Zone Forecast: Buffalo, NY Metro

Overnight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. North wind between 3 and 6 mph.




Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 48. North wind between 3 and 7 mph.



Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northeast wind between 6 and 8 mph.



Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Northeast wind between 6 and 11 mph.



Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. East wind between 5 and 8 mph.



Veterans Day: Sunny, with a high near 59.



Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 38.



Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.



Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.



Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 60.



Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 30%.



Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 30%.



Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42.



Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 48.

Zone Forecast: Northern Erie National Wether Servce

Rest Of Tonight...Becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s. North winds 10 mph or less.



Tuesday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. North winds 10 mph or less.



Tuesday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 10 mph or less...increasing to 10 to 15 mph.



Wednesday...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.



Wednesday Night...Mainly clear. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph...becoming east.



Veterans Day...Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.



Thursday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.



Friday...Mostly sunny. Highs around 60.



Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows around 40.



Saturday...Mostly sunny. Highs around 60.



Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Lows in the lower 40s.



Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 50s.



Sunday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Lows in the lower 40s.



Monday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.

Zone Forecast: Northern Erie National Wether Servce

Rest Of Tonight...Becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s. North winds 10 mph or less.



Tuesday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s. North winds 10 mph or less.



Tuesday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 10 mph or less...increasing to 10 to 15 mph.



Wednesday...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.



Wednesday Night...Mainly clear. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph...becoming east.



Veterans Day...Sunny. Highs in the upper 50s.



Thursday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 30s.



Friday...Mostly sunny. Highs around 60.



Friday Night...Partly cloudy. Lows around 40.



Saturday...Mostly sunny. Highs around 60.



Saturday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Lows in the lower 40s.



Sunday...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Highs in the lower 50s.



Sunday Night...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Lows in the lower 40s.



Monday...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 40s.

Media Roundtable with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates from Melbourne, Australia

GEOFF MORRELL: Hey, guys, thanks for coming. Welcome to our Australian friends. We’ve got a half an hour so let’s move quickly, shall we? Let’s start with our Australian hosts if we could. Peter Hartcher and Greg Sheridan have double-dipped today so they go last. How about Ian McPhedran?



Q: Mr. Secretary, I was wondering if you could perhaps expand on your comments about enhancement, enhancing your presence in our country in the future militarily. Could you just expand on that a little bit please?



SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES: Well, what I was referring to is – oh, thanks – enhancing our presence in the Pacific area in general. And obviously, over the past year or so there have been some very preliminary conversations, what more we might do jointly here in Australia. And actually the reporter reeled off some of the things that have been speculated about in terms of pre-positioning of humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, equipment, more training, more joint use of – or more port visits, a greater naval presence in the region. So it’s a pretty broad menu.



And as I said at the press conference, we really – I haven’t even come to any conclusions within the Department of Defense with respect to the Global Posture Review. And then, those, my recommendations will go to the National Security Council and ultimately a decision by the president. And only then would we be seeking to reach agreements with other countries if those were necessary.



As I said to our press on the plane coming out, we have no interest in any new bases in the region, but rather looking at how we can make better use, enhanced use of what we have.



Q: But just on that point, Mr. Secretary, would you envisage the possibility in this review of some existing Australian facilities becoming in fact joint facilities in a legal sense?



SEC. GATES: Well, the honest answer is I don’t know. And I would expect the working group to look at a broad array of alternatives. We obviously do not want to do things that would be politically difficult here in Australia. And we would like to do things that in the eyes of the Australian people enhance our alliance, not create controversy about it.



Q: Why do you think it would be politically difficult in Australia to expand the U.S. presence?



SEC. GATES: Well, I think it would – you are a better judge of that than I am. I think it would depend on the form. I think our experience has been that the joint use of facilities, the full and open transparency, what we have been doing seems to me to be not controversial. But I’ve seen some speculation that I suspect would create problems and we don’t want to go there.



Q: Secretary Gates, chairman, can I ask you about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and the comments yesterday from General Amos to the effect that now is not the right time to repeal? Did you know those comments were coming? Do you have any reaction to them? Have you been in touch with him? And separately, on the December review – are you confident that it will both come in on time and that there will be a way to make use of it with the current Congress?



SEC. GATES: Why don’t you take that?



ADMIRAL MIKE MULLEN: I have great confidence that the review is tracking and we’ll comment on time. And all the service chiefs – and I’ve met with them several times – understand both the process as well as the timing of all this. And it’s I think very important that as these results are studied and that we all come to our conclusions that we do that in a way – what we’ve agreed to is to do this privately and to put together our best military advice. And my expectations are that that’s part of the – that’s part of the process. That’s what we’re committed to advise both the secretary and the president on how to move forward.



Q: General Amos?



ADM. MULLEN Specifically yes. I was, actually surprised. I was surprised what he said, surprised he said it publicly. And specifically, again, back to the commitment that’s been there which has been to come together based on several meeting that we’ve had, look at the data, and make our recommendations privately, which is where we are.



Q: Have you been in touch with him or –



ADM. MULLEN: I have not. I have not.



MR. MORRELL: Yes, Greg, go ahead. Oh, this is Peter.



Q: Did you discuss with your Australian interlocutors the Chinese assertion of the South China Sea as a core national interest? And what’s your view: Is China inclined to persist with that claim or to retreat from that claim?



SEC. GATES: Well, we spent a little bit of time this morning talking about China and our respective relationships with China, our desire to build those relationships. We talked about the importance of the meetings in Hanoi and elsewhere in terms of a variety of countries talking about establishing rules of the road, if you will, in terms of freedom of navigation, maritime security, and working in the context of international law and in particular the U.N. Law of the Sea.



And it seems to us that that kind of a multilateral engagement among all of the countries, including China, is the most productive way forward. We talked about that. And we talked about additional ways in which we can engage China and work with China.



Q: Mr. Secretary, this year we’ve seen China make its claims on the South China Sea, demand that you not send an aircraft carrier into the Yellow Sea on two occasions, then taking the actions on the rare earth minerals. They reacted so strongly to the Japanese taking custody of the captain who ran the Japanese ship. Is this a pattern of assertiveness from China that gives you any pause for concern? And why are we seeing this pattern from the Chinese?



SEC. GATES: Well, I would say that there were – in a meeting in Hanoi of the defense ministers there was a discussion of a number of issues, including some of those that you’ve talked about and countries expressing their concern. And I would just say that I felt like that was a constructive conversation. At the same time, we’re seeing what I hope are some promising signs from China in terms of our military-to-military relationship.



One of our officers was in Beijing in late September and laid out a – got an agreement in terms of the various steps of cooperation going forward. It began with the maritime consultative talks a couple of weeks ago. There’ll be the defense consultative talks in December in Washington. And, as you know, I’ve been invited to China early in the year and I’ve accepted that invitation. So I would say that this is all a work in progress.



Q: Will you send an aircraft carrier back to the Yellow Sea whenever you feel like?



SEC. GATES: Well, we – let me just say that we believe and have long believed in the importance of freedom of navigation and we intend to abide by international law. But we will assert freedom of navigation, as we have for a long time. I don’t know. Do you want to add anything?



ADM. MULLEN: The only thing I’d answer is those are international waters and they aren’t owned by China. They aren’t owned by Korea. They’re not – they’re international waters in which we have and many other countries have sailed forever. My expectation is we’ll continue to do that.



Q: Mr. Secretary, can I ask – during the presser today you said that you have indications that efforts are having effect in Iran. Can you elaborate on that? What signs you’re actually seeing?



SEC. GATES: Well, I would, without getting into details – I think we see evidence that the sanctions are biting more deeply than the Iranians anticipated they would and that the actions that individual countries have taken on top of the U.N. Security Council Resolution have had considerable effect in terms of aggravating Iran’s trade and financial operations.



Q: Mr. Secretary, John Kerin. Can you clarify, when there will be more on the joint strike fighter, and the details of the review?



SEC. GATES: There is a – well, the review is underway or will be underway I think next week if I’m not mistaken. And then there will be a meeting of the partners in Rome under the MOU.



As you know, I took strong action last – earlier this year in terms of restructuring the program, firing the program manager, hiring an extremely capable vice admiral to run it and penalizing the company $600 million in performance fees. So I think people know we’re serious about this and going to be very tough in our expectations.



I think that the actions that I’ve taken over the last 18 months or so show that the time when the Pentagon will be patient with programs that are over cost and overdue with the government accepting the risk has worn thin. This is obviously a very important program not only for us, but for all of our partners. We will go forward with it but we clearly have expectations.



Q: Mr. Secretary, could I just ask a follow-up to the earlier question I asked? You said in answer to that that the United States didn’t want to do anything which would create political difficulties in Australia. In terms of the future cooperation between the two countries, to what extent do you feel constrained by potential political difficulties?



SEC. GATES: Well, at this point since no ideas have actually been put on the table between two governments, I don’t feel constrained at all. And I expect that Joint Working Group will put a number of things on the table and the first thing we have to see is what’s useful and what’s useful to both countries from a military standpoint, from the standpoint of preparedness, especially for natural disasters.



So I think that – I realize it’s been a big deal in the Australian papers here in the last couple of days, but the truth is we’re right at the beginning of this process. And not only has nothing been decided, nothing formal has even been put on paper between the two countries as far as I know.



MR. MORRELL: Anna.



Q: You both were discussing cybersecurity throughout these meetings and cyber warfare. And there’ve been concerns about the extent to which the military should and can delve into the cyber security in the private realm as well. And I’d be curious about your thoughts. How do you protect private U.S. citizens and their privacy while still protecting cyberspace?



SEC. GATES: Well, this is an issue. And here is the challenge. In terms of protecting American – America’s networks, the reality is the military has virtually all of the capability. So how do you – and it can’t be replicated. There isn’t the human talent and there isn’t enough dollars. So how do you give the civilian side of the government access to that in a way that protects privacy and civil liberties?



And the way we have done this is that this summer, this past summer, Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano and I signed a memorandum of understanding that actually puts a separate Department of Homeland Security unit in the leadership structure of the National Security Agency.



So the DHS with its own lawyers and with Department of Justice representation and all of the protections for privacy and civil liberties can in fact use the – task the National Security Agency to help DHS fulfill its responsibilities for the “dot gov” and “dot com” worlds.



So I actually think – and that went through the interagency and the president approved. And I think it is a good practical way to move this ahead in a timely way because the risks to the cyber networks are growing every single day. And until we did this memorandum of understanding, our bureaucracy, frankly, was just tied up in knots because of the issues that you raise.



And this seemed like a good, practical way to make this happen in a way that there are protections for privacy and civil liberties.



Q: Secretary Gates, I just wondered if you could comment for me -- yesterday, Secretary Clinton reaffirmed that the United States intends to start drawing down troops in Afghanistan in 2011. For yourself, what are the markers that you would see as a successful phase that you can begin such a transition? I mean, in this sense, I guess how do you deal with the sort of cynical question which would be the response from Vietnam – let’s declare victory and get out?



SEC. GATES: Well, first of all, we’re not getting out. We’re talking about probably years long process. It will be conditions based and those conditions will be evaluated by the ISAF commander and his staff, by the civilians from NATO and our partners and the Afghan government. And I would not be surprised if there are some recommendations as early as next spring in terms of districts and perhaps provinces that might be candidates for transition to Afghan security control at that time.



Q: Could you elaborate on the conditions?



SEC. GATES: Well, it has to do with obviously security, governance, civilian capacity. There are several metrics that ISAF working with the Afghans have put together against which they will evaluate the situation. Obviously, primary among those will be security, the security situation, and the ability of the Afghan national security forces, including the local police, to maintain security once our forces begin to thin out.



And the idea – again, the word “transition” was chosen very carefully. When the debate began a year ago on this, we used the word “transfer.” But transfer connoted – today you have all this support structure, including our troops and everything else, and tomorrow you have nothing, so you’re completely on your own.



So transition was the word we agreed to use because it described a process where what you will see is – you’ll see a thinning of the foreign forces in a particular district or province. And so there’s a bit of a safety net under the Afghans as they see how they can do and as they take charge. And so I think that this makes a lot of sense.



And in truth, there are already places in Afghanistan, most notably Kabul, where the Afghans have taken the lead in security.



Q: Can I ask you just to clarify –



(Cross talk.)



MR. MORRELL: Let’s go to Dan next.



Q: Just to clarify a little, you talked about that we’re not getting out obviously immediately. You talked about it’s a year’s long process. Can you just explain exactly what you mean by that?



SEC. GATES: Well, let me just say that people say, well, you pick July, 2011, and that lets the Taliban know that there is an end date. Well, I hope the Taliban think that’s an end date because it’s not and they’re going to be very surprised come August, September, October, and November, when most American forces are still there and still coming after them.



NATO is looking at – one of the agenda items for the Lisbon summit is to embrace President Karzai’s goal, completing the transfer of security responsibility to Afghanistan by 2014, so I think that’s the time – that’s the kind of timeframe that we’re talking about.



But the other piece that I think is important is that we’re all convinced that we have to stay in Afghanistan in – and remain a partner of Afghanistan, even after most if not all of our troops are gone. We walked away from Afghanistan in 1988 and we saw the consequences of that in 2001. And so I think we and our international partners are determined that we will remain and continue to help on development; continue, if the Afghans want us to, to do training. We undoubtedly work with them in terms of equipment for their forces and so on. So we don’t see this as a relationship that ends when the security transition is completed. But the balance changes over time. Right now, it’s very heavily weighted towards security. And that will change as the security forces come out over time and as conditions permit, and as the development efforts are able to expand because of increased security.



Q: Mr. Secretary, there’s a tension, isn’t there, in there –



(Cross talk.)



MR. MORRELL: Gentlemen, I’d just remind you also, we do have Admiral Mullen here for you to take advantage of as well, so, Greg, avail yourself of him as well.



Q: Admiral Mullen, if you’d like to comment on this as well –



ADM. MULLEN: It depends on the question (laughter) –



(Laughter.)



Q: A lot of folks in Asia and some in Washington say that there’s a tension between the American commitment in Afghanistan and the ability of the United States to have the budgetary resources to do everything that it needs to do in the Asia-Pacific to maintain its traditional presence and forward deployment and security here. I notice that you said in the press conference you were looking at an enhanced military presence in the Asia-Pacific. Are you really confident that the U.S. can sustain this in a budgetary way? Hasn’t the U.S. already lost capabilities like the F-22 that it would have had for the Asia-Pacific if it had not been for the resources needed for Afghanistan and Iraq?



SEC. GATES: I didn’t cap the F-22 because of budgetary considerations. I capped it because we had as many as we needed. For three years running, we had told the Congress 187 F-22s is enough. And we finally were able to prevail.



We have not, in my view, either over the last 18 months, or as I’m looking ahead to the decisions that I’ll be making going forward, looking at any cuts that would affect our presence or capability in the Pacific. And indeed, as I talk about cutting overhead in order to strengthen capability, that capability may include more aircraft. It may include more ships and obviously this region would be one of the beneficiaries of that. And those are the kinds of things that our services and the rest of the department are looking at right now.



But this is – this is a process and I’ll turn to Admiral Mullen in a second – this is a process where our military leadership has been deeply involved in all of these decisions every step of the way. And the programs that have been capped or cut – programs that have been capped are those where we say, like the C-17s, where we say we have enough. And in fact, we have more than enough. Stop, so we can spend the money on something that we need more. Same thing with the F-22.



Other programs have been cut because they were so far over budget that it was unacceptable. Some were cut because they were so far over schedule – one had an original development time of four or five years and it was in its 14th year.



And so we weren’t cutting capability. We were cutting programs that weren’t working so we could focus our resources on those that are and on investing in future capabilities. And so I think that the outcome of the process that we’re going through is that I do not see circumstances under which our presence – budgetary requirements would lead us to reduce our presence in the Pacific.



Mike?



ADM. MULLEN: We’ve been very focused, obviously, and rightfully so on the budget requirements. I would say – and the secretary’s guided this – and one of the principles of guiding this was to make sure – basically to be able to support our force structure. So I sort of come at this two-way. One is the force structure that we have and the efficiencies the money that we’re generating will be put into more capability across the board, very committed to continued engagement and presence globally. Certainly today’s meetings reemphasize the importance of the region.



And the other aspect of this is as we continue to transition out of these wars over the next years, we will – that will free up resources, which have been heretofore very much tied down in the Central Command to do other things. So I see it – I see it within our overall force structure. And you heard about the commitments to this region. In our future, we will certainly be able to stay committed very specifically to this region and other places as well.



SEC. GATES: I would just add – I would just add one other thing and that is most of the – almost all of the war costs have been covered in supplemental appropriations, not by our base budget. And what we’ve been trying to do over the last couple of years is identify those things that have been funded in the supplementals that we think need to be a part of our base budget going forward. So, as an example, Special Operations Command has mostly been funded in the past years through these supplementals. We are – we have worked over the last two or three years to move more and more of the SOCOM budget into the base budget so those capabilities can be sustained. All of the family programs and wounded warrior programs that we have that have been funded by the supplementals in the past have been moved into the base budget.



So the wars have taken a toll in terms of what it will cost us to reset on equipment, certainly a toll on our people. But in terms of the war costs itself, they’ve been principally funded through the supplementals. And when the supplementals go away, everything I’m trying to do is that we will be able to sustain our current force structure.



(Cross talk.)



MR. MORRELL: Let me just do this. We have time for four more questions – two a side. It’s Anne, its Phil, its Ian and John Kerin.



Q: Can I ask you both to revisit the Lisbon and Karzai’s 2014 goal just a little bit. Does the United States support the 2014 calendar as a Lisbon agenda item and as a program and do you think that 2014 is a realistic end date for that transition process?



SEC. GATES: Speaking personally, I would say yes to both questions.



ADM. MULLEN: Yes, and that’s the way I see it as well. When you look at what is laid out for Lisbon and what General Petraeus and others have looked in terms of transition, both in the near term and the far term, it’s – there’s an awful lot that’s been flushed out along the lines that the secretary’s talking about before, obviously greatly tied to security and the Afghans being able to take the lead. I mean, we’ve accomplished a lot with the Afghan National Security Forces over the course of the last year in terms of their structure, their training, their curriculums, et cetera. We’re clearly not there. But as a target at this point that – that makes sense. And so I’m comfortable with it at this point.



MR. MORRELL: Phil? All right, let’s go to Ian – mixed it up, sorry.



Q: I’m just wondering if you could comment on the political process that would be required in Afghanistan and on the idea of engaging with the Taliban or what moderate elements of the Taliban can be identified in this process of drawing down militarily.



SEC. GATES: Well, there are clearly a lot of threads associated with this thing. There is broad agreement that the end game in Afghanistan must involve reconciliation to some degree. Our view is that it needs to be on – basically on the terms that the Afghan government can accept. And my personal opinion is that the Taliban need to clearly see that the prospects for success have diminished dramatically and that in fact they may well lose for them, at the most senior levels, to seriously engage in reconciliation.



My view is that – and it’s just a personal opinion because things could change quickly – but I suspect that that would be difficult. It would be difficult to achieve those circumstances before next spring. And – but I think the fact that people are beginning to talk has merit, but I think that for the Taliban to be serious about it, they have to recognize that the circumstances have changed pretty dramatically. And I think we’re moving in that direction.



Now, I would differentiate that from reintegration, which is the lower level coming over of the Taliban fighters and local commanders to rejoin their local communities, to acknowledge the role of the Afghan government, to put down their arms in terms of resisting the government. And we’re seeing that happen in still relatively small numbers in a variety of places around the country.



Q: By that you mean that – by them losing you mean ISAF and NATO and the coalition winning. Is that how you see it?



SEC. GATES: Well, I think they have to see that they are not ultimately going to be successful in retaking the government by force, taking control of the country by force.



MR. MORRELL: Phil?



Q: Pakistan: what is – what more can be done to put pressure on the militants in the safe havens? Clearly there was a report to Congress recently that said there was a lack of political will as well, to a little after that, a combination they don’t need to do that. Is there anything that can be done to change that political calculus?



And the second part of the question is – the second question is about WikiLeaks. I don’t think either of you responded publicly since that latest leaks, 400,000 documents – (inaudible). Can you tell me a bit about whether concerns that were voiced manifested? Were there any really kind of compromised national security interests in that leak?



MR. MORRELL: I think that is two questions.



Q: That’s it. I’m done.



MR. MORRELL: We’ll take one of them. Which one do you want?



SEC. GATES: Why don’t you go ahead on Pakistan?



ADM. MULLEN: I just think we have to continue to stay engaged in Pakistan. As you know, we had the third round of the strategic dialogue two weeks ago, and it was – it was broad based from certainly financial to security and we also talked about the floods. And we, in those engagements routinely discussed the necessity – their ability to continue to fight the fight that they’re in with respect to their extremists.



And the premise of your question is getting them to change their calculus is certainly – the importance of that continues to be primary. That said, that calculus is based on their own security, their own views of their own security. Not only did we leave Afghanistan in 1988, we left Pakistan not too long after that. And so we’ve worked hard to try to rebuild that trust. We’re not there yet. It’s going to take a considerable more effort.



That border area houses the – we’ve said –I’ve said it’s the epicenter of terrorism in the world and it’s something I think we all have to continue to work together to continue to focus on that. And they certainly recognize that. But it’s going to take time and it’s not – we’d all like it to move more quickly. That said, we continue to stay engaged, support them in training, and work toward the strategic partnership, which I think in the long run is the answer which solves the problem – to make sure that it doesn’t continue to thrive as a safe haven and in fact continue to support killing our people in Afghanistan. And we’re just not there yet.



MR. MORRELL: Ian? I mean John. Sorry.



Q: Can I just ask about the corruption issue in Afghanistan, how much that’s holding efforts back? If you’re making progress on the security front, on the training of forces – not least the corruption situation – gaining public trust in the government.



SEC. GATES: Well, first of all, we have to realize that corruption is not a problem unique to Afghanistan. And so I think we have to deal with it in a way that advances our mission. We need to do what we can with the Afghan government to get rid of the predatory corruption that turns people against the government or recruits them for the Taliban. And we need to go after corruption that is so blatant that it becomes an impediment to achievement of our mission there.



Dealing with the problem of corruption in a society is a long-range problem. And so I think we need to triage, if you will, and focus on the corruption that is so bad that it gets in the way of our being able to accomplish our mission and we’ll keep working at a larger problem over time.



I think the one thing that perhaps I was one of the first to identify, and I did so in Kabul, is that when it comes to the corruption, we are part of the problem. Our contracting and the tens of billions of dollars we are pouring into the country in one way or another. And both we and the Department of State have taken – and I would say especially General Petraeus in recent months – have taken a number of steps to try and tighten up our own procedures and our way we contract to try and minimize the contribution we’re making to the problem that we face?



MR. MORRELL: So I think we’ve run over. Dan was trying to push us to go longer because he has a question for Admiral Mullen, so he could answer –



Q: We would feel bad if you could only doodle on the paper and not answer questions for us.



MR. MORRELL: What’s your question, quickly? What have you got?



Q: I just wondered whether or not you would like to say the Australian SAS have a base in Kandahar, rather than transiting out from Tarin Kowt – in order to participate in operations there.



ADM. MULLEN: No, I mean we – and that’s something that we talked about today, but also have worked very hard over the course of the last year, year and a half, as the Dutch transitioned – looked to transition out of Uruzgan and the Americans – the U.S. has taken a lead there. And I – I mean, in discussions I’ve had with Air Chief Marshal Houston, how happy he is and how happy the Australian forces are with that transition. And Uruzgan is a critical place. The training mission in particular that Australian forces have executed has been terrific. And obviously the Special Forces aspect, the SAS has really been critical as well.



I’ve never – General Petraeus has told me this, I get it from the field – they’ve never been – both the Australian leadership and the ISAF leadership have never been more pleased with the way it’s going right now. So having worked that hard over the last year to transition to what we have, we’re in a good place right now. And I certainly wouldn’t change that.



MR. MORRELL: Thank you all for coming. I appreciate it.

SUBJ: DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL RESERVE MOBILIZATION AND RESERVE

R 052117Z NOV 10




ALCOAST 545/10

COMDTNOTE 1001

SUBJ: DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL RESERVE MOBILIZATION AND RESERVE

PROGRAM DIRECTION

A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 281823Z OCT 10/ALCOAST 524/10

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FOR THE VARIOUS EMPLOYER SUPPORT OF THE GUARD AND RESERVE AWARD

PROGRAMS DESCRIBED AT WWW.ESGR.MIL AND WWW.FREEDOMAWARD.MIL. BRAVO

ZULU TO ALL.

3. PROGRAM DIRECTION. IN REF A ADMIRAL PAPP ANNOUNCED HIS NEW RESERVE

POLICY STATEMENT (AVAILABLE AT WWW.USCG.MIL/SENIORLEADERSHIP IN THE

POLICY STATEMENTS TAB), WHICH DIRECTS STRATEGIC ACTION TO ENSURE THE

COAST GUARD RESERVE REMAINS A FLEXIBLE, RESPONSIVE OPERATIONAL FORCE

THAT CAN MOBILIZE PERSONNEL WITH CRITICAL COMPETENCIES TO SUPPORT THE

ROLES OF MARITIME HOMELAND SECURITY, NATIONAL DEFENSE, AND DOMESTIC

DISASTER OPERATIONS. THE RESERVE PROGRAM IS DEVELOPING A "RESERVE

FORCE 2020" STRATEGIC PLAN INTENDED TO STEADY THE RESERVE FORCE AS WE

LEARN AND MOVE FORWARD AFTER THE CHALLENGES OF DEEPWATER HORIZON.

AMONG THE ELEMENTS OF OUR MANAGEMENT PLAN MOST RELEVANT TO RESERVISTS

IN THE FIELD ARE:

A. GROWTH. DURING DEEPWATER HORIZON, DEMAND FOR RESERVE

PERSONNEL STRAINED THE AVAILABLE FORCE. THIS STRAIN IS MOSTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO

THE FACT THAT ONLY ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF RESERVISTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR

DOMESTIC MOBILIZATION AT ANY GIVEN TIME BECAUSE OF OVERSEAS

CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS, IADT, LONG TERM ADOS, DWELL TIME

REQUIREMENTS, AND OTHER CONSTRAINTS. TO EASE THIS STRAIN FOR FUTURE

OPERATIONS, THE RESERVE PROGRAM IS WORKING TO RESTORE THE RESERVE

FORCE BACK TO ITS FUNDED STRENGTH OF 8,100 PERSONNEL AND TO ESTABLISH

FUTURE STAFFING LEVELS BASED ON FORCE REQUIREMENTS DEFINED BY THE

DEPUTY COMMANDANTS FOR OPERATIONS AND MISSION SUPPORT.

B. CONCEPT OF EMPLOYMENT. THE RESERVE PROGRAM IS DEVELOPING

GUIDANCE THAT WILL ENABLE RESERVISTS AND THEIR COMMANDS TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES THEY ARE EXPECTED TO ATTAIN, HOW TO

ATTAIN THEM THROUGH STANDARDIZED TRAINING AND AUGMENTATION, AND HOW

THEY MAY EXPECT TO BE EMPLOYED WHEN MOBILIZED FOR SPECIFIC

CONTINGENCIES.

C. MOBILIZATION AND DE-MOBILIZATION PROCESSES. AS THE FIRST

LARGE-SCALE MOBILIZATION SINCE THE COAST GUARD'S RECENT MODERNIZATION

RE-ORGANIZATION, DEEPWATER HORIZON REVEALED THE NEED FOR MORE CLEARLY

DEFINED MOBILIZATION PROCESSES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. THE RESERVE

PROGRAM IS ESTABLISHING A WORKING GROUP TO ADDRESS THIS NEED AND

ENSURE TRAINED TEAMS ARE READY TO EXECUTE VALIDATED MOBILIZATION

PLANS IN FUTURE CONTINGENCIES.

D. RESERVE FORCE READINESS SYSTEM (RFRS). BECAUSE SELRES

PERSONNEL ARE INTEGRATED INTO ACTIVE COMPONENT UNITS, THE CHALLENGE

OF MAINTAINING PROFICIENCY AND READINESS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF

TRAINING AND AUGMENTATION IS AN ESSENTIAL COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY.

DEEPWATER HORIZON CONFIRMED THE VALUE OF HAVING FULL-TIME RESERVE

PROGRAM EXPERTISE EMBEDDED IN DISTRICTS AND SECTORS TO FULFILL THIS

RESPONSIBILITY. THE RESERVE PROGRAM REMAINS COMMITTED TO SUSTAINING

AND MATURING THE RFRS CONCEPT.

4. DEEPWATER HORIZON SHOWCASED THE STRENGTH AND VALUE OF THE RESERVE

FORCE AND ALSO PROVIDED VISIBILITY OF AREAS WHERE WE HAVE OPPORTUNITY

TO IMPROVE. THIS IS AN ALL HANDS ON DECK TOTAL FORCE EFFORT FROM

COMMANDS DOWN TO INDIVIDUAL RESERVISTS. NOW IS THE TIME FOR US TO

UNIFY OUR EFFORTS AND STEADY OUR COURSE TOWARD DEVELOPING THE RESERVE

FORCE THAT WILL BE READY TO MEET ALL FUTURE DEMANDS. SEMPER PARATUS.

5. RDML S. L. STOSZ, DIRECTOR OF RESERVE AND LEADERSHIP, SENDS.

6. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

Operation New Dawn

Operation New Dawn has been underway in Iraq since September and military officials say it's going ''very well''.

Afghanistan. BGen Joseph Osterman

Update on current operations in Afghanistan. BGen Joseph Osterman, Commanding General of Task Force Leatherneck and First Marine Division Forward speaks via satellite from Afghanistan with Pentagon reporters.

Picatinny Engineer Recognized for Service to Hispanic Community [Armed with Science

Mr. Samuel Perez is a Supervisory Branch Chief in the US Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ. He is an experienced Army Leader who uses his leadership abilities and character beyond the laboratory to help the Hispanic community through his membership in the United Methodist Church.



Last month, I had the privilege and honor of receiving the LATINA Style Distinguished Service Award, given to Latino military members and civilians who support the Department of Defense mission in overseas contingency operations, while also demonstrating role model qualities and core values of their respective agencies and communities.



This award is the highest recognition I’ve received in my years working in the Army, and I hope that it will inspire others to volunteer in their communities. It is interesting to see how many people all over US Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC) have congratulated me, but I accept their congratulations with humbleness. Also, the news has reached my hometown in Puerto Rico through the Spanish translation of the original article by a newly created online newspaper. You never how the things you do or accomplish in your life will impact others.

Calexico CBP Officer Assaulted by SENTRI Trusted Traveler

Calexico, Calif. — In addition to preventing more than 380 pounds of marijuana with an estimated value of more than $230,000 from entering the country, U. S. Customs and Border Protection officers working at the Calexico West Port of Entry in California arrested a Mexican citizen enrolled in the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program for assaulting a CBP officer yesterday.









Thirty bundles of marijuana with an estimated street value of more than $230,000 in the trunks of a 1994 white Toyota Camry driven by a 46-year-old female Mexican citizen. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)











On Nov. 4, at approximately 1:30 p.m., a 26-year-old female Mexican citizen enrolled in the SENTRI trusted traveler program applied for entry at the designated SENTRI pedestrian lane accompanied by her three-year-old daughter. The woman presented her SENTRI card and stated she forgot her daughter’s. She was referred for a more in-depth inspection and verification of the child’s identity.





In the inspection area, the woman began raising her voice at CBP officers and refused to comply with instructions. During her inspection, she struck a CBP officer in the jaw with her elbow. The woman was then restrained and placed in a holding cell.





In addition to being charged for assaulting a CBP officer, the women will have her SENTRI program privileges revoked. Her three-year-old daughter was turned over to the custody of her grandmother.





“We require our CBP officers to treat the travelling public with respect, and train them to maintain their professionalism as they perform their duties,” said Calexico Port Director Billy Whitford. “Although CBP officers deal with verbally abusive travelers at times without incident, physical abuse will not be tolerated.”





Also on Nov. 4, at approximately 5:05 p.m., a 1994 white Toyota Camry driven by a 46-year-old female Mexican citizen applied for admission into the U.S. During the primary inspection a CBP officer asked her to open the trunk of her vehicle and she said it wasn’t functional which lead the CBP officer to pull down the back seats of the vehicle revealing 30 packages of marijuana tightly packed into the trunk. The woman was placed under arrest and turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement for prosecution.





U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

Decision Points: A Discussion former President George Bush ask President a Question and read an excerpt.

Decision Points: A Discussion with former President George Bush  (NBC Website)

NBC News’ Matt Lauer sat down with President George W. Bush in his first one-on-one television interview since leaving the Oval Office. The extensive interview will air Monday, November 8 at 8 p.m. ET as a primetime special “Decision Points: A Conversation with George W. Bush.” President Bush will then join Lauer live on “Today,” Wednesday, November 10.
Read an excerpt of 'Decision Points'

Ask former President George W. Bush a question (Click Below)
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40062178/ns/today-today_participate/

Stop. Think. Connect. Campaign Launches National Cybersecurity Public Service Announcement Challenge

Release Date: November 8, 2010
Encourages Individuals to Help Promote the Shared Responsibility of Keeping the Internet Safe
WASHINGTON – The Stop. Think. Connect. campaign today launched its cybersecurity Public Service Announcement (PSA) Challenge, giving individuals the opportunity to submit their own short video encouraging Americans to do their part to stay safe and secure online. The campaign will select a winner(s) to feature on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s YouTube channel and for use during cybersecurity awareness promotions. Contestants have until February 14, 2011 to submit videos for the Challenge.



The Challenge was kicked off with a PSA featuring White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt. Click here to watch the video.



“We use the Internet every day – for shopping, banking, and staying in touch with friends and family,” said Schmidt. “In today’s digital age, keeping the Internet safe is a responsibility we all share. We need to take time to stop and think before we connect to services on the Internet, share information online, or participate in online communities.”



To submit a video for the Challenge, upload it to the Department of Homeland Security’s “Engage” YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/DHSEngage, in response to White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt’s video. PSAs must be either 30 or 60 seconds in length, and include the message, “Stop. Think. Connect” and at least one of the following Internet safety tips:



•Keep a Clean Machine

•Protect Your Personal Information

•Connect with Care

•Be Web Wise

•Be A Good Online Citizen

Click here for more information, including instructions for uploading videos, Challenge rules, and privacy information.



Stop. Think. Connect. is a national public awareness effort, coordinated by the Department of Homeland Security to guide the nation to a higher level of Internet safety by challenging the American public to be more vigilant about developing safe online habits. Its purpose is to persuade Americans to see Internet safety as a shared responsibility—at home, in the workplace, and in our communities—and demonstrate that shared responsibility by bringing together a coalition of federal, state and local government, as well as private sector partners.

Former President H.W.Bush on NBC Now with Matt Lauerer

Decision Points wth George Bush On Air Now.

DOD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Cone via Teleconference from Iraq (video and Transcript)

DOD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Cone via Teleconference from Iraq


COL. DAVID LAPAN (deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations): Good morning. And good evening to General Cone in Iraq.



I'd like to welcome to the Pentagon briefing room Lieutenant General Bob Cone, the deputy commanding general for Operations with U.S. Forces-Iraq. He is also the commanding general for III Corps and Fort Hood.



Lieutenant General Cone assumed his duties as deputy commander for operations in Iraq in March of this year. This is the first time he has joined us in this format. He will be speaking to us today from Al Faw Palace in Baghdad to provide an update on current operations and the new mission profile under Operation New Dawn.



General, with that, I'll send it to you for any opening remarks you'd like to make, and then we'll take questions.



GEN. CONE: Thanks very much. I'll keep my remarks very brief.



And first of all, let me thank those that are here today for coming out and asking questions. Really appreciate your participation in this conference.



Let me begin by saying that although the role for U.S. troops in direct combat operations here in Iraq ended on the 1st of September, the United States commitment to Iraq and its people has not ended. Our work continues every day under Operation New Dawn, with three primary mission sets. And those are advise, train and assist the Iraqi security forces; to continue to conduct partnered counterterrorism operations, to support the government of Iraq, U.S. embassy and U.S. agencies in improving Iraqi civil capacity; and of course, inherent in all of these missions is a level of force protection for all U.S. forces and civilians as they go about their duties.



As the deputy commanding general for operations, I am focused on several subtasks within this mission set. First, strengthen the Iraqi security forces to help continue to build their capacity for providing security in Iraq. This includes a wide array of tasks associated with advising Iraqi tactical units in the conduct of combat operations across Iraq. However, equally important is the emphasis that we have placed in helping the Iraqi security force develop complex systems, such as intelligence and logistics functions, that will be essential to their future success.



I would also add that we are focused on working with the Iraqis to ensure they are both a learning and adaptive organization with the practices necessary to professionally grow and improve in the future.



The second part of my job is keeping pressure on the extremist networks in close partnership with the Iraqi security forces. In this area, I can also cite significant progress on the part of the Iraqi special operation forces community. The capability to conduct counterterrorist operations is essential to maintain the security environment over the long haul here in Iraq.



Let me be clear: The nearly 650,000 Iraqi security forces are fully responsible for maintaining the security environment in Iraq today. We are supporting them in their efforts and are proud of how far they've come to date. Despite several recent high-profile attacks, Iraqi security forces have created an environment where violence is 20 percent below the 2009 average. It should also be noted that September and October of 2010 have been two of the lowest months on record for violence since 2003.



Sadly, Iraq still has extremists that attack innocent Iraqi civilians to try and stay relevant. But Iraq and the Iraqi people have rejected extremist ideology and sectarianism. We still have work to do here. And the just under 50,000 brave men and women I have the pleasure of working with are focused and committed to ensuring that Iraq becomes a sovereign, stable and self-reliant country.



With that, I'll be happy to take your questions.



COL. LAPAN: Viola.



Q General Cone, this is Viola Gienger from Bloomberg News.



How do you see the Iraqi security forces' expertise currently, and how it is evolving on some of the capabilities that you provide to protect the U.S. civilians working in Iraq right now, and that will have to be turned over to someone else in December -- after December 2011, such as counter-IED capabilities and so forth? What are some of the key areas that you feel that they may be able to take on? What kind of expertise do they have in those areas?



GEN. CONE: Yeah, the Iraqi security forces are a capable COIN force, and it's focused on counterinsurgency and internal security. And as a result of their efforts, we've seen attacks at a -- at a level right now of 14 to 15 attacks per day across the nation.



They have work to do in a number of specialty-type capabilities that they'll continue to need work on. They have an emerging explosive ordnance detachment capability. They have some emerging forensic capabilities. They have some route-clearance capabilities. And all of these things are on glide path in the next 14 months as we continue to work with them and assist them, but they are emerging and carrying on.



I'd say, to your question, we will always have a requirement to provide some level of security for Americans that are in this country for the foreseeable future.



And I think it's important to understand that -- you know, the proposals that we're talking about post-2011, I think, have provisions for security -- personal-security detachments, et cetera, as we transition responsibility to the embassy.



So, good progress, a lot of work to do, and I think a good plan ahead.



COL. LAPAN: Kevin?



Q General Cone, this is Kevin Baron from Stars and Stripes. The political stalemate there has gone on so much longer than anyone has -- had expected. It has to have some sort of effect on your mission, particularly with training your counterparts in the Iraqi forces. Where does that stand now for you guys? Are you at a level of any kind of frustration? Are you completely immune? I can't imagine you are. What -- how is this affecting your job?



GEN. CONE: Well, I think -- I view it as a real opportunity. The Iraqis that we work with on a day-to-day basis, particularly some at the higher levels, you know, we're not certain they're going to keep their jobs. Guys like the minister of defense, minister of interior traditionally have turned over.



But I think what's been inspiring for us is how hard the Iraqis have worked in this environment, and, again, not for a single individual or for a particular party in power. They have done it based on an emerging understanding of the role of military forces in a democracy, an emerging democracy, and under constitutional law. And many of them will point out to you that what they've done in the last eight months is really about the Iraqi people and the constitution.



And I think if you look at some of the polls that show the acceptance of the Iraqi security forces by the Iraqi people, I think they recognize the fact that a lot of these Iraqi policemen and soldiers, frankly, have carried on in this -- in this post-election time frame and performed some of their best work.



A lot of people speculated, you know, in the March time frame, well, what happens if there's not a government? How will this work? I will tell you, it has really caused the Iraqis to do some self-examination in some ways and step up, particularly in the senior leader ranks. And I -- so I think it's been a positive development overall. I think they've had some modicum of success.



You know, certainly attacks like we saw on the 31st of October and the 2nd of November are upsetting to them. But the fact of the matter is overall the security situation has been maintained. And the big difference of course is, you know, a year ago it was the U.S. assisting them or actually out in the streets with them. And this year, they've actually done better, and it's largely been exclusively through their efforts with us in an advisory role.



Q General, Charley Keyes from CNN. You spoke several times about the lessening of violence. But you just mentioned those attacks last week, those coordinated attacks.



Could you just speak in a little more detail how you react to them, what impact they have on the overall security atmosphere, and what you see as their purpose?



GEN. CONE: Right. First off, I'm in a sort of a learning and teaching mode at this point. And so I think, as I talked about the Iraqis being learning and adaptive, one of the things I'd give them credit for is they ran a national after-action review on Saturday at the Ministry of Defense, and did a very logical and rational assessment of the attacks. And they were quite critical of their own performance, I think, in a healthy way in terms of improving for the future.



So I think, again, they work tirelessly.



And I can tell you that in terms of them being on alert for an extended period of time, and them, frankly, looking hard at how they're doing checkpoint operations, whether they're getting intelligence to the right places that they need to get it to. And, again, our job is to coach and teach and support them as they work through that analysis.



So I think, first off, there's a very healthy analysis. We assess, I think -- it's no secret, I think, al Qaeda has taken credit for both the Christian church bombing and the attacks on 2 November. And again, we've analyzed that as part of the al Qaeda campaign.



Of course, we had been really since about the 25th of August without a -- you know, a significant attack. And then we saw these attacks, again, targeted against the Christian community. And I'd point out that the grand ayatollah, Sistani, has condemned that, as have other Sunni leaders in the country. And again, I think the Iraqis are working through very hard the protection of minorities, both ethnic and religious minorities in the country. They recognize their responsibility. And I think they're upping the ante, as we continue.



As you know, there are a series of meetings going on today, and they are on high alert. They've taken everybody back from leave. And they're at 100 percent and focusing right now on improving security, and on critical areas and nodes.



COL. LAPAN: Joe.



Q General, this is Joe Tabet with Al Hurra. Are you noticing, sir, any potential interference from other funded groups from the neighbors like Iran, for example?



GEN. CONE: Well, you know, there is a history of some influence here from Iran. And, again, you know, this is a very complex region. Iraq has to develop, you know, positive relationships with its neighbors. And I think that's very important that Iraq moves on in that direction.



We see all sorts of Iranian influence, some of it positive, in fact, and, in fact, we believe some of it negative, although it's very difficult to attribute that to the Iranian government or in fact does some of this lethal aid come across from other sources within Iran.



I think you would say that probably in the last couple months, in this period of government formation, I think that we think that the Iranian influence has diminished somewhat. And I think overall, that's probably appropriate for where we are, at least on the violence side, at this point in the formation of the government and in the current delicate political situation that we're in.



Q (Off mike.) Regarding al Qaeda activities in Iraq, do you know if al Qaeda in Iraq appears to have become increasingly disconnected from al Qaeda in Pakistan, al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan?



GEN. CONE: There are -- there is a belief that since the major attacks that took place in April, al Qaeda has been under significant duress, or at least the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq, and has struggled to reconstitute at least its high-end authorities and linkage back to al Qaeda senior leadership, although I would argue, you know, they clearly are still effective, as evidenced by the attack we saw on the 2nd of November.



Again, this is sort of a different form of lower-level cellular formation, and there have been, we believe, some interim leaders that in fact have been -- have been named. But the level of connectivity between those leaders and al Qaeda senior leadership is uncertain at this point.



Q General, hi. It's Andrew Tilghman with Military Times. I'm wondering if you could give me any insight as to what the deployment schedules might look like heading into next year. I think that General Odierno had said something about the possibility of a six-month deployment schedule. As you look into 2011, do you see any changes on that timeline?



GEN. CONE: No, I think the Army has a plan in terms of sustaining the 50,000, and then obviously, when we reach the point when we will begin the final drawdown, some of the units that are coming in. But I think as we have analyzed it, what we're telling all units is to plan on a 12-month rotation over here. And I think that's prudent. You know, there may be some puts and takes as we go along the way, but in fact I think what the soldiers are being told by their Army leadership right now is pretty much on tap.



The 50,000 force has worked out well for us. You know, we've been in that set now for a couple of months. We did an assessment across the board to make sure that we had everything that we needed or we had things that we didn't need and in fact have managed, underneath the 50,000 number, some minor -- minor changes, probably less than a thousand in terms of adjustments of little things like aviation or MPs or civil capacity teams, and then identifying some excesses and sending them back. But by and large, the current brigade rotation of one-year sets will continue.



Q General, hi. It's David Cloud with the L.A. Times. I want to explore the glide path you talked about over the next 14 months. I'm curious whether the Iraqis that you deal with speak to you about a desire to have U.S. forces at some low level continue in Iraq after next -- after a year from December. Obviously, that question has kind of been in abeyance for a while because of the political turmoil there. But it's not completely out of the question. I would assume that there would be some follow-on agreement that would allow some continuing small-level U.S. presence.



What do the Iraqis you deal with say about their desire to see that?



GEN. CONE: Yeah, if I were to -- if they were to say that to me, what I would do is take it as an opportunity, as a learning point about the fact that they're soldiers and that their job -- they should leave political decisions to politicians. And the reality is that what I tell them to do is make sure that you give your best military advice when you are asked, in regard to what capabilities, what are needed, et cetera; not, certainly, trying to bias the situation in any way. But I think it's very important that they learn what the role of the soldier is or the military leader is in terms of providing advice as time goes on.



And again, that will be a political decision and it will be, I presume, you know, at some point between the Iraqi government and the U.S. government. And it will be based on higher-level objectives. But right now we have a security agreement that says we will be out of here by the 1st of January 2012.



And I think what's been really interesting is -- from my perspective is the credibility that we get by making an agreement with another nation and then honoring it and self-enforcing. I run a committee that basically tracks down violations of the security agreement. And in my time here, a little over eight months, we have not had a single incident. I mean, we've had, you know, accusations of, you know, violations of the security agreement. When they're investigated, what we find is there are none.



So we hold this meeting and basically say, has the United States -- literally, the Iraqis kept a step forward, and say, "Have the -- has the United States violated a security agreement?" And they say no. And then we move on to other issues. But I think that's very important in building credibility in this part of the world, the fact that we said we'd be at 50,000, and the fact that, barring a political change, we will be at zero on the first of January, 2012.



Q Leaving aside the politics, though, which I understand, in your military judgment, will the Iraqis need continuing partnership and assistance after 2011 to fulfill the security requirements they face?



GEN. CONE: We have a comprehensive plan right now to work with the Iraqis. And that's why -- I will tell you frankly we are very busy right now working with the Iraqis. Really when you focus on, sort of -- there are 19 major capabilities that we work on with them, and then identifying the conditions that need to be established by the time we leave. We're working. We have a plan where we can leave here on -- as scheduled. There are things that someone might like to do or think could be done better. But again, I think those things will come into the political negotiation.



Q Okay. General, Larry Shaughnessy from CNN. I wanted to ask you about your other role as head of III Corps and Fort Hood. After the Article 32 hearing for Major Hasan is done and the other pre-trial matters are taken care of, a commander's going to have to decide if there's a recommendation for a court martial, to either go ahead with it or not. And then there might well be a recommendation for a death penalty.



Will you be involved in that in any way, as the commander of III Corps?



GEN. CONE: I won't from here.



And again, it depends on the timing of all this that plays out. And in fact, when I left, I signed over legal responsibility as a general court martial convening authority to my deputy when I departed the country.



So I've been over here. It will depend on how far this all progresses, and it will depend on other legal considerations that will be assessed at that time. But again, right now I am removed from the Fort Hood case, and I have -- I have legal authority here over a like number of soldiers. So again, we'll deal with that, I think, in the future.



Q There was a legal fight over whether or not you should be deposed in this -- in the Hasan case. Did you ever sit for a deposition in the case?



GEN. CONE: I did not. I was in the process of deploying as that came down. And again, I think certainly given the technology we have today, you know, we could have done it from here, but to my knowledge there was never any request to be deposed since I've been here in Iraq.



So, again, you know, these are all, you know, important legal processes that we follow the procedures exactly to the law to make sure that this is -- this case is fairly tried.



COL. LAPAN: Okay, General, it looks like you've exhausted the Pentagon Press Corps of questions, so I'll send it back to you for closing remarks.



GEN. CONE: Yeah, I -- again, I'd just like to thank everybody again. You know, Veterans Day is coming up, and that's really important for, I think, for so many who've served this country and serve as an inspiration to everyone. And again, they're in our thoughts and prayers here in Iraq.



Here, we are -- continue to grow capabilities and capacity for the security forces of Iraq, and again, things continue to move all the trends in a positive direction.



I'm -- again, I'm proud of the work that our service members are doing in Iraq. And I can tell you that each and every one of them is making a difference.



Again, thanks for coming to the press conference, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. Thank you very much.



COL. LAPAN: General, thanks again for your time.

Tomorrow in the Department of Defense, Tuesday, November 09, 2010

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is traveling.



Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn has no public or media events on his schedule.

Saluting our nation’s veterans

Monday, November 8, 2010

Written by: Christopher Lagan

Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Bob Papp joined service members and their families at Arlington Cemetery for the 12th annual Coast Guard Flags Across America event honoring fallen Coast Guard veterans. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley)

This Thursday, America will honor those who have worn the uniform in service to our country. For millions of Americans, Veterans Day is more than a day off of work. It may be a bittersweet day for those remembering a lost loved one who once served in the military, but it is also a celebration of those citizens who defended our freedoms before going on to accomplish other things in life.





Coast Guard veterans, moms, dads and spouses can click the image above to to download a social media icon celebrating their service. (U.S. Coast Guard illustration by Petty Officer 3rd Class Cory Mendenhall)

For the Coast Guard, Veterans Day is a day for those who wear the uniform to honor those who went before. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Bob Papp will join members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the President in honoring fallen veterans at Arlington National Cemetery. Coast Guard units across the nation will hold their own events to honor our living veterans and remember those who have crossed the bar.



“Our Nation owes its existence to the generations of Americans who have fought and died, and who continue to fight and die—or suffer physical and mental wounds—defending our freedoms,” said Admiral Papp in an all-hands message to the Coast Guard. “It’s a debt that can’t truly be paid. What we can do—what we must do—is to use this occasion to show our gratitude by honoring their service.”





A child places a flag at the headstone of a Coast Guard veteran at Arlington National Cemetery. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Kelley)

Here at the Compass, we’ve been honoring our veterans throughout November with a series of stories on Coast Guard heroes whose names will appear on the hulls of the next generation of Fast Response Cutters. We’ll continue the series through Veterans Day and invite you to reflect on the accomplishments of these true American heroes.



There are more than 24 million veterans living in America today. They are our neighbors, family members, and coworkers. They are our teachers, nurses, and coaches.



Find your own way to honor those who have sacrificed to protect each and every one of us. Visit your local veterans’ hospital and thank the wounded for their service. Visit your local cemetery and help preserve the memory of one of our fallen heroes by cleaning his or her headstone and placing an American flag. Run a 10k to support a wounded warrior organization. Or just thank a veteran in your community for their service the next time you see them.



We challenge you to make every day Veterans Day.

Awarded Contracts Government

CONTRACTS
ARMY
Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded on Oct. 29 a $141,701,518 firm-fixed-price contract for the advanced procurement for the manufacture of 31 AH-64D model aircraft and two fixed-site Longbow crew trainers matching the Taiwan AH-640 aircraft configuration. Work is to be performed in Mesa, Ariz., with an estimated completion date of July 30, 2015. One bid solicited with one bid received. AMCOM Contracting Center is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-09-G-0147).



GM GDLS Defense Group, LLC, Sterling Heights, Mich., was awarded on Nov. 4 a $81,893,512 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract action is to acquire the labor, material, and travel associated with the 570 amp alternator and mobile gun system air conditioning of Stryker vehicles. Work is to be performed in Sterling Heights, Mich., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2010. One bid was solicited with one bid received. TACOM, CCTA-AIP, Warren, Mich., is the contracting activity (W56HZV-07-D-M112).



Boeing Co., Mesa, Ariz., was awarded on Oct. 29 a $75,233,988 firm-fixed-price performance based logistics for the Apache (AH-64D) D unique components. Work is to be performed in Mesa Ariz., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2014. One bid was solicited with one bid received. Aviation & Missile Command Contracting Center, CCAMAL-O, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-11-C-00100).



Point One, LLC, Arlington, Va., was awarded on Sept. 30 a $68,322,752 fixed-price level of effort contract for cyber analytical information technology services. Work is to be performed in Fort Meade, Md., with an estimated completion date of Sept. 29, 2015. Bids were solicited via E-buy with 12 bids received. Virginia Contracting Activity, Virginia, is the contracting activity (HHM402-10-F-0545).



QinetiQ North America, Reston, Va., was awarded on Oct. 29 a $38,424,799 firm-fixed-price contract for 15,000 individual gunshot detection systems. Work is to be performed in Reston, Va., with an estimated completion date of July 28, 2013. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. Research Development & Engineering Command Contracting Center, Aberdeen Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-l0-D-0008).



AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded on Oct. 29 a $35,434,902 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This effort is to modify the contract for the acquisition of efforts necessary to complete the fiscal 2011 performance based logistics contract for the Shadow unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and a service effort for four GOCO teams to operate and maintain the Shadow UAS in support of Operation New Dawn/Operation Enduring Freedom. Work is to be performed in Hunt Valley, Md., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. U.S. Army Contracting Command, CCAM-AR-A, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (58RGZ-10-C-0006).



Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc., Virginia Beach, Va., was awarded on Nov. 2 a $29,613,407 a firm-fixed-price contract. The purpose of this delivery order is to purchase Generation 111 extreme cold weather clothing system kits . A prior congressional notification was submitted for award of contract W911QY-07-D-0003. Work is to be performed in Virginia Beach, Va. (5 percent); Fall River, Mass. (10 percent); Newark, N.J. (24 percent); North Conway, N.H. (2 percent); Lansing, Mich. (18 percent); Mayaguez, Puerto Rico (24 percent); Post Falls (5 percent); Tullahoma, Tenn. (10 percent); and Mukilteo, Wash. (2 percent), with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2011. Bids were solicited on the World Wide Web with three bids received. U.S. Army Research Development & Engineering Command Contracting Center, Natick Contracting Division, Natick, Mass., is the contracting activity (W911QY-07-D-0003).



Caddell Construction Co., Inc., Montgomery, Ala., was awarded on Oct. 29 a $17,447,000 firm-fixed-price contract. This task order shall be to construct a complex of seven buildings which will provide adequate facilities to support specialized training of candidate special forces soldiers. The task order is for two separate projects: Project No. 60833 will provide for construction of a battalion headquarters (8,600 sq ft); weapons cleaning facility (2,400 sq ft); warehouse (14,000 sq ft); survival evasion resistance escape training(24 ,675 sq ft); ready building (24,675 sq ft); non- commissioned officer academy (24,675 sq ft) facility; and necessary site improvements, utility support, demolition of numerous existing temporary facilities, as well as comprehensive storm water management features which will assure environmental compliance for this project and any future development in the complex. Project No. 65876 will provide for construction of a transient barracks (24,675 sq ft). The seven new buildings, demolition, and storm water management aspects are adjacent and alongside existing facilities in a security-controlled training compound. This presents a unique construction challenge of site constraints and construction in a compound with on-going training. Work is to be performed at Fort Bragg, N.C., with an estimated completion date of May 5, 2012. Seven bids were solicited with five bids received. U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah, Ga., is the contracting activity (W91278-07-D-0036).



Systems Research and Applications Corp., Fairfax, Va., was awarded on Nov. 1 a $11,108,622 firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee task order against General Services Administration Millennia Governmentwide Acquisition Contracts; provides hardware, software, firmware, and related resources and support services for the Pentagon Force Protection Agency Force Protection Technology Directorate. Work is to be performed in Arlington, Va., with an estimated completion date of Oct. 31, 2013. Two bids were solicited with one bid received. Washington Headquarters Service, Acquisition Directorate, Rosslyn, Va., is the contracting activity (HQ0034-09-F-3001).



Applied Research Associates, Inc., Albuquerque, N. M., was awarded on Oct. 29 a $9,500,000 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This program is program is designed to develop and test cost effective intelligent systems that will address present and future humanitarian demining (HO) mine and unexploded ordinance (UXO) clearance needs. The systems will support operations for mission planning, detection and clearance of landmines and UXO so the suspect land can be safely released for reoccupation by indigenous people. The program shall be executed in six primary areas: landmine detection, UXO detection, intelligence systems, minefield management, HO special initiatives, and system integration and logistics. Work is to be performed in Albuquerque, N.M. (89 percent); Long Beach, Miss. (4 percent); Durham, N.C. (3 percent); Etna, N.H. (2 percent); Gainesville, Fla. (2 percent); and Torrensville, South Australia (1 percent), with an estimated completion date of Oct. 28, 2013. One bid was solicited with one bid received. CECOM Contracting Center Washington, Fort Belvoir, Va., is the contracting activity (W909MY-11-C-0002).



L-3 Communication Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah, was awarded on Oct. 29 a $9,100,000 five-year indefinite-delivery contract for AN/TSC-156B Phoenix asset repair ceiling increase. Work is to be performed in Salt Lake City, Utah, with an estimated completion date of Jan. 6, 2011. One bid was solicited with one bid received. CECOM Contracting Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W15P7T-06-D-G406).



DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY



Constellation NewEnergy, Inc., Houston, Texas, is being awarded a maximum $44,505,118 firm-fixed-price contract for electricity. There are no other locations of performance. Using service is Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and federal civilian agencies. There were originally 113 proposals solicited with nine responses. The date of performance completion is Jan. 31, 2013. The contracting activity is the Defense Logistics Agency Energy, Fort Belvoir, Va. (SP0600-11-D-8008).



AIR FORCE



Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems, Marietta, Ga., was awarded a maximum $29,231,683 contract for C-5M avionics modernization program sustainment support. At this time, zero dollars have been obligated. WR-ALC/GRSKA, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8525-11-D-0001).



Lockheed Martin Corp., Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., was awarded an estimated $7,587,478 contract for LANTIRN repairs for the F-15 and F-16 aircraft. At this time, zero dollars have been obligated. 448 SCMG/PKHBC, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity (FA8517-11-D-0001).



Diversitech, Inc., Cincinnati, Ohio, was awarded an estimated $6,695,138 contract for non-personal services for civil engineering facility and equipment support to intelligence and research and development activities at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. At this time, $25,000 has been obligated. ASC/PKOB, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (FA8601-11-D-0001).

NFTA Comments on the schedule changes

This statement was released on the NFTA Website

Due to recent changes in service, we are experiencing capacity issues on some buses. We are making modifications to insure everyone has a safe and comfortable ride. We apologize for any inconvenience during our period of adjustment. Thank you.

Soldier Missing from Korean War Identified

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Army Cpl. Floyd E. Hooper, 27, of Stratton, Colo., will be buried on Nov. 13 in his hometown. In February 1951, his unit, the 19th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, fought against Chinese Communist forces in support of Operation Thunderbolt, an operation to sweep and clear enemy forces occupying areas south of the Han River. Strong enemy forces supported by artillery fire forced his unit to withdraw to a defensive perimeter where he was captured on Feb. 4, 1951, near Yangp'yong, Korea. After the 1953 armistice, it was learned from surviving POWs that he had been held in a POW camp in Suan County, North Korea, and died of malnutrition and dysentery just a few months later.



Between 1991 and 1994, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with one of the boxes indicated the remains were exhumed near Suan County. This location correlates with Hooper's last known location.



Analysts from DPMO developed case leads with information spanning more than 58 years. Through interviews with surviving POW eyewitnesses, experts validated circumstances surrounding the soldier's captivity and death, confirming wartime documentation of his loss.



Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command used dental comparisons and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used mitochondrial DNA - which matched that of his brother - in the identification of his remains.



More than 2,000 servicemen died as prisoners of war during the Korean War. With this accounting, more than 8,000 service members still remain missing from the conflict.



For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call 703-699-1169 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 703-699-1169 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers Seize Over $822,000 in Cocaine at Brownsville Port of Entry

Brownsville, Texas – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Gateway International Bridge on Thursday discovered cocaine valued at approximately $822,400 concealed within a BMW.


On Friday, Nov. 5, CBP officers at the Gateway International Bridge came in contact with a man as he drove a 2001 blue BMW Z3 into the country. The driver, identified as a 32-year-old male Mexican citizen who resides in Brownsville, Texas was referred to secondary for further inspection after a primary CBP officer noticed anomalies to the rear of the BMW. CBP officers in the secondary inspection area discovered 10 packages concealed within the sports car. CBP officers removed the packages from the vehicle which had a combined total weight of 25.7 pounds of cocaine.
The cocaine from this seizure has an estimated street value of approximately $822,400. CBP officers turned the man over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation. CBP officers seized the narcotics and the vehicle

“Amidst some traffic disruptions Friday Brownsville’s CBP officers stopped dangerous drugs from entering the country,” said Michael Freeman, CBP Port Director, Brownsville. “This is outstanding work by our officers as they continue to intercept loads of contraband destined to our communities,”

DOD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Cone via Teleconference from Iraq

COL. DAVID LAPAN (deputy assistant secretary of defense for media operations): Good morning. And good evening to General Cone in Iraq.



I'd like to welcome to the Pentagon briefing room Lieutenant General Bob Cone, the deputy commanding general for Operations with U.S. Forces-Iraq. He is also the commanding general for III Corps and Fort Hood.



Lieutenant General Cone assumed his duties as deputy commander for operations in Iraq in March of this year. This is the first time he has joined us in this format. He will be speaking to us today from Al Faw Palace in Baghdad to provide an update on current operations and the new mission profile under Operation New Dawn.



General, with that, I'll send it to you for any opening remarks you'd like to make, and then we'll take questions.



GEN. CONE: Thanks very much. I'll keep my remarks very brief.



And first of all, let me thank those that are here today for coming out and asking questions. Really appreciate your participation in this conference.



Let me begin by saying that although the role for U.S. troops in direct combat operations here in Iraq ended on the 1st of September, the United States commitment to Iraq and its people has not ended. Our work continues every day under Operation New Dawn, with three primary mission sets. And those are advise, train and assist the Iraqi security forces; to continue to conduct partnered counterterrorism operations, to support the government of Iraq, U.S. embassy and U.S. agencies in improving Iraqi civil capacity; and of course, inherent in all of these missions is a level of force protection for all U.S. forces and civilians as they go about their duties.



As the deputy commanding general for operations, I am focused on several subtasks within this mission set. First, strengthen the Iraqi security forces to help continue to build their capacity for providing security in Iraq. This includes a wide array of tasks associated with advising Iraqi tactical units in the conduct of combat operations across Iraq. However, equally important is the emphasis that we have placed in helping the Iraqi security force develop complex systems, such as intelligence and logistics functions, that will be essential to their future success.



I would also add that we are focused on working with the Iraqis to ensure they are both a learning and adaptive organization with the practices necessary to professionally grow and improve in the future.



The second part of my job is keeping pressure on the extremist networks in close partnership with the Iraqi security forces. In this area, I can also cite significant progress on the part of the Iraqi special operation forces community. The capability to conduct counterterrorist operations is essential to maintain the security environment over the long haul here in Iraq.



Let me be clear: The nearly 650,000 Iraqi security forces are fully responsible for maintaining the security environment in Iraq today. We are supporting them in their efforts and are proud of how far they've come to date. Despite several recent high-profile attacks, Iraqi security forces have created an environment where violence is 20 percent below the 2009 average. It should also be noted that September and October of 2010 have been two of the lowest months on record for violence since 2003.



Sadly, Iraq still has extremists that attack innocent Iraqi civilians to try and stay relevant. But Iraq and the Iraqi people have rejected extremist ideology and sectarianism. We still have work to do here. And the just under 50,000 brave men and women I have the pleasure of working with are focused and committed to ensuring that Iraq becomes a sovereign, stable and self-reliant country.



With that, I'll be happy to take your questions.



COL. LAPAN: Viola.



Q General Cone, this is Viola Gienger from Bloomberg News.



How do you see the Iraqi security forces' expertise currently, and how it is evolving on some of the capabilities that you provide to protect the U.S. civilians working in Iraq right now, and that will have to be turned over to someone else in December -- after December 2011, such as counter-IED capabilities and so forth? What are some of the key areas that you feel that they may be able to take on? What kind of expertise do they have in those areas?



GEN. CONE: Yeah, the Iraqi security forces are a capable COIN force, and it's focused on counterinsurgency and internal security. And as a result of their efforts, we've seen attacks at a -- at a level right now of 14 to 15 attacks per day across the nation.



They have work to do in a number of specialty-type capabilities that they'll continue to need work on. They have an emerging explosive ordnance detachment capability. They have some emerging forensic capabilities. They have some route-clearance capabilities. And all of these things are on glide path in the next 14 months as we continue to work with them and assist them, but they are emerging and carrying on.



I'd say, to your question, we will always have a requirement to provide some level of security for Americans that are in this country for the foreseeable future.



And I think it's important to understand that -- you know, the proposals that we're talking about post-2011, I think, have provisions for security -- personal-security detachments, et cetera, as we transition responsibility to the embassy.



So, good progress, a lot of work to do, and I think a good plan ahead.



COL. LAPAN: Kevin?



Q General Cone, this is Kevin Baron from Stars and Stripes. The political stalemate there has gone on so much longer than anyone has -- had expected. It has to have some sort of effect on your mission, particularly with training your counterparts in the Iraqi forces. Where does that stand now for you guys? Are you at a level of any kind of frustration? Are you completely immune? I can't imagine you are. What -- how is this affecting your job?



GEN. CONE: Well, I think -- I view it as a real opportunity. The Iraqis that we work with on a day-to-day basis, particularly some at the higher levels, you know, we're not certain they're going to keep their jobs. Guys like the minister of defense, minister of interior traditionally have turned over.



But I think what's been inspiring for us is how hard the Iraqis have worked in this environment, and, again, not for a single individual or for a particular party in power. They have done it based on an emerging understanding of the role of military forces in a democracy, an emerging democracy, and under constitutional law. And many of them will point out to you that what they've done in the last eight months is really about the Iraqi people and the constitution.



And I think if you look at some of the polls that show the acceptance of the Iraqi security forces by the Iraqi people, I think they recognize the fact that a lot of these Iraqi policemen and soldiers, frankly, have carried on in this -- in this post-election time frame and performed some of their best work.



A lot of people speculated, you know, in the March time frame, well, what happens if there's not a government? How will this work? I will tell you, it has really caused the Iraqis to do some self-examination in some ways and step up, particularly in the senior leader ranks. And I -- so I think it's been a positive development overall. I think they've had some modicum of success.



You know, certainly attacks like we saw on the 31st of October and the 2nd of November are upsetting to them. But the fact of the matter is overall the security situation has been maintained. And the big difference of course is, you know, a year ago it was the U.S. assisting them or actually out in the streets with them. And this year, they've actually done better, and it's largely been exclusively through their efforts with us in an advisory role.



Q General, Charley Keyes from CNN. You spoke several times about the lessening of violence. But you just mentioned those attacks last week, those coordinated attacks.



Could you just speak in a little more detail how you react to them, what impact they have on the overall security atmosphere, and what you see as their purpose?



GEN. CONE: Right. First off, I'm in a sort of a learning and teaching mode at this point. And so I think, as I talked about the Iraqis being learning and adaptive, one of the things I'd give them credit for is they ran a national after-action review on Saturday at the Ministry of Defense, and did a very logical and rational assessment of the attacks. And they were quite critical of their own performance, I think, in a healthy way in terms of improving for the future.



So I think, again, they work tirelessly.



And I can tell you that in terms of them being on alert for an extended period of time, and them, frankly, looking hard at how they're doing checkpoint operations, whether they're getting intelligence to the right places that they need to get it to. And, again, our job is to coach and teach and support them as they work through that analysis.



So I think, first off, there's a very healthy analysis. We assess, I think -- it's no secret, I think, al Qaeda has taken credit for both the Christian church bombing and the attacks on 2 November. And again, we've analyzed that as part of the al Qaeda campaign.



Of course, we had been really since about the 25th of August without a -- you know, a significant attack. And then we saw these attacks, again, targeted against the Christian community. And I'd point out that the grand ayatollah, Sistani, has condemned that, as have other Sunni leaders in the country. And again, I think the Iraqis are working through very hard the protection of minorities, both ethnic and religious minorities in the country. They recognize their responsibility. And I think they're upping the ante, as we continue.



As you know, there are a series of meetings going on today, and they are on high alert. They've taken everybody back from leave. And they're at 100 percent and focusing right now on improving security, and on critical areas and nodes.



COL. LAPAN: Joe.



Q General, this is Joe Tabet with Al Hurra. Are you noticing, sir, any potential interference from other funded groups from the neighbors like Iran, for example?



GEN. CONE: Well, you know, there is a history of some influence here from Iran. And, again, you know, this is a very complex region. Iraq has to develop, you know, positive relationships with its neighbors. And I think that's very important that Iraq moves on in that direction.



We see all sorts of Iranian influence, some of it positive, in fact, and, in fact, we believe some of it negative, although it's very difficult to attribute that to the Iranian government or in fact does some of this lethal aid come across from other sources within Iran.



I think you would say that probably in the last couple months, in this period of government formation, I think that we think that the Iranian influence has diminished somewhat. And I think overall, that's probably appropriate for where we are, at least on the violence side, at this point in the formation of the government and in the current delicate political situation that we're in.



Q (Off mike.) Regarding al Qaeda activities in Iraq, do you know if al Qaeda in Iraq appears to have become increasingly disconnected from al Qaeda in Pakistan, al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan?



GEN. CONE: There are -- there is a belief that since the major attacks that took place in April, al Qaeda has been under significant duress, or at least the leadership of al Qaeda in Iraq, and has struggled to reconstitute at least its high-end authorities and linkage back to al Qaeda senior leadership, although I would argue, you know, they clearly are still effective, as evidenced by the attack we saw on the 2nd of November.



Again, this is sort of a different form of lower-level cellular formation, and there have been, we believe, some interim leaders that in fact have been -- have been named. But the level of connectivity between those leaders and al Qaeda senior leadership is uncertain at this point.



Q General, hi. It's Andrew Tilghman with Military Times. I'm wondering if you could give me any insight as to what the deployment schedules might look like heading into next year. I think that General Odierno had said something about the possibility of a six-month deployment schedule. As you look into 2011, do you see any changes on that timeline?



GEN. CONE: No, I think the Army has a plan in terms of sustaining the 50,000, and then obviously, when we reach the point when we will begin the final drawdown, some of the units that are coming in. But I think as we have analyzed it, what we're telling all units is to plan on a 12-month rotation over here. And I think that's prudent. You know, there may be some puts and takes as we go along the way, but in fact I think what the soldiers are being told by their Army leadership right now is pretty much on tap.



The 50,000 force has worked out well for us. You know, we've been in that set now for a couple of months. We did an assessment across the board to make sure that we had everything that we needed or we had things that we didn't need and in fact have managed, underneath the 50,000 number, some minor -- minor changes, probably less than a thousand in terms of adjustments of little things like aviation or MPs or civil capacity teams, and then identifying some excesses and sending them back. But by and large, the current brigade rotation of one-year sets will continue.



Q General, hi. It's David Cloud with the L.A. Times. I want to explore the glide path you talked about over the next 14 months. I'm curious whether the Iraqis that you deal with speak to you about a desire to have U.S. forces at some low level continue in Iraq after next -- after a year from December. Obviously, that question has kind of been in abeyance for a while because of the political turmoil there. But it's not completely out of the question. I would assume that there would be some follow-on agreement that would allow some continuing small-level U.S. presence.



What do the Iraqis you deal with say about their desire to see that?



GEN. CONE: Yeah, if I were to -- if they were to say that to me, what I would do is take it as an opportunity, as a learning point about the fact that they're soldiers and that their job -- they should leave political decisions to politicians. And the reality is that what I tell them to do is make sure that you give your best military advice when you are asked, in regard to what capabilities, what are needed, et cetera; not, certainly, trying to bias the situation in any way. But I think it's very important that they learn what the role of the soldier is or the military leader is in terms of providing advice as time goes on.



And again, that will be a political decision and it will be, I presume, you know, at some point between the Iraqi government and the U.S. government. And it will be based on higher-level objectives. But right now we have a security agreement that says we will be out of here by the 1st of January 2012.



And I think what's been really interesting is -- from my perspective is the credibility that we get by making an agreement with another nation and then honoring it and self-enforcing. I run a committee that basically tracks down violations of the security agreement. And in my time here, a little over eight months, we have not had a single incident. I mean, we've had, you know, accusations of, you know, violations of the security agreement. When they're investigated, what we find is there are none.



So we hold this meeting and basically say, has the United States -- literally, the Iraqis kept a step forward, and say, "Have the -- has the United States violated a security agreement?" And they say no. And then we move on to other issues. But I think that's very important in building credibility in this part of the world, the fact that we said we'd be at 50,000, and the fact that, barring a political change, we will be at zero on the first of January, 2012.



Q Leaving aside the politics, though, which I understand, in your military judgment, will the Iraqis need continuing partnership and assistance after 2011 to fulfill the security requirements they face?



GEN. CONE: We have a comprehensive plan right now to work with the Iraqis. And that's why -- I will tell you frankly we are very busy right now working with the Iraqis. Really when you focus on, sort of -- there are 19 major capabilities that we work on with them, and then identifying the conditions that need to be established by the time we leave. We're working. We have a plan where we can leave here on -- as scheduled. There are things that someone might like to do or think could be done better. But again, I think those things will come into the political negotiation.



Q Okay. General, Larry Shaughnessy from CNN. I wanted to ask you about your other role as head of III Corps and Fort Hood. After the Article 32 hearing for Major Hasan is done and the other pre-trial matters are taken care of, a commander's going to have to decide if there's a recommendation for a court martial, to either go ahead with it or not. And then there might well be a recommendation for a death penalty.



Will you be involved in that in any way, as the commander of III Corps?



GEN. CONE: I won't from here.



And again, it depends on the timing of all this that plays out. And in fact, when I left, I signed over legal responsibility as a general court martial convening authority to my deputy when I departed the country.



So I've been over here. It will depend on how far this all progresses, and it will depend on other legal considerations that will be assessed at that time. But again, right now I am removed from the Fort Hood case, and I have -- I have legal authority here over a like number of soldiers. So again, we'll deal with that, I think, in the future.



Q There was a legal fight over whether or not you should be deposed in this -- in the Hasan case. Did you ever sit for a deposition in the case?



GEN. CONE: I did not. I was in the process of deploying as that came down. And again, I think certainly given the technology we have today, you know, we could have done it from here, but to my knowledge there was never any request to be deposed since I've been here in Iraq.



So, again, you know, these are all, you know, important legal processes that we follow the procedures exactly to the law to make sure that this is -- this case is fairly tried.



COL. LAPAN: Okay, General, it looks like you've exhausted the Pentagon Press Corps of questions, so I'll send it back to you for closing remarks.



GEN. CONE: Yeah, I -- again, I'd just like to thank everybody again. You know, Veterans Day is coming up, and that's really important for, I think, for so many who've served this country and serve as an inspiration to everyone. And again, they're in our thoughts and prayers here in Iraq.



Here, we are -- continue to grow capabilities and capacity for the security forces of Iraq, and again, things continue to move all the trends in a positive direction.



I'm -- again, I'm proud of the work that our service members are doing in Iraq. And I can tell you that each and every one of them is making a difference.



Again, thanks for coming to the press conference, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today. Thank you very much.



COL. LAPAN: General, thanks again for your time.