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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Pentagon Seeks Future Information Technologists


By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2011 - The Army, Air Force and the office of the Defense Department's chief information officer hosted 50 local high school students at the Pentagon today to begin recruiting the next generation of the federal government's information technology work force.

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The Army, Air Force and the office of the Defense Department's chief information officer hosted 50 local high school students at the Pentagon Feb. 3, 2011, to begin recruiting the next generation of the federal government's information technology work force. DOD photo by Cheryl Pellerin

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
In partnership with the Federal Chief Information Officers Council, DOD is sponsoring the 5th annual IT Job Shadow Day. "We're trying to get the high school students interested in information technology so we can establish a pipeline of students and future employees for the Defense Department and the federal government," Joyce France, director of CIO management services for the DOD chief information officer, told reporters during the conference.
When they weren't listening to cybersecurity or social media briefings, touring the DOD Network Monitoring Instruction Center or learning how to apply for federal jobs, the students were crowding around tables featuring literature and videos about the kind of information technology work that's available within the Defense Department.
Defense Information Systems Agency representatives talked about cyber defense, simulation experts talked about computer crime and forensics, and officials from the Defense Technical Information Center talked about the DOD Technopedia.
"This is an opportunity to crack the door a little bit to give students a peek inside the Pentagon," France said.
Sponsors included the Army, Air Force, Marines, the National Security Agency, Naval Sea Systems Command, the DOD Education Activity, and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command headquarters.
DOD and the Federal CIO Council reach out to local high schools, where teachers recommend juniors and seniors who are achievers in information technology, math, science and engineering for the program.
The program began in 2007 with 39 students. By the end of the 2011 program, 200 students will have attended the sessions this year.
"We've beefed up our campaign to promote the program, and the federal effort has beefed up as well," said Tina-Marie Buckman, the DOD information technology work force team lead. "We want them to understand that DOD is an employer of choice.
"There are plenty of opportunities," she added. "It's not just join DOD to join the military, it's not just a desk job -- it's exciting, relevant and needed professions within the Department of Defense. We can be the employer of choice, and we want to be."
 
Related Sites:
Office of the DOD Chief Information Officer

Insurgents Target More Afghan Government Officials


By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2011 - While Taliban killings of the Afghan general population have decreased over the past year, more government officials have been targeted, a senior U.S. commander said yesterday.
Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, discussed insurgent response to Afghanistan's increasing security during an interview that aired yesterday on NPR's "All Things Considered."
"When [insurgents] see more security forces out, they adjust," he said. "And because they can't control the people like they want to, or as easily as they had in the past, then they turn to an intimidation and murder campaign, and that's what they've done."

The general said insurgents have killed more government officials in and around Kandahar this year than in the past. Kandahar's deputy governor, Abdul Latif Ashna, was killed by a suicide bomber Jan. 29.
"There are some incredibly brave Afghans who keep stepping up into these positions ... [as they] start to understand that there's a better hope for a future," Rodriguez said.
As ISAF and Afghan forces prepare for the security transition set to begin in July, the general said, commanders will assess insurgents' continued reliance on assassination and intimidation. Those tactics, he suggested, indicate a Taliban response to a population that strongly resists them.
"It's all conditions-based, and we're going to stay with that," he said. "We'll give our best military advice based on the conditions on the ground and our ability to ... thin our forces while the Afghan forces assume more responsibilities."
Rodriguez said the coalition partnership with Afghan army and police forces is accomplishing the mission of strengthening Afghanistan so that the Taliban and al-Qaida can't re-establish a presence there.
"We're making slow and steady progress, and ... all the objectives that had been laid out in front of us are attainable," he said.
 
Biographies:
Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez
Related Sites:
NATO International Security Assistance Force

Related Articles:
Civilian-military Partnership Aids Helmand Progress
Petraeus Cites 'Impressive' Progress in Letter to Troops

Awarded Government Contracts

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
ONTRACTS
NAVY
            BEST Contracting Services, Inc., Gardena, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0006); MTM Construction, Inc., City of Industry, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0007); Premier Roofing CA, Inc.*, Spring Valley, Calif. (N62473-11-D-0008); and RL Campbell Management Services, Inc.*, Jacksonville, Fla. (N62473-11-D-0009), are each being awarded a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award construction contract for roofing system construction and renovation at various locations within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest area of responsibility (AOR).  The work to be performed provides for design-build or fully designed projects for new installation, addition, alterations, maintenance, repair, roof condition assessment, emergency leak response and testing for hazardous material on various roofing systems.  The maximum dollar value for all four contracts combined is $100,000,000.  No task orders are being issued at this time.  Work will be performed at various federal sites within the NAVFAC Southwest AOR, including but not limited to:  California (93 percent); Arizona (2 percent); Nevada (2 percent); Utah (1 percent); Colorado (1 percent); and New Mexico (1 percent).  The terms of the contracts are not to exceed 60 months, with an expected completion date of February 2016.  Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 14 proposals received.  These four contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract.  The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
            BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair, Norfolk, Va., is being awarded a $13,741,686 modification to existing previously awarded contract (N00024-10-C-4308) for the USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), fiscal 2011 dry-docking selected restricted availability (DSRA).  A DSRA includes the execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update, improve, and extend the ship's military and technical capabilities.  Work will be performed in Norfolk, Va., and is expected to be completed by June 2011.  Contract funds in the amount of $12,427,263 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  Norfolk Ship Support Activity Regional Maintenance Center, Portsmouth, Va., is the contracting activity.
            BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, Inc., San Diego, Calif., was awarded an $11,000,218 modification to existing previously awarded contract (N00024-07-C-4407) for the USS Benfold (DDG 65) fiscal 2011 extended dry-docking selected restricted availability (EDSRA).  An EDSRA includes the planning and execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities.  This modification includes an option which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value to $34,881,723.  Work will be performed in San Diego, Calif., and is expected to be completed by July 2011.  Contract funds in the amount of $11,000,218 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year.  The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, Calif., is the contracting activity.
ARMY
            Raytheon Co., Andover, Mass., was awarded on Feb. 1 a $59,994,017 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract.  The award will provide for the support and sustainment, in all aspects, for the Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment Legacy and Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment Base Expeditionary Targeting and Surveillance Systems.  Work will be performed in Andover, Mass.; Huntsville, Ala.; Iraq; and Afghanistan, with an estimated completion date of Nov. 30, 2011.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army Space & Missile Defense Command, Contracting Acquisition Management Office, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (W9113M-08-C-0153).
            ATK, Plymouth, Minn., was awarded on Jan. 31 a $50,000,000 contract.  The award will provide for the material release production of 120mm high explosive, guided, XM395 cartridge or accelerated precision mortar initiative.  Work will be performed in Plymouth, Minn., with an estimated completion date to be determined.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny, N.J., is the contracting activity (W15QKN-10-C-0059).
            Avon Protection Systems, Inc., Cadillac, Mich., was awarded on Feb. 1 an $11,552,268 fixed-price-incentive contract.  The award will provide for the remaining quantities of the joint service general purpose masks, which will bring the total to 54,600 M50 masks.  Work will be performed in Cadillac, Mich., with an estimated completion date of May 15, 2013.  One bid was solicited with one bid received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Edgewood Contracting Division, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W911SR-08-C-0042).
            Tencate Advanced Armor USA, Inc., Newark, Ohio, was awarded on Jan. 26 an $8,090,400 firm-fixed-price contract.  The award will provide for small arms protective inserts for Afghanistan.  Work will be performed in Newark, Ohio, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2011.  Four bids were solicited with four bids received.  The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., is the contracting activity (W91CRB-08-D-0063).
*Small business

Today in the Department of Defense, Friday, February 04, 2011



Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn have no public or media events on their schedules.

Indiana National Guard Responds to Weather Emergency


By Sgt. John Crosby
Indiana National Guard
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 3, 2011 - Indiana National Guardsmen are just beginning to draw down their forces after more than 1,000 soldiers and airmen responded to severe weather across the state this week as it and much of the country saw some of the most brutal winter weather in decades.

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Indiana National Guard Staff Sgt. Joseph Magers of Greenville, Ind., and Chief Warrant Officer 3 Shad Harth of Speedway, Ind., set up a communication antenna at the Shelbyville Armory in the aftermath of a winter storm, Feb. 1, 2011. Indiana National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Les Newport

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
For the past three days, Guardsmen provided on-call assistance to local police and fire departments to rescue stranded motorists, transport residents to shelters, assist ambulance and medical support in areas that civilian emergency services could not reach, and ran logistical missions transporting fuel, chainsaws and other equipment where fallen debris had blocked roads. Two storm fronts blanketed central Indiana in several inches of ice and up to 20 inches of snow in northern parts of the state on Feb. 1 and 2 resulting in more than 4,500 airline flight cancellations, 87,500 power outages, hundreds of school and business closures, and traffic accidents across the state. Bitterly cold temperatures and wind gusts of up to 45 mph caused whiteouts, downed trees and power lines.
Soldiers and airmen created on-site operations centers in 44 National Guard armories across the state, working through the night Feb. 1 in preparation to provide assistance as several counties declared states of emergency.
"We were well postured to respond to this emergency in whatever capacity the governor and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security needed us to respond to," Joint Task Force 81 Commander Col. Mark E. Coers said. "I think we were postured in every location to do that, and in the cases where we were given missions, we have succeeded."
The task force is responsible for all military forces responding within Indiana. Coers and his staff helped orchestrate military assistance to civil authorities with pre-planned, specialized teams including some in urban search and rescue, vehicle extraction and evacuation, as well as those designed to augment emergency personnel, perform debris removal and provide security.
"It's the versatility of our vehicles to traverse poor terrain that makes us special here," Coers said. "In several cases, we responded to areas where police and emergency vehicles could not get to. We had the ability to get there and get them out of harm's way."
In one such case, soldiers and airmen under the 122nd Fighter Wing from Ft. Wayne came to the aid of a sheriff whose vehicle became stuck while trying to rescue a stranded motorist.
The Guard units will keep their command and control systems in place until the Indiana Adjutant General determines through the joint task force commanders to take them down, Air Force Col. David Augustine, 122nd Fighter Wing commander, said.
Augustine is in control of one of three major regions that were under distress during and after the storm. His team of more than 350 soldiers and airmen evacuated residents from their homes in Connersville and moved them to warming stations after a major power outage there.
Additionally, Guardsmen continue to provide assistance to the Gary Police Department on an on-call basis. They also assisted emergency services in eastern Delaware County where they saved the life of a patient in respiratory arrest.
As weather and road conditions improve, the Indiana Guard draws down, but still is providing assistance in troubled areas throughout the state.
"Our soldiers and leaders out there have done a great job in preparing for this and supporting the citizens of the state of Indiana the way they expect us to support them," Coers said.
 

Click photo for screen-resolution image Air Force Col. Michael D. Stohler, 122nd Fighter Wing operations group commander, center, briefs Air Force Lt. Col. Kevin V. Doyle, 163rd Fighter Squadron commander and Air Force Lt. Col. Kyle J. Noel, director of Scheduling and C-Flight commander, during a winter storm response, Feb. 2, 2011. Indiana National Guard photo by 1st Lt. Rebecca Metzger
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TPAX for CONUS

An update to the JFTR has changed the way to enter the departure and arrival locations within the itinerary of the Coast Guard Travel Preparation and Examination (TPAX) system and for the submission of paper claims to PPC. This change affects TDY and PCS, CONUS and non-foreign OCONUS areas. All destinations/arrivals must include the five digit zip code.


When completing the itinerary in TPAX for CONUS or non-foreign OCONUS travel, enter the two letter state abbreviation, tab to the city field and enter the five digit zip code and hit accept. A future update to TPAX will add the words zip code to the city field. (Most cities will remain in TPAX but should not be used except within foreign locations or to/from foreign locations.) When submitting a paper claim (1351-2 dtd Mar 2008) for CONUS or non-foreign OCONUS travel, type or write in all the required information along with the five digit zip code within the itinerary (block 15).
a screen shot of a portion of the travel claim form
DD-1351/2 Itinerary showing zip codes in b. PLACE field.

Navy Nurse Discusses Breast Cancer Battle


By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2011 - Lt. Cmdr. Ronda Hartzel is a Navy nurse who worked diligently to maintain her healthy lifestyle. She routinely worked out, ate lots of salads and no red meat, and never smoked. When she found a lump in one of her breasts, she didn't think too much of it.

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Lt. Cmdr. Ronda Hartzel, a Navy nurse, met with a reporter from her hospital bed at Bethesda National Naval Medical Center where she is being treated for breast cancer, Feb. 2, 2011, Bethesda, Md.

(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
"I had a few friends with a bad mammography read, and another whose mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer," Hartzel said. "That motivated me to be seen." That was Dec. 31, 2009.
Stationed as an operating room nurse on a fleet surgical team at San Diego Naval Medical Center, Hartzel was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer at age 36. In January 2010, she asked to be reassigned to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where she had been stationed before.
"But when I got here," she said, "they found it was in my ankle and my hip. So, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, which was pretty devastating."
When the 14-year Navy officer arrived at Bethesda, she said, her long hair was intact and she still felt like herself. She comforted herself with the fact that she had no family history of the disease.
"Slowly but surely, you start to let go," Hartzel said. "Cancer doesn't discriminate. It takes on anybody and everybody."
Hartzel's medical regimen for her breast cancer didn't include radiation. Instead, she had chemotherapy once a week for six months, followed by six months of chemo every three weeks.
She had a double mastectomy in August, followed by removal of her ovaries the day before Thanksgiving. The next day, she ran in a local turkey trot race.
"The doctors didn't want me to, but I wanted to in case I wasn't here next year," she said.
Hartzel received breast implants Dec. 16.
Losing her hair proved the most difficult part of the entire process, Hartzel said. She shaved her head because the chemotherapy made her hair fall out.
"Looking in the mirror, I didn't see myself at all," she said. "I struggled with it, but you get to the point where you have to fight. I learned very quickly if I had a positive attitude and tried to pick myself up, it makes a big difference."
Hartzel said she felt invisible. When people saw her in the hall, most said nothing.
"They wonder what's wrong with you. They want to ask, but don't know what to say to you," she said. "Other people just avoid you, because they can tell something's wrong."
Yet, she said, some positives marked her diagnosis, surgeries and treatments, noting she's had support from the hospital staff, family and friends while soothing the fears of other women with breast cancer.
"The Navy's been great to me, and I've always felt a lot of love and that's why I came [to Bethesda]," she said. "It always felt like home to me."
Still, said Hartzel, who recently was selected for promotion to commander, there are only so many times you can tell your story, especially when you know it's devastating to your friends and family.
"My mother is still struggling," she said. "She's in denial."
After her diagnosis, Hartzel said, she wondered if she could have done something to prevent the cancer.
"I wondered, 'Maybe I should have come in sooner; it might have made a difference,'" she said. "I think I did everything I possibly could. I was in the best shape of my life. I was working out every day. Sometimes you have to realize some things are out of your control."
Cancer can make a person do a lot of bartering, Hartzel said.
"As a Stage 4, I wish I could go back to a Stage 2," she said. "When I was a 2, I wished I could go back to a Stage 1. I decided I'm going to live every moment just like it's my last. None of us knows how much time we have left on this Earth."
Hartzel noted that she just returned from Hawaii. "I don't put things off any more." She said. "I make sure I take the opportunities."
In two or three weeks, Hartzel will have all of her scans repeated to see if the cancer has spread to her bones or anywhere else.
"This could be my last chemo," she said while lying on a gurney undergoing a treatment. "I am determined to be a success story and beat the odds. I want to be one of those 20 percent who lives."
 
Related Sites:
Doctor Emphasizes Prevention in Cancer Fight

CBP Kansas City Port Closure



(Tuesday, February 01, 2011)
Kansas City, Kan. - Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offices in Kansas City have been closed due to the weather. The decision was made after being informed by the international carries, which fly into Kansas City International Airport, they have canceled flights.

CBP Indianapolis Port Closure



(Tuesday, February 01, 2011)
Indianapolis - Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offices in Indianapolis have been closed due to the weather. The decision was made after being informed by the international carries, which fly into Indianapolis International Airport, they have canceled flights.

El Paso Ports of Entry Remain Open during Inclement Weather

El Paso, Texas – CBP would like to advise travelers that ports of entry are open but drivers should exercise caution and patience when crossing because of road conditions.
"U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers work in all weather extremes with the singular goal of keeping the nation safe from any and all threats which may present themselves at a border crossing point," said Bill Molaski, CBP El Paso port director. "Our officers are prepared, dedicated, committed and working hard to keep the community and nation safe no matter what Mother Nature has in store."
CBP Field Operations is responsible for securing our borders at the ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers’ primary mission is anti-terrorism; they screen all people, vehicles, and goods entering the United States, while facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel into and out of the United States. Their mission also includes carrying out traditional border-related responsibilities, including narcotics interdiction, enforcing immigration law, protecting the nation’s food supply and agriculture industry from pests and diseases, and enforcing trade laws.
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.

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