HCA PAYS $16.5 MILLION TO SETTLE FALSE CLAIMS ALLEGATIONS

Photo: Operation Prep. Credit: U.S. Navy.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Hospital Chain HCA Inc. Pays $16.5 Million to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Regarding Chattanooga, Tenn., Hospital Allegedly Provided Financial Benefits to Doctors’ Group That Referred Patients to HCA-owned Facilities

HCA Inc., one of the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chains, has agreed to pay the United States and the state of Tennessee $16.5 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act and the Stark Statute, the Department of Justice announced today.

As alleged in the settlement agreement, during 2007, HCA, through its subsidiaries Parkridge Medical Center, located in Chattanooga, Tenn., and HCA Physician Services (HCAPS), headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., entered into a series of financial transactions with a physician group, Diagnostic Associates of Chattanooga, through which it provided financial benefits intended to induce the physician members of Diagnostic to refer patients to HCA facilities. These financial transactions included rental payments for office space leased from Diagnostic at a rate well in excess of fair market value in order to assist Diagnostic members to meet their mortgage obligations and a release of Diagnostic members from a separate lease obligation.

The Stark Statute restricts financial relationships that hospitals may enter into with physicians who potentially may refer patients to them. Federal law prohibits the payment of medical claims that result from such prohibited relationships.

"The Department of Justice continues to pursue cases involving improper financial relationships between health care providers and their referral sources, because such relationships can corrupt a physician’s judgment about the patient’s true healthcare needs," said Stuart F. Delery, the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division.

"Physicians should make decisions regarding referrals to health care facilities based on what is in the best interest of patients without being induced by payments from hospitals competing for their business," said Bill Killian, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

" Improper business deals between hospitals and physicians jeopardize both patient care and federal program dollars," said Daniel R. Levinson, Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services. "Our investigators continue to work shoulder to shoulder with other law enforcement authorities to stop schemes that imperil scarce health care resources."

The civil settlement resolves a lawsuit, United States ex rel. Bingham v. HCA, No. 1:08-CV-71 (E.D. Tenn.), pending in federal court in the Eastern District of Tennessee under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which allow private citizens to bring civil actions on behalf of the United States and share in any recovery. As part of the civil settlement, HCA has agreed to pay $16.5 million to the United States and the state of Tennessee, with the federal portion representing $15,693,000 of the settlement amount. The whistleblower will receive an 18.5 percent share.

Also as part of the settlement, Parkridge Medical Center has entered into a comprehensive five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to ensure its continued compliance with federal health care benefit program requirements.

This resolution is part of the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and another step for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services in May 2009. The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation. One of the most powerful tools in that effort is the False Claims Act, which the Justice Department has used to recover more than $9.4 billion since January 2009 in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs. The Justice Department’s total recoveries in False Claims Act cases since January 2009 are over $13.1 billion.

The case was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

DEPUTY DEFENSE SCRETARY CARTER SAID SEQUESTRATION IS LIKE A HIDDEN TAX



Photo:  Ashton B. Carter
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Carter: Sequestration Would Have Effect of 'Hidden Tax'By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 20, 2012 - Because it would lead to inefficiencies, the sequestration mechanism built into the Budget Control Act would amount to a hidden tax, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said here today.

"If sequestration happens, it is not only disruptive in many ways I'd love to describe, but it's a hidden tax all by itself," Carter said during an interview at the Newseum with Politico Pro Defense's Phil Ewing. "It forces us to be uneconomical, and our industry partners to be uneconomical, in the conduct of our affairs. That's not good."

Sequestration refers to a mechanism in last year's law that raised the debt ceiling that would trigger an additional $500 billion across-the-board defense spending cut over the next decade, in addition to $487 billion in cuts already programmed, unless Congress identifies equivalent savings by January.

Along with Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Carter said, he is urging Congress to find a solution.

"We fervently hope that something can be done to avert sequestration," Carter said. "I don't know how many months Secretary Panetta and I have been railing about what sequestration will do to national defense," he said. "I think people didn't know what the word meant, but he did, and we did, and the word he used is 'devastating.'"

The deputy defense secretary said he cannot say anything good about sequestration, and he called its size and the manner in which it was applied "senseless."

"And makes the jobs of people like us who are trying to manage your security to a reasonable result ... impossible," he added.

As Defense Department managers work to "get our programs just so," including all the things they must do for service members and their families, Carter said, the impending cuts are prohibitive. "In comes something like this that makes orderly disposition of the public's business impossible," he added. "So I very much hope some way can be found over the next few months to stop it."

Carter said he'd be open to Congress enacting a delay in the January deadline to allow more time for a solution. "A delay's better than having it," he said, "and if a delay leads to ultimately dispelling this cloud, that's all the better."

The potential for government shutdowns and the prospect of the government operating on a series of continuing resolutions in place of a budget also affect defense industry partners trying to do their jobs, Carter said.

"You're working on contingencies at the same time you're trying to do the bedrock business that we're supposed to do, which is to support the warfighter and deliver value for the taxpayer," he said. "So it's annoying, it's frustrating and it's counterproductive."

Carter said people may be aware of the "extremely disruptive, uneconomical and wasteful" effects on defense programs such as aircraft and vehicle acquisition, but they may not appreciate potential effects on operating accounts.

Under sequestration, he explained, warfighting costs could require tapping into Army operations and maintenance funding, which in turn would affect training, which then would affect readiness.

"The force will not be as ready to do things elsewhere in the world. ... It really has an effect on security," he said.

Sequestration also affects people, Carter said – not only service members, civilian employees and their families, but also industry partners.

They are the ones who build the things that make our military the greatest in the world," Carter said. "It affects them, [and] it affects their employees. So across the board, it deserves the word 'devastating.'"

AURORA AUSTRALIS FROM SPACE

 

FROM:  NASA
Aurora Australis From Space
This image is of Atlantis and its Orbital Boom Sensor System robot arm extension backdropped against Earth's horizon and a greenish phenomenon associated with Aurora Australis. One of the station's solar array panels appears at upper left. Because of the exposure time needed for this type of photography, some of the stars in the background are blurred.

Image Credit: NASA

WAR OF 1812 BICENTENIAL VIDEO

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIMS REPORT FOR WEEK ENDING SEPTEMBER 15, 2012



Photo Credit:  NASA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE WEEKLY CLAIMS REPORT

SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA

In the week ending September 15, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 382,000, a decrease of 3,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 385,000. The 4-week moving average was 377,750, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's revised average of 375,750.

The advance seasonally adjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.6 percent for the week ending September 8, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending September 8 was 3,272,000, a decrease of 32,000 from the preceding week's revised level of 3,304,000. The 4-week moving average was 3,309,750, a decrease of 12,000 from the preceding week's revised average of 3,321,750.
UNADJUSTED DATA
The advance number of actual initial claims under state programs, unadjusted, totaled 327,797 in the week ending September 15, an increase of 28,068 from the previous week. There were 353,820 initial claims in the comparable week in 2011.

The advance unadjusted insured unemployment rate was 2.3 percent during the week ending September 8, unchanged from the prior week's unrevised rate. The advance unadjusted number for persons claiming UI benefits in state programs totaled 2,925,518, a decrease of 5,307 from the preceding week. A year earlier, the rate was 2.6 percent and the volume was 3,306,720.

The total number of people claiming benefits in all programs for the week ending September 1 was 5,173,597, a decrease of 217,823 from the previous week. There were 6,887,930 persons claiming benefits in all programs in the comparable week in 2011

Extended Benefits were not available in any states during the week ending September 1.

Initial claims for UI benefits by former Federal civilian employees totaled 962 in the week ending September 8, a decrease of 259 from the prior week. There were 2,715 initial claims by newly discharged veterans, an increase of 175 from the preceding week.

There were 16,610 former Federal civilian employees claiming UI benefits for the week ending September 1, a decrease of 823 from the previous week. Newly discharged veterans claiming benefits totaled 37,093, a decrease of 1,308 from the prior week.

States reported 2,162,532 persons claiming EUC (Emergency Unemployment Compensation) benefits for the week ending September 1, a decrease of 60,539 from the prior week. There were 2,997,259 persons claiming EUC in the comparable week in 2011. EUC weekly claims include first, second, third, and fourth tier activity.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending September 1 were in Puerto Rico (4.1), New Jersey (3.6), Alaska (3.5), Pennsylvania (3.5), Connecticut (3.3), California (3.1), New York (3.0), Nevada (2.9), Oregon (2.8), and Massachusetts (2.7).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending September 8 were in Louisiana (+6,678), Puerto Rico (+1,679), Mississippi (+1,067), Wisconsin (+988), and Washington (+833), while the largest decreases were in California (-8,163), New York (-3,449), Michigan (-2,115), Pennsylvania
(-1,624), and Iowa (-1,214).

PTSD AND TBI STUDY TO RECEIVE $100 MILLION

Photo:  Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki

FROM: U.S. VETERANS AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
VA, DOD to Fund $100 Million PTSD and TBI Study
From a Department of Veterans Affairs News Release

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2012 - The Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense today announced they are investing more than $100 million in research to improve diagnosis and treatment of mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

"At VA, ensuring that our veterans receive quality care is our highest priority," Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said. "Investing in innovative research that will lead to treatments for PTSD and TBI is critical to providing the care our veterans have earned and deserve."

The two groups, The Consortium to Alleviate PTSD and the Chronic Effects of Neurotrauma Consortium will be jointly managed by VA, and by the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, on behalf of the DOD.

More than 15 percent of service members and veterans suffer impaired functioning as a result of PTSD. CAP will study potential indicators of the trauma, as well as prevention strategies, possible interventions, and improved treatments. Biomarker-based research will be a key factor for CAP's studies.

A primary goal of CENC is to establish an understanding of the after-effects of an mTBI. Potential comorbidities also will be studied; that is, conditions associated with and worsen because of a neurotrauma.

"PTSD and mTBI are two of the most-prevalent injuries suffered by our warfighters in Iraq and Afghanistan, and identifying better treatments for those impacted is critical," Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Dr. Jonathan Woodson said. "These consortia will bring together leading scientists and researchers devoted to the health and welfare of our nation's service members and veterans."

On Aug. 31, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to improve access to mental health services for veterans, service members and military families. As part of that executive order, Obama directed DOD, the VA, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education to develop a National Research Action Plan that will include strategies to improve early diagnosis and treatment effectiveness for TBI and PTSD. He further directed DOD and HHS to conduct a comprehensive mental health study, with an emphasis on PTSD, TBI, and related injuries to develop better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options.

VA, which has the largest integrated health care system in the country, also has one of the largest medical research programs.

This year, approximately 3,400 researchers will work on more than 2,300 projects with nearly $1.9 billion in funding. Specific information on the consortia, including the full description of each award, eligibility, and submission deadlines, and general application instructions, are posted on the Grants.gov and CDMRP websites.

GSA SAVES $4 MILLION FROM GOING UP IN SMOKE

GSA supports our nations firefighters
FROM: U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

GSA Saved Firefighters $4 Million in August

Posted by William Hicks

Federal Acquisition Service Southwest Region on September 19th, 2012

Each year, in the summer and early fall, wildfires present a very real threat to forests, wildlife, and residential areas in western and southwestern United States. A vital role of GSA’s mission is to support firefighters and save taxpayer dollars by utilizing government contracts to consolidate purchasing supplies and equipment. In August alone, GSA’s Wildland Fire Program saved an estimated $4 million on orders of equipment to support firefighters across the nation.

While wildfire activity slowed in July, national preparedness levels increased in August with large fires burning in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, California, Montana, Oregon, Washington State, Wyoming, Oklahoma and Texas. During the single month, the Southwest Supply Operations Center, which is responsible for GSA’s Wildland Fire Program, processed over 40 orders for fire equipment and supplies for national fire caches. The supplies were shipped from the GSA Western Distribution Center in French Camp, California. In many cases, shipments are responses to immediate needs and must be processed during evening or weekend hours.

The program provides firefighters with equipment and supplies, facilitates advanced procurements in preparation for fire season, assists in standardization of fire equipment and supplies, and provides direct distribution of items to field units. Located in Fort Worth, Texas, the Southwest Supply Operations Center stocks over 250 items to assist firefighting in the task of fire suppression including water handling equipment, fire line tools, fire shelters, and protective clothing. As of early September, sales of equipment in the region totaled $38.4 million, which is estimated to have saved firefighters $13 million in cost-savings.

GSA also provides support to state and local governments during times of emergency through the use of government-wide contracts with commercial firms that are designed to save time and money in the procurement process. The use of these contracts, referred to as "schedules," provides access to millions of commercial products and services at volume discount pricing.

GSA’s Office of Emergency Response and Recovery provides the overall logistics support for disasters and manages our role in the Emergency Support Functions as part of FEMA’s National Response Framework. They are GSA’s first responders and "boots on the ground" within hours of an event. In addition to wildfires, GSA provides support during hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes and other man-made or natural disasters.

NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Photo:  Afgahistan Field.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Kills Armed Insurgents in Balkh Province
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 20, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force killed two armed insurgents during an operation to arrest a senior Taliban leader in the Balkh district of Afghanistan's Balkh province today, military officials reported.

As the security force approached the Taliban leader's suspected location, the armed insurgents maneuvered toward them and were killed when they displayed hostile intent.

No civilians were harmed during the operation. The security force also detained a suspected insurgent and seized firearms and grenades.

In other operations today:

-- An Afghan and coalition force in Kandahar province's Khakrez district arrested a Taliban informant who is suspected of acquiring and providing information regarding Afghan and coalition security operations to Taliban leaders operating throughout the region. He also is believed to provide guidance to insurgents for roadside bomb attacks. The security force also detained an alleged insurgent and seized explosive materials.

-- In Khost province's Bak district, an Afghan-led security force supported by coalition troops detained suspected insurgents and seized firearms during an operation to arrest a Haqqani network leader who is believed to coordinate attacks throughout the region, specializing in the use of roadside bombs.

In other news, Afghan and coalition forces today confirmed the death of Qari Yahya, an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader, during a Sept. 18 operation in Kunduz province's Qal-al-ye Zal district.

As the security force approached Qari Yahya's location, he and another IMU leader maneuvered from the compound and displayed hostile intent. Qari Yahya was killed, and the other IMU leader was arrested without injury. No civilians were harmed during the operation.

Qari Yahya was directly responsible for facilitating and conducting roadside bomb attacks and maintained communication and logistics ties with senior IMU and Taliban leaders.

ENDEAVOUR OVER HOUSTON

Space Shuttle Endeavour Over
 Houston, Texas
Space Shuttle Endeavour is ferried by NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) over Houston, Texas on September 19, 2012. NASA pilots Jeff Moultrie and Bill Rieke are at the controls of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Photo taken by NASA photographer Sheri Locke in the backseat of a NASA T-38 chase plane with NASA pilot Thomas E. Parent at the controls.

Photo Credit- NASA- Sheri Locke

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA COMMENTS ON CHINA MEETINGS

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping before a meeting in Beijing, Sept. 19, 2012. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo   

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Panetta Calls Beijing Meetings 'Substantive, Productive'

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

BEIJING, Sept. 20, 2012 - Visiting China at what he called a "very important moment" for the U.S.-China relationship, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said yesterday his meetings with key Chinese leaders here have been both substantive and productive.

In a discussion with Chinese reporters and media representatives traveling with him, Panetta reviewed his meetings over two days with Chinese leaders including Vice President Xi Jinping, State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission Xu Caihou and Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie.

Key discussion points throughout the meetings, the secretary said, included territorial disputes, ballistic missile defense and North Korea, and cyber attack and intrusions. The overarching topic, he added, was the U.S.–China relationship in the context of the U.S. strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region.

Panetta drew a parallel in describing his advice to Chinese leaders over a territorial dispute simmering between China and Japan – which, he noted, he also tendered to Japanese senior government officials when he visited there earlier this week – and Chinese advice to him over North Korea. Each side urged the other to seek peaceful, diplomatic solutions to their differences, he noted.

The secretary said he has some understanding of the deep feelings and long-standing differences between China and Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea. But, he added, "it's really important that we not be trapped by the past and that we move forward."

Panetta said his message on the topic is consistent to any country claiming disputed territory in the East China Sea or South China Sea: while the United States doesn't take sides in territorial disputes, "we strongly urge the parties to exercise restraint and to work together to find a peaceful resolution to these issues."

The secretary added that he also strongly urges the Asia-Pacific nations to form a multilateral forum to resolve regional conflicts according to agreed-upon principles.

Panetta said his meetings here gave him the impression that the Chinese are looking for a good format in which to try to resolve these issues for the future. "They, too, have a concern that these issues can't just be resolved on the fly -- that there's got to be a process to try to deal with them," he added.

Both Japanese and Chinese leaders signaled this week that they "recognize that it's important not to let this kind of dispute get out of hand," Panetta said.

China's leaders similarly urged that the United States exercise restraint in its approach to North Korea, Panetta acknowledged. China, along with Russia, is one of North Korea's principal allies.

U.S.-North Korea differences came to the fore this week when, during his stay in Japan, the secretary announced the United States and Japan are discussing expansion of Japan-based ballistic missile defense radar systems. Panetta emphasized the X-band radar, which detects ballistic missiles early in their flight and provides precise tracking information for targeting systems, is intended solely for defense against North Korea.

The secretary told reporters that North Korea threatens the United States, its forward-deployed forces and its allied and partner nations as it continues to test nuclear weapons and delivery systems and to enrich uranium in defiance of international law.

During his meetings with China's leaders, Panetta said, he urged Chinese officials to try to persuade North Korea to engage with the United States to work on resolving these issues through diplomacy. In turn, he added, the Chinese leaders strongly recommended that the United States try to resolve its issues with North Korea peacefully.

Both sides noted that the recent change in North Korean leadership has produced some signs of softening in Pyongyang's stance, he noted. "We agreed that there are changes that are taking place and that we have to keep track of those changes," the secretary said.

Panetta said he also raised concerns about threats in the cyber domain, which he called the "potential battlefield for the future."

Cyber technology "has the potential to cripple a country, paralyze a country ... [and is] being used in order to exploit information -- important economic information -- from one country to the next," he said.

Panetta said the United States "has concerns about what China has been doing, in terms of exploiting information," and that during his meetings here he stressed the importance of the United States and China having a dialogue regarding cyber.

"I think we do have to make the effort to try to sit down with China and with other countries to discuss how we can approach cyber," the secretary said. He added that cyber is a growing threat in China as well, and that "there was concurrence" during meetings that the topic is worthy of strategic discussion.

"There was a sense that there has to be an effort to look at the larger picture here and whether or not we can develop international rules and standards. ... I thought that was a very good step to ... at least beginning the discussion about dealing with this issue," Panetta said.

The secretary has maintained throughout his comments to reporters this week that the chief focus of his visit to China was to strengthen military relations between the two countries and to seek Chinese response to the U.S. strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region.

"What I hope this visit has made clear is that engagement with China is a critical part of [the rebalance]," he said. "And I believe we're making real progress towards building a military-to-military relationship with China that is, in fact, healthy, stable, reliable, and continuous."

China and the United States will not always agree, Panetta acknowledged. But he said the key to the relationship, as to any relationship, is open communications and the ability to express views candidly. "That, almost more than anything else, is what can lead to improved relations between the United States and China," he said. The "candid and frank discussions" he has had here bode well for the future, he added.

Concerning the U.S. rebalance in the Asia-Pacific region, Panetta said, Chinese leaders acknowledged that they don't view it as a threat. "They viewed it as important to the future prosperity and security of the Pacific region," he told reporters.

Their key concerns, he added, are that the United States develops and strengthens its presence in conjunction with developing a strong U.S.-China relationship, and that both nations work together to develop the capabilities of other countries and develop security for the region.

AFGHANISTAN CAMPAIGN REMANINS ON TRACK ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL

ENEMY WATCH - U.S. Army soldiers consolidate rounds and watch for enemy activity following a machine-gun and small arms attack on their position near the Pakistan border in Afghanistan, May 18, 2011. DOD photo by Karen Parrish
　
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
ISAF Official: Campaign Remains on Track as Surge Winds Down

By Claudette Roulo and Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2012 – The International Security Assistance Force’s campaign in Afghanistan is on track to achieve the objectives and timeline NATO set forth at its November 2010 summit, and American surge forces are on schedule to return home by Oct. 1, a senior ISAF official said today.

"The surge has effectively covered and enabled the training and fielding of the Afghan national security force, and is an amazing outcome in and of itself," Brig. Gen. Roger Noble of the Australian army, deputy to ISAF’s operations chief, told Pentagon reporters via satellite from Kabul, Afghanistan.

"The blood, sweat and tears of many coalition soldiers, especially many brave Americans, has directly delivered the time and space for the [Afghan forces] to stand up and assume the lead for the security of Afghanistan," he added.

Citing "relentless pressure on the enemy" by Afghan and coalition forces, Noble said insurgents have been pushed out of major population centers, allowing 76 percent of the Afghan population to live in areas of relative calm.

"In these areas, Afghans have the lead for their own security and their own lives," he said. "And the future of Afghanistan is, day by day, increasingly in Afghan hands, as it must be and should be."

While insider attacks are an ongoing problem, he said, ISAF is conducting a detailed analysis of every shooter involved to identify characteristics or traits that can be used to warn coalition forces of potential risks. A major challenge is that most of the shooters are either killed in the attacks or escape, the general acknowledged.

"But that doesn't stop you from still digging into their background using multiple means and actually interviewing the ones that we detain," he said.

Insider attacks are a long-term tactic used to erode trust, Noble said, and they increase during periods of heightened tension, as they did in February following an incident in which coalition forces inadvertently mishandled Korans.

Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the ISAF commander, raised the force protection level in light of the insider attacks, Noble said, noting that the force protection level changes quite often as specific threats rise and fall.

The attacks are a sign that the insurgency is struggling, Noble said.

"I've got a funny feeling that if they could get into pickup trucks and drive into Kandahar, they would," he said. "But they can't do that. And the surge helped do that. There's now not just the coalition standing in the way of them, but [the Afghan security force] has about 350,000 who say, ‘You can't do that. You can't come back.’ And most of the people of Afghanistan don't want them back, either."

Insurgents cause 81 percent of the civilian casualties in Afghanistan, the general said, through improvised explosive devices, assassinations and suicide bombings. "If your only option is to erode confidence and will through extremism and violence," he said, "the insider threat methodology fits right into that box of things to do. … They don't have a lot of options other than to do that."

Much work remains to be done, Noble said, and the Afghans understand that and are working to improve their vetting process and develop the infrastructure to support a professional army.

"It’s a problem that plagues them [as well]," he said. "Most years, they’ve had far more attacks than we do."

Noble also clarified recent changes to ISAF's model for assisting Afghan forces. ISAF officials said in a written statement yesterday that media reports on the subject were inaccurate.

"General Allen has not said that we're never going to speak to an Afghan below kandak level again," Noble said. "And that is not what's happening." A kandak is the Afghan army’s equivalent of a battalion. Rather, he explained, Allen made adjustments due to the heightened threat around the "Innocence of Muslims" YouTube video, which has sparked protest and violence in the Muslim world.

"You would have to admit [it] has had an impact globally, … and you'd be crazy not to heighten force protection," he said.

Allen is not preventing partnership patrols below kandak level, Noble said, but simply is reinforcing a requirement to take a considered decision about when, where and how that happens.

"We're going to take all the lessons out of [the insider attacks] and check around the whole country to make sure that there can't be a repeat, or [to] minimize the chance of repeat," he said.

ISAF officials try to look "forward and backwards in context," he added, trying to keep day-to-day activity in perspective and to remain on track for Afghanistan’s security forces to be responsible for security throughout their country by the end 2014, the goal set at NATO’s 2011 summit.

"Being in Afghanistan, every day throws up a different challenge, and the enemy is nothing if not innovative and committed," Noble said. "So when we get hit with the insider threat problem or any new tactics, we'll leave no stone unturned to try and keep our people safe. We're not going to shy away from our commitment to be successful in the campaign."

2012 OUTSTANDING AIRMEN OF THE YEAR

FROM: U.S. AIR FORCE,

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James Roy, left, and Sandy Schlitt, Air Force Association's chairman of the board presents a plaque to Senior Master Sgt. Luke Thompson, 125th special Tactics Squadron, Oregon Air National Guard, during the 2012 Outstanding Airmen of the Year reception and awards dinner.The Air Force Association hosted the annual Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, 2012. The recipients were recognized for superior leadership, job performance, community involvement, and personal achievements. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Varhegyi)

U.S.-MOROCCO RELATIONS

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Morocco formally recognized the United States by signing a treaty of peace and friendship in 1786. After a longstanding consular presence, permanent diplomatic relations began in 1905. Morocco entered into the status of a French protectorate from 1912 to 1956, and normal diplomatic relations were resumed after U.S. recognition of Moroccan independence in 1956. The two countries share common concerns and consult closely on regional security, political and economic transition, and sustainable development. Morocco is a strong partner in counterterrorism efforts, and it works closely with U.S. law enforcement to safeguard both countries’ national security interests.

U.S. Assistance to Morocco

Since 1957, the United States and Morocco have worked together to make real and substantial improvements in the lives of Moroccan citizens. In the wake of the Arab Spring, Morocco continues to make positive strides in pursuit of political reform and remains a strong U.S. supporter. The United States Agency for International Development programs aim to increase agricultural growth and productivity; enhance teacher training; build the capacity of local governments to respond to citizen demands; and address the needs of the most at-risk youth through engagement in productive social, economic and civic activities. Funding through the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) supports the work of Moroccan civil society through programming that provides training to journalists, businesspeople, female entrepreneurs, legislators, legal professionals, and the heads of leading nongovernmental organizations. Under the Joint-Statement on Environmental Cooperation, signed in 2004, the Department of State’s trade-related environmental cooperation programs focus on protecting the environment while promoting green economic development. The United States and Morocco signed a comprehensive Science and Technology Agreement in 2006. In 2008, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) commenced a five-year, $697.5 million compact with the Kingdom of Morocco to reduce poverty and stimulate economic growth. The MCC compact invests in expansion of fruit tree agriculture (including olives, nuts, and dates), support for small-scale fisheries and fish-markets, enhancement of the artisanal sector in the city of Fes, and training for small-scale businesses across all these sectors, with an emphasis on training for women and youth including literacy training.

Bilateral Economic Relations

The United States is Morocco’s 6th largest trading partner, and Morocco is the 55th largest trading export market for U.S. goods. In 2006, Morocco and the United States Free Trade Agreement entered into force. Morocco has also signed a quadrilateral FTA with Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan, and a bilateral FTA with Turkey. Additionally, it is seeking trade and investment accords with other African, Asian and Latin American countries. Morocco’s leading exports include phosphates and textiles. Morocco's banking system is one of the most liberalized in North Africa; it is also highly concentrated, with the six largest banks accounting for 85 percent of banking sector assets.

One of the walls of the medina (ancient city quarter) of Rabat. The Rabat medina dates back to the 17th century. It has a wide range of shops (pottery, leather, food), as well as parks, gardens, and broad boulevards. Credit: CIA.

Morocco’s Membership in International Organizations

Morocco is a moderate Arab state that maintains close relations with Europe and the United States. It is a member of the United Nations (UN), and in January 2012 it began a 2-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. Morocco belongs to the Arab League, Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD). King Mohammed VI is the chairman of the OIC's Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Committee. Although not a member of the African Union (formerly the Organization of African Unity), Morocco remains involved in African diplomacy. Morocco is a party to the dispute over the Western Sahara in the UN. After Spain withdrew from its former colony there in the 1970s, Morocco claimed sovereignty over the region. A ceasefire between Morocco and the independence-seeking Polisario Front has been monitored since 1991 by a UN peacekeeping operation, the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).

CARTER WANTS MORE PROGESS ON CYBER DEFENSE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Carter Urges Stepped Up Progress on Cyber Defense
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2012 - Even as the Defense Department increases investments in cyber capabilities, officials are working to reduce vulnerabilities in their own networks and in those of contractors who build sensitive defense systems, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said today.

Speaking at the Air Force Association's Annual Air and Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Maryland, Carter said DOD's cyber concerns are threefold.

"Two of [these parts] we can get our hands on, including by managerial moves within the department, and a third ... is harder to get our hands on," the deputy secretary said.

The first is DOD's defense of its own networks, he said, noting that task is "technically very challenging."

It's paramount that DOD maintains security and integrity across its cyber networks, Carter said, because "we depend on them ... today in everything we do."

The second part involves developing cyber weapons as weapons of war, he said, "doing the intelligence preparation of the battlefield for their employment and planning for their employment. Again, that's something we can do within our own walls and are doing."

The third part is protecting the nation at large from cyberattack, he added, a job that's harder because DOD plays only a role in a larger cast.

The scope of DOD's responsibility for domestic cyber defense extends to the dependence of DOD installations and bases on the U.S. cyber infrastructure, and on the use of DOD data and plans by contractors who build the department's sensitive systems.

"First of all, other parts of the government have capabilities and responsibilities and we work with them. But the most important thing is that most of those networks are ... owned and controlled by private entities who typically fail to invest, or underinvest, in their security," the deputy secretary said.

"When we offer to assist them in protecting [the networks], we run up against barriers that we're slowly trying to knock down and reason our way through," he added.

Such barriers could include antitrust issues if the department provides information to a particular business, he said.

"Do we have to provide the same information to company B? Can company A provide information to company B or does that violate the antitrust laws?" Carter said. "Can company A provide information back to the United States or is that providing personal information to the government that is on their networks?"

He questioned whether DOD should require private industry to control and strengthen its cyber networks, or whether that would be interpreted as excessive government regulation.

"These are all tough problems," he said.

When it comes to dealing with issues of safeguarding the nation as a whole from cyberattack, "we're working our way through all these issues, and my own view is [we're doing it] way too slowly," Carter said.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012, which called for minimum cyber security performance standards for critical infrastructure that the U.S. government would help develop with private industry, fell short of passage during an Aug. 8 Senate vote.

"We were hoping for some legislative relief this summer that we didn't get out of the Congress," Carter said.

Meanwhile, he said, the Defense Department is considering making U.S. Cyber Command, an armed forces subunified command subordinate to U.S. Strategic Command and led by Army Gen. Keith B. Alexander, a separate combatant command.

ALLEGED REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT FRAUD INVOLVING LAND VALUE MARK-UPS

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C., Sept. 7, 2012 The Securities and Exchange Commission announced an asset freeze against a San Diego-based firm and its owner accused of running a real estate investment fraud that raised approximately $50 million from hundreds of investors nationwide.

The SEC alleges that Western Financial Planning Corporation and Louis V. Schooler sold units in partnerships that Western had organized to buy vacant land in Nevada and hold for sale at a profit at a later date. Schooler and Western failed to tell investors that they were paying an exorbitant mark-up on the land, in some cases more than five times its fair market value. Schooler and Western also failed to tell investors that the land held by the partnerships was often encumbered by mortgages that Western used to help finance the initial purchase of the land.

"Schooler conned hundreds of people into investing with Western by leading them to believe that they were getting a good value for plots of vacant land," said Michele Wein Layne, Director of the SEC’s Los Angeles Regional Office. "What he didn’t tell them was that the land was worth only a small fraction of their investment and that he was profiting at their expense."

The SEC’s complaint filed in federal court in San Diego alleges that Western and Schooler misled investors since 2007 by providing them with comparative prices or "comps" of supposedly similar plots of land that had sold for prices higher than those offered by Western. In reality, the real estate comps that Schooler and Western provided were in no way comparable to the land sold by Western. The SEC also alleges that since the spring of 2011, Schooler paid "hush money" to silence investors who discovered they had been defrauded, allowing the scheme to continue.

The Honorable Larry A. Burns for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California yesterday granted the SEC’s request for a temporary restraining order and asset freeze against Schooler, Western, and all entities under Western’s control, and appointed Thomas C. Hebrank as a temporary receiver over Western and the entities. Judge Burns has scheduled a court hearing for Sept. 17, 2012, on the SEC’s motion for a preliminary injunction.

The SEC’s investigation was conducted by Sara Kalin and Carol Shau of the Los Angeles Regional Office. Molly White will lead the SEC’s litigation. Ron Warton, Andy Ganguly, Michelle Royston, and Karol Pollack conducted the SEC examination that prompted the investigation.

U.S.-MALI EXTEND ARCHEOLOGICAL HERITAGE AGREEMENT

From: CIA World Factbook
Coursing through parched, landlocked Mali, the Niger River flows north through an ancient sand sea before turning sharply east to skirt the edge of the dune-striped Sahara; it then heads south, through Niger, Benin, and Nigeria, to the Gulf of Guinea. At the confluence of the Bani and Niger Rivers in Mali lies a vast Inner Niger Delta the size of Belgium and composed of narrows, twisting waterways, lagoons, and tiny islands (some of which are shown here). Due to evaporation and seepage in this area, the river loses two thirds of its potential flow. The Niger River's strange crescent-shaped route is believed to have been formed when two ancient rivers merged as the region dried. From the Niger's source near the coast to the bend, the Upper Niger once emptied into a now gone lake. In the hills near the ancient lake, the Lower Niger began and flowed south to the Gulf of Guinea. False-color image courtesy of USGS.

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
United States and Mali Extend Agreement to Protect the Archaeological Heritage of Mali
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

September 19, 2012
The Department of State is pleased to announce the extension of the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Mali Concerning the Imposition of Import Restrictions on Archaeological Material from Mali from the Paleolithic Era (Stone Age) to Approximately the Mid-Eighteenth Century, effective September 19, 2012 for a period of five years, demonstrating America’s commitment to antiquities preservation. This extension, consistent with a recommendation made by the Cultural Property Advisory Committee, represents a continuation of cooperation that began in 1993 with the imposition of emergency U.S. import restrictions to staunch the pillage of Mali’s rich archaeological heritage and the illicit trafficking in such material.

The Government of the Republic of Mali requested this agreement under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. The Convention offers a framework of cooperation among State Parties to reduce the further pillage of intact archaeological sites; an activity that destroys information about past cultures and places a nation’s cultural heritage in jeopardy. Sites in the region of the Niger River Valley, for example, represent a continuum of civilizations from the Neolithic period to the Colonial era, lending archaeological significance to the region. Also included in the import restriction is material from the Tellem burial caves of the Bandiagara Cliffs as well as material found in the region of the Sahara Desert.

Restricted objects may enter the United States if accompanied by an export permit issued by Mali or documentation verifying its provenance prior to 1993 for archaeological material from the Niger River Valley and the Tellem burial caves of Bandiagara, or prior to 2007 in the case of archaeological material dating from the Paleolithic era to the mid-eighteenth century from sites throughout the country, and if no other applicable U.S. laws are violated.

$500 MILLION GOING FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE GRANTS TO EXPAND JOB TRAINING

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Obama administration announces $500 million in community college grants to expand job training through local employer partnerships

Grants are the 2nd installment of $2 billion, 4-year initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced $500 million in grants to community colleges and universities around the country for the development and expansion of innovative training programs. The grants are part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training initiative, which promotes skills development and employment opportunities in fields such as advanced manufacturing, transportation and health care, as well as science, technology, engineering and math careers through partnerships between training providers and local employers. The U.S. Department of Labor is implementing and administering the program in coordination with the U.S. Department of Education.

Speaking in Florida at St. Petersburg College, which is receiving $15 million in funds to lead a consortium of community colleges across the state in developing programs focused on advanced manufacturing, Secretary Solis said: "These federal grants are part of the Obama administration's ongoing commitment to strengthening American businesses by strengthening the American workforce. This strategic investment will enhance ties among community colleges, universities, employers and other local partners while ensuring that students have access to the skills and resources they need to compete for high-wage, high-skill careers."

The initiative complements President Obama's broader goals to help ensure that every American has at least one year of postsecondary education and the U.S. has the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. Through this initiative, each state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will receive at least $2.5 million in dedicated funding for community college career training programs.

In total, 297 schools will receive grants as individual applicants or as members of a consortium. The grants include 27 awards to community college and university consortia totaling $359,237,048 and 27 awards to individual institutions totaling $78,262,952. Twenty-five states that were without a winning individual submission will be contacted to develop a qualifying $2.5 million project.

Educational institutions will use these funds to create affordable training programs that meet industry needs, invest in staff and educational resources, and provide access to free, digital learning materials. All education materials developed through the grants will be available for use by the public and other education providers through a Creative Commons license.

These grants emphasize evidence-based program design. Each grantee is required to collect rigorous student outcome data annually and conduct final evaluations at the end of the grant period to build knowledge about which strategies are most effective in placing graduates in jobs.

AIR FOCE EVAC SUPPORT ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

F-15's and other aircraft from Kadena Air Base, Japan are parked on the flight line at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Sept. 17, 2012. The aircraft were evacuated here from Kadena due to the typhoon threat in Okinawa, Japan and inclement weather throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Historically, aircraft from throughout the region have evacuated to Andersen in times of threatening weather to ensure no damage occurs to the aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Carlin Leslie)

FROM:  U.S. AIR FORCE
36th Wing provides consistent evac support in Asia-Pacific
by Airman 1st Class Marianique Santos
36th Wing Public Affairs
9/19/2012 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFNS) -- With tsunami threats recently pervading the Asia-Pacific region, the 36th Wing here has been actively exercising its capabilities of providing evacuation support to neighboring bases while simultaneously accommodating some of the largest joint and coalition exercises in the region.

"This year the activity in the water has been pretty heavy so it seems every other week we received evacuating aircraft," said Master Sgt. Anthony Matthews, 36th Operations Support Squadron airfield manager.

The reception working group on Andersen AFB receives evacuating aircraft and makes sure the Airmen associated with those aircraft are accommodated. The group is made up of different operation and support units on base.

"It's more than just parking aircraft; it's making sure they have everything they need to do their mission until it's time for them to go back," said Maj. Nicole Fuller, 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron commander and reception working group lead. "We make sure that the Airmen have a place to sleep, eat and have cars to drive if their maintainers need to go to the flightline to fix the aircraft. We also take care of their cargo and provide them with support equipment that they need to sustain their mission while they're here."

Initially, the base the evacuating aircraft are from will work with their Installation Deployment and Reception Center. The personnel from the originating base deploy their evacuating aircraft and personnel, then contact the destination base and inform them the numbers of incoming personnel, aircraft and equipment.

"The process is seamless when we know the numbers," said Fuller. "With this information we can prepare to receive and take care of the evacuating aircraft and personnel during their time on Andersen."

After the information has been received, the 36th LRS divides the tasks through a worksheet consisting of the needs of the evacuees. The corresponding units then check-off their designated tasks.

One of the first units notified after receiving an evacuation support request is the 36th Force Support Squadron. The members of the sustainment services flight are responsible for making sure the Airmen associated with the evacuating aircraft are accommodated.

"We do everything to make sure they get their nutritional needs and are bedded down," said Capt. Jesse Calland, 36th FSS sustainment services flight commander. "Everyone who transits through this base goes through us for lodging. We try to keep personnel in the best conditions possible. Our two-person reservations team supports all the accommodations."

During Valiant Shield 2012 there were no availabilities on base. The sustainment flight searched off base and worked out reservations at approximately 14 hotels. In September, 2,400 reservations were made in order to support the exercises and the evacuation.

With the Airmen accommodated by the 36th FSS, the 36th OSS situates the aircraft by providing the planes with spaces on the flightline.

Multiple factors are taken into consideration when parking aircraft: different air frames, missions, circles of safety, protection levels and additional issues. The 36th OSS takes all of these factors in consideration when providing the evacuees a slot on the flightline, especially when there are a significant number of airframes already present that was the case when Kadena Air Base, Japan evacuated their aircraft here during Valiant Shield 2012.

Additionally, 36th OSS provides evacuating aircrews with airfield driving training and vital flightline information. The unit accomplishes this through a "windshield tour" that shows Airmen the flightline layout, from designated parking spaces to areas affected by activities like construction.

"We also make sure we train the incoming individuals on airfield driving," said Sergeant Matthews. "They need to know what is currently happening on the flightline so that they can be safe and proficient while they are here."

The 36th OSS has more than 60 million square feet of real-estate to work with; however, with large-scale exercises like Valiant Shield, the unit works even harder in order to make sure that all the operations can coexist on the flightline.


"Aircraft heavy exercises like Valiant Shield and real-world scenarios simultaneously occurring test our creativity and the extent of our capabilities, but we'll always make it happen," said Matthews. "We've opened ramps that have been closed and worked with the 36th Civil Engineering Squadron to make sure the areas are structurally sound to hold heavy aircraft."

KC-135 Stratotankers, C-130 Hercules, F-15 Eagles, F-16 Fighting Falcons and U.S. Navy's P-3 Orions and A-3 Skywarriors are some of the airframes that have taken refuge on Andersen.

With the aircraft situated on designated parking areas, the reception team makes sure they are in serviceable condition and ready to return to home station once it is possible.

The 36th Maintenance Squadron prepares work areas for the incoming aircraft. They provide facilities and support: from establishing maintenance operations centers, which coordinate with 36th Wing and disseminate vital information to the maintenance team, to providing structural and mechanical maintenance support for the aircraft.

"We are responsible for setting up facilities for the incoming aircraft and maintainers," said Tech. Sgt. Alan Stutzman, 36th MXS program flight chief maintenance lead for the reception working group. "We have hangars that we divvy up to the evacuees. We schedule around the current maintenance that's going on when needed."

"The goal is to help them maintain their normal operations and keep their sortie generation up," continued Stutzman. "We posture for these planes to fly their sorties like they were at their home station."

With this year's heightened weather activity in the Pacific, Andersen's strategic location has become an ideal evacuation location for neighboring bases in the Asia-Pacific region.

"We're on American soil, not much coordination is needed to land here," said Major Fuller. "Beyond that, we have ranges available to their pilots to continue their training. We have a huge ramp and resources to accommodate them. With the proper coordination we can have all these resources lined up for them the moment they arrive."

Though accustomed to providing support, having evacuations coincide with large-scale exercises like Valiant Shield have tested the units' capabilities. Such have proven that at times of emergency, the 36th Wing will always deliver and provide a mission-conducive haven for service members and the Department of Defense's valuable assets.

FINAL SHUTTLE SPACEWALK

 

FROM:  NASA
The Shuttle Era's Final Spacewalk
Spacewalker Mike Fossum rides on the International Space Station's robotic arm as he carries the Robotic Refueling Mission experiment. This was the final scheduled spacewalk during a shuttle mission.

Image Credit: NASA

U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL HOLDER'S STATEMENT ON "OPERATION FAST AND FURIOUS" REPORT

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Statement by Attorney General Eric Holder on the Office of the Inspector General’s Report on Operation Fast and Furious

Attorney General Eric Holder released the following statement today on the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General’s report on Operation Fast and Furious:

"I have reviewed the Office of the Inspector General’s report on Operation Fast and Furious and the key conclusions are consistent with what I, and other Justice Department officials, have said for many months now:

The inappropriate strategy and tactics employed were field-driven and date back to 2006;

The leadership of the Department did not know about or authorize the use of the flawed strategy and tactics; and The Department’s leadership did not attempt to cover up information or mislead Congress about it.

"Beginning in 2011 - shortly after public concerns were first raised about Operation Fast and Furious – I referred this matter to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). Throughout the next several months, I instituted significant policy reforms, stronger internal controls and made key personnel changes to prevent the flaws that plagued this investigation, as well as the earlier investigation, Operation Wide Receiver, from recurring. I’m pleased that the OIG report appropriately recognizes these reforms.

"Based upon the information in the OIG report and other related information, I am also announcing additional personnel changes today.

"First, Kenneth Melson, the former Acting Director at ATF, has retired from the Department, effective immediately. Ken has served the Department in several important roles for over thirty years, including as a United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and more recently as an advisor on forensic science issues. I want to thank him for his dedication and service to the Department over the last three decades.

"Second, those individuals within ATF and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, whom the OIG report found to have been responsible for designing, implementing or supervising Operation Fast and Furious have been referred to the appropriate entities for review and consideration of potential personnel actions. Consistent with the requirements of the Privacy Act, the Department is prohibited from revealing any additional information about these referrals at this time.

"Finally, I have accepted the resignation of Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, a longtime career prosecutor who most recently served in the Criminal Division where he led our violent and organized crime, computer crimes and intellectual property enforcement efforts. Jason has dedicated much of his career to fighting violent crime and has led highly successful efforts around the country in this effort. The American people are safer because of his work. His commitment to the Department has been unwavering, and I deeply appreciate his 15 years of distinguished service here at Main Justice as well as in Baltimore and New York.

"It is unfortunate that some were so quick to make baseless accusations before they possessed the facts about these operations – accusations that turned out to be without foundation and that have caused a great deal of unnecessary harm and confusion. I hope today’s report acts as a reminder of the dangers of adopting as fact unsubstantiated conclusions before an investigation of the circumstances is completed.

"I want to assure the American people that I, and my colleagues at the Department, will continue to focus on our mission of protecting their rights and their security, and doing so in a manner that is consistent with the high standards of the Department of Justice. This includes continuing to seek justice on behalf of Agent Brian Terry and his loved ones.

"The FBI and the United States Attorney from the Southern District of California have been working for many months with Mexican authorities to identify and apprehend the fugitives involved in the murder of Agent Terry, who made the ultimate sacrifice in serving his country. We now have two men in custody and we will continue to aggressively pursue the remaining fugitives to ensure justice for Agent Terry, his family and his fellow law enforcement agents who put their lives on the line each day to keep this country safe."