EUROPE IS STILL PART OF EARTH ACCORDING TO U.S.

Photo Credit:  NASA
Europe Remains Important to New Strategy, General SaysBy Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2012 - Europe remains important, even as the United States shifts its strategic focus to the Asia-Pacific region, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army said during a Defense Writers Group breakfast here today.

"Europe remains one of our key strategic partners, Lt. Gen. Mark P. Hertling said. "If you take a look at the rebalancing strategy toward the Pacific, ... Europe still has a very important part to play."

European nations are contributing significantly to U.S. alliances, the general said, noting that 40,000 soldiers from allied countries are serving in Afghanistan. "Ninety-one percent of those ... come from the European footprint," he added. "These are people that we helped train, that we exercise with, that we partner with, that we conduct engagements with."

Even with the shift to the Pacific, European nations provide a lot of capability, Hertling said. Their commitment to the defense of South Korea is one example, he told the group, and the European nations have many other interests in the Asia-Pacific region.

Still, he said, the U.S. presence in Europe is dropping. Last week, Hertling presided at a ceremony that cased the colors of the 170th Brigade at Baumholder, Germany, and he will soon case the colors of another U.S. brigade. "We are trying to right-size the [U.S.] force in Europe," he said.

The Cold War is over, and no one knows it better than the commander of U.S. Army Europe. The need for large tank formations on the continent is gone, he said, so even with the loss of the two brigades, the Army will have what it needs to conduct missions in Europe, including contingency operations, partnership exercises and theater security operations.

Last year, the general noted, U.S. Army Europe troops conducted 1,100 security operations missions, and missions continue.

U.S. Army Europe is part of Exercise Austere Challenge, which kicked off this week in Israel, and the command plays a part in the Northern Distribution Network, getting supplies for U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan. "We continue to run things like missile defense, countercyber exercises, logistics support to allies [and] support to NATO and contingency operations," Hertling said.

In addition, a peacekeeping effort continues in Europe. More than 1,000 American service members are part of NATO's Kosovo Force in the former Yugoslavia. Most of the troops in the operation are Army National Guardsmen. U.S. Army Europe is responsible for providing the final training the troops receive before deploying to Kosovo and for the logistics they receive while in country.

"We have reinforced that brigade on several occasions when there have been crises," Hertling said. "They continue to do significant stability operations in Kosovo, training the Kosovar forces as well as patrolling. It is still ... calm, but tense, in Kosovo. It gets tenser at times, depending on what's going on."

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta's Remarks at a Portrait-Unveiling Ceremony for Former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta's Remarks at a Portrait-Unveiling Ceremony for Former Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates

LARGEST MISSILE DEFENSE FLIGHT TEST IN HISTORY

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
121025-N-ZZ999-002 MECK ISLAND, Republic of the Marshall Islands (Oct. 25, 2012) A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor missile is launched from Meck Island to intercept a ballistic missile target during a Missile Defense Agency integrated flight test. Americas Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. U.S. Navy photo/Released


Ballistic Missile Defense System Successfully Conducts Largest Missile Defense Flight Test in History

U.S. Missile Defense Agency
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii (NNS) -- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully conducted the largest, most complex missile defense flight test ever attempted, Oct. 24.

MDA, Soldiers from the 94th and 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC); Sailors aboard USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62); and Airmen from the 613th Air and Space Operations Center conducted test, resulting in the simultaneous engagement of five ballistic missile and cruise missile targets.

An integrated air and ballistic missile defense architecture used multiple sensors and missile
defense systems to engage multiple targets at the same time. All targets were successfully launched and initial indications are that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system successfully intercepted its first medium-range ballistic target in history, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) near simultaneously destroyed a short-range ballistic missile and a low flying cruise missile target over water.

The live-fire demonstration, conducted at U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site, Hickam Air Force Base, and surrounding areas in the western Pacific, stressed the performance of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), THAAD, and Patriot weapon systems.

An Extended Long Range Air Launch Target (E-LRALT) missile was air-dropped over the broad ocean area north of Wake Island from a U.S. Air Force C-17
aircraft, staged from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The AN/TPY-2 X-band radar, located with the THAAD system on Meck Island, tracked the E-LRALT and a THAAD interceptor successfully intercepted the medium-range ballistic missile. THAAD was operated by Soldiers from the 32nd AAMDC.

Another short-range ballistic missile was launched from a mobile launch platform located in the broad ocean area northeast of Kwajalein Atoll. The Patriot system, manned by Soldiers of the 94th AAMDC, detected, tracked and successfully intercepted the target with a PAC-3 interceptor.

USS Fitzgerald successfully engaged a low flying cruise missile over water. The Aegis system also tracked and launched an SM-3 Block 1A interceptor against a short-range ballistic missile. However, despite indication of a nominal flight of the SM-3 Block 1A interceptor, there was no indication of an intercept of the SRBM.

FTI-01 was a combined developmental and operational test. Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen from multiple Combatant Commands operated the systems and were provided a unique opportunity to refine operational doctrine and tactics. Program officials continue to assess and evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

Ballistic Missile Defense System programs have completed 56 successful hit-to-kill intercepts in 71 flight test attempts since 2001.

DOMINICA NATIONAL DAY

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Dominica National Day Message

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 24, 2012

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes and congratulations to the people of Dominica as you celebrate 34 years of independence this November 3.

The United States and Dominica remain united by shared history, values, and strong cultural ties. Our collaboration within programs such as the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative and the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief advances our common aspirations and strengthens democracy, rule of law, and human rights. Our joint efforts will increase security, improve access to health care, improve economic opportunities, and create a brighter future for all our people.

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook

The United States is committed to strengthening our bonds of friendship. I wish you a happy, safe, and prosperous independence day as you enjoy some of Dominica’s best music and dance during the Cultural Gala and honor your country’s heritage during the annual parade.

View of the south side of the island. Dominica features lush mountainous rain forests, and is the home of many rare plant, animal, and bird species (including the Sisserou Parrot featured on its flag).  Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Dominica was the last of the Caribbean islands to be colonized by Europeans due chiefly to the fierce resistance of the native Caribs. France ceded possession to Great Britain in 1763, which made the island a colony in 1805. In 1980, two years after independence, Dominica's fortunes improved when a corrupt and tyrannical administration was replaced by that of Mary Eugenia CHARLES, the first female prime minister in the Caribbean, who remained in office for 15 years. Some 3,000 Carib Indians still living on Dominica are the only pre-Columbian population remaining in the eastern Caribbean.

　

NASA VIDEO: HURRICANE SANDY ON OCTOBER 29, 2012

NASA VIDEO

Be Prepared. Be Informed.

Be Prepared. Be Informed.

Teen quitters

Teen quitters

NUCLEAR RISK REDUCTION RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONY

Photo:  Little Boy Atomic Bomb.  Credit:  Wikimedia. 

FROM U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT

Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Remarks
Rose Gottemoeller
Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security
Washington, DC
October 24, 2012
As Prepared

Thank you to everyone for being here today and thank you to the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) Staff for hosting us. It is wonderful to see some old familiar faces, as well as some young new ones. My special thanks to Russian Embassy DCM Oleg Stepanov. We are so glad that you could be here to share in this special celebration.

A little over 25 years ago, this center was just a bold concept generated by foreign policy heavyweights including Senator John Warner, Senator Sam Nunn and the incomparable former Secretary of State George Shultz. In 1985, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev officially agreed to explore the concept of national centers to reduce nuclear tensions, avoid crisis escalation and create transparency. By September 1987, the United States and the Soviet Union signed the first NRRC Agreement. President Reagan called the agreement "another practical step in our [two nations'] efforts to reduce the risks of conflict."

Less than a year later, the first notifications were transmitted between the United States and the Soviet Union, creating the first direct communications link between the countries since the establishment of the Hot Line in 1963. In the 25 years since its inception, the NRRC has been a key asset and resource for implementing U.S. arms control data sharing and transparency policy initiatives. These initiatives have provided mutual confidence and predictability in U.S.-Russian relations.

In addition to fostering stable communications with Russia, the NRRC’s activities have expanded considerably over the past 25 years. Today, the NRRC exchanges an average of 7,000 messages annually for over a dozen treaties and agreements with fifty-plus countries and international organizations, in six languages.

The NRRC has played a core role in the implementation of New START. The United States and the Russian Federation have exchanged over 3,100 notifications on their respective strategic forces over the life of the Treaty so far. Every one of those notifications has been processed by the staff you see here today. On-site inspections that enable each side to confirm the validity of that data are also going well. Our experience so far demonstrates that New START’s verification regime works and sets an important precedent for future joint work.

Planning for the future is one of the main reasons we are here today in the NRRC’s newly modernized facility. The work done here is highly technical in nature and it is critical that we keep up with the dynamic technological landscape. The new NRRC is designed to improve operational efficiency and treaty notification monitoring using video collaboration systems, computer processing technology, and better office functionality.

The NRRC also continually adapts and evolves to meet our needs. In preparation for the implementation of New START, the NRRC developed an entirely new software protocol and upgraded its automated translation tool to facilitate the required notification regime.

All of these upgrades that you see around you or have heard about will enable the NRRC to continue implementing existing treaties and agreements, as well as prepare for future treaties and agreements.

I want to take a moment to thank the team of professionals who work every day, around-the-clock in the NRRC; you do an outstanding job. It is only fitting that you now have a first-class, modernized, 24-hour a day center to help you to advance international safety and security. I sincerely appreciate your efforts to put this event together today, as well as the work that you do every single day, unseen by the public.

I am now pleased to introduce Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Secretary Clinton has long been an advocate of arms control and nonproliferation and has been a great supporter of this Bureau and this office. We are so pleased that you are here to officially open this new facility.

ILLINOIS RESIDENT SETTLES FRAUD CHARGES FOR $1.8 MILLION

FROM: U.S. COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION

CFTC Orders Illinois Resident Joshua T.J. Russo to Pay More than $1.8 Million in Restitution and Penalties for Futures and Options Fraud and Unauthorized Trading

Washington, DC – The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) today issued an order filing and settling charges against Joshua T.J. Russo of Chicago, Ill., for fraudulently soliciting at least one customer to participate in a fictitious commodity futures and options pool, engaging in unauthorized trading, and issuing false account statements.

The CFTC order requires Russo to pay restitution of $960,000, a $645,000 civil monetary penalty, and disgorgement of $215,000. The order permanently prohibits Russo from engaging in any commodity-related activity, including trading, and from registering or seeking exemption from registration with the CFTC. The order also permanently prohibits Russo from further violations of the Commodity Exchange Act and CFTC regulations, as charged.

The CFTC order finds that, from around March 2007 through April 2011, Russo, as a registered Associated Person of an independent Introducing Broker (IB), fraudulently solicited at least one of the IB’s customers by telling the customer that he would be a general partner in a fictitious pool called Peak Performance Fund, LP (PPF). According to the order, Russo issued false statements to the PPF customer in the form of purported PPF audited financial statements and in the form of weekly spreadsheets that Russo represented were summaries of the customer’s account values. In fact, however, the statements grossly overinflated the value of the customer’s accounts, the order finds.

In addition, the order finds that Russo provided at least five other customers with similar spreadsheets that grossly inflated the value of the customers’ accounts. Russo also engaged in a significant amount of unauthorized trading in these customers’ accounts, and in the accounts of three other customers, the order finds. Russo engaged in speculative trading for at least one customer, contrary to the hedging strategy that Russo represented he would utilize, according to the order.

According to the order, Russo’s eight customers deposited at least $3 million into trading accounts to trade commodity futures and options in managed and self-directed accounts. Russo, through his false statements to the eight customers, concealed his unauthorized trading and overall trading losses of approximately $1.7 million, the order finds.

On October 25, 2012, Russo was charged with a single count of commodities fraud in a related criminal action (USA v. Russo, 1: 12-cr-00836). His arraignment is currently scheduled for November 1, 2012.

The CFTC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and the National Futures Association.

CFTC Division of Enforcement staff members responsible for this case are Katherine S. Driscoll, Michael Solinsky, Michelle Bougas, Kassra Goudarzi, Melanie Bates, Gretchen L. Lowe, and Vincent A. McGonagle

DOLPHIN 2012 CONCLUDES

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

U.S. Navy teams work with specially trained dolphins during an exercise designed to help the Montenegrin navy detect underwater explosives left over from war. State Department photo, courtesy of U.S. Embassy Montenegro
Dolphin 12 Training Concludes in Montenegro

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2012 - Advancing U.S. European Command's efforts to build partnerships and partner capacity across the continent, U.S. Navy divers and six bottlenose dolphins wrapped up a month-long exercise yesterday, during which they trained Montenegrin navy divers to locate and clear underwater mines and explosives dating back to World War I.

Dolphin 2012 concluded yesterday in Tivat, Montenegro, with the Navy presenting $70,000 in dive equipment to help their Montenegrin counterparts establish an underwater clearance capability, U.S. Embassy officials reported.

The presentation capped a month of training in the Boka-Kotorska Bay by members of the San Diego-based Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit 1 and the Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.

Using specially trained dolphins from the Navy's Marine Mammal Program, the participants demonstrated how to identify sea mines or explosive remnants, some that have been on the ocean floor for more than 80 years, officials said.

During the training, the dolphins used their exceptional biological sonar capabilities to locate mine-like objects and mark them with GPS coordinates. At the exercise's conclusion, the participants presented the Montenegrin government officials a grid listing all objects found and their locations, officials said.

Dolphin 12 was part of a multiyear U.S. program to help Montenegro detect potentially dangerous objects within its waters and build its capacity to rehabilitate areas plagued by remnants of war, officials said.

The effort is being funded by Eucom's Humanitarian Mine Action Program and the State Department's Humanitarian Demining Training Center and Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement.

Dolphins have an extraordinary sonar capability that surpasses anything human divers or the latest technology developments can provide, officials from the Navy Marine Mammal Program said. The Navy relies on specially trained dolphins as well as sea lions to detect sea mines, that, if not found, could sink ships, destroy landing craft and kill or injure people, program officials explained.

The dolphins used in the training receive two to three years of specialty training before working on underwater security projects. In addition, they are cared for with around-the-clock medical and dental care and enjoy a diet of restaurant-grade fish.

The Navy's dolphins operate in the open oceans without tethers, and no Navy marine mammal has been a casualty in any hostile conflict, officials reported.

SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY AND THE U.S. NATIONAL GUARD

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Spc. Manda Walters attaches a satellite dish to the Defense Video Imagery Distribution System's mobile satellite during training at Camp Rapid, S.D., Oct. 23, 2012. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Julieanne Morse

Face of Defense: Guard Members Embrace Satellite Technology

By Army Spc. Manda Walters
American Forces Press Service
RAPID CITY, S.D., Oct. 26, 2012 - Soldiers with the South Dakota Army National Guard's 129th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment trained on state-of-the-art satellite equipment Oct. 22-24 here at Camp Rapid in preparation for their upcoming deployment to Afghanistan.

The Defense Video and Imagery Distribution System's mobile satellite, known as DVIDS Direct, will give the unit, made up of journalists and broadcasters, the capability of providing U.S. news media with real-time broadcast-quality video, photography and print products.

"The unit could broadcast high-profile events live," said Donovan Hill, a support engineer with NORSAT Inc., who provided the training. "DVIDS Direct was used in the spring of 2012 to feed video of the president's address from Bagram Airfield."

DVIDS Direct will also allow the 129th to provide media outlets with immediate interview opportunities with service members, commanders and subject matter experts.

"This technology allows television or radio stations the opportunity to interview soldiers from their community, live on-the-air," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Theanne Tangen, operations noncommissioned officer. "The system will also provide our unit internet capabilities, allowing us to upload our content in remote areas that are without the internet."

The training focused on introducing members of the 129th to satellite terminology and the technical aspect of satellite news gathering.

"The unit has not used satellite systems prior to the training, so we were shown everything from setting up the satellite dishes, to operating the software and transmitting video," Tangen said. "We went through the entire process enough times that we're confident in our abilities and look forward to using the technology overseas to help us reach an even bigger audience."

The 129th will add two DVIDS Direct systems to their inventory, which will be used in Afghanistan and when they return home.

"DVIDS Direct will let us distribute our products immediately to media outlets worldwide, whether we are in South America covering stories on our State Partnership Program or here in South Dakota reporting on the National Guard's role in statewide emergencies like the Missouri River Flood," said Army Sgt. Jacqueline Fitzgerald, broadcast noncommissioned officer.

"This technology will enhance our ability to provide media with reliable access to all branches of the U.S. armed forces and coalition partners serving overseas," Tangen said. "It also helps us fulfill the military's obligation to provide maximum disclosure of information with minimum delay."

GULLIES ON MARS

FROM: NASA

Gullies in Southern Winter
Crisp details in a suite of mid-latitude gullies on a crater wall are captured in this Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera view obtained in southern winter on Oct. 12, 2006. During southern winter, shadows are more pronounced and the atmosphere is typically quite clear. These gullies, which may have formed in relatively recent Martian history by erosion caused by flowing, liquid water, are located in a crater on the east rim of Newton Crater near 40.4°S, 155.3°W. Sunlight illuminates the scene from the upper left. The picture covers an area about 3 km (1.9 miles) wide.

Image credit: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems

U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY PANETTA APPOINTS COMMANDERS IN PREPARATION OF HURRICANE SANDY

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Panetta Appoints 'Dual' Commanders for Hurricane Relief

American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has appointed "dual status" commanders – those authorized to command both federal and state National Guard forces – in preparation for Hurricane Sandy.

As federal and state officials prepare for Sandy to make landfall between the Delaware and New York coasts tomorrow, Panetta agreed with the governors of several northeast coastal states to appoint the commanders "with the goal of helping to save lives and property during the storm," a Pentagon spokesman said in a press release issued yesterday.

"This special authority enables [the commanders] to effectively integrate the defense support operations and capabilities that governors request," the official said. Panetta made the appointments at the request of the governors of Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, he said.

"The secretary is prepared to quickly agree to similar requests from other states," he said.

The dual-status commander concept was created in 2009 and the first commander designees were appointed in August 2011 to prepare for Hurricane Irene, according to a Pentagon press release then.

DOD also is supporting Hurricane Sandy preparedness with its U.S. Northern Command, which has put aviation assets such as light- and medium-lift helicopters and rescue teams on 24-hour status to prepare to deploy in response to the storm, the release says. Northcom also is providing military installations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use in its response operations, it says.

The National Guard Bureau is coordinating with the adjutants general and their disaster response teams in every East Coast state, the release says.

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

U.S. Department of Defense Armed with Science Update

RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVYThe guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) as apart of a joint ballistic missile defense exercise. America's Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. U.S. Navy photo (Released) 121025-N-ZZ999-201

Pyrotechnics explode simulating a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in front of the guided-missile frigate USS Ford (FFG 54) on the south wharf of Naval Station Everett during Citadel Protect, one of Naval Station Everett's annual anti-terrorism training exercises. America's Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nathan Lockwood (Released) 121025-N-AE328-218

PAROLE OFFICER INDICTED FOR PART IN BRIBERY SCHEME

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Thursday, October 25, 2012
Former Texas Parole Officer Indicted for Bribery Scheme Involving Assigned Parolee


WASHINGTON – A former Texas state parole officer was arrested today in Dallas on charges of engaging in a bribery scheme involving one of her assigned parolees, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Texas returned a two-count indictment yesterday charging Nichelle Derricks, 37, of Cedar Hill, Texas, with one count of honest services wire fraud and one count of federal programs bribery.

According to the indictment, while serving as a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) parole officer, Derricks and one of her assigned parolees developed an improper relationship in which Derricks secretly used her official position with TDCJ to enrich herself and others by soliciting and receiving cash payments, gifts, furniture, household goods and items, food and beverages, and other things of value from the parolee in exchange for favorable official action benefitting the parolee. The scheme, according to the indictment, was conducted without the authorization, knowledge or approval of TDCJ and contrary to TDCJ procedures and requirements.

The indictment further alleges that Derricks repeatedly allowed the parolee to violate the terms of his parole by, among other things, permitting him to travel outside Texas without prior, written approval and by allowing the parolee to engage in prohibited financial transactions. According to the indictment, such favorable treatment allowed the parolee to facilitate a massive scheme to defraud investors through an oil and gas company founded and operated by the parolee while he was on state parole.

If convicted, Derricks faces a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison on the honest services wire fraud charge and 10 years in prison on the federal programs bribery charge. Each charge also carries a maximum $250,000 fine.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys John P. Pearson, Edward P. Sullivan and Jeffrey E. Tsai of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case is being investigated by the FBI Dallas Field Office, with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and the TDCJ Office of Inspector General.

The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

THE NUCLEAR RISK REDUCTION CENTER

Bikinni Island Nuclear Test.  Credit:  U.S. Army

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Inside the U.S. Department of State: Nuclear Risk Reduction Center
Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance

October 24, 2012
(Intro) The work we do here is very important because it keeps the communication open between Russia and the United States. Here we implement various treaties and communications systems, twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. We’re working holidays, we’re working Christmas and Thanksgiving and 4th of July. Things can happen at any moment and we’re constantly on alert. We’re really in the crisis prevention business.

Acting Under Secretary Rose Gottemoeller: The Nuclear Risk Reduction Center (NRRC) is a communications center here in the State Department that operates to communicate with countries around the world where we have special treaty relationships where we are communicating to implement arms control treaties, whether it’s a strategic arms reduction treaty like the New START Treaty or a conventional treaty like the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty.

Staff Director Ned Williams: The role of the NRRC is very important because we are an interagency resource. We support the entire U.S. government in all matters pertaining to arms control and international security communications.

Deputy Staff Director Colonel Samuel McNiel: The NRRCs were established to help exchange arms control information, to help prevent any misunderstanding, to help prevent any miscalculation, to help prevent any misinterpretation of something like a missile launch. So that we know when the Russians are going to do a test launch or the Russians know when we are going to do a test launch.

Staff Director Ned Williams: The NRRC is active in supporting over 14 different treaties and agreements in 6 different languages including the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and most importantly the New START Treaty.

This is our main NRRC watch center, where we monitor all treaty communications. Here we would have our communications officers monitoring communications circuits back here. We have watch officers monitoring various conventional and strategic arms control treaties and this giant video wall allows our watch officers to work collectively together and to share information and notice when new urgent information is communicated to the NRRC. The NRRC transmits over 7 thousand treaty notifications per year and that translates to roughly 15 thousand government to government messages per year.

Watch Officer Jonathan Winward: One of the notifications that we receive is when the Russians inform us that they will be testing one of their ballistic missiles through a launch. So what happens is a communications officer will receive the notification, pass it off to a bilateral watch officer, we’ll translate it and create a dissemination Cable. This is reviewed by the front office and then transmitted by the watch officer. The communication goes to a number of different parties including the National Military Command Center as well as other interested parties in the Department of State.

Acting Under Secretary Rose Gottemoeller: Well I know I can always count on the NRRC because if I have a requirement in the dead of night to get in touch with the Russian Federation for some reason, the NRRC is available no matter what, 24 hours a day 7 days a week. That is why it is so important; it is somewhat similar to our "hotline" that has existed since the Cuban Missile Crisis, that allowed the two countries – at that time the Soviet Union and the United States - to always be in touch between the two leaders if a nuclear crisis arose.

<sup>Network Manager Bereket Desta: During September 11th, when the network went down, this was the only network that was able to directly communicate with the Russian President.

Staff Director Ned Williams: The Deputy Secretary approached us and requested to send a goodwill message to notify the Russians that we were increasing our defense readiness condition and wanted to let the Russians know that this was not directed toward them and avoided any misunderstanding.

Acting Under Secretary Rose Gottemoeller: The New START Treaty has an extensive series of notifications that are really going to keep track of what’s going on inside the Russian strategic nuclear forces – as a missile moves from a production facility into deployment, as it goes from a deployment site on a base into maintenance, all of those moves are going to be notified. So they will be passed through the Nuclear Risk Reduction Center. The notification regime is one of the core foundations for the verification of the New START Treaty, without those notifications we’re not going to get the picture of the Russian strategic nuclear forces that we would get otherwise. So the NRRC is key to the implementation of the New START Treaty.

Deputy Staff Director Colonel Samuel McNiel: In my Air Force career, I started as a missile launch officer, so I knew what it meant to go to work every day with the possibility that I was going to launch my missiles towards our enemies. Working here at the NRRC is very rewarding because I have a chance help make sure that we never have to launch those missiles.</sup>

SERVICE MEMBER BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Breast cancer survivor Air Force Senior Airman Latisha Chong runs in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Charleston, S.C., Oct. 20, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Rasheen A. Douglas

Face of Defense: Breast Cancer Survivor Describes Her Battle

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Chacarra Walker
American Forces Press Service

CHARLESTON, S.C., Oct. 25, 2012 - Air Force Senior Airman Latisha Chong was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer Jan. 19. Two weeks later, the same doctor who discovered her breast cancer told her she also had Hodgkin lymphoma.

"I was 21 years old and didn't think I was strong enough to beat two cancers. I thought my life was over," said Chong, a flight kitchen specialist assigned to the 628th Force Support Squadron at Joint Base Charleston.

Chong had just returned from a six-month deployment to Southwest Asia when she noticed two lumps in her breasts and immediately knew something was wrong. Her doctors diagnosed the two lumps as cancerous tumors.

"I immediately called my mom," she said. "Even though it was her birthday, she needed to know the bad news."

Chong's mother, Darlene Vincent, originally from Trinidad, was living in Brooklyn, N.Y., when her daughter broke the news.

"It was heartbreaking," Vincent said. "I knew Latisha needed my support, so I packed up and moved to Charleston."

The next person Chong called was her supervisor, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christian Farin, the flight kitchen's noncommissioned officer in charge. Chong said Farin was someone who always was available to listen and help with her problems.

"This was the first time I've ever experienced an airman coming to me with this type of news," Farin said. "I didn't know what to say. I really couldn't believe it." He said he tried to put Chong's mind at ease by letting her know she had not only his support, but also the support of the entire squadron.

Chong was facing five months of chemotherapy followed by radiation to stop the growth of the tumors in her breasts and to treat her Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body's immune system.

On top of it all, Chong still had to take care of her 2-year-old son, Malachi.

"Since my immune system was weak, any time Malachi showed even the slightest signs of a cold or any other illness, I would have to stay away from him," Chong said. "The thing that kept me grounded the most was praying. You have to believe in something. That's how I stayed positive."

Chong's squadron leadership team ensured Malachi was enrolled in the base child development center. This gave her a bit of time for herself and time to focus on defeating the cancers that were spreading throughout her body.

"Raising a child alone is hard, but raising a child while battling two cancers is overwhelming," Chong said.

When Malachi wasn't at the child development center, the airman's mother would help out while Chong was going through chemotherapy and radiation.

The treatments began to take their toll. Chong said the chemotherapy made her constantly feel as if she had the flu, and the radiation caused fatigue and night sweats.

"Going through chemotherapy made me feel extremely cold," she said. "When I went out in public, even though it was summer, I had on sweats, boots, a jacket, a scarf, and on top of everything else, I wore a mask. People looked at me as if I wasn't human."

Wanting to understand what Chong was going through, Farin decided to spend a day with her to get a better understanding of how he could help.

"It didn't really hit me until I saw her without hair," he said. "I took leave for a day and watched Chong go through an entire session of chemotherapy. I don't know what I would have done if I was in her shoes."

Chong wore a wig while going through chemotherapy.

"After a while I couldn't take it any more," she said. "Once the physical changes started to become noticeable, I wanted to stand out less in public. A wig helped."

Besides losing her hair, Chong dealt with fluctuating weight.

"The different stages of treatment caused me to either lose or gain extreme amounts of weight," she said. "I was going through a lot at such a young age."

After five grueling months of chemotherapy, Chong had made it over the mountain and was ready for radiation, followed by surgery.

"When I graduated from chemotherapy, so many people from my squadron showed up, even the hospital staff was shocked," she said. "They had to make room for everybody and the other patients. That's when I realized what true wingmen are."

On June 19, Chong's doctors told her she was cancer-free. Because her mother already was with her, she said, her first call was to her supervisor.

"Every time she called me [previously], she told me bad news," Farin said. "But this time, I could tell in her voice it was good."

In September, Chong was finished with radiation and prepared for surgery. Nervous and excited to be having the tumors in her breasts removed, Chong slipped into unconsciousness as the anesthesia overtook her.

"When it was time for surgery, I prayed," she said. "I prayed that everything would go as planned and that I would make it out safely."

Even though Chong was cancer-free, she would still need to go through another 33 rounds of chemotherapy to ensure the cancer did not return, and she wanted to know when she could go back to work.

"I was ready to get back to Services, where I help people, because that's what we do," she. "The best part about my job is the people."

Chong is scheduled to return to work at the end of this year. She has had five of seven reconstructive surgeries so far for new breasts.

While Chong was going through chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Antonia Williams of the 628th Force Support Squadron put together a team to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure here in Chong's honor Oct. 20.

"I met Latisha at the fitness center a couple weeks after arriving in Charleston," Williams said. "She came in and everyone started talking to her. She wasn't in uniform, and I had never seen her before, so I asked her about her situation.

"Talking to Latisha was so inspirational. ... She was so positive," Williams continued. "I had only known her for a few weeks, but I knew I wanted to make a difference in her life and do something special for her."

Williams put together a team of more than 50 runners and set a goal of $1,000 in donations. The team exceeded the goal by more than $700.

"I'm very happy about the run," Chong said. "It shows people care."

U.S.-CHINA ASIA-PACIFIC CONSULTATIONS

The Great Wall Of China.  Credit:  CIA World Factbook

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
October 24, 2012
Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt M. Campbell hosted Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai on October 23 for the fourth U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations in San Francisco, California. The consultations are an outcome of the U.S-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

The two sides held constructive discussions regarding each country’s policies and actions in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States emphasized its support for working with China to strengthen the role of regional institutions in enhancing security and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. In that context, the United States and China discussed ways for both countries to promote greater cooperation on regional challenges, including through the East Asia Summit. The two sides also discussed pressing issues in the region, with particular attention to ongoing challenges with the DPRK and recent positive developments in Burma.

The U.S.-China Asia-Pacific Consultations are similar to dialogues the United States holds with many other Asia-Pacific states and complement other existing U.S.-China dialogues. These dialogues enhance cooperation, contribute to better understanding between the United States and China, and promote regional stability. The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Departments of State and the National Security Staff.

EASTERN U.S. PREPARES FOR SANDY

 FROM: U.S. FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
 Sandy Makes Landfall Over Cuba 
Early in the morning on Oct. 25, 2012, the Suomi NPP satellite passed over Hurricane Sandy after it made landfall over Cuba and Jamaica, capturing this highly detailed infrared imagery, showing areas of deep convection around the central eye. Besides the highly detailed infrared imagery, the satellite shows visible-like imagery of the cloud tops, along with the city lights of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Image Credit-NOAA-NASA

Readout of Secretary Napolitano and FEMA Administrator Fugate’s Calls to Governors and Mayors as Preparations for Hurricane Sandy Continue

Release date:
October 27, 2012
Release Number:
HQ-12-110
WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate today reached out to the governors of Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and the mayors of New York and Washington, D.C., to make sure the governors’ and mayors’ teams had the support they need as they continue to prepare for Hurricane Sandy.

"At the direction of the President, DHS and FEMA continue to work closely with our state and local partners to identify and address needs early as communities prepare for this storm," said Secretary Napolitano. "FEMA and other federal partners are already sending teams and resources into potentially impacted areas to support state and local preparedness efforts, and Administrator Fugate and I continue to urge those along the East Coast to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Sandy and continue to follow the guidance and direction of their state and local officials."

Earlier today, President Obama convened a call with Secretary Napolitano, Administrator Fugate, National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Rick Knabb, and Homeland Security Advisor John Brennan to receive an update on ongoing federal actions to prepare for Hurricane Sandy as it moves toward the United States mainland. The President reiterated his direction to Administrator Fugate to ensure that federal partners continue to bring all available resources to bear to support state and local responders in potentially affected areas along the Eastern seaboard as they prepare for severe weather.

Residents in potentially impacted states are encouraged to listen to the directions of state and local officials and have an emergency plan, including local evacuation routes, places to evacuate or seek shelter, family contact information and important paperwork. For more information, visit Ready.gov (Listo.gov para español) for tips on creating a family emergency plan, getting an emergency kit and taking other steps to prepare.

TURKEY'S NATIONAL DAY

Map Credit: CIA World Factbook

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

On the Occasion of the Republic of Turkey's National Day

Press Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 26, 2012
On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of Turkey as you celebrate the 89th anniversary of the founding of the modern Republic of Turkey this October 29.

On this special day, we reaffirm the strong partnership between our nations and the common desire to bolster peace and security around the world, promote economic prosperity, and encourage democratic transitions. This year we also celebrate the 60th anniversary of Turkey’s NATO membership and our collaboration to deepen global security and combat terrorism, including regional threats like the PKK. The United States deeply appreciates the sacrifices the Turkish people are making to provide relief to over 100,000 Syrians seeking refuge from Asad’s brutality. And we stand with you as a friend and partner as we work together to address this conflict and ease the burden of this humanitarian crisis.

I look forward to deepening the already strong ties between us as we work together for a more peaceful and prosperous world.

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook. 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM CIA WORLD FACTBOOK

Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the Kurdistan People's Congress or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community. Over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy; it began accession membership talks with the European Union in 2005.

DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY'S FUTURE

Photo:  Arati Prabhakar
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

New Director Details Elements of DARPA's Future Success

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
 WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2012 - Breakthrough national security capabilities, a differentiated U.S. technology base and a continued robust Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are elements of DARPA's future success, Arati Prabhakar, the agency's director, said here yesterday.

Prabhakar, who started July 30 as DARPA's new director, addressed an audience of Office of Naval Research leaders and program managers and members of industry, academia and other government agencies at ONR's Naval Science and Technology Partnership Conference.

"We are working today on projects that will make an impact in the next two years and the next four years and the next six years, but that's just the tip of the spear," Prabhakar said. "The true impact from the work we're doing today is going to be felt over a period of a decade or two decades or three decades. So I like to imagine a future in 2025 or 2030, or maybe even 2035, [in which we're] able to go back and say, 'We did the right things ... and made the right investments and found the right people to work with.'"

The director, who received a doctorate in applied physics and a master of science degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology, joined DARPA as a program manager in 1986. Over seven years, she initiated and managed programs in advanced semiconductor technology, flexible manufacturing and demonstration projects to insert new semiconductor technologies into military systems.

She also was the founding director of DARPA's Microelectronics Technology Office, leading a team of program managers in optoelectronics, infrared imaging, nanoelectronics and other areas.

During 19 years away from DARPA, in a career spent investing in world-class engineers and scientists to create new technologies and businesses, Prabhakar said, she had a proprietary interest in the results of her early work at the agency.

"I found that the work I did and that my office had done and that my colleagues across the agency did in partnership with the services and the commercial sector led to a blossoming of capability over a couple of decades," the director said.

"As I watched, I saw our soldiers own the battlefield because of the capabilities we had given them in sensing and communications and navigation and a host of other technologies. And in the commercial sector, I watched an explosion of capability in wireless communications and consumer electronics," she recalled.

Looking across the U.S. technical community, she said, she saw "one person after another who had been part of the projects that we had worked on in the early days when I was at DARPA, and those individuals went on to make huge contributions to businesses, to national security and to academia."

As she thought about returning to DARPA this summer, Prabhakar said, she considered the impact she and the agency could have on national security, the nation's technology base and the technical community.

"There really is no better place [to be than] embedded in this particular community. ... In the years that I'm with DARPA, I hope we can make the kinds of investments that have the same hugely disproportionate impact in the years to come," she said.

DARPA was created after the Soviet Union sent Sputnik into space in 1957, Prabhakar said, creating the first artificial Earth satellite and a rude technological surprise for the United States.

"Our core mission then and now is to focus on creating [strategic] surprise and preventing that kind of surprise for our country," the director explained, adding that breakthrough national security capabilities ultimately are about creating decisive surprise -- the kind that changes outcomes.

This year is an especially interesting time to think about how to create surprise in U.S. national security, she said.

"We're winding up over a decade of two ground wars and dealing with counterinsurgency challenges," Prabhakar noted. "It's an important time for us all, and DARPA in particular, to put our heads up, to look ahead, to think about what the future issues are going to be for national security and to have that influence the work we'll be doing in this time period."

One program in development at DARPA to deal with today's more complex, less predictable world is a long-range anti-ship-missile called LRASM.

"It's an approach to a new weapon system that fundamentally changes the way our sailors will engage with a very sophisticated enemy defense capability," she said.

The missile's own high degree of sophistication will dramatically change the range at which sailors can engage, how things go if they're in a GPS-denied environment, and what sailors have to know about their target, the director said.

"We think this can be the next generation of advanced cruise missile," she added. "It's a project where we've made a tremendous amount of progress working with the Navy and the contractor community, and I think it ... is a great example of one of many projects at DARPA that can dramatically change a specific mission or a specific scenario."

But even LRASM is no silver bullet for the future battlefield, the director said, "so when we step back and [consider] what it would take to change the ... warfighting environment in a radical and fundamental way, that's a much tougher question."

It will help to add to LRASM new technologies that will advance electronic warfare in dramatic ways and the ability to conduct effective cyber defense and cyber offense in a tactical environment, she said.

"We're going to take communications technology to the next level, the next generation of [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] technology," Prabhakar added, and broaden the position, navigation and timing technologies that will allow the services to operate without relying on GPS.

"All of those technology vectors are, in fact, advancing, and they and other technologies, as you think about a future where all of those advances have occurred, you can start to imagine radical new ways of [fighting]," the director said.

"I think it's going to be through those efforts that we can start coming up with answers to the question, How do we create a completely new scenario, a completely new way of engagement?" she added.

A second element in DARPA's future success is a highly differentiated technology base, the director said, because none of the new national security capabilities will happen without one.

Unlike the post-World War II era, when the United States often had the luxury of using advanced technologies invented and developed at home, she added, "that's really not the case today for so many of the technologies upon which our national security depends."

Virtually every aspect of information technology -- from networking to communications to software systems, components and integrated circuits -- along with materials and many areas of manufacturing technology, are globally available, and aren't even available in the United States, Prabhakar said.

"Our task today is a little bit different, because in these areas we still have to create the most effective defense solutions despite the fact that we don't get that edge that prevents our adversaries from building their own systems," the director added.

"That means we have to be the most sophisticated and the most effective users of globally available technologies, and that's a different kind of challenge," she said, "but ... it's one that can be tackled by building a capability for implementing advanced systems and doing aggressive systems engineering."

Prabhakar said she sees brewing in the scientific community a set of laboratory capabilities that could create opportunities "for some period of time -- not forever, maybe for some years or even decades -- [that] we can aspire to having a U.S. capability that our adversaries don't have."

One potential area is engineering biology, she said, a discipline from which "we're starting to see the prospect for building engineering tools and infrastructure that would allow us to get a degree of engineering control over biology and its ability to produce, for example, new materials and new interesting components."

The area still is very research oriented, she added, "but it's one where we could easily imagine over a period of five or 10 years the creation of a radical infrastructure ... that allows you to tackle these new technologies ... and open up a wide swath of interesting applications."

The third objective for DARPA's success is for the agency to remain vibrant and robust, the director said.

That happens if DARPA continues to engage the broad community -- companies large and small, in and out of the defense business; the services and service laboratories; and the university community -- to seek technological opportunities and the new windows that are opening in the research environment, she explained.

"I think the world we're living in today is a complex and challenging one," Prabhakar said. "I'm pretty sure that's going to be true in the future, and I want to make sure that we have the capability to make our contribution to the solutions that we're going to need for those future generations."

U.S. EXPORT-IMPORT BANK AND JAPAN BANK FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION SIGN CO-FINANCING AGREEMENT



Laughing Budda, Narita, Japan. Photo Credit: CIA World Factbook.

 

FROM: EXPORT-IMPORT BANK
Ex-Im Bank, Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Sign Co-financing Agreement to Facilitate U.S., Japanese Export Sales
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- Officials from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) today signed a co-financing agreement that will facilitate future export transactions involving companies in both the United States and Japan.

The agreement enables Ex-Im and JBIC to provide "one-stop-shop" export finance services to buyers in third countries purchasing both U.S. and Japanese goods and services. The two nations’ export credit agencies (ECAs) will provide a one-stop-shop financing package, creating administrative efficiencies for foreign buyers. The agreement complements one signed in 2004 between Ex-Im Bank and Japan’s Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI).

JBIC Chief Operating Officer and Senior Managing Director Fumio Hoshi, representing JBIC Governor Hiroshi Okuda and Ex-Im Senior Vice President for Policy James C. Cruse , representing Ex-Im Bank Chairman and President Fred P. Hochberg, signed the agreement at Ex-Im’s headquarters in Washington, D.C..

"This arrangement paves the way for Ex-Im Bank and JBIC to co-finance projects, enabling exporters in both the U.S. and Japan to select the best mix of price and technology to strengthen their overseas bids and support jobs," said Hochberg. "At the same time, exporters will be able to provide their buyers with only one set of terms and conditions covering both countries’ exports."

This is the first "One-Stop Shop" co-financing agreement signed by JBIC with another ECA.

JBIC is a policy-based financial institution of Japan, and conducts lending, investment and guarantee operations while complementing the private sector financial institutions.

In addition to the JBIC and NEXI co-financing agreements, Ex-Im Bank currently has signed bilateral one-stop-shop agreements with ASHR’A (Israel), Atradius (The Netherlands), Coface (France), ECGD (U.K.), EDC (Canada), EFIC (Australia), EKF (Denmark), Euler Hermes (Germany), and SACE (Italy) and is in discussions with other ECAs to sign additional bilateral agreements. Ex-Im Bank will consider co-financing transactions without a formal bilateral agreement on a case-by-case basis. In fact, Ex-Im Bank has concluded a number of one off co-financing arrangements with GIEK (Norway), H-EXIM (Hungary) and ONDD (Belgium).

SENATOR CARL LEVIN WRITES LETTER ON CLOSING OFFSHORE LOOPHOLES TO AVOID 'FISCAL' CLIFF'

FROM: SENATOR CARL LEVIN'S WEBSITE
Levin Writes to Bipartisan Leaders on Closing Offshore Loopholes, Avoiding ‘Fiscal Cliff’

Wednesday, October 17, 2012
WASHINGTON – Seeking to help step back from the "fiscal cliff," Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, has written to congressional and administration leaders on the need to address offshore tax abuses as part of a balanced deficit-reduction package.

"Closing these loopholes would not only produce significant revenue to help reduce the deficit and prevent sequestration, it would strengthen tax fairness and remove tax incentives to move U.S. business, jobs, and profits offshore," Levin writes. He identifies 10 offshore tax loopholes identified in more than a decade of investigative work by his subcommittee; closing those loopholes could reduce the deficit by hundreds of millions of dollars over 10 years.

Levin wrote to the leaders of the congressional tax-writing committees; Senate leadership; colleagues involved in bipartisan negotiations aimed at avoiding the fiscal cliff; Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner; and White House economic adviser Gene Sperling.

ANNIVERSARY OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook.
FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

On the Occasion of the Czech Republic's National DayPress Statement
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
October 26, 2012

On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I am delighted to send best wishes to the people of the Czech Republic as you celebrate the anniversary of your independence this October 28.

The relationship between our two countries has grown over the last two decades. Today, we are exploring new opportunities to work together to strengthen security, promote economic development, and defend basic human rights. We particularly appreciate the role the Czech Republic plays as our protecting power in Syria in the midst of the Asad regime’s assault on its own people. Your continued commitment to our mission in Afghanistan as the Afghan government takes full responsibility for its own security is contributing directly to the future of Its people. In places around the world, our two countries are working hand in hand promoting democratic values.

Map Credit:  CIA World Factbook.

On this special day, I send my sincere congratulations to all Czechs and look forward to finding new ways to strengthen our close relationship and advance our shared values.
 

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA SPEAKS ABOUT CONGRESS AND SEQUESTRATION

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Panetta: Congress 'On The Clock' to Avert Sequestration

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Oct. 25, 2012 - Congress "is on the clock" and has critical work to accomplish when the House and Senate come back into session after the Nov. 6 election, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said here today.

During a Pentagon news conference today, Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed the need for lawmakers to act.

First on the list is averting sequestration before it takes effect Jan. 2, Panetta said. Unless Congress decides on an alternative by that date, a sequestration provision in budget law requires an additional $500 billion in defense spending cuts over the next decade, on top of a $487 billion spending reduction already in effect for that period.

"There are only 70 days until that happens, and Congress is certainly on the clock when it comes to that potential sequestration occurring," the secretary said.

The secretary said he also wants Congress to pass the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill. "I'd like them to pass a ... defense appropriations bill, too, but in the very least, we really do need a defense authorization bill so that we can continue to implement our new defense strategy," he said.

The secretary also stressed the need for Congress to act on a cybersecurity bill. "We really do need strong cybersecurity legislation to ensure that we can help defend the nation against a cyberattack," he said. This was the second time in two weeks that Panetta has stressed the need for this legislation, again warning of the growing threat of a cyberattack on the nation's infastructure.

Finally, Panetta called on the Senate to act quickly on the nominations of Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen to be the next commander of U.S. European Command and to become NATO's Supreme Allied Commander for Europe and for Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. to replace Allen as commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

"This is a full agenda," the secretary said. "It's one that requires Democrats and Republicans to work together. And after a tough national election, the American people, I think, will expect both parties to roll up their sleeves, work together to solve the problems facing the nation, and to protect our national security."

Congress's failure to approve a fiscal 2013 budget is causing problems way down the line for the Defense Department, Panetta said. "We're developing a [fiscal] 2014 budget that to some extent ... is not based on what Congress has done, because they haven't done it," the secretary said. "We don't know what the 2013 budget is going to be." The department is operating on a continuing resolution through March 2013 in lieu of a budget for the whole fiscal year, which began Oct. 1.

Panetta said Pentagon officials don't know what they can spend for fiscal 2013, let alone fiscal 2014. "This is a strategic issue: it's 'What kind of stability am I going to have in terms of defense spending for the future?'" he said.

Noting that the department still is cutting almost $500 billion from the defense budget over the next decade, Panetta said that to do so smartly requires some certainty.

"For us to be able to make the kind of strategic choices we need to make, I have to have some stability with regards to where are we going from here," he said. "And I don't have that right now, and frankly, that's a major concern."

ANTARTIC OZONE HOLE 2ND SMALLEST IN LAST 20 YEARS

Antarctic Native Dancer.  Credit:  NASA

FROM: NASA
2012 Antarctic Ozone Hole Second Smallest in 20 Years

WASHINGTON -- The average area covered by the Antarctic ozone hole this year was the second smallest in the last 20 years, according to data from NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites. Scientists attribute the change to warmer temperatures in the Antarctic lower stratosphere.

The ozone hole reached its maximum size Sept. 22, covering 8.2 million square miles (21.2 million square kilometers), or the area of the United States, Canada and Mexico combined. The average size of the 2012 ozone hole was 6.9 million square miles (17.9 million square kilometers). The Sept. 6, 2000 ozone hole was the largest on record at 11.5 million square miles (29.9 million square kilometers).

"The ozone hole mainly is caused by chlorine from human-produced chemicals, and these chlorine levels are still sizable in the Antarctic stratosphere," said NASA atmospheric scientist Paul Newman of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Natural fluctuations in weather patterns resulted in warmer stratospheric temperatures this year. These temperatures led to a smaller ozone hole."

The ozone layer acts as Earth's natural shield against ultraviolet radiation, which can cause skin cancer. The ozone hole phenomenon began making a yearly appearance in the early 1980s. The Antarctic ozone layer likely will not return to its early 1980s state until about 2065, Newman said. The lengthy recovery is because of the long lifetimes of ozone-depleting substances in the atmosphere. Overall atmospheric ozone no longer is declining as concentrations of ozone-depleting substances decrease. The decrease is the result of an international agreement regulating the production of certain chemicals.

This year also showed a change in the concentration of ozone over the Antarctic. The minimum value of total ozone in the ozone hole was the second highest level in two decades. Total ozone, measured in Dobson units (DU), reached 124 DU on Oct. 1. NOAA ground-based measurements at the South Pole recorded 136 DU on Oct. 5. When the ozone hole is not present, total ozone typically ranges from 240-500 DU.

This is the first year growth of the ozone hole has been observed by an ozone-monitoring instrument on the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite. The instrument, called the Ozone Mapping Profiler Suite (OMPS), is based on previous instruments, such as the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) and the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet instrument (SBUV/2), which have flown on multiple satellites. OMPS continues a satellite record dating back to the early 1970s.

In addition to observing the annual formation and extent of the ozone hole, scientists hope OMPS will help them better understand ozone destruction in the middle and upper stratosphere with its Nadir Profiler. Ozone variations in the lower stratosphere will be measured with its Limb Profiler.

"OMPS Limb looks sideways, and it can measure ozone as a function of height," said Pawan K. Bhartia, a NASA atmospheric physicist and OMPS Limb instrument lead. "This OMPS instrument allows us to more closely see the vertical development of Antarctic ozone depletion in the lower stratosphere where the ozone hole occurs."

NASA and NOAA have been monitoring the ozone layer on the ground and with a variety of instruments on satellites and balloons since the 1970s. Long-term ozone monitoring instruments have included TOMS, SBUV/2, Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment series of instruments, the Microwave Limb Sounder, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument, and the OMPS instrument on Suomi NPP. Suomi NPP is a bridging mission leading to the next-generation polar-orbiting environmental satellites called the Joint Polar Satellite System, which will extend ozone monitoring into the 2030s.

NASA and NOAA have a mandate under the Clean Air Act to monitor ozone-depleting gases and stratospheric depletion of ozone. NOAA complies with this mandate by monitoring ozone via ground and satellite measurements. The NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo., performs the ground-based monitoring. The Climate Prediction Center performs the satellite monitoring.