Saturday, November 15, 2008

Combat Camera: US Marines Adjust to ‘Shoot and Scoot’ Tactics in Afghanistan

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Lance Cpl. Charles M. Franklin, a fire team leader assigned to Company E, TF 2/7 and Tulsa, Okla., native, patrols through a cornfield near the Sangin district. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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Lance Cpl. Joshua D. Mayor, a squad automatic weapon gunner assigned to Company E, TF 2/7 and Sand Springs, Okla., native, posts rear security while his fire team was stopped during a patrol near the Sangin District Center. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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A Marine assigned to Company E, TF 2/7, patrols with an Afghan National Policeman around a cornfield near the Sangin District Center. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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Lance Cpl. Michael N. McWilliams, a squad automatic weapon gunner assigned to Company E, TF 2/7, and Kansas City, Kan., native, keeps a vigilant eye for enemy movement near the Sangin District Center. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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First Lt. James C. McKendree, 2nd Platoon commander, Company E, TF 2/7, and Pearland, Texas native, keeps an eye out for threats during a patrol through the Sangin bazaar. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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Marines of 2nd Platoon, Company E, TF 2/7, patrol through the Sangin bazaar. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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1st Lt. James C. McKendree, 2nd Platoon commander, Company E, TF 2/7, and Pearland, Texas native, is surrounded by local children during a patrol through the Sangin bazaar. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

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Sergeant Zachary R. Alexander, a squad leader assigned to Company E, TF 2/7, and Forney, Texas native, keeps an eye out for threats during a patrol through the Sangin bazaar. (Photo by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

Dispatches from the Front:

HELMAND PROVINCE, Forward Operating Base Sangin, Afghanistan, Nov. 15, 2008 -- A Marine squad on patrol through a local bazaar comes under fire from a small element of enemy fighters.

Before the Marines have a chance to effectively engage the enemy, the insurgents break contact and disappear into the warren of narrow alleyways on the far side of the bazaar.

When the Marines of Company E, Task Force 2d Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Afghanistan, initially began operating here in June, contact with the enemy was very much “shoot and scoot,” said Capt. Matthew M. O’Donnell, Echo Company commander, and Glenelg, Md., native. Contact would normally be with a fire team-sized element and last only two-to-three minutes.

“They would engage our guys, try to inflict casualties and then break contact,” said O’Donnell who has prior experience serving in Afghanistan.

Headquartered in the Sangin District Center of Afghanistan’s Helmand River Valley, Echo Marines operated in one of the busiest areas of operation within TF 2/7’s battle space. Prior to arriving in theater, the Marines had prepared for a conventional fight with the enemy. O’Donnell said he and his Marines were well prepared for the fight of their lives after having received several briefings from British forces also operating in the Sangin area.

Echo Company’s very first contact with the enemy was a slight aberration to the shoot and scoot tactics O’Donnell referenced. The enemy ambushed one of his squads in a cemetery behind the Sangin Bazaar with medium machine guns, automatic weapons, rocket-propelled grenades and indirect fire. During this engagement, however, the insurgents stayed in contact for awhile. It wasn’t until the Marines threatened the enemy’s egress route that the insurgents broke contact from the original firing positions and took up secondary firing positions and continued to fight. Echo Company sent out a quick reaction force and coordinated fires with the Afghan National Army (ANA), moving in on the insurgent’s flank before they attempted to break contact again.

“That was our first contact. From what we had seen and been briefed on Sangin and the Helmand River Valley, our mindset coming in was very much set on preparing for a stand-up kinetic fight,” O’Donnell said. “The British forces that came and briefed us in the States while we were at Mojave Viper said they had been involved in multiple hour engagements at distances ranging from 50 to 400 meters.”

“That’s what the Marines were prepared to deal with,” O’Donnell continued. “So, when the shoot and scoots started happening, it was really frustrating. We had been trained to establish fire superiority and then begin to maneuver.”

“We knew that there had been an increase in the use of IEDs in Regional Command South,” O’Donnell said. “We didn’t expect such a high volume. I spent an entire year here as an advisor, and in that year, the units I worked with dealt with 25 IEDs. Our Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) responded to numerous IEDs within the first 30-45 days of being here. Overall, they dealt with more than 100 responses. That’s just in our area.”

August brought the beginning of the peak fighting season. This follows the time period when the poppy harvest, which takes place in May and June, is sold and the money comes back to the insurgents to be used to purchase weapons and ammunition. The weapons, ammunition and fighters are generally in place about the same time each year, which happens right around August.

Echo Marines were used to three or four significant events a day, as Sangin was regarded as the busiest district across the task force’s area of operations. As expected, Echo Marines experienced their worst round of fighting during August.

“Initial contact was a lot of gunfights, but it flipped over to IEDs pretty quick,” said Cpl. Clarence B. Smith, a squad leader and Teague, Texas native. “Once they realized we were going to maneuver on them immediately and not going to tactically withdraw and drop mortars on them, they switched to hitting us with IEDs.”

Around the same time, Echo began to work with their coalition partners and begin to use each other’s strengths to take the fight to the enemy. North of Sangin D.C., there was an area controlled by the ANA. The ANA was aggressive in patrolling and attempting to establish a presence, but they lacked the firepower and ability to coordinate movement of fires in the attack. So, Echo Company coordinated with the British and ANA forces in two separate movements-to-contact operations. During the first operation, the company advanced through 8-to-10 foot high cornfields, and had three sustained engagements over a span of three hours.

About two weeks later, the Marines again teamed up with British and ANA forces for a movement-to-contact operation in the same area. As coalition forces were picking up momentum, the Marines had already maneuvered on the insurgents.

“The operations went a long way in picking the morale of the company back up,” O’Donnell said. “We were able to use the skills and the ethos that are unique to the Marine Corps, our aggressiveness, and our ability to coordinate supporting assets in support of maneuver under fire. For the young Marines to be able to lead fire teams and squads aggressively in combat, that’s what they had trained to do. So, it felt good for them.”

“We had been very aggressive in patrolling,” O’Donnell explained. “We had done cordon and search operations, and we knew we had pushed the enemy out of his operating area prior to this. But, we just hadn’t been able to bring them to bear in battle; we hadn’t been able to say we killed six guys today. That may sound trivial, but that means a lot to the infantrymen on the ground -- to know at the end of the day that there are a few of those guys who are never going to fight us again.”

Echo Company started finding that they were fighting a commuter insurgency. The enemy fighters were not remaining in the same place. They were keeping out of range of coalition forces. O’Donnell said the enemy was driving into “work,” shooting at coalition forces, blowing up IEDs, and then driving back out to their safe havens.

As Ramadan came into play, enemy kinetic activity started to die-off a little bit. Even after Ramadan, there was very sporadic activity, even to the point where EOD didn’t respond to an IED for nearly a week.

O’Donnell said Sangin is a difficult place to measure whether success has been made or not. The typical success Marines look for in a fight are the number of insurgents killed, weapons caches found and the number of detainees taken. But, if the patterns of enemy activity are taken into account, the enemy’s ability to attack the Marines consistently with effect has been greatly diminished.

However, the enduring metrics of success in a counterinsurgency fight and measured in more intangible ways, like the willingness of a population to accept rule of law and governance, and begin to take charge of their own future.

“Sangin is probably the most frustrating district as far as progress, yet the Marines have found ways to make invaluable contributions to the overall security situation,” O’Donnell said. “Even though the overall picture may not look as good as we want or those who are responsible for security here want it to look, it would look far worse if the Marines hadn’t done what they’ve done.”

Echo Company is not unique among the Marines who came to Afghanistan, as all Marine forces serving here are looking for contact with the enemy.

“When in contact, it’s very much a case of having to hold the dogs back. They want to go! These guys are aggressive; they’re controlled, but it’s what they train for and it’s what they want to do,” O’Donnell said. “I’ve been pretty impressed with them. This is far more challenging terrain to fire and maneuver in and to keep up deliberate attacks in than anything at Twentynine Palms (Calif.) Because of vegetation, your ability to command and control, see adjacent units and positively identify enemy positions is extremely difficult. So, the work that these squads and fire team leaders are doing is absolutely amazing.”

Staff Sgt. Kyle W. Lockhart, platoon sergeant for 3rd Platoon and Tabernacle, N.J., native said all of the Marines were performing flawlessly.

“The Marines’ reaction when IEDs were struck or found was flawless,” Lockhart said. “The experienced squad leaders and fire team leaders who really knew what they were getting into took care of the Marines the right way. There is a lot of natural leadership and ability in the platoon that we didn’t see before coming over here that we definitely see going home.”

“I can’t speak highly enough of everybody in the platoon,” Lockhart added. “I’ve never had a sense of pride like I do with this group of Marines. Having deployed before with other units, this is by far the most professional and toughest group of guys I’ve ever worked with.”

(Report by Sgt. Steve Cushman, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines.)

COMBAT CAMERA More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

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US Airpower Summary; Nov. 15, 2008: B-1s Repel Anti-Afghan Forces

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An Air Force B-1B Lancer takes off from an air base in Southwest Asia. The B-1B flies a wide range of mission in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sergeant Douglas Olsen.)

Dispatches from the Front:

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Nov. 15, 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in the following operations Nov. 14, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials.

In Afghanistan, an Air Force B-1B Lancer dropped guided bomb unit-38s onto anti-Afghan forces who were firing rocket propelled grenades at National Afghan Police near Gardez. The mission was confirmed a success by the Joint Terminal Attack Controller.

In the vicinity of Moqor, coalition aircraft performed a show of force and provided armed aerial overwatch for coalition ground forces searching for suspected enemy firing points. The JTAC declared the mission successful.

Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles conducted shows of force to deter enemy activities and provide armed aerial overwatch for a coalition convoy that was stuck in the mud by a riverbed near Mata Khan. The mission was reported a success by the JTAC.

In total, 52 close-air-support missions were flown in support of the ISAF and Afghan security forces, reconstruction activities and route patrols.

Eleven Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Afghanistan. Additionally, two coalition aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.

In Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 41 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions integrated and synchronized with coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided overwatch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt hostile activities.

Thirty-one Air Force, Navy and coalition intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Iraq. Additionally, three Air Force and coalition aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.

Air Force C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.

About 140 airlift sorties were flown; more than 400 tons of cargo were delivered, and nearly 3,300 passengers were transported. This included approximately 120,000 pounds of troop re-supply that was air-dropped in Afghanistan.

Coalition C-130 crews flew as part of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.

On Nov. 13, Air Force and Coalition aerial refueling crews flew 51 sorties and off-loaded approximately 3.5 million pounds of fuel to 230 receiving aircraft.

(Report from a U.S. Air Force news release.)

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US Army Releases 1st Annual Sustainability Report

Focus on Defense

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2008 -- Yesterday U.S. Army officials released the service's first Annual Sustainability Report highlighting environmental achievements and milestones supporting the Army's sustainability concept and goals. The purpose of an annual sustainability report is to inform and engage primary stakeholders, partners, the American people, and other interested parties on the Army's progress to embody the principles of sustainability in operations, installations, systems and community engagements.

"By nature, the Army is constantly looking for new ways to promote strength and stability in everyday operations. The Army 2007 Sustainability Report outlines what the Army has done to incorporate sustainability in that effort," said GEN Peter W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.

The report explains that Army sustainability is a long-range concept that enables the Army to meet its mission today and into the future while integrating mission activities and operations with sound business and environmental practices. Army sustainability, characterized by the "Triple Bottom Line - Plus" results from the reinforcing strength that results from aligning Army's mission with environmental stewardship and community well being, plus the economic benefit accrued from increased stability.

Mission outputs come first in the report, and include increases in retention and recruiting in fiscal year (FY) 2007. Environmental highlights document that all Army installations are now using Environmental Management Systems that provide a better mechanism to track and improve Army's environmental performance. The Army's efforts to strengthen its community through safety of Soldiers and Civilians, held the line from FY 2004 to FY 2007 on the Army's military fatality rate, and recorded a 62 percent decrease in Army civilian lost time to injuries and fatalities over the FY 2004-FY 2007.

"This report highlights the Army's current accomplishments in sustainability, while setting a baseline from which we will measure all accomplishments in the future," noted Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations and Environment Keith E. Eastin.

The Army's mantra is to "Build Green, Buy Green and Go Green," and it is doing just that. In FY 2007, 78 percent of new Army military construction projects were designed to U.S. Green Building Council leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) standards; and an 8.4 percent reduction in facility energy use intensity since FY 2003.

Tad Davis, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health commented "The results we are now seeing from the Army's advancement of environmental programs and initiatives directly support the well-being of our Soldiers, Civilians, Families and communities."

The report and other information on Army sustainability programs and initiatives are available online to download at http://www.aepi.army.mil/.

(Story from a U.S. Army news release.)

Related: Army Sustainability Report 2007 (pdf)

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US Navy Funded 'Nexi' Robot Picked for Time Magazine's "Best Inventions of 2008"

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Nexi, the humanoid, is robot funded in part by the Office of Naval Research. (Uncredited courtesy photo.)

Focus on Defense:

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 15, 2008 -- Nexi, the humanoid robot, is the result of the cutting-edge technology funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) being developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab.

Ranked 17th on Time Magazine's "Best Inventions of 2008", Nexi is an MDS robot – mobile, dexterous, social. It can move around on wheels (mobile), pick up objects (dexterous) and express a range of humanlike facial emotions (social). The MDS project is one indicator that ONR continues to be one of the premier places to go for support of scientific discovery and invention.

ONR's Program Officer, Dr. Thomas McKenna, is credited with identifying the value of ONR funding this revolutionary research.

"The Nexi MDS robot illustrates that a facial expression and affective computing open up an immediate channel of communication with humans that will be important in the development of human-robot interaction technologies. This directly supports peer-to-peer teaming of humans and autonomous systems," he said.

Nexi is funded in part under ONR's Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP) award. The basis of the award is to develop a novel class of robots that can engage in sophisticated forms of peer-to-peer teamwork with humans in uncertain environments. Robotic or unmanned vehicle systems are frequently designed to perform specific tasks without a focus on how users would interact or collaborate with them. Nexi provides what may be a very powerful approach to help humans better understand and interpret autonomous systems behaviors.

The Office of Naval Research manages science and technology research for the Navy and Marine Corps. ONR sponsors basic and applied research in oceanography; advanced materials; sensors; robotics; biomedical science and technology; electronics; surveillance; mathematics; manufacturing technology; information science; advanced combat systems; and technologies for ships, submarines, aircraft, ground vehicles.

For more news from Office of Naval Research, visit www.navy.mil/local/onr/.

(Report from an Office of Naval Research Corporate Strategic Communications news release.)

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US Army Looks for Possible Follow-On to M-4 Carbine

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A U.S. soldier peers through an M-4 carbine scope while providing overwatch security in Tal Afar, Iraq. The Army recently received final delivery of 473,000 more of the carbines, even as it looks at the latest technology as possible follow-ons to the M-4. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob N Bailey.)

Focus on Defense:

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 15, 2008 -- Army and industry leaders gathered Thursday to exchange information about the latest advances in small-arms technology.

The Army released a Request for Information Aug. 22 asking the weapons industry to see the latest, state-of-the-art, small-arms technology. Industry representatives brought examples of that technology to an invitation-only industry day here to show Secretary of the Army Pete Geren and representatives of the Army's Program Executive Office-Soldier.

The industry day was meant to allow military decision makers, including those from the Air Force and the Marine Corps, to get a look at what technology is available from weapons manufacturers in the way of small-arms -- in particular, for something that could be a follow-on to the M-4 carbine.

The Army is not ready today to buy new individual weapons for soldiers beyond the M-4, said Col. Douglas A.Tamilio, project manager for Soldier Weapons.

In fact, Secretary Geren said the Army recently completed a purchase of 473,000 M-4 carbines. Geren said he is impressed with the M-4, and that the Army will continue to rely on industry to provide soldiers with the best capabilities available.

"We are committed to the right capability and weapons for our soldiers," the secretary said, while addressing industry leaders. He also said the Army would likely continue to purchase the M-4.

But a changing threat environment means that in order to continue to provide soldiers with the best weaponry, the Army must continue to look at the latest options for weapons, Tamilio said.

"We want to make sure we have the best capability for our soldiers," he said. "So we've got to get a good feel for what is out there."

Tamilio said proliferation of better weapons and better body armor amongst America's enemies means the Army must also look for better weapons. To that end, the secretary of the Army has directed the Army's Training and Doctrine Command to create a requirements document for a new individual weapon for soldiers.

That requirements document is expected to clear the Joint Requirements Oversight Committee next summer and a Request For Proposal might be released in September 2009, Tamilio said. With the release of an RFP, arms manufactures will compete to sell the Army a follow-on to the M-4.

During the industry day, more than a dozen weapons manufacturers -- including Smith and Wesson, Sig Sauer, and Colt Defense -- displayed their latest weapons technology for Army officials. Later, representatives from each vendor met with Army officials to discuss their wares.

(Report by C. Todd Lopez, Army News Service.)

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Friday, November 14, 2008

Civil Air Patrol Colonel Pilots Space Shuttle Endeavour

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Col. Eric Boe heads for a shuttle training aircraft to practice landings on the Shuttle Landing Facility's runway Nov. 11 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He is the STS-126 pilot and is a Civil Air Patrol member. (NASA photo by Kim Shiflett.)

News in Balance:

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala., Nov. 14, 2008 -- An Air Force colonel who is a senior member of the Civil Air Patrol piloted the Space Shuttle Endeavour for mission STS-126 when it blasted off Friday at Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

Col. Eric Boe, a NASA astronaut, pilots the shuttle in his first voyage into space as Endeavour supports the International Space Station.

Endeavour will dock with the space station and deliver supplies to support its expanding needs, including a multipurpose logistics module as part of a scheduled 15-day mission in space.

"I'm very excited to go into space and get the opportunity to represent the nation," Colonel Boe said. "It's a great opportunity to see what it's like to go into space."

A former Georgia Wing cadet and current Florida Wing member, Colonel Boe said his involvement with CAP as a young man helped him achieve his career goals of becoming a fighter pilot and an astronaut. Colonel Boe, who soloed at age 16 at a flight encampment conducted by the Georgia Wing, credited his cadet experience for solidifying his desire to fly.

"That was my first real opportunity to fly an airplane by myself," he said. "CAP gave me that opportunity, and it really made a difference in the long term. It's always nice to have flown before you show up at pilot training."

Colonel Boe, a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, was commissioned in 1987. After completing Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, in 1988, he was assigned to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron at the former Clark Air Base, Philippines, as an F-4E pilot. In the early 1990s, he served as an instructor pilot in the T-38 and AT-38B. In 1994, he was assigned to the 60th Fighter Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., serving as an F-15 Eagle flight commander. He flew 55 combat missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch.

Colonel Boe was selected as a pilot by NASA in 2000, and reported to the Johnson Space Center. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, after fulfilling various duties there, he served as NASA director of operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia.

In his time serving in the Air Force, Colonel Boe has logged more than 4,000 flight hours in more than 45 different aircraft.

(Report from a U.S. Air Force news release.)

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US Army Astronaut Blasts Off in Space Shuttle Endeavour

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STS-126 Mission Specialist Lt. Col. Shane Kimbrough arrives at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a T-38 jet. (Photo by NASA.)

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- Army Lt. Col. Robert S. Kimbrough was aboard the space shuttle Endeavour when it blasted off Friday on a scheduled 15-day mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff for the STS-126 mission occurred around 7:59 p.m. at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

STS-126 has been planned as the mission that will give the International Space Station the ability to support twice the crew currently living there. Endeavour has a reusable logistics module that will hold additional crew quarters, additional exercise equipment, equipment for the regenerative life support system and other supplies.

"It's the most jam-packed logistics module we have ever carried up there," STS-126 Commander Chris Ferguson said. "We're taking a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house and turning it into a five-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a gym."

STS-126 will also ensure adequate power for all the new equipment -- and the future space station crew that will expand from three to six -- four days of space-walking are scheduled to service the station's solar alpha rotary joints.

The solar alpha rotary jointsare two 10-foot-wide, wagon-wheel-shaped joints on the station's truss that allow the electricity-generating solar arrays to rotate so that they're always getting as much sun as possible. Flight controllers on the ground noticed a year ago that it was taking more power than normal to rotate the joint on the station's starboard side, and it was vibrating more than it should.

The space walks to service the solar alpha rotary joints will include Army astronaut Kimbrough. The mission specialist was born in Killeen, Texas, but now considers Atlanta his hometown. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy, where he was captain of the baseball team. He also has a degree from Georgia Institute of Technology. He served as a platoon leader in an Apache attack helicopter company during Desert Storm.

Kimbrough will be one of the mission's three space walkers. Previous spacewalks to inspect the joint narrowed the more than 100 possible causes of problems down to one: insufficient lubrication. Without enough lubrication, the trundle bearing assemblies that hold the two halves of the joint together, and allow one side to rotate while the other stays still, were pressing too hard against one side of the joint. This added pressure damaged the steel of the joint's "wheel," which the bearings roll against, and left metal filings that could cause more damage.

So the astronauts will spend the majority of the four spacewalks fixing that. They will work to clean metal shavings off of the surface of the solar alpha rotary joint, then lubricate it and replace the trundle bearing assemblies.

Back inside, the Endeavor crew will spend a lot of time unpacking new crew quarters for the space station, a new toilet, a new kitchen, a new refrigerator and new exercise equipment , along with science experiments.

STS-126 is the 27th shuttle mission to the International Space Station. Sandra H. Magnus of STS-126 will remain on the space station, replacing Expedition 17/18 Flight Engineer Gregory E. Chamitoff, who returns to Earth with the shuttle crew.

(Report from an Army News Service and NASA news release.)

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Supreme Court Rules for Navy in Sonar Case

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In this 2008 file photo, the Arleigh Burk-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) steams behind the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) acting as plane guard during flight operations. Stennis and Kidd are part of the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group conducting a composite training unit exercise off the coast of Southern California. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Josue L. Escobosa.)

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- On Nov. 12 the Supreme Court ruled for the Navy on the challenge to Navy's use of sonar for the 14 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) combat certification training exercises off the coast of Southern California (SOCAL).

In a strongly worded opinion, supported by a majority of the Justices, the Court recognized both the public interest and the Navy's interest in effective realistic training to ensure the Navy is able to track and target enemy submarines. The Supreme Court vacated the two training restrictions in the preliminary injunction that Navy told the court unacceptably restricted our Sailors' ability to conduct realistic combat training in SOCAL with mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS). The majority opinion concluded that "the balance of equities and consideration of the overall public interest in this case tip strongly in favor of the Navy."

"This case was vital to our Navy and nation's security, and we are pleased with the Supreme Court's decision in this matter. We can now continue to train our Sailors effectively, under realistic combat conditions, and certify our crews 'combat ready' while continuing to be good stewards of the marine environment," said Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy.

This decision enables the nation to achieve a balanced, responsible approach to meeting the Navy's dual obligation for maintaining a trained and effective force and environmental stewardship.

The original injunction, handed down in August 2007 by a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles and later amended, was affirmed by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in February. The Supreme Court granted the Government's Petition for Certiorari in June and heard the oral argument Oct. 8.

The decision vacated two training restrictions - the 2,200-yard shutdown zone and the mandatory power reduction when significant surface ducting conditions are encountered. The 2,200-yard shutdown zone is 11 times greater than the existing shutdown distance developed in consultation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Federal Regulator, and supported by science. The 2,200 yard shutdown zone effectively imposes a 4.9-square mile shutdown zone around each U.S. Navy ship. The Court noted that the courts below had not given sufficient weight to the views of several top Navy officers, who explained the serious impact of these two measures on effective training.

The Navy implements extensive measures designed to protect marine mammals during ASW training. As the Court observed, the Navy has conducted exercises similar to those at issue in this litigation in SOCAL for 40 years, without a single marine mammal stranding linked to MFA sonar usage.

This injunction and this decision concern 14 major training exercises off Southern California. The last of these exercises will be completed this December. For the final SOCAL exercises, the Navy will continue to train while applying a number of mitigation measures set forth by a National Defense Exemption and additional requirements imposed by the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ), and other mitigation measures ordered by the District Court that were not challenged by the Navy. These measures were established in cooperation with NMFS and the CEQ, and since they were instituted in January 2007, no marine mammal strandings have been linked to the United States Navy use of sonar anywhere in the world. The Navy will continue to employ successful mitigation measures.

"We are pleased with the Supreme Court's decision on this case of vital importance to our national security. We will continue to train realistically and certify the Sailors and Marines of our Navy strike groups in a manner that protects our nation's security and the precious maritime environment," said Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead.

The Navy expects to complete an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for all training activities on the Southern California Range Complex early next year. Starting in January, the Navy's decision on this EIS will provide full environmental compliance for all training activities on the SOCAL range complex, including training with MFAS. The Supreme Court decision does not affect the completion of the EIS and efforts to obtain required letters of authorization and biological opinions which will set the mitigation measures to be observed in the future.

Beyond environmental compliance and marine mammal protection measures, the Navy has also invested more than $100 million in the past five years to increase scientific knowledge about the location, abundance, habitat, physiological characteristics and acoustic sensitivity of marine mammals.

For more information about the Navy's environmental stewardship efforts, visit: http://www.navy.mil/oceans.

(Report from a Department of the Navy news release.)

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Dunwoody Becomes 1st Woman 4-Star US Army General

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For the first time in U.S. history, a woman military officer today pinned on the rank of four-star general. Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was promoted just hours before taking the helm of the Army Materiel Command, a Fortune 100-sized organization with nearly 130,000 servicemembers at 150 locations worldwide charged with equipping, outfitting and arming the service's soldiers. (DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Molly A. Burgess.)

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- For the first time in U.S. history, a woman military officer today pinned on the rank of four-star general.

Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody was promoted just hours before taking the helm of the Army Materiel Command, a Fortune 100-sized organization with nearly 130,000 servicemembers at 150 locations worldwide charged with equipping, outfitting and arming the service’s soldiers.

The emotionally charged promotion ceremony was a veritable “Who’s Who” within the Defense Department, as the defense secretary, the Army secretary, the chairman and all of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, two former Army chiefs of staff and other senior military officials attended.

The Pentagon auditorium was standing-room-only, leaving even a three-star general to fend for himself and stand in the back.

“We invited everyone but the fire marshal,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates quipped as he took the podium.

Speaking briefly, Gates heralded Dunwoody’s 33-year career, calling her one of the foremost military logisticians of her generation who’s known among senior officials as a proven, albeit humble, leader.

“History will no doubt take note of her achievement in breaking through this final brass ceiling to pin on a fourth star,” Gates said. “But she would rather be known and remembered, first and foremost, as a U.S. Army soldier.”

Dunwoody’s career as a soldier began, Gates pointed out, in the Women’s Army Corps and at a time when women were not allowed to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Her father and brother, both West Point graduates, sat in the front row of her promotion ceremony.

The general’s father graduated from the academy in 1943, following in the steps of his father, who graduated in 1905. Dunwoody’s great-grandfather graduated from West Point in 1866.

“Now you understand why people think I have olive-drab blood,” Dunwoody joked later.

In fact, Dunwoody’s father is a combat veteran of three wars and received Purple Heart medals for wounds suffered in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. He wears the Army’s Distinguished Service Cross for valor.

In a speech that alternated from tears to laughter, Dunwoody credited her successes to her father’s teachings and the family’s strong military values.

“I know most of my success is founded in what I learned from you, as a dad, as a patriot and as a soldier,” she told her father, choking back tears. “Talk about never quitting. Talk about never accepting defeat. That’s my dad, my hero.”

Dunwoody said she has been fortunate to live a lifetime of firsts, and that the Army gave her those opportunities. The Army has mentored her, she said, and now she has been given the opportunity to return the favor.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. pointed out that, as Dunwoody was receiving her commission, the Army was finishing a study on what those serving thought were appropriate jobs for women in the Army.

The top job appropriate for women, according to officers and enlisted soldiers in 1975, was that of a cook. Dunwoody joined the Army’s quartermaster branch.

“That's the Army that Ann Dunwoody entered -- an institution just figuring out how to deal with the full potential of an all-volunteer Army, and not yet ready to leverage the strengths of each individual soldier in its ranks,” Casey said. “And Ann's career has mirrored our progress.”

In 1970, the Army promoted its first woman officer to brigadier general. Three years after Dunwoody was commissioned, the Army promoted its first woman to major general, and at the same time disbanded the Women’s Army Corps, which had its roots steeped in World War II. A year later, Dunwoody took command of a mixed-gender company, a relatively new concept in the Army. The first woman lieutenant general was promoted in 1997.

The Army now has 21 female general officers, and just more than 100 serve within the Defense Department.

Dunwoody first joined the Army intent on serving only two years, she said. Her success, she admitted, comes to her surprise.

“There is no one more surprised than I, except of course my husband. You know what they say -- behind every successful woman, there’s an astonished man,” she joked.

Her husband, Craig, who sat beside her on stage during the ceremony, is a retired Air Force colonel. They met while attending a military school together.

Dunwoody’s jokes seemed to relieve her nervousness and underscored her humility in the moment.

“It’s as overwhelming as it is humbling, especially for somebody who thought fifth grade was the best three years of her life,” she joked.

The general said at first she didn’t appreciate the enormity of the event. She has previously refused all requests for media interviews. Pentagon officials said Dunwoody was uncomfortable with the attention garnered when she was nominated to be the first woman four-star general.

Since then, Dunwoody said, she has received cards, letters, e-mails and encouragement from men and women serving in all branches of the military around the world -- many offering congratulations, others thanking her for her service.

In a briefing at the Pentagon later, Dunwoody said she never grew up believing any limitations were set for her career.

“I never grew up in an environment where I even heard of the words ‘glass ceiling,’" she said. “You could always be anything you wanted to be if you worked hard, and so I never felt constrained. I never felt like there were limitations on what I could do.”

And, because much of her career has been forged on relatively new paths cut by a handful of women having gone before her, Dunwoody at first saw this latest accomplishment as simply more of the same, she said.

“My whole career was kind of the first of my generation, because women had not been down those roads before,” she said. “And so you go, ‘Why is this first any different than the other first?’ But it is different, because it is a bigger first.”

Still, Dunwoody was quick to deflect the attention her accomplishments were receiving.

“While … I may be the first woman to achieve this honor, I know with certainty that I won’t be the last,” she said.

Now, at age 55 and with this promotion, Dunwoody said, she has finally realized her purpose.

“Even though I thought I was only coming in the Army for two years, I now know from the day I first donned my uniform, soldiering is all I ever wanted to do,” she said.

That led to the fourth and final standing ovation for Dunwoody at the ceremony.

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

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OIF Summary; Nov. 14, 2008: Troops Nab 11 Suspected Terrorists in Iraq

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- Coalition forces in Iraq detained 11 suspected terrorists today and yesterday as they continued operations to expel al-Qaida in Iraq from the country, military officials reported.

Troops detained four suspects during an operation in the Tamim province near Kirkuk today in an effort to dismantle terrorist networks there, officials said. The suspects include a man wanted for his association with a terrorist leader killed in a previous operation.

Also today, coalition forces further unraveled terrorist networks in Mosul during two operations that netted a man suspected of bombings in the city and his associate. A third man suspected of having terrorist ties surrendered to coalition troops as well.

Yesterday, coalition forces captured a wanted man in an operation near Iskandariyah, about 30 miles southwest of Baghdad. Intelligence reports suggest the man was involved in assassinations and other terrorist activities in the region. Two men assessed to be his associates also were detained.

Also yesterday, forces in Beiji, about 100 miles south of Mosul, targeted two al-Qaida in Iraq operatives suspected of bombings in the area.

Also in Iraq this week:
  • Iraqi forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, , captured a wanted man during a search in Baghdad’s Rashid area that turned up a 120 mm mortar round. The battalion also found a weapons cache that included two rocket-propelled grenade canisters, two RPG rounds, two RPG launchers, two recoilless rifles, eight 60mm mortar rounds and 43 81 mm mortar rounds.

  • Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers with 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, along with Iraqi police, dismantled a bomb and arrested a terrorist suspect yesterday in the Rashid district of Baghdad.

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

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US Airpower Summary; Nov. 14, 2008: A-10s Protect Ground Forces

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An A-10 Thunderbolt II taxis on the runway at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. A-10s provide close-air support and perform sorties providing top cover for ground forces in Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Demetrius Lester.)

Dispatches from the Front:

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Nov. 14, 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Nov. 13, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.

In Afghanistan, an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II fired cannon rounds against anti-Afghan forces who were firing mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at a coalition ground forces convoy. Furthermore, A-10s performed shows of force to deter any further enemy action against the coalition convoy's disabled vehicle in the vicinity of Bolocan. The mission was confirmed a success by an on-scene joint terminal attack controller.

In the vicinity of Gardez and Worzhanah, A-10s performed shows of force and provided armed aerial overwatch for coalition ground forces conducting IED search operations. The JTACs declared the missions successful.

An Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle conducted a show of force to deter enemy activities and provide armed aerial overwatch for a coalition convoy that was delayed in a dry riverbed near Monari. The mission was reported a success by a JTAC.

In the vicinity of Bagram and Sangin, an F-15E and a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet performed shows of force to deter enemy activities and provided armed aerial overwatch for coalition ground forces conducting operations in the area. The JTACs confirmed the missions successful.

Coalition aircraft performed shows of force and provided armed aerial overwatch for a coalition convoy conducting operations in the vicinity of Musa Qaleh. The mission was declared a success by a JTAC.

In total, 69 close-air-support missions were flown in support of the ISAF and Afghan security forces, reconstruction activities and route patrols.

Thirteen Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Afghanistan. Additionally, four Navy and coalition aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.

In Iraq, a Navy F/A-18C Hornet performed a show of force along a riverbed to deter enemy forces that were gathering in the vicinity of Al Amarah. A JTAC confirmed the mission successful.

In total, coalition aircraft flew 49 close-air-support missions for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions integrated and synchronized with coalition ground forces, protected key infrastructure, provided overwatch for reconstruction activities and helped to deter and disrupt hostile activities.

Thirty-one Air Force, Navy and coalition ISR aircraft flew missions as part of operations in Iraq. Additionally, two Air Force aircraft performed tactical reconnaissance.

Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft and C-17 Globemaster IIIs provided intra-theater heavy airlift, helping to sustain operations throughout Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa.

Approximately 130 airlift sorties were flown, more than 400 tons of cargo were delivered and nearly 3,500 passengers were transported. This included approximately 72,500 pounds of troop resupply airdropped in Afghanistan.

Coalition C-130 crews flew as part of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq.

On Nov. 12, Air Force and coalition tanker crews flew 46 sorties and off-loaded approximately 3.3 million pounds of fuel to 230 receiving aircraft.

(Report from a U.S. Air Force news release.)

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OEF Summary; Nov. 14, 2008: Troops Kill 4 in Afghanistan Bomb Network

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- Coalition forces killed four al-Qaida insurgents during fighting yesterday in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktika province, military officials said.

The troops were conducting an operation in the Zurmat district to catch a man known for helping Taliban leaders bring foreign fighters into Afghanistan when they came under fire from insurgents who were known to carry out numerous bomb attacks in the region.

The force approached the targeted militants, who refused to follow instructions and attempted to engage the force with AK-47 assault rifles, officials said, so the force engaged with small-arms fire and killed them.

A search of the area revealed the militants were heavily armed with multiple AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and pistols. These items were destroyed to prevent future use, they said.

In other news from Afghanistan, coalition forces responded today to a site in the Gulistan district of Farah province in western Afghanistan, where militant mortar fire killed one civilian and wounded another.

A coalition forces patrol responded to a bazaar where the mortar rounds landed, officials said. They coordinated the evacuation of the wounded civilian to a nearby NATO International Security Assistance Force medical facility.

“While coalition forces make every effort to protect the lives of innocent Afghans, we have seen in recent days the tragic results of indiscriminate attacks by extremists,” said Army Col. Greg Julian, U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman. “This event follows on the heels of suicide bombings by extremists in Kandahar and Nangarhar killing and injuring innocent civilians, and the senseless battery-acid attack on schoolgirls in Kandahar.”

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)

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Pentagon: Acid Attack Shows Nature of Taliban

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2008 -- It’s a measure of the enemy in Afghanistan that Taliban terrorists attacked girls walking to school in Afghanistan on Nov. 12 by throwing acid in their faces, a senior Defense Department official said today.

“It was obviously a despicable attack,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. “It’s a reflection of the brutality and backwardness of the enemy we’re dealing with here. I certainly hope this is not any trend of tactic that the Taliban have, because it is a truly despicable act.”

Three girls were seriously injured in the attack.

“The Taliban’s continued terror attacks threaten the progress that has been made in Afghanistan,” first lady Laura Bush said in a statement released by the White House.

When they were in power in Afghanistan, the Taliban forbade women from attending school or even going outside. Women doctors were forbidden from practicing, and no woman was allowed to serve in political office.

Bush noted how that has changed since Operation Enduring Freedom began in October 2001. “Today, Afghan women are attending school, running for political office and serving as police officers,” she said. Afghan women are 28 percent of the country’s legislature, and almost 2 million Afghan girls are now in school, she added.

“The United States and our allies are working with the government of Afghanistan to build more schools where children can learn, open additional roads so that commerce can grow and provide basic health care for the Afghan people,” she said. “These cowardly and shameful acts are condemned by honorable people in the United States and around the world.”

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

Related: Statement by First Lady Laura Bush

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