RECENT U.S. NAVY PHOTOS

FROM: U.S. NAVY
130402-N-XQ474-080 NORTH ARABIAN SEA (April 2, 2013) Sailors use an aircraft elevator to transport mail from the flight deck to the hangar bay aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Dwight D. Eisenhower is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility promoting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Andrew Schneider/Released)

130403-N-IC228-012 FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. (April 3, 2013) The Navy's only MZ-3A manned airship launches from the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport for a flight demonstration for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, from Florida. The airship is visiting U.S. 4th Fleet headquarters for a capabilities demonstration as a potential search and detect platform for counter transnational organized crime operations in South and Central America and the Caribbean Sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt Cmdr. Corey Barker/Released)

 

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR APRIL 4, 2013



Afghan border policemen deploy a heavy machine gun while setting up a new checkpoint in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, March 25, 2013. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shane Hamann

 
　
FROM: DPEARTMENT OF DEFENSED
Afghan, Coalition Troops Arrest Taliban Facilitator
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 4, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator in the Dand district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province today, military officials reported.

The facilitator is believed to have arranged transportation of weapons and improvised explosive devices throughout the province for use in attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said. He also allegedly has ordered executions and kidnappings of Afghan civilians working with government officials.

Also today, a combined force in Wardak province's Sayyidabad district detained several insurgents during a search for a Taliban leader who is believed to direct attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also is an expert in the construction and use of IEDs and has directed acquisition and distribution of weapons to insurgents.

In Jowzjan province's Shibirghan district yesterday, a combined force killed an insurgent during a search for a Taliban facilitator responsible for providing financial aid throughout multiple provinces, collecting taxes for the Taliban, overseeing a network of Taliban tax collectors and coordinating financial matters with other Taliban leaders. He also is involved in providing weapons for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

TREASURY LIFTS SANCTIONS ON COLOMBIAN SOCCER TEAM FORMERLY TIED TO CALI CARTEL

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced today the removal of the Colombian professional soccer team America de Cali (also known as Corporacion Deportiva America) from the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN List). Treasury designated the America de Cali team on June 8, 1999, pursuant to Executive Order 12978 of 1995, "Blocking Assets and Prohibiting Transactions with Significant Narcotics Traffickers," because it was under the ownership or control of Cali Cartel leaders Miguel and Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela and other designated individuals. Because that is no longer the case, the Treasury Department today is delisting America de Cali and U.S. persons will now be allowed to enter into financial transactions with the ownership of the team and any assets that they may have had in the U.S. are now unblocked.

"Today’s lifting of the designation of America de Cali is a testament to the enormous efforts made in recent years by both the team and the Colombian government to completely break with the criminal influences that have overshadowed the team in the past," said Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. "As we continue our work with the Colombian government to combat the threat of narcotics trafficking, we will use our authorities to target those responsible for illicit behavior just as we will lift sanctions in cases where there has been a concrete change in behavior."

The soccer team’s corporate entity recently completed a transparent process of restructuring and bankruptcy procedures under the oversight of the Colombian government that included a vigorous due diligence process on all prospective shareholders and corporate officers. The results of this process demonstrated that America de Cali has cut its ties with designated parties, allowing Treasury to proceed with removing the team from the SDN List.

The removal of America de Cali from the SDN List demonstrates that entities may be, and regularly are, removed from the SDN List when circumstances warrant. A designated party may petition Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for the removal of its name from the SDN List. In general, proof of changes in circumstances and behavior is key to OFAC removing a person or entity from the SDN List.

THE ALGAE BLOOM OF DOOM

Lake Erie , Photo by Lynn Betts, USDA/Wikipedia Commons

FROM: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Exxtreme Algae Blooms: The New Normal?
A 2011 record-breaking algae bloom in Lake Erie was triggered by long-term agricultural practices coupled with extreme precipitation, followed by weak lake circulation and warm temperatures, scientists have discovered.

The researchers also predict that, unless agricultural policies change, the lake will continue to experience extreme blooms.

"The factors that led to this explosion of algal blooms are all related to humans and our interaction with the environment," says Bruce Hamilton, program director at the National Science Foundation (NSF), which funded the research through its Water, Sustainability and Climate (WSC) Program.

WSC is part of NSF's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability (SEES) initiative.

"Population growth, changes in agricultural practices and climate change are all part of the equation," says Hamilton. "These findings show us where we need to focus our attention in the future."

Results of the research are published in this week's online early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Algae overtakes a lake in Iowa.  Credit:  Wikimedia Commons.

"The 'perfect storm' of weather events and agricultural practices that occurred in 2011 is unfortunately consistent with ongoing trends," says Anna Michalak, the paper's lead author and a scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science's Department of Global Ecology, located at Stanford University.

"That means that more huge algal blooms can be expected in the future, unless a scientifically-guided management plan is implemented for the region."

Freshwater algal blooms may result when high amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen are added to the water, usually as runoff from fertilizer.

These excess nutrients encourage unusual growth of algae and aquatic plants.

When the plants and algae die, decomposers in the water that feed on them use up oxygen, which can drop to levels too low for aquatic life to thrive.

At first the Lake Erie algae were almost entirely Microcystis, an organism that produces a liver toxin and can cause skin irritation.

The scientists combined sampling and satellite-based observations of the lake with computer simulations to track the bloom.

It began in the lake's Western region in mid-July and covered an area of 230 square miles.

At its peak in October, the bloom had expanded to more than 1,930 square miles. Its peak intensity was more than three times greater than any other bloom on record.

The researchers looked at numerous factors that could have contributed to the bloom, including land-use, agricultural practices, runoff, wind, temperature, precipitation and circulation.

They found that three agriculture management practices in the area can lead to increased nutrient runoff: autumn fertilization, broadcast fertilization (uniform distribution of fertilizer over the whole cropped field), and reduced tillage.

These practices have increased in the region over the last decade.

Conditions in the fall of 2010 were ideal for harvesting and preparing fields and increasing fertilizer application for spring planting.

A series of strong storms the following spring caused large amounts of phosphorus to flow into the lake.

In May alone rainfall was more than 6.5 inches, a level more than 75 percent above the prior 20-year average for the month.

This onslaught resulted in one of the largest spring phosphorus loads since 1975, when intensive monitoring began.

Lake Erie was not unusually calm and warm before the bloom. But after the bloom began, warmer water and weaker currents encouraged a more productive bloom than in prior years.

The longer period of weak circulation and warmer temperatures helped incubate the bloom and allowed the Microcystis to remain near the top of the water column. That had the added effect of preventing the nutrients from being flushed out of the system.

The researchers' data did not support the idea that land-use and crop choices contributed to the increase in nutrient run-off that fueled the bloom.

To determine the likelihood of future mega-blooms, the scientists analyzed climate model simulations under both past and future climate conditions.

They found that severe storms become more likely in the future, with a 50 percent increase in the frequency of precipitation events of .80 inch or more of rain.

Stronger storms, with greater than 1.2 inch of rain, could be twice as frequent.

The researchers believe that future calm conditions with weak lake circulation after a bloom's onset are also likely to continue, since current trends show decreasing wind speeds across the United States.

That would result in longer-lasting blooms and decreased mixing in the water column.

"Although future strong storms may be part of the new normal," says Michalak, "better management practices could be implemented to provide some relief to the problem."

The research was also supported by the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research and the Lake Erie Protection Fund.

-NSF-

DOD SAYS RECRUITING ON TRACK

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Recruiting Remains on Track in Latest Statistics
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 3, 2013 - All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal year 2013 through February, Defense Department officials announced yesterday.

Here are the recruiting numbers for each service over the first five months of fiscal 2013, which began Oct. 1 and runs through September:

-- Army: 26,978 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 26,795;

-- Navy: 14,007 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 14,007;

-- Marine Corps: 11,131 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 11,112; and

-- Air Force: 11,874 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 11,874.

The Army, Air Force and Marine Corps exhibited strong fiscal 2013 retention numbers through February, officials said. The Navy had strong retention in the mid-career and career categories, and its 88 percent retention rate in the initial category is a result of the transition from a downsizing posture to a stabilizing posture, they added.

Five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their fiscal 2013 recruiting goals through February. The Army Reserve finished 1,410 accessions short of its goal.

Here are the reserve component numbers:

-- Army National Guard: 21,186 accessions, 103 percent of its goal of 20,664;

-- Army Reserve: 10,531 accessions, 88 percent of its goal of 11,941;

-- Navy Reserve: 2,237 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 2,237;

-- Marine Corps Reserve: 3,894 accessions, 101 percent of its goal of 3,853;

-- Air National Guard: 3,960 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 3,960; and

-- Air Force Reserve: 3,085 accessions, 100 percent of its goal of 3,085.

All reserve components met their fiscal year attrition goals through January, and current trends are expected to continue, officials said. This indicator lags behind recruiting statistics by a month due to data availability, they added.

THE ALASKAN MOUNTAINS PHOTO FROM NASA

FROM: NASA
Alaskan Mountains Seen During IceBridge Transit
Alaskan mountains seen from high altitude aboard the NASA P-3B during the IceBridge transit flight from Thule to Fairbanks on March 21, 2013.

NASA's Operation IceBridge is an airborne science mission to study Earth's polar ice. Image Credit: NASA/Goddard/Christy Hansen

FORMER POLICE DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEE ARRESTED FOR IMPERSONATING A U.S. MARSHAL

FROM: U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE
Pretend U.S. Marshal Caught by Real U.S. Marshals Task Force

Memphis, TN -- A man alleged to have represented himself falsely as a deputy U.S. marshal was arrested today by the U.S. Marshal’s Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force.

Averick Nickson was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury for falsely assuming the identity of a deputy U.S. marshal. Nickson had on at least two occasions allegedly identified himself to law enforcement officers as an employee of the U.S. Marshals Service. On one occasion he reportedly did so to avoid the possible issuance of a speeding ticket.

Nickson was arrested at his home in Memphis. During the execution of the warrant a sizable amount of police equipment was found, including but not limited to guns, tactical vests, badges and identification cards, and radios. His personal car was also equipped with emergency lights.

Nickson is a former employee of the Dresden, TN Police Department and the Weakly County Sheriff’s Office. He was transported to the federal building downtown without incident where he had his initial court appearance.

The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force with divisions in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. The Western Tennessee Division of the GCRFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputies, Madison County Sheriff’s Deputies, Jackson Police Officers, and the Tennessee Department of Corrections Special Agents. The primary mission of the Task Force is to arrest violent offenders and sexual predators

SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY ANNOUNCES WAR CRIMES REWARD PROGRAM

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Secretary Kerry on Bringing War Criminals to Justice Through Expansion of the War Crimes Rewards Program
Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
April 3, 2013

Secretary of State John Kerry today announced the expansion of the State Department’s War Crimes Rewards Program, implementing legislation that then-Senator Kerry authored and passed last year as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the last piece of Kerry legislation to be signed into law by President Obama.

Below is the text of a contribution by Secretary of State John Kerry that appeared in the Huffington Post on April 3, 2013.

Begin text:

More Work to Bring War Criminals to Justice

Imagine for a moment that you are a child growing up in central Africa. Instead of sleeping at home with your family each night, you take shelter with dozens of other children. You hope you'll find safety in numbers. You pray that you will not be pulled out of your bed and abducted in the night by an armed militia -- conscripted into a life of violence, forced to brutalize your own family members, used as a sex slave, condemned to a life on the run from the authorities.

It's a living nightmare -- but thanks in part to last year's Kony video about the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), it's a reality that millions of Americans now know that for almost twenty years has tormented and terrorized children across Uganda, the DRC, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.

It has to stop.

Last April at this exact time, I came to the Huffington Post and I talked directly with you about some common sense steps we could take to help end the horror of thugs like Kony. I was chairing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and introducing new legislation which I asked you to help pass into law. You responded -- we mobilized the grassroots -- Congress moved quickly -- and the very last piece of legislation I passed as a Senator was the bill we'd talked about right here. As I was awaiting confirmation to become Secretary of State, the bill came to President Obama's desk and he signed it into law.

So the last piece of legislation I passed as a Senator is one of the first I'm now ready to deploy on an issue we care about deeply. Today I return to Huffington Post to announce the new steps the State Department is taking in order to tighten the screws on murderers like Kony -- and you should know you helped to make it happen.

Today, I am announcing a new weapon in our fight. Through the expansion of the War Crimes Rewards Program, the Department of State is offering up to $5 million for information that leads to the arrest, transfer, and conviction of the top three leaders of the LRA: Joseph Kony, Okot Odhiambo, and Dominic Ongwen. All three are charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Kony and his cronies have eluded capture for years. The LRA is broken down into small bands of rebels, scattered throughout dense jungle, hidden by dense canopy, controlling territory through tactics of fear and intimidation. We know they will not be easy to find.

But we know that rewards have a proven track record of generating tips that help authorities find fugitives and hold them accountable -- just look at the example of criminals and butchers from conflicts in Sierra Leone, the former Yugoslavia, and Rwanda, all brought to justice in part through the use of rewards.

Of course, Joseph Kony and the LRA are not the only fugitive criminals we are targeting in Africa. So today I'm also announcing a $5 million reward for Sylvestre Mudacumura, who has committed and ordered brutal attacks on civilians as the military commander the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). Several individuals accused of carrying out the 1994 Rwandan genocide belong to the FDLR.

Nineteen years after nearly one million Rwandans were killed in the 1994 genocide, nine of the men wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for allegedly planning, organizing, and carrying out the genocide remain free. Today, I also want to remind people around the world that the United States government still offers rewards of up to $5 million leading to the arrest of these fugitives. Their names are Felicien Kabuga, Protais Mpiranya, Augustin Bizimana, Fulgence Kayishema, Pheneas Munyarugarama, Aloys Ndimbati, Ladislas Ntaganzwa, Charles Ryandikayo, and Charles Sikubwabo.

I know coming forward takes guts, particularly when we are asking for information about notorious criminals like Kony. Let me assure you that the security of our informants is a priority of the War Crimes Rewards Program. The United States does not announce the names of informants even when a reward payment has been made -- and we always make good on our payments. In the past three years alone, we have made 14 reward payments to individuals who have provided critical information.

Anyone with information can help bring these criminals to justice. Simply contact the U.S. government through any of our embassies or through our secure website.  Stephen Rapp, our Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues and his staff in the office of Global Criminal Justice are ready to receive and respond to tips.
To be clear, this is not a dead-or-alive bounty program. Information must lead to the secure arrest, transfer, or conviction of these people men in a court of law. We want these men to look into the eyes of their victims and answer for their actions.

Can it work? You bet it can. Two weeks ago, one of the most notorious and brutal rebels in the DRC voluntarily surrendered to our Embassy in Rwanda shortly after being named to the War Crimes Reward Programs list. Now Bosco Ntaganda is charged by the International Criminal Court with war crimes and crimes against humanity. I would have been announcing a reward for him today, but instead, he is sitting in a cell at The Hague. He realized it was better to face justice under the law than live on the run as a wanted man any longer.

I refuse to accept a world where those responsible for crimes of this magnitude live in impunity. We will keep working to hold them accountable and deliver justice to all the people they have hurt.

Nowhere will thugs and war criminals who terrorize children be safe -- not for long anyways.

And starting today, their lives on the run -- always looking over their shoulder -- include an even greater prize on their head.

Impunity is the enemy of peace. Accountability is essential to preventing atrocities from taking place in the future. We are putting all those who would violate these simple principles on notice: Your days are numbered.

Now, to all of you here who helped me push for action last April -- this April let's renew our commitment to bring every war criminal to justice. Onward.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL HOSTS KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER YUN BYUNG-SE

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Hagel Hosts Korean Foreign Minister at Pentagon
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2013 - The U.S. commitment to its alliance with South Korea was the key topic in a Pentagon meeting today between Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and South Korea's new minister of foreign affairs, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

Hagel also congratulated Yun Byung-se on his appointment, Little said.

"The secretary expressed his gratitude to Minister Yun for hosting Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter during his recent trip to South Korea and told the minister he is encouraged by the high level of consultation between both governments," the press secretary said in a statement released after the meeting.

Hagel reaffirmed to Yun that the enduring U.S. defense and extended deterrence commitments to South Korea will not change, "and that it is our duty to remain vigilant during this time of heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula," Little said.

"The two leaders discussed the importance of the recent U.N. Security Council resolutions that are designed to limit North Korea's progress on its nuclear and missile programs," he added. "While the Department of Defense remains focused on fulfilling security commitments, Secretary Hagel stated that diplomatic efforts are fundamental to encouraging North Korea to pursue the path of peace."

Hagel also thanked Yun for his friendship and his continued commitment to the South Korea-U.S. relationship and the defense of the Korean Peninsula, Little said.

STATE DEPARTMENT OFFICIAL'S REMARKS ON PROCTECTING SPACE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Photo:  Watching Space.  Credit:  U.S. Airforce

FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Protecting Space for Future Generations is in the Vital Interests of the Global Community
Space Security Conference 2013:
Panel on "Space Security Threats: Exploring Current Vulnerabilities in Outer Space" United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
Remarks of Frank A. Rose,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Space and Defense Policy.

Geneva,
April 2, 2013

Introduction
Thank you, Theresa Hitchens, for your kind introduction. It is a pleasure to be participating with these distinguished speakers and attendees at this UNIDIR space security conference in Geneva. This is my third year of participating in this annual conference, and I welcome the opportunity to explore and discuss this year’s topic, "enhancing confidence, securing space stability."

In my talk today, I’d like to focus on the following three topics:

• The importance of space capabilities in today’s world
• The challenges created by an increasingly congested and contested space environment
• Opportunities for international cooperation to respond to these challenges

The Importance of Space Capabilities

For over five and a half decades, nations around the globe have derived increasing benefits from the peaceful use of outer space. Satellites contribute to increased transparency and stability among nations and provide a vital communications path for avoiding potential conflicts. The utilization of space has helped save lives by improving our warning of natural disasters and making recovery efforts faster and more effective. Space systems have created new markets and new tools to monitor climate change and support sustainable development. In short, space systems allow people and governments around the world to see with clarity, communicate with certainty, navigate with accuracy, and operate with assurance.

As one of many examples of how satellites contribute to maintaining international peace and security, it is worth recalling that this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of both the Limited Test Ban Treaty and the launch of the first nuclear detonation detection (NUDET) satellites, called "Vela." The first two U.S. Vela satellites were launched on October 16, 1963, six days after the "Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space and Under Water" went into effect. These and other Vela satellites successfully monitored compliance with the Treaty and provided scientific data on natural sources of space radiation for over two decades.

Today, NUDET sensors on Global Positioning System (GPS) and other spacecraft provide a worldwide, highly durable capability to detect, locate, and report any nuclear detonations in the earth’s atmosphere or in near space in near-real time – contributing to crisis stability as well as to treaty monitoring.

Threats to Space Services

As more nations and non-state actors recognize these benefits and seek their own space or counterspace capabilities, we are faced with new challenges in the space domain.

Now there are approximately sixty nations and government consortia that own and operate satellites, in addition to numerous commercial and academic satellite operators. This increasing use — coupled with space debris resulting from past launches, space operations, orbital accidents, and testing of destructive ASATs which generated long-lived debris – has resulting in increased orbital congestion, complicating space operations for all those that seek to benefit from space. Another area of increasing congestion is the radiofrequency spectrum. As the demand for bandwidth increases and more transponders are placed in service, the greater the probability of radiofrequency interference and the strains on international processes to minimize that interference.

In addition to the challenges resulting from space debris and radiofrequency interference, space is also becoming increasingly contested. From the U.S. perspective, concerns about threats were recently noted in an assessment issued last month by James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence.

"Space systems and their supporting infrastructures enable a wide range of services, including communication; position, navigation, and timing; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and meteorology, which provide vital national, military, civil, scientific, and economic benefits. Other nations recognize these benefits to the United States and seek to counter the US strategic advantage by pursuing capabilities to deny or destroy our access to space services. Threats to vital US space services will increase during the next decade as disruptive and destructive counterspace capabilities are developed."

Responding through International Cooperation

In response to these challenges, the United States continues to be guided by the principles and goals of the National Space Policy that was signed by President Obama in June 2010. The policy places increased emphasis on international cooperation to deal with the challenges of the 21st Century.

To address the hazards of an increasingly congested space environment, the United States has expanded efforts to share space situational awareness services, including notifications to government and commercial satellite operators of close approaches that could result in satellite collisions. These and other "best practices" can form the basis for the development of a set of guidelines for the long-term sustainability of space activities. Long-term sustainability of space activities is a topic being addressed by a working group of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, which will be discussed in greater detail by Dr. Peter Martinez, the working group chair, later today.

To address threats to space activities in the increasingly contested space environment, the United States continues to pursue a range of measures to strengthen stability in space. In doing so, we expect to increase the security and resilience of space capabilities, continue to conduct Space Security Dialogues with our friends and partners, and pursue transparency and confidence building measures, or TCBMs.

First, the United States will pursue efforts to increase assurance and resilience of mission-essential functions against disruption, degradation, and destruction. These efforts include expanded cooperation with the private sector, allies, and partners around the globe to maintain continuity of services, including efforts to enhance the security and resilience of space networks and supporting ground infrastructures. Related efforts seek to improve domestic and international coordination of responses to purposeful interference — which the United States considers an infringement of a nation’s rights.

Specific examples include discussions in trans-Atlantic fora, including the U.S.-European Union space security dialogue that I lead. They also include efforts by government and commercial satellite operators to improve information sharing for spaceflight safety and geolocation of intentional satellite communications uplink jamming, topics that will be addressed in greater detail in later sessions of this conference.

Second, the United States is pursuing bilateral Space Security Dialogues with traditional partners as well as with other established and emerging space-faring nations as part of its pursuit of TCBMs. The United States believes TCBMs should be pragmatic, voluntary, near-term actions that aim to increase trust and prevent misperceptions, miscalculations, and mistrust between nations. To overcome these dangers and risks requires, in part, building confidence between nations. This can be achieved with transparency, openness, and predictability through, for example, information-sharing.

In that vein, our Space Security Dialogues provide an opportunity for constructive exchanges on emerging threats to shared space interests, national security space policies and doctrine, and opportunities for further bilateral cooperation. In addition to the direct outcomes from these dialogues, bilateral exchanges themselves serve as important TCBMs which can be considered for adoption and implementation at a multilateral level. Given the complex and interrelated nature of space activities, the willingness of partners to engage in serious and substantive discussions in "whole of government" dialogues is what economists call a "leading indicator" of their commitment to multilateral discussions of space security.

With regard to the third area – multilateral TCBMs — you will be hearing later today from Ambassador Jacek Bylica and Victor Vasiliev on two of the most important efforts — an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities, or "Code," and the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) study of outer space TCBMs. While I will defer to them for specific details on these efforts, I will note that the United States is a strong supporter of both activities, as well as other multilateral efforts in specific regions – such as a workshop on space security that commenced last December within the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum.

In January 2012, then-Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced the U.S. decision to work with the European Union (EU) and other space-faring nations to develop an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities. In announcing this decision, the United States noted that "[a] Code of Conduct will help maintain the long-term sustainability, safety, stability, and security of space by establishing guidelines for the responsible use of space."

As you will hear later today from Ambassador Bylica, the European Union is leading efforts to develop a text that would be open to participation by all States on a voluntary basis. The United States believes the EU’s latest draft is a useful foundation and constructive starting point for developing a consensus on an International Code. We look forward to participating in the open-ended consultative meeting that the EU and Ukraine will be convening in Kiev next month. These consultations, to which all UN member states will be invited, will provide an opportunity to address all elements of the draft Code. Along with our partners in the EU, the United States’ aim remains to find agreement on a text that is acceptable to all interested States and that can produce effective security benefits in a relatively short time.

Another multilateral effort to pursue TCBMs is the study by the UN Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Outer Space TCBMs, on which I am privileged to serve as the United States Expert. Under the capable chairmanship of our distinguished colleague Victor Vasiliev of Russia, the GGE offers an opportunity to advance a range of voluntary and non-legally binding TCBMs in space that have the potential to mitigate dangers and risks to space security.

The GGE intends to develop a consensus report to the UN Secretary General that outlines a list of voluntary and pragmatic space TCBMs that States could adopt on a unilateral, bilateral, or multilateral basis. As part of its effort to draw upon as much expertise as possible, the GGE has welcomed written contributions from intergovernmental bodies, industry and private sector, civil society, and other UN Member States not already represented in the GGE. We believe the GGE serves as a real opportunity to move forward with pragmatic steps to strengthen stability in space.

Summary

In summary, the United States takes seriously the challenges of an increasingly congested and contested space environment and is pursuing a range of measures to increase assurance and resilience mission-essential functions and to strengthen stability in space, including through cooperation with the full range of space-faring nations. We are increasingly reliant on space, not only when disasters strike, but also for our day-to-day life. However, our ability to continue to use space for these benefits is at serious risk. Accidents or irresponsible acts against space systems would not only harm the space environment, but would also disrupt services on which the international community depends. As a result, we must take action now and pursue TCBMs in space, including the ones that I discussed today. These TCBMs will enhance the long-term sustainability, stability, safety, and security of the space environment. Protecting the space environment for future generations is in the vital interests of the entire global community.

U.S. State Department Daily Press Briefing - April 3, 2013

Daily Press Briefing - April 3, 2013

Detetives cósmicos

Detetives cósmicos

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL CONGRATULATES NEW CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTER WANQUAN

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMET OF DEFENSE
Hagel Congratulates New Chinese Defense Minister
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 3, 2013 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel offered best wishes to China’s new defense minister in a phone call yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

In a statement released after the call, Little said Hagel congratulated Gen. Chang Wanquan on his new position.

The leaders both expressed their intention to work together to continue to build a military-to-military relationship that serves the vision of both President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Little said.

"The secretary discussed the importance of focusing on areas of sustained dialogue, practical areas of cooperation, and risk-reducing measures," the press secretary added, and emphasized the growing threat to the United States and its allies posed by North Korea's aggressive pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

Hagel also expressed to Chang the importance of sustained U.S.-China dialogue and cooperation on these issues, he said.

Little noted that Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit China later this month, and said Hagel told Chang he looks forward to hearing the results of the visit.

The secretary also invited Chang to visit the United States later this year to continue senior-level military-to-military consultations, Little added.

Remarks by Secretary Hagel at the National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C

Remarks by Secretary Hagel at the National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C

FEMA RELEASES NEW JERSERY DISASTER RELIEF NUMBERS

Long Beach, N.J., March 20, 2013 -- A contractor digs to replace sewer and water pipes for an apartment complex as part of the recovery and rebuilding process after Hurricane Sandy. Rosanna Arias-FEMA

FROM: FEMA, NEW JERSEY DISASTER ASSISTANCE
New Jersey Recovery From Hurricane Sandy: By The Numbers
Release date:
March 29, 2013

TRENTON, N.J. -- Disaster assistance to New Jersey survivors of Hurricane Sandy by the numbers as of April 1:
$376.4 million in FEMA grants approved for individuals and households
$324.7 million for housing assistance
$51.6 million for other needs $680.2 million in SBA disaster loans approved for homeowners, renters and businesses
$241.5 million approved in FEMA Public Assistance grants to communities and some nonprofit organizations that serve the public
$3.1 billion in total National Flood Insurance Program payments made on claims to date
259,578 people contacted FEMA for help or information
124,778 housing inspections completed
85,724 visits to Disaster Recovery Centers
Nine centers are open to assist survivors who have recovery questions.
Survivors can register online and check on the status of their applications at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.fema.gov. They also can call 800-621-3362 or TTY 800-462-7585.Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services can call 800-621-3362. Recovery assistants remain available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. The deadline to register with FEMA is May 1.

Survivors can ask questions about their SBA disaster home or business loan applications by calling 800-659-2955 or TTY 800-877-8339 or emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Survivors who have questions about flood insurance claims and the appeals process can call 800-427-4661.

Additional resources are available online at FEMA.gov/SandyNJ and SBA.gov/Sandy.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

EPA VOIDS APROVAL CERTIFICATES FOR OVER 70,000 IMPORTED VEHICLES FROM CHINA

FROM: U.S. EVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Voids Certificates Approving Import of Over 70,000 Small Recreational Vehicles

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is withdrawing approval of the import and sale of up to 74,000 gas-powered on- and off-road motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles from China. The agency believes that it received either incomplete or falsified certification information.

EPA issued the vehicle certificates from 2006 to 2012 to two companies which operate as Snyder Technology, Inc. and Snyder Computer Systems, Inc. (doing business as Wildfire Motors Corporation). As a result of a lengthy investigation, the agency believes that the applications for the certificates contained misleading information and must be voided.

All vehicles imported into or manufactured in the United States are required to have certificates of conformity. Manufacturers or importers must submit an application to EPA that describes the vehicle and its emission control system. It must also provide emissions data demonstrating that the vehicle will meet federal emission standards for certain pollutants, including oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and total hydrocarbons (HC)--all of which can harm public health and the environment. These pollutants can contribute to soot (fine particles) and smog (ground-level ozone), which are associated with asthma and heart attacks, increased emergency room visits and premature death.

In the cases of Snyder and Wildfire, EPA believes the manufacturers failed to accurately test the emissions from their own products, all of which were imported from China. Without proper emission controls, these vehicles can emit substantially more pollution than allowable under Clean Air Act standards.

SEC REPORT SAYS COMPANIES CAN USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO ANNOUNCE COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATION FD INFORMATION

FROM: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C., April 2, 2013 — The Securities and Exchange Commission today issued a report that makes clear that companies can use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to announce key information in compliance with Regulation Fair Disclosure (Regulation FD) so long as investors have been alerted about which social media will be used to disseminate such information.

The SEC’s report of investigation confirms that Regulation FD applies to social media and other emerging means of communication used by public companies the same way it applies to company websites. The SEC issued guidance in 2008 clarifying that websites can serve as an effective means for disseminating information to investors if they’ve been made aware that’s where to look for it. Today’s report clarifies that company communications made through social media channels could constitute selective disclosures and, therefore, require careful Regulation FD analysis.

"One set of shareholders should not be able to get a jump on other shareholders just because the company is selectively disclosing important information," said George Canellos, Acting Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement. "Most social media are perfectly suitable methods for communicating with investors, but not if the access is restricted or if investors don’t know that’s where they need to turn to get the latest news."

Regulation FD requires companies to distribute material information in a manner reasonably designed to get that information out to the general public broadly and non-exclusively. It is intended to ensure that all investors have the ability to gain access to material information at the same time.

Lona Nallengara, Acting Director of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance, added, "Companies should review the Commission’s existing guidance — it is flexible enough to address questions that arise for companies that choose to communicate through social media, and the guidance does so in a straightforward manner."

The SEC’s report of investigation stems from an inquiry the Division of Enforcement launched into a post by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on his personal Facebook page stating that Netflix’s monthly online viewing had exceeded one billion hours for the first time. Netflix did not report this information to investors through a press release or Form 8-K filing, and a subsequent company press release later that day did not include this information. Neither Hastings nor Netflix had previously used his Facebook page to announce company metrics, and they had never before taken steps to alert investors that Hastings’ personal Facebook page might be used as a medium for communicating information about Netflix. Netflix’s stock price had begun rising before the posting, and increased from $70.45 at the time of the Facebook post to $81.72 at the close of the following trading day.

The SEC did not initiate an enforcement action or allege wrongdoing by Hastings or Netflix. Recognizing that there has been market uncertainty about the application of Regulation FD to social media, the SEC issued the report of investigation pursuant to Section 21(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

The report of investigation explains that although every case must be evaluated on its own facts, disclosure of material, nonpublic information on the personal social media site of an individual corporate officer — without advance notice to investors that the site may be used for this purpose — is unlikely to qualify as an acceptable method of disclosure under the securities laws. Personal social media sites of individuals employed by a public company would not ordinarily be assumed to be channels through which the company would disclose material corporate information.

The SEC’s inquiry was conducted by Cameron P. Hoffman, Michael E. Liftik, and Assistant Regional Director Cary S. Robnett in the San Francisco Regional Office.

CDC SAYS MEAT AND POULTRY ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY A QUARTER OF FOODBORNE ILLNESSES

Credit:  Cattle.  Credit:  USDA

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says meat and poultry account for nearly a quarter of all foodborne illnesses. Beef, what some may think is a common cause of foodborne illness, accounted for only a slice of that.

Dr. John Painter is an epidemiologist at the CDC.

"Beef is now less contaminated to start with, and most fast food restaurants are cooking burgers well so, beef was the source of fewer than seven percent of food-related illnesses and fewer than four percent of deaths."

You still need to be careful to cook beef, especially ground beef, thoroughly. If not completely cooked, contaminated meat and poultry can cause diarrhea.

"And it can be prevented through thoroughly cleaning hands, knives, cutting boards, counters, and sinks after working with raw meat and poultry."

ISAF NEWS FROM AFGHANISTAN FOR APRIL 3, 2013

U.S. Army Sgt. Justin R. Pereira, right, and Laika 5, a military working dog trained to detect tactical explosives, provide security as Afghan border police break ground on a new checkpoint in the Spin Boldak district of Afghanistan's Kandahar province, March 25, 2013. Pereira and Laika 5 are assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Striker Brigade Combat Team. The border police moved to the new location to block an insurgent nfiltration route. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Shane Hamann

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Combined Force Arrests Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan Leader
From an International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Release

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 3, 2013 - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader in the Burkah district of Afghanistan's Baghlan province today, military officials reported.

The leader has allegedly led a cell of insurgent fighters in multiple attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, officials said. He also is accused of training insurgent fighters and serves a vital role in intelligence and improvised explosive device operations, they added.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force in Kandahar province's Dand district detained two insurgents while searching for a Taliban facilitator believed to have arranged the transportation of weapons and IEDs throughout Kandahar for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also allegedly has ordered subordinates to commit executions and kidnappings against Afghan civilians working with government officials. The security force also seized a machine gun and a grenade.

-- In Helmand province's Nad-e Ali district, a combined force detained several insurgents while searching for a senior Taliban leader who allegedly commands numerous cells of Taliban fighters. He and his subordinates are believed to have participated in numerous attacks against Afghan and coalition forces, and he also is believed to have plotted the assassination of Afghan government officials. The security force seized an assault rifle and two ammunition magazines.

-- A combined force detained a Taliban leader and several other insurgents in Logar province's Pul-e Alam district. The leader is believed to be responsible for the movement and coordination of insurgent fighters throughout the province and for procuring and distributing weapons for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

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