not all schedules are accommodated, officials said. Also, officials said, some airmen live between Nellis and Creech, but have to drive to Nellis for their children’s daycare and then turn around and drive to Creech to work, increasing their commute by half. There are no daycare facilities at Creech AFB.

Even a modest increase in gas prices can mean hundreds of more dollars at the pumps annually for soldiers stationed at installations like the remote National Training Center, at Fort Irwin, Calif. The post is nearly 50 miles from the nearest city, Barstow. At 100 miles per round-trip, even a fuel-efficient car is costly to drive to work and back.

At Twentynine Palms, Calif., it is more than an hour’s trip to get to the nearest large department store, and a major city with popular recreation and shopping activities is easily 100 miles or more away. High fuel prices can dampen plans for deserving weekend getaways.

Mullen called the rising cost of fuel a “significant fiscal challenge” for both operational and personal needs.

He praised the Air Force today for leading the way in weaning itself off of fuel, noting that the service has begun flying some of its bombers with synthetic fuel. He said the rest of the military needs to follow suit.

Typically, any fuel cost increase during the year is absorbed by supplemental budget requests submitted by the Defense Department, Mullen said. The Pentagon spends about $15 billion annually for fuel.

But, Mullen said he thinks the days of multiple supplemental budget requests is nearing an end, and he added that he believes fuel costs need to be reflected in the overall budget.

That said, if fuel prices are reflected in a fixed budget and costs rise, the money will likely come from personnel or acquisition funding, Mullen said. “Oftentimes you slow down or stop buying stuff,” he said.

Mullen said that all leaders need to be thinking about how to operate more efficiently, conducting the same operations with less gas “and not just assume it’s always going to be there.”

He said leaders need to plan operations, transportation and family care, and manage them in a more efficient way.

“We’re going to have to make that right for the future,” Mullen said.

(Story by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service.)

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Irregular Warfare Presents Future Challenge For U.S. Military

News in Balance
U.S. Navy sailors conduct a post-flight check on the cockpit of an EA-6B Prowler aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk, Pacific Ocean, June 17, 2008. The USS Kitty Hawk is returning to the United States for decommissioning after 47 years of service. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick Heil.)

Focus on Defense:

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 19, 2008 -- The U.S. military will be engaged in irregular warfare operations for some time to come, a senior U.S. military officer said here today.

“Irregular warfare, from my perspective, is the key problem that we face today,” Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, told attendees at the 2008 Joint Warfighting Conference.

The U.S. military is now locked in battle with transnational terrorists like al-Qaida, but it also must be prepared to fight conventional conflicts, Mattis said.

Meanwhile, American sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines will be fighting terrorists during the next decade or so, Mattis predicted.

“The enemy won’t fight us conventionally,” Mattis pointed out, noting the terrorists realize they’re outmatched on traditional battlefields.

He cited his belief that technology, although welcome and helpful, isn’t a panacea for all of the unknowns inherent in warfighting, where the human dimension of conflict reigns supreme.

Terrorists embrace irregular warfare as a countermeasure to U.S. military supremacy, Mattis explained, noting they are intelligent, persistent and patient.

“This enemy is not going away any time soon,” the general observed.

Anyone who believes the terrorists can be reasoned with are wrong, Mattis said, noting their worldview is totally at odds with that of civilized societies.

The United States, the Soviet Union and China did not want to use their nuclear weapons during the Cold War, Mattis said. However, he said, it’d be different if al Qaida terrorists acquired nuclear or chemical weapons. “I firmly believe that if they got chemical or nuclear weapons they would use them,” he emphasized.

To achieve victory over terrorism the U.S. military must become intellectually focused on understanding the enemy and how he operates, Mattis said. Winning this battle depends on U.S. servicemembers being adaptive and capable of improvisation, he added.

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and his troops have severely disrupted al-Qaida in Iraq operations by adapting counterinsurgency doctrine to separate terrorists from the Iraqi populace, Mattis said.

The U.S. military does a good job of destroying or finishing the enemy once he has been “fixed,” or cornered, Mattis said. However, he said, more work needs to be done in areas related to finding the foe.

Mattis told military contractors in the audience that the U.S. military needs to devise a way to blow up improvised explosive devices while they’re still in terrorists’ hands.

“We have to take the IED and turn it against the enemy by pre-detonation,” Mattis said.

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

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Last Surge Brigade to Return Home After Successful 13-Month Deployment

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2008 -- The last of the five Army brigades to deploy with the “troop surge” in Iraq will return in July after a 13-month deployment, during which soldiers detained more than 800 terrorist suspects and helped foster Iraqi self-governance.

The 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team has operated in the Arab Jabour area of southeastern Baghdad, where the number of attacks plummeted from about 30 a week when they arrived in May 2007 to about one a week now.

“All in all, it's been a very successful operation for us,” Army Col. Terry Ferrell, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, told reporters at the Pentagon today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, in Baghdad.

President Bush announced the temporary 33,000-troop surge in January 2007 to tamp down violence in Iraq and help prepare Iraq’s national security forces to maintain security. The first surge brigade went home in March, and the final redeployment next month will reduce the number of brigades in Iraq to 15.

During their tour, 2nd Brigade soldiers’ main duties have included blocking weapons from entering the Iraqi capital, protecting the local population and quashing sectarian violence. The soldiers also have focused on making Iraqi security forces more capable, fostering the local governance and economy, and setting up Iraqis for long-term self-reliance.

The primary enemies, Ferrell said, have been al-Qaida and Sunni extremists who had created a sanctuary in Arab Jabour, where terrorists controlled the population through fear and intimidation. Insurgents used homes, farms and commercial properties as bases of operation and bomb-making factories, devastating the region's economy.

Without a sustained security presence in the area, local residents often were bereft of basic necessities such as clean water, electricity, health care and education, the colonel added.

But over the course of the year, 2nd Brigade helped establish 11 patrol bases in Arab Jabour. The centers are manned by coalition and Iraqi security forces who work and live together and coordinate efforts of some 5,000 citizen security group members known as “Sons of Iraq.”

Coalition and Iraqi security forces, along with the Sons of Iraq, achieved significant gains through three division-focused operations: Marne Torch I, Marne Torch II and Marne Thunderbolt.

“The combined efforts of these operations resulted in over 800 suspects detained, over 600 weapons caches found and over 500 [homemade bombs] safely destroyed, and nearly 6,000-plus houses cleared so that we could continue to move through the area of operations, providing for a safe, secure environment,” Ferrell said.

The colonel added that, in addition to these operations, an increased Iraqi army role in the area allowed local citizens to enlarge their presence.

“Over this past year, we've helped create city councils in each of our population areas,” he said. “Neighborhood councils now give our communities a direct voice to the government.”

Moreover, in the wake of security gains, the local agriculture and economy have flourished. In addition, private clinics continue to open, electricity and water are flowing easily into the area, and the community has established 25 new or refurbished schools.

“As we prepare to redeploy as the last of the five surge brigades,” Ferrell said, “it's clear that the government of Iraq has begun to shoulder a larger responsibility for the citizens in the area that we have operated.

“Furthermore, the capacity and capabilities of the Iraqi army has improved tremendously throughout our time here and the operations we have conducted jointly throughout the operation,” he added. “All these vehicles of change combined to generate momentum towards prosperity, security and self-reliance.”

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

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Reagan Carrier Strike Group Arrives in Hong Kong

News in Balance
(2008 FILE PHOTO) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Spike Call.

Focus on Defense:

HONG KONG, June 19, 2008 -- The six ships and more than 7,000 Sailors of the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group (CSG) arrived in Hong Kong June 19 for a scheduled port visit.

The strike group is comprised of the flagship, the Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76); embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14; and the ships of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7; the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), the guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Howard (DDG 83) and USS Gridley (DDG 101) and the guided-missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43).

The port is the first stop for the strike group in its 2008 Western Pacific deployment.

"Our Sailors could not be more excited," said Capt. Kenneth Norton, USS Ronald Reagan commanding officer. "Hong Kong is one of the greatest cities in the world, and our young men and women will have ample opportunities to take it all in."

More than 300 strike group Sailors are scheduled to make a difference in the Hong Kong community, participating in community relations (COMREL) projects at local schools, elderly care centers and charity foundations.

"Hong Kong is a place I've always dreamed of visiting," said Storekeeper 1st Class (SW) Tina Pugh, volunteer for one of the COMRELs. "When I participate in COMRELs and do things for other people, I feel better about who I am and my place in the world."

Currently in the U.S. 7th Fleet's area of responsibility (AOR) as part of a regularly scheduled deployment to promote cooperation, security, and stability in the region, the Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group is commanded by Rear Adm. Phil Wisecup.

(Story by Lt. Ron Flanders, Carrier Strike Group 7 Public Affairs.)

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Rising Fuel Costs Prompt U.S. Air Force to Field New Technology

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An MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Jonathan Steffen.)

Focus on Defense:

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 19, 2008 -- The Air Force is using more high-tech platforms such as unmanned aerial vehicles to combat extremists overseas while it seeks ways to mitigate the rising cost of fuel, a senior U.S. military officer said here today.

Unmanned aerial systems constitute “a growth industry,” Air Force Gen. John D.W. Corley, commander of Air Combat Command and air component chief for U.S. Joint Forces Command, told attendees at the 2008 Joint Warfighting Conference.

“There is an appetite for unmanned aerial systems, and in my mind, I think that will continue unabated,” Corley said.

Corley recalled that he requested more funds to accelerate the production of UAVs a few years ago. Since then, he said, the amount of military UAV activity has exploded.

UAVs can provide reconnaissance or attack capabilities for combat commanders, Corley noted. However, the system’s flexibility prompts questions, he said.

“If we use them as weapons, can we use them as replacements for some of our historic tactical aviation assets?” Corley asked, noting that’s a question “that we have to embrace, both for the relevance in terms of irregular warfare and beyond.”

The Air Force also has seen the cost of fuel for its aircraft go up $600 million for each $10 increase in the price of a barrel of oil, Corley observed. Air Force logisticians are looking at switching to alternative fuels for some aircraft to help mitigate rising costs, Corley reported, noting that strategy represents a viable “Plan B.”

In addition, there is interest within the Air Force to examine how more sophisticated ground-based pilot-training systems could help to cut back on flying hours and thus save fuel, Corley noted.

The Air Force prides itself on the outstanding capabilities possessed by its officers and enlisted members, Corley said, as well as the superb training regimen that keeps them ready for combat missions.

“But, is there a way for us to get at some of that combat-skills training and do it by burning less fossil fuel?” Corley asked.

The oil-price situation presents the Air Force with an opportunity, Corley said, noting his service has “an aging fleet that demands recapitalizing -- an aging fleet that can’t fly as frequently” due to the rising cost of fuel. The answer, Corley said, is well beyond common simulator training, indicating that more-sophisticated “virtual” training systems could fit the bill.

New fuel sources and different ways of powering aircraft are likely in the future, the general noted.

“But, as a mitigation strategy in the near term, I’ve got to also deliver on increased combat capability, perhaps by flying less, and that is a terrifying thought for an airman,” Corley said.

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

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Troops Detain 5 in Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2008 -- Coalition and Afghan forces detained five suspected insurgents during separate operations recently in Afghanistan’s Ghanzi and Paktia provinces, officials said.

Coalition and Afghan forces captured two insurgents yesterday in Ghanzi province during an operation targeting foreign-fighter facilitators in the area.

In Paktia province June 17, coalition and Afghan forces captured three insurgents during an operation designed to disrupt foreign-fighter activities. Troops also confiscated large sums of Afghan and U.S. cash and three motorcycles believed to be used for militant operations, officials said.

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

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Troops Detain 37 Suspected Terrorists in Northern Iraq

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2008 -- U.S. and Iraqi troops detained 35 suspected terrorists during recent operations in northern Iraq, military officials said.

Coalition forces captured 21 suspected terrorists in various operations today across northern Iraq:
  • Eight were detained in Tarmiyah, about 25 miles north of Baghdad, for their alleged association with a terrorist network responsible for numerous bombings, murders and hijackings, and for transporting terrorists throughout the country, officials said.

  • Coalition forces captured six suspected terrorists in Mosul. One man is wanted for his connections with al-Qaida leaders and foreign-terrorist facilitators throughout the country. Five others were detained with him.

  • In Beiji, about 100 miles south of Mosul, coalition forces arrested four suspected terrorists connected to a car-bombing network. Two suspected bombing financiers were detained in Balad, just south of Beiji, and another individual was captured in Biaj, about 80 miles southwest of Mosul, for harboring terrorists.

In operations yesterday:
  • Troops from 2nd Iraqi Army Division captured three suspected terrorists, including one believed to be a mid-level leader with the Islamic State of Iraq terrorist group in Mosul. The suspected leader is accused of facilitating and distributing homemade bombs and allegedly is responsible for numerous bombing attacks and killings of Iraqi and U.S. troops, officials said.

  • Tips from local residents led soldiers from 10th Mountain Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team to capture six suspected terrorists in Baghdad’s New Baghdad district. Three of the men allegedly are associated with weapons caches discovered in a metalworking shop. They also are believed to be linked to three roadside bombs designed to pierce armor-hulled vehicles found May 15 near the area, officials said.

  • An Iraqi emergency response unit captured three men allegedly associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and seized a weapons cache in Kedraniyah, about 60 miles southeast of Mosul. The cache consisted of about 100 pounds of explosive materials, land mines, a sniper rifle with homemade silencer, a Katyusha rocket, hand grenades, and several thousand small-arms and artillery rounds, officials said.

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

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Surge Has Stabilized Iraq, Head of Joint Chiefs Says

News in Balance
U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses servicemembers assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash., during an all-hands call at Soldier Field House, June 18, 2008. (Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley.)

News in Balance:

FORT LEWIS, Wash., June 19, 2008 -- The U.S. military’s top officer told about 1,000 soldiers gathered here yesterday that they set the stage for positive security gains in Iraq as part of last year’s troop surge efforts.

“You left Iraq this time in much better shape than when you showed up,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told the soldiers at an “all-hands” meeting during his third stop on a four-day tour of western-U.S. military installations.

The 2nd Infantry Division’s 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, part of the surge deployed last year, returned from Iraq in May. Many others from Fort Lewis have returned in the past six months. In fact, the walls of the gym that held the all-hands meeting still are lined with “welcome home” banners.

“Charlie Company Rocks. Job Well Done!” was hand-scrawled on poster board taped above the rows of bleachers, among other similar signs.

The surge troops “turned the tide,” Mullen said, citing positive trends in economics, politics and security in Iraq. “My hat’s off to you for making that difference,” he said.

“The sacrifices that you made have really created an opportunity to get it right in Iraq,” Mullen said.

But, he said, there is still a long way to go toward a stable Iraq. The admiral added that trends have yet to prove sustainable and irreversible.

Mullen told the soldiers that the Army is in the process of evolving the way it fights, as well as the way it recruits, retains, trains and equips its force.

As a country, he said, the United States has not done a very good job at predicting the next fight, so the Army has to get back to balancing its counterinsurgency training for the current war with the need to train in its conventional wartime tasks.

“If you look where our Army was a few years ago, and you look where we are right now, we are the best counterinsurgency force in the world,” Mullen said.

Five years ago, the services didn’t know much about counterinsurgency. Since he assumed office as chairman in October, Mullen said, he has traveled the world and realized how critical that fighting skill is.

Mullen also spoke directly about the need to reduce deployment lengths and increase “dwell time” at home stations between deployments. Troops here were directly affected when the Army extended their 12-month deployment by three months.

“Fifteen months is too long,” Mullen said. “The very important goal is to get to a rotation which allows us 12 months in theater and 24 months back, and we’re not there yet.”

Deployments are back to one year for deploying Army units, but the dwell time is only about one year for returning units. Mullen said that how fast the U.S. military can get to two years of dwell time depends on force requirements, noting that the effort in Afghanistan needs three more brigade combat teams than are currently deployed there.

But if positive trends in Iraq continue, Mullen said, he is hopeful he can further reduce troop numbers there. He also pointed out that the Army is growing to 547,000 soldiers from 485,000 over the next few years, and the Marine Corps also is increasing its numbers, which should help to reduce the strain both services have felt in recent years.

Mullen also talked about the combat stress that many in the crowd have seen as the result of multiple deployments. The vast majority of soldiers at the all-hands meeting wore “combat unit patches” on the right shoulders of their Army combat uniforms.

“Many of you have been through combat you thought you would never see,” the chairman said. “You’ve seen your friends die. You’ve seen them injured. You’ve been through extraordinarily challenging circumstances.”

Now that the soldiers are home, Mullen said, senior leaders must set the right example and get help for post-traumatic stress. Everyone he served with during the Vietnam War came away from the battlefield with some post-traumatic stress, he said, and if leaders now would seek treatment or counseling, their troops would follow.

Dealing with post-traumatic stress now will help mitigate its long-term impact, the admiral told the soldiers.

The chairman also called on leaders to stay in touch with their solders who leave the service and those who return to civilian life after becoming injured in battle. He also called on them to take care of the families of those who have died in combat.

As is typical for today’s soldiers, the troops gathered here weren’t shy when the chairman opened the floor for questions. The days of a “pregnant pause” at that point in such a forum are long gone. In fact, the first soldier was so fast with his question that he’d finished asking it before the microphone got to him. For nearly an hour, the chairman fielded questions, mostly from young enlisted soldiers, on topics such as training, recruiting bonuses, rising fuel costs, and quality of life within the military.

A young enlisted soldier asked about eventually training in conventional warfare. Mullen said the force is “somewhat frustrated” right now when it comes to combined arms training, and he acknowledged that the Army will not be able to begin training sufficiently in its conventional warfighting tasks until soldiers can spend about two years at home station after a deployment.

“What we’re worried about is that skills that are associated with that are clearly atrophied, because we’re not doing it. We know we’ve got to get back to it. It’s gong to take us a while,” Mullen said, estimating that it could take as long as four years to get to that point.

A specialist asked what the admiral would like to see happen during the next year in Iraq. Mullen replied that he hopes for further gains in politics, economics and security. He said he has been encouraged by recent political gains, which he called key to the successful stabilization of the country.

“The politics is what’s got to work,” he said, noting that political progress is enabled by security gains.

The status-of-forces agreement between the U.S. and Iraqi governments needs to be finalized, and upcoming fall provincial elections need to be held successfully, he said. The fact that the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain have announced in the past two weeks that that they will send ambassadors to Baghdad is a positive sign, he added.

“We’re by no means done, but we’ve come a long way because of the success of the surge,” Mullen said.

One hot topic for the Army touched on by a specialist is the service’s practice of “stop-loss,” or not allowing a soldier to leave the service at the end of his contract because of unit requirements.

The specialist asked pointedly if stop-loss is going away, and the chairman answered simply: “No.”

After some laughter, the chairman voiced his opinion of the practice. “I’d like to see stop-loss go away tomorrow if I could,” Mullen said, but current troop levels make it critical to maintaining unit integrity in the war.

About 12,000 soldiers have not been allowed to leave at the end of their contracts, Mullen said. That number will grow over the next few years, he said, and will continue to grow until the Army grows its numbers. Given the current needs and troop strength, Mullen said, he doesn’t see an end soon to the stop-loss policy.

Mullen also was asked about the quality of Army barracks.

“We have a history … of not investing well enough in our barracks. And the message I get from you and many others is that’s not going to work for much longer” he said. “We’ve got an awful lot of money poised to invest in barracks over the next four to five years. That doesn’t help you with where you’re living right now, and I understand that.”

The chairman said the Army is going to have to build and continue to invest in the care of its living quarters.

After the all-hands meeting, the chairmen spent the morning talking with various levels of leaders in roundtable discussions and at a working lunch. He followed that up with a visit to the Wounded Warrior Brigade here. There, he visited social workers in the clinic, as well as troops and staff. Nearly 800 soldiers are in the brigade, which cares for troops who require longer-term medical care than their units can facilitate.

Afterward, Mullen saw first-hand the latest in computer-generated, scenario-driven leadership-development training at the Battle Command Training Center. The multi-million-dollar complex of 10 buildings offers the latest in Army technology aimed at helping leaders work through decision-making scenarios, as well as access sensitive and classified tactics that are fed from the battlefield to the center. Commanders can use the data to drive training scenarios for their units before deploying.

He rounded out the day by visiting the oldest and newest barracks on post, talking with soldiers in each and surveying their living conditions.

(Story by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service.)

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