Saturday, January 1, 2011

National Guard HighlightsTop 10 Missions of 2010


By Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Orrell
National Guard Bureau
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 28, 2010 - This year has been a busy one for members of the National Guard. Here's a look at some of the National Guard's most memorable missions and events in 2010:

Click photo for screen-resolution image
Soldiers of the Alabama National Guard build and maintain miles of HESCO barriers to protect Dauphin Island, Ala., beaches from the BP oil spill,July 23, 2010. More than 1,600 National Guard members supported Operation Deepwater Horizon in four Gulf states. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
No. 10: Agribusiness Development Teams Agribusiness Development Teams comprising Army National Guard soldiers with agribusiness expertise are performing training and advising missions at Afghan universities, provincial ministries and farms.
ADTs have ensured improvements are sustainable with local assets and within the context of the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock's abilities. The ADT concept includes providing immediate agricultural expertise and security forces to enable daily community engagement.
No. 9: Homeland Response Forces
The National Guard added a Homeland Response Force package to its Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive response capabilities, providing a more robust response to any homeland incident.
When activated, HRFs perform search and extraction from collapsed buildings, victim decontamination, medical triage and transport to stabilization facilities, where doctors treat victims before they are moved to a hospital or other designated medical facility.
HRFs offer a bigger force, providing command and control of multiple CBRNE Enhanced Response Force Packages, weapons of mass-destruction, civil support teams and other Guard assets.
Ten HRFs -- one for each Federal Emergency Management Agency region -- are scheduled to stand up by Oct. 1, 2012.
No. 8: 2010 Winter Olympics
National Guard members from multiple states competed in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
Army Sgts. Mike Kohn and Shauna Rohbock -- both of the Utah Army National Guard and the National Guard Outstanding Athlete Program -- along with Army Sgt. John Napier, of the Vermont Army National Guard and a soldier-athlete in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, competed in multiple U.S. Olympic bobsled team events throughout the Winter Games.
Army Sgt. William Tavares -- a 26-year veteran of the Army National Guard and bobsled coach in the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program stationed at Lake Placid, N.Y. -- was an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic Bobsled team.
Army Sgt. Jeremy Teela, of the Utah Army National Guard and the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program, competed in the biathlon.
No. 7: State Partnership Program
The almost 20-year-old, 62-nation National Guard State Partnership Program continued to flourish in 2010, recognized by combatant commanders in their annual posture statements and congressional testimony for its contributions to expanding partnership capacity.
Guard members participated in military-to-military exchanges in their home states or partner countries, senior leaders -- including country leaders -- visited at home and overseas and National Guard bilateral affairs officers served in U.S. embassies worldwide.
Citizen-soldiers served side by side with colleagues from their partner nations in Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams on deployments in Afghanistan.
Back home, a multiagency roundtable recommended enhancing the SPP as a tool for citizen diplomacy.
Originating in Europe after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the SPP has expanded to numerous other regions of the world, most recently Africa.
No. 6: First F-22 assigned to the Air National Guard
On July 9, members of the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam community gathered for a dedication service for the National Guard's first F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft.
The 199th Fighter Squadron of the 154th Fighter Wing, Hawaii Air National Guard, welcomed their first F-22, a fifth-generation fighter, replacing the F-15 Eagle fighter the squadron had flown since 1987.
No. 5: Operation New Dawn
Sept. 1 marked the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the end of combat operations by United States forces in Iraq and the beginning of Operation New Dawn.
During the drawdown of forces, National Guard members conduct stability operations, focusing on advising, assisting and training Iraqi security forces.
Operation New Dawn represents a shift from a predominantly military U.S. presence to one that is predominantly civilian, as the Defense and State departments work together with governmental and nongovernmental agencies to help build Iraq's civil capacity.
The president plans to withdraw American forces from Iraq by the end of 2011.
No. 4: Pakistan flood relief
National Guard members collaborated with joint forces to provide relief to those affected by the unusually heavy monsoon rains that triggered floods through the Swat River Valley.
More than 40,000 Pakistanis were rescued during five months of operations, and C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft delivered bulk goods to distribution sites around the country, including almost 8,000 Halal meals.
U.S. aircraft delivered more than 25 million pounds of relief supplies during the operation.
No. 3: Haiti earthquake relief
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a magnitude 7.0 tremor, with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne, about 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.
Army and Air National Guard members supported relief efforts for the almost 3 million people affected by this natural disaster.
No. 2: Supporting the Department of Homeland Security on the Southwest border
National Guard members are assisting Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on the nation's Southwest border.
Up to 1,200 Guard members are serving as criminal investigative analysts and Entry Identification Team members in the four border states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
No. 1: Operation Deepwater Horizon
Citizen-soldiers and -airmen supported Operation Deepwater Horizon, the Coast Guard-led effort to corral the oil spill that followed the April 20 explosion and fire on the oil rig for which the operation was named.
More than 1,600 Guard members were assigned to the Gulf Coast states.
Troops helped clean up and contain the almost 5 million barrels, or 200 million gallons, of crude oil that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico.
 
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Colonel Cites Measurable, But Fragile, Afghan Progress

Colonel Cites Measurable, But Fragile, Afghan Progress

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28, 2010 - Measurable progress has been achieved in Afghanistan's Khost and Paktia provinces, but it is fragile, Army Col. Viet Luong, commander of the American task force in the area, said today.
Luong spoke to the Pentagon press corps via teleconference. The commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team also said that Afghan security forces in his area are operating independently.
Task Force Rakkasan's mission –- Rakkasan is what the Japanese called the unit in 1945 –- is to protect the Afghan population and increase the capacity, capability and credibility of the Afghan national security forces in support of the Afghan government. This is counterinsurgency doctrine at its basics, the colonel said.
The unit took over its area of responsibility in February and will begin rotating back to Fort Campbell, Ky., shortly.
"In the last 11 months, we have seen gradual but measurable progress," Luong said. "First and foremost, the combined coalition/Afghan national security forces team has taken approximately 2,000 fighters out of the fight."
This security achievement has given local governance a chance to establish roots and begin serving the people. Afghan elders are taking part in regional shuras and in determining what projects are needed in their towns and villages, Luong said.
"Kids are now going to school, playing cricket, flying kites -– activities strictly forbidden under Taliban rule. To me, it's a subtle sign," he said.
Luong is hearing from the Afghan people that the improved security is making a difference. "More importantly, for the first time, they're feeling that the provincial government is now working for the people," he said. "In short, while fragile, we're seeing progress across the board in Paktia and Khost."
However, the enemy has a vote, Luong said, noting the main enemy in his area is the Haqqani network.
"I can tell you that at least in Paktia, Paktika and Khost [provinces], the Haqqani network is sort of on its heels," he said. "We have captured and killed many, many of their fighters and mid-level leaders. The senior leadership routinely hides in the tribal areas in Pakistan now for the fear of being captured or killed."
Meanwhile, Luong said, coalition and Afghan forces are keeping the pressure on the terrorist network.
"We have increased fourfold ... the number of operations and patrols, up to 12,000 in the last year, with 600 named operations," the colonel said.
Luong said the Haqqani insurgents have changed their tactics due to their losses of trained fighters and mid-level leaders.
"Lately the trend has been assassination, because that's all they can resort to doing to target a very, very vulnerable Afghan officials," Luong said. The terrorists also are responsible for a tremendous number of civilian casualties. The Haqqani plant roadside bombs and mines and launch indirect-fire attacks primarily against civilians.
"That's about all they can do at this stage," he said.
Luong said his unit also has responsibility for more than 250 kilometers of Afghanistan's border with Pakistan. The colonel has met with Pakistani officials opposite the Rakkasans and was working to coordinate operations with Pakistani units.
Unfortunately, he said, the monsoon rains pummeled Pakistan, and many Pakistani soldiers who would have participated in such border operations were assigned to the humanitarian mission.
"I know up north up in Nangarhar, Lowgar ... they were able to reach complementary operations," Luong said. "That's what we've been trying to replicate down here."
The unit that replaces the Rakkasans -– the 1st Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team -– will take up that task.

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City opf Buffalo Committee Meetings Calendar for First Week of 2011

Committee Meetings




ANNOUNCEMENT OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS

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The following meetings are scheduled.  All meetings are held in the Common Council Chambers, 13th floor City Hall, Buffalo, New York, unless otherwise noted.
Regular Committees

Committee on Civil Service, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 9:45 o’clock A.M.
Committee on Finance, following Civil Service, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 10:00 o’clock A.M.
Committee on Comm. Dev., Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 1:00 o’clock P.M.
Committee on Legislation, Tuesday, January 4, 2011 at 2:00 o’clock P.M.

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Guardians of 2010: December


Friday, December 31, 2010
Written by: Christopher Lagan
Each week we honor members of the Coast Guard family as “Guardian of the Week” for their devotion to duty and contributions to our service. As we close out 2010, we’re looking back over the year to celebrate the contributions of the Guardians of 2010. Today, we revisit those recognized in December 2010.
LT James O’Mara – December 3, 2010
CGC Farallon crew
Lt. O'Mara and the Farallon crew have redefined what it means to work together as a team. Photo courtesy of LTJG Christopher O’Meara.
We’ve spent a lot of time during this Compass series talking about teamwork. So, it seems only fitting that we would kick-off December with the story of Lt. James O’Mara and the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Farallon.
As Commanding Officer of Farallon, O’Mara has the responsibility to create a positive culture aboard his unit. At no time was that teamwork more evident than during a seven-day period where his crew stopped two drug smuggling ventures and one migrant smuggling attempt.
Click here to read more about the Farallon and her crew as they “Deal Justice” across the Caribbean!
SN Kristin Reger – December 10, 2010
Kristin Reger Lunkley video
Click on the image to watch a video in YouTube of the Coast Guard Medal award ceremony Dec. 8, 2010. U.S. Coast Guard video by PA3 Erik Swanson.
When you think of a Coastie putting his or her life on the line by jumping into the water to save a life, the first image that pops into your mind is likely a highly trained rescue swimmer. The search and rescue case that resulted in Seaman Kristin Reger being awarded the Coast Guard Medal will forever change that image.
Swimming out to an overturned sailboat Seaman Kristin Reger was not thinking of anything except the man trapped beneath the hull. With a polypropylene line connecting her to the Coast Guard Station Golden Gate 47-foot Motor Lifeboat, her training kicked in as she battled four-foot seas to reach the boat.
Click here to read more on this act of extreme daring heroism.
BM2 Joseph D’Amico – December 17, 2010
BM2 D'Amico on the bridge
D’Amico serves as the Officer of the Deck on CGC Bear. Photo courtesy of LTJG Jason Acuna.
Command of a Coast Guard Cutter is one of the highest honors a seagoing military officer will ever hold. The responsibility of the officer of the deck (OOD) is to stand in for the ship’s captain during your watch. This position is reserved for officers and the most senior of enlisted personnel. That is what makes the qualification of Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph D’Amico as OOD for the 270-foot Coast Guard Cutter Bear just one more highlight of an outstanding cutterman’s Coast Guard career.
When D’Amico is not standing watch on the bridge, he is one of Bear’s “go to” smallboat coxswains. D’Amico proved to be an instrumental asset during the cutter’s recent patrol where the crew was involved with five separate go-fast pursuits within a two-week period.
Click here to read more on the promising career of a young boatswain’s mate.
Coast Guard Santa and elves – December 24, 2010
Santa and his elves
Santa and his elves load a Kodiak-based Coast Guard Air Station helicopter in preparation for Santa to the Villages outreach around Kodiak Island. Coast Guard photo by PA3 Jonathan Lally.
The Coast Guard is a unique military service because we live within the very communities where we operate. That makes for lasting relationships and traditions that continue on long after the change of the watch at a Coast Guard unit. One such tradition is the Santa to the Villages program.
The program, now in its 37th year, takes volunteers from the Spouse’s Association of Kodiak and teams them up with [Coast Guard Cutter] Spar and an air crew from Air Station Kodiak to deliver holiday cheer to seven remote villages on Kodiak Island: Ahkiok, Larsen Bay, Karluk, Ouzinkie, Port Lions and Old Harbor.
Click here to read more about how one group of Coasties is making a difference in the community where they live and serve.
AST3 Christopher Austin – December 31, 2010
AST3 Christopher Austin
AST3 Christopher Austin saved the life of a fisherman on his first rescue as a qualified Coast Guard rescue swimmer. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA3 Kelly Parker.
Think your first day on the job was tough? For one of the Coast Guard’s newest rescue swimmers, his first day involved a rescue off the always dangerous coast of Washington state and the realization that you simply cannot save every victim. Petty Officer Christopher Austin was standing his first watch after graduating from “A” school when the call came in that two fishermen were in the water after their boat capsized.
“Everything that was going through my head was all the training that I’ve had in the past two years and especially throughout A-school,” recalls Austin. “As soon as I grabbed him [the fisherman], I put my arms up underneath him, and a wave hit me with so much force my goggles came up off my face. I kept working, kept trying to get this guy’s head above the water.”
Click here to read more about what goes through the mind of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer on his first mission.
Congratulations to all of the Guardians of 2010!


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Language Training Detachment Stands Up in Europe


By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2010 - With defense leaders emphasizing the importance of language and cultural training to support military operations worldwide, the Defense Language Institute has stood up a new detachment in Germany to provide follow-on sustainment training for military linguists based in Europe.
The language training detachment, at Patch Barracks in Stuttgart, Germany, will provide "substantive and direct support" to linguists assigned to both U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command and their subordinate elements, Dan Rugelbrugge, who oversees the effort, said in an interview posted yesterday on the "EUCOMversations" video blog.
Previously, linguists in Europe had to rely on distance learning or mobile training teams for sustainment training after graduating from the Defense Language Institute at the Presidio of Monterey in California.
With the new language training detachment, "We are going to ensure that the people we initially trained are continually trained at that level, which is a pretty high standard," Rugelbrugge said.
The detachment will operate like those DLI's Foreign Language Institute manages at more than a dozen military sites in the continental United States and Hawaii to provide operational units recurrent language familiarization and cultural awareness training.
Rugelbrugge, an Army linguistics specialist and combat veteran who has served all over the world, arrived at his new Eucom post about three months ago. He currently is assessing training requirements and plans to hire permanent teachers and other support staff as he slowly grows the program to support demand.
French language training "is constantly requested," he said, as well as training in German and Russian. In addition, the detachment is expected to support wartime requirements in Afghanistan and Pakistan, with enhancement training in the Dari and Pashto languages.
Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, emphasized during a visit last year to the Defense Language Institute that no training is more critical to the U.S. military than education in critical foreign languages and culture.
While language opens doors to an exchange of information and ideas, he said it also can be a window into the culture of a foreign people.
"It is really important that we listen to other people, that we listen to other cultures, that we pay attention to how they see their problems," Mullen told the DLI students. "I call that seeing it through their eyes -- putting yourself in a position that actually focuses on what they are thinking about, as opposed to how we think about them, or how we think about, in our Western ways, we might solve their problems."
 
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Adm. Allen receives Great American Patriot Award


Friday, December 31, 2010
Written by: LTJG Stephanie Young
Adm. Allen accept award
Retired Adm. Thad Allen accepts the Great American Patriot Award from the Armed Forces Insurance group during the 2010 Armed Forces Bowl halftime show at Gerald J. Ford stadium. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by PA3 Richard Brahm.
Yesterday, Adm. Thad Allen was presented with the 2010 Great American Patriot Award during halftime of the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl between Army and Southern Methodist University.
Opening ceremony
SK1 Howie Groves, a Coast Guard recruiter stationed in Dallas, takes part in the opening ceremony at the 2010 Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by PA3 Richard Brahm.
The award, presented annually by Armed Forces Insurance, honors an American patriot who has spent a career going above and beyond the call of duty to serve and protect our country. Allen joins Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and Army Gen. David Petraeus as a recipient of the award.
Allen was recognized for his 39 years of active duty service in the Coast Guard, culminating with his selection as the 23rd Commandant of the Coast Guard, and his willingness to continue to serve his nation as the National Incident Commander in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill after his retirement in June 2010.
Capt. Woodring swears in recruits
Capt. Marcus Woodring, commander of Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston, swears in a group of recruits during halftime. More than 20 recruits from the recruiting office in Dallas took the oath during the ceremony. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by PA3 Richard Brahm.


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Readout of Secretary Napolitano's Meeting with Afghan President Karzai and Minister of Finance Zakhiwal


KABUL, Afghanistan—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Minister of Finance Zakhiwal to discuss progress being made in securing the region and America’s commitment to working with Afghanistan to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in the region.
“The Obama administration remains fully committed to combating threats of terrorism in Afghanistan,” said Secretary Napolitano. “In coordination with U.S. and Afghan military forces, the dedicated civilian Department of Homeland Security personnel assisting the Afghan government with customs and border control have made significant progress in disrupting al Qaeda operations in the border region of Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
In her meetings with President Karzai and Minister Zakhiwal, Secretary Napolitano discussed the Department’s ongoing efforts—coordinated with the Afghan government—to combat the illicit diversion and trafficking of precursor chemicals that terrorist and other criminal organizations use to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
She discussed DHS’ deployments of border security and customs personnel to the region to assist Afghan border police and customs officials and help establish an Afghan customs academy. In the last twelve months, DHS efforts have expanded and now more than a dozen U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are providing training and guidance to the Afghan government and sharing best practices—including the six officials that arrived with Secretary Napolitano yesterday.
Secretary Napolitano also held a roundtable discussion today with Afghan women, as well as U.S. women serving in the region, to hear about efforts underway to advance the role of women in Afghan society. During the discussion, Secretary Napolitano reiterated President Obama’s strong commitment to advancing the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The group was comprised of Afghan government officials representing the Ministries of Women’s Affairs, Public Health, Labor, Foreign Affairs, and Justice and the Afghanistan National Army and National Police, as well as women serving various non-governmental organizations and American women working to assist the Afghan people in bringing peace and stability to the region.
Yesterday, Secretary Napolitano toured border security operations at Afghanistan’s Torkham Border Crossing with Pakistan and met with Afghan and U.S. border security and customs officials working to strengthen border security along the Afghan-Pakistan border while facilitating legitimate travel and commerce. Secretary Napolitano also spent New Year’s Eve with U.S. military and civilian personnel.
Following her departure from Afghanistan, Secretary Napolitano will continue to Qatar on Jan. 2; Israel on Jan. 3-5; and Belgium on Jan. 5-6 to meet with her counterparts and discuss international efforts to ensure the security of our global aviation and supply chain systems against threats of terrorism and transnational crime while facilitating the flow of legitimate travel and commerce. More details will be provided once they are finalized.

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