ARMY GEN. AUSTON SAYS DECISIONS IN MIDDLE EAST HAVE GLOBAL IMPACT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Centcom Chief: Middle East Decisions Will Have Wide Impact

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2013 - Decisions made today regarding the Middle East will have far-reaching impact on future security, not only in the immediate region, but also around the world, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today.

Speaking here at the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations' annual policy-makers conference, Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III emphasized the shared responsibilities in the region.

"Each of us has an undeniable stake and a clear role to play in the universal pursuit of improved stability and sovereignty and greater prosperity and security," he told the forum.

Conceding the "incredibly dynamic and volatile, and often chaotic" nature of the region, Austin said that "when things go badly there, it has a clear and considerable impact."

"The past has shown that when the region experiences any degree of strife and bloodshed or increased instability, every country there and others around the globe feel the effects," he said.
"And of course, security and stability in the Middle East and in South and Central Asia are important to us and to our partners because of the potential impact on our vital interests."

Those interests include the free flow of resources through key shipping lanes, the defense of the U.S. homeland against the threat of terrorism and extremism, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, he said.

Austin said he's particularly concerned about the spread of ethno-sectarian violence throughout the region, as well as the growing threat posed by radical Islamists and other extremist groups. "If these activities spark further aggression or if the events become linked, it could lead to a regionwide crisis lasting a decade or more," he warned.

These challenges are exacerbated by the availability of ungoverned spaces and other adverse conditions that contribute to increased unrest and malign activities, he said.

"And so, as leaders, we must study and understand the unique dynamics at play, along with the trends or currents that connect the various events and crises together," he said. "Without this knowledge and appreciation of history, we can't hope to effectively influence outcomes or bring about a peaceful end to conflicts and situations as they arise."

Since assuming command of Centcom in March, Austin said, he has focused on managing current conflicts, preventing confrontations from escalating and ultimately, promoting conditions that lead to a lasting security and stability.

Doing so depends largely on the might and preparedness of the U.S. military, working in concert with other elements of U.S. power and influence, he said. "Our civilian leadership stands ready to employ all these instruments of power in order to secure our vital interests across the Middle East and beyond," he added.

Meanwhile, Austin emphasized ongoing efforts to promote partner capacity, largely through joint training exercises, education, foreign military sales and financing programs. The continued U.S. presence in the region and through the strong regional relationships established and strengthened through it is particularly important to this effort, he said.

While focusing on the future, Austin said, decisions made and actions taken today will have a long-term effect. He identified three major challenges now facing the region: the conflict in Afghanistan, the civil war in Syria and activities by Iran.

"The fact is that together we have accomplished a great deal in Afghanistan," he said. "We have improved the conditions there, and we have given the Afghan people a real chance and hope for a better life.

"That said, there is still more work to be done," he acknowledged, emphasizing U.S. interest in an enduring relationship with Afghanistan and a security agreement that provides a continued U.S. presence there. "We want to do all we can to help preserve the hard-earned gains achieved over the years by the Afghans and by the U.S. and coalition forces," he said.

"Afghanistan has the potential to thrive and prosper," he said, encouraging Afghan leaders to make the decisions needed to ensure the opportunity afforded them isn't squandered.

Austin called the civil war in Syria one of the most complex and challenging he has seen in his 38 years of military service. The conflict, driven by sectarian issues rather than ideology, is further complicated by the presence of chemical weapons and the proxy activity by Iran and other nation states, he said.

He expressed concern about extremist activity within Syria that threatens to spill beyond its borders and negatively affect the broader region.

Austin said he's hopeful Syria will make good on its pledge to eliminate its chemical weapons, but emphasized that the military option remains on the table if it doesn't. "We remain postured and ready to take action if called upon in the event that the regime does not fulfill its obligations during the agreed-upon timeframe," he said.

Ultimately, the civil war in Syria won't be resolved militarily, and will require a diplomatic or political solution, Austin said.

Warning that the situation could grow into a long, drawn-out conflict that extends across the region, he said, "all of us have a vested interest in seeing a stable and secure Syria achieved."

Meanwhile, Austin also expressed hope that a diplomatic solution can be reached regarding Iran's nuclear program.

President Barack Obama has been clear that the United States will not tolerate Iran's development or use of nuclear weapons, Austin told the forum. "All options required to enforce this policy remain on the table, to include the military option," he said. "And we at U.S. Central Command stand ready to support any and all policy decisions made by our president and our civilian leadership."

But Austin said other malign and destabilizing activity by Iran remains a concern not only by the United States, but also by its partners in the region.

"As I have told our partners in the region, with or without a nuclear threat, the United States has been and will remain a force for stability in the Middle East," Austin said. Although hopeful that Iran will change its current course, he added, "we, like our friends and allies, will always listen to what Iran says while paying even greater attention to its actions."

Meanwhile, he said, the United States and its partners will continue to stand ready to respond in the event that Iran poses a threat to the security of their people and their interests.

How the international community responds to these and other challenges in the Middle East will have long-term historical impact, Austin said.

"These are important and historic times," he said. "The challenges before us are undoubtedly great, and the consequences of failure are significant and lasting."

Recognizing that some people believe it's time to disengage from the Middle East to focus elsewhere, Austin said that likely never will be a viable option.

"We must and we will remain present and engaged," he said. "The Middle East is extremely important, because ... what occurs there, good and bad, has shown to have an indelible impact on the global economy and security and stability in other parts of the world, to include here in the U.S."

CENTCOM AND U.S. SECURITY

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Austin: Centcom Remains Central to U.S. Security Interests
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2013 - Think of the U.S. Central Command, and many Americans' thoughts go immediately to Afghanistan, unrest in Egypt and in recent weeks, the humanitarian tragedy in Syria.

But Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, who assumed command in March, said what happens in the 20-nation Centcom area of responsibility will remain at the forefront of U.S. national security interests long after the Afghanistan transition is completed and crises dominating today's headlines are resolved.

"The Centcom area of responsibility is one of the most complex and volatile regions of the world," the general told American Forces Press Service in an email interview.

"It's also one of the most important," he said, "because we have a number of vital interests there, to include the free flow of resources through key shipping lanes -- most notably the Strait of Hormuz -- defense of our homeland against the threat of terrorism and extremism, and the prevention of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

Austin has spent much of his career dealing with these challenges, both in the theater and at the Centcom headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.

In 2003, Austin helped to lead the invasion into Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom as the assistant division commander for maneuver for the 3rd Infantry Division. Next, he commanded the 10th Mountain Division and Combined Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan. Then, from 2005 to 2006, he served as the chief of staff at Centcom headquarters, before returning to Iraq in 2008, where he served as the commander of Multinational Force Iraq.

During Austin's third and final deployment to Iraq, beginning in 2010, he served as the commander of U.S. Forces Iraq, overseeing the drawdown and transition of forces and equipment and the eventual conclusion of the conflict in December of 2011.

If there's a central lesson that's been reinforced through these experiences, Austin said, it's that what happens in the Centcom area of responsibility matters to the United States and its interests.

"That is why it's so critical that we remain present and engaged, because we recognize that any kind of instability in that part of the world can have significant impacts on not only the region, but also our economy, the world's economy and the safety and security of our people and interests," Austin said.

This reality has shaped Austin's priorities for the command, and efforts that he said are evenly focused on three principal objectives: "Engage, Prevent, Shape."

That, he explained, means engaging regionally to deal with ongoing conflicts -- in Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and, more broadly, the war on terror. It means preventing confrontations ---- between Sunnis and Shiias, Arabs and Israelis, Pakistan and India -- from escalating into conflicts. And it requires dealing with potentially destabilizing situations, such as the Arab Awakening and the perception that the United States is withdrawing from the region.

By necessity, much of the attention is focused on the near-term crises in the Centcom area of responsibility, which include the conflict in Afghanistan, the civil war in Syria, heightened tensions with Iran and the global war on terrorism and extremism, he noted.

"Our goal is to address the near-term challenges and to return things to the way they were pre-crisis, and we also want to do what we can to prevent further conflict," Austin said. "Meanwhile, we want to help shape outcomes for the future and move things toward greater security and stability in the region.

"This is accomplished in a number of ways," he continued. "Certainly, among them are our continuing efforts to strengthen our regional partnerships and build partner capacity in that most important part of the world."

Austin said he recognizes that the many significant challenges confronting Centcom require no less than a total team effort.

"Success will be measured in the accrual of contributions made by many individuals over time. And, in fact, we may not see the fruits of our labors for months or even years," he said. "However, our goal is to set the right conditions to enable progress to be made and sustained in this most important and volatile part of the world."

CENTRAL COMMAND PLANS POST-2014

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
Centcom Plans for Broader Regional Engagement Post-2014
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

TAMPA, Fla., July 10, 2013 - Exercises, training exchanges and other military-to-military engagements with partners across the Middle East will become increasingly important as the United States draws down its forces in Afghanistan, a senior U.S. Central Command official told American Forces Press Service.

For the past 11 years, sustained combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have monopolized the United States' focus within the Centcom area of responsibility, Guy Zero, deputy director for training and exercises, said during an interview at the command's headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla.

This limited the number of forces and assets available to support broader engagement elsewhere in the region, he acknowledged.

Despite these constraints, Centcom has pursued a robust theater engagement strategy ranging from senior leader conferences to tactical-level training and exercises with 18 of the 20 regional militaries in activities, Zero reported.

Now, facing a post-2014 future with a reduced troop presence, Centcom is laying plans to engage more broadly across the region.

"As active combat forces leave the Centcom area, the United States will increasingly depend upon strategic engagement through training and exercises to maintain our strategic partnerships," Zero said.

Recognizing budgetary constraints are affecting operations military-wide, Centcom is exploring ways to cut costs without impacting its engagements, he said. Planners are scaling back some of the expensive field training exercises, while leveraging the benefits of tabletop and command post exercises.

"We will have to make some careful choices and prioritize what training we do, how we do it and whether we do it with forces or [command post exercises], bringing staffs together to exercise processes," Zero said.

What's important, he emphasized, is that the engagements continue, and that they continue to grow.

Particularly in light of the defense strategic guidance and its heightened focus on the Asia-Pacific region, the world is watching to see if the United States will live up to its long-term commitments within the Centcom region, he said.

"Our partners in the Middle East, as well as those nations outside the Middle East, are watching very carefully to see what the United States is going to do," Zero said. "They are watching, I believe, to see if the United States is going to turn its back on the partner nations in the Middle East. This is our opportunity to prove them wrong."

Military-to-military engagements help bolster partner capacity throughout the region, increasing interoperability so militaries work together more effectively during multinational operations, he said.

But they serve another vital purpose: building trust between the U.S. and partner militaries, and among regional partners that historically have not worked closely together.

"Ultimately, this enhances readiness, and provides a forum of dialogue so, should crisis erupt, we are not meeting and talking for the very first time," he said. "We are rehearsing concepts so, should they need to be employed, we have done it on some level before."

Reflecting a global trend, many U.S. engagements in the region have evolved into multilateral exercises. "Based on past experience, we see any future conflict as being multinational and multilateral," Zero said. "And as such, we need to conduct training and exercises and engagement on a multinational and multilateral basis."

The recent Eagle Resolve exercise, for example, included 18 nations -- every country in the region except Syria and Iran. "Everybody else had representation," Zero said.

To encourage the broadest possible participation, Centcom typically builds the scenarios around non-offensive operations. In many cases, they involve air and missile defense, countermine operations or humanitarian assistance and disaster response, he said.

"The themes are very similar across the [area of responsibility," Zero said. "What we do in training is not directly connected to world events."

Eagle Resolve, conducted in April in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, brought together U.S. and Gulf Cooperation Council partners to address integrated air and missile defense, consequence management, critical infrastructure protection, counterterrorism, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear-passive defense, and interdiction and border security.

Eager Lion, held in Jordan in June, focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster response and air and missile defense.

Regional Cooperation, an exercise currently underway and being hosted by Kazakhstan, typically involves scenarios related to acts of terrorism or natural disasters.

Although the scenarios aren't directed at any particular nation, capacity built through the exercises could be applied to a combat operation if the situation demanded it, Zero said.

"If you practice [humanitarian assistance and disaster response], you are going to be exercising the same types of systems, doing decision-making and executing very similar to what you would do in conflict," he said. "But by removing the specter of a scenario of conflict, you can really get down to the root of practicing our business practices and the roles and functions of how we operate."

This puts potential aggressors on alert, he said. "As these countries look out across their portico, they see a collection of countries coming together for a purpose. It is hard to ignore the resolve that is demonstrated by those nations coming together and that sends: that we are here together," he said.

"That, in and of itself, is a deterrent," Zero noted.

U.S. DEFENSE SECRETARY LEON PANETTA'S REMARKS ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Panetta Visits USS Stennis, Thanks Sailors Deploying Early


Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta speaks with sailors in the mess decks of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis in Bremerton, Wash., Aug. 22, 2012. The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is scheduled to deplooy at end of the month to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kenneth Abbate
By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

NAVAL BASE KITSAP, Wash., Aug. 22, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today told sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Stennis here that they and their ship, and others like it, are the "heart and soul" of the nation's defense strategy.

"All of you deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the great job the Stennis has done in the past and will do in the future," he said.

Last month, the secretary approved a request by Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, to deploy the Stennis and its strike group four months early, and to the Middle East. The Stennis carrier strike group, which returned from its last Middle East deployment in March, previously was set for deployment to the Pacific near the end of the year.

Speaking to some 2,300 sailors assigned to the carrier – about 85 percent of the ship's strength, according to Stennis officers - the secretary said he understands the strain a high operating tempo can cause for service members and families.

"It's tough," he said. "We're asking an awful lot of each of you. And frankly, you are the best I have -- and when the world calls, we have to respond."

The secretary said he also recognizes the strain back-to-back deployments put on military families. "Your families are as important to our ability to maintain a strong defense as anybody else. ... Their support and their love are what make sure that we are a strong fighting force," Panetta said.

As he normally does when he visits troops, Panetta outlined for the sailors the defense strategy announced early this year, describing his four priorities in setting that strategy: maintain the world's best military; cut defense spending judiciously, not across the board; examine all aspects of military spending to determine those cuts; and keep faith with service members now in uniform by preserving their pay and benefits.

The current defense strategy, he told sailors, will meet those priorities and shape a smaller, agile, technologically advanced force that can deploy to meet any threat, while maintaining a global presence and the potency to defeat more than one enemy at a time. He added the Stennis carrier strike group exemplifies just the high-tech, deployable capability the strategy calls for.

As defense secretary, Panetta noted, he can call on the world's most advanced military systems: aircraft carriers, fighters, bombers and weapons systems of every kind.

"But none of it, none of that, is worth a damn without men and women in uniform who serve this country," he added. "You are the heart and soul of our national defense. ... That's why I'm here, to thank you for what you do to help keep America the strongest military power in the world."

After speaking with the sailors, Panetta told reporters the Stennis strike group will guard against a range of threats in Centcom's area of responsibility, which includes the Persian Gulf.

"Obviously, Iran is one of those threats," he said, noting that Iran's nuclear ambitions are one concern, while its threat to oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz is another.

"Secondly, it is the turmoil in Syria," he said. "We're obviously following that closely as well. ... There are a number of issues in that region." The nation's focus on Syria is concentrated in three areas, he added:

-- Humanitarian assistance and working with Jordan and Turkey to manage refugee issues;

-- Monitoring Syrian chemical and biological weapon stockpiles; and

-- Offering nonlethal assistance to opposition forces.

The secretary said the current two-carrier U.S. presence in the Gulf region is not set to end at any particular time. "Clearly, two carriers ... [are] important to us in order to have the ability to confront any contingency," he added.