Thursday, 11 August 2011
U.S. Air Force
Morning Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
AF Times: Taliban who downed helo killed in airstrike (1)
AP: Afghan police, NATO troops clash; 4 police dead (3)
CARING FOR AIRMEN
NY Post: Pentagon revises SEAL death toll in Afghanistan helicopter crash (5)
AF Times: DoD spokesman: Helo crash victims to be named (6)
MODERNIZATION
Navy Times: F-35 fleet cleared for ground operations (10)
ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
Dayton Daily News: Moraine firm helped speed UAV tow kits to battlefront (12)
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
Defense News: Taiwan's 'Carrier Killer' Aims To Sink China's Carrier (13)
AP: North Korean shell lands in South’s waters (15)
OF INTEREST
AF Times: Members named to deficit-cutting ‘super’ panel (17)
AP: Former CIA chief says Afghan drawdown too early (21)
CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
PARTNER WITH JOINT AND COALITION TEAM TO WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
1. Taliban who downed helo killed in airstrike
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … Scott Fontaine
An airstrike involving American fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft killed the Taliban leader responsible for
the ambush that killed 38 U.S. and Afghan forces over the weekend, according to the top U.S.
commander in Afghanistan.
2. Gadhafi’s son, reported killed, appears on TV
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Rami Al-Shaheibi
BENGHAZI, Libya — Libyan state television broadcast images Wednesday of a man it said was
Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son in an attempt to refute rebel claims that he had been killed in a
NATO airstrike.
3. Afghan police, NATO troops clash; 4 police dead
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Mirwais Khan
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KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Firefights broke out between NATO forces and Afghan police in two
parts of Afghanistan overnight, with four Afghan officers killed in one of the incidents, officials said
Wednesday.
4. Airstrike reportedly kills insurgent who downed U.S. chopper
(McClatchy Newspapers, 10 Aug 11) … Jonathan S. Landay
KABUL, Afghanistan — A "precision airstrike" has killed the insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled
grenade that downed an American helicopter last weekend, killing 30 U.S. troops in the American
military's worst loss of the Afghan war, the U.S.-led international coalition said Wednesday.
DEVELOP AND CARE FOR AIRMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
5. Pentagon revises SEAL death toll in Afghanistan helicopter crash
(New York Post, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Wednesday revised downward the death toll of Navy SEALs in
the weekend helicopter crash in Afghanistan, FOX News Channel reported.
6. DoD spokesman: Helo crash victims to be named
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … William H. McMichael
The names of the 30 U.S. service members killed in Saturday’s helicopter crash in Afghanistan will be
officially released “within the next 24 hours,” a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday morning.
7. Some troops killed in helo crash identified
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
The following is a collection of reports where family members identified some of the 30 American
troops killed in a helicopter crash in Wardak, Afghanistan, on Friday. The Defense Department has
not yet identified any troops killed pending family notification.
8. Calif. city council keeps reservist pay intact
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose lawmakers have voted to keep indefinitely offsetting the pay cuts that
city employees would otherwise take whey they are called up as military reservists.
9. White House photo sparks protest
With sadness, dignity, Obama honors the fallen
(AP, 10 Aug 11) ... Lolita C. Baldor
WASHINGTON -- A White House photographer was allowed to take and widely distribute a photo
from the ceremony Tuesday for the return of the remains of 30 American troops killed in a weekend
helicopter crash in Afghanistan despite the Pentagon's claim that any public depiction of the scene
would violate the wishes of bereaved families.
MODERNIZE OUR AGING AIR AND SPACE INVENTORIES
10. F-35 fleet cleared for ground operations
(Navy Times, 10 Aug 11) … Brian Everstine
The F-35 Lighting II fleet has been cleared to resume ground operations after a preliminary
investigation found the cause of an electrical subsystem failure, but a Pentagon official refused to
speculate when the next-generation fighters will be back in the air.
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11. Reservists could be answer as Defense budget shrinks
(Warner Robins Patriot, 10 Aug 11) … Gene Rector
With the Defense Department budget dwindling and with more cuts likely, the answer to preventing a
"hollow force" could come in the nation's reserve components.
RECAPTURE ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
12. Moraine firm helped speed UAV tow kits to battlefront
Concept to deployment took three weeks, barely a blink in military time.
(Dayton Daily News, 10 Aug 11) … John Nolan
MORAINE — When Wright-Patterson Air Force Base wanted to quickly design and distribute to the
war front a kit for towing Global Hawks, the unmanned aircraft integral to surveillance and intelligence
gathering operations, base officials turned to a Moraine tool-making company.
GLOBAL AIR, SPACE, and CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT
13. Taiwan's 'Carrier Killer' Aims To Sink China's Carrier
(Defense News, 10 Aug 11) … Wendell Minnick
TAIPEI - In the event of war, Taiwan plans to sink China's new aircraft carrier, the Varyag, with its
new "aircraft carrier killer" missile, the ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship cruise missile Hsiung
Feng 3. The revelation was made Aug. 10 on the same day China launched the Varyag for its first
sea trials.
14. U.S. Asks China to Explain Need for Carrier
(Agence France-Presse, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
WASHINGTON - The United States said Aug. 10 it would like China to explain why it needs an
aircraft carrier amid broader U.S. concerns about Beijing's lack of transparency over its military aims.
15. North Korean shell lands in South’s waters
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Sam Kim
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean marines returned fire Wednesday after North Korea launched
artillery shells into waters near the disputed maritime line that separates the two rivals, South Korean
defense officials said.
16. China test-drives first aircraft carrier
(Washington Post, 10 Aug 11) … William Wan
China began sea trials on Wednesday for its first aircraft carrier, a ship that has come to symbolize
the nation’s growing military and maritime ambitions.
ITEMS OF INTEREST
17. Members named to deficit-cutting ‘super’ panel
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … Rick Maze
The Republican cochairman appointed Wednesday to the 12-member joint committee on reducing
the deficit is pro-military but willing to cut the defense budget.
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18. Australia Withdraws Troops Guarding Iraq Embassy
(Agence France-Presse, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
BAGHDAD - Thirty-three Australian soldiers who were guarding the country's embassy in Iraq have
been withdrawn, and a Dubai-based private security firm has taken over, an embassy official said on
Aug. 10.
19. Demands to Grow for U.N. Peacekeepers, Says Outgoing Chief
(Agence France-Presse, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
UNITED NATIONS - Growing international instability and economic crisis are placing greater
demands on U.N. peacekeeping even as it tries to wind down operations, the outgoing head of the
120,000-strong global force said.
20. Weather delays launch of hypersonic glider
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Launch of an unmanned experimental hypersonic glider
from the central California coast has been postponed.
21. Former CIA chief says Afghan drawdown too early
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Josh Loftin
SALT LAKE CITY — The former director of the CIA and National Security Agency said Wednesday
that President Barack Obama is pulling troops from Afghanistan a few months too early.
HEADLINES
CNN at 0530
Back-to-back blasts target police in Pakistan
Riots in the United Kingdom
Eerie calm settles Britain after chaos
FOX News at 0530
Arizona Pleads Case to High Court
Obama’s Presence in Iowa No Longer an ‘Obama-thon’
Are Big Businesses Hijacking Ballot Initiatives?
NPR at 0530
What’s Spooking Investors?
President Gets Big Megaphone, But May Be Tuned Out
British Police Out In Force As Violence Subsides
USA Today at 0530
British PM gets touch with rioters
Golf searches for its next big thing
7 reasons the stock market is so volatile
Washington Post at 0530
Global markets plunge again on debt fears
Poll: Government gloom spreads
Democrats want a bolder Obama
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FULL TEXT
CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE
NSTR
RETURN
PARTNER WITH JOINT AND COALITION TEAM TO WIN TODAY’S FIGHT
P1
Taliban who downed helo killed in airstrike
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … Scott Fontaine
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-taliban-who-downed-chinook-killed-airstrike-081011/
An airstrike involving American fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft killed the Taliban leader responsible for
the ambush that killed 38 U.S. and Afghan forces over the weekend, according to the top U.S.
commander in Afghanistan.
The Tuesday airstrike killed Mullah Mohibullah and another insurgent who fired the shot that brought
down a CH-47 Chinook on Aug. 6, killing the 30 U.S. troops aboard.
Military officials announced the airstrike Wednesday morning. Gen. John Allen, the top U.S.
commander in Afghanistan, told reporters about the mission during a video conference at the
Pentagon.
Air Force F-16s and an AC-130H, as well as Army AH-64 Apache helicopters conducted the
operation, a spokesman for NATO troops in Afghanistan told Air Force Times.
The F-16s dropped GBU-38 and GBU-54 bombs, and the Spectre fired its 105mm and 40mm
cannons. The Apaches attacked insurgents with 30mm cannons.
Mohibullah’s death came after an “exhaustive manhunt” stemming from “multiple intelligence leads
and tips from local citizens,” according to a release from the International Security Assistance Force,
the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan.
The two men were killed while trying to flee the country. Troops tracked the men into a wooded area
of the Chak district of Wardak province. The F-16 then dropped the bomb, killing Mohibullah, the
shooter and several others.
RETURN
P2
Gadhafi’s son, reported killed, appears on TV
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Rami Al-Shaheibi
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http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-gadhafi-son-reportedly-killed-appears-tv-081011/
BENGHAZI, Libya — Libyan state television broadcast images Wednesday of a man it said was
Moammar Gadhafi's youngest son in an attempt to refute rebel claims that he had been killed in a
NATO airstrike.
Rebels claimed on Friday that 27-year-old Khamis Gadhafi, who commands one of the best trained
and equipped units in the Libyan military, was killed in the western front-line town of Zlitan. The
regime dismissed the claim and said the rebels were only trying to deflect attention from the killing
last week of the opposition's military commander, possibly by other rebels.
The images on television showed the son at a Tripoli hospital visiting people wounded in a NATO
airstrike and said it was on Tuesday. If genuine, it would be the first time he has been seen in public
since the reports of his death.
The Libyan revolt that began in February has sunk into a deep stalemate in the past few months, with
the rebels holding on to most of the eastern half of the country that they captured early on and
Gadhafi's regime controlling most of the west. Neither side has been able to tip the balance into an
outright victory, even with months of NATO airstrikes pounding regime targets.
State television also showed funerals for dozens of civilians it said had died in another NATO airstrike
on Tuesday in Zlitan, a main front for the rebels fighting Gadhafi's troops. It is about 90 miles
southeast of Tripoli.
The channel has been airing images in black and white to honor a three-day mourning period for the
85 people the government said lost their lives in Zlitan.
More than 200 people gathered around about 40 coffins set on the ground in a cemetery under the
shadows of palm trees. Someone with a loudspeaker delivered a speech while the crowd interrupted
him with calls of "Allahu Akbar" — Arabic for God is great.
"Let everyone know that the planes, supported by the governments of Qatar and the Emirates, will
only increase our grudge against them and will only increase our steadfastness in the face of the
enemy," the man with the loudspeaker said.
A day earlier, state television ran images of Libyans rummaging through the rubble of buildings the
government said were destroyed by the airstrike. They were shown digging out body parts and piling
dead babies in sacks in the back of ambulances. It said 33 children and 32 women were among those
killed.
In Brussels on Wednesday, NATO described the Libyan claims about deaths among civilians as
"unfounded allegations."
"We stand by our conviction that this was a military target," said an official who could not be named
under standing rules. "Careful planning went into the strike to make sure that civilians would not be
harmed."
In other developments, the European Union said it was adding two more Libyan businesses to its list
of companies and individuals targeted by sanctions. A statement said the two firms would be named
Thursday in the EU's official journal.
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So far, the 27-nation bloc has frozen the funds of six port authorities, 49 state-run companies and 39
individuals "involved in the serious human rights abuses in Libya."
The 39 individuals, who include Moammar Gadhafi and several of his family members, are also
banned from traveling to the bloc.
And in the United Arab Emirates, a new Libyan ambassador backed by the rebels' leadership council
officially presented his credentials to a foreign affairs ministry undersecretary, Mubarak al-Junaibi.
The ambassador, Arif Ali, expressed the council's gratitude for the Emirates' support, according to a
report on official state news agency WAM.
The UAE joined the NATO-led coalition enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya, and was one of the first
Arab countries to recognize the rebel council as Libya's government.
Associated Press writers Adam Schreck contributed to this report from Dubai, Maamoun Youssef
from Cairo, and Slobodan Lekic from Brussels.
RETURN
P3
Afghan police, NATO troops clash; 4 police dead
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Mirwais Khan
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-afghan-police-nato-troops-clash-081011/
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — Firefights broke out between NATO forces and Afghan police in two
parts of Afghanistan overnight, with four Afghan officers killed in one of the incidents, officials said
Wednesday.
In southern Kandahar province, Afghan police and NATO troops clashed in Arghandab district — a
farming community just outside of Kandahar city, said Shah Mohammad, the top official for the
district. He said four Afghan police officers were killed and four wounded.
It was not clear what started the firefight and Mohammad said that investigators had been dispatched
to the site to investigate the cause.
"Right now we only have this very sad news from there," Mohammad said.
A NATO spokesman confirmed that there was "an incident" in Arghandab, but did not provide further
details. Capt. Justin Brocckhoff said more details would become available after an investigation.
In the eastern province of Ghazni, meanwhile, NATO forces fought briefly with Afghan police manning
a checkpoint in Ghazni city before the two groups realized the mistake.
The NATO troops approached the checkpoint while on a nighttime patrol through the area, provincial
Police Chief Gen. Zarawar Zahid said. The Afghan police saw armed men and asked them to stop
and started firing when the NATO troops did not, Zahid said.
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The exchange of gunfire lasted about 15 minutes and no NATO or Afghan forces were killed,
Brockhoff said. He said an investigation had also been launched into that incident.
Meanwhile, a police inspector was shot dead in Kandahar city Tuesday night by unknown gunmen,
said Deputy Police Chief Shershah Yousafzai. Yousafzai said they suspected he was killed by
militants. The Taliban has repeatedly targeted Afghan forces and police.
Associated Press writer Amir Shah contributed to this report from Kabul.
RETURN
P4
Airstrike reportedly kills insurgent who downed U.S. chopper
(McClatchy Newspapers, 10 Aug 11) … Jonathan S. Landay
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/USAFGHAN_5775964/USAFGHAN_5775964/
KABUL, Afghanistan — A "precision airstrike" has killed the insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled
grenade that downed an American helicopter last weekend, killing 30 U.S. troops in the American
military's worst loss of the Afghan war, the U.S.-led international coalition said Wednesday.
A midlevel commander of Taliban fighters operating in the insurgent-controlled area where the
helicopter crashed also died in the airstrike Tuesday, an International Security Assistance Force
statement said.
The airstrike ended a three-day hunt for the insurgents involved in downing the CH-47 Chinook
helicopter as it prepared to land early Saturday in the remote Tangi Valley in Wardak province, about
60 miles southwest of Kabul.
The crash killed 30 U.S. servicemen — many of them elite Navy SEALs — the largest number of
American soldiers killed in a single incident in Afghanistan since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion. Their
Afghan interpreter and seven Afghan commandos also died.
Using "multiple intelligence leads and tips from citizens," U.S.-led special forces tracked the
insurgents' leader, Mullah Muhibullah, and the fighter who fired the rocket-propelled grenade, locating
them in the Chak district, about 40 miles north of the Tangi Valley.
"The two men were attempting to flee the country in order to avoid capture," the ISAF said. The
border with Pakistan's tribal area, where the Taliban and allied groups maintain sanctuaries, is about
75 miles east of Chak.
"The security forces ... followed the insurgents to a wooded area in Chak district. After ensuring no
civilians were in the area, the force called for the airstrike, which resulted in the deaths of ... Mullah
Muhibullah, the shooter and several of their Taliban associates," ISAF said.
The airstrike occurred the same day that the 30 dead Americans and eight Afghans were mourned at
a solemn, private ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. After initially withholding the names
and ranks of the Americans who were killed, Pentagon officials said Wednesday that they would
release the names despite the concerns of some commanders for the safety of special forces
families. A Pentagon spokesman said the names were expected to be released Thursday.
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Questions persisted about why the lumbering, twin-rotor Chinook was called to assist a team of
American soldiers that had become embroiled in a firefight while hunting another Taliban leader.
That leader wasn't killed, officials said, but the American team reportedly suffered no casualties and
immediately left the battle for the scene of the crash after the Chinook went down, raising questions
about the intensity of the firefight.
In a news briefing, Gen. John Allen, the coalition commander, rejected suggestions that the Chinook
was the wrong aircraft for the mission.
"We've run more than a couple of thousand of these night operations over the last year, and this is
the only occasion where this has occurred," Allen said.
Two defense officials told McClatchy Newspapers earlier this week that a Pentagon investigation into
the crash would probe whether Chinooks should be sent into firefights, where their slow landings can
make them targets for insurgents.
The ISAF withheld further details of Tuesday's airstrike, including the type and nationality of the
aircraft involved. U.S. planes usually carry out such operations.
Shahidullah Shahid, a spokesman for the Wardak governor, said 13 Taliban fighters had died in the
airstrike near the village of Seaab.
"These guys had fled the Tangi area," he said. "Usually when they've done an operation, they leave
the area and go to another location."
The ISAF didn't disclose how it had confirmed that the fighter responsible for shooting down the
helicopter was killed, but the U.S.-led force has extensive intelligence-gathering capabilities, including
an ability to monitor insurgents' radio and cellular telephone traffic.
Also on Wednesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai appeared to retreat from a constitutional
showdown with the opposition-dominated Parliament that has created near-total gridlock as the U.S.
and its allies begin pulling out their combat forces and turning over security responsibilities to the
Afghans.
Karzai issued a decree proclaiming the country's election commission the sole arbiter of disputed
elections. In doing so, he effectively overturned a ruling by a special court he had appointed, which
had ordered some results of last September's violence-marred elections nullified.
Critics had called the special court a bid by Karzai to circumvent the election commission and replace
opposition lawmakers with his own supporters. The Parliament and Afghanistan's Western backers
had rejected the special court as illegal.
As the dispute grew, opposition lawmakers refused to pass legislation or approve Cabinet
appointments, and Karzai has governed by decree.
The decree "is definitely a significant step back from confrontation by Karzai, and the question is
whether it's a retreat by Karzai or a face-saving compromise by both sides," said Scott Worden, an
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American who served as one of three foreign members of the Electoral Complaints Commission, the
complaint review panel.
(McClatchy Newspapers special correspondent Hashim Shukoor contributed to this report.)
RETURN
DEVELOP AND CARE FOR AIRMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES
D1
Pentagon revises SEAL death toll in Afghanistan helicopter crash
(New York Post, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/pentagon_revises_seal_death_toll_nfHjNw1BFZ8qtRg5XXuoGK
WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon on Wednesday revised downward the death toll of Navy SEALs in
the weekend helicopter crash in Afghanistan, FOX News Channel reported.
A Pentagon spokesman said 17 of the 30 Americans who were killed were SEALs, down from the 22
originally reported dead.
US officials had originally said 22 Navy SEALs, three Air Force Special Operations ground
controllers, five Army helicopter crew members, seven Afghan commandos and a translator were
killed Saturday when their CH-47 Chinook helicopter was shot down, apparently by a Taliban-fired
rocket-propelled grenade.
But the Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday that fewer SEALs were among the dead. The
spokesman said some of those killed who were originally thought to have been SEALs were actually
part of an elite Air Force unit that often operates in conjunction with the SEAL team.
The news comes after the Pentagon announced earlier Wednesday that it would release the names
of the Americans killed in the crash.
Pentagon spokesman Col. Dave Lapan said the delay in the names' release came as a result of a
request from military commanders from the Special Operations community to review the policy of
releasing names "because of possible [security] implications for the families" of those killed, FOX
reported.
The remains of the soldiers returned to the US Tuesday, greeted by President Barack Obama,
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and other US officials in a ceremony at Dover Air Force Base in
Delaware.
Lapan said that after Panetta attended the ceremony, he "decided to follow the law" and Defense
Department policy and release the names, according to FOX.
A law passed by Congress in 2004 calls for the public release of names of all those killed in the wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Meanwhile, US Gen. John Allen, the commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan, said
Wednesday that the Taliban insurgents who shot down the helicopter were killed in a subsequent
mission.
"At approximately midnight on 8th August, coalition forces killed the Taliban insurgents responsible
for this attack," Allen said in a Pentagon briefing from Kabul.
He said the insurgents were killed in an F-16 air strike.
Allen also said the US helicopter had been part of a mission targeting a Taliban leader. Earlier reports
had indicated the helicopter was called in to assist troops who came under fire as they sought out the
target.
In a statement released during Allen's briefing, NATO's International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) said Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who fired the shot associated with the
crash were both killed by the US strike in Wardak province in the eastern part of the country. Several
other Taliban associates were also killed.
Allen said US forces did not kill the Taliban leader who was the target of the original mission.
"We will continue to exploit that target. We will remain in pursuit," Allen said.
RETURN
D2
DoD spokesman: Helo crash victims to be named
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … William H. McMichael
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/military-names-afghanistan-helicopter-crash-release-081011w/
The names of the 30 U.S. service members killed in Saturday’s helicopter crash in Afghanistan will be
officially released “within the next 24 hours,” a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday morning.
Names of deceased service members normally are released 24 hours after next-of-kin notifications
are complete. The delay that followed the deadly mishap was interpreted by many as a reluctance to
name the Navy SEALs involved given their assignment to the secretive Naval Special Warfare
Development Group, sometimes known as SEAL Team 6.
But Defense Secretary Leon Panetta “never intended not to release the names,” Marine Corps Col.
Dave Lapan told reporters at the Pentagon. “Due to the unique circumstances surrounding this
incident, including the high number of Special Operations forces killed, the secretary of defense
agreed to honor requests by senior commanders for additional time to fully review the possible
implications of the release for the victims and their families.”
Most of the names have already trickled out into the open press, with the information sourced to
family members who were located and contacted or decided to reach out to reporters. A story on
Military Times websites lists 19 names, and The Washington Post Wednesday listed 26 names.
The Pentagon had on three previous occasions publicly announced the deaths of DEVGRU
members.
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Once Panetta’s review is complete, Lapan said the Pentagon will issue a press release containing the
names, ranks, ages, hometowns and units of those killed in action.
It’s not yet known whether official photographs will also be released.
RETURN
D3
Some troops killed in helo crash identified
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/military-some-troops-killed-in-helo-crash-identified-080811/
The following is a collection of reports where family members identified some of the 30 American
troops killed in a helicopter crash in Wardak, Afghanistan, on Friday. The Defense Department has
not yet identified any troops killed pending family notification.
Army Spc. Alexander Bennett
Spc. Alexander Bennett was one of three Army reservists based in northeast Kansas killed in a
deadly helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Also killed were Spc. Spencer Duncan of Olathe, Kan., and
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Nichols of Kansas City, Mo.
Bennett, 23, was a flight engineer and door gunner from Olathe, Kan.
Lt. Col. Richard Sherman, the former commander of Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation
Regiment based at the Gardner, Kan. airport, said he received confirmation of the deaths late
Saturday.
He said Bennett had returned in 2009 from a deployment with a unit from the Tacoma, Wash., area.
He moved to Kansas because he wanted to deploy with the unit based there.
Sherman described Nichols as a good friend who had “no enemies.” He leaves behind a wife and son
from a previous marriage.
“He wanted to be part of our unit when it deployed,” said Sherman. “He was a typical young kid and
liked to go out and have a good time with the guys.”
Brian Bill
From his days as a student athlete at a Stamford high school, Brian Bill was clear on his career goal:
He wanted to join the elite Navy SEALs.
Bill, who was among the SEALs killed in a weekend helicopter crash in Afghanistan, was
remembered Monday by friends and teachers as a dedicated young man who wanted to be the best
at anything he pursued.
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“He set his standards high. He was that kind of person,” said Kimberly Hess, a friend who graduated
from Norwich University in Vermont with him in 2001. “He was remarkably gifted and very thoughtful.
There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for you no matter the time or day.”
His family said he wanted to return to graduate school after completing his military service and hoped
to become an astronaut. He was also a mountaineer, a skier, a pilot and triathlete.
“We are heartbroken in our loss,” his family said in a statement. “Brian was a remarkably gifted,
thoughtful, and compassionate young man. We are incredibly proud of him. He was a treasured son,
grandson, brother, uncle and cousin. He loved life; he loved a challenge; and he was passionate
about being a SEAL.”
“We thank all the SEALS who gave their lives this week and share our sorrow with the families of
those dedicated men who fought for our safety and freedom,” Bill’s mother and stepfather, Patricia
and Michael Parry, and his father, Scott Bill, said in the statement.
The 30 U.S. troops and eight Afghans who died in Saturday’s crash of the Chinook helicopter were on
a mission targeting a Taliban leader when an insurgent with a rocket-propelled grenade reportedly
fired on the chopper and shot it down, officials said Monday. It was deadliest single loss for U.S.
forces in the decade-long war.
The helicopter was transporting the troops to an ongoing battle early Saturday between coalition
forces and insurgents in eastern Wardak province, NATO said in a statement.
Hess said Bill had been decorated many times for valor on deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
“His death is tragic and it’s really fitting that he was going to help others,” she said.
Diane Warzoha, who had Bill as a student in a language class at Trinity Catholic High School in
Stamford, said he was in many ways a typical high school student who played hockey and soccer, but
it was no surprise that he fulfilled his goal of joining the SEALs.
“Brian just wanted to do his best, to protect other people. Brian wanted to be the best at whatever he
did. Challenge did not deter him ever,” said Warzoha, an assistant principal at the school.
“We’re deeply, deeply saddened. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family. It’s just so sad,” she
said.
Air Force Tech Sgt. John W. Brown
An Arkansas airman who was among the dozens of U.S. troops killed when their helicopter was shot
down in Afghanistan was a hero who loved sports and loved to laugh, his mother and a friend said.
A rescue team of Navy SEALs and other troops who had just helped rescue a U.S. Army Ranger unit
were killed Saturday when the Chinook helicopter they were on was hit and crashed about 60 miles
southwest of Kabul, officials said.
Air Force Tech Sgt. John W. Brown was among those on board, his mother, Elizabeth Newlun, said
by telephone on Sunday. Her son was a paramedic and attended to the medical needs of those who
were rescued, she said.
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“I think I’m internally very upset, but at the same time, I’m so very proud of my son,” Newlun said. “I
want to make sure that everyone knows that he’s a hero. I can fall apart later.”
Newlun, of Rogers, said her brother referred to Brown on a Facebook post as “Rambo without the
attitude,” but she called him a “gentle giant.”
“He just loved anything physical, anything athletic,” Newlun said. “If I wanted to have a conversation
with him that was serious, I would have to shoot baskets with him. There’s nothing athletic about me,
but I realized that you have to get into other people’s comfort zone to get information.”
State Rep. Jon Woods went to high school with Brown in Siloam Springs and remembered playing
basketball and watching “Saturday Night Live” on the weekends. Brown graduated in 1996.
“When you think of what the ideal model of a soldier would be, he would be it,” Woods, R-Springdale,
said. “He could run all day. We lived down the street from each other and spent time together after
school and hung out. Even if we had a long day of practice, he would put on his sneakers and run
after practice.”
Newlun said Brown played football and basketball in high school and went to John Brown University
on a swimming scholarship. He had wanted to go into the medical field and become a nurse
anesthetist, but decided to join the military after seeing a video of a special tactical unit, she said.
He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Newlun said. She and Woods are working on a
memorial service that will be held later in Arkansas, she said.
Woods was married but had no children, Newlun said.
Chris Campbell
Chris Campbell may have been physically slight, but family and friends said the Navy SEAL was
always ready to take on a challenge.
His mother, Diane Campbell, told The Daily News of Jacksonville she remembered him and his older
brother learning to ride a unicycle brought back from Okinawa as one example of her son's
determination.
"If Chris thought he could, he would try," Diane Campbell said.
Former high school football coach Jack Baile remembered Campbell, 36, showing he was up to a test
when he tried out for the team as a smallish junior at about 5 foot-7 and 140 pounds.
"When kids come out for football for the first time, the first thing you're worried about is, are they
going to like to be hit, or want to be hit, and like to hit. That was not a problem with Chris. He had no
fear with that," Baile told The Associated Press.
"I remember hearing for the first time when he had joined the SEALS, I thought that kind of fits Chris.
He didn't have a lot of fear of things and I think he always wanted to try to prove to somebody that he
could do things. He was an adventurous-type guy."
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Campbell's work frequently sent him on missions out of the country, and his family asked few
questions when he showed up with a full beard or arrived for a visit that could only last three hours. In
an email to his daughter Samantha sent days before the crash, he wrote that he was looking forward
to coming home in November and celebrating her 15th birthday in January.
Chris Campbell told his family that if he was killed in the line of duty, he wanted the local newspaper
to write about his life and death, with a request for donations in his memory to the Wounded Warrior
Project. The project helps wounded service members recover from their war injuries.
David Carter
David Carter was a man of faith who was "somebody you could count on."
Yolanda Levesque, a neighbor speaking for the pilot's family, called Carter an outstanding father, "a
true Christian" and a patriot.
"He was our American hero," Levesque said, struggling to keep her composure while reading from a
statement at a news conference Tuesday.
The 47-year-old Carter of the Denver suburb of Aurora was a chief warrant officer 4, a full-time Army
National Guardsman and an instructor pilot. He was a skilled aviator with more than 700 hours of
combat flying time, said Army Guard Col. Chris Petty.
Carter was one of two pilots flying the Chinook CH-47D on Saturday when it was apparently shot
down by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by an insurgent.
He had a passion for training young aviators, Petty said, and leaves behind "much more than dozens"
of new pilots he taught.
"There's a big hole in our organization today," Petty said.
Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards said Carter was "somebody you could count on."
"Every time you needed a launch, a helicopter for a state mission, Dave Carter was there," Edwards
said.
Carter, of the Denver suburb of Aurora, is survived by his wife, Laura, and two children, Kyle and
Kaitlen.
Carter's sister-in-law Marie Krizanovic described him as a "gentle-souled person."
"Happy-go-lucky, gentle-natured," Krizanovic said. "He had a very strong spiritual faith. He loved
flying."
David and Laura Carter were set to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in December.
Army Spc. Spencer C. Duncan
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A 21-year-old Kansas soldier was among 30 U.S. troops killed when a helicopter was shot down in
Afghanistan and one of three troops killed from the same Army reserve unit — Bravo Company, 7th
Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, based at New Century AirCenter in Gardner, Kan.
Chief Warrant Officer Michael Walsh said Sunday that Spc. Spencer C. Duncan was serving as a
door gunner on the CH-47 helicopter that was hit by rocket fire Saturday.
Duncan, who graduated from Olathe South High School, had written to friends about how much he
loved working as a door gunner on a Chinook helicopter. But The Kansas City Star reported that he
also told friends that he missed Kansas sunsets and lying in a truck bed listening to the radio and
cuddling with his sweetie.
Duncan joined the military in 2008 and had been in Afghanistan since late May. He was stationed at
Forward Operating Base, Shank.
Spc. Alexander Bennett and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Nichols — two soldiers from Duncan’s
Army reserve unit — were also killed.
Army Sgt. Patrick Hamburger
A fallen Nebraska National Guard member had only been in Afghanistan a week or so before being
killed in a military helicopter crash, his brother said Sunday.
Sgt. Patrick Hamburger, 30, of Grand Island, Neb., was among 30 Americans killed when a U.S.
military helicopter was shot down Friday.
Military officials have not released the names of those killed, but Hamburger’s family confirmed his
death. They said he was a crew chief on his first deployment. A message left Sunday for the
Nebraska National Guard wasn’t immediately returned.
Chris Hamburger said his brother landed in Afghanistan less than two weeks ago and arrived at
Forward Operating Base Shank a few days ago.
“He didn’t have to go and he wanted to go because his group was getting deployed. He wanted to be
there for them — that’s him for you,” Hamburger said, adding that Patrick always looked out for his
two younger brothers and friends.
“It doesn’t come as a total surprise that he was trying to help people and that’s how it all ended up
happening,” he said.
Chris Hamburger last spoke to his brother July 26, when he arrived in Afghanistan. He said his
brother was joking around and didn’t talk about his mission.
“He didn’t want us to worry about it,” he said.
Patrick Hamburger planned to propose to his girlfriend when he got home, his brother said. The
couple has a 2-year-old daughter, and his girlfriend has a 13-year-old who Patrick has helped to raise
for the past several years.
Kevin Houston
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A Navy SEAL from Massachusetts who was among the 30 Americans who died in helicopter crash in
Afghanistan is being remembered as a kind and gregarious man who lived his dream when he joined
the elite force.
Kevin Houston was a 1994 graduate of Barnstable High School on Cape Cod, Mass., where he was
captain of the football team his senior year.
He joined the Navy after graduation and became a SEAL in 1999.
Christopher Kelly became Houston’s mentor and father-figure. The Vietnam veteran says Houston
used to make time to visit Cape Cod when he had leave even though his family was in Chesapeake,
Va.
Houston’s mother, Jan Brown, told the Cape Cod Times that her son was born to be a SEAL.
The 36-year-old Houston leaves behind a wife and three children.
Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall
Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall and CPO Robert James Reeves had been childhood friends in Shreveport,
La., where they played soccer together and graduated from Caddo Magnet High School, Kelsall’s
father, John, told The Times of Shreveport and KLSA-TV.
Both joined the military after graduation.
Kelsall, 33, was one of the first members of SEAL Team 7, his father said.
He trained in San Diego and met his wife of three years, Victoria, when he was attending the
University of Texas out of Basic Underwater Demolition training, his father said.
Matthew Mason
A severe arm injury during fighting in Fallujah in 2004 didn’t keep Matthew Mason off the Iraq War
battlefield. Nor did it dull the competitive fire of the avid runner and former high school athlete from
outside Kansas City.
Within five months of losing part of his left arm, absorbing shrapnel and suffering a collapsed lung,
Mason competed in a triathlon. He soon returned to his SEAL unit.
“He could have gotten out of combat,” said family friend Elizabeth Frogge. “He just insisted on going
back.”
Mason, the father of two toddler sons, grew up in Holt, Mo., and played football and baseball at
Kearney High School. He graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1998. His wife, who
is expecting their third child — another boy — also attended Northwest Missouri.
Mason returned to Missouri in May to compete in a Kansas City triathlon, and took his family to Walt
Disney World for the first time this summer, Frogge said.
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“He loved doing what he did,” she said. “He was the type of guy who thought he was invincible.”
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Nichols
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Nichols, 31, a pilot from Kansas City, Mo., was eager to get back to
flying after a stint handling paperwork as a unit administrator. So when the word went out that people
were needed to train for a mobilization, Nichols volunteered.
Nichols was one of three of the crew members aboard the downed Chinook from the same Army
reserve unit — Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, based at New
CenturyAirCenter in Gardner, Kan.— killed when a Chinook helicopter went down in Afghanistan,
killing 30 U.S. troops.
Lt. Col. Richard Sherman, former commander of Nichols’ unit, said one of his favorite memories is
flying a pace car with Nichols to the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.
“My happiest and saddest memories are now tied to him,” said Sherman, who was in command and
working as an instructional pilot when Nichols joined his unit.
“He had no enemies. He was one everyone wanted to be around. You just liked flying with him
because you knew he was going to improve as a young pilot and get better every time you flew with
him.”
Spc. Alexander Bennett and Spc. Spencer Duncan — two soldiers from Duncan’s Army reserve unit
— were also killed.
Chief Petty Officer Robert James Reeves
CPO Robert James Reeves and Lt. Cmdr. Jonas Kelsall had been childhood friends in Shreveport,
La., where they played soccer together and graduated from Caddo Magnet High School, Kelsall’s
father, John, told The Times of Shreveport and KLSA-TV.
Both joined the military after graduation, though the 32-year-old Reeves spent a year at Louisiana
State University first, his father, Jim Reeves, told the newspaper.
Reeves became a SEAL in 1999 and served on SEAL Team 6, his father said. During his many
deployments, he earned four Bronze Stars and other honors.
Reeves placed several American flags outside his home and his neighbors joined in, many decorating
their homes in red, white and blue in support of the families.
Nick Spehar
When 24-year-old Nicholas Spehar said he was going to do something, you could take him at his
word.
The 2005 graduate of Chisago Lakes High School was a "quiet leader," a star in academics and three
sports during his time at the school along Minnesota's eastern border, said Principal Dave Ertl.
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"Nick was an active young man, and if he said he was going to do something, he did it," Ertl said. "I
could see him as a Navy SEAL and giving 110 percent to serve his country."
Younger brother Luke Spehar told the Star Tribune of Minneapolis that the family does not want to
talk about Nick, the second of five children, until after his funeral. "We need time," he said.
Craig Swanberg, 46, of Chisago City, a town of about 4,700, said the Spehar kids played football with
his own children.
"The whole family is a down-to-earth group ... nice, everyday, salt-of-the-earth people," Swanberg
said. "Nick was a big kid, a powerlifter, who was not as soft spoken as his brothers."
Ertl said Spehar played football and baseball for Chisago Lakes, starred on the swimming team and
was an academic letter winner.
"He gave 100 percent in high school," Ertl said. "And he gave 100 percent to our country."
Petty Officer First Class Michael Strange
Relatives of one of the Navy SEALS killed in the crash of a helicopter in eastern Afghanistan are
remembering him as a friendly person with a sense of humor who was close to his family and always
told them not to worry about him.
Military officials came to the family home in the Mayfair section of Philadelphia on Saturday to tell
them of the death of Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Strange, 25, family members said Sunday.
Authorities had not yet officially announced death by Sunday afternoon.
“He loved his friends, his family, his country, he loved making people laugh. He was one of a kind,”
his brother, Charles Strange III, 22, said outside the home, where more than a dozen American flags
were displayed in addition to many flags planted in neighbors’ yards. “He’d walk in a room and see
someone sad, and he’d make them smile.”
“He wasn’t supposed to die this young. He was supposed to be safe,” his mother, Elizabeth Strange,
46, told The Associated Press. “And he told me that and I believed him. I shouldn’t have believed him
because I know better. He would say ‘Mom, don’t be ridiculous and worry so much. I’m safe.’”
“He was intense, he was funny, he had that dry humor,” his father, Charles Strange, told the CBS
affiliate in Philadelphia.
Two U.S. officials said Sunday that the SEALs and other troops had rushed to the mountainous area
to help a Army Ranger unit that was under fire from insurgents. The rescue team had completed the
mission, subduing the attackers who had the Rangers pinned down, and were departing in their
Chinook helicopter when the aircraft was apparently hit, one of the officials said. Thirty Americans
and 8 Afghans were killed, making it the deadliest single loss for U.S. forces in the decade-long war
in Afghanistan. Both spoke on condition of anonymity, as the investigation is still ongoing.
Based in Virginia Beach, Michael Strange had been in the military for about six years, four of them
stationed in Hawaii, and had been a SEAL for about the last two, his mother said.
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“Michael did very well. He listened to what people taught him and he learned a lot. He was real smart
to begin with,” his mother said.
Charles Strange said his brother decided to go into the military near the end of his high school years
in North Catholic High School.
“He loved and was great at the physical aspect of it. He loved the competitiveness, getting in shape
and running and swimming and all of that,” Charles Strange said.
When he wasn’t working, he loved snowboarding, surfing, scuba diving, running, and shooting guns
on the range, and was also fond of animals, his family said.
He last visited for a week in June for his birthday, his mother said.
“We went to Chink’s Steaks for a (cheese)steak and a milkshake, and we talked,” she said. “He had
just bought a mini-coupe and he was showing me the car. It was really neat.”
He was supposed to come back for Thanksgiving for a big holiday celebration, she said.
“It was going to be such a good time,” she said. “He’s really going to be missed by a lot of people.”
Strange also had two sisters, 21-year-old Katelyn and 7-year-old Carly, and he recently became an
uncle.
Jon Tumilson
A longtime neighbor of an Iowan who was killed in the downing of a helicopter in Afghanistan says the
man had always wanted to be a Navy SEAL.
Jan Stowe, of Rockford, told The Des Moines Register that Jon Tumilson “was like a hero to
everyone here.”
Tumilson’s father, George Tumilson, told the Register that he confirmed the death of his son on
Saturday. Tumilson wouldn’t comment further. The family also declined to comment to The
Associated Press.
Stowe says Jon Tumilson was going to be a SEAL “since I can’t remember when.”
Tumilson, 35, was remembered as a feisty high school wrestler who later competed in marathons and
triathlons as part of his preparation for a special forces career.
“He was willing to do whatever it took. He wanted to be there,” neighbor Mark Biggs told the Mason
City Globe Gazette. “That was his second family.”
Friend Justin Schriever remembered Tumilson as “a die-hard at everything. He’d always go the extra
mile on everything. He wouldn’t let anything stop him from accomplishing something.”
Aaron Carson Vaughn
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Elite Navy SEALs member Aaron Carson Vaughn had asked the military to return him to combat and
shipped out just six weeks before he was killed when a U.S. military helicopter was shot down in
Afghanistan, killing 38, including 22 SEALs.
Vaughn’s grandmother, Geneva Vaughn of Union City, Tenn., told The Associated Press on Saturday
that her grandson, a Tennessee native, had wanted to be a SEAL since he was a child and returned
to combat just two weeks after his 2-month-old daughter was born this summer.
“Aaron was a Christian and he’s with Jesus today,” Vaughn said. “He told us when we saw him last
November that he wasn’t afraid because he knew where he was going, and he said, ‘Granny, don’t
worry about me.’
“He was a tough warrior, but he was a gentle man.”
Vaughn, 30, leaves behind his wife, Kimberly, and two children, 2-year-old son Reagan and 2-monthold daughter Chamberlyn. Vaughn had been based in Virginia Beach, Va., and had also seen
postings in Coronado, Calif., Guam, Germany, Iraq and Afghanistan, his grandmother said.
Geneva Vaughn says Aaron Vaughn joined the SEALs straight out of boot camp and was already a
decorated fighter when he was asked by the Navy to return stateside to become an instructor. But he
chafed under the assignment and applied to SEAL Team 6 after two years, earning his way onto the
squad in 2010. Geneva Vaughn said he was one of the few SEALs who performed well enough to get
his name on the “First Time Every Time Wall,” a benchmark of honor for the few SEALs who pass
every test on their first try.
He won multiple military medals, Vaughn said.
“The last time he was in Afghanistan he received a medal because his team was under fire and
couldn’t see the enemy. He left the ones he was with and drew fire and killed the enemy to save the
men he was with. We couldn’t tell any of this stuff when he was alive because it was a secret.”
Vaughn met his wife, Kimberly, while she was on a USO tour entertaining troops in Guam as a
Washington Redskins cheerleader. They were married about four years ago.
“Aaron’s hard to miss — 6-feet-4, beautiful guy,” Kimberly told WTTG, the Fox affiliate in Washington,
from her parents’ home in Burke, Va., where she was when she learned her husband was one of the
30 U.S. troops, including 22 Navy SEALS, killed Saturday in a helicopter crash in eastern
Afghanistan.
Kimberly said she talked with her husband about the dangers inherent in his job, but she usually tried
to put it out of her mind.
“You could sit there and worry yourself to pieces, thinking that they’re constantly going to get hurt,”
Kimberly said. Aaron believed that “his time, if it were to come early, that it was meant to be. Aaron
wouldn’t have wanted to leave this earth any other way than the way he did, and that’s laying down
his life serving his country.”
Aaron Vaughn grew up in rural Obion County outside of Union City in northwestern Tennessee and
briefly moved with his parents to Stuart, Fla., as a teen. He returned to Obion County to finish his
senior year of high school, then attended two years of college before joining the Navy.
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“He was doing what he loved to do and he was a true warrior,” Geneva Vaughn said.
Kraig Vickers
A Hawaii man is one of the 30 American service members killed when a military helicopter was shot
down in Afghanistan, his family and officials said Sunday.
Kraig Vickers was killed when the Chinook helicopter he was in was hit and went down in eastern
Afghanistan Saturday.
Most of the U.S. troops on board were elite Navy SEALs, who had rushed to help Army Rangers who
had come under fire, two U.S. officials said Sunday.
The rescue team had completed the mission, subduing the attackers who had the Rangers pinned
down, and were departing in their Chinook helicopter when the aircraft was apparently hit, one of the
officials said.
Vickers, 36, was a Navy Bomb Disposal Team member, his father, Robert Vickers told the Maui
News.
“He would have turned 37 on August 11th,” his father told the newspaper.
Attempts by The Associated Press to reach Robert Vickers for additional comment on Sunday were
unsuccessful.
Kraig Vickers lived in Virginia Beach, Va., with his wife, Nani, who was pregnant, and their three
children, his friend from childhood, Michael Labuanan, told the Maui News.
“I gravitated towards Kraig because of his easygoing personality and the drive to become the best
person that he could be,” said Labuanan in an email to the newspaper.
Rep Mazie Hirono released a statement Sunday on the death of Vickers, extending her “gratitude to
Kraig Vickers for his loyal service to our country.”
“We honor and remember the 30 American service members who gave their lives in Afghanistan.
This tragic event is a stark reminder of the supreme sacrifices the women and men of the U.S.
military make in serving our country,” the statement said.
Jason Workman
Jason Workman had his sights set on becoming a SEAL as a young teenager. He was about 14
when his older brother graduated from West Point. That’s when he knew he wanted to be an elite
soldier, friend Tate Bennett told The Deseret News. Then came the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and
Workman’s calling grew even stronger.
“He didn’t become a Navy SEAL by chance,” Bennett said. “He knew that’s what he wanted at a
young age and made it happen.”
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After returning from his Mormon mission, Bennett said, Workman went to Southern Utah University
and later joined the Navy.
Across his small hometown of Blanding in southern Utah, flags were flown at half-staff as residents
mourned the loss of one of their own.
Even as a SEAL, Workman came home periodically. During his last trip, he led training sessions with
local law enforcement, sharing his military skills, and planned to provide more training during a trip
home this fall, Mayor Toni Turk told the Salt Lake City Tribune.
Daniel Zerbe
A relative of an American serviceman killed in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan is confirming the
death to a central Pennsylvania television station.
WGAL-TV said Monday that Daniel Zerbe had joined the Air Force soon after graduating from Red
Lion Area High School a decade ago. The station says a family spokesman is expected to release
more details.
The York Dispatch reports that Zerbe wrestled and played football in high school.
The crash on Saturday also took the lives of 29 other Americans and eight Afghans. Military officials
say the Chinook was involved pursuit of a Taliban leader.
Red Lion is located in York County, about 15 miles north of the Maryland state line.
RETURN
D4
Calif. city council keeps reservist pay intact
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-california-city-council-votes-keep-reservist-pay-intact-081011/
SAN JOSE, Calif. — San Jose lawmakers have voted to keep indefinitely offsetting the pay cuts that
city employees would otherwise take whey they are called up as military reservists.
The City Council on Tuesday unanimously rejected the recommendation of a city audit to cap the
amount of time workers could be on military leave and still have their salaries subsidized.
The city currently pays reservists the difference between their military pay and their local government
salaries for as long as they are away from their city jobs.
The audit recommended restricting employees to a cumulative total of five-year subsidized leave.
But Mayor Chuck Reed, an Air Force veteran, says supporting city workers while they are serving
abroad is "a sacrifice we can make on behalf of the country," the San Jose Mercury News reports.
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D5
White House photo sparks protest
With sadness, dignity, Obama honors the fallen
(AP, 10 Aug 11) ... Lolita C. Baldor
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/10/2353818/white-house-photo-sparks-protest.html
WASHINGTON -- A White House photographer was allowed to take and widely distribute a photo
from the ceremony Tuesday for the return of the remains of 30 American troops killed in a weekend
helicopter crash in Afghanistan despite the Pentagon's claim that any public depiction of the scene
would violate the wishes of bereaved families.
News media coverage of the ceremony had been banned by the Pentagon over the objections of
several news organizations.
Pentagon officials had said that because 19 of 30 of the American families of the dead had objected
to media coverage of the remains coming off a plane at Dover Air Force Base, no images could be
taken. In addition, the Pentagon rejected media requests to take photos that showed officials at the
ceremony but did not depict caskets.
President Barack Obama attended the ceremony, called a "dignified transfer," for those killed in the
worst single loss of the nearly 10-year war. An official White House photo of a saluting Obama was
distributed to news media and published widely. It also was posted on the White House website as
the "Photo of the Day." It showed Obama and other officials in silhouette and did not depict caskets.
Doug Wilson, head of public affairs at the Pentagon, said the department did not know the White
House photographer was present and had no idea a photo of the event was being released until it
became public. He said the photographers who routinely travel with the defense secretary and the
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were not allowed to go to the event, and no official Pentagon
photos were taken or released.
The Associated Press did not transmit the White House photo to its customers, in accordance with its
policy of refusing government handout images of events it believes the media should have access to.
When asked about the photo Wednesday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the picture was
carefully taken so that it did not show the cases containing remains.
"The White House routinely releases photos taken by the White House photographers in specific
circumstances where it would be inappropriate to include members of the media," Carney said. "In
this case, the White House released the photo, in the interests of transparency, so that the American
people could have as much insight as possible into this historic and sobering event."
Under a Pentagon policy set in 2009, media coverage at the Dover base is allowed only when family
members of the war dead approve. In the case of multiple sets of remains returning as a group,
photographers take pictures of those approved caskets only and are ushered away before the
remains of any troops whose families declined coverage are brought out of the plane.
The Pentagon said that in this case no family could give permission because any given case could
contain the remains of troops whose families did not want coverage. The Pentagon said that during
initial notification of next of kin, 19 of the 30 families said they did not want media coverage.
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The AP and other media organizations argued that images could be taken of the tarmac, plane or
dignitaries that would depict the occasion without showing a casket.
The base in Delaware serves as the entry point for all remains of U.S. troops killed overseas.
The Pentagon has said it expects to identify all 38 people who died, 30 U.S. troops and eight
Afghans, and will return their remains to families for burial. The Pentagon planned to release the
names of all Americans who died on Thursday, after an internal debate over whether doing so might
endanger families of the SEAL Team 6 troops. Other members of that same elite special operations
team killed Osama bin Laden in May.
Under the Pentagon policy spelled out in March 2009, the option to allow media access is explained
to family members when they are notified of their loved one's death, and "primary next of kin will
make the family decision regarding media access to dignified transfers at Dover."
The AP has covered every ceremony in which a family has agreed to coverage since the Pentagon
lifted a total ban on media coverage at Dover in 2009, a total of 68 ceremonies this year at Dover
through June 30.
RETURN
MODERNIZE OUR AGING AIR AND SPACE INVENTORIES
M1
F-35 fleet cleared for ground operations
(Navy Times, 10 Aug 11) … Brian Everstine
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2011/08/af-navy-mc-f35-cleared-for-ground-operations-081011/
The F-35 Lighting II fleet has been cleared to resume ground operations after a preliminary
investigation found the cause of an electrical subsystem failure, but a Pentagon official refused to
speculate when the next-generation fighters will be back in the air.
Investigators on Wednesday determined a malfunctioning control valve caused the integrated power
package of AF-4, the fourth conventional takeoff and landing version, to fail Aug. 2, said Joe
DellaVedova, a spokesman for the F-35 program.
The IPP, built by Honeywell International, combines the functions that are performed by an auxiliary
power unit, emergency power system and environmental controls. Lockheed Martin Corp. makes the
aircraft.
All 20 of the Lightning IIs have been parked for the past week, the second grounding this year
because of electrical problems. In March, faulty maintenance procedures caused a dual generator on
the same AF-4 to shut down.
Ground operations will now continue at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., where the AF-4 that
malfunctioned is assigned, and at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla, and Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
Md., Della Vedova said.
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“We are in development tests of this airplane. There will be discoveries, we want to find discoveries,”
he said. “We want to find and implement fixes to get this airplane flying again. Today was one step
down that road.”
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M2
Reservists could be answer as Defense budget shrinks
(Warner Robins Patriot, 10 Aug 11) … Gene Rector
http://warnerrobinspatriot.com/bookmark/15010829-Reservists-could-be-answer-as-Defense-budget-shrinks
With the Defense Department budget dwindling and with more cuts likely, the answer to preventing a
"hollow force" could come in the nation's reserve components.
Lt. Gen. Charles Stenner, the Air Force Reserve commander headquartered at Robins Air Force
Base, believes the case is compelling.
Speaking recently to a House Armed Services Committee panel, Stenner pointed out that reservists
comprise nearly 14 percent of the total Air Force authorized end strength but consume only 5.3
percent of the budget.
"Put differently," he noted, "roughly 3.5 reserve airmen serve for the cost of one active-duty airman."
When reserve airmen are not training or performing an operational mission, the general pointed out,
they are not being paid. Yet they are ready to respond to a call-up within 72 hours.
“Given the resouce challenges affecting our nation’s security," he said, "this full-time readiness, parttime cost is the most efficient model for doing business."
Stenner also emphasized the experience advantage of most reservists.
“Reserve officers have roughly 15 years of experience on average and reserve enlisted members 14
years,” the commander said. “(Active-duty counterparts) are 11 and nine years respectively.”
National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Craig McKinley also participated in the House panel testimony. He
said Congress must avoid the temptation to make severe cuts in the Guard.
“We believe we are the answer to America’s security needs in a time of fiscal constraint,” McKinley
said. “And we are willing to put our forces on the line – operationally, their capability, their equipment
and their leadership – to make that case in front of the American people.”
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RECAPTURE ACQUISITION EXCELLENCE
A1
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Moraine firm helped speed UAV tow kits to battlefront
Concept to deployment took three weeks, barely a blink in military time.
(Dayton Daily News, 10 Aug 11) … John Nolan
http://www.daytondailynews.com/business/moraine-firm-helped-speed-uav-tow-kits-to-battlefront-1227206.html
MORAINE — When Wright-Patterson Air Force Base wanted to quickly design and distribute to the
war front a kit for towing Global Hawks, the unmanned aircraft integral to surveillance and intelligence
gathering operations, base officials turned to a Moraine tool-making company.
An engineer in the Aeronautical Systems Center’s Global Hawk program office provided a sketched
design of the kit and Mar-Con Tool Co. manufactured 30 of the metal assemblies.
The time from concept to deployment was three weeks, speedy by usual standards of military
acquisition processes.
Personnel from the base, including structural engineer Dave Wimer who designed the kit and initiated
the contact, visited the company’s 2301 Arbor Blvd. location Wednesday to personally thank its staff.
At least a half dozen of the kits, designed to fit into a space under the Global Hawk’s wing, have
already been deployed to the field, Wimer said.
Another Air Force engineer referred him to Mar-Con, he said.
The family-owned company has served other Air Force bases and contractors, including General
Electric Aviation and Battelle
Memorial Institute for years, but had never done business with WrightPatterson, so the company was delighted with the opportunity, said Jeff Hamrick, a vice president
whose father, Gene, founded Mar-Con in 1959.
The company is named for the wives of Gene Hamrick and a former business partner.
“Quite literally, this guy walked through the door, spread out a blueprint and said, ‘Can you do this?’”
Jeff Hamrick said of Wimer.
The Air Force said it wanted to develop a towing kit that could be used in a wide variety of locations to
move the massive aircraft on the ground. That allows the plane, which has a maximum takeoff weight
of more than 32,000 pounds and has a wingspan of 131 feet, to land at more locations because it can
now carry its towing kit aboard the aircraft, rather than land only at places that have the special
towing equipment.
Wimer’s kit includes a tow bar adapter and tubes that keep the Global Hawk’s landing gear from
collapsing during towing or when the aircraft is parked. The kit weighs 14 pounds and costs less than
$2,000 to produce, the Air Force said.
Global Foam Co., of Dayton, provided foam molds to hold the kits in place inside the Global Hawks.
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GLOBAL AIR, SPACE, and CYBERSPACE ENVIRONMENT
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SAF/PAX | safpax.ra@pentagon.af.mil | 703.571.3457 | 11 August 11
Taiwan's 'Carrier Killer' Aims To Sink China's Carrier
(Defense News, 10 Aug 11) … Wendell Minnick
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7356595&c=AME&s=TOP
TAIPEI - In the event of war, Taiwan plans to sink China's new aircraft carrier, the Varyag, with its
new "aircraft carrier killer" missile, the ramjet-powered supersonic anti-ship cruise missile Hsiung
Feng 3. The revelation was made Aug. 10 on the same day China launched the Varyag for its first
sea trials.
The disclosure came during a preshow media tour of the biennial Taipei Aerospace and Defense
Technology Exhibition (TADTE). Journalists inspecting the Hsiung Feng 3 were shocked to see a
large mural of the Varyag being attacked by three Hsiung Feng 3 missiles. Two of the missiles impact
the carrier's starboard bow and starboard quarter, with a third missile is en route to the ship.
The mural was reminiscent of similar displays at the 2010 Zhuhai Airshow in China, where anti-ship
missiles were depicted attacking and sinking U.S. aircraft carriers.
The unveiling of the display comes at an uncomfortable time for Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou.
Since coming into office in 2008, Ma has eased cross-Strait tensions and signed historic economic
agreements with China.
Military officials denied that calling Hsiung Feng 3 the "aircraft carrier killer" or displaying a mural of a
missile attack on the Varyag were intended to send Beijing a political message. In the past, the
Taiwan military often used ambiguous phrases to describe the "enemy" without mentioning China.
Therefore, the Hsiung Feng 3 display was out of synch with normal military protocol that avoids
enraging China.
The military-run Chungshun Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) produces the Hsiung Feng
family of anti-ship missiles, including the Tien Kung (Sky Bow) air defense missile and the Tien Chien
(Sky Sword) missile.
CSIST is working on a highly classified missile system called the Hsiung Feng 2E, which is reportedly
a land-attack cruise missile capable of hitting targets on mainland China. This missile has never been
displayed to the public and the military refuses to discuss its existence. Another missile program
considered secret is the Tien Chien 2A, which is reportedly an anti-radiation missile designed to
destroy ground-based radar systems.
A CSIST official said the Hsiung Feng 3 has been outfitted on the 1101 and 1103 Perry-class frigates
for testing. "We began building the Hsiung Feng III around five years ago."
The military might field the missile inland along the coast to fend off a Chinese invasion armada, he
said. The Hsiung Feng 3 has a reported range of 130 kilometers.
Also on display at TADTE was the new Tien Kung 3 (Sky Bow) air defense missile. The Tien Kung is
based on the U.S.-built Patriot missile defense system. Details of its probable deployment are
classified.
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G2
U.S. Asks China to Explain Need for Carrier
(Agence France-Presse, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7357523&c=ASI&s=SEA
WASHINGTON - The United States said Aug. 10 it would like China to explain why it needs an
aircraft carrier amid broader U.S. concerns about Beijing's lack of transparency over its military aims.
"We would welcome any kind of explanation that China would like to give for needing this kind of
equipment," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters when asked whether the
carrier would raise regional tensions.
"This is part of our larger concern that China is not as transparent as other countries. It's not as
transparent as the United States about its military acquisitions, about its military budget," she said.
"And we'd like to have the kind of open, transparent relationship in military-to-military affairs," Nuland
said.
"In our military-to-military relations with many countries around the world, we have the kind of bilateral
dialogue where we can get quite specific about the equipment that we have and its intended
purposes and its intended movements," she said.
But China and the United States are "not at that level of transparency" to which the two nations
aspire, Nuland added.
The comments came hours after China's first aircraft carrier embarked on its inaugural sea trial, a
move likely to stoke concerns about the nation's military expansion and growing territorial
assertiveness.
Beijing only recently confirmed it was revamping an old Soviet ship to be its first carrier and has
sought to play down the vessel's capability, saying it will mainly be used for training and "research."
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G3
North Korean shell lands in South’s waters
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Sam Kim
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-north-korean-shell-lands-south-waters-081011/
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean marines returned fire Wednesday after North Korea launched
artillery shells into waters near the disputed maritime line that separates the two rivals, South Korean
defense officials said.
The three North Korean shells fired near the Northern Limit Line in the Yellow Sea prompted the
South to fire three shells back, Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said. Both sides' shells
landed in the water, and there were no reports of casualties.
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South Korean forces have been on high alert in the area since a North Korean artillery attack killed
four people in November on South Korea's Yeonpyeong island. Wednesday's artillery exchange,
which happened in hazy weather, was near that island.
The firing follows a recent easing of animosity between the Koreas and could be a warning about joint
U.S.-South Korean military drills set for next week. Last month, a senior North Korean diplomat met
with U.S. officials in New York to negotiate ways to restart long-stalled international talks aimed at
persuading the North to abandon its nuclear weapons aspirations. The meeting came after the
Koreas' nuclear envoys held cordial talks during a regional security forum in Indonesia.
Another South Korean defense ministry official, who refused to be named because of office policy,
said South Korean forces stepped up their monitoring of the North after Wednesday's artillery
exchange. South Korean marines on Yeonpyeong returned fire after North Korea fired from one of its
front-line islands, the official said.
The North's shelling took place unexpectedly, the official said, and neither side was conducting firing
drills at the time. The South Korean military has yet to determine the motive behind the North's
shelling, the official said.
Neither the North's government nor its official news agency immediately commented on the shelling.
Violence often erupts in the contested slice of sea. Boats routinely jostle for position during crabcatching season, and three deadly naval clashes since 1999 have taken a few dozen lives.
Kim said one North Korean artillery shell is believed to have fallen south of the maritime line, citing a
preliminary analysis of the trajectory of the shell.
The line separating the countries was drawn by the U.S.-led U.N. Command without Pyongyang's
consent at the close of the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended with a truce, not a peace treaty,
leaving the peninsula still technically in a state of war. The line is still a fierce point of dispute.
North Korea argues that the line should run farther south. Seoul believes accepting such a line would
endanger fishing around five South Korean islands and hamper access to its port at Incheon.
The November attack marked a new level of hostility along the contested line. Two South Korean
civilians and two marines died, and many houses were gutted in the shelling.
Baek Seung-joo, a military analyst at the state-run Korea Institute for Defense Analyses in South
Korea, said the North appears to be rattling its sabers ahead of annual U.S.-South Korean military
exercises planned for next week.
North Korea routinely denounces Seoul and Washington for such drills, calling them precursors to an
invasion. The impoverished North faces heavy economic pressure when it is forced to mobilize its
own military to counter South Korean drills.
On Monday, a North Korean military spokesman released an open letter that called the joint exercises
"hideous provocations." He warned that the North has access to a "nuclear deterrent powerful enough
to protect" itself.
The North has conducted two nuclear tests since 2006.
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Baek also said the North appears to be keeping tension alive in an effort to unite its own people, even
as it moves to restore dialogue with the outside world.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Red Cross said in a statement that it has sent Pyongyang a list of items
meant to help North Korea recover from recent flooding and heavy rain. The items included baby
food, cookies and instant noodles.
The North has yet to accept the aid offer. Last week, the North's Red Cross asked the South to send
concrete as well. The South refused. Seoul worries such material may be used for military purposes.
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G4
China test-drives first aircraft carrier
(Washington Post, 10 Aug 11) … William Wan
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/china-test-drives-first-aircraft-carrier/2011/08/10/gIQAqstB7I_story.html?hpid=z11
China began sea trials on Wednesday for its first aircraft carrier, a ship that has come to symbolize
the nation’s growing military and maritime ambitions.
The retrofitted former Soviet ship, called the Varyag, has long been considered the first step in
China’s plan to eventually build a handful of carriers as part of a wider development of naval might.
On the same day China’s carrier set sail, Taiwan brandished its most advanced missile at the Taipei
Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition. The display was accompanied by a billboard calling
the missile, Hsiung Feng III, an “aircraft carrier killer.” An image of it appeared alongside a picture of a
craft closely resembling the Varyag crippled and aflame.
Others in the region have been watching China’s rapidly modernizing and growing military amid
disputes over territorial claims. Six countries claim portions of the South China Sea, which is believed
to hold valuable oil and minerals, but China’s claim is by far the broadest, encompassing almost the
entire region.
The carrier serves as a signal of sorts to other nations, said Dean Cheng, a research fellow at the
Heritage Foundation. “This will start affecting things like South China Sea negotiations, not because
of an overt change in military balance, but it will be looming, brooding in the background.”
China bought the carrier from Ukraine in 1998 with the intent of turning it into a floating casino. But for
roughly the past decade, it has undergone retrofitting in the northeastern port of Dalian.
A new engine and radar equipment were added, and the carrier retains its original runway to launch
fighters. Both Chinese and foreign military analysts think China is years away from developing a fully
operational carrier group, including the capability to launch and land fighter jets from the ships.
China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency said Wednesday that the sea trials “will be a lengthy process
from the sea test to the shaping of combat prowess.” It added that the carrier “is only a platform for
scientific research, experiments and training.”
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China is the only one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council without an
operational carrier.
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ITEMS OF INTEREST
I1
Members named to deficit-cutting ‘super’ panel
(Air Force Times, 10 Aug 11) … Rick Maze
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/military-member-named-to-deficit-cutting-super-panel-081011/
The Republican cochairman appointed Wednesday to the 12-member joint committee on reducing
the deficit is pro-military but willing to cut the defense budget.
Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee that is responsible
for tax policy and entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, was appointed by
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, as the Republican co-chair of the Joint Select Committee on
Deficit Reduction that is empowered to make recommendations about reducing the deficit by at least
$1.5 trillion by 2021.
The joint committee is expected to begin work when Congress returns after Labor Day from a
summer recess, and has until Nov. 23 to come up with recommendations for consideration by the full
Congress.
Under terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011 which created the deficit panel, Congress is required
to take an up-or-down vote in the House and Senate on the recommendations — without amendment
— no later than Dec. 23. Failure to adopt recommendations that reduce the deficit by at least $1.2
trillion over 10 years would trigger automatic across-the-board cuts in federal spending to save that
amount.
Camp has not been a major player on defense issues, but a policy statement posted on his
congressional website reveals him — like most Republicans — to be concerned about the nation’s
long-term national security challenges while also supporting past improvements in military pay and
benefits.
One note of caution, however, comes in his statement about future defense budgets. Camp said
Congress should “make sure our military has the most effective and technologically advanced
weapons systems and hardware,” but then adds: “This must be done in a prudent way that reduces
cost and maximizes taxpayer dollars.”
The Democratic co-chair of the deficit reduction committee is Sen. Patty Murray, who heads the
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee panels
that are responsible for defense, veterans and military construction funding.
Camp’s appointment came Wednesday as Boehner and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
of Kentucky announced the three people whom each were allowed to appoint to the joint committee.
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In addition to Camp, Boehner named Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, who chairs the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas, head of the House Republican
Conference, to the panel.
McConnell appointed Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Rob Portman of Ohio and Pat Toomey of
Pennsylvania. Kyl is part of the Senate Republican leadership and served as chairman of the House
Armed Services Committee’s military personnel panel earlier in his congressional career. Portman
was budget director for President George W. Bush, while Toomey, elected to the Senate in 2010, is
tea party conservative who is among those pushing for a balanced federal budget.
In addition to Murray, Reid named Sens. Max Baucus of Montana and John Kerry of Massachusetts
to the panel. Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. Kerry is chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, and so far he is the only veteran to be named to the so-called “super”
committee.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, has not yet named her three appointments that
will fill out the 12-member panel.
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I2
Australia Withdraws Troops Guarding Iraq Embassy
(Agence France-Presse, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7356427&c=ASI&s=LAN
BAGHDAD - Thirty-three Australian soldiers who were guarding the country's embassy in Iraq have
been withdrawn, and a Dubai-based private security firm has taken over, an embassy official said on
Aug. 10.
"We now have moved to a contractor called Unity Resources Group" to provide embassy security, the
official said, adding that the last soldiers left on Aug. 6.
Related TopicsAsia & Pacific Rim
Land Warfare
The soldiers guarding the embassy were the last significant Australian troop presence in the country.
Australia once had about 2,000 soldiers in Iraq, one of the larger non-U.S. deployments.
Two Australian officers remain as advisers to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, the
embassy official said.
According to its website, Unity Resources Group is based in Dubai and was founded by Gordon
Conroy, "a former Commander in the Australian SAS (Special Forces) Counter Terrorist Squadron,"
who is the firm's director and CEO.
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I3
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SAF/PAX | safpax.ra@pentagon.af.mil | 703.571.3457 | 11 August 11
Demands to Grow for U.N. Peacekeepers, Says Outgoing Chief
(Agence France-Presse, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=7356441&c=AME&s=TOP
UNITED NATIONS - Growing international instability and economic crisis are placing greater
demands on U.N. peacekeeping even as it tries to wind down operations, the outgoing head of the
120,000-strong global force said.
Alain Le Roy highlighted the "overwhelming good" that U.N. peacekeepers have brought to
troublespots from Haiti to Ivory Coast, East Timor and Sudan, while also acknowledging some bad
and ugly cases.
"I think there will be more instability in the world," he said. "We are not the ones asking for an
increased number of troops - never."
Conflicting pressures on the U.N. missions were evident during an interview with Le Roy from the
New York office he leaves this week.
On one side of the building was a demonstration by Sudanese calling for U.N. intervention in the
troubled state of South Kordofan. On the other, Haitians demanded an end to the U.N. "occupation
force" in their impoverished nation.
The United Nations wants to close its operation in East Timor next year and start drawing down
forces in Liberia, Ivory Coast and Haiti.
But it has also just started two new missions with 4,200 Ethiopian troops heading for Sudan's troubled
Abyei region and 7,000 to go to the new country of South Sudan.
"There are other countries where we might be called," the French diplomat added. Planning is already
underway for an observer force for Libya, if a ceasefire is ever agreed.
However "the trend is clearly that European defense budgets are globally decreasing," Le Roy said,
so their ability to help in faraway conflict zones will become limited.
The United States also relies on U.N. power.
"Ask President Barack Obama," said Le Roy. "He is very happy because we bring stability to so many
countries where he cannot go. If we left the Congo, who else would go there? If we left the Sudan,
who would be there to protect the population?"
The U.N. Security Council is adding to the demands with its growing calls for U.N. forces to better
protect civilian populations.
"No army force in the world is trained to protect civilians. They are trained to make war, to be
warriors. To protect civilians is a very specific task," said Le Roy "The Security Council says in one
sentence in its mandate that you have to protect civilians under threat.
"That simple sentence raises a lot of expectations amongst the populations and the countries
concerned," he continued.
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So the U.N. is pressuring the 120 countries that contribute to the 15 peacekeeping missions around
the world to change their training and ethics.
U.N. forces must be more "robust," the Security Council has ordered. That needs numbers, skills and
equipment, according to the U.N. under-secretary-general.
That is why attack helicopters were needed in Ivory Coast this year to destroy weapons being used
by Laurent Gbagbo, the president who refused to stand down after losing an election.
U.N. forces are also forced to get tougher in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Le Roy
said.
Pressure has also mounted for the U.N. to overcome what Le Roy acknowledges were three major
peacekeeping failures of the 1990s - at Srebenica in Bosnia, the Rwanda genocide and in Somalia when troops could not or would not act.
"There were three big tragedies, three failures and since then we have changed tremendously," he
said.
"We have reformed a lot to become more professional. It cannot be compared even to how we were
five years ago."
Le Roy has had to tell U.N. commanders they must stay at their post on threatened bases, even
when they were at risk.
"For me, there cannot be the Srebenica syndrome. This was the case in the Ivory Coast, Sudan. In
Darfur, there were times when peacekeepers were threatened," he said.
"If I accept evacuation, the whole credibility of peacekeeping would be lost. Each time I said no. In
each case it was not easy."
The U.N. has also had to confront cases of rape by peacekeepers.
According to U.N. figures, alleged attacks have dropped from 127 in 2007 to 84 last year, and Le Roy
dismissed the perpetrators as "black sheep."
"Every army in the world has black sheep. We have 84 cases for 120,000 peacekeepers. That is 84
cases too many. But we have improved," Le Roy said, demanding credit for the good work done
ending strife in Liberia and East Timor hailed by the countries' leaders.
"Perhaps some people in Haiti would like us to go. But who brought stability to Haiti? It was our
operation. Who avoided the chaos after the earthquake? The peacekeepers," Le Roy said. "In Haiti,
we declared war on the gangs in Cite Soleil.
"There may be some politicians who say we want to be a sovereign nation, but the populations at risk
never say 'we want you to leave.'"
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SAF/PAX | safpax.ra@pentagon.af.mil | 703.571.3457 | 11 August 11
Weather delays launch of hypersonic glider
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Unattributed
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/08/10/state/n111237D13.DTL
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- Launch of an unmanned experimental hypersonic glider
from the central California coast has been postponed.
Vandenberg Air Force Base says Wednesday's planned launch of a Minotaur 4 rocket carrying the
glider was scrubbed due to poor weather conditions downrange and has been rescheduled for
Thursday.
The rocket will loft the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's Falcon Hypersonic Technology
Vehicle 2 high above the Earth. The unmanned aircraft is designed to re-enter the atmosphere and
maneuver at Mach 20 — or about 13,000 mph — before diving into the ocean.
The program is intended to increase the technical knowledge necessary for long-duration hypersonic
flight.
Another HTV-2 was flown last year, returning nine minutes of data before contact was lost.
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I5
Former CIA chief says Afghan drawdown too early
(AP, 10 Aug 11) … Josh Loftin
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/08/ap-former-cia-director-says-afghan-drawdown-too-early-081011/
SALT LAKE CITY — The former director of the CIA and National Security Agency said Wednesday
that President Barack Obama is pulling troops from Afghanistan a few months too early.
Retired Gen. Michael Hayden said it would be better to leave the troops in place until after the
summer of 2012. That would keep the additional 20,000-plus troops in the country during the main
“fighting season.”
Hayden was speaking at a forum on national security at the Utah Capitol hosted by U.S. Sen. Orrin
Hatch, R-Utah.
“We all knew it was a surge, and a surge doesn’t last ... but drawing them out in the middle of the
fighting season isn’t looking at the calendar,” Hayden said.
Some U.S. troops should remain in Afghanistan for the long term, Hayden said. Even if the force is
small, it still sends a message to the region that the U.S. is serious about maintaining stability.
“I would talk about a long-term commitment in Afghanistan, but not at the levels we currently have,”
Hayden said. “As soon as we start to wobble, everybody in the neighborhood begins to misbehave. ...
Troop size certainly matters, but what is real important is the commitment.”
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During the hour-long forum, which included questions submitted by audience members, Hayden
covered topics ranging from a blow-by-blow account of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to the increasing
threats in cyberspace.
Hayden said the greatest international threat to the U.S. is Iran, but a more immediate problem may
be the violence connected to drug trafficking in Mexico. While he didn’t think sending troops to Mexico
was a viable option, something needs to be done by U.S. officials to address the issue.
“The violence is bleeding over into the U.S.,” Hayden said. “We need to do what we can to help the
Mexican government get a handle on the situation.”
Looking forward, Hayden focused on cyberattacks as a looming threat to national security. The
biggest challenge for American agencies is aggressively pursuing criminals in cyberspace without
appearing to be “militarizing” it, primarily because simply trying to prevent attacks will not work.
“There is not civilization in cyberspace. All advantage goes to offense,” Hayden said. “There is no
reasonable way to defend because of how it’s designed.”
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END OF FULL TEXT
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