Marine Corps Ready for Review’s Scrutiny, Commandant Says

WASHINGTON, May 15, 2009 – The Marine Corps is lean and built for a fight, including the scrutiny of the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review, its commandant said during a military strategy forum here today.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway delivers the keynote address focusing on the Quadrennial Defense Review at the CSIS Military Strategy Forum in Washington D.C., on May 15, 2009. Conway said he expects the Marine Corps will withstand any scrutiny during QDR discussion. DoD photo by Marine Cpl. Erin A. Kirk

“We think that … as a Marine Corps, we’re going to be scrutinized during the QDR but in the end, we think we’ll be OK,” Marine Gen. James T. Conway said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Military Strategy Forum. The QDR is a study the Defense Department conducts every four years to analyze strategic objectives and potential military threats.

“The Marine Corps pulls down about 6 percent of the department’s budget,” Conway said. “For that 6 percent, you get about 15, 16 percent of the maneuver battalions; you get 15 percent of the attack aircraft [and] you get 19 percent of the attack helicopters. The average Marine costs the country about $20,000 less than the next closest service man in other services.”

The Corps also defines the kind of service Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is seeking: a balanced force oriented toward the hybrid, but able to counter surprises that sometimes develop around the globe, Conway said.

“One hundred percent of our Marine Corps procurement can be used in both the hybrid kind of environment or in major combat,” he said. “It’s a record we’re proud of and we think that’s certainly going to continue on downrange.”

The QDR most likely will bring up three issues involving the Marine Corps, the commandant said. The first is the lay down of forces as it relates to the Corps’ pending move to Guam.

The second is the shortfall in the Corps’ attack aircraft procurement. It hasn’t purchased such a craft in 11 years, but with good reason, he said.

“We chose not to buy the F-18 E and F when the Navy did, so that we could await the arrival of a fifth-generation fighter called the Joint Strike Fighter, the F-35B,” Conway said. “Interestingly, we are the first of all the services to get initial operation capacity out of that aircraft.”

That capacity won’t be a reality until 2012. Until then, the Marine Corps has taken steps to make sure its fleet of F-18 A through D fighter jets are viable resources, including extending the jets to 10,000 hours of flight time, Conway said.

The third issue focuses on the need for amphibious capability and how much is necessary.

“That is a major player as far as Marines are concerned, of course … because it talks about that niche capability that we provide,” Conway said. “I would rephrase the question a little bit and [ask], ‘How much does this maritime nation and world superpower need for purposes of security cooperation and theater engagement? If you ask that question of the combatant commanders, they will tell you almost uniformly that’s their No. 1 requirement.”

Conway said he believes the chief of Naval Operations would say the amphibious ships are the best for that particular job.

They provide a great range of capabilities including training, air, medical and dental.

“We think that the value on a day-in and day-out basis is really the engagement that this nation has to be able to accomplish over time and [be able to do it] from the sea,” Conway said.

The military is seeing more nations request the aid the U.S. military has brought them, but they don’t necessarily want them creating a footprint ashore, he said.

 

 

Homeland secretary: Cautious optimism about H1N1 flu

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the severity and reach of the H1N1 flu virus is encouraging, the secretary of Homeland Security noted during a briefing here May 4. 

"As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted over the weekend, we have started to see encouraging signs that this virus may be mild and its spread may be limited," Secretary Janet Napolitano said. "We are; therefore, cautiously optimistic."

The secretary also said that despite encouraging signs, the nation may not have seen the last of the virus when the current outbreak abates. 

"We also have in mind that H1N1 flu could die down and return later again this fall when the flu season enters back in full swing," she said.

The United States has documented 286 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in 36 states. The cases are mild and haven't required hospitalization. In fact, Secretary Napolitano said, many of the patients already have recovered. It's still possible; however, that the World Health Organization will raise its pandemic alert to Level 6.

"This would not be a surprise, nor would it affect our preparation efforts, since we have been preparing since the first appearance of H1N1 flu as if this will be a Level 6 (outbreak)," the Homeland Security secretary said.

A rise in the pandemic alert level from the WHO does not mean the virus has become any more severe, Secretary Napolitano explained. Rather, it means it has spread to a number of countries.

"In other words, the number is about geography, not severity," she said.

Secretary Napolitano urged individuals, families, the private sector and governments to realize their responsibilities and take steps to mitigate its spread. Updated information and guidance can be found on the CDC Web site.

People should be vigilant about hand washing and covering their mouths when they cough, not with their hand, but with their sleeves, she said, and families need to think ahead. For instance, she asked, what would parents do if their child was released from school had to remain at home?

Businesses need to plan for a large degree of absenteeism, Secretary Napolitano said, and all levels of government need to dust off their plans for dealing with a large-scale event.

"I think it's important to note that the federal government, state governments and local governments have been planning for a number of years in case we faced a situation like the current one," she said. "Those plans are serving us well now, because we're actually seeing how well they work and also (are revealing) areas where we need to improve."

Regardless of the direction the outbreak seems to be moving in, Secretary Napolitano said, the government will continue to closely monitor the virus for the coming days and weeks.

Piracy on High Seas Begins On Land, Defense Official Says

The root cause of maritime piracy resides on land, and halting it requires an international solution, the Defense Department's head of African Affairs told a congressional panel March 5.

"The absence of a strong government in Somalia remains the single greatest challenge to regional security," Daniel Pike, acting principal director of African Affairs, said in testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. "[It] provides freedom of action for those engaged in piracy along the Somalia coast."

Because experience has shown that no one nation can secure every ocean and waterway around the world, all nations have a vital interest in ensuring the maritime domain remains secure and open, he added.

This is precisely what an international coalition has come together to guarantee, Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the U.S. 5th Fleet, said. He also commands the Combined Maritime Forces, an international coalition created to address the recent uptick in piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Several years ago, the number of pirate attacks off the eastern coast of Somalia began to increase, he said. In response, the U.S. 5th Fleet and the shipping industry moved the transit lane further off the coast.

It worked, and attacks decreased to just a few a year, Gortney said. But the situation changed in mid-August 2008, when a new clan of Somali pirates began attacking ships north of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden. In just a few days, the number of pirate attacks went from three to 12.

"Ultimately, we knew the solution to the problem of piracy is ashore in Somalia itself," he said.

"Therefore, I focused the coalition maritime efforts on security and stability ... operations at sea that would give the international community time to address the long-term solution."

Counter-piracy efforts have been focused in three main areas: increasing international naval presence, improving the shipping industry's defensive measures, and creating an international legal framework for resolving piracy cases.

"Since late August, there have been significant strides made," Gortney said. That's in part because of Combined Task Force 151, which Gortney established in early January with the specific mission and mandate to conduct counter-piracy operations.

"The efforts of CTF 151 are critical to the tactical coordination and deconfliction efforts with all of the international naval forces operating in the Gulf of Aden," he said. "CTF 151, and other cooperating naval forces, have encountered approximately 250 pirates."

Of those, 121 have been disarmed and released, 117 have been disarmed and turned over for prosecution, and nine are pending final disposition.

A memorandum of understanding with Kenya signed in January allowed for this morning's turnover of seven suspected pirates taken by CTF 151 last month to Kenyan authorities in the Port of Mombasa with full evidentiary packages, he said.

Pirates' abilities have further been affected by the coalition and task force efforts, which resulted in 28 pirate skiffs seized or destroyed, Gortney said. In addition, 133 small arms, 28 rocket-propelled grenades, 51 rocket-propelled-grenade projectiles and 21 ladders and grappling hooks were confiscated.

"We have been successful not only in our coalition efforts but in communicating and coordinating with other naval forces deployed to the region as well as working with the merchant shipping industry to share best practices and lessons learned," he said.

All of the efforts to counter pirate attacks thus far have resulted in a drop in successful attacks from a high of 64 percent in October to 17 percent in February, according to U.S. State Department statistics. Currently, six ships are being held hostage, compared to the 14 ships that were being held hostage toward the end of last year.

In addition to the military approach to counter-piracy attacks, the government is moving on three other fronts to curtail attacks. Diplomacy, helping the shipping industry bolster self-defense efforts, and improving judicial capacity in the region to prosecute and penalize pirates all are part of the strategy, the State Department's acting deputy assistant secretary for international security and arms control said.

"On these four tracks, working together, I think we've made good progress just in the past few months," Stephen Mull told the committee. "The benefits from this effort, I think, will go far beyond just stopping pirates.

"I think this cooperation could form the foundation for a new regional maritime security framework with regional states and outside contributors," he continued. "This new framework could include a whole range of features that I think would improve the security of the region, as well as our own security."

Chairman Checks Out Nuclear Mission at North Dakota Base

MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D., Feb. 19, 2009 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff noted the progress Air Force officials have made in the service’s nuclear weapons program during a visit here yesterday.

In a town-hall meeting with Minot airmen, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said he came to see for himself the improvements the Air Force has made in its nuclear program in the wake of incidents that led to the resignations of the Air Force’s top civilian and military officials.

One of the incidents involved a bomber flying from here to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., while mistakenly armed with nuclear missiles.

“We’ve had significant challenges in the nuclear enterprise,” Mullen said, noting the high priority officials have placed on straightening out problems. “A lot of progress has been made, but we’re not there yet,” he added.

Mullen’s trip to the home of the 91st Missile Wing and its Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles came just two months after Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited the base to learn more about the nuclear program. The chairman said that although he’d come to check out progress in the nuclear mission, the chance to visit with the base’s airmen was the most important part of his visit.

“You are really why I came here,” he said. “You are part of the best military this [country] has ever fielded.”

The admiral also offered his thanks to military spouses for their support and sacrifices, and he cited possible instability related to the world financial crisis as a factor that poses important challenges in the months and years ahead.

The financial crisis will create instability not only in places officials easily can anticipate, Mullen said, but also in other places where the potential for instability isn’t as easily predictable. “I’m extremely concerned about this,” he said.

As they play their part in helping the U.S. military meet the challenges that lie ahead, Mullen told the airmen, they must keep in mind that being good leaders is part of their responsibility.

“Everybody is a leader,” he said. “I would ask that you … figure how to mentor someone who’s coming up behind you, and then get out of their way and see how [great they can be.]”

Bush: Military Fulfilled 'Hard Tasks' to Protect U.S. Security

President George Bush said that, as he prepares to swap a presidency defined by the Sept. 11, attacks for the quiet life in Texas, he’ll miss heading up the military.

“I’m going to miss being commander in chief of the military,” he told Brit Hume in a Fox News Sunday interview. “I’ve got such great respect for the men and women who wear the uniform. I’ve been through a lot with them.

“I’ve called upon them to do hard tasks. I’ve met with the families of the fallen [and] I’ve been to Walter Reed [Army Medical Center in Washington] to see the wounded,” he said.

“I have been incredibly inspired by their courage, their bravery, their sacrifice.”

The “hard tasks” he asked of the military often made him the target of criticism.

“During the darkest days of Iraq, people came to me and said, ‘you’re creating incredible political difficulties for us,’” he said. “I said, ‘Oh really? What do you suggest I do?’”

The answer was one Bush said he didn’t agree with: withdraw from Iraq.

“I had faith that freedom exists in people’s souls and therefore, if given a chance … an Iraqi style democracy could survive and work,” Bush said. “I didn’t compromise that principle for the sake of trying to bail out my political party.”

Bush took blows over interrogation techniques, as well. Some went so far as to call it torture.

“I firmly reject the word ‘torture,’” Bush said. “The techniques were necessary and are necessary to be used on a rare occasion to get information necessary to protect the American people.”

He said he felt sure the information gained through these techniques from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, attacks, helped save lives on American soil.

The administration also sought legal counsel before authorizing any interrogation techniques to question Mohammed and other suspects, he said.

As the president prepares to pass the presidential baton, he is most concerned that, at some point, the country will become complacent regarding the threat of terrorism. He said he is confident President-elect Barack Obama understands the gravity of the situation he’s inheriting, but fears some don’t grasp the fact that the war on terror is unlike any other in which America has participated.

“I’m concerned that America, at some point and time, lets down her guard,” Bush said. “If we ever do that, the country will become extremely vulnerable.”

As he leaves office, Bush said he plans to follow other former presidents’ example and put pen to paper.

“I plan on writing a book,” he said. “I’m toying with the idea of maybe describing the toughest decisions I had to make as president and the context in which I made them.”