A Navy boat launched from USS New Orleans Aug.

14 carries maritime raid force members of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit to a vessel the force's assault element later boarded during counter-piracy and counter-terrorism training miles from Southern California's San Clemente Island. Four days earlier the unit began its first sea-based exercise since becoming a complete Marine air ground task force in May. (Photo by LCpl Justin R. Stein)

August 16, 2011

Media Summaries:
International/National: President Obama on campaign tour in Midwest Despite increasing pressure Gadhafi continues to fight back Vice President Biden departs today for trip to Asia Early Bird (Marine Corps): Analysts continue to question where and how to make budget cuts Will the Corps drawdown sooner then expected Marine base a model of efficiency Daily Media Report: Marines praises service of black troops Budget cuts may gay troops return to duty

EARLY BIRD
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A daily concise compilation of current published news items and commentary concerning the most significant defense and defense-related national security issues. Available by 0530 hrs EST.

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EARLY BIRD (HIGHLIGHTS)

10 Ways To Fix The Budget
Washington Post Its true: Deficit reduction isnt an economic panacea. It wont instantly boost the economy or the stock market. It wont automatically end financial turmoil. But none of this means that we should ignore deficits. Allowing the governments debt to spiral upward tempts a full-blown future financial crisis. Entire Article

The Pentagon Puzzle: What To Cut First

New York Times Military spending has soared by 35 percent in the past decade and that is not even counting the more than $1 trillion spent on the Iraq and Afghan wars, which are budgeted separately. This years $537 billion basic Pentagon budget is $140 billion higher, in inflation-adjusted terms, than in 2001. Entire Article

A Smaller Corps Sooner? Budget pressure raises questions about drawdown plans
Marine Corps Times NEW ORLEANS -- The national budget crisis could force the Marine Corps to start cutting the force as soon as next fall, and below the 186,800-troop end strength top officers have pushed to maintain after the war in Afghanistan ends. Entire Article

Marine Base A Model Of Energy Efficiency

Federal Times Twentynine Palms, a Marine base deep in the Mojave Desert in California, is home to 27,000 military and civilian personnel and holds large-scale training exercises. With large power needs and limited infrastructure, the Marines built an electrical system -- powered in part by renewable energy -- that would continue to provide the base with power if the civilian electrical grid goes dark. Entire Article

DAILY MEDIA REPORT (HIGHLIGHTS)

Marine Corps Leader Praises Service of Black Troops

Diversity Inc "The Marine Corps is better today because of the legacy of service of African Americans," says Commandant Gen. James Amos. The Marine Corps is committed not only to honoring its first Black Marines with Congressional Gold Medals and by making their story a central part of Marine Corps training, but to doubling the ranks of Black Marine officers. Entire Article

Military presents EIS proposals

Kuam As part of the National Environmental Policy Act, the military is launching meetings with island leaders and the community about their proposals to expand training and exercise space in our region. Department of Defense officials say this effort is not part of the military buildup. Entire Article

Military Cuts May Halt Gay Troops' Return To Duty 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy Set To Be Lifted Next Month
10News.com (San Diego) The military's decision to reduce their troop numbers could prevent discharged gay troops from returning to duty. In a month, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy will go away, but the fear is mounting among former gay Marines and sailors in the San Diego area that they won't be getting back in. Entire Article

Coalition tries to build cadre of Afghan leaders

APby SOLOMON MOORE SIRAQULA, Afghanistan -- The local Afghan leader's community meeting was off to an unpromising start. Hours after the meeting, called a shura, was supposed to begin, only seven old men waited at the gate of U.S. Marine Patrol Base Salaam Bazaar in the northern part of Helmand province. Entire Article

EARLY BIRD
10 Ways To Fix The Budget
Washington Postby Robert J. Samuelson Its true: Deficit reduction isnt an economic panacea. It wont instantly boost the economy or the stock market. It wont automatically end financial turmoil. But none of this means that we should ignore deficits. Allowing the governments debt to spiral upward tempts a full-blown future financial crisis. The recent deal on the debt ceiling created a 12-member congressional supercommittee charged with finding $1.5 trillion of savings over a decade. This compares with some projections of cumulative deficits of $10 trillion or more through 2021. Let's engage in a fantasy. Suppose the committee doesn't deadlock and decides to find a bigger solution. What to do? Here's a 10-step program to fix America's budget problem. 1. Decide to balance the budget over a decade. Deficit reduction isnt good enough. The case for balance (albeit at full employment) is simple: discipline. If people want public services, they should be willing to pay for them.

2. Favor spending cuts over tax increases. Tax increases over the next 15 to 20 years could easily reach 25 to 50 percent to cover the costs of (a) the doubling of the 65-and-over population from 2000 to 2030, (b) spiraling health costs, and (c) the continuation of other programs at recent levels of national income. These staggering tax increases are too burdensome. They might hobble the economy and would be unfair to younger workers. 3. Cut Social Security, Medicare and other retiree programs. They represent half of non-interest federal spending. Exempting them would require gutting other programs or enacting huge tax increases. We live longer; eligibility ages should be higher. Wealthier retirees can afford steeper Medicare fees and lower Social Security checks. The Census Bureau classifies about 30 percent of the 65-plus population as high income (incomes at least four times the poverty line). In 2008, the median net worth of married elderly couples was $385,000. 4. Dont spare current retirees or baby boomers. People dont lose the capacity or moral obligation to change just by turning 65. They should bear some of the burden. 5. Evaluate defense needs independently and pay for them. National security is the governments first job. When Americas military is put in harms way, it should not become a victim of a rich nations cheapness. 6. Eliminate outdated, ineffective and wasteful programs. Across-the-board domestic spending cuts perpetuate bad programs and penalize the good. This ensures lousy government. Subsidies for farmers, public broadcasting and Amtrak, among others, should end. 7. Lower income tax rates by reducing tax breaks and make the system more progressive. The idea: Spur economic growth. There should be three rates 10 percent, 20 percent and 30 percent. Capital gains (profits on sales of stocks and other assets) should be taxed at ordinary income rates, not at todays top rate of 15 percent. This low rate is the biggest tax break for the rich; two-thirds of capital gains go to the wealthiest 1 percent. The overhaul should be revenue neutral; all money from ending tax breaks should go to lower rates. 8. Enact an energy or gasoline tax. Even with spending cuts, higher taxes will be needed to balance the budget. A 25-cent-a-gallon fuel tax would raise $291 billion over a decade, says the Congressional Budget Office. The actual tax might have to be $1 or more. But it would have an added benefit: curbing oil imports by spurring drivers to buy more fuel-efficient cars. 9. Control health costs. This is crucial, because health spending already represents 25 percent of federal outlays. Unfortunately, theres no consensus on how to do this. The committee should create a group of experts to prepare two plans: one favoring liberals approach of tougher regulations; the other reflecting conservatives preference for vouchers and tax credits. The report should be ready by late 2012 for the next president and Congress to debate and decide. 10. Make changes gradually. Its important to limit adverse effects on the economy and to win public acceptance. Increasing Social Securitys eligibility age to, say, 70 could occur over 25 years. A $1-agallon gas tax could be introduced over six years. Axed programs could be phased out over three years. Deficits reflect a gap between the benefits Americans expect and the taxes theyre willing to pay. Theres no way to close it painlessly. But we can distribute the pain in ways that seem fair and serve a common good. Once done, this could bolster confidence. Households and businesses would know what to expect. Now, its unclear whose spending will be cut and whose taxes raised. The longer we wait, the more disruptive changes will be. Despite this, weve repeatedly delayed. We now have another opportunity to break that pattern; sadly, the odds are that we wont. Back to Index

The Pentagon Puzzle: What To Cut First

New York Timesby David C. Unger and Carol Giacomo Military spending has soared by 35 percent in the past decade and that is not even counting the more than $1 trillion spent on the Iraq and Afghan wars, which are budgeted separately. This years $537 billion basic Pentagon budget is $140 billion higher, in inflation-adjusted terms, than in 2001. Pumping up those budgets was easy; slimming them back down will be a lot harder. Multiyear weapons contracts for tens of billions of dollars have been signed, tens of thousands of additional troops have been recruited for long-term operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and health care costs have escalated. Insufficient oversight of military contractors and the Pentagons weakness for excessive bells and whistles have raised costs on almost every major weapons system. Just finding the roughly $400 billion that President Obama and Congress have agreed to shave off projected spending over 10 years will require a lengthy review of budgets and strategies, even though that would only bring basic annual spending down to about the same level as in 2009. The first chart shows the growth of the basic budget, along with the costs of the two wars, which have been financed mainly through supplementary budgets. The second chart shows that the spending mix has also changed in the last 10 years. Were spending substantially more on personnel in salaries for troops and health care. Training, equipment maintenance and administrative support costs have risen 20 percent, adjusted for inflation, and spending on new weapons and research has gone up 30 percent. The cuts we propose here focus on containing personnel costs, which now account for almost half of nonwar-related spending; cutting back troubled weapons systems that the military can function without; and reducing maintenance and administrative costs. Health care alone is nearly 10 percent of the budget. Raising the Tricare premium for employed working-age military retirees by $50 per month could save $6 billion a year. Cutting the Pentagons civilian work force, now 749,000, by roughly 10 percent could save $7 billion a year. Significantly deeper savings would probably require scaling back military commitments, which have grown somewhat indiscriminately over the years, not always shaped by cost-benefit analyses or overall military strategy. There was little pressure in the past decade to decide what undertakings were truly essential when the White House and Congress gave the Pentagon almost everything it asked for. Unless policy makers engage in that debate, its unlikely future military spending growth can be kept in check. Where the Money Is... (All figures are for fiscal years, in billion of constant dollars) 2001: $397 billion Military construction/other (Facilities, housing): $13.2 billion Personnel: $113.8 billion Weapons spending and research: $130.9 billion Operations (Training, equipment maintenance, administrative support): $139.4 billion

2011: $537 billion Military construction/other (Facilities, housing): $18.2 billion Personnel: $171.3 billion Weapons spending and research: $178.6 billion Operations (Training, equipment maintenance, administrative support): $168.8 billion ...And Where to Cut 2021: Current Proj.: $571 billion 2021: With cuts: $523 billion Suggested annual cuts Personnel: $20 billion (Reduce Army to 520,000; smaller cuts to Navy and Air Force; reform pay and benefit formulas.) Weapons and research: $15 billion (Cut F-35 order to 1,000; end V-22 Osprey and Joint Tactical Radio system.) Operations: $13 billion (Cut Pentagon civilian jobs by 10 percent; retire old fighter planes and bombers.) Sources: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments; Congressional Budget Office Back to Index

EARLY BIRD (Marine Corps)

A Smaller Corps Sooner? Budget pressure raises questions about drawdown plans
Marine Corps Timesby Gina Cavallaro and Dan Lamothe NEW ORLEANS -- The national budget crisis could force the Marine Corps to start cutting the force as soon as next fall, and below the 186,800-troop end strength top officers have pushed to maintain after the war in Afghanistan ends. Commandant Gen. Jim Amos said the options must be considered as the federal government ponders widespread cuts to the defense budget to help the U.S. reduce its ballooning deficit. For months, the commandant has advocated a gradual drawdown of about 15,000 Marines from the services 202,000 active-duty end strength, but political and fiscal realities may require the Corps to cut deeper. There is pressure to go below the 186,800, I dont want to lie to you, Amos told Marine Corps Times on Aug. 10 during a two-day trip to Marine Corps Forces Reserve headquarters here and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. We just dont know what that is going to look like yet and we wont know for months.

Budget pressures ratcheted up after President Obama signed a deal Aug. 2 to reduce the U.S. governments estimated $1.5 trillion budget deficit. That deal, reached after weeks of haggling in Congress, likely means at least $350 billion in cuts to defense spending over the next decade, and potentially up to $1 trillion. Its not clear how much of that burden the Corps will be forced to shoulder, but the numbers could prime the service for considerable change. It depends on how much of the Corps $26 billion budget is slashed during the coming year, Amos said. Earlier this year, recently retired Defense Secretary Robert Gates blessed the Corps forcestructure review recommendations, Amos said. He did so on the condition that force reductions not begin until after U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan are complete, likely in 2014. That was before the deficit deal was reached, however. Amos could be pushed into a corner by budget decisions that will affect the entire military. Marine planners have developed a blueprint that lays out options for a force smaller than 186,800 Marines, and with the drawdown beginning as soon as fiscal 2013 which begins in October 2012 to meet fiscal requirements, Amos said. The commandant declined to say how small the service could eventually be, but sources at Marine Corps headquarters said planners have discussed cuts that could reduce the service by at least 25,000 Marines. That would leave the Corps with fewer than 180,000 troops on active duty. There were about 172,000 Marines on active duty at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and about 175,000 when the U.S. invaded Iraq in March 2003. What you should expect Regardless, Amos said the drawdown will be conducted in a way thats fair to Marines. Existing contracts will be honored, transition assistance will be beefed up and Marines will be encouraged to prepare for the future while still on active duty, Marine officials said. The first step of the drawdown may be a reduction of up to 2,500 recruits the Corps brings in during fiscal 2013, with additional cuts of other kinds in later years. The service will not slash 10,000 personnel in a year an unpopular move made in the early 1990s but it will reduce manpower by between 3,500 and 5,000 per year, Amos said. A combination of reducing re-enlistment options, shrinking annual recruiting accessions and limiting some careers to 20 years likely will be used. To determine a possible rate for the drawdown, Marine officials reviewed what its accession rates were as the Corps grew from 180,000 Marines to 202,100 between 2007 and 2009. They decided they could reduce end strength most easily four years after some of the largest recruiting classes came in, as tens of thousands of Marines reached the end of their contracts, Amos said. The Corps brought in 38,217 recruits in fiscal 2006, before the 202,000 push began. That number ballooned to 40,890 in 2007 and 42,226 in 2008. It then dropped to 37,114 in 2009 and 33,887 in 2010. Marines who entered in fiscal 2006 and most of 2007 have been up for re-enlistment, but those who joined in fiscal 2008 and 2009 havent reached the end of their contracts. Regardless what the final end strength is, Marines who want to stay in the Corps will need to stand out among their peers. Amos and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Mike Barrett, the Corps top enlisted adviser, have urged Marines to pursue excellence to ensure a chance to stay. Im not going to go around and say, Let Daddy give you a hug! Barrett said in an interview at his Pentagon office. Im not going to do that. What Im going to tell you is, Prepare yourself. If you want to stay in the Marine Corps, you can absolutely stay in the Marine Corps. But youre going to have to be the best. Youre going to have to bring your A-game every single day.

Barrett said that means pursuing top scores on the rifle range, the Physical Fitness Test, the Combat Fitness Test and in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. Going to the range and being happy that you qualified is bulls---, Barrett said. You better go to the range and go, How high of an expert am I going to shoot today? Not, Alright! Yay! I qualified! Thats JV nonsense. Where youll see cuts Recommendations made last year by the Corps Force Structure Review Group are expected to serve as the drawdowns framework. Outlined broadly in February, it calls for the estimated 15,000-troop reduction and elimination of several units. Its unclear how deeper cuts would be implemented if they are required. The force-structure recommendations call for one regimental headquarters to be cut, dropping the total to seven. The Corps also will cut its active-duty infantry battalions from 27 to 24, its artillery batteries from nine to seven and its armor companies from 10 to eight, Marine officials said. Three active and one reserve Marine wing support group headquarters also will be cut, with aviation logistics expertise kept within the Marine air wing staff. Command and control of the Marine wing support squadrons will instead fall under the Marine air group headquarters. Additionally, Marine logistics groups will be trimmed, with key pieces aligned with Marine expeditionary units and infantry regiments. By being a part of those units, logistics Marines will train with the operational units instead of assigned to them shortly ahead of a deployment. Marine officials in several commands also have disclosed expected troop reductions. For example, The Basic School at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., is planning to see its staff of more than 800 Marines reduced by 27 captains and 103 enlisted billets. The Corps also has started to build two new one-star Marine expeditionary brigade headquarters, with one falling under Marine Corps Forces Central Command, out of Tampa, Fla., and the other falling under Marine Corps Forces Africa Command, based in Germany. The manpower will be available for the MEB headquarters as the Corps flattens the command staff at Marine Corps Installations East and West. The two-star MCI commands manage bases, stations and regional strategies for the Corps, and will be streamlined as part of force restructuring. Details on the MCI cuts have not been disclosed. The Corps also recently adopted a significant change to its top-end service limits for sergeants, from 13 to 10 years. Marine will still be guaranteed at least one chance to go before a staff sergeant promotion board, even in the slowest promoting military occupational specialties. However, once a Marine is passed over twice or reaches 10 years of service without being promoted, he will be shown the door either at the end of his current contract or seven months after the release of promotion board results whichever offers more time. This change is partly a return to normal following rapid growth during the 202,000 push, Manpower officials said. The service limit for sergeants was 10 years from 1992 to 2001. However, senior leaders also said it is part of developing a new, more competitive environment that will make a drawdown less painful by moving top noncommissioned officers into zone for promotion faster than they otherwise would be, preventing stagnation. I would say its a combination of all things, Barrett said. I would say thats fair.

Back to Index

Marine Base A Model Of Energy Efficiency

Federal Timesby Andy Medici Twentynine Palms, a Marine base deep in the Mojave Desert in California, is home to 27,000 military and civilian personnel and holds large-scale training exercises. With large power needs and limited infrastructure, the Marines built an electrical system -- powered in part by renewable energy -- that would continue to provide the base with power if the civilian electrical grid goes dark. Among those renewable energy sources: *Three megawatts a year from solar panels. *500 kilowatts a year from a wind farm. *7.2 megawatts a year from a co-generation plant that recycles waste heat into usable energy. As the price of oil continues to fluctuate and leaders question the military's heavy reliance on civilian electrical grids -- domestic military bases currently draw 99 percent of their operating power from the civilian grid -- top military officials increasingly see Twentynine Palms as a beacon of the future. William Lynn, deputy secretary of Defense, said the "micro-grid" at Twentynine Palms, which combines a range of energy sources, is part of an effort to make military bases more self-reliant and less vulnerable to blackouts. "Micro-grids improve energy efficiency, make it easier to incorporate solar and wind power, and ensure power can be directed to facilities that need it most," Lynn said in an April speech. Other examples of military bases expanding their use of renewable energy: *Cape Cod Air Force Station, Mass.: Wind turbines will provide 75 percent of the base's power. *Fort Irwin, Calif.: The Army is building a 500-megawatt solar system that would eliminate the need for outside power. The Army would use up to 28 megawatts, while the remainder will be sold to pay for the project. *Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif.: The post is building a one-megawatt solar panel system above its parking lot. It will provide about 33 percent of the power needed to run the base. *Hill Air Force Base, Utah: The base generates 13,000 kilowatts of power a year from landfill gas. Tom Hicks, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy, said at a panel discussion in July that the service expects to have 100 megawatts of solar power, six megawatts of wind power and 270 megawatts of geothermal power by the end of next year. "Whether it's putting in solar blankets or thermal energy generators, it's enhancing capabilities," Hicks said.

Erin Conaton, Undersecretary of the Air Force, said there are 85 operational renewable energy projects on 43 Air Force bases. The Air Force is increasingly focused on the security of its power supplies and sees such projects as a way to add redundant energy sources separate from the civilian grid, Conaton said. Paul Stockton, assistant secretary of Defense for homeland defense, told lawmakers at a May hearing that many military bases, which support federal relief efforts during natural disasters, are vulnerable to power outages. "Extended commercial power disruptions at these military installations adversely affect power projection and homeland defense mission capability," he said in testimony. Stockton highlighted the Defense Department's efforts to expand on-site power generation and increase renewable energy sources as one way to mitigate that dependence. A new operational energy strategy released June 14 by the Defense Department calls for the department to "diversify its energy sources and protect access to energy supplies in order to have a more reliable and assured supply of energy for military missions." Back to Index

DAILY MEDIA REPORT

Marine Corps Leader Praises Service of Black Troops
Diversity Incby Joy Buchanan "The Marine Corps is better today because of the legacy of service of African Americans," says Commandant Gen. James Amos. The Marine Corps is committed not only to honoring its first Black Marines with Congressional Gold Medals and by making their story a central part of Marine Corps training, but to doubling the ranks of Black Marine officers. Amos made his remarks about honoring the first Black recruits at the Montford Point Marine Association's 46th Annual National Convention on July 30. He talked about increasing the number of Black Marine officers at the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA), a group of predominantly Black officers from the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, at the annual gathering in San Diego Aug. 2. Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida introduced the bill in the House, which seeks to grant the congressional gold medal to the Montford Point Marines. "These Montford Pointers, and the ones who have passed, are as equally important to the history of the Marine Corps as the Tuskegee Airmen are to the Air Force and the Buffalo Soldiers are to the Army," Amos said. First Black Marines President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 in 1941, prohibiting discrimination in defense jobs or government and opening all military branches to Blacks. From 1942 to 1949, 20,000 Black men trained at Montford Point to become Marines. It was a segregated camp the Black recruits had to build themselves on a part of Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Amos said the recruits were not allowed to become infantrymen or to serve in other mainstream military occupational specialties. Most worked in steward units serving meals to white officers. But Black Marines served nobly in several wars, Amos remarked. Montford Point Marines assigned to segregated ammunition and depot companies in World War II had to fight their way to the front to bring supplies. On their return, they carried wounded white Marines back for medical care. They fought in Saipan and Okinawa. "Their courage under fire began to erode the cruel and false generational stereotype within the Corps that Blacks could not, and would not, fight in the face of danger," Amos said. He cited several noted Black Marines in prepared remarks, including Lt. Gen. Frank Petersen, the first Black Marine aviator and the first Black general officer in the Corps; Maj. Gen. Gary Cooper, the first Black person to command an infantry unit in combat; Lt. Gen. Walt Gaskin, former commander of all Marine forces in Iraq and the first Black officer to command a Marine division and Frederick C. Branch, the first Black officer in the Marine Corps who also has a scholarship named for him. Besides the accolades being sought for the surviving members of Montford Point's first classes, Amos th pledged to add their history to training curriculum. At the 69 anniversary of the first recruits arriving at Montford Point in August, there will be several events where the surviving Montford Point Marines will be the guests of honor. The Marines will also create a documentary about the first Black Marines. Enlisting Blacks in the Corps The Marines have a long way to go. It was the last branch of the military to enlist Blacks and has never had a Black commandant or four-star general. Today, the Marine Corps is nearly 11 percent Black, but just 5.6 of Marine officers are Black. The Corps has 88 generals today, but only six are Black, or 6.8 percent. Amos' goal is to double the number of Black officers from 1,326 to about 2,860. He's made "minority officer recruiting" a top priority in the Corps recruiting efforts. To do so, Amos talked about broadening recruiting efforts beyond historically Black colleges and universities to Black neighborhoods and high schools, offering leadership courses for college students, hosting events celebrating cultural diversity, building stronger relationships with service organizations and increasing participation in Marine Corps mentoring programs. So far this year, according to Amos' presentation to the NNOA, the Corps is at 4.1 percent Black officer accession, on track for 5 percent by the end of the year. That rate would be the best accession rate for the Marines since 1995. The accession rate for Black officers in 2010 was 3.5 percent (or 60 of 1,703 total officer accessions). Active-Duty Officer Corps Black: 1,230, (5.6 percent of total) Total: 22,155 Active-Duty Enlisted Ranks Black: 19,176 (10.7 percent of total) Total: 178,295 In 2010, 3.5 percent of officer accessions were Black (60 out of 1,703). The Marine Corps is currently at 4.1 percent for 2011, striving for 5 percent, the best accession rate in six years. Back to Index

Military presents EIS proposals

Kuamby Nick Delgado As part of the National Environmental Policy Act, the military is launching meetings with island leaders and the community about their proposals to expand training and exercise space in our region. Department of Defense officials say this effort is not part of the military buildup. Three proposed actions requiring an environmental impact statement from Guam and the CNMI were discussed between lawmakers and officials with the Joint Region Marianas, Pacific Air Forces and Commander Pacific Fleet. Although uniformed personnel declined interviews, PACAF's Carol Gaudette says this is the preliminary stage, saying, "DOD intends to issue some notices of intent for a couple of different NEPA actions here in the future. We just want to go into the senators today and give them a heads up on what we have in the future plans." It's a heads-up that Speaker Judi Won Pat says they didn't get with the proposed military buildup, saying, "We had cautioned them don't make the same mistake that they did in the last time where they decided where they wanted to have it and then they developed the impact study they should do that for all the sites that they're considering." The first proposal is to develop and improve existing airfield infrastructure to use as an exercise location and divert location for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The second proposal is to conduct military training and testing activities within the Mariana Islands Training and Testing Study Area. Officials only explain the reason is to maintain military readiness. "A lot of right now a lot of these actions haven't been defined we just wanted to come in and talk to the legislature and let them know we're getting these actions underway," said Gaudette. However, the third action to update the Marianas Range Complex (Farallon De Medinilla) by extending the restricted airspace from 3 nautical miles to 12 nautical miles and extend the surface danger zone from 10 to 12 nautical miles, is what Won Pat says will have the most impact on airline carriers and others who frequent those waters. She said, "They're expanding the restriction and our concerns is that how is it going to effect the livelihood of fishermen. Here fishermen are trying to make a living for themselves and you take away now they're fishing areas we're beginning to take so much away from farmers and fishermen to support themselves and their families and then what all for the military." In the meantime, a scoping meeting for the first proposal is set for October 10-20, while meetings for the second proposal is set for September 20-28. The venue has not yet been announced.

Back to Index

Military Cuts May Halt Gay Troops' Return To Duty 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy Set To Be Lifted Next Month
10News.com (San Diego) The military's decision to reduce their troop numbers could prevent discharged gay troops from returning to duty.

In a month, the "don't ask, don't tell" policy will go away, but the fear is mounting among former gay Marines and sailors in the San Diego area that they won't be getting back in. "It's disappointing," said former Marine William Rodriguez-Kennedy. The pride of being a Marine is a feeling Rodriguez-Kennedy is hoping to capture again. Discharged in 2008 under the policy after three years in the Marine Corps, 10News followed RodriguezKennedy into a recruiting office last year when a court action temporarily struck down "don't ask, don't tell." "I want to serve my country. I've always wanted to be a Marine and I still do," he said. That attempt failed, but Rodriguez-Kennedy thought the end of the ban would finally lead to his reenlistment dream coming true. However, he was told by recruiters the few hundred annual Marine re-enlistment slots -- often reserved for specialties like linguists -- may be slashed, which doesn't bode well for his chances. "With the military drawing down, it's actually almost impossible," said Rodriguez-Kennedy. In the next few years, the Marines will slim down from 202,000 to 186,000. The Army is looking to cut 22,000 starting in October, and the Navy will be cutting 3,000 officers in the next few months. The lone option for discharged troops may be through the court system. A federal lawsuit by three former service members -- including former San Diegan and sailor Jason Knight -- challenging the constitutionality of the ban will be heard by an appellate court in September. If a judge upholds the lower court ruling and side with gay troops, it could lead to a settlement that requires service members to get their jobs back. "If they were discriminated against and taken out of service, they should be returned to service," said Rodriguez-Kennedy. It is a return to service that would otherwise be unlikely despite the end of the longstanding ban. Advocates estimate 30 percent of discharged troops could try to re-enlist, which would translate into several hundred local service members.

Back to Index

Coalition tries to build cadre of Afghan leaders

APby SOLOMON MOORE SIRAQULA, Afghanistan -- The local Afghan leader's community meeting was off to an unpromising start. Hours after the meeting, called a shura, was supposed to begin, only seven old men waited at the gate of U.S. Marine Patrol Base Salaam Bazaar in the northern part of Helmand province. Frustrated, Naw Zad District Chief Said Murad Sadtak chastised an Afghan army commander.

"Why did you not invite more people?" he demanded. "It was your task to tell the people and make sure that they come to see us so we can discuss their problems. It's kind of a waste that I am here." The army commander had invited locals to the small fortified camp, but sometimes those invitations were extended during gunfights when soldiers and U.S. Marines were using private Afghan homes and farmers' poppy fields for cover. Sadtak continued to complain and his American mentor, U.S. Marine Maj. Aniela Szymanski, moved to the old man's side. "Maybe we should welcome those who have come to see you," she said gently. In Helmand, unpracticed local leaders are wielding the levers of a fragile government for the first time. They urge local communities to support the government and reject the Taliban, often in places where the insurgency is more conspicuous than the new Afghan state. But many local Afghan leaders still lack skills and resources to address severe problems facing Helmand communities, including drought, joblessness and the chaos of living between two determined combat forces. Others are cut off from their constituents by insecurity. Some are corrupt. This is the challenge for the international coalition: create a cadre of Afghan leaders and institutions robust enough to resist the Taliban's advances after NATO withdraws combat forces by the end of 2014. Filling government positions remains difficult due to illiteracy and insecurity. Provincial officials are under constant threat of assassination, so they live within Western military installations and must be escorted outside by U.S. military convoys and helicopters. The week Sadtak met with tribal elders in Siraqula, the mayor of Kandahar's provincial seat was assassinated by a suicide attacker who detonated a bomb hidden in his turban. A few days later, a dozen policemen were killed by a suicide bomber in Helmand's provincial capital, Lashkar Gah. Lashkar Gah was one of five provincial capitals and two provinces chosen to start the transition from NATO to Afghan control. The coalition hopes to use the security zone around the provincial capital and the central Helmand River Valley as a foothold to push Afghan governance into outlying areas like Kajaki. "My son was blown up," a village elder told Kajaki District Chief Mohammad Salim Khan Rodi during a recent meeting at his compound inside a Marine camp. "Can you compensate me? I am just a poor man. My oldest son was my right hand. Without him we have nothing." Rodi offered his condolences, but no funds. There were 20 local elders at the meeting in Kajaki, a good showing at a small, mine-encircled Marine camp. Rodi has hosted four other shuras in the last six months; none of them drew more than 24 men. The old men told him that drought is withering their crops and that they need more electricity from the Kajaki Hydroelectric Power Station to run irrigation pumps on their wells. And they demanded the Marines stop night raids in nearby villages. Rodi offered his visitors no promises. Electrical power is low because the Taliban illegally tap the power lines, he said, and insurgent checkpoints and bomb threats are delaying a long overdue upgrade to the power plant. "You yell at me to turn the power on," Rodi told them. "But go tell the Taliban to let you have more electricity and see what they say."

And night raids would cease when residents stand up to the Taliban, the district chief said. "The government is here to serve the people, but you have to tell the Taliban to stop planting IEDs," Rodi said. "The other day, two policemen who protect me - they are as close to me as my own sons - were hurt because they stepped on an IED." The villagers said they were afraid of mines too, but had to defer to the Taliban in the absence of a government security presence outside of Kajaki's district center. About 90 Afghan policemen are in Kajaki, but they remain within the Marines' perimeter. Namatullah, 55, a village elder who voiced many of the delegation's concerns, said he got permission from the Taliban to visit the district chief. "In this situation, if we stand on our feet, they will cut them out from under us," Namatullah said. "If they kill 800 men or one man, no one cares, no one will help us." There are no functioning government schools or medical clinics in Kajaki district. Marines in Kajaki are in a defensive position around the dam. In the area, the insurgency prevents Afghan governance from taking hold, Rodi said. "I'm so isolated from the people," Rodi said in an interview after the shura. "And I'm not able to offer them my help the way I'd like to." In many of Afghanistan's most insecure areas, Western diplomats and military commanders provide key links between local Afghan officials and provincial and national institutions. Western advisers organize travel and payment transfers for Afghan officials. Advisers also hold daily meetings with their Afghan counterparts to impart their best political counsel. Bryan Jalbert, a political officer for the State Department, meets every afternoon with the Musa Qala district chief at his office at the Marines' battalion headquarters. They discuss joint coalition and Afghan projects that will lend credibility to the local government. Sometimes they share pictures and stories about their families. Jalbert says he walks a fine line between teaching Afghans officials how to serve their own people and reinforcing a culture of dependency on transient foreigners. "I had an Afghan official come to me and he wanted to show me the rashes on his legs from the heat. He wanted me to find him a new air conditioner," said Jalbert. "I don't do that. If he wants an air conditioner, he can get it through their process." Whenever possible, Jalbert said he runs funding and planning of projects through provincial institutions to develop Afghan independence and to help the state win the allegiance of the local population. The most prominent project of this sort in Musa Qala is a British-funded $970,000 grand mosque. It will replace another mosque that NATO bombed after the Taliban used it as an armory. The district chief, Naimatullah, who goes by one name, is managing the project and Afghan contractors are providing local labor. Apart from funding, the coalition takes a low profile on the mosque project. Jalbert is monitoring the construction, but discretely. "I fly high cover on that one," he said. "You have to keep in mind, you're an adviser. This is not your country." Despite the progress in Musa Qala, less than a third of provincial staff positions were filled.

"This has a very negative effect on my administration," Naimatullah said. "I do not have a judge or criminal investigator. I do not have any legal or irrigation officials. So the government cannot solve problems related to these matters, like legal or water disputes." And Naimatullah is worried that his Western partners are counting the days before their departure. His district government would not last long without the coalition, he said. "If America left now," he said, "it would be a kind of betrayal." Back to Index

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