US Navy Diverts USS Kearsarge, Helos to Haiti in Hanna's Wake

In this August 2008 file photo, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) heads to sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Lolita M. Lewis.)

News in Balance:

MIAMI, Fla., Sept. 6, 2008 -- U.S. Southern Command has directed Commander, Fourth Fleet to divert the amphibious ship USS KEARSARGE (LHD 3) to Haiti to assist with relief efforts in areas affected by flooding due to tropical storm activity in the Caribbean.

Kearsarge will depart from Santa Marta, Colombia, for Haiti to join other U.S. assistance operations in the vicinity of Port au Prince.

Kearsarge is currently supporting phase two of Continuing Promise 2008, a humanitarian assistance mission that includes assisting partner nations impacted by natural disasters and other emergencies resulting in human suffering or danger to human lives.

Kearsarge's capabilities include rapid movement of personnel and cargo by helicopter and landing craft, making it an ideal platform to support humanitarian relief missions on short notice.

Airlift assets embarked aboard Kearsarge include the CH-53 Super Stallion and the MH-60S Seahawk.

The crew of Kearsarge includes a team of medical personnel that can provide first-aid and other health care related services to communities impacted by conditions associated with the flooding.

Medical facilities aboard Kearsarge include four operating rooms, 13 intensive-care unit beds, 40 medical ward beds, a laboratory, x-ray equipment and a blood bank.

SOUTHCOM last directed an amphibious ship to assist a partner nation impacted by a natural disaster exactly one year ago. On Sept. 5, 2007, SOUTHCOM dispatched the USS WASP to provide assistance to victims of Hurricane Felix in Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua.

U.S. Southern Command military planners continue to work with interagency partners and their counterparts in countries affected by the recent tropical cyclone activity to assess recovery needs in the affected areas and identify additional U.S. military units that may be able to provide assistance.

(From a U.S. Southern Command Public Affairs news release.)

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US Navy Deploys First East Coast Destroyer With Ballistic Missile Defense System

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Sept. 3, 2008) The guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61) transits the Atlantic Ocean. Ramage is deployed as part of the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group supporting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Flordeliz Valerio.)

Focus on Defense:

USS RAMAGE, At Sea, Sept. 6, 2008 -- The Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) is underway in the Navy's 5th and 6th fleet area of operations with new technology added to its arsenal. The guided-missile destroyer USS Ramage (DDG 61), part of the Iwo Jima ESG, is the first East Coast ship equipped with a Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system.

The new BMD system not only allows the strike group to defend themselves against missile attacks, but other areas as well.

"This contributes greatly to the ESG operations," said Cmdr. Peter Galluch, Ramage's commanding officer. "It gives our ESG commander and theater commander another capability that's never been deployed from the East Coast. We can detect and identify, track and engage short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles. So whatever theater we go in, we can defend population centers, or assets from attacks from aggressive nations with ballistic missiles. That's never been the case before."

Although there are numerous DDG's homeported on the East Coast, Ramage was specifically selected to be the first to receive the BMD system.

"Ramage, with our base-line Aegis load, makes us eligible to have the BMD software," said Lt. Cmdr. Harry Marsh, Ramage's Combat Systems officer. "With our timeline, the timing of our yard period, and when our deployment was scheduled, we were in the right place at the right time. Our crew has proven that it was also the right ship, we've met all of the requirements and expect to continue to do so."

A vast amount of time was spent in training Ramage's Sailors on the operation of the BMD system.

"The crew underwent very intensive training," said Galluch. "Their rates got them in the ballpark; working on Aegis, working in the combat information center, and their 'A schools' had a lot of it, but then they had a month of specific technical & tactical training on the system."

The training hasn't stopped.

"After the certification we've been running scenarios and drills and technical training to keep up the proficiency and build our operational excellence," Galluch continued. "The Ramage has a great reputation, so they knew what ship to put it on."

The Iwo Jima ESG consists of Ramage; the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7); the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50); the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Antonio (LPD 17); the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72); all homeported at Norfolk; the guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), homeported at Mayport, Fla.; and the fast-attack submarine USS Hartford (SSN 768), homeported at Groton, Conn.

(Story by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Michael Starkey, Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group Public Affairs.)

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Camp Dhi-Qar Basic: Training Iraqis to Train Their Own

Five Iraqi Army trainer candidates enter a house to detain suspected criminals during training at Camp Dhi Qar's basic training site on Contingency Operating Base Adder. (Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Damian Steptore, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.)

Dispatches from the Front:

COB ADDER, Iraq, Setp. 6, 2008 -- Approximately 20 Iraqi Army (IA) soldiers looked like a well-oiled machine as the trainer-candidates formed up in five-man stack teams at Camp Dhi-Qar’s basic training site, Aug. 25.

The IA soldiers glided through a make-shift neighborhood, built by the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq and the Coalition Army Advisory Training Team, searching house-to-house for suspected criminals.

“I feel I take many benefits from the training to help my country,” said Cpl. Fakher Hamadani, one of the new Iraqi trainer candidates. “I want to protect our country, our people and destroy the terrorists.”

As the Iraqis approached their objectives, many of the future trainers displayed the tactics and techniques that were taught to them during the 30-day basic instructor training course.

“The mission here is to train the Iraqi Army [soldiers] to sustain themselves, which they’re actually doing,” said Sgt. 1st Class Steve Brightwell, a member of the Army Reserves from Louisville, Ky.

Brightwell and two other combat soldiers dedicated the first two weeks of the course to weapons familiarization and house-to-house search procedures. Once the candidates passed a written and practical exam, the following two weeks involved teaching the Iraqis how to teach each other to learn those same procedures.

Although the training site has operated for only three months now, the Staff General of the 10th Iraqi Division, Hussian Alghzi, is impressed with how well the soldiers are prepared to teach.

“This is a very good range and training facility for me and my soldiers,” he said. “It’s exactly like how the town [Nasiriyah] is, and we get better training that way.”

“There is a benefit for the Soldier, and when they go back to their unit, they teach their unit the skills they’ve learned here.” added 1st Lt. Talip Alhaidary, a 10th IA Div. training officer.

The trainees had a formal graduation ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Aug. 25.

(Story by Sgt. 1st Class Damian Steptore, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Public Affairs Office)

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War on Terror Milestone Reached in Aircraft Named for 9/11

Flight Engineer Tech. Sgt. Bo Sullivan, 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System crew member, prepare to take-off on a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1 2008. This flight marks the 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

Crew members from the 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System pre-flight a E-8C JSTARS for a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

Pilots Maj. Beth Jones (left) and Maj. Kevin Parrish, 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System crew members, take-off on a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks the 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

Airman 1st Class Edmond Lipinski, 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System crew member, monitors and tracks suspected movements on radar during a mission over Iraq on Sept 1, 2008. This flight marks 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

Pilots Maj. Beth Jones (left) and Maj. Kevin Parrish, 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System crew members, prepare to take-off on a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks the 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

First Lt. Nathan Sukolsky, 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System air weapons officer, tracks suspected movements on radar during a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System crew members monitor and tracks suspected movements on radar during a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

Pilots Maj. Beth Jones (left) and Maj. Kevin Parrish, 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System crew members, prepare to take-off on a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks the 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

A U.S. Air Force E-8C JSTARS from the 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System sits on the ramp before a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

A U.S. Air Force E-8C JSTARS from the 7th Expeditionary Air Combat and Control Squadron Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System sits on the ramp before a mission over Iraq on Sept. 1, 2008. This flight marks 116th Air Control Wing's JSTARS 40,000 combat hours supporting the Global War on Terror. The E-8C JSTARS is an airborne battle management, command and control, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. (Photographer: Staff Sgt. Aaron Allmon II, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing.)

Focus on Defense:

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Sept. 6, 2008 -- Airmen in a unit here recently reached 40,000 flight hours in support of the war on terrorism fittingly in an aircraft named for the attacks which began the war.

The 7th Expeditionary Air Command and Control Squadron Airmen reached the milestone Sept. 2 in E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft 02-9111.

"It's a pretty big event," said Lt. Col. William Gould, 7 EACCS commander. "It has taken us quite a while to get to this. We've been here since the beginning of the (war on terrorism) flying these missions and supporting the folks on the ground."

The unit, deployed from the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., provides air-to-ground surveillance to theater ground and air component commanders. The milestone capped more than 3,650 missions for the unit whose service here started just two months after 9/11.

"The Army depends on us for ground coverage so it's very important to me to know we've been supporting them for 40,000 hours," said Capt. Karen Everman, a surveillance officer from Syracuse, N.Y., who was part of the crew on the milestone mission. "I was at Robins the day this aircraft was delivered and I actually flew on its first mission there. It's kind of like a homecoming to fly such a significant mission on this jet."

The milestone marks years of unique support to the area of operations.

"We actually bring a huge menu of capabilities," said Colonel Gould. "We are the only platform in the world that provides wide-area surveillance for ground moving target indication. Also, we have a huge suite of battle management specialists who can control other aircraft if we need to, move around the battlespace, support [troops in contact] or support a downed aircraft if necessary."

Colonel Gould said the JSTARS aircraft can provide data to help identify areas on which unmanned aerial vehicles should focus. Because what they provide is so important to units on the ground, the crew normally includes three Army crewmembers.

"I'm very proud to be a part of this because I know how important this platform is to the theater," said Army Lt. Col. Darryl Verrett, deputy mission crew commander for the flight. "To be here for this milestone is a very proud moment for everyone who is a flyer."

The Army colonel said he has logged more than 600 hours with the Air Force supporting the mission in the AOR.

"Working hand-in-hand with the Air Force is very special," he said. "You develop a great appreciation for your sister service members once you see them hard at work. You understand exactly what they bring to the fight."

Members of the Georgia Air National Guard also are part of that fight.

"I've been in the Georgia Air National Guard for 23 years," said Tech. Sgt. Eli Lines, a crew chief assigned to the 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. "To deploy with this unit and meet this milestone is for me personally a big event because I'm helping another country gain their freedom by coming over here and crewing a jet allowing the unit to fight the fight."

Sergeant Lines said he was passionate about helping the unit accomplish each and every mission. That attitude among maintainers has helped the unit maintain a 99.6 percent launch rate throughout the 40,000 hours.

"I attribute this success to the hard work of the maintainers on the ground and the aircrew flying it," said Colonel Gould. "It was definitely a group effort and it includes Northrop Grumman, the contractors that helped us keep the planes going. It takes a large component of maintenance folks on the ground to keep these planes fixed."

The colonel said the airplanes are 40 years old and require regular maintenance, especially on the engines. The aircraft flown for the milestone mission had been used as a civilian passenger plane for 15 years when the Air Force purchased it in 1982. It was used as an advanced-range instrumentation aircraft until being reconfigured as a JSTARS aircraft after 9/11 and renamed for the event.

"This jet would never get off the ground without the hard work of all our people," said Staff Sgt. Frank Grimm. "I think we do a good job. I think the numbers speak for themselves."

Senior Airman Mike Albreti, another crew chief with the unit called the aircraft maintenance friendly.

"I think the aircraft works great, flies great and is really easy to work on," he said. "I really like the mission of these aircraft. It gives me a quick thrill knowing I'm doing something important. This is not practice. This is real life. Knowing that and having the aircraft go up and do its mission makes you feel good."

From maintainers to flight and mission crews, the unit has come together to make its 40,000 hour contribution to the war on terrorism, said Colonel Verrett.

"It makes you realize that we, as a unit, have put in a lot of work for a long time," he said. "It's taken years to reach this milestone. It makes you proud that you can put in your part. When you look at the big picture, you can see that everybody has pulled together to get to this milestone."

(Story by Master Sgt. Jeff Loftin, 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs.)

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Corpsman Keeps WWII History Alive

Seaman Andrew Garrison (right), a corpsman with Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, and a fellow World War II reenactor, portray Marines during a re-enactment in which they will take a Japanese bunker in Auburn, Ind., Aug. 28, 2007. "I've done 30 reenactments all over the Midwest," Garrison said. "We try to mimic the terrain they fought on the best we can. We use period food and living conditions. We try to act like they would have." Garrison is currently serving in western al Anbar province, Iraq, but plans to do more reenactment when he completes his deployment. (Photographer: Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray, Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Seaman Andrew Garrison (left), a corpsman with Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, holds a Japanese flag captured during a simulated World War II battle, in Auburn Ind., August, 2007. Garrison has participated in over 30 reenactments and plans to do more once he returns from his deployment in western al Anbar province, Iraq. Garrison hopes to one day own a tank and a 1940s Jeep. (Photographer: Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray, Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Seaman Andrew Garrison, a corpsman with Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, emerges from his tent during a World War II reenactment in Auburn, Ind., August 2007. He wears the uniform of a WWII corpsman in the photo, but he is currently serving in western al-Anbar province, Iraq. Garrison has done over 30 reenactments and plans to do more when his deployment ends. (Photographer: Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray, Regimental Combat Team-5, 1st Marine Division Public Affairs.)

Living History:

RAWAH, Iraq, Sept. 4, 2008 -- When not providing medical care to service members in Iraq, Seaman Andrew Garrison, a corpsman with the Warlords of Task Force 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, loves to spend his time living in the past.

Garrison, 21, from Grand Rapids, Mich., relaxes in his free time by preparing for and portraying United States service members of the past. Down to the battle-worn award medals draping his many replicated uniforms, Garrison speaks, eats, sleeps and lives history during reenactments of United States Military campaigns.

“I’ve done 30 reenactments all over the Midwest,” Garrison said. “We try to mimic the terrain (service members) fought on the best we can. We use period food and living conditions. We try to act like they would have.”

In May, 2004, Garrison participated in his first of many reenactments to come. By the final outcome of the battle, Garrison became quite partial to his historical hobby.

“I went to my first World War II reenactment and got interested from there,” Garrison said. “I wanted to be a part of history and the greatest generation. They endured the great depression and one of the hardest wars in history.”

As Garrison flipped through the pages of a book written by his great uncle, World War II veteran John Shirley, he became more enthused to carry on the military heritage of his ancestor through his reenactments.

“I spend a lot of time reading about World War II to portray (the service members) better,” he said. “I'm putting together an impression of my great uncle's uniform to honor him and his fellow infantryman of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division.”

To portray these battles, serious reenactors invest a great deal of time and money to give the sideline spectators an extremely realistic show.

“Reenactors will spend hundreds of dollars on their kits,” said Maj. Chris

Ketcherside, assistant operations officer, Marine Forces Command in Norfolk, Va., who has done reenactments with Garrison. “It is essential to be historically accurate because reenacting is about creating an atmosphere, and it doesn’t take much to ruin it. Someone drinking a [sports drink] or someone calling on their cell phone yank you right back into the present and ruin that atmosphere.”

While Garrison learns more about his hobby and takes part in the events he can, he aspires to hold his own reenactments whenever possible and is on track to owning a much larger military paraphernalia collection.

“I'd like to have a tank and a 1940s Jeep someday,” Garrison said. “I'd like to get some land that I can hold my own reenactments on one day to continue preserving our history.”

(Story by Lance Cpl. Joshua Murray, Regimental Combat Team 5.)

NOTE: Updated Sept. 6, 2008.

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Forces Kill, Capture Insurgents in Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2008 -- Coalition and Afghan forces killed more than two dozen insurgents while disrupting terrorist cells along the southeastern and southwestern borders of Afghanistan during operations over the past days, military officials reported.

Coalition and Afghan forces killed six militants today after being ambushed while conducting a reconnaissance patrol in the Farrah province in southwest Afghanistan, coalition officials said.

The insurgents ambushed the patrol from an isolated compound with intense and accurate small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire, officials said. Coalition forces responded with ground fire and close air support, killing six militants, they said.

Although no Afghan or coalition casualties were reported, two civilians were killed in the attack and two were wounded, coalition officials said. The victims were immediately treated and medically evacuated to a nearby coalition medical facility, they said.

In addition to the weapons carried by the ambushing force, a weapons cache containing a rocket-propelled grenade, machine gun, AK-47 rifles and an assortment of ammunition was discovered at the site.

Also today, coalition forces killed several militants and detained five during an operation to disrupt an explosives network in Paktika province, along the Pakistan border, coalition officials said.

Coalition forces were searching a compound in the Bermel district targeting a militant known to coordinate and direct roadside bomb attacks against coalition Forces. The targeted militant is also known to be associated with Taliban commanders, both locally and abroad, who bring foreign fighters into Afghanistan, officials said. Several civilians, as well as military members, recently have been injured by these roadside bombs, they said.

As Coalition forces searched the compound, they received small-arms fire from militants inside the building. The force returned fire, killing several insurgents, they said.

A similar incident also happened today in Kapisa province, north of Kabul, when coalition forces came under fire while searching a compound in the Tag Ab district targeting a Taliban commander responsible for smuggling in foreign fighters, as well as conducting bomb attacks against coalition forces.
During the operation, militants fired on coalition forces, who responded with small-arms fire, killing several militants and detaining two.

Multiple AK-47s, hand grenades, bomb-making materials and stock piles of ammunition, to include armor- piercing rounds were discovered at the site and destroyed.

Four militants also were detained after coalition forces searched a militant compound in the eastern border province of Khowst.

Today’s fighting comes three days after Afghan and coalition forces killed 20 militants while conducting operations in Naw Bahar in the southwest province of Zabul.

The troops were conducting a combat security patrol when they were attacked by militants with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. The troops responded with small-arms, heavy-weapons and close air support, killing 20 militants. No coalition forces or civilian casualties were reported.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 82 news releases.)

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US General: More Troops Needed to Speed Up Progress in Afghanistan

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2008 -- Though U.S., coalition and Afghan troops are making steady progress against increasingly active insurgent forces in Afghanistan, it’s time to turn up the heat, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

“I believe that more forces are required. And I think that over the next several months we can put them, certainly, to good use,” Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 101 and 101st Airborne Division, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference.

Insurgent attacks in Afghanistan have increased 20 to 30 percent from 2007 to now, said Schloesser, who arrived in Afghanistan in April and also heads counterinsurgency operations for NATO’s Regional Command East.

Discussions about increasing the U.S. troop presence in Afghanistan are ongoing among senior leaders in Washington, Schloesser acknowledged.

“We’re making some steady progress” in Afghanistan, Schloesser pointed out. However, defeating the estimated 7,000 to 11,000 insurgents there “will take longer the way we are doing it right now, as far as the resources that we have,” he said.

“I’d like to speed it up,” Schloesser said of the anti-insurgent campaign’s pace in Afghanistan. He estimated that a troop increase on the order of “a series of thousands” would be of sufficient size.

“I’m going to ask for more troops. I think it’s pretty commonly known that I already have,” Schloesser said. “And, I’m optimistic that we’ll potentially see them in the coming months.”

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan consists of about 45,000 troops, including around 15,000 U.S. troops. Another 19,000 or so U.S. troops are assigned to Combined Joint Task Force 101, commanded by Schloesser.

Arrayed against U.S. and allied troops in Afghanistan is a loosely knit collection of terrorists, Schloesser said, who share a radical Islamic ideology and the belief that President Hamid Karzai’s democratic government is illegitimate.

“Again, this is not a huge, strong movement; it is not a team,” Schloesser said of the polyglot enemy operating in Afghanistan, which includes Taliban extremists, Pakistan-based radicals and al-Qaida-aligned terrorists. “There are ways to break it apart.”

To put added pressure on insurgents in Afghanistan, Schloesser is preparing a two-pronged winter campaign.

“This campaign has got two components. One of them is a strong military offensive and the other is a developmental surge,” Schloesser said. Recent anti-insurgent operations in Khowst province and elsewhere in Afghanistan, he said, have eliminated some key extremist leaders and uncovered numerous enemy supply and weapons caches.

The winter offensive will root out the enemy “where he hides,” the general said.

“We will pursue them wherever they run. We will intercept them, and we’re going to destroy their resources,” Schloesser said. “My intent is to eliminate the support areas within our sector to diminish the enemy’s ability to operate next year.”

The development part of the winter campaign will feature projects designed to keep young Afghans occupied during this winter and through the spring and summer, Schloesser said.

“They’ll be doing things such as clearing ice and snow from roads, doing construction training workshops, road maintenance, distribution of essentials to villages that are basically isolated, such as clothes and food,” the general explained.

The purpose of the development portion of the winter campaign, Schloesser said, is to provide employment for the people most vulnerable to insurgent recruiting pitches. This program, he said, will also provide roads, wells, schools, clinics, micro-hydroelectric plants and more in remote areas of Afghanistan that have lacked modern infrastructure.

This year, nearly $480 million in Commanders Emergency Response Program money has been committed to fund such projects in Afghanistan, Schloesser said, noting that’s double the amount committed last year.

“We’re trying to match the power we have here, both the hard power … as far as the [military] operations that we’re going to do on the ground with our troops, as well as soft power, and that’s the CERP, then, the development funds that I’ve talked about,” Schloesser explained.

Meanwhile, there is “absolutely no way” that the enemy will triumph in Afghanistan, Schloesser declared.

“We’re not losing this war, and we won’t lose [it even if additional troops] don’t show up in the next several months,” Schloesser said.

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

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Troops Capture Senior Terrorism Suspects in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2008 -- Coalition troops captured more than a dozen suspected terrorists in Iraq today and yesterday, including at least three high-level al-Qaida in Iraq leaders, military officials said.

Of 14 people detained today, one is believed to a senior advisor of al-Qaida in Iraq operations in northern Mosul. Intelligence reports indicate he oversees all attacks there and provides advice for targeting, officials said.

Another wanted man detained today allegedly is involved in coordinating finances for al-Qaida in Iraq in Mosul, and is believed to take part in extortion schemes and kidnappings to raise money for terrorist operations. A third man detained is suspected of conspiring with senior leaders of the same terrorist group in Mosul.

Also today, coalition forces detained two men during an operation against leaders of a bomb network in Mosul. A 48-hour security sweep of Salamiyah, just south of Mosul, netted six suspected terrorists.

The coalition also targeted a bomb network that operates south of Mosul in the Tigris River Valley. Troops captured a suspect yesterday who told them where to find a wanted man from the network who is believed to be a liaison for senior al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists.

Intelligence reports indicate the wanted man was procuring bomb-making materials to distribute to cells in the area, officials said. Coalition forces found him today, hiding in a sheep pen, and called for him to surrender. Despite several warnings, including warning shots, the terrorist refused to comply. Coalition forces perceived a hostile threat and engaged the man, killing him, officials said.

In Baghdad today, coalition forces thwarted an attempt to re-establish al-Qaida in Iraq’s propaganda network after recent operations diminished its capability. Three suspected terrorists were detained, including a wanted man who allegedly has ties to terrorist operatives around the country.

South of Baghdad, coalition forces detained five suspected terrorists today while targeting an al-Qaida in Iraq network that brings foreigners and money into the country to support attacks against Iraqi civilians.

Troops brought six suspected terrorists into coalition custody today after operations in the Hamrin Mountains region targeted an al-Qaida in Iraq cell leader in Sadiyah, northeast of Baghdad.

In Beiji yesterday, coalition troops detained the suspected leader of a terrorist cell at the Beiji Oil Refinery. He is suspected of manufacturing improvised explosive devices, bribery, weapons trafficking and oil extortion. He is the third suspect arrested in connection with the Beiji ring in a week. The first member turned himself in to Iraqi police on Aug. 31. The second was detained by coalition forces on Sept. 3.

Also this week, Iraqi soldiers and national police seized numerous weapons caches in and around Baghdad, including 256 pounds of explosives, three mortar rounds, an 82 mm mortar round, a 60 mm high-explosive mortar round, .50-caliber machine guns, a rocket-propelled grenade, four tripods, 30 12.7 mm rounds, three spare barrels, a 2.75-inch rocket tube with explosives and an 180 mm projectile.

A Multinational Division Baghdad explosives ordnance disposal unit destroyed the weapons and munitions in a controlled detonation. The caches were found based on tips from local residents, officials said.

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

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USS Mount Whitney Delivers Aid to Poti, Georgia

In this file photo, the amphibious command ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) arrives in Souda Bay for a routine port visit, August 28, 2008. (U.S. Navy photo by Paul Farley.)

News in Balance:

POTI, Georgia, Sept. 5, 2008 -- USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20) pulled into port here today transporting humanitarian relief supplies in support of "Operation Assured Delivery."

The operation is part of the larger United States response to the government of Georgia request for humanitarian assistance.

Mount Whitney will deliver more than 17 tons of aid, including 4,000 blankets donated by the U.S. Agency for International Development, juice, powdered milk and hygiene products.

In the past few weeks, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas (WHEC 716) and USS McFaul (DDG 74) carried more than 115 tons of humanitarian supplies to the port in Bat'umi, Georgia, while U.S. Navy C-9, C-40 and C-130 aircraft flew 20 continuous missions airlifting 325 tons of humanitarian aid into Tbilisi.

Mount Whitney, homeported in Gaeta, Italy has a hybrid crew of U.S. Navy Sailors and civilian mariners.

(Story by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs.)

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Forces Kill 20 Militants in Zabul Province, Afghanistan

Dispatches from the Front:

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, Sept. 5, 2008 -- Afghan national security forces and coalition forces killed 20 militants, Sept. 2, 2008, during a patrol in Naw Bahar District, Zabul province.

ANSF and coalition forces were conducting a combat security patrol when they were attacked by militants with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. Troops responded with small-arms, heavy-weapons and close air support, killing 20 militants.

No ANSF, coalition forces or civilian casualties were reported.

(From a Combined Joint Task Force 101 news release.)

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Marines in Iraq Plant Mock IEDs for Training

Sgt. Wesley A. Laney, 25, Charleston, S.C., squad leader, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division, places a mock improvised explosive device during the field portion of the Counter IED Train-the-Trainer course here Aug. 21. The course provides special instruction to Marines who will return to their units capable of teaching a regional specific CIED course. (Photo by Cpl. G.P. Ingersoll.)

Dispatches from the Front:

AL-ASAD, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2008 -- One of the best ways for Marines in al-Anbar Province to battle improvised explosive devices is to go out and plant mock IEDs of their own.

Nineteen Marines from all over the area of operations recently attended the Counter IED Train-the-Trainer’s course here from Aug. 19 – 21. Representatives from infantry and logistics battalions attended the course, which was designed by the CIED Training Team from Task Force Troy, Multi National Corps – Iraq.

“Having them place ‘IEDs’ gets them to think like an insurgent, so they know indicators they can look for when they’re out on patrols,” said Capt. Christian R. Johnson, officer in charge of the course.

The course consisted of classroom instruction and field instruction. Classroom time covered enemy tactics, techniques and procedures based on the region. Marines then spent time in the field planting mock-IEDs along a specified route that other Marines would try to find prior to making contact with them.

“It’s important to provide (service members) in the area with the most up-to-date CIED info they can have,” said Johnson, 24, Rockford, Ill. He said the course provides IED information from across the whole AO. Graduates from the course can then teach an area specific class, with their information varying depending on their current location.

“They can pull TTPs for that area, and if there’s a new type of IED that they don’t see out there, we can expose them to it,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Lejay R. Colborn, 37, Gulf Breeze, Fla., explosive ordnance disposal technician, CIED. Colborn and Johnson explained that CIED constantly updates enemy TTPs.

This information provides Marines on the ground with a distinct edge over the insurgency who is finding new ways to build explosive devices all the time.

“There’re some (insurgent) specialists out there,” said Sgt. Wesley A. Laney, squad leader, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, 1st Marine Division.

“If you’re only out there looking for 155 mm rounds, you’re going to miss the crazy stuff,” said Laney, 25, Charleston, S.C. “The crazy stuff is what they’re using to target Coalition Forces.” Laney talked about insurgents once using a syringe to trigger an IED.

Instructors explained to the students that insurgents will place “hoax” IEDs, which oftentimes look run-of-the-mill, in order to distract the eye from something newer and nastier. With CIED’s cutting edge information system, the new, crazy stuff becomes old news fast, and more often Marines aren’t patrolling streets blind.

“(Without this class) we would become a softer target, the casualty rate would go up, and insurgents would become emboldened and push the envelope,” said Colborn.

Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group, introduced the incoming Marines of CLB-2 to the course and its benefits. In seven months, CLB-6 had only one vehicle take a direct hit by an IED. There were no casualties.

It looks like Marines here have become hard targets, thanks to a little help from CIED.

(Story by Cpl. G.P. Ingersoll, 1st Marine Logistics Group.)

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Colonel Sees 'Tremendous' Iraqi Troop Progress

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2008 -- Iraqi soldiers serving in their country’s Salahuddin province demonstrate marked improvement compared to their performance two years ago, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said yesterday.

“Overall, I am very pleased” with the Iraqi troops’ progress, Army Col. Scott McBride, commander of the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference.

McBride’s unit is based in Tikrit, northwest of Baghdad in Salahuddin province. The 4,000-member brigade is a component of Multinational Division North, and it has been in Iraq for about a year.

Iraqi soldiers improved dramatically, McBride said, since his previous Iraq duty tour ended in September 2006. Four Iraqi brigades operate within his current area of operations, he said.

One Iraqi brigade that has been posted near the border with Diyala province over the past month has turned in distinguished service, the colonel said.

“They have been totally self-sustaining,” McBride said of the Iraqi unit, noting it supplies itself independently and will pull duty in support of operations in Diyala province for another month.

“That brigade could fight on its own today,” McBride pointed out. “They do not need us.”

And although the Iraqi army units posted in Salahuddin province are at different levels of development, each is “willing to fight, and all will fight,” McBride asserted.

Meanwhile, Iraqi police in the province now have the equipment they need to do the job, McBride said. Continued development of the police force, he said, will depend on the quality of leadership within its ranks.

Security conditions in Salahuddin have improved, McBride said. Yet, he cautioned, there “is still an enemy out there” that presents a viable threat. There was “some pretty serious fighting” in the province just five months ago, he pointed out.

“So, I wouldn’t advocate any drawdown, yet,” McBride said. Iraqi officials in Salahuddin province, he noted, aren’t eager for U.S. forces to depart.

“They’ll tell you: ‘We are not ready for you to leave. You need to stay. We’re making progress. [But] it’s not time,’” McBride said.

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

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Motion Picture Academy Returns Oscar to Army

Living History:

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Sept. 4, 2008 -- Sixty-six years after first earning an Academy Award, the Oscar statuette is now back in the hands of the United States Army and bound for Washington, D.C., to be placed on display at the Pentagon.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' returned the Oscar to the care of the U.S. Army during a ceremony at the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study Sept. 3.

The Oscar was earned by Maj. Frank Capra's 1942 documentary "Prelude to War," the first film in the United States Army Special Services' seven-picture "Why We Fight" series. Prelude to War was produced by the armed services to educate Americans, and new servicemen in particular, about the nation's objectives in entering World War II. It was required viewing by all troops entering the service.

"It is with the utmost respect that I hand over this Oscar statuette, which honors the film Prelude to War and serves as a symbol of filmmaking excellence not just in this country but around the world," said Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science.

Brig. Gen. Jeffery Phillips, the Army's deputy chief of Public Affairs, accepted the award on behalf of the Army, saying he believes that Capra would be proud that the Oscar has "made its way home to be with Soldiers."

"The documentary series helped build public support for the war effort," Phillips said. "His films were also instrumental in ensuring that all members of our armed forces clearly understood what was at stake."

The history of the statuette is storied in its own right. The statuette returned to the U.S. Army is a duplicate requested by and granted to the Department of Defense in 1958 in connection with a special exhibition. In 1943, the actual object presented for documentary films was a plaque, not a statuette. That original plaque was presented to Col. Edward L. Munson Jr., who accepted it on behalf of the United States Army Special Services. Because of the war years' metal shortages, the 1943 awards presentation ceremony was the first in which the awards themselves were made of plaster.

After the end of World War II, everyone who received a plaster Oscar received a metal one - dipped in gold as they still are today. The Capra family possesses that original award - that is, the original replacement award.

Capra, who died in 1991, is best known for his direction of Academy-Award winning films "It Happened One Night (1934), "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), and "You Can't Take It With You (1938). He also directed then newly returned Army war veteran Jimmy Stewart in the Christmas classic "It's a Wonderful Life."

The Army had control of the returned statuette, which was on display until 1970 when the Army Pictorial Center closed. After that, the whereabouts of the Oscar became unknown, until June 2008 when Academy officials learned that Christie's auction house was offering the statuette for sale and notified the Army, which asserted its claim on the award.

"I offer special thanks to Academy President Sid Ganis and his staff for their efforts to secure this long-lost statuette and offer it back to the Army," Phillips said. "Your kindness is in keeping with the 60-year relationship the U.S. Army has had with the motion picture industry."

(Story by Master Sgt. Kanessa Trent, Office of the Chief of Public Affairs - Los Angeles Branch, with contributions by Army News Service's Heike Hasenauer.)

Related: Amazon DVD: Why We Fight World War II - Prelude to War & The Nazis Strike

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Milestone: US Army Marks Centennial of Aviation

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 2008 -- September 2008 marks the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Army Aviation. From humble beginnings working with the Wright Brothers to reigning over the modern battlefield, Army Aviation has played a significant role in shaping the Army of today.

From their humble beginnings working along side the Wright Brothers, Army aviators have been pioneers in aviation and they have played a key role in forming and shaping Army doctrine and tactics on the battlefield.

As we celebrate the first 100 years of Army aviation, this site is designed to give a glimpse into the birth and growth of the that community as we showcase the men, equipment, missions and conflicts that helped shape us into who we are today.

Today, modern Army aviators perform a multitude of complex missions from patrolling the skies over modern battlefields while piloting unmanned aerial vehicles from remote locations to dominating the modern battlefield in the middle of the day or during the dark of night.

Visit the Centennial of Army Aviation Web Site.

(From a U.S. Army news release.)

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