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Homeland Defense

Midwestern Guardsmen Respond to Rising Flood Waters
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2008 – Thousands of National Guard troops in the Midwest have moved into high gear reinforcing levees, conducting security patrols, and delivering food, water and relief supplies as record-breaking floods surged through the heartland.

Nearly 4,000 Iowa National Guard troops are deployed across the state as flood levels break records in almost every river community on the Cedar, Iowa, Des Moines, Raccoon and Mississippi river basins, reported Army Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, Iowa National Guard public affairs officer.

With 17 civilian fatalities and 106 injuries reported, 25,000 people evacuated from their homes, and flood waters still rising, the Guardsmen are reinforcing threatened levees, filling and delivering sandbags, and providing aerial reconnaissance of the region, Hapgood said.

The Army and Air Guardsmen also are transporting packaged meals, drinking water, cots and other relief supplies, conducting security patrols in support of local law enforcement officials, and providing high-water vehicles to utility crews evaluating homes for unsafe conditions.

“We’re … trying to prevent people from going where they shouldn’t for their own safety,” said Army Sgt. Jason Boesen, a 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, soldier mobilized to support flood--relief operations. “We assist by roving patrols with vehicles.”

In Cedar Rapids, one of the hardest-hit cities, the troops used a CH-47 Chinook helicopter to sling-load seven 800-pound water pumps to a repair facility so wells could be returned to full capacity, Hapgood said.

Meanwhile, nearly 100 members of the Iowa Guard’s 334th Brigade Support Battalion and 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, built a 3-foot levee from about 12,000 sandbags to protect a power substation in Ottumwa from being overrun by rising waters.

About 800 Iowa Guardsmen conducting annual training in South Dakota were recalled to the state to support the flood relief, Hapgood said.

Air Force Col. Brian Miller, commander of the Air National Guard’s Sioux City-based 185th Air Refueling Wing, predicted that the Army and Air Guard will be “here for the long haul” supporting the mission.

“We’re going to be here as long as it takes,” he said.

Hapgood noted that many of the Guardsmen involved in the effort have served combat tours in Iraq or Afghanistan and now have stepped up to assist their own communities.

“This shows in a very tangible way the incredible amount of flexibility built into our skill sets that we can conduct combat missions and also help people here in the United States,” Hapgood said. “It’s demonstrative of the broad capabilities we have in the National Guard.”

Army Sgt. Sean Rohret, a Company C, 133rd Infantry, soldier who has deployed as part of the Sinai Peninsula peacekeeping mission and served a tour of duty in Iraq, said it feels good to be pitching in to help rescue his home state.

“It’s pretty gratifying to actually be able to get out here and help the community,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of people out sandbagging, a lot of people coming up to us, asking us where they can go to help. It’s been a pretty wonderful experience getting to see everybody come together.”

“It’s a pleasure giving something back to the community,” agreed Army Sgt. 1st Class Chino Halpin, from 334th BSB. “It’s good service.”

Meanwhile, more than 500 Illinois National Guard soldiers and airmen are working alongside local citizens to build up levees along the Mississippi River in the western part of the state. Another 400 have been called to duty and are expected to be on site by tomorrow to provide sandbagging, communications and transportation support, state National Guard officials reported.

Army Sgt. Jon Stonewall, a member of the Illinois Army Guard’s 233rd Military Police Company, is among those supporting the effort. Stonewall joined the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, and deployed with his unit to Iraq in 2003, and also was called to duty in December 2006 when a severe winter storm hit Illinois.

“Being here is typical of the Guard,” he said. “Part of our mission is here at home, helping the residents in an emergency.”

Support from Stonewall and his fellow Guardsmen will be critical in the days ahead. River levels in the Quincy area of Illinois’ Adams County are expected to crest tomorrow at 31.9 feet – almost 15 feet over flood stage, county officials reported.

To the south, hundreds of Missouri National Guardsmen are fighting to hold back the surge of water flowing downriver from Iowa and bracing for more to come.

“To be successful in this mission, we will deploy every necessary resource available,” said Army Lt. Col. William McKinney, who commands a task force set up to oversee seven units supporting the effort. “Missouri’s Guardsmen are an asset for our people to utilize when they face an emergency requiring additional assistance.”

The Guardsmen are monitoring levees, working security and filling sandbags along the Mississippi River, state National Guard officials reported.

The Missouri Army Guard’s 548th Transportation Company left annual training in South Dakota early to deliver 20 pallets of packaged meals to flood-ravaged Iowa earlier this week. The pallets, which were donated by the South Dakota National Guard, amount to 11,520 meals.

The mission was personal for the Missourians, who had spent much of the past week in South Dakota training alongside Iowa Guardsmen, who also left training early to respond to the severe flooding back home. “This is what we do,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Christine Chane. “Iowa needed the [meals], and we could help. They knew we had the assets to make the delivery.”

Army Spc. John Crawford, whose 1438th Engineer Company just finished its annual training exercise, said he’s happy to be able to provide flood relief support. “It is a great thing the Guard is doing up here,” he said.

Meanwhile, almost 200 Wisconsin Army and Air Guardsmen are on duty as major flooding continues across the southern part of that state.

The Wisconsin Guardsmen are helping with flood control along flooded highways, filling and grading washed-out roads, securing traffic-control points, and providing aviation support for aerial damage-assessment missions, National Guard Bureau officials reported.

(Army Pvt. Cassandra Monroe and Sgt. Chad D. Nelson from the Iowa Army National Guard’s 135th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Air Force 1st Lt. Peter Shinn from the Iowa Air Guard’s 185th Refueling Wing, 2nd Lt. Stacey Rieger from the Illinois National Guard, and Robert Seyller from the Missouri National Guard contributed to this article.)

Guard Floods States with Assistance as Waters Rise
By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2008 – Governors in four of six Midwestern states affected by heavy rains and subsequent flooding called out more than 2,000 National Guard members this week as flood waters forced residents from their homes, left thousands without power and damaged infrastructure.

The severe weather began in the region June 4 and continued for several days, with flood waters continuing to rise today. It included heavy rains, tornados, hail, severe lighting and, in one instance, nearly 11 inches of rain near the Indianapolis area within a matter of hours.

Many officials were comparing the floods to the Midwest's historic "Great Flood of 1993," which caused an estimated $15 billion in damage.

National Guard members in Indiana, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Iowa were continuing their support to civil authorities with manpower and equipment today. Helping them were additional Guard members from neighboring states.

In Indiana, Gov. Mitch Daniels called out more than 1,300 Guard members to assist in evacuations, search and rescue, security, road blocks, sandbagging, and other emergency assistance missions. President Bush declared much of central Indiana a major disaster area.

National Guard Bureau officials reported that a variety of Guard equipment was being used to assist emergency responders in Indiana and its affected communities, including 35 5-ton trucks, 37 Humvees, five UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, 26 potable water trailers, 17 light-medium tactile vehicles, and five buses. Still other special equipment and personnel include members of the West Virginia National Guard's 53rd Civil Support Team, as well as an RC-26B Metroliner reconnaissance aircraft.

"We are here for the citizens of Indiana," said Army Capt. Andy Weaver in an Indiana National Guard news report. Weaver and other Guard members helped evacuate at least 256 patients from a flooded hospital June 8 in Columbus. "Even though some of our soldiers have been affected by the flooding, they are here helping out the community. This is where they feel they should be," he added.

Indiana Guard members also were delivering Red Cross supplies, equipment and personnel to the town of Worthington. They delivered 7,200 gallons of water to the Shelby County Emergency Management Agency and provided self-contained shower units to the town of Hope in Bartholomew County.

In Iowa, Guard officials reported many lakes, rivers and streams were at near-record levels, flooding communities and forcing many Iowans out of their towns and homes. Gov. Chet Culver mobilized at least 640 Guard soldiers and airmen for state active duty to assist in the state's disaster response. The governor declared 40 counties as disaster areas.

The Guard members are partnering with federal, state, county and local officials in at least 11 counties and are providing generator support and emergency drinking water. Other Guard members are involved in sandbagging and transportation, as well as securing bridges.

A band of storms that moved across West Virginia on June 5 caused severe flooding that forced Gov. Joe Manchin to declare a state of emergency for at least 15 counties.

At least 97 West Virginia Guard members responded to affected areas with military dump trucks, Humvees, water supplies, backhoes and other equipment to assist residents and local responders as river levels climbed. The Guard members were removing debris with their equipment in at least five counties.

The Wisconsin National Guard mobilized at least 80 soldiers and airmen. The soldiers were providing potable water and sandbags to flooded counties. Officials reported that soldiers of 2nd Brigade were tasked to deliver 20,000 sandbags to Dodge County and the village of Mukwonago. Guard soldiers from 147th Aviation were assisting in aerial damage-assessment missions for military and state leaders. The other states flew similar aerial assessment missions for their leaders.

Army Spc. Cassandra Groce from the Kentucky National Guard reported today that an RC-26B from 186th Air Refueling Wing in Meridian, Miss., arrived in Wisconsin yesterday to fly over dozens of affected areas in the state to provide live video. A similar Guard aircraft from West Virginia flew missions over flooded areas of Indiana.

The capability allows engineers on the ground to plan reconstruction of damaged infrastructure and was employed after Hurricane Katrina. It was tested during last year’s Guard response to the California wildfires and is now being used for the first time in the flooded states, Groce reported.

Army Master Sgt. Paul Gorman from the Wisconsin Guard reported yesterday that 924th Engineer Detachment dispatched engineer elements to team up with civilian engineers at key damage sites in three heavily affected counties. A Wisconsin Guard UH-60 Black Hawk from 147th Aviation Battalion also provided aerial assessment, Gorman reported.

In addition, 54th Civil Support Team brought communication, liaison and combat-lifesaver capabilities to support the ground-based engineer element in western Vernon County.

(Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith serves with the National Guard Bureau.)

Indiana Guard Responds to Regional Flooding
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Jennings
Special to American Forces Press Service

TERRE HAUTE, Ind., June 9, 2008 – As members of the Air National Guard's 181st Intelligence Wing and the Army National Guard's 519th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion made their way toward Hulman Field here, they had an idea what their mission was going to be during June's drill weekend.

More than six inches of rain dumped into the Wabash Valley on the evening of June 6 and well into the morning of June 7, stranding motorists and pouring storm water into local residents' homes.

When the call for assistance came in, the Guard was ready to begin sandbag operations.

"There were several soldiers and airmen who made it in only to find out their homes were being flooded," said Air Force Maj. Jim Jensen, public affairs officer for 181st Intelligence Wing. "This is a disaster that is affecting us all, but we have a mission to support. Some stayed here to continue filling sand bags for others while their own homes were flooding. That says a lot about Indiana Guardsmen and how much they care about the community."

As of yesterday, more than 900 soldiers and airmen from across the state had been activated to fight the floods in southern Indiana.

When the governor of Indiana declared a state of emergency, drill weekend became a constant effort to lend a hand to a community in need. Sand bag operations began on base as local television crews were reporting the extent of the damage. Reports of families’ and friends' homes being flooded trickled in throughout the morning.

Less than a mile from the base entrance, State Road 42 had collapsed under the weight of rushing flood waters. Airmen and soldiers on base could not see the devastation, but reports from other sources became enough to motivate them throughout the night.

"We filled more than 12,000 sand bags in 24 hours," said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Anne Rice, who was leading the bagging efforts on base. "Even though many have been here throughout the night, our attitudes have been very positive. It's good to see the camaraderie within. We've got them ready to go wherever they are needed."

The two units, along with 138th Quartermaster Company of Brazil, Ind., offered support in the late evening of June 7, as they placed sand bags in low-lying areas surrounding Terre Haute Regional Hospital.

Thompson ditch in Terre Haute was overflowing in front of the hospital as the flood waters rushed into Rea Park and surrounding areas. Across the street, more than 50 Air and Army Guard personnel focused their attention on the main utility facilities supporting the hospital.

"We provided sand bags around their operational and back-up facilities," said Army Lt. Col. Kevin Vedder, commander of 519th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. "This was a successful joint operation, and everyone has been positive and motivated."

The Indiana Guard has sand bag machines prepositioned in Vincennes, Linton, Elnora and Terre Haute. About 200 soldiers from 38th Infantry Division have been moved to Elnora to assist with sandbagging operations.

Soldiers and airmen of the Indiana National Guard also opened armories in Martinsville, Greencastle, Brazil, Terre Haute, Bloomington and Danville to support local responders in their operations over the weekend.

"This is a situation where a community is in need of our support," Jensen said. "We are the Guard. Air and Army, it is our duty to support the needs of state agencies and provide our assets to the relief effort in any way we can."

Indiana National Guardsmen are providing drinking water in Hope, Saint Bernice, Paragon, Nineveh, Hymara and Columbus, Ind., and search-and-rescue and security operations in Bartholomew County. Guardsmen worked with local and state agencies to assist in the evacuation of more than 100 patients from the Columbus Regional Hospital.

Yesterday, a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter from the Indiana Army National Guard assisted the American Red Cross with the delivery of food to Worthington, Ind., a city that has been cut off by flood waters.

"We will continue to work to support our citizens in their time of need," said Army Brig. Gen. Margaret Washburn, of the Indiana National Guard. "Our soldiers and airmen will work tirelessly to support our local responders and communities throughout the flooding in southern Indiana."

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Jennings serves in the 181st Intelligence Wing Public Affairs Office.)

NYTimes.com

June 6, 2008 

2 Leaders Ousted From Air Force in Atomic Errors

By THOM SHANKER

WASHINGTON — The Air Force’s senior civilian official and its highest-ranking general were ousted by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates on Thursday after an inquiry into the mishandling of nuclear weapons and components found systemic problems in the Air Force.

The Air Force secretary, Michael W. Wynne, and the service’s chief of staff, Gen. T. Michael Moseley, were forced to resign after the inquiry found that the latest in a series of incidents reflected “a pattern of poor performance” in securing sensitive military components, Mr. Gates said at a Pentagon briefing.

So deep and serious are the problems, Mr. Gates said, that he has asked a former secretary of defense and of energy, James R. Schlesinger, to head “a senior-level task force” to recommend improvements in the safekeeping of nuclear weapons, delivery vehicles and other sensitive items.

In office 18 months, Mr. Gates has made accountability a central theme, firing senior Army officials after disclosures of shoddy conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and pushing into retirement other generals closely associated with a faltering strategy in Iraq.

But never before has a defense secretary simultaneously ousted a service secretary and a service chief. Mr. Gates said he had taken the action because the investigation identified “a lack of effective Air Force leadership oversight” and found that “the Air Force has not been sufficiently critical of its past performance.”

“Mistakes are not acceptable when shipping and controlling sensitive, classified parts” of the United States’ nuclear arsenal, Mr. Gates said. “Our policy is clear. We will ensure the complete physical control of nuclear weapons, and we will properly handle the associated components at all times. It is a tremendous responsibility, and one we must not, and will never, take lightly.”

Mr. Wynne’s only comment was a statement issued Thursday, in which he said, “Recent events convince me that it is now time for a new leader to take the stick and for me to move on.”

The inquiry involving the Air Force was an effort to determine how four high-tech electrical nose cone fuses for Minuteman nuclear warheads were sent to Taiwan in place of helicopter batteries. The mistake was discovered in March — a year and a half after the mistaken shipment.

Mr. Gates made clear that most troubling was that the inquiry showed how little the Air Force had done to improve the security of the nuclear weapons infrastructure even after it was disclosed last year that a B-52 bomber had flown across the United States without anyone’s realizing that it was carrying six armed nuclear cruise missiles.

Mr. Gates, whose military service includes a year as an intelligence officer within the Air Force’s nuclear program, emphasized that neither incident posed a danger of a nuclear mishap.

Nevertheless, he said, the inquiry made it clear that the Air Force had suffered for years from a loss of expertise in handling nuclear materials. He acknowledged that the Air Force had taken steps to improve the situation, but he said that more must be done to fix “structural, procedural and cultural problems.”

Mr. Gates, 64, served as deputy national security adviser and director of central intelligence under the first President George Bush. He has repeatedly said that he plans to retire from government service at the end of the Bush administration, but there has been speculation that he may be asked to stay on by either a President McCain or a President Obama after January, to help guide the Pentagon while the country is at war.

Pentagon officials said General Moseley, in his role as a member of the Joint Chiefs, met Thursday with Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman, who supported the decisions for both officials to retire.

The errors in handling nuclear weapons components constituted more than just an indication that the cold-war-era focus on these powerful weapons had become fuzzy. They have also put the Bush administration in a difficult position, as the United States is struggling to prevent nuclear technology from spreading to nations that do not have it and has criticized North Korea and Iran for their nuclear ambitions. American officials have even spoken strongly to Russia for not sufficiently safeguarding its stockpile.

After the incident with the nose cone fuses was discovered, Mr. Gates told the Air Force and Navy secretaries to conduct a comprehensive review and a physical site inventory of all nuclear and nuclear-associated material equipment across their respective programs. Adm. Kirkland H. Donald, director of Navy Nuclear Propulsion, led the investigation, and gave his report to Mr. Gates last week.

Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who heads the Senate Armed Services Committee, applauded Mr. Gates’s move.

“Secretary Gates’s focus on accountability is essential and had been absent from the office of the secretary of defense for too long,” Mr. Levin said in a statement. “The safety and security of America’s nuclear weapons must receive the highest priority, just as it must in other countries.”

Mr. Gates said his actions Thursday had been wholly driven by Admiral Donald’s inquiry, and were not related to other embarrassments that have plagued the Air Force over recent months.

Among the troubles has been an inquiry into contracts for the Air Force’s flying stunt team, the Thunderbirds, which found that a $50 million contract to promote the Thunderbirds had been tainted by improper influence and preferential treatment. No criminal conduct was found, but three officials were subjected to administrative penalties.

Mr. Gates has also expressed frustration about some Air Force actions on weapons procurement, budgets and execution of the mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, his aides said.

The Air Force has more than doubled the number of armed Predator and Reaper hunter-killer aircraft over Iraq and Afghanistan since early last year, but aides to Mr. Gates say he is still not satisfied with the number of surveillance aircraft in the war zone.

The ouster of the top Air Force officials is similar to Mr. Gates’s moves in March 2007 after disclosures of shoddy conditions at Walter Reed, when he forced Francis J. Harvey to resign as Army secretary, a day after a decision that the two-star general in charge of Walter Reed would be relieved of command.

Mr. Gates also decided last year not to recommend either the reappointment of Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs or that of Gen. John P. Abizaid as commander of American forces in the Middle East. Both men were closely associated with early military policy for Iraq.

David Stout contributed reporting.

NYTimes.com

June 3, 2008 

Medal of Honor Is Awarded to Soldier Who Saved Others

By AUSTIN BOGUES

WASHINGTON — President Bush awarded the military’s highest honor posthumously on Monday to a 19-year-old soldier who was killed in Iraq after falling on a grenade to save his fellow soldiers.

At a White House ceremony, the president presented the award to Romayne and Thomas McGinnis, the parents of the soldier, Pfc. Ross A. McGinnis of the Army.

Private McGinnis, of Knox, Pa., was killed in a Baghdad neighborhood on Dec. 4, 2006, when a grenade was thrown into the gunner’s hatch of the Humvee in which he was riding. Mr. Bush noted that Private McGinnis had enough time to jump out and save himself but instead dropped into the hatch and covered the grenade with his own body, absorbing the fragments. He was killed instantly. All four of his fellow soldiers were saved.

“When Ross McGinnis was in kindergarten,” Mr. Bush said, “the teacher asked him to draw a picture of what he wanted to be when he grew up. He drew a soldier. Four men are alive because this soldier embodied our Army values and gave his life.”

Also in attendance at the ceremony were Vice President Dick Cheney and other military officials. Private McGinnis was posthumously promoted to specialist. He also received the Bronze Star and Silver Star. On Tuesday, Private McGinnis will be inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes. A newly engraved headstone will be unveiled in a ceremony on Wednesday at Arlington National Cemetery.

Mr. Bush said that Private McGinnis was known for being a regular guy who enjoyed basketball and working on cars, and especially for his sense of humor. “In high school and in the Army, Ross became known for his ability to do impersonations,” Mr. Bush said. “A buddy from boot camp said that Ross was the only man there who could make the drill sergeant laugh.”

In April, Mr. Bush awarded the Medal of Honor to Petty Officer Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, 25, a Navy Seal who was killed similarly in 2006 by a grenade. Petty Officer Monsoor threw himself on top of a grenade to save others who were with him.

According to the Army’s Web site, the Medal of Honor was first authorized in 1861 for sailors and marines and the next year for soldiers as well. Nearly 3,500 have been awarded.

May 26, 2008

Military Chief Warns Troops About Politics

By THOM SHANKER, NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written an unusual open letter to all those in uniform, warning them to stay out of politics as the nation approaches a presidential election in which the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be a central, and certainly divisive, issue.

“The U.S. military must remain apolitical at all times and in all ways,” wrote the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, the nation’s highest-ranking officer. “It is and must always be a neutral instrument of the state, no matter which party holds sway.”

Admiral Mullen’s essay appears in the coming issue of Joint Force Quarterly, an official military journal that is distributed widely among the officer corps.

The essay is the first Admiral Mullen has written for the journal as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and veteran officers said they could not remember when a similar “all-hands” letter had been issued to remind military personnel to remain outside, if not above, contentious political debate.

The essay can be seen as a reflection of the deep concern among senior officers that the military, which is paying the highest price in carrying out national security policy, may be drawn into politicking this year.

The war in Iraq has already exceeded the length of World War II and is the nation’s longest conflict fought with an all-volunteer military since the Revolutionary War.

In particular, members of the Joint Chiefs have expressed worries this election year about the influence of retired officers who advise political campaigns, who have publicly called for a change in policy or who serve as television commentators on the war.

Among the most outspoken were those who joined the so-called generals’ revolt in 2006 demanding the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, as well as former officers who have written books attacking the Bush administration’s planning for and execution of the war in Iraq.

While retired officers have full rights to political activism, their colleagues still in uniform fear its effect on those trying to carry out the mission, especially more junior officers and enlisted personnel. Active-duty military personnel are prohibited from taking part in partisan politics.

“As the nation prepares to elect a new president,” Admiral Mullen wrote, “we would all do well to remember the promises we made: to obey civilian authority, to support and defend the Constitution and to do our duty at all times.”

“Keeping our politics private is a good first step,” he added. “The only things we should be wearing on our sleeves are our military insignia.”

Admiral Mullen said he was inspired to write the essay after receiving a constant stream of legitimate, if troubling, questions while visiting military personnel around the world. He said their questions included, “What if a Democrat wins?” and, “What will that do to the mission in Iraq?” and, “Do you think it’s better for one party or another to have the White House?”

“I am not suggesting that military professionals abandon all personal opinions about modern social or political issues,” Admiral Mullen wrote. “What I am suggesting — indeed, what the nation expects — is that military personnel will, in the execution of the mission assigned to them, put aside their partisan leanings. Political opinions have no place in cockpit or camp or conference room.”

He noted that “part of the deal we made when we joined up was to willingly subordinate our individual interests to the greater good of protecting vital national interests.”

Petraeus hints at Iraq force cuts

By Aamer Madhani

Washington Bureau

May 23, 2008

WASHINGTON — Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday that he expects to recommend a further reduction in U.S. troop levels in Iraq this fall, before American voters elect the next commander in chief.

The general's projection of a further cutback in American forces comes a little more than a month after he told Congress that he was recommending to the president a 45-day "pause" in July before U.S. officials review once again whether there should be an additional drawdown.

The Pentagon is in the midst of scaling back the number of troops that were deployed as part of last year's "surge." The reductions are to be completed this summer.

Petraeus and other military commanders had previously cautioned against reducing troops too quickly out of concern that it could lead to a deterioration in the improved, albeit fragile, security situation in Iraq.

But in comments before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Petraeus said he hopes to recommend a further troop reduction before his expected promotion in September to become the top U.S. commander in the Middle East.

"My sense is I will be able to make a recommendation at that time for further reductions," Petraeus told the Senate panel, which is considering the four-star general's appointment as the new Central Command chief. "I don't want to imply that that means a BCT [brigade combat team] or major combat formation, although it could. But I do believe that there will be certain assets that, as we are already looking at the picture right now, we'll be able to recommend can be either redeployed or not deployed to the theater in the fall."

Expects vote delay

Petraeus also said he did not expect Iraqi provincial elections to be held in October as scheduled, but that they could take place a month later.

White House officials have touted the elections as a crucial step toward political reconciliation between Iraq's majority Shiites and its Sunnis, who mostly sat out national elections in 2005.

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), who took a break from the presidential campaign trail, asked Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who is in line to succeed Petraeus as the commander of the U.S.-led Multi-National Force in Iraq, whether he expects a need for more troops in the lead-up to Iraq's provincial elections. The U.S. boosted troop levels ahead of the 2005 voting.

But Odierno said he didn't think it was likely more troops would be needed.

"Senator, I will never say never, but my assessment now is with the progress we're making, the progress we're seeing in the Iraqi security forces and what I'm seeing is the security environment on the ground…. I do not believe we will need an increase," Odierno said.

In the new job, Petraeus would be charged with overseeing the wars in Iraq and part of Afghanistan as well as developments in 25 other nations that fall under the purview of Central Command. The region includes such hot spots as Lebanon, Iran and Pakistan.

A warm reception

After Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Petraeus' nomination last month, Democrats said the general would face tough questions at his Senate confirmation hearing about how the administration's Iraq policy—to which he is closely tied—is preventing the U.S. military from placing more troops and greater focus on Afghanistan.

But both Petraeus and Odierno, whose nomination also must be confirmed by the Armed Services Committee, were showered with praise by the senators for their continued commitment to the U.S. military. Petraeus has spent about four years in Iraq since the start of the war, and Odierno has served more than 30 months in Iraq.

"Regardless of one's view of the wisdom of the policy that took us to Iraq in the first place and has kept us there over five years, we owe Gen. Petraeus and Gen. Odierno a debt of gratitude for the commitment, determination and strength that they brought to their areas of responsibility," said Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee. "And regardless how long the administration may choose to remain engaged in the strife in that country, our troops are better off with the leadership these two distinguished soldiers provide."

Petraeus told the panel, if confirmed, that one of his first trips would be to Pakistan, where U.S. officials say Al Qaeda fighters are regrouping along the Afghan border.

Guard Answers Calls in Weather-Battered States

By Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2008 – National Guard members in four states were called out by their governors to assist civil authorities today after tornadoes crossed the southwestern United States on May 10 and flooding on the Delaware coast left communities in need of emergency assistance.

Since May 7, the National Weather Service has confirmed at least 42 tornadoes in the southern plains and the southeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the nation, with the strongest tornado recorded May 10 as an F-4. It developed from a super-cell storm that tracked through three states.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina were affected by severe weather during the weekend, with at least 22 confirmed deaths, many homes destroyed and thousands of people without power. The Guard also is responding to flooded areas in Delaware after heavy rains on Mother’s Day.

In Oklahoma, Gov. Brad Henry called out the National Guard to assist emergency responders after five confirmed tornadoes touched down in the state. At least 25 Army Guard members are providing security support in the town of Picher after an F-4 tornado churned up a 63-mile swath of damage from Oklahoma to Missouri.

Soldiers reportedly are assisting local law enforcement in securing the area, which includes routes in and out of the town four miles south of the state's border with Kansas. An Army Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew is flying aerial assessment missions for the governor.

In Arkansas, where at least two tornadoes touched down and tracked through the central part of the state the evening of May 10, homes were destroyed in the town of Stuttgart.

"We've deployed 50 Guardsmen from the Guard's 875th Engineer Battalion," said Air Force Maj. Keith Moore, a National Guard spokesman. Moore said the soldiers traveled from their station in Jonesboro and are providing security support at traffic control points and conducting patrols to prevent looting.

The soldiers are working two shifts during an around-the-clock operation and are expected to be on station through May 14. The Army Guard is flying Gov. Michael Beebe and emergency management agency personnel on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out of Camp Robinson to assess damaged areas.

"This is one of the key roles of the Guard, being a dual-mission force, that we are here to support our local communities [and] respond to the governor," Moore said.

After severe storms and tornadoes swept through southwestern Missouri, nearly 20 Army Guard soldiers deployed on state active duty to support Gov. Matt Blunt in his emergency response efforts for the towns of Newtonia and Grany. The soldiers are assisting local law enforcement agencies with security. Eight soldiers and two military vehicles deployed to each town.

In Delaware, tidal flooding and heavy rains led to Guard members deploying in six light medium tactical vehicles and one 2.5-ton truck to assist in flood evacuations at South Bowers Beach, Kitts Hummock Beach, Woodland Beach and Slaughter Beach.

"The LMTVs can carry up to 15 people and have a high ground clearance, which allows them operate in up to 4 feet of water," said Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, Delaware National Guard spokesman. Gratteri said the state's Guard members are deployed from the 262nd Maintenance Company, the 261st Signal Brigade and the 72nd Troop Command.

The Delaware Guard is coordinating emergency assistance through the state's emergency management agency with its Joint Operations and Emergency Operations Centers. A shelter area is also set up in Kent County.

(Air Force Master Sgt. Mike R. Smith serves with the National Guard Bureau. Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill of the National Guard Bureau contributed to this report.)

May 3, 2008

Pentagon Considers Adding Forces in Afghanistan

By STEVEN LEE MYERS and THOM SHANKER

NYTimes.com

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is considering sending as many as 7,000 more American troops to Afghanistan next year to make up for a shortfall in contributions from NATO allies, senior Bush administration officials said.

They said the step would push the number of American forces there to roughly 40,000, the highest level since the war began more than six years ago, and would require at least a modest reduction in troops from Iraq.

The planning began in recent weeks, reflecting a growing resignation to the fact that NATO is unable or unwilling to contribute more troops despite public pledges of an intensified effort in Afghanistan from the presidents and prime ministers who attended an alliance summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania, last month.

The shortfalls in troop commitments have cast doubt on claims by President Bush and his aides that NATO was stepping up to provide more help in Afghanistan, where the government of President Hamid Karzai faces a resurgent threat from the Taliban and remnants of Al Qaeda.

The increasing proportion of United States troops, from about half to about two-thirds of the foreign troops in Afghanistan, would be likely to result in what one senior administration official described as “the re-Americanization” of the war.

“There are simply going to be more American forces than we’ve ever had there,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing future military planning.

A dozen NATO countries have pledged a total of about 2,000 troops, according to senior NATO officials, who provided the information on condition of anonymity according to standard diplomatic rules. Senior alliance commanders in Afghanistan have said they need about 10,000 more troops.

Only one country so far has actually begun preparing more troops to deploy: France, which is sending 700 to Afghanistan, NATO officials said.

Few of the additional troops are expected to arrive any time soon, the officials added.

Officials stressed that no formal new American deployment plans for Afghanistan had been presented to the Pentagon or the White House, and that the decision could be left to the next president, though they would not rule out the prospect that Mr. Bush would order a troop increase.

Mr. Bush has long faced criticism that the Iraq war distracted the country from confronting the Qaeda threat in Afghanistan, and Democrats as well as Republicans have expressed general support for shifting more attention to Afghanistan.

There are about 62,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan, about 34,000 of them American, up from just 25,000 American troops in 2005. The American troops are divided into a force of 16,000 who operate under NATO command and 18,000 who conduct counterterrorism and other missions under American command outside the NATO structure, according to Pentagon statistics. The initial planning under way would send about two additional brigades of American forces, or about 7,000 troops, to Afghanistan next year. That would meet two-thirds of what commanders have portrayed in recent months as a shortfall of three brigades, or about 10,000 troops, including combat forces, trainers, intelligence officers and crews for added helicopters and troop carriers.

Bush administration officials initially argued that NATO should fill that void, because the American military was overextended in Iraq. And publicly, the administration has remained mostly supportive of the alliance effort, with the national security adviser, Stephen J. Hadley, declaring at the NATO meeting last month that in addressing the problems in Afghanistan, “NATO’s answer today is help is on the way.”

The weeks leading up to the meeting included intense lobbying to increase troop commitments and lift some restrictions on how national troops operate and where. Over a private dinner in Bucharest, Mr. Bush and other leaders listened to their counterparts make their pledges. Only France announced its pledge publicly.

According to an accounting of the pledges compiled by NATO officials at the end of the meeting, Georgia, whose application for a fast track to membership was rebuffed, pledged 500 troops. Poland pledged 400 in addition to the 1,000 there now to operate and maintain eight helicopters. The Czech Republic pledged 120 special operations soldiers.

Italy, Romania and Greece made promises for military or police training teams. Azerbaijan, not a member of NATO, offered to more than double its current force, adding 45 troops. New Zealand offered “a modest increase” to support a civil provincial reconstruction team. Two other nations promised to consider contributions but asked NATO leaders not to disclose their pledges because of their domestic political situations.

The results of the NATO session disappointed commanders in Afghanistan. A NATO military spokesman issued a diplomatically worded statement this week. “In the run-up to and during the Bucharest meeting, nations added extra contributions,” the statement from Kabul said. “However, shortfalls still exist.”

Julianne Smith, director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan policy institute, said the meeting did not live up to the expectations or the public celebration during the session.

“If you look at what the NATO commanders got, it’s hard to see the silver lining,” she said.

As with previous shortfalls in NATO commitments, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates could be prompted to fill the void, perhaps deploying other American forces to replace the 3,200 marines who arrived in recent weeks in what was described as a one-time, seven-month stop-gap deployment.

Mr. Gates did say publicly last month that the United States was prepared to commit additional forces to Afghanistan in 2009, but he put no number on the anticipated American troop increase.

A senior Pentagon official said Mr. Gates made the announcement after consulting with Mr. Bush, arguing for a public statement that would prove to NATO allies that the United States remained wholly committed to the Afghan mission despite strains of the war in Iraq.

Senior officials said the 7,000 troops were about the most the American military could add to Afghanistan in 2009.

After the offensive to rout Al Qaeda and its Taliban sponsors in Afghanistan following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, American forces steadily rose to about 5,000 by March of 2002, according to government statistics. American deployments increased to 16,000 by March of 2003, and then dropped for a year during the initial phase of combat in Iraq. The American commitment to Afghanistan rose again, to about 25,000, in 2005.

Officials said preliminary discussions were under way within the Pentagon as to whether, and how, the command structure in Afghanistan might be altered to fit the new reality of a greater American presence. But officials stressed that these talks were also in their initial stages.

Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington who recently toured Afghanistan, complained that NATO’s commitment was “still not what it should be.” But he praised the deployment of the 3,200 marines, who have been operating in volatile areas near Kandahar. “That is potentially a game changer,” he said in an interview.

Mr. Bush, at a Rose Garden news conference this week, appeared to be laying the groundwork for a long-term mission in Afghanistan.

“I wish we had completely eliminated the radicals who kill innocent people to achieve objectives, but that hasn’t happened yet,” he said Tuesday. “And so I think it’s very much in our interests to continue helping the young democracy. And we will.”

We are pleased to announce the publication of a Homeland Security Affairs, presenting conference proceedings and working papers from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS) 2008 Alumni Conference. Included in this supplement are:

• "Proceedings of the 2008 Center for Homeland Defense and Security Annual Conference,"
  Donald J. Reed, Charles S. Eaneff Jr., and Cynthia A. Cox 

• "The Domestic Intelligence Gap: Progress Since 9/11?,"
  James Burch  

• "State and Local Fusion Centers: Emerging Trends and Issues,"
  Kevin D. Eack  

• "The Functional Desks as Collaborative Mechanisms in the Michigan Intelligence Operations Center,"
  Michael C. McDaniel, Emad (Al) Shenouda, and M. John Bustria  

• "Securing the United States-Mexican Border, an Ongoing Dilemma,"
  Karina J. Ordonez  

• "Caribbean Maritime Migration,"
  Robert B. Watts  

• "The Relationship between the Private Sector and Fusion Centers: Potential Causes for Concern and Realities,"
  Siobhan O’Neil  

• "Integrating Virtual Public-Private Partnerships into Local Law Enforcement for Enhanced Intelligence-Led Policing,"
  Matthew J. Simeone, Jr

This publication is the second in a series of Homeland Security Affairs supplements sharing discussions and research-in-progress from homeland security conferences.

The Editors of Homeland Security Affairs

NYTimes.com

April 24, 2008 

Petraeus to Be Nominated to Lead Central Command

By DAVID STOUT

WASHINGTON — Gen. David H. Petraeus, who has commanded United States troops in Iraq for the past year, will be nominated to head the United States Central Command, which oversees military operations across a wide swath of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced Wednesday.

Mr. Gates said that he and President Bush had settled on the four-star general for the post because he is best suited to oversee American operations, not just in Iraq but also in Afghanistan and other areas where the United States is engaged in “asymmetric” warfare, a euphemism for battling terrorists and non-uniformed combatants.

“I am absolutely convinced he is the best man for the job,” Mr. Gates said. General Petraeus is widely regarded as one of the American military’s leading experts on counterinsurgency.

General Petraeus issued a short statement through the American military command in Baghdad in which he said: "I am honored to be nominated for this position and to have an opportunity to continue to serve with America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, coast guardsmen and civilians."

The necessary paperwork to make General Petraeus’s new assignment a reality will be speeded to the White House, and from there to the Senate, where Mr. Gates said he was confident of quick confirmation, based on his recent conversations with leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The White House said it hoped the Senate would act by Memorial Day.

Significantly, Mr. Gates said, “I do not anticipate General Petraeus leaving Iraq before late summer or early fall.” The time until the general’s departure will promote “a good handoff,” the secretary said.

General Petraeus’s replacement as the top commander within Iraq will be his former deputy, Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno of the Army, Mr. Gates said.

General Odierno recently returned to the United States from a 15-month tour in Iraq and was in line to get a fourth star as Army vice chief of staff. He will get the fourth star, but as the new commander in Baghdad. Mr. Gates said the general was the logical choice to succeed his old boss because he is familiar to the officers and rank-and-file troops in Iraq and, not least, to the Iraqis.

“In most parts of the world, especially the Middle East, personal relationships make a big difference,” Mr. Gates said. He said Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli will now be nominated for Army vice chief of staff instead of General Odierno.

The announcement that General Petraeus, 55, will head the Central Command, and Mr. Gates’s emphasis on operations in Afghanistan as well as Iraq, reinforced the impression that Pentagon leaders expect the United States to have significant numbers of troops deployed in those two countries for some time to come.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader who has been a harsh critic of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy, said the next president will inherit the problems in Iraq and elsewhere. “Our ground forces’ readiness and the battles in Afghanistan and against al Qaeda in Pakistan have suffered as a result of the current costly Iraq strategy,” he said. “These challenges will require fresh, independent and creative thinking and, if directed to by a new President, a commitment to implementing major changes in strategy.”

It would not have been surprising if General Petraeus’s next assignment had turned out to be a military-diplomatic post in Europe, or a similar slot. The general has studied international relations as well as military strategy.

In January, Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, said that “trying to guess General Petraeus’s next assignment is the most popular parlor game in the Pentagon these days.” At the time, there was speculation that the general might be picked to head the NATO command — or that he might be due to run the Central Command, where he would be in a position to continue to influence events in Iraq while overseeing the military operation in Afghanistan and developing a strategy to deal with Iran.

That he was indeed tapped to run the Central Command instead indicated the importance the Pentagon places on the command and on America showing no sign of flagging in Iraq or Afghanistan

General Petraeus’s recent appearances on Capitol Hill, where he seemed to win the respect of lawmakers even as some of them voiced frustration over the Bush administration’s policies, also bolstered the impression that there will be no quick pullout from Iraq. The general said then that the situation in Iraq, while improving, was still “fragile,” and he discouraged any suggestion of a rapid reduction in troop strength.

Asked whether the general’s selection to head the Central Command was a signal that the Pentagon would “stay the course” in Iraq, a phrase that has often been turned against the administration by its critics, Mr. Gates said that General Petraeus’s time as the top man in Iraq had been a good one, and that “staying that course is not a bad idea.”

When he was asked whether General Petraeus’s promotion to the theater-wide post, coupled with the selection of his former deputy, General Odierno, to lead forces in Iraq, should be interpreted as a warning to Iran, which has often been accused of meddling with the affairs of its neighbor Iraq, Mr. Gates did not answer directly.

But he did not discourage the suggestion of a warning to Iran when he said, “What Iranians are doing is killing American servicemen inside Iraq.”

The previous Central Command chief, Adm. William J. Fallon, was ushered into retirement in March after rankling the Bush administration with public comments that seemed to suggest an emphasis on diplomacy over confrontation in dealing with Iran.

Though the Central Command was created in 1983 to cover the “central” part of the globe between the European and Pacific Commands, according its Web site, its main headquarters is located not in its theater of operations, but rather in Tampa, Fla., at least in part because of the political sensitivity of basing it in the Mideast.

Stephen Farrell contributed reporting from Baghdad.

Pentagon chief: Air Force needs to embrace change

By Robert Burns, Associated Press  |  April 22, 2008

WASHINGTON - In unusually blunt terms, Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday challenged the Air Force, whose leaders are under fire on several fronts, to contribute more to immediate wartime needs and to promote new thinking.

Gates singled out the use of pilotless surveillance planes, in growing demand by commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan, as an example of how the Air Force and other services must act more aggressively.

Gates has been trying for months to get the Air Force to send more unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, such as the Predator drone that provides real-time surveillance video, to the battlefield. They are playing an increasing role in disrupting insurgent efforts to plant roadside bombs.

"Because people were stuck in old ways of doing business, it's been like pulling teeth," Gates said of his prodding. "While we've doubled this capability in recent months, it is still not good enough."

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said Gates's complaint about struggling to get more drone aircraft to the battlefield was aimed not only at the Air Force but at the military as a whole.

Gates made his remarks to a large group of officers at the Air Force's Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. Noting that they represent the future of Air Force leadership, he urged them to think innovatively and worry less about their careers than about adapting to a changing world.

He did not mention any of the controversies that have dogged the Air Force in recent months - most recently the disclosure that investigators had found that a $50 million contract to promote the Air Force's Thunderbirds aerial stunt team was tainted by improper influence and preferential treatment.

The inquiry found no criminal conduct but laid out a trail of communications from Air Force leaders - including from its top officer, General Michael Moseley - that eventually influenced the 2005 contract award.

The bulk of Gates's remarks focused on suggested areas in which the Air Force can adapt to changing times. But while his comments were directed mainly at the Air Force, his concern about faster fielding of unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft included a broader appeal to the entire military. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps have been expanding their fleets of drone aircraft.

"We can do and we should do more to meet the needs of men and women fighting in the current conflicts while their outcome may still be in doubt," he said. "My concern is that our services are still not moving aggressively in wartime to provide resources needed now on the battlefield." 

The Columbus Dispatch

Russian bomber flights alarm NORAD

Tuesday,  March 11, 2008 6:27 AM

By Bruce Finley

The Denver Post

DENVER—Frequent flying by Russian strategic bombers near American airspace — drawing U.S. fighter jets — has military officials at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs on guard and angling for greater openness and cooperation.

While odds are low that these increasing Russian forays will cause a catastrophe, "there's more of a risk of something accidental happening," Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said yesterday after meeting in Colorado Springs with homeland defense commanders.

"We will clearly watch this evolution," Mullen said of the Russian flights — not detected in such numbers since the Cold War.

"We've got good military-to-military relations with the Russians. My sense is there's no strategic intent to threaten the United States."

To prevent problems, the Colorado-based North American Aerospace Defense and Northern commands this month initiated joint exercises with Russian counterparts in Colorado and in Alaska — a return to Cold War-era efforts to manage tensions.

Uniformed Russian officers participated in a tabletop drill testing how each side would respond to a simulated hijacking of a passenger airliner.

Russian "Bear" bombers led NORAD crews to scramble U.S. fighter jets 46 times last year, according to records provided by military officials.

This represents a sharp escalation after a handful of incidents in previous years. After the Cold War, the frequency of bomber and fighter-jet confrontations decreased as the U.S. and Russian governments focused on reducing their nuclear arsenals.

In one incident last month, a Russian Tu-142 bomber buzzed about 2,000 feet over the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier off Japan. U.S. fighters intercepted it south of the battleship.

In another, U.S. F-22s tracked two Russian Bear-H bombers lumbering over Alaska's Aleutian Islands on Nov. 22.

The Russian bombers "are not on any flight plan. They are not complying with the internationally accepted rules of operation. In the post-9/11 environment, it is difficult to have unidentified aircraft flying toward your airspace if you don't know who they are or what their plans are," Air Force Gen. Victor Renuart, commander of NORAD and Northern Command, said in an interview.

"There's a need to identify any unidentified aircraft approaching U.S. airspace."

NORAD leaders said Russia's bombers are not visibly armed but that they could be carrying weapons, including nuclear bombs.

The best bet to avoid miscalculations, U.S. officials said, would be for the Russians to file flight plans notifying the U.S. of training flights.

But Russian military officials have rejected this, Renuart said.

"The Russian approach today is that these are military-training flights in unmonitored airspace and that they are within their rights to fly without an international flight plan. While that is at a basic level correct, the potential risk to commercial aviation makes it tougher" to accept, Renuart said.

Virginia Wildfires Bring Out More Guard Responders
By Tech. Sgt. Mike R. Smith, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 11, 2008 – Fighting wildfires in Virginia became the newest mission for members of the National Guard, who were dealing with many domestic emergencies as the new week began.

More than 500 members of the National Guard were on weather-related duty in the South and West, as well as in Virginia, because of call-ups from governors in nine states for emergency assistance to communities hit by tornadoes, heavy snow and floods.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine declared a state of emergency yesterday when high winds fanned wildfires across the state. The Virginia Department of Forestry estimated that at least 200 fires had burned nearly 6,000 acres from Virginia Beach to Roanoke to Fairfax County.

Virginia Guard soldiers responded with two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters equipped with 2,000-gallon buckets to spread water over the flames. At least 110 soldiers reported to Fort Pickett, southwest of Richmond, for firefighting training today. They’re expected to help the Virginia Department of Forestry beginning tomorrow.

National Guard units in Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Indiana continued recovery operations in their communities through the weekend and into today, six days after thunderstorms and tornados crippled the states with power outages, destroyed infrastructure, homes and businesses and flooded multiple counties across Indiana.

In Kentucky, four Guard members continued to operate a mobile command post in Muhlenberg County, while 82 soldiers from the 307th Maintenance Company continued to support state and local law enforcement agencies at traffic control points.

At least 50 Arkansas Guard soldiers and airmen continued th