News Releases are official statements of the Department of Defense.en-USFri, 19 Mar 2010 13:53:50
The Defense Department is considering European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co.’s request for 90 days beyond the May 10 deadline to prepare its bid, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today.

The department is considering whether it will allow a “reasonable extension,” Whitman said, without specifying how long that might be. Extensions aren’t unusual for requests for proposals, Whitman said, and are considered on a case-by-case basis.

EADS indicated in a statement posted on its Web site today that other issues could affect its decision to compete against Boeing Co. for the Air Force KC-135 modernization program contract, estimated to be worth $35 billion.

Whitman reiterated an interest in the broadest competition possible. “The department remains committed to fair and open competition and welcomes proposals from all qualified offerers,” he said.
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All servicemembers and their families, whether stationed domestically or overseas, must be counted and attributed to their proper place of residence, Mary Dixon, director of the Defense Manpower Data Center, said in an interview with the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service.

“The important thing is making sure that the states and the federal government are allocating funds to those communities where our bases are located, so they can properly support our military members,” she said.

The constitution mandates that the government take a census of United States residents every 10 years. All residents, regardless of citizenship or legal status, are legally required to take part in the census.

Census information primarily is used to reapportion the number of seats allotted to each state in the House of Representatives. The government also draws on the data to distribute about $400 billion in aid for programs such as Medicaid. States use the records to determine how to allocate funds to cities and neighborhoods for critical projects such as infrastructure, hospitals and schools.

The Defense Department and the Census Bureau established a joint working group in 2004 to coordinate the process of counting military members and their families. All four military services and the Coast Guard are included. The Defense Manpower Data Center -- which collects, archives, and maintains manpower and personnel data -- represents the Defense Department in the committee.

“This group works together to figure out what that process is going to be, making sure we have all the designated points of contact, so that the census will run smoothly during the course of the census process,” Dixon said.

Defense officials said the department is on track to submit the count forms to the bureau ahead of the July deadline.

All servicemembers who receive a census form are required to fill it out and mail it back to the Census Bureau. The data of military members stationed overseas – who will not receive any forms – will be processed administratively. Servicemembers who live in group quarters will be required to fill out a “military census report” that will be distributed and collected by their installation’s service representative and submitted on their behalf to the bureau.

Servicemembers who are not U.S. citizens will be counted in the census. Servicemembers stationed overseas still are considered U.S. residents because they normally reside in the United States but are assigned abroad, Dixon said.

Because some servicemembers maintain more than one place of residence, the concern exists that some people will be counted twice, or not at all, Dixon acknowledged. But she added that she’s is confident that the Defense Department, which fine-tunes its process after each census, will accomplish the mission accurately and efficiently.

“There haven’t been any substantial differences in what we’re doing,” she said. “[And] I think we’ve been pretty successful in the past.”
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The Society of Human Resource Management, and its more than 260,000 members, formally made this pledge during the society’s Employment Law and Legislative Conference here, which hosted more than 650 human resources professionals.

Dennis McCarthy, assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs, joined the society’s president and CEO Lon O’Neil and board chairman Rob Van Cleave as they signed the statement.

“Thank you for the action of your leadership and organization,” McCarthy told the society’s representatives. “This is a great opportunity for [the Defense Department] to witness your commitment.”

The society’s partnership with the Defense Department will ensure human resources organizations throughout the nation continue to solicit support and take part in National Guard and Reserve programs, he added.

McCarthy stressed that today’s generation of citizen servicemembers may be the nation’s “next greatest generation.” He urged employers to look at hiring and retaining those servicemembers, calling them the best young Americans the nation has to offer.

“Thanking them for their service is very important,” he said, “but so, too, is to tap into their potential.”

Van Cleave agreed, calling the partnership mutually beneficial to the civilian work force and the military.

“If we look at the situation somewhat selfishly, these returning Guard and Reserve members represent a terrific talent pool,” he said. “They are skilled, mature individuals whose dedication and work ethic have been tested and proven.”

He praised citizen warriors for putting the nation’s needs ahead of their own. Americans owe the military a debt of gratitude for their selfless service and willingness to sacrifice, he said.

“They have given Uncle Sam a blank check to be used as needed, a check payable with anything, including their lives,” he said of U.S. military members. “We owe them our worry, and in gratitude, we pledge to support them as they support and protect us.”

The society is made up of more than 260,000 members in all 50 states. Along with hiring and ensuring pay, compensation and benefits for employed citizen servicemembers called to duty, local chapters in several states also have headed working groups to help military members find work.

Programs have been implemented, most recently in New Jersey and Indiana, to help military members and veterans prepare resumes and improve interviewing skills.

“It’s our expertise … [and] knowledge of organizational structures and business trends that can steer [citizen servicemembers] toward job opportunities,” Van Cleave said. “It’s our dedication that will drive development of policies and practices that support and encourage our organizations to participate in Guard and Reserve programs.”
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“The National Guard must remain a full-spectrum force, available to our governors to assist when disaster strikes and available to the president to execute his duties as commander in chief,” Air Force Gen. Craig R. McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said March 17 to the Advisory Panel on Department of Defense Capabilities for Support of Civil Authorities After Certain Incidents.

The Air National Guard has been at war for almost 20 years – since Operation Desert Storm and the no-fly zone enforcement that followed until the war in Iraq – while the Army National Guard has fought for almost a decade since the attacks of 9/11. The National Guard, McKinley said, has transformed in that time from a strategic reserve to an operational force.

“We have proven we can operate side by side with our active-component brothers and sisters on the battlefield,” McKinley said, “and, in doing so, have built a National Guard that is better-trained, better-equipped and better-led than at any other time.”

Throughout its 373-year history, the National Guard typically has been put back on the shelf following major conflicts, the general said. As a consequence, he noted, training fades, skills atrophy, equipment ages and readiness recedes. McKinley urged the congressionally mandated panel not to let that happen this time.

“The current threat environment does not allow us to accept this risk,” he said. “Our enemies can strike us here at home. We are unlikely to get advance warning.”

In the Cold War paradigm, the United States would dust off the Guard, re-equip it and devote months to pre-mobilization training, but times have changed, he said.

“We must be prepared, like the Minutemen of our heritage, to immediately make the transition from citizen to soldier or airman,” McKinley told the panel. “We must maintain the readiness we have built.”

The advisory panel is assessing how the Defense Department can support civil authorities for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives incidents in the homeland. It is chaired by retired Navy Adm. Steve Abbot, a former presidential assistant for homeland security and deputy commander of U.S. European Command.

Former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, who has served as associate U.S. attorney general and assistant treasury secretary, is the vice chairman. Also among the panel’s 13 members are five current or former Guard senior leaders.

To some people, the statutorily established panel, a new Council of Governors and enhancements to the National Guard “seem to reflect a sense to Congress that [the Defense Department] has not adequately planned for or provided resources to respond to catastrophic incidents,” McKinley said.

Not true, he told the panel.

“I want to challenge the assumption that [the Defense Department] is either complacent or takes this mission lightly,” he said. McKinley noted he is included in meetings with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other top-level discussions, and he meets regularly with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs and the secretary of defense. He is the first four-star general to serve as National Guard Bureau chief.

“I can attest that the department’s senior leaders take no issue more seriously than the safety of our citizens here at home,” he said.

The panelists are navigating a labyrinth that requires lessons in constitutional law; the relationships between local, state and federal authorities; the different statuses National Guard members serve under with their “dual-hatted” state and federal missions; and the interplay among institutions such as U.S. Northern Command, the National Guard Bureau, the Defense Department, state emergency managers, governors and other institutions and individuals.

The panel is will report its findings to the secretary of defense and the House and Senate armed services committees.
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Air Force Maj. Kim Campbell told the story of a close-air support mission she and her flight lead flew over Baghdad on April 7, 2003.

"We were originally tasked to target some Iraqi tanks and vehicles in the city that were acting as a command post,” she said, “but on the way to the target area we received a call from the ground [forward air controller], saying they were taking fire and needed immediate assistance."

The Thunderbolt II is a single-seat, jet-propelled, air-to-ground-support aircraft. Campbell was accompanied on her mission by another Thunderbolt jockeyed by the flight lead pilot, whose job is to get the aircraft to the target and then decide the appropriate tactics and weaponry to employ against the enemy.

Once over the target area, Campbell and her flight lead descended below the clouds to positively identify the friendly troops and the enemy's location.

"We could see the Iraqi troops firing [rocket propelled grenades] into our guys," she said. "It was definitely a high-threat situation, but within minutes my flight lead was employing his 30 mm Gatling gun on the enemy location."

The two-plane formation of A-10s then made several passes over the enemy location, employing 30 mm rounds and high-explosive rockets.

"Yes, there was risk involved, but these guys on the ground needed our help," Campbell said. "It's what any A-10 attack pilot would do in response to a troops-in-contact situation. That's our job -- to bring fire down on the enemy when our Army and Marine brothers and sisters request our assistance."

After her last rocket pass, Campbell was maneuvering off target when she felt and heard a large explosion at the back of the aircraft.

"There was no question in my mind," she said. "I knew I had been hit by enemy fire."

The jet rolled violently left and pointed at Baghdad, and it wasn't responding to Campbell's control inputs. This, she said, is when her flight training kicked in and she was able to react quickly.

After realizing both of her hydraulics systems were impaired, Campbell said, she had to put the jet into manual reversion, a system of cranks and cables that allow the pilot to fly the aircraft under mechanical control.

"It was my last chance to try and recover the aircraft or I would be riding a parachute down into central Baghdad," she said.

The jet responded and started climbing out and away from Baghdad.

The two aircraft maneuvered south to get out of the city. Anti-aircraft artillery fired at the jets from every direction.

"I couldn't do much to keep the jet moving, so I was hoping that the theory of 'big sky, little bullet' would work in my favor," she said. "Amazingly, we made it out of Baghdad and above the clouds with no further battle damage."

Due to the design of the A-10, Campbell said, she couldn't see the damage to her jet. Her flight lead flew closely beside her and performed an initial battle damage check. He told her she had hundreds of small holes in the fuselage and tail section on the right side, as well as a football-sized hole on the right horizontal stabilizer. Campbell said she then ran several emergency checklists and knew she had a decision to make.

"I could stay with the jet and try to land it or get to friendly territory and eject," she said.

With several positive factors on her side at that moment, such as the jet responding well and an experienced flight lead on her wing providing support, Campbell said, she was confident she could get the jet back safely to her base, nearly an hour away by flight.

As she approached the base, the crash recovery team was waiting for her, along with rescue helicopters in case she had to eject. She was able to safely land the jet and stop it, using the emergency procedure for alternate breaking.

"I was impressed," said Air Force Lt. Col. Mike Millen, chief of the 355th Fighter Wing Commander's Action Group here and an A-10 pilot. "Kim landed that jet with no hydraulics better than I land the A-10 every day with all systems operational." At the time of this incident, Millen was the chief of safety for the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.

After she landed, Campbell said, her jet became the center of attention, as everyone was eager to see the damage.

"Both of my crew chiefs did tremendous work on that jet, and it performed better than I ever could have expected," Campbell said. "We put an incredible amount of trust in these guys, and they do great work."

As part of her presentation, Campbell -- a 1997 Air Force Academy graduate -- showed photographs of the damage.

"I am incredibly thankful to those who designed and built the A-10, as well as the maintainers who did their part to make sure that jet could fly under any circumstances, even after extensive battle damage," she said.

The next day, Campbell said, she returned to flying, supporting a search-and-rescue mission for a downed A-10 pilot near Baghdad.

"I never really had time to think about the fact that I was going back to Baghdad, where just the day before I had escaped a possible shootdown," she said. "In my mind, the only thing that I could think about was that I had a job to do. I knew that the search-and-rescue alert crews were there for me the day before, and I was going to do the same for this pilot."

Campbell was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. A year-and-a-half later, she deployed again, this time in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. She has amassed 375 combat hours during her career.

"Major Campbell's story was nothing short of phenomenal," said Air Force 2nd Lt. Sandy Spoon, chief of force management operations for the 355th Force Support Squadron here. "It provided everyone, not just females, a small glimpse of the sheer awesomeness the A-10 provides at the warfront. Major Campbell also drove home the realization that everything we are able to do is because someone else has done his or her job right.

"From a female perspective, I found myself walking away from the presentation extremely empowered, not only from her words, but from her actions amidst extreme adversity," Spoon continued. "As a woman, I have always felt I needed to work that much harder to make my mark, and it makes me proud to know that if there was ever a mark to be made, Major Campbell is living proof."
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-- A combined Afghan-international force in the Panjwayee district of Kandahar province detained several suspected militants today for further questioning.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban facilitator last night south of Kandahar. He’s believed to be responsible for planning complex attacks, developing methods to conceal bomb-making materials and building vehicle bombs. The force also detained several other suspected insurgents.

-- In Khost province last night, an Afghan-international force in the province’s Khost district captured a Haqqani terrorist network subcommander accused of organizing suicide bombings, planting roadside bombs and attacking coalition forces. Two other suspected insurgents also were apprehended, and the assault force recovered a shotgun and an automatic rifle.

-- In Paktia province last night, a combined force killed one militant and wounded another in the Gardez district. The wounded militant received immediate medical assistance, and he was detained along with two others. A search team found automatic rifles, grenades and bomb-making materials.

-- In the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province last night, an International Security Assistance Force patrol found a weapons cache buried in a vacant compound. The cache contained five Russian-made hand grenades, six rocket-propelled grenades and various small-arms ammunition. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

-- Also in Nad-e Ali, another patrol found and destroyed 23 pressure-plate triggering devices for roadside bombs yesterday.

-- In Kandahar province yesterday, an Afghan police patrol found a grenade launcher with nine rounds, four assault rifles with hundreds of rounds, 10 pistols with more than 600 rounds, and three pistols with silencers. Three people were detained, and the cache was confiscated.

-- Afghan forces, assisted by international forces, safely located and destroyed three roadside bombs near Gazkul in Kandahar province and Khas in Oruzgan province this week. The three bombs were placed along routes commonly used by local people and by international forces for resupply. The bombs, all of which were reported by villagers to Afghan forces, were safely destroyed in place, with no injury to civilians or structures.

-- Afghan and ISAF forces conducted an operation March 17 in the Shindand district of Herat province, capturing a prominent Taliban leader and discovering a weapons cache. The cache contained five units of TNT, five 60 mm mortars, two heavy anti-aircraft artillery rounds, an explosive vest, four rocket-propelled grenades, an anti-tank mine, 11 hand grenades, two pressure-plate triggering devices, 31 fuses and more than 3,000 rounds of small-arms ammunition. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the cache.

Later, the commander of Task Force Center conducted a meeting with key representatives of the surrounding villages to involve local communities, show them the success of the operation, and build consensus against hostile elements.

No Afghan civilians were harmed in these operations, officials said.

(Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command news releases.)
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