Coalition Forces Detain, Kill Militants in Afghanistan

0 | August 27th, 2008 | Posted in War on Terror

American Forces Press Service

 

Aug. 27, 2008 - Coalition and Afghan security forces detained four militants and killed more than a dozen others in separate operations yesterday and Aug. 25, military officials reported.  Four militants were detained, including a targeted individual, during a coalition forces operation to disrupt militant activities in Paktika province yesterday. Coalition forces searched a compound in Barmal district, targeting a militant facilitating the movement of foreign fighters and weapons from Pakistan into Afghanistan.

 

Afghan and coalition forces killed several militants during a combat patrol in Sangin district, Helmand province, Aug. 25. The combined force spotted a large number of heavily armed militants gathering in small groups and preparing to attack the soldiers. The troops engaged the militants with small arms, machine guns, and close-air support, killing more than a dozen of them.

 

In other developments, Afghan and coalition forces conducted a medical civil action program in Qalat district, Zabul province, Aug. 24-25.

 

During the two-day program, coalition forces medical personnel treated 728 children, 373 women and 89 men for various ailments ranging from stomach pains to broken bones. Medics also taught preventive care by distributing handouts advising Afghans to boil water before drinking to prevent illness.

 

Educational supplies, Korans and Afghan national flags also were distributed to the local populace.

 

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

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SouthCom Transformation Promotes New Approach to Regional Challenges

0 | August 27th, 2008 | Posted in Military News

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

 

Aug. 26, 2008 - Along with U.S. Africa Command going fully operational Oct. 1, the Defense Department will reach another milestone as U.S. Southern Command completes a major reorganization that also promotes joint, interagency and even private- and public-sector cooperation.  The concept supports universal agreement among President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the service chiefs and the combatant commanders that the military can’t tackle 21st-century security challenges alone.

 

The 2008 National Defense Strategy, released July 31, reflects in its first update since 2005 the importance of interagency as well as interservice and international cooperation to face today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

 

“We are working to create an organization that can best adapt itself to working with the interagency, with our international partners and even with the private-public sector,” said Navy Adm. James Stavridis, SouthCom commander. “And we want to do it in a way that is completely supportive of all our partners.

 

“If I would put one word on it, it’s partnership,” he continued. “That is our [SouthCom] motto — Partnership for the Americas – and our objective is to become the best possible international, interagency partner we can be.”

 

Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted the similarities between what’s happening at SouthCom and AfriCom during his late-June visit to the AfriCom headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany. Looking out at the audience during a town hall meeting, he called the new command’s interagency makeup and the expansive capability it will bring a sign of things to come.

 

“I think you, in many ways, represent the face of the future with respect to our combatant commands,” Mullen told the group. “You may be leading what we are doing in our government.”

 

As they carry that charge, both SouthCom and AfriCom are breaking the mold for the way U.S. combatant commands have operated since passage of the National Security Act in 1947.

 

“The United States needs organizing structures that are custom-made for the age we live in, not where we have come from,” said Army Lt. Col. Bryan Sparling, Stravridis’ special assistant for long-range planning. “We in the federal government need to be organized so we can build and put together solutions to 21st-century security challenges, because they are not the same challenges we had in the 20th century.”

 

Stavridis described the “enormous challenges” facing Central and South America during his mid-March testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Without large-scale conventional wars looming on the horizon, the bigger regional challenges are poverty, drugs, the risk of regional terrorism and the beginnings of Islamic radical terrorism, he told the committee.

 

Like a long line of commanders before him, Stavridis recognized that traditional Cold War-era ways of operating didn’t fit in SouthCom’s area of focus, which includes all of Latin America and parts of the Caribbean. “Previous SouthCom commanders have recognized we need to fundamentally change how we do business around here,” Sparling said.

 

Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, who preceded Stavridis as SouthCom commander, put together a tiger team in early 2006 to evaluate the command’s organization, internal processes and strategy in light of its mission. “Our philosophy from the beginning was to say, ‘This is about rethinking SouthCom and rethinking what a combatant command is,’” Sparling said.

 

Stavridis embraced many of the teams’ conclusions and recommendations when he took command in October 2006, fine-tuning them with his staff before taking them to Gates for approval, Sparling said.

 

Gates gave the plan the green light, putting SouthCom’s reorganization on his list of 25 transformation priorities for the Defense Department. SouthCom shares a single bullet on the list alongside AfriCom, with both commands to be structured as interagency operations by Oct. 1.

 

“So we are first cousins with AfriCom, no doubt about it,” Sparling said. “The end state we and AfriCom are aiming for is really the same end state, philosophically.”

 

Stavridis said he communicates regularly with Army Gen. William “Kip” Ward, the AfriCom commander, and Navy Vice Adm. Robert T. Moeller, Ward’s deputy commander for military operations and a close personal friend, to share ideas about their ongoing efforts. “Our staffs are talking constantly, and we are indeed sharing lessons back and forth,” he said.

 

He compared AfriCom’s Africa Partnership Station initiative in the Gulf of Guinea, which provides maritime training to African volunteers, to a similar effort USNS Grasp is conducting in the Caribbean. “We are trying to do some very similar things, and it all goes back to partnership,” he said.

 

Both commands have adopted a command structure with two deputies reporting to the commander – one focused on military operations and one on civil-military activities. At AfriCom, Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates is the civilian deputy and Moeller is the military deputy. Their counterparts at SouthCom are Air Force Lt. Gen. Glenn F. Spears, military deputy to the commander, and Ambassador Paul A. Trivelli, civilian deputy to the commander and foreign policy advisor, who came on board earlier this week.

 

In addition, interagency staff members are spread throughout both commands, where they bring skills and expertise needed to elevate stability operations and prosperity-generating activities to the same level as security activities. The plan, Sparling said, is to increase interagency billets within the command by about 50 percent, to about 60.

 

While SouthCom and AfriCom are focused in the same direction, they’re approaching their reorganization and standup, respectively, in ways tailored to their unique circumstances.

 

“We have the same end state, but our paths to get there are very different,” Sparling said. “AfriCom was a top-down initiative that started with a presidential directive. Ours was a grassroots, bottom-up effort. It started down here, where we did some things internally, studied it, then ultimately, the commander took it forward.”

 

As a result, “AfriCom has an initiation challenge, and we have a transformation challenge,” Sparling said. “I won’t say that one is easier or harder than the other. They are just different.”

 

SouthCom approached its reorganization with a proven model of interagency cooperation in its Joint Interagency Task Force South in Key West, Fla. The task force, which has overseen air and maritime counterdrug missions in the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and eastern Pacific for almost two decades, has become a model of interagency success.

 

In addition to the Defense Department, the Coast Guard, Drug Enforcement Agency, Customs and Border Protection, Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Security Agency and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency bring their unique capabilities to the task force.

 

The task force’s success – exemplified by last year’s interdiction of more than 200 metric tons of cocaine – didn’t happen overnight and came through learning what worked and what didn’t, Sparling said.

 

“You need to have all these folks working together and cooperating. You have to build a coalition of the willing,” he explained. “And that’s the way they work today. It is truly remarkable.”

 

The task force has “without a doubt, been our model” for the SouthCom transformation, Sparling said.

 

To take that model commandwide, SouthCom started by breaking its mission down to three priorities: ensuring regional security, enhancing regional stability and enabling partnering.

 

“Our focus has broadened to maintaining security, building and increasing stability and setting the conditions for prosperity in the region,” Sparling said.

 

The next step was to replace the old J-coded staff structure – another constraint better suited to large troop movements than current operations in the region – and realign SouthCom into what Sparling called a “strategy-focused organization.”

 

The headquarters now operates with six directorates – three mission directorates in line with the command’s three long-term goals, and three functional directorates that support them.

 

The changeover to this new organizational structure began in February, with most of the internal shuffling of people finished by late May.

 

“We’re in the refinement phase right now, and will call our provisional reorganization complete by the end of the fiscal year,” Sparling said. “That’s an important milestone.”

 

While the reorganization provides a framework better suited to SouthCom’s operations, Sparling said, a true transformation ultimately boils down to the people involved. “Yes, we believe the new structures will better enable us to work together in new ways to address the security challenges we have,” he said.

 

But another benefit, he said, is that the reorganization forces people to rethink their individual roles in the overall organization.

 

The people at SouthCom have become key to the command’s transformation, Sparling said. He described the close interagency cooperation they are demonstrating, along with increased engagement with nongovernmental organizations, private-sector groups and others who share the same goals, as the “mass of the iceberg below the waterline” that will ensure the command’s long-term effectiveness.

 

Stavridis said he’ll leave it to others to determine if what works in SouthCom will work in other geographic commands.

 

“My job is to try to build an organization that is appropriate for the world to the south,” he said. “I think we have done that, and I think we will continue to work very hard doing that, and I’ll let others draw appropriate lessons.”

 

Meanwhile, he said, he’s impressed with the broad support the command has received from interagency partners, Congress and others who are watching and participating in the transformation. “It’s going very well,” he said. “We are working very hard to make sure we answer everyone’s questions and do everything within the boundaries of policy and law, and do it with full transparency.”

 

“The bottom line is that what we are doing here makes sense,” Sparling said. “We want to be a shaper of ideas, helping build partnerships between actors that don’t traditionally work together, all focused on a common purpose.

 

“Ultimately,” he said, “that’s what will give us the ability to develop security solutions that will be effective in our new contemporary operating environment.”

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U.S. Official Says NATO Benefits From Missile Agreement

0 | August 25th, 2008 | Posted in Military News

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

 

Aug. 25, 2008 - The agreement between the United States and Poland on ballistic missile defense is important for the relationship between the two countries and for the NATO alliance, a senior State Department official said today.  John C. Rood, acting undersecretary of state for arms control and international security — who helped to negotiate the agreement — talked with reporters at the State Department today.

 

The agreement, signed Aug. 20, will allow the United States to place 10 interceptor missiles in Poland to defend the European NATO allies from a missile strike from a rogue state like Iran. A radar site for the system will be built in the Czech Republic.

 

There are two pieces to the agreement, Rood said. “One is a ballistic missile defense agreement,” he said. “The second is a declaration on a strategic cooperation between the United States and Poland.”

 

The missile defense agreement is the culmination of a NATO initiative approved by alliance leaders at the alliance’s summit in Bucharest, Romania, in April. NATO leaders agreed that the missile threat from rogue regimes was growing, and that a system needed to be in place. The summit also called to expand this initial area by exploring options for a NATO-wide architecture for missile defense.

 

“This capability will be very important to our NATO allies, for their security, just as it’s very important for the United States and Poland,” Rood said.

 

NATO remains concerned about the missile threat. “As if on cue, the Iranians just in the last couple of weeks have launched a space launch vehicle, which again demonstrates additional capabilities and underscores the concerns we have about the growing missile threat from countries like Iran,” Rood said. “It’s not limited to Iran, I should hasten to add, but it’s certainly an additional matter.”

 

The agreement covers how the missile defense facility would be operated, Rood said. It also covers what the respective roles of the different parties would be, and their rights.

 

For example, he said, the United States has undertaken a commitment not to conduct flight tests of the ballistic defense interceptors that would be stationed there out of that site.

 

The agreement also covers other issues such as command and control, protection of the environment and base access.

 

The strategic cooperation declaration is the political agreement between the countries. In it, the two countries agreed to deepen and expand security relationships, Rood said. The agreement looks at ways to increase cooperation and establishes a framework to work together through establishing a high-level strategic cooperation consultative group.

 

“We also talked about the desire of the United States and Poland to pursue cooperation involving air and missile defense cooperation,” he said.

 

The agreement commits the United States to deploy an Army Patriot battery to Poland.

 

“We’ll begin those deployments once, of course, we reach the necessary agreements with the Poles, and that could begin next year,” Rood said. “And then we set the goal of establishing a garrison for the U.S. Army Patriot battery in Poland by the year 2012.”

 

Other aspects — such as information sharing, defense-industrial research and technology cooperation — also are discussed in the agreement.

 

“It’s a pretty broad coverage in terms of the subject matter in that document, and I think it’s befitting of the fact that this is going to be a … substantially changed relationship between the United States and Poland, in that you will have a much greater level of defense cooperation,” Rood said.

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Troops Capture 11 Terrorism Suspects in Iraq

0 | August 24th, 2008 | Posted in War on Terror

American Forces Press Service

 

Aug. 24, 2008 - Coalition forces caught 11 terrorism suspects while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq bombing and leadership networks across Iraq yesterday. In Beiji, south of Mosul, coalition forces captured four men suspected of planning attacks using poison. Forces nabbed a suspect in Sharqat, also south of Mosul, wanted for transporting weapons and explosives for al-Qaida in Iraq.

 

In Baghdad, forces caught three terrorism suspects. One allegedly is associated with al-Qaida in Iraq senior leaders involved with suicide bombings. In southern Baghdad, U.S. soldiers detained three suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members. Forces detained two of suspects in the Jazair community in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district, and another was caught in the Risalah community of Rashid.

 

In Aug. 22 operations:

 

– Coalition forces captured a suspected bombing cell leader and another terrorism suspect in Beiji. The cell is part of a bombing network in the Tigris River Valley, officials said. Forces recovered body armor and military-style equipment.

 

– Two suspects were detained in Mosul.

 

– U.S. soldiers seized two weapons caches north of Baghdad. At the first location, soldiers recovered six 120 mm mortars, a 107 mm rocket, three 85 mm rockets, eight 82 mm mortars, 12 70 mm rockets, a 57 mm projectile, nine 40 mm projectiles, 500 7.62 mm rounds and 12 AK-47 magazines. In another cache, soldiers recovered a land mine, two rocket-propelled grenades and 10 propane tanks.

 

– U.S. and Iraqi forces seized several weapons and two mortar rounds in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district. Forces recovered 38 AK-47 rifles, an SKS rifle, two pistols and a bandolier during a clearance operation. In separate mounted patrols, forces recovered two 60 mm mortar rounds in the Saha and Jihad communities.

 

On Aug. 21:

 

– Iraqi National Police seized a large cache of artillery rounds in the New Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad. Forces recovered a cache of 87 122 mm artillery rounds in the Jadida area in New Baghdad.

 

– U.S. forces caught a suspected leader of an Iranian-backed “special group” in eastern Baghdad. The suspect allegedly is involved in roadside-bomb attacks.

 

– U.S. soldiers detained two suspects and discovered a munitions cache in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district. The cache, found in an abandoned house, held 10 land mines and a tube of propellant.

 

– U.S. soldiers seized a large weapons cache in eastern Baghdad. Acting on a tip from a local resident, forces recovered six rocket-propelled grenades, three mortar rounds, five 120 mm artillery rounds, four propellants, a 155 mm mortar round, an 80 mm rocket, 100 PKC machine gun rounds, 100 7.62 machine gun rounds, 100 .50 caliber rounds, an RPG launcher and a pair of binoculars.

 

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

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Guard Partnership With Ambulance Service Yields Mutual Benefits

0 | August 22nd, 2008 | Posted in Military News

By Sara Moore

American Forces Press Service

 

Aug. 22, 2008 - The Regional Emergency Medical Service Authority, with headquarters in Reno, Nev., has a close relationship with the local National Guard air ambulance unit, so it’s no surprise that the company excels at supporting its employees who serve in the military. REMSA, a ground and air ambulance service with 300 employees, is one of 15 companies receiving the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award for outstanding support of its employees in the National Guard or Reserve.

 

Because REMSA and the air ambulance unit have similar functions, they often collaborate on training and share personnel, said Mike Williams, vice president of REMSA. “They recruit our people; we recruit their people,” he said.

 

REMSA has six employees who are deploying to Afghanistan in September with the National Guard, and several other employees in the Air Force Reserve, Williams said. On a day-to-day basis, the company works with the National Guard unit on training schedules and trains with the Guardsmen. REMSA has put on classes for members of the National Guard unit, and the National Guard has loaned the company helicopters for training, he said.

 

REMSA also works closely with the Air Force Reserve medical unit in Reno, as the commander of the unit is a REMSA employee, Williams said. REMSA lets the Air Force Reserve members use their facilities for all their weekend training, he said.

 

When an employee is deployed, REMSA steps up its support for the employee and his family, Williams said. The company pays a salary differential to make up the difference between active-duty pay and the employee’s regular salary, and continues the entire benefits package, including life insurance, health coverage and use of a staff psychologist.

 

Williams noted that the continuation of health coverage for families is especially important, since there isn’t a nearby military installation for the families to go to for medical care.

 

Williams served 20 years in the Air Force, both active duty and reserve, and was deployed to the Middle East for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, so he is drawing on his own experiences to help his employees. He has enlisted a number of REMSA employees to send daily e-mails to deployed employees, keeping them abreast of the happenings in the company. The company also includes the families of deployed employees in all functions, such as picnics and Christmas parties, and is working on getting life-sized posters of the deployed employees to display at the events, he said.

 

Efforts like these are important because they keep the employees involved in the organization and remind them of the “real world” back home, Williams said. “We want them to know that even though they’re gone, they’re still a member of the organization, and will be when they get back,” he said.

 

“When you’re deployed overseas, you want to know there is a real world back home, and you stay grounded in the insanity that you’re doing by remembering that there’s a reason behind it, and it’s your family and your coworkers and your friends and everybody else,” he continued. “So it’s important we do the e-mail; it keeps them connected with that real world.”

 

To help prepare the families of the six employees who are set to deploy, Williams is organizing a barbecue at his house so he and his wife can talk to them about their experiences, he said.

 

Having employees with military experience is a great benefit to REMSA, Williams said. In addition to its National Guard and Reserve personnel, REMSA actively recruits medics coming off of active duty and pays for their civilian training and credentialing.

 

“They’re good, experienced candidates that usually fit well into the training scheme,” he said. “They come with a great set of work ethics that kind of sets an example for others to follow.”

 

Williams said that he and the rest of the REMSA leadership were surprised and excited to hear about the Freedom Award. They never really felt like they deserved recognition for their efforts, he said. “This is what we do anyway,” he said of the company’s support activities. “It’s just kind of what we do, and we didn’t realize that not everybody did that.”

 

REMSA will receive the Freedom Award along with 14 other companies in a ceremony Sept. 18 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center here. The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.

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CBR Weapons and WMD Terrorism News- August 22, 2008

0 | August 22nd, 2008 | Posted in War on Terror

North Carolina wants out, but [San Antonio] still pushing for bio-defense lab

“[…] while elected officials in North Carolina recently notified federal officials of their opposition to having the facility built in Butner (one of the finalist sites) due to unanswered environmental concerns, Texas political officials continue to push hard for their entry — a Texas Research Park site located just west of San Antonio. Local leaders contend that the Alamo City, which already is home to a high-risk bio lab, has the expertise and experience to safely support the proposed DHS facility.”

(San Antonio Business Journal; 22Aug08; W. Scott Bailey and Catherine

Dominguez)

http://washington.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/stories/2008/08/25/story1.html

 

Universal Detection Technology [UDT] Comments on Reports of ‘White Powder’ Scare at McCain’s Denver Headquarters [Manchester, New Hampshire]

“John McCain’s headquarters in suburban Denver were evacuated on Thursday after a worker opened a threatening letter and discovered white powder inside. A McCain spokesman told the Associated Press that a similar letter was sent to a McCain office in Manchester, N.H. He did not know if it also contained a powder. Linda Watson, a spokeswoman for Sky Ridge Medical Center in suburban Centennial, Co., said four workers from the office drove themselves to the hospital. She said they underwent decontamination procedures, but showed no signs or symptoms of exposure to a toxic substance.” (Market Watch; 22Aug08; UDT) http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/universal-detection-Technology -comments-reports/story.aspx?guid=%7BBFBE8C5F-924D-490D-B883-69F51D3855FC%7D&dist=hppr

 

New hazardous materials notification in place [Granite City, Illinois]

“The Emergency Management Agency has added new software to relay information about incidents to the 40-member Hazardous Response Team scattered across Madison County. Agency Coordinator Larry Ringering said the new system allows the county to send specifics in e-mail messages and cell phones to members, who then respond whether they can head to the scene. That real-time response feature, Ringering said, allows the county to figure out how many team members are en route to a scene.” (Granite City Press Record; 22Aug08; Chris Coates) http://granitecitypress-record.stltoday.com/articles/2008/08/22/news/sj2tn20080822-0820cvj-hazmat0000.ii1.txt

 

Colorado State: Animal Diseases and Traceability

“One possible way to combat spread of contagious diseases is through animal traceability. Ability to rapidly identify locations where an animal has been affects the ability to isolate, trace, and arrest spread of the disease. Animal traceability systems are rapidly developing throughout the world, and the U.S. is behind many other countries in this development. Efforts to develop animal ID systems in the U.S. were launched prior to the initial BSE [bovine spongiform encephalopathy] discovery, but they gained considerable momentum afterwards. […] The objective of this study was to determine the economic implications of improvements in animal ID systems on a hypothetical FMD [Foot & Mouth Disorder] outbreak in southwest Kansas. Specifically, a disease spread model was used to determine the probable spread of a hypothetical FMD outbreak. Results from the disease spread model were integrated into an economic framework to determine the economic impacts. […] In general, as traceability levels were increased, consumer and producer losses associated with a FMD outbreak become smaller.” (Cattle Network; 22Aug08; Dustin Pendell, Colorado State University)

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/Content.asp?ContentID=246957

 

U.S. Military Suspending Activities at Labs

“The U.S. Military has suspended some activities at bio-research labs following the suicide of a Fort Detrick scientist. Officials say the measure is part of an effort to review safety rules for handling some of the world’s most deadly germs and toxins. Investigators say doctor Bruce Ivins worked with anthrax during his employment at Fort Detrick.” (Your 4 State; 22Aug08; Angelique Gonzalez)

http://your4state.com/content/fulltext/?cid=27101

 

Critics say monitors sniffing Denver air don’t make us safe

“Every night and day, monitors placed on rooftops across Denver are sniffing the air for biological weapons, including anthrax, the plague and smallpox. […] The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will not say how many monitors have been placed in Denver or where they are located. Filters are collected at least once a day from the monitors and the samples are analyzed at the state lab in Lowry. The samples are tested for six dangerous pathogens that could pose a health threat if aerosolized and released to the environment. […]Denver is one of 30 cities participating in the pilot program since it began in 2003. […] The BioWatch program was largely criticized this summer by some of the participating states and in a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Among other things, critics say it takes too long, up to 36 hours, for labs to get test results. In an actual bio-attack, that would be too late for some people.” (9 News Colorado; 22Aug08; Deborah Sherman)

http://www.9news.com/seenon9news/article.aspx?storyid=98120&catid=509

 

FDA Unleashes Mass Irradiation of Spinach, Lettuce and Other Vegetables

“The FDA has announced that beginning today, spinach and lettuce sold across the United States may now be secretly irradiated before it reaches grocery store shelves. What’s ‘secret’ about it? The FDA previously decided that irradiation warning stickers would not be required on any food items because it would be ‘too confusing to consumers.’ […] Radiation, of course, destroys delicate phytochemicals in plants — the very phytochemicals protecting consumers against cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol, inflammation and other diseases. Microwaving broccoli, for example, destroys up to 98% of its anti-cancer nutrients.” (Natural News; 22Aug08; Mike Adams) http://www.naturalnews.com/023945.html

 

Rapid Test for Pathogens Developed By K-State [Kansas] Researchers Could Be Used to Detect Diseases Used By Bioterrorists

“Traditionally, it takes days and multiple lab workers to screen a sample of soil, water or feces for just one pathogen. Additional time is then needed to look for resistance to antibiotics. The new test developed at K-State simultaneously looks for multiple diseases and antibiotic resistance, reducing the time it takes from sampling to diagnosis to about

24 hours. […] So far they can detect as many as 557 genes, making it possible for them to screen for 40 different species of bacteria, 1,200 serotypes of Salmonella, five common serotypes of E. coli, and resistance to the 45 most common antibiotics used to treat human and animal illnesses caused by these pathogens.” (eMedia World; 21Aug08; Kansas State University)

http://www.emediaworld.com/press_release/release_detail.php?id=141296

 

Army research on invisibility not science fiction

“Dr. Richard Hammond, a theoretical physicist who works in Optical Physics and Imaging Science at the U.S. Army’s Research Office, participated in a blogger’s roundtable to discuss the developments in the field of negative index materials research and meta materials. Developing research in these areas is making light reflect in ways it never has before - with extraordinary effect. […] ‘If you’re out on the battlefield and you see a cloud coming, or you suspect there might be an aerosol chemical or biological warfare being used against you, it’s very difficult to quickly detect what the material is,’ said Hammond. With the new meta materials being developed, however, the ability exists to see things smaller than the wavelength of light - something that has never been done before, according to Hammond. Utilizing meta materials in the creation of a new lens may allow Soldiers to be able to see pathogens and viruses that are currently impossible to detect with any visual device.” (US Army News; 21Aug08; Lindy Kyzer) http://www.army.mil/-news/2008/08/21/11813-army-research-on-invisibility-not-science-fiction/

 

Chilling E-Mail Details ‘Dangerous’ Triple Murder Case [Riverside County, California] “The Riverside County Sheriff’s department is looking into possible connections between a triple murder in 1981 and murder-suicide in 2005 that claimed six lives. […] Three people were murdered execution style in a Rancho Mirage home on July 1st, 1981. There were never any arrests. The victims included Cabazon Indian Vice Chairman Fred Alvarez. Family members say he was going to blow the whistle on a business partnership between defense contractor Wackenhut Services and the Cabazon Indians to build machine guns and biological weapons for Central American countries.”

(KESQ; 20Aug08; Nathan Baca)

http://www.kesq.com/Global/story.asp?S=8874668&nav=9qs0GRhY

 

India getting ready to face biological war from terrorists

“India Friday released its biological disaster management guidelines with a focus on preparing for biological warfare from terrorists using bacteria and viruses. The guidelines also emphasise developing a medical network to handle critical situations. […] The guidelines also speak of establishing an early warning system and coordination between public health medical care and intelligence agencies to prevent bio-terrorism. NDMA Vice-chairman N.C. Vij, a retired Army chief, said besides bio-terrorism, the guidelines also focus on several problems like bird flu, plague and other such pandemics.” (Bombay News; 22Aug08)

http://www.bombaynews.net/story/397738

 

McConnell and Chandler visit Army Depot

“The destruction of the chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot has loomed over the heads of Sen. Mitch McConnell and Congressman Ben Chandler since both men entered office. Now well into their political careers, the Kentucky lawmakers said Thursday they are pleased with the progress of the construction of a facility that will destroy the chemical weapons. McConnell, R-Ky., and Chandler, D-Ky., who last year successfully pushed for a 2017 deadline of the weapons disposal, addressed the public after a tour of the depot’s Blue Grass Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant.”

(Lexington Herald-Leader; 22Aug08; Ashlee Clark) http://www.kentucky.com/211/story/497763.html

 

Army reports small sodium hydroxide spills on depot roadway [Umatilla Chemical Depot, Oregon]

“A tanker truck delivering sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to the Umatilla Chemical Agent Disposal Facility (UMCDF) accidentally spilled a small amount of the caustic solution on a paved depot roadway. Sodium hydroxide or ‘lye’ is a common industrial chemical used in soap, laundering, and oven and drain cleaners. At the UMCDF, it’s used to neutralize acid gases in the UMCDF Pollution Abatement System (PAS) and to decontaminate demilitarization machines. Depot personnel trained in dealing with hazardous materials spills responded promptly. They remediated two small spills, each about two feet in diameter and less than a gallon each.” (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 21Aug08; Bruce Hendrickson)

http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003678681

 

Depot detects trace of mustard chemical agent vapor during routine storage area monitoring [Umatilla Chemical Depot, Oregon]

“A depot chemical operations monitoring crew detected trace amounts of HD mustard chemical agent vapor today inside a depot storage structure that houses bulk containers. The trace of mustard chemical agent vapor was detected during routine monitoring. The vapor is likely due to a leaking bulk container or ‘ton container.’ There is no danger to the public or environment. The storage structure, commonly called an ‘igloo,’ has a passive filtration system that prevents chemical agent vapor from escaping outside the structure.” (U.S. Army Chemical Materials Agency; 21Aug08)

http://www.cma.army.mil/fndocumentviewer.aspx?docid=003678683

 

VIASPACE Subsidiary’s $750,000 Army Contract for Robotic Detection of Chemical Warfare Agents and Explosives Featured in Defense News

“VIASPACE Inc. […] subsidiary Ionfinity has been awarded a $750,000 Phase II contract for its proposal entitled ‘Advanced Robotic Detection of Chemical Agents, Toxic Industrial Gases, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IED)s for Force Health Protection’ submitted to the Army Small Business Technology  Transfer (STTR) Program. […] Ionfinity’s goal is to complete the process — sampling, ionizing, analyzing — in about six seconds. Ionfinity expects to have completed field demonstrations and be ready to begin production in about two years.” (Your Defense News; 21Aug08;

PRnewswire)

http://www.yourdefencenews.com/news_item.php?newsID=9236

 

Residents demand execution of Chemical Ali

“Residents in northern Sulaimaniya province sent a letter to the Iraqi government calling for the execution of ‘Chemical Ali’ and others for war crimes. […]Residents also called on the Iraqi government to compensate family members of the Anfal victims. Iraqi authorities in February said Majid would hang ‘in a matter of days.’ He allegedly suffered a heart attack in April due to a hunger strike and was returned to a U.S.

detention facility.” (Middle East Times; 22Aug08; United Press

International)

http://www.metimes.com/Security/2008/08/21/residents_demand_execution_of_chemical_ali/ffbd/

 

British court backs claim by Guantanamo detainee

“A British court yesterday said that a terror suspect being held at Guantanamo Bay had a credible argument that the United States had illegally spirited him away to Morocco and that he was tortured there. […] Because the American government would not turn over the information, the British government had an obligation to turn over potentially exculpatory material in its files, the court ruled. […] Mohamed, 30, a British resident before his arrest, told British intelligent agents in April 2002, that he had seen instructions on a website on how to make a bomb. ‘Part of the instructions included adding bleach to uranium 238 in a bucket and rotating it around one’s head for 45 minutes,’ Mohamed told the agents, according to the court’s judgment. Mohamed said he had concluded that the instructions were a ‘joke.’ […] Mohamed faces a trial by an American Military commission on several charges of conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, including the detonation of a ‘dirty bomb.’” (Boston Globe; 22Aug08; Raymond Bonner, NYT) http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/08/22/british_court_backs_claim_by_guantanamo_detainee/

 

Press ‘one’ for nuclear attack

“According to China Radio International the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing has opened a 24 hour hotline ‘providing advice and technical support in the event of attacks by nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.’” (Shanghai ist; 23Aug08) http://shanghaiist.com/2008/08/23/press_one_for_nuclear_attack.php

 

Proposed FBI guidelines allow investigation sans suspicion

“Attorney General Michael Mukasey has agreed to postpone implementation of new FBI guidelines, after four Democratic senators raised concerns in a letter Wednesday about proposed changes that they say could permit the FBI to launch investigations of American citizens without any individualized basis for suspicion. The letter, signed by Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), concerned a draft of the Attorney General’s Guidelines governing criminal and intelligence inquiries by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The draft itself has not been made public, though The New York Times reports that the guidelines could be released next month.” (Ars Technica; 22Aug08; Julian Sanchez) http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080822-proposed-fbi-guidelines-allow-investigation-sans-suspicion.html

 

Gains with Russia feared as casualty

“Washington officials shouldn’t let anger over Russia’s occupation of Georgia spoil nearly a generation of cooperation on programs to destroy Cold War-era stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons scattered across Russia and its former republics, experts cautioned. ‘The temptation has certainly been in the past – especially from Congress – to lash out at these kind of cooperative programs under the mistaken perception that these are favors to Russia,’ said Laura Holgate, senior vice president for Russia-new independent states programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. The main program was created by Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and then-Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., 16 years ago and has deactivated, destroyed or locked up thousands of warheads and hundreds of bombers, vials of anthrax and other germs that can be used in warfare, and facilities that made chemical weapons.” (Jouranl Gazette; 21Aug08; Sylvia A. Smith) http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080821/NEWS03/808210429/1002/LOCAL

 

CNS ChemBio-WMD terrorism News is prepared by the Chemical and Biological Weapons Nonproliferation Program of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in order to bring timely and focused information to researchers and policymakers interested in the fields of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons nonproliferation and WMD terrorism.

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Russia Should Return U.S. Humvees, Pentagon Spokesman Says

0 | August 21st, 2008 | Posted in Military News

By John J. Kruzel

American Forces Press Service

 

Aug. 21, 2008 - A group of American Humvees seized by Russian forces in Georgia this week should be returned immediately, a Defense Department official said today.

“We’ve certainly expressed our position over the fact that these Humvees are U.S. property and should be returned. It’s that simple,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said.

 

In the Georgian port town of Poti on Aug. 19, Russian forces, which entered Georgia Aug. 8, reportedly commandeered American Humvees that were awaiting shipment back to the United States after taking part in earlier U.S.-Georgian military exercises.

 

“We don’t have any assurance at this point that they’re prepared to do the right thing and return them,” Whitman said of Russia’s forces. He declined to specify the exact number of American vehicles in Russia’s possession, calling it “a handful.”

 

In Georgia meanwhile, Russian forces remain in the former Soviet republic in defiance of pledges by Moscow to draw down troops this week.

 

“There has not been much evidence of any significant Russian withdrawals,” Whitman said, adding that only “minimal movements” have occurred to date.

 

As NATO and international community members ratchet up pressure on Russia to remove its forces, the United States has continued providing humanitarian aid to war-torn Georgia.

 

The U.S. military has commenced its maritime humanitarian assistance operation, Whitman said. Two Navy vessels and a Coast Guard cutter could begin providing relief supplies and equipment in several days, he added.

 

The U.S. government has spent $10.7 million in humanitarian assistance to date, $4.7 million of which has consisted of Defense Department-led airlifts and emergency supplies, Whitman said.

 

U.S. military C-130 Hercules aircraft continue delivering twice-daily shipments, along with a shipment a day by a C-17 Globemaster III transport jet. Georgia has received 320 tons of humanitarian aid in the deliveries.

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MILITARY CONTRACTS August 21, 2008

0 | August 21st, 2008 | Posted in Military News

Air Force

 

The Air Force is modifying an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity, cost plus award fee and cost reimbursement contract by exercising and option with Jacobs Technology Incorporated, of Tullahoma, Tenn., for a maximum of $92,827,671. This action provides for technical, engineering and acquisition support at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and various other tenant organizations. AAC/PKES, Eglin AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA9200-07-C-0006, P00014).

 

Navy

 

General Dynamics Information Technology, Fairfax, Va., is being awarded a $33,604,027 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-07-D-0024) to exercise an option for information Technology/information management department support services. This modification provides for a wide range of services and products, including information engineering; business process improvement relative to automation; analytical and technical support for Enterprise Resource Planning; consultation; hardware and software evaluation and selection; systems analysis; systems and applications sustainment, including configuration and maintenance of web sites and servers; integration of systems and applications; database administration; production support; information assurance; network support; firewall support; and imaging services. Work will be performed in Patuxent River, Md., and is expected to be completed in Sept. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

 

Base-X, Fairfield, Va., is being awarded a $17,573,144 firm-fixed-price delivery order against Federal Supply Schedule Contract GS-07F-0173J for Ultra Light Camouflage Net System (ULCANS) in both Desert Marpat and Woodland patterns. ULCANS will aid in the concealment of Military ground equipments when tactically deployed. It will also provide visual, electro-optical, radar, and infrared signature reduction characteristics. It is a Type IV system for general purpose radar scattering concealment and Type III system for general purpose radar transparency. Work will be performed in Fairfield, Va., and delivery is expected to be complete in April 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $17,573,144 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract is awarded as a result of a full and open competitive unrestrictive solicitation. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity (M67854-08-F-3045).

 

Canadian Commercial Corp., General Dynamics Land Systems - Canada, London, Ontario, is being awarded a $17,538,140 firm-fixed-priced modification to delivery order #004 under a previously awarded contract (M67854-07-D-5028) for the purchase of Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) upgrades and associated Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) costs. Work will be performed in Durban, South Africa, (57 percent), and Anniston, Ala., (43 percent), and word is expected to be completed Apr. 2009.   Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Va., is the contracting activity. 

 

Northrop Grumman Ship Systems (a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp.), Pascagoula, Miss., is being awarded a $10,784,358 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-2302) for accomplishment of the follow yard class services for the DDG 51 Class AEGIS Destroyer Program and will provide expert design, planning, and material support services for both DDG 51 ship construction and modernization.  Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Miss., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 2009.   Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.   The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

 

RQ Construction, Carlsbad, Calif., is being awarded $9,780,398 for task order #0007 under a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract (N68711-03-D-7057) to exercise option item #003 for P-135 upgrade magnetic silencing facility at Naval Base Point Loma. The work to be performed provides for the design and installation of the magnetometers and cables to utilize underwater mate-able connectors; and the replacement of magnetometer tubes and cabling. After exercise of this option, the total cumulative task order amount will be $18,237,165. Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by Oct. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Two proposals were received for the task order. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.

 

Universal Propulsion Co., Fairfield, Calif., is being awarded an $8,562,248 firm-fixed-price contract for digital recovery sequencers in support of the Cartridge Actuated Device/Propellant Actuated Device (CAD/PAD) Joint Program Office, NSWC-Indian Head Division. This contract combines purchases for the U.S. Air Force, (43 percent) and the countries of Turkey, (11 percent); Egypt, (8 percent); Republic of Serbia, (8 percent); Korea, (6 percent); United Arab Emirates, (5 percent); Norway, (4 percent); Pakistan, (3 percent); Belgium, (2 percent); Denmark, (2 percent); Bahrain, (1 percent); Chile, (1 percent); Greece, (1 percent); Indonesia, (1 percent); Italy, (1 percent); Oman, (1 percent); Netherlands, (1 percent); and Taiwan, (1 percent) under the Foreign Military Sales Program.   Work will be performed at Fairfield, Calif., and work is expected to be completed by Apr. 2010. The contract funds will not expire before the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was not awarded competitively. The Naval Inventory Control Point is the contracting activity (N00104-08-C-K109). 

 

Pole Zero Corp.*, West Chester, Ohio, is being awarded an $8,121,920 modification to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract (N00421-06-D-0036) to exercise an option for the procurement of Co-Site UHF SATCOM filters and interface adapters in support of the Remote Radio Secure Voice System Program. Work will be performed in West Chester, Ohio, and is expected to be completed in Aug. 2009. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, St. Inigoes, Md., is the contracting activity.

 

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

 

Engineered Fabrics Corp., Rockmart, Ga.*, is being awarded a maximum $41,526,797 firm fixed price, requirements type contract for delivery of aircraft fuel cells.  There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Air Force. There was one proposal originally solicited with 1 response.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The date of performance completion is Aug. 31, 2013.  The contracting activity is Defense Supply Center Richmond, Richmond, Va., (FA8103-08-D-0036-UN01).

 

Patriot Petroleum, Inc., Newburyport, Mass.**, is being awarded a maximum $7,870,722 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for intermediate fuel oil.  Other location of performance is Jacksonville, Fla.  Using services are Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Federal Civilian Agencies.  There were 55 proposals originally solicited with 18 responses.  Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The date of performance completion is Apr. 30, 2011.  The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va., (SP0600-08-D-0363).

 

National Fuel, Inc., Kabul, Afghanistan is being awarded a maximum $7,425,732 fixed price with economic price adjustment contract for diesel and gasoline fuels. Other location of performance is U.S. Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan. Using service is federal civilian agencies. This proposal was originally Web solicited with 10 responses. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The date of performance completion is September 30, 2010. The contracting activity is Defense Energy Support Center (DESC), Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-08-D-1021).

 

Space Computer Corporation of Los Angeles, Calif., is being awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract for a maximum of $17 million. The Spectral Processing for Real-Time Improved Target Detection and Exploitation program is for the development, test and demonstration of algorithms and processing applicable and common to multiple systems from several sponsoring agencies (such as NASIC, 659th AESS and DIA). The contractor shall accomplish real-time target detection and cueing using data collected by hyperspectral remote sensors such as SPIRITT, HyCas, ACES Hy and other hyperspectral sensor systems. AFRL/PKSE, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8650-08-D-1374 and Task Order 0001).

 

The Air Force is modifying a firm fixed price, cost reimbursable, cost plus fixed fee, and fixed price incentive fee contract with BAE Systems Technical Services of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., for and estimated $7,557,147. The action is exercising an option. The Instrumentation Radar Support Program (IRSP) provides serviceable radar components and subsystems and technical field support for instrumentation radar of the C and X band families located on 25 ranges in the United States and in five foreign countries (United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Germany, and Australia). The contractor augments the maintenance capabilities of using agencies with one-of-a-kind parts and supplies, on-site overhauls and emergency technical support. 45 CONS/LGCZR, Patrick AFB, Fla., is the contracting activity (FA2521-07-C-0009, P00068).

 

UNITED STATES TRANSPORTATION COMMAND

 

Air Greenland A/S of Nuuk Greenland 3900, is being awarded a $30,493,650 fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract for airlift services to transport passengers and cargo between Copenhagen, Denmark and Thule AB, Greenland. The contract is expected to be completed Sept. 2013. Orders placed against this contract will be funded at the time of award. This contract was a competitive acquisition with two bids received. The contracting activity is United States Transportation Command, Directorate of Acquisition, Scott Air Force Base, IL 62225, (HTC711-08-D-0022).

 

Army

 

GeneraL Dynamics Land Systems, Inc., Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Aug. 20, 2008, a $12,657,975 cost plus fixed fee contract for system technical support for the Abrams Tank Program to include engineering in support of production, unique identification, Crew Vehicle Receiver Jammer (CVRJ) & Tank Urban Survivability Kit Weilding Support. Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2011. One bid was solicited and one bid received. The Tank and Automotive Command (TACOM), Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-C-0046).

 

SOS International LTD, Reston, Va., was awarded on Aug. 20, 2008, a $10,484,357 firm fixed price contract for linguist/interpretor services for European theater to include eastern and western Europe, Africa and Russia. U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) Area of Responsibility (AOR). Estimated completion date is Aug. 31, 2012. 15 bids were solicited with four received. The U.S. Army Europe, Wiesbaden Contracting Center, Wiesbaden, Germany, is the contracting activity (W912CM-08-D-0018).

 

AM GENERAL, LLC, South Bend, Ind., was awarded on Aug. 19, 2008, a $89,232,795 firm fixed price contract to add 585 each High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV). Work is to be performed in Mishawaka, Ind., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. One bid was solicited with one bid received. The Tank and Automotive Command, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (DAAE07-01-C-S001).

 

  DRS Sensors & Targeting Systems, Optronics Division, Palm Bay, Fla., was awarded on Aug. 7, 2008, a $17,512,077 firm fixed price contract for definitization of an unusual and compelling urgency for 7,991 Driver’s Vision Enhancer (DVE) B-Kits (sensor assembly, display control module, and cabling) and associated spares for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) Program.  Work is to be performed in Melbourne, Fla., with an estimated completion date of Aug. 29, 2008. Bids were solicited via the Web with three bids received. CECOM Acquisition Center, Fort Monmouth, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-04-C-J202).

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Laughs in Law Enforcement

0 | August 21st, 2008 | Posted in Police News

On August 22, 2008, Conversations with Cops at the Watering Hole will feature a conversation with two former Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies, Harry Penny and Claude Anderson, who have revealed the humorous side of law enforcement through writing and cartoons.

 

Program Date: August 22, 2008

Program Time: 2100 hours, Pacific

Topic: Laughs in Law Enforcement

Listen Live:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/LawEnforcement/2008/08/23/Laughs-in-Law-Enforcement

 

About the Guests

Harry D. Penny, Jr. has over twenty years of law enforcement experience.  Harry Penny has been a police officer for the Buena Park Police Department and a deputy sheriff with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.  During his ten year career with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department he worked jail division, technical services division and spent five years in patrol as a field training officer.

 

Harry D. Penny has also been a Special Deputy in the US Marshal Service, working in Court Security; and, a reserve police officer for the Chula Vista Police Department as well as the Barstow Police Department.  In addition to his domestic law enforcement service, Harry Penny