U.S. SOLDIERS RESCUE FAMILY IN GERMANY

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Face of Defense: Germany-based Soldiers Rescue Family

By Ignacio Rubalcava
U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder
BAUMHOLDER, Germany, Jan. 3, 2013 - An early morning drive here turned into a nightmare for Heather Majorwitz and her two children, Kaitie and Bret.

They were on their way to school recently when their car hit a patch of ice and started to skid across the road toward an oncoming bus. Majorwitz, a librarian at a local elementary school, swerved to avoid the bus and slid off the road, rolling her car.

"One minute we were on the road and the next we were hanging from our seatbelts," Majorwitz recalled during a recent recognition ceremony held at U.S. Army Garrison Baumholder here.

The car's wheels were still turning when a group of soldiers from the 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion came upon the scene. Without hesitation, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Vladimir Sequera and three other soldiers stopped their Humvee and dashed out to help. The children were already making their way out of the car's shattered back window when the soldiers approached.

Sequera and the other soldiers, Sgt. 1st Class Winston Smith, Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Lehman and Sgt. Cheryl Henneberry quickly brought the children to safety and wrapped them with their jackets to stay warm. By then, Majorwitz was trying to get out of the car and Sequera and the other soldiers turned their attention to helping her.

"When we saw the vehicle we immediately pulled to the side. We all had the same thought. There's somebody in the vehicle," Sequera said. "We didn't know if they were American or German. We just wanted to help."

"I just remember the car rolling and lots of glass. I felt blessed to walk away from the wreck but I also felt really blessed that we had soldiers there that would go above and beyond and help us. You guys are my heroes," Majorwitz said.

"I'm glad that we were there to help out. I don't think it's a hero thing. I think it's a human behavior that we help each other out. It is part of what we do in the military," Sequera said.

Madeleine Dwoiakowski, public affairs officer for the Baumholder garrison, drives the same route on her way to work.

"I saw soldiers and hoped that none of our guys were injured, not knowing that the soldiers were actually assisting on the scene," Dwoiakowski said. "I then saw the car and it looked like it had gone through a press. They were extremely fortunate to walk away with no injuries and they were also equally fortunate that the soldiers were there almost immediately to help."

For Majorwitz, it was the scariest moment she's experienced as a mother.

"I wasn't sure if the children were OK. Everybody said they were OK but even at the hospital I wasn't sure," she said. "My little boy gets anxious about things and I was worried that he'd have this anxiety and wouldn't want to ride in a car again." Majorwitz explained that they had a flat tire once and for the next year her son checked the tires before getting in the car.

But her son "was fine, he was a trooper," Majorwitz said. Turning to Sequera, she added, "I think he was fine because you guys were there immediately. There wasn't that second to even worry about it because we were taken care of right away."

Later, Majorwitz, called her 15-year-old daughter in the states and told her why she enjoys working with soldiers and their families.

"This is why I do what I do to serve these guys, because they're there and they step in -- no matter what," Majorwitz said. "It's automatic, because that's who they are. This makes me even more proud to be able to teach the kids of our soldiers because I know that they're out there taking care of everybody else."

Majorwitz expressed her gratitude to the soldiers who rescued her and her children.

"I think that's why you are soldiers," Majorwitz said, as she fought back tears. "We could have died but we didn't. We were very fortunate all around so I just want to thank you."

Majorwitz then embraced Sequera and repeated her appreciation for their help.

"You guys are my heroes," she said

NATO SHIP ENCOUNTERS PIRATE VESSEL OFF SOMALIA'S COAST

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Counterpiracy Flagship Comes Under Fire Off Somalia's CoastFrom a Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe News Release

MONS, Belgium, Oct. 25, 2012 - The flagship for NATO's Ocean Shield counterpiracy mission came under sustained fire from suspected pirates off Somalia's coast yesterday, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe officials reported today.

The Dutch warship HNMLS Rotterdam was attacked while conducting routine surveillance, officials said.

A boarding team from Rotterdam was approaching a suspect dhow near the coast when they came under fire from ashore and from the dhow itself. When Rotterdam returned fire in accordance with rules of engagement, officials said, the dhow ignited and crew members were seen leaping into the water. One dhow crew member was killed in this action, and 25 people were subsequently rescued from the water by Rotterdam crew members, officials said.

Commodore Ben Bekkering of the Dutch navy, commander of the NATO Task Force, said that the Rotterdam and her boats remained under sustained fire from the shore throughout the incident, even while attempting to rescue the crew of the stricken dhow. One of Rotterdam's rigid inflatable boats was damaged, he said.

Those rescued were transferred to the NATO flagship, where those who required it were given prompt medical attention. No Rotterdam crew members were injured.

"We know that pirates are increasingly using larger dhows as mother ships," Bekkering said. "Therefore, we routinely inspect them. In this instance, the pirates openly choose confrontation. This does not happen often, and it indicates that we are, indeed, impeding their operations and in doing so, pushing them to take more extreme options."

Bekkering praised the "calm professionalism" of the Rotterdam crew and said this incident, together with Rotterdam's successful Oct. 11 interdiction of seven pirates, made two things very clear.

"Firstly, it is obvious that the scourge of piracy has not gone away, and we need to maintain our vigilance," he said. "Secondly, the risks to the pirates themselves are becoming much greater, and while we regret any loss of life, we will deal with any threat we encounter in a firm, robust, but always proportionate, manner."

NORTH CAROLINA AIR NATIONAL GUARD FIGHT FIRES AGAIN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT North Carolina Air Guard Back to Firefighting Mission From a 153rd Air Expeditionary Group News Release CHEYENNE, Wyo., Aug. 10, 2012 - The North Carolina Air National Guard's 145th Airlift Wing will return to flying Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System missions on Aug. 14, six weeks after four of the unit's airmen were killed in a C-130 aircraft crash during a firefighting mission in South Dakota. "Charlotte's MAFFS 8 will replace MAFFS 9, from California, for three weeks while the 146th Airlift Wing's C-130 undergoes required maintenance. We're excited to have North Carolina back in the fight and look forward to having them fly with us again," said Air Force Col. Jerry Champlin, 153rd Air Expeditionary Group commander. "Our folks from Charlotte are ready to re-join our MAFFS brothers and sisters in the firefighting going on in the Northwest of our country," said Air Force Col. Roger Williams Jr., 145th Operations Group commander. "We all feel it is extremely important for our people to get back to this critical mission and we will carry the memory of MAFFS 7 in our hearts as the wildland firefighting continues." On July 1, MAFFS 7, a North Carolina C-130, equipped with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System, crashed near Edgemont, S.D., while supporting the White Draw fire. Four of the aircraft's six crewmembers were killed. It was the first major incident in the 40-year MAFFS mission history. The crash is under investigation. MAFFS are operated by four military units: The 153rd Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard; 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard; 145th Airlift Wing, North Carolina Air National Guard; and the 302nd Airlift Wing, U.S. Air Force Reserve Command. Since being activated June 25, the MAFFS fleet has released more than 1,309,363 gallons of fire retardant during 547 drops on fires in eight states in the Rocky Mountain region. This year's MAFFS operations are on pace to exceed MAFFS operations in 2008. That year, MAFFS units dropped 1,313,900 gallons of retardant. MAFFS is a joint Department of Defense and U.S. Forest Service program designed to provide additional aerial firefighting resources when commercial and private airtankers are no longer able to meet the needs of the forest service. MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system owned by the Forest Service that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than 5 seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 100 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, it can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.

SEC. OF DEFENSE PANETTA WANTS REVIEW OF MILITARY JUSTICE IN DEPLOYED AREAS

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT

Panetta Asks Board to Review Military Justice in Deployed Areas

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has asked an independent board to review the application of military justice in deployed areas, the Pentagon's General Counsel Jeh C. Johnson announced today.

A subcommittee of the newly established Defense Legal Policy Board will examine instances where service members are alleged to have committed offenses against civilians in combat zones. Former DOD General Counsel Judith Miller and retired Army Maj. Gen. Walter B. Huffman will co-chair the subcommittee.

Panetta signed a memorandum outlining the board's task on July 30. "We know that, over the last 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, bad things have happened involving combat excesses and innocent civilians in deployed areas," Panetta wrote in the memo. The abuses, he said, "have been rare among our professional fighting force," but he said they became huge flash points that threatened to undermine the U.S. mission and relations with other countries.

The board will review instances going back to October 2001 -- the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Johnson said it is important for DOD to learn from past experiences to ensure the U.S. military justice system is efficient, fair, dependable and credible.

The board will look at how alleged offenses are initially reported and investigated. It will also look at the initial and final disposition authority in such cases, and whether in joint, deployed areas cases should be handled with joint resources rather than those from a single service, and whether sufficient resources exist in deployed areas to conduct proper investigations.

The Defense Legal Policy Board was established in April. It serves as a federal advisory committee providing the Secretary of Defense with informed, independent advice on issues related to DOD, and can propose changes to department policies and goals.

Others serving on the subcommittee, whose members are appointed by the Secretary of Defense, are retired Army Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, retired Marine Corps Lt. Gen. John F. Sattler, retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Arnold L. Punaro, former Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey Jr., retired Army Judge Advocate General officer Col. Richard D. Rosen, the assistant U.S. attorney for Minnesota Charles Kovats, Yale Law School scholar Eugene Fidell and retired New York Police Department criminal investigator Roger Parrino.

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CHALLENGES CBO FORECASTS

FROM: U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT
Defense Official Objects to Congressional Budget Office ForecastsBy Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 12, 2012 - A Congressional Budget Office analysis suggesting the Pentagon budget will be $123 billion higher than expected over the next five years dismisses many of the proposals the department has made to control costs, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters today.

The department has committed to reducing the budget by $487 billion over the next 10 years. The CBO report makes clear that if Congress blocks proposals to achieve cost savings in the 2013 budget -- particularly efforts to address skyrocketing personnel costs -- the Pentagon will risk violating the strict spending caps that Congress imposed on the department in the Budget Control Act, Little said.

CBO officials applied their own forecast to many of the DOD proposals, according to Little.

As an example, he said, CBO officials assumed Congress would deny the department's request to raise TRICARE fees for certain retirees. The fee increase would mean an additional $13 billion in savings over the next five years.

The budget office also believes Congress will authorize higher military pay raises than DOD currently proposes, Little said.

CBO also assumes DOD will not meet the aggressive targets it has set to control growth in weapons acquisitions costs. The office assumes future acquisitions programs will perform as in the past. "Their analysis makes clear that we can't let that happen, and that we instead have to improve the performance of our acquisitions programs," Little said. "That's precisely what we're doing."

All of the proposals DOD made "were designed to help us meet the spending caps of the Budget Control Act while preserving our ability to invest in maintaining a ready and well-equipped force that remains the strongest on the planet," Little said.

The department has made the tough decisions and based those decisions on sound strategic grounds. "The CBO report underscores the point the secretary has been making: To responsibly square fiscal discipline with national security, you have to make tough decisions informed by a strategy, as we've done," he said.

If Congress does not approve the DOD proposals – or changes other proposals -- the department must look to other options for the savings required by the Budget Control Act. "That means cuts to training, weapons modernization and other programs that are essential to avoiding a hollow force," he said.

Little welcomed the CBO report and the discussion it has provoked. "CBO's report makes it clear why we need to continue to press ahead on all fronts with our efforts to achieve cost savings," he said. "And we need the close partnership of Congress to do so."

DEDICATIONS OF NEW EMBASY IN LATVIA

FROM:  U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Remarks at the Dedication of Sumner Welles Street

Remarks

Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

Embassy Riga

Riga, Latvia

June 28, 2012

Thank you very much, Ambassador, and it is such a delight for me to be here for this occasion. I am sorry that the rain did not permit us to do this outside, but it is wonderful to be in this new Embassy, which I think is a great symbol of our friendship with Latvia and between the American and Latvian people. I’m delighted to be joined by the Speaker, the Foreign Minister, other distinguished Latvian personages, and also Professor Paulis Lazda, who did so much to make this day happen. And I am deeply grateful. I’m sorry the mayor could not be here, but I also appreciate his support of this project.

As the Foreign Minister and I discussed in our meeting earlier today, the United States and Latvia are working together on a wide range of issues – from shared security concerns, to promoting democracy, to building a strong trade relationship. And as we chart the course of our future together, it is important to reflect on our shared history and common values.
Now there are many people, Latvian and American alike, who deserve credit for the 90 years of friendship between us. Some were Latvians, whose pride in their country and faith in democracy were never shaken, even through more than a half century of Soviet domination. Many lived out their lives in exile, advocating around the world for the country they loved. Some were Americans who wouldn’t tolerate the closed door bargains that stripped the Baltic people of their rights and dignity.

But one American in particular, Sumner Welles, he played a very special role as an American diplomat. Sumner Welles served off and on in the Foreign Service for more than 20 years, working at posts from Tokyo to Buenos Aires, throughout the Caribbean. By 1939, he was acting Secretary of State when news arrived in Washington: Germany and the Soviet Union had made a deal putting the Baltic Republics under Soviet control. Welles called President Roosevelt and recommended that the United States strongly condemn the predatory annexation of these independent countries. What followed was the Welles Declaration decrying the agreement that cost Latvia and its neighbors their freedom. Today, the values and ideas it stood for still ring true: political independence, territorial integrity, the rule of reason, of justice, and of law.

Now as World War II progressed, many argued that we should recognize Stalin’s conquest of the Baltic States. But Welles didn’t give in. He believed that the United States needed to stand firm on the principles of sovereignty and self-government for those nations under both Nazi and Soviet control. The Welles Declaration was more than just a symbolic show of support. From 1940 until the Soviet Union ended its occupation, the United States never recognized Soviet control of Latvia.

Back at the State Department in Washington, we hang the flags of all the countries with which the United States has a diplomatic relationship. And for 51 years, as the hammer and sickle flew overhead here in Riga, we never took down the maroon and white stripes of the Latvian flag. Through the alliances of World War II, in the darkest hours of the Cold War, at countless bargaining tables where American and Soviet leaders struggled to solve problems, our commitment to the sovereignty of the Latvian people never wavered.

Now that sovereignty and freedom are secure, Latvia once again is a fully recognized, independent nation in the eyes of the entire world. And Latvians are at the forefront of working toward a Europe that is whole, free, democratic, and at peace.

So today, we honor Sumner Welles and all the men and women who struggled to regain Latvia’s freedom and never lost heart through decades of oppression. And we celebrate how their contributions helped shape the deep friendship we share today. Just as this new Embassy represents the future of our relationship, this street, now named for Sumner Welles, symbolizes the long journey we’ve travelled together, and I, for one, am looking forward to the next steps in that journey together.

So I am deeply honored to be able to be here for this really important occasion.
Madam Speaker.

NATO INTELLIGENT ADVANCES AND A UNIFIED VISION

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRES SERVICE

Unified Vision Promotes NATO Intel Advances

By Donna Miles
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2012 - The NATO intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance community kicked off a first-of-its-kind technical trial today in Norway to help in preserving gains made during the past decade of conflict and to build on them for the future.


U.S. Air Force and Army representatives have joined their counterparts from 12 countries and seven NATO organizations for the 10-day Unified Vision 2012, Dennis Lynn, the Air Force lead and senior U.S. national representative at the trial, told American Forces Press Service.


Operating at Oerland Air Station, Norway, and at other locations in the United States and Europe, the 700 participants will be put through the paces during 27 dynamic, fast-moving vignettes, all based on real-world missions, he said.


As they marshal their full range of human and electronic –intelligence capabilities, they will determine how well they identify, track and analyze threat information, explained Richard Wittstruck, chairman of NATO's joint ISR capability group and the senior Army official at the trial.


Forming a cohesive intelligence picture is a big part of the trial, but equally important will be how easily participants can share it. "The core of Unified Vision 12 is our ability to share sensor data among the allies," Lynn said.


Historically, he added, that's been a challenge because of the many different systems involved, the technical challenges of processing and cataloging such a vast amount of data, and the inherent tendency of operators to "stovepipe" information to protect it.


"So it's a very difficult thing to do, but we are slowly evolving and slowly improving our ability to do that," Lynn said. "We still do it imperfectly, but it is better than it was 10 years ago."
A big goal of the trial is to identify gaps in information-gathering and dissemination and to help in charting the way ahead for future technological advancements or new tactics, techniques and procedures, Wittstruck said.


Toward that goal, the Norwegian military, which is hosting Unified Vision, has gone all-out to make it as realistic and valuable as possible, he said. The Norwegians will turn on real surface-to-air missile systems so participants can attempt to geo-locate them.


A Norwegian navy frigate will participate, collaborating with ground and air assets to identify and engage targets. "That's something we haven't practiced a lot," Wittstruck said. "You talk air-to-ground and ground-to-ground, but in my history of doing this for over 25 years, it is rare to see an opportunity where you have a maritime asset cooperating with air and ground, looking at the same targets and trying to build that threat envelope."


Norway also has authorized participants to turn on active GPS jammers for part of the exercise -- something impossible to do in most parts of the world, where it would interfere with commercial and industrial operations. The players will have to identify where these jammers are and whether they need to be neutralized, while conducting their own intelligence efforts using backup systems not reliant on GPS signals.
To compensate for the one drawback of the Norwegian venue -- 21 hours of daily sunlight that preclude night operations -- an element based at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., will prosecute targets from what's being billed during the trial as "Forward Operating Base Alpha."


Just as in real–world operations, the participants will encounter some curve balls, Wittstruck said. In some scenarios, the human intelligence they receive may be flawed. They could encounter "enemy" aircraft or weapons systems on the ground that turn out to be decoys with the exact same target signatures -- or real systems that have been concealed by camouflage nets.


As the participants navigate these challenges, they'll help to ensure that standard agreements in place to promote data-sharing across NATO cover new systems coming online and actually work in an operational setting, Wittstruck said. They'll work through obstacles to sharing data that crosses classification domains -- from secret to unclassified or unclassified to secret -- to help maximize what can be shared.


"The big question will be, Can we touch each other in terms of data exchange so we have a composite, if not fused, picture of the situation on the same target, in the same vignette because you have given me your aspect and I have given you my aspect?" Wittstruck said. "That should heighten everyone's situational awareness."
He cited the many good lessons operating in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade that have improved this capability. "So the question is, How do we capture the good lessons learned and institutionalize them so we don't have to relearn them or rediscover them in the next NATO campaign?" he said.


NATO overcame many difficulties to stand up the Afghan Mission Network so coalition members could share intelligence data in Afghanistan, Wittstruck noted. That system, which reached full operational capability only last year, helped to bridge the intelligence gap created by numerous national intelligence networks with different levels of interoperability. It allows the United States and 45 partners in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to link up over a common mission network.


"We learned so much from that network, once it was up, about the true cooperation that can take place without having a whole bunch of liaison officers sitting around a table trying to exchange the data person-to-person because they didn't have the digital means to have a common view of all the data," Wittstruck said.
"The Afghan Mission Network was a great step forward," he said. "But the lesson out of that was, Do we really want to create a mission network from scratch every time we go to a new NATO campaign? And the answer is obviously not."


Lynn recognized NATO's growing appreciation of the need for a common ISR platform. At the recent NATO Summit in Chicago, for example, the allies announced that they had contracted for a new, NATO-owned and -operated ground surveillance system. Based on Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with advanced ground-surveillance radars, the system will enable every NATO ally to access the data collected.


"That's going to be a big help to NATO's joint ISR system," said Lynn, who acknowledged that the new system won't be operational for at least a couple of years.


Wittstruck said the aggressive 12-month planning timeline NATO adopted for Unified Vision shows its commitment to moving this process forward. "This, by far, has been the most productive year of watching the nations and the NATO agencies come together -- the leadership and workforce -- to rally to this," he said. "They really are committed to the cause of getting lessons learned codified and institutionalized for future use and identifying those gaps so that we can get after them with either material, technical or non-material investments."


Planners recognize going into the trial that not everything they put to the test is going to go as planned. "A trial can be successful even if 80 percent of the things go wrong, because you are gaining knowledge," Lynn said. "It's like a scientific experiment. You know it works or it doesn't work."


"Part of the success of this trial may be the failure of aspects of it," Wittstruck agreed. "If we set out to do something and can't do it and we learn something from that, we can improve NATO's effectiveness and efficiencies moving forward, which is a success in itself."


Lynn said he's optimistic about the outcome. "By working with the multitude of nations we have at this trial, we expect to make real progress," he said. "I think we can make some far-reaching improvements as we move ahead on this."


It's an effort he called vital to future NATO operations. "ISR is absolutely critical to fighting the modern war. You need it," Lynn said. "So this trial will help us improve that timeliness and the availability of that data by putting it in a standard way so everyone will be able to get access to the information in some kind of central repository and be able to disseminate it in a timely way.


"The idea is you can't wait until the next war starts," he continued. "You need to be focused on this and continually advancing it, because this work is absolutely foundational to everything we as a coalition do."
Wittstruck said the efforts will strengthen NATO's ability to operate as a joint ISR community. "And if we can do that, that is a big win for NATO," he said.


But the biggest winners, Lynn said, ultimately will be the warfighters who will use and benefit from these systems. "Too many times, somebody may have had a piece of information that would have helped another unit or another aircraft, say, out of harm's way," he said, "because at the end of the day, the ability to share information is about saving lives."

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA MEETING WITH ISRAELI PRESIDENT PERES

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE

Panetta, Peres Meet on Security Issues, Defense Relationship

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta met with Israeli President Shimon Peres yesterday at the Pentagon to discuss security issues of mutual concern and the nations' strong defense relationship, Press Secretary George Little said.

The leaders "consulted on ... many areas of cooperation and the common challenges faced by the United States and Israel in the Middle East," Little added, "to include the ongoing violence in Syria, Iran's nuclear ambitions, the Middle East peace process, and the U.S. commitment to preserving Israel's qualitative military edge."

Panetta welcomed Peres to the Pentagon and congratulated him on being nominated for the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama, the highest honor awarded to civilians in the United States

"It is a fitting recognition of your life's work, [which] has been to advance peace, human dignity and freedom. These basic values are at the core of the U.S.-Israel relationship," Panetta told Peres. "We greatly admire your commitment to these values and we greatly admire your commitment to our relationship."

The secretary noted that cooperation between the U.S. and Israeli militaries is stronger than ever and that the U.S. commitment to Israel's security is "rock solid and enduring."

Panetta added that he looked forward to hearing Peres' "views on the many challenges we face together. But our goal remains the same for both of our nations: peace, prosperity, and the dream of giving our children a better life."

After a brief handshake in the meeting room and smiles before the cameras, according to a pool report, Panetta and Peres sat down at a table along with 12 senior officials.

Among them, on the U.S. side, was Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE PANETTA ON ASIA-PACIFIC SHIFT

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICES

Panetta Describes U.S. Shift in Asia-Pacific

By Jim Garamone

SINGAPORE, June 1, 2012 - The United States is a Pacific power and will remain engaged in the region, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said during a speech delivered at the 11th Annual Shangri-La Dialogue here.

Panetta explained what America's enduring shift toward the Asia-Pacific means to the region. The speech took place June 2 here. Singapore time is 12 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast.

The shift has long been forecast. After the fall of the Soviet Union, there were those in the U.S. government who urged a re-focusing of U.S. strategy toward the Pacific. China and India are two of the fastest-growing economies on Earth and the nations of Southeast Asia also grew behind the shield of U.S. presence in the region.

The United States also has deep, lasting alliances with nations in the region including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.

This progress and shift, however, were interrupted by the attacks of 9-11 and American attention shifted to combating the terrorist menace.

But now the war in Iraq is over and U.S. troop levels are drawing down in Afghanistan. Last year, President Barack Obama approved a strategy shifting toward Asia. The United States has thousands of miles of Pacific coastline and is an integral part of the region.

"We take on this role not as a distant power, but as part of the Pacific family of nations, Panetta said at the conference. "Our goal is to work closely with all the nations of this region to confront common challenges and promote peace, prosperity and security."

Defense policy in the region calls for the U.S. military to expand military-to-military relationships well beyond the traditional treaty allies.

China is, of course, the major player in the region. China has grown to the second-largest economy in the world and is investing in modernizing its military. Panetta wants good relations with China and will travel there later this year to expand those contacts.

The secretary stressed that the U.S. shift toward the region in no way is aimed at China. "Our effort to renew and intensify our involvement in Asia is fully compatible with the development and growth of China," Panetta said. "Indeed, increased U.S. involvement in this region will benefit China as it advances our shared security and prosperity."

The United States is working with many nations in the region to promote regional security. There are threats in the area. Terrorism, piracy, narco-trafficking, human trafficking are just a few of the problems. There are disputes over territory and the United States would like to see all these problems addressed peacefully by all nations.

Panetta praised the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for its "rules-based" regional security architecture. The secretary also said he looks forward to working with defense ministers from around the region.

Discussions and dialogue can help calm the waters in the South China Sea, where several countries in the region have claims in the area. "The U.S. position is clear and consistent. We call for restraint and diplomatic resolution; we oppose provocation, coercion or the use of force," Panetta said. The United States does not take sides on the disputes, the secretary said, and America has made this position clear to all in the region.

The U.S. military will shift its stance as the global situation shifts, the secretary said. Marine ground and aviation units have begun rotational deployments to Australia. The United States and the Philippines are looking at a similar arrangement.

American littoral combat ships will be berthing in Singapore and the number of Navy assets deployed will shift, too. "By 2020, the Navy will reposture its forces from today's roughly 50/50 split between the Atlantic and Pacific to about a 60/40 split between those oceans -- including six aircraft carriers, a majority of our cruisers, destroyers, littoral combat ships and submarines," Panetta said.

The United States will also shift resources to combat new threats of cyberwar and anti-access technologies.

The shift will continue, Panetta said, as leaders from both parties recognize the importance of the region.

"The United States has long been deeply involved in the Asia-Pacific," Panetta said. "Through times of war and peace, under Democratic and Republican leaders, through rancor and comity in Washington, through surplus and debt. We were here then, we are here now and we will be here for the future."

GENERAL DEMPSEY'S QUEST FOR KNOWLEDGE

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Dempsey Seeks to Learn From Asia-Pacific Partners
By Karen Parrish
ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT, May 31, 2012 - The challenge for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region is translating strategy into action, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said yesterday.

On his way to Singapore for the 11th annual Asia security summit known as the Shangri-La Dialogue, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told American Forces Press Service that the U.S. "pivot to the Pacific" isn't about establishing American dominance in the region.

Rather, he said, the goal is to work with regional partners to sustain and strengthen a cooperative security environment among Asian-Pacific nations.

The chairman noted that in this, his first visit to the dialogue, he wants to hear what other nations' officials have to say on topics such as territorial disputes in the region's seas. China and the Philippines both claim the South China Sea waters around Scarborough Shoal, and China and Japan dispute the area surrounding the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, near Okinawa.

Dempsey said the United States does not take sides in territorial disputes and encourages disputing parties to resolve such issues without coercion.

"What I already know is that we've been very clear about the need for cooperation in the maritime domain [involving] freedom of navigation," he said. "I think that's exactly the right position to place ourselves. But beyond that, I want to hear what these 27 nations [at the Shangri-La Dialogue] have to say, both to us and to each other -- because it will clearly be one of the most prominent issues."

From the national strategic level where he works, the chairman said, the first priority in rebalancing defense strategy toward the Asia-Pacific region involves what he calls "intellectual bandwidth."

"We've developed, over the course of 10 years, a core of real experts in the Middle East," Dempsey said. "We need to form that same core of professionals for whom [Asia-Pacific expertise] is a lifelong work."

The second step in the strategic shift to the Asia-Pacific region is to build on that increased bandwidth to create and explore new opportunities to increase regional security, he said.

"We have to make that intellectual shift ... and then listen to the signals that we receive from our partners," he added, noting that standing, multinational forums often are able to deal with security issues before they become crises.

"I think that's the great strength of NATO," Dempsey said.

A security organization similar to NATO involving many Asia-Pacific nations' participation may have value, the general said, but only if other nations want it.
"We would have to see the appetite for that among our partners and not just try to in some way impose it on them," Dempsey said.

STUDENT NEGOTIATORS

FROM:  AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Exercise Introduces Students to Negotiating Tactics
By Jason Tudor
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany, May 17, 2012 - Trucks filled with food and medical supplies rumble and bump over a road in the Balkans. Before the cargo can be delivered, a warlord stops the convoy under the guise of weapons smuggling, and will turn whatever he can find into profit.

With lives at stake, negotiators begin talking, trying to find the best compromise to move the humanitarian aid to starving and injured citizens without getting anyone on the convoy hurt. Will the warlord let them pass? What will he take? Only students in this class taken at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies here know the outcome for sure.

The elective at this Department of Defense Regional Center is one of a handful offered to complete the Program in Advanced Security Studies, a 10-week look at international law and the framework for the program's namesake. The elective's 12 two-hour sessions last four weeks.

Ten of the students chose to take Professor James Wither's course titled "Negotiations in International Conflict." Participants get a range of basic negotiating tactics, plus insight to what Wither called "conventional wisdom."

"A short elective like this won't make them experienced negotiators," said Wither, a Marshall Center professor. "We want them to appreciate the kind of skills negotiators need and to give them insights into the role that negotiators can play."
In this exercise, students were given the task of "confronting a hard bargainer." Tamir Sinai, who builds exercises like these for the Marshall Center, played that role. Four students were selected using four separate styles, and others observed. Sinai said they all understood what was happening.

"The fear is that my soldiers and I might loot the convoy," Sinai said, adding that the key to the exercise is human interaction. "There's so much subtext."
As an added degree of difficulty, this is the first time the elective has been conducted in English only.

"There are lots of linguistic and cultural differences in how individuals from different countries approach negotiations," he said. "Negotiating across countries, language and cultural differences will always be difficult."

Sinai said participants were given four separate negotiation styles to appease the warlord -- some would work, and others would not. As the warlord, Sinai set the ground rules.

"I established that I am in charge, but I am open to negotiations," Sinai said. "I was in command of the area, and nothing was going to get in without my consent."

Pakistani army Lt. Col Fiaz Khan was one of the negotiators during the exercise. A former United Nations observer in the Congo, Khan said the elective offered him the opportunity to more detailed information about negotiations.

"There are many circumstances in which we interact with armed rebels, ... sometimes with terrorists, where you need to negotiate," said Khan, citing Pakistan's role as an ally to the United States in attempting to thwart terror as well as work in Afghanistan and Iraq. "In different scenarios, you have different techniques. You cannot apply one technique to all the scenarios."

Wither praised Khan and others who went through the exercise. "They did very well. They had a plan of what they thought they would say to the individual, and they were also warned that their plans might not work when they encountered him."

Khan gave the exercise the highest marks. "It was a wonderful litmus test of what we learned."

AIR FORCE AIRMAN 1ST CLASS BECOMES CITIZEN

FROM AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE
Face of Defense: Airman's Dream of Citizenship Comes True
By Air Force Senior Airman Benjamin Stratton
92nd Air Refueling Wing
FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash., May 3, 2012 - A contracting specialist from the 92nd Contracting Squadron here fulfilled his dream March 27 when a Spokane, Wash., judge swore him in as a U.S. citizen.
"The most important thing about citizenship for me is that I can finally get a secret clearance to better serve the Air Force and my country," said Air Force Airman 1st Class Abraham Garduza, who is responsible for Air Force contracts totaling more than $1 million.

"I always wanted to do something important with my life," added the 23-year-old Matamoros, Mexico native. "I wanted to do something I could be proud of doing while continuing my education."

Garduza was one of more than 32,000 people serving in the military as a legal resident in hopes of attaining citizenship. While most airmen focus on on-the-job training and career development courses, airmen like Garduza also study U.S. history, government and language to pass their citizenship examination -- material most Americans haven't touched since grade school.

"Since getting my citizenship, I have felt so incredibly humbled," said the volunteer soccer coach, who is proud to own a Mexican national soccer team jersey his girlfriend gave him. "I thoroughly enjoy what I do and the people I work with."
Passing a 100-question-plus examination and successfully completing an interview was only part of the process. Service members like Garduza also must be able to read, write and speak basic English, must be of good moral character and must have continuously lived in the United States for at least five years.

"Now I feel like I belong," Garduza said. "Not only does getting my citizenship allow me to better serve America, but it also allows me to vote -- a right I now have under the Constitution as a U.S. citizen."

It would have been much harder for Garduza to become a citizen had it not been for the generosity of another person who helped him attain his residency, he said.
"It was tough," said Garduza, who has maintained a long-distance relationship with his girlfriend. "I was a poor college student when I first decided to start the process toward citizenship."

Working toward his bachelors of arts degree in psychology from the University of Texas in Austin, Garduza was befriended by a generous law professor, Ramiro Canales, who fronted the $1,000 cost of Garduza's residency application.
"To have someone so generous at that stage of my life meant the world," he said.
However, Canales wasn't the only influential player in Garduza's development. His mother, Beatriz Martinez, also was pivotal in his ability to seek a higher education and eventually serve in the Air Force.

"My mom has been really helpful," he said. "Her guidance and support -- I just don't know where I'd be without her."

In Mexico, families must pay tuition for their children to attend high school. Garduza and his family moved from Mexico to the United States when he was 11 years old, he said, because his parents wanted to ensure he had access to better education opportunities than he did in Mexico.

"My parents weren't the wealthiest," he said, "but still wanted to ensure my siblings and I had a chance to excel in our lives."

Garduza said he also wants the same education opportunities for his children when he starts a family.

"I definitely believe that as human beings we want the best for our kids' futures," he said. "So I'll do whatever I can to also facilitate a powerful educational future for my kin."
The new U.S. citizen said he has future goals.

"I'd like to become an officer in the future, too," Garduza said. "I think it's important for me to see and understand what life is like on the enlisted side."

Garduza needed his citizenship to become an officer -- something he wasn't able to do even though he joined with a bachelor's degree.

"They're all stepping stones to becoming the best man I can be," he said. "I've always wanted to do something I love and be proud of who I am along the way."