US State Department Opens Door to Maritime Defense Weapon Sales To Vietnam | Defense News | defensenews.com: The United States will allow the sale of lethal equipment and weaponry to Vietnam for maritime defense purposes, the US State Department announced Thursday.
The executive decision, which ends an overall ban on lethal weapon sales to that country and which has been in place since the end of the Vietnam War, begins immediately.
It also comes at a time of growing tensions in the South China Sea, including a situation over the summer where China set up an oil rig in waters claimed by Vietnam.
The definition of what maritime security assets are is nebulous and will be decided on a case-by-case basis, as are all potential sales of military equipment. That will ensure the US maintains control and prevents Vietnamese military forces from gaining assets that could be used to quell internal dissent.
It also leaves wiggle room for Vietnam to procure aviation assets, State Department officials said. The country is likely to have an interest in helicopters or planes that can be used for maritime surveillance, opening up the possibility of Vietnam pursuing a range of platforms, from prop planes like the A-29 Super Tucano to Boeing’s large P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Navy Ready for Briefing on Small Surface Combatant, SecDef Not | Defense News | defensenews.com
Navy Ready for Briefing on Small Surface Combatant, SecDef Not | Defense News | defensenews.com: After months of preparation, the US Navy was set Thursday morning to brief Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on its recommendations for a new Small Surface Combatant (SSC), and a delegation led by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus waited to make a personal presentation.
“Everything’s ready to go,” one source said of the Navy’s presentation.
But the SecDef never appeared. According to several Pentagon sources, he was delayed by a prior engagement, and the briefing is waiting to be re-scheduled — no easy task, given the hectic schedules of many of the principles.
The results of an SSC Task Force charged with coming up with a more heavily-armed warship to succeed the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) have been one of the more eagerly-awaited secrets in naval circles this year. Those in the know have been exceptionally tight-lipped, and those outside the loop hope that with the Hagel briefing completed — and the recommendations approved — the Navy will be forthcoming about where its small surface warship programs are headed.
Decisions on the SSC need to be made soon — in time, Hagel has directed, “to inform” the 2016 budget, due to be sent to Congress in February.
“Everything’s ready to go,” one source said of the Navy’s presentation.
But the SecDef never appeared. According to several Pentagon sources, he was delayed by a prior engagement, and the briefing is waiting to be re-scheduled — no easy task, given the hectic schedules of many of the principles.
The results of an SSC Task Force charged with coming up with a more heavily-armed warship to succeed the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) have been one of the more eagerly-awaited secrets in naval circles this year. Those in the know have been exceptionally tight-lipped, and those outside the loop hope that with the Hagel briefing completed — and the recommendations approved — the Navy will be forthcoming about where its small surface warship programs are headed.
Decisions on the SSC need to be made soon — in time, Hagel has directed, “to inform” the 2016 budget, due to be sent to Congress in February.
Army chief talks new deployments; 'grave' readiness concern | Army Times | armytimes.com
Army chief talks new deployments; 'grave' readiness concern | Army Times | armytimes.com: Soldiers will soon see new deployments and rotations to hot spots around the world, even as the Army slashes its active-duty force to fit a tightening budget.
“Today we have soldiers deployed on missions in Europe, in Asia, in the Middle East, in Africa, all doing very important missions simultaneously,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno in an exclusive interview Sept. 25 with Army Times.
One of Odierno’s top concerns is making sure these soldiers are ready and properly trained before they deploy, he said, but that’s getting tougher and tougher. Heavy and rapid budget cuts are steadily chipping away at the force, and readiness is the next victim.
Russian aggression, the increasing threat of the Islamic State group and the impending deployment of “probably thousands of soldiers” to fight Ebola has Odierno worried.
“Today we have soldiers deployed on missions in Europe, in Asia, in the Middle East, in Africa, all doing very important missions simultaneously,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno in an exclusive interview Sept. 25 with Army Times.
One of Odierno’s top concerns is making sure these soldiers are ready and properly trained before they deploy, he said, but that’s getting tougher and tougher. Heavy and rapid budget cuts are steadily chipping away at the force, and readiness is the next victim.
Russian aggression, the increasing threat of the Islamic State group and the impending deployment of “probably thousands of soldiers” to fight Ebola has Odierno worried.
US lifts 40-year arms ban to boost Vietnam sea defense
US lifts 40-year arms ban to boost Vietnam sea defense: In a decision likely to anger China, the US is partly lifting a 40-year ban on arms sales to former foe Vietnam to help boost defenses in the tense South China Sea.
The historic easing of the ban in place since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 will only apply to maritime equipment, State Department officials stressed, and comes amid warming ties and as Hanoi makes "modest" improvements to human rights.
"What's driving this is not a sudden desire to transfer military equipment to Vietnam writ large, but a specific need in the region," said one official, highlighting what he called Vietnam's lack of capacity in the disputed waters and America's own national security interests.
"It's useful in trying to deal with the territorial disputes in the South China Sea to bolster the capacity of our friends in the region to maintain a maritime presence in some capacity."
Some 40 percent of the world's seaborne trade passes through the sea which is claimed in part by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia, as well as China and the Philippines.
The historic easing of the ban in place since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 will only apply to maritime equipment, State Department officials stressed, and comes amid warming ties and as Hanoi makes "modest" improvements to human rights.
"What's driving this is not a sudden desire to transfer military equipment to Vietnam writ large, but a specific need in the region," said one official, highlighting what he called Vietnam's lack of capacity in the disputed waters and America's own national security interests.
"It's useful in trying to deal with the territorial disputes in the South China Sea to bolster the capacity of our friends in the region to maintain a maritime presence in some capacity."
Some 40 percent of the world's seaborne trade passes through the sea which is claimed in part by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia, as well as China and the Philippines.
US lifts 40-year arms ban to boost Vietnam sea defense
US lifts 40-year arms ban to boost Vietnam sea defense: In a decision likely to anger China, the US is partly lifting a 40-year ban on arms sales to former foe Vietnam to help boost defenses in the tense South China Sea.
The historic easing of the ban in place since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 will only apply to maritime equipment, State Department officials stressed, and comes amid warming ties and as Hanoi makes "modest" improvements to human rights.
"What's driving this is not a sudden desire to transfer military equipment to Vietnam writ large, but a specific need in the region," said one official, highlighting what he called Vietnam's lack of capacity in the disputed waters and America's own national security interests.
"It's useful in trying to deal with the territorial disputes in the South China Sea to bolster the capacity of our friends in the region to maintain a maritime presence in some capacity."
Some 40 percent of the world's seaborne trade passes through the sea which is claimed in part by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia, as well as China and the Philippines.
The historic easing of the ban in place since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 will only apply to maritime equipment, State Department officials stressed, and comes amid warming ties and as Hanoi makes "modest" improvements to human rights.
"What's driving this is not a sudden desire to transfer military equipment to Vietnam writ large, but a specific need in the region," said one official, highlighting what he called Vietnam's lack of capacity in the disputed waters and America's own national security interests.
"It's useful in trying to deal with the territorial disputes in the South China Sea to bolster the capacity of our friends in the region to maintain a maritime presence in some capacity."
Some 40 percent of the world's seaborne trade passes through the sea which is claimed in part by Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia, as well as China and the Philippines.
Army Reserve Soldier nominated for Nobel Prize | Article | The United States Army
Army Reserve Soldier nominated for Nobel Prize | Article | The United States Army
Sometimes people share their knowledge and experiences without knowing the impact of their words.
Army Reserve Sgt. Randy Sandifer is one such individual.
Sandifer, a Pinola, Mississippi, native, joined the Army Reserve's 412th Theater Engineer Command December 2001, as a personnel services specialist, his junior year of high school, completing basic training between his junior and senior years, and Advance Individual Training immediately following his graduation. Sandifer dreamed of being a scientist, so began his schooling with that goal at the University of Mississippi, as a forensic chemistry major. Then, just barely into his 20s, Sandifer received deployment orders to Iraq.
"At first, it took me off guard, but at the same time I had to answer those orders. I was very young. I was 21 or 22 when I got those orders," said Sandifer. "Once I got over there, I had to find a role and my role was at first supporting the detachment as administrator, but I ended up volunteering to work here, work there. I ended up working in the soil laboratory, and on the environmental team."
Sandifer didn't know it at the time, but volunteering in the laboratory and on the environmental team would result in future opportunities he wasn't expecting.
"I knew by being in those two laboratories that my time would go by faster, because I was keeping myself occupied, plus I was gaining experience in the laboratory," said Sandifer. "I knew at the end of the day I wanted to be a scientist, so working in those two laboratories helped me build my foundation."
Sandifer taught himself how to use the equipment and the proper techniques to support the mission.
The mission he and the environmental team were given was to clean up environmental hazards at Abu Ghraib prison, and ensure these hazards were not present at other locations.
To complete this, Sandifer and his team collected and tested soil samples for hydrocarbons.
"Before you are able to exit [an area of operation], it has to be to a certain standard, and that standard was the hydrocarbons in the soil couldn't be over 1,000 parts per million, so this was a huge task," Sandifer recalled. "Within this task, I had to test for the presence of hydrocarbons, then I had to go back and test for the parts per million of hydrocarbons, from my tests they wrote recommendations to excavate the soil and put down new soil or just clean it up.
"Then I had to go back and test again for the parts per million, making sure it was under that threshold of 1,000 parts per million," he continued. "Once it was under 1,000 parts per million, then the prison was able to be closed down. It was a significant factor because they were waiting on my testing."
Sandifer completed his mission and returned home. Once home he began giving speeches about what he did in Iraq, and the environmental impacts.
"I talked about the things I did over there, but not only the immediate understanding of what I did, but also how in the future, the benefits of the things I did over there and how it showed the United States, in a good eye, to the rest of the world," said Sandifer.
During a speech at the University of Mississippi, in 2006, unbeknownst to Sandifer, there was a graduate student in the crowd taking his message to heart. In 2014, that student, now a professor, nominated Sandifer for the Nobel Prize.
Professor Jonathan Hutchins, assistant director of the Social Justice Initiative said, "Consequently, understanding the complexities of Mr. Sandifer's efforts can easily be measured if he had not provided such level of environmental analysis for global environmental sustainment. The environmental effects would have been horrific if it were not for the non-violent scientific dedication exhibited by Mr. Sandifer," in his nomination letter.
Sandifer hadn't realized someone had embraced what he spoke about, in 2006.
"(Hutchins) just heard (the speech) and I guess he just kept it in mind," said Sandifer. "Now, most recently 2014, given all the things surrounding global warming, I was talking about that back in 2006, and not being environmentally aware of our footprint, how it will be detrimental. Not just detrimental in the United States but the United States being in other countries, for world purposes how it will contribute to global warming."
At the time of his speeches, Sandifer felt it had probably fallen on deaf ears, and it wasn't until recently he came to believe people are finally listening.
"As I was talking about it, I knew it could happen, but in that time frame most people didn't believe in global warming," he said. "It was not until recently people were like, 'This is something we really need to pay attention to. This is real.' But, oftentimes, when you can't see it, can't smell it, but you can see the effects of it, then there is something there, but you don't know exactly what it is. You are seeing the climate change and the weather change, well, there is a reason for that. And that reason is global warming."
Sandifer never expected to be nominated for such a prestigious honor.
"I was (surprised to be nominated), because I didn't think someone would hear the things I was saying, and remember them years later," said Sandifer. "Sometimes, when you're talking about something, in that time frame in 2006, there were a lot of other scientists in the crowd and they were like, 'Oh, no, that's impossible. There's no such thing.' But then some were like, 'Oh, yeah, that's a good point.' And now in 2014, here we are, and they're seeing, yes, global warming is real."
While Sandifer appreciates the nomination, he said just being an Army Reserve Soldier and serving his country was enough for him.
"Just a small amount of hydrocarbon being in the soil can throw an ecosystem completely off," he explained. "Dealing with the Iraqis, and how they function, their ecosystem feeds directly to their livelihood because they raise livestock, they farm, they do so much in the environment they are in. They still live off the different rivers that run through there. Those hazardous materials being in the soil could seep into the water supply and go into the individuals' natural resources so it was just keeping with the whole theme of we're trying to leave Iraq better than the way we found it. I did so environmentally."
The opportunity to help the Iraqis was important to Sandifer, but that opportunity also opened other doors for him.
"I went on from the 412th to the Army Crime Laboratory, which was always a dream of mine to work in forensic science at the Army Crime Laboratory, and July 2010, I was very fortunate to become a member of the Expeditionary Forensic Division under the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. Under this particular division, I deployed overseas to Afghanistan and provided capabilities."
"Without my start in the Army Reserve, that wouldn't have been possible," he explained. "Being able to complete my deployment, my duty to have that level of responsibility at the time, being in those two laboratories, propelled me in terms of my job candidacy, in terms of getting a position with the Army Crime Laboratory."
Sandifer also acknowledges the Army Reserve paved the path for his Nobel Prize nomination as well.
"I really appreciate it, and just being able to have the opportunity I would have never gotten if I wasn't a part of the Army Reserve," said Sandifer. "I'm very fortunate to have been a part of the 412th, and even more fortunate to be a part of the Army Reserve. I could have been in a whole different unit in a whole different [military occupational specialty] and ended up in a whole different situation, but things happen for a reason, and it put me in a situation where I could show my skills and my desire to learn and to work and to produce. That's what I did when I was overseas."
Sandifer said if it wasn't for the foundation built by volunteering in the laboratories in Iraq as an Army Reserve Soldier, he doesn't think he would have had so many opportunities to fulfill his dreams of being a scientist. He is very thankful to his leadership in Iraq in allowing him the chance to work in the laboratories and build his skills as a scientist.
Upon finding he was nominated, Sandifer worked to improve his chances.
"I've had multiple letters of endorsement and multiple letters of nomination, because after finding out I was being nominated I wanted to see if I could get other letters of nomination to support my case," said Sandifer. "It was a short amount of time, but a lot of people sent in letters of recommendation, which solidified me being there. I don't know what the results are going to be."
Sandifer may not be in the running this year as the Nobel Committee can hold nominations over until the next year for a variety of reasons. Sandifer also will not know if he made the cut because the committee does not release nominees who were considered for 50 years. But, Sandifer is content just being in the running.
"It could be this year or it could be next year, but just being nominated is a blessing in itself," said Sandifer. "The chance I win, I think that's huge because it really just put to the forefront the things myself and the [Army Reserve 412th TEC] team that I was with, what we were doing and how significant it was."
Sometimes people share their knowledge and experiences without knowing the impact of their words.
Army Reserve Sgt. Randy Sandifer is one such individual.
Sandifer, a Pinola, Mississippi, native, joined the Army Reserve's 412th Theater Engineer Command December 2001, as a personnel services specialist, his junior year of high school, completing basic training between his junior and senior years, and Advance Individual Training immediately following his graduation. Sandifer dreamed of being a scientist, so began his schooling with that goal at the University of Mississippi, as a forensic chemistry major. Then, just barely into his 20s, Sandifer received deployment orders to Iraq.
"At first, it took me off guard, but at the same time I had to answer those orders. I was very young. I was 21 or 22 when I got those orders," said Sandifer. "Once I got over there, I had to find a role and my role was at first supporting the detachment as administrator, but I ended up volunteering to work here, work there. I ended up working in the soil laboratory, and on the environmental team."
Sandifer didn't know it at the time, but volunteering in the laboratory and on the environmental team would result in future opportunities he wasn't expecting.
"I knew by being in those two laboratories that my time would go by faster, because I was keeping myself occupied, plus I was gaining experience in the laboratory," said Sandifer. "I knew at the end of the day I wanted to be a scientist, so working in those two laboratories helped me build my foundation."
Sandifer taught himself how to use the equipment and the proper techniques to support the mission.
The mission he and the environmental team were given was to clean up environmental hazards at Abu Ghraib prison, and ensure these hazards were not present at other locations.
To complete this, Sandifer and his team collected and tested soil samples for hydrocarbons.
"Before you are able to exit [an area of operation], it has to be to a certain standard, and that standard was the hydrocarbons in the soil couldn't be over 1,000 parts per million, so this was a huge task," Sandifer recalled. "Within this task, I had to test for the presence of hydrocarbons, then I had to go back and test for the parts per million of hydrocarbons, from my tests they wrote recommendations to excavate the soil and put down new soil or just clean it up.
"Then I had to go back and test again for the parts per million, making sure it was under that threshold of 1,000 parts per million," he continued. "Once it was under 1,000 parts per million, then the prison was able to be closed down. It was a significant factor because they were waiting on my testing."
Sandifer completed his mission and returned home. Once home he began giving speeches about what he did in Iraq, and the environmental impacts.
"I talked about the things I did over there, but not only the immediate understanding of what I did, but also how in the future, the benefits of the things I did over there and how it showed the United States, in a good eye, to the rest of the world," said Sandifer.
During a speech at the University of Mississippi, in 2006, unbeknownst to Sandifer, there was a graduate student in the crowd taking his message to heart. In 2014, that student, now a professor, nominated Sandifer for the Nobel Prize.
Professor Jonathan Hutchins, assistant director of the Social Justice Initiative said, "Consequently, understanding the complexities of Mr. Sandifer's efforts can easily be measured if he had not provided such level of environmental analysis for global environmental sustainment. The environmental effects would have been horrific if it were not for the non-violent scientific dedication exhibited by Mr. Sandifer," in his nomination letter.
Sandifer hadn't realized someone had embraced what he spoke about, in 2006.
"(Hutchins) just heard (the speech) and I guess he just kept it in mind," said Sandifer. "Now, most recently 2014, given all the things surrounding global warming, I was talking about that back in 2006, and not being environmentally aware of our footprint, how it will be detrimental. Not just detrimental in the United States but the United States being in other countries, for world purposes how it will contribute to global warming."
At the time of his speeches, Sandifer felt it had probably fallen on deaf ears, and it wasn't until recently he came to believe people are finally listening.
"As I was talking about it, I knew it could happen, but in that time frame most people didn't believe in global warming," he said. "It was not until recently people were like, 'This is something we really need to pay attention to. This is real.' But, oftentimes, when you can't see it, can't smell it, but you can see the effects of it, then there is something there, but you don't know exactly what it is. You are seeing the climate change and the weather change, well, there is a reason for that. And that reason is global warming."
Sandifer never expected to be nominated for such a prestigious honor.
"I was (surprised to be nominated), because I didn't think someone would hear the things I was saying, and remember them years later," said Sandifer. "Sometimes, when you're talking about something, in that time frame in 2006, there were a lot of other scientists in the crowd and they were like, 'Oh, no, that's impossible. There's no such thing.' But then some were like, 'Oh, yeah, that's a good point.' And now in 2014, here we are, and they're seeing, yes, global warming is real."
While Sandifer appreciates the nomination, he said just being an Army Reserve Soldier and serving his country was enough for him.
"Just a small amount of hydrocarbon being in the soil can throw an ecosystem completely off," he explained. "Dealing with the Iraqis, and how they function, their ecosystem feeds directly to their livelihood because they raise livestock, they farm, they do so much in the environment they are in. They still live off the different rivers that run through there. Those hazardous materials being in the soil could seep into the water supply and go into the individuals' natural resources so it was just keeping with the whole theme of we're trying to leave Iraq better than the way we found it. I did so environmentally."
The opportunity to help the Iraqis was important to Sandifer, but that opportunity also opened other doors for him.
"I went on from the 412th to the Army Crime Laboratory, which was always a dream of mine to work in forensic science at the Army Crime Laboratory, and July 2010, I was very fortunate to become a member of the Expeditionary Forensic Division under the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory. Under this particular division, I deployed overseas to Afghanistan and provided capabilities."
"Without my start in the Army Reserve, that wouldn't have been possible," he explained. "Being able to complete my deployment, my duty to have that level of responsibility at the time, being in those two laboratories, propelled me in terms of my job candidacy, in terms of getting a position with the Army Crime Laboratory."
Sandifer also acknowledges the Army Reserve paved the path for his Nobel Prize nomination as well.
"I really appreciate it, and just being able to have the opportunity I would have never gotten if I wasn't a part of the Army Reserve," said Sandifer. "I'm very fortunate to have been a part of the 412th, and even more fortunate to be a part of the Army Reserve. I could have been in a whole different unit in a whole different [military occupational specialty] and ended up in a whole different situation, but things happen for a reason, and it put me in a situation where I could show my skills and my desire to learn and to work and to produce. That's what I did when I was overseas."
Sandifer said if it wasn't for the foundation built by volunteering in the laboratories in Iraq as an Army Reserve Soldier, he doesn't think he would have had so many opportunities to fulfill his dreams of being a scientist. He is very thankful to his leadership in Iraq in allowing him the chance to work in the laboratories and build his skills as a scientist.
Upon finding he was nominated, Sandifer worked to improve his chances.
"I've had multiple letters of endorsement and multiple letters of nomination, because after finding out I was being nominated I wanted to see if I could get other letters of nomination to support my case," said Sandifer. "It was a short amount of time, but a lot of people sent in letters of recommendation, which solidified me being there. I don't know what the results are going to be."
Sandifer may not be in the running this year as the Nobel Committee can hold nominations over until the next year for a variety of reasons. Sandifer also will not know if he made the cut because the committee does not release nominees who were considered for 50 years. But, Sandifer is content just being in the running.
"It could be this year or it could be next year, but just being nominated is a blessing in itself," said Sandifer. "The chance I win, I think that's huge because it really just put to the forefront the things myself and the [Army Reserve 412th TEC] team that I was with, what we were doing and how significant it was."
Thursday, October 2, 2014
How ISIS could change the world forever
How ISIS could change the world forever
Make no mistake: in taking the fight to the Islamic State -- aka IS, aka the Enemies of Islam -- President Barack Obama is at a defining moment for his presidency and probably the future.
Perhaps less spectacular than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago or September 11th, the decision to catalyze a global fight against Islamic extremism and terrorism could be as far reaching in consequence. Consider the grounds for this conclusion.The accumulating grievances dating back to well before the Sykes-Picot secret treaty of 1916 sliced Mesopotamia into indigestible parts have become irreversible thus forcing religious, ethnic, regional, political and ideological schisms to the breaking point. This breaking point has been exacerbated by centuries old Arab and Muslim animosity over Western imperialism and dominance. Turkey and Egypt of course are part of this imbroglio. And the long-standing Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a ticking time bomb.As a result, at least four consequences have arisen. First, IS has become Frankenstein's monster of the Four New Horsemen of the Apocalypse that threaten mankind. The first rider is failed or failing government. The second is economic despair, disparity and dislocation. Third is radical ideology in this case predominantly religious fanaticism. Fourth is environmental calamity.IS is the product of the first three. Hence, it is a symptom. For President Obama and the coalition of the willing and the frightened to succeed, action to redress the causes is the only long-term solution. Yet addressing the causes will take decades.
Make no mistake: in taking the fight to the Islamic State -- aka IS, aka the Enemies of Islam -- President Barack Obama is at a defining moment for his presidency and probably the future.
Perhaps less spectacular than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago or September 11th, the decision to catalyze a global fight against Islamic extremism and terrorism could be as far reaching in consequence. Consider the grounds for this conclusion.The accumulating grievances dating back to well before the Sykes-Picot secret treaty of 1916 sliced Mesopotamia into indigestible parts have become irreversible thus forcing religious, ethnic, regional, political and ideological schisms to the breaking point. This breaking point has been exacerbated by centuries old Arab and Muslim animosity over Western imperialism and dominance. Turkey and Egypt of course are part of this imbroglio. And the long-standing Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a ticking time bomb.As a result, at least four consequences have arisen. First, IS has become Frankenstein's monster of the Four New Horsemen of the Apocalypse that threaten mankind. The first rider is failed or failing government. The second is economic despair, disparity and dislocation. Third is radical ideology in this case predominantly religious fanaticism. Fourth is environmental calamity.IS is the product of the first three. Hence, it is a symptom. For President Obama and the coalition of the willing and the frightened to succeed, action to redress the causes is the only long-term solution. Yet addressing the causes will take decades.
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