Saddam Trial Continues Despite Courtroom Drama

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Despite reported histrionics displayed today by Saddam Hussein and others during his court appearance in Baghdad, the trial goes on.

"We fully support Iraqi efforts to assemble the evidence, prepare cases against and bring Saddam and others in his brutal regime to trial for their crimes against Iraqis and others," said U.S. State Department spokesman Noel Clay.

Saddam and seven former aides are charged with murdering more than 140 Iraqis at the village of Dujail on July 8, 1982. The killings were allegedly carried out by Saddam's security forces in retaliation for an unsuccessful assassination attempt on the former dictator's life.

During his court appearance today Saddam was cited by news reports as defiantly expressing his disapproval with the trial process. Reports also described heated verbal exchanges in the courtroom between another defendant and a prosecution witness.

Reports also cited Saddam as saying today that his trial is an American-managed affair that isn't being conducted under Iraqi sovereignty.

The U.S. State Department spokesman disagreed.

"The Iraqi higher criminal court is an Iraqi-led and -managed process," Clay said.

The former dictator's trial began Oct. 19, but the judge granted a defense motion that day for more time for Saddam's defense team to prepare. The trial reconvened Nov. 28, but was rescheduled to start again today, as two members of the defense team were killed and another was wounded since Oct. 19. Clay said the Iraqi government is the primary source for security preparations for the court.

"The U.S. and other international partners will also continue to provide technical assistance and funding to the court," Clay said, "to help ensure that it has the necessary resources, assistance and training to conduct fair, transparent and effective prosecutions in accordance with the rule of law."

The U.S. Department of Justice's Regime Crimes Liaison Office has the lead for this assistance, Clay said.

Saddam's trial is slated to continue tomorrow.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3552.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Air Force Crews Lauded for Combat Rescue Mission

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Two Air Force combat search and rescue crews are being awarded the MacKay Trophy today for a rescue mission in Iraq in April 2004.

Members of the 41st Rescue Squadron and the 38th Rescue Squadron who made up the crews of Jolly 11 and 12, out of Moody Air Force Base, Ga., are being awarded the trophy for rescuing the five-person crew of an Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter that crashed in a sandstorm near Kharbut, Iraq, Apr. 16, 2004. The airmen will receive the trophy this evening at a banquet.

The MacKay Trophy is awarded and administered by the Air Force and the National Aeronautic Association annually for the most meritorious flight of the year by an Air Force person, group or organization.

The April rescue mission was unique because the two Air Force helicopters had to go into the sandstorm and deal with almost zero visibility to get to the survivors of the Chinook crash, said Air Force Capt. Bryan Creel, who was the aircraft commander of Jolly 11. Creel and the other airmen who participated in the mission told their story today at a Pentagon news conference.

The rescue squadrons were stationed north of Baghdad, and, as they flew past Baghdad toward the crash site, visibility began to deteriorate, Creel said. The two pilots were using night vision, but there was no moon and the sandstorm decreased visibility even more, he said.

Once the helicopters entered the sandstorm, the pilots lost sight of each other and the ground and were forced to split up to ensure their safety, Creel said. They both went north, clear of the sandstorm, to regain their bearings, and decided to fly toward the crash site at an extremely low altitude, under the sand, he said.

The aircraft were unable to establish communication with the survivors on the ground, so they had to rely on visual identification of the survivors by crewmembers, Creel said. Because of the low visibility, the entire crew had to help fly the aircraft by looking for survivors and informing the pilot of air speed and altitude, he said.

"Normally, we are very methodical about how we do business because we train and we train and we train," Creel said. "We train to do this in any weather and any visibility, but when things are not going exactly the way you had trained for, you kind of have to think in different ways."

The Chinook crew had been waiting for a rescue since going down during a re-supply mission hours earlier. According to the crew, the combat rescue helicopters were a welcome sight.

"The sight of these guys coming in those two aircraft to pick us up -- that was one of the best sights I've ever seen in my life," said Army Chief Warrant Officer Steve Froeschile, pilot-in-command of the Chinook.

The rescue crews were just as relieved to see the survivors, Creel said.

"You go out there with body bags to pick people up, and you see guys there on the ground and you think, 'You know, we've got to find a way to get these guys out,'" he said.

After picking up the survivors, the combat rescue crews had to figure out a safe way to get out of the sandstorm, said Air Force Capt. Rob Wrinkle, who was aircraft commander of Jolly 12. Again, because of low visibility, the two helicopters separated until they were clear of the sandstorm, Wrinkle said.

As soon as the aircraft met back up, they began to take rocket-propelled-grenade and missile fire from insurgents on the ground, Wrinkle said. The helicopters provided .50-caliber machine gun fire for each other to deter the insurgents and evaded the enemy until they landed at the Balad hospital landing pad, he said.

The Air Force is the only service that performs combat search-and-rescue missions for all branches of service, Creel said. Because of this demand, the crews have to constantly train and always be ready to go on missions, he said.

"As much as we want to go out there and do it, we know that when we have to, it's usually bad weather, it's usually low illumination and somebody's hurt," he said.

Creel said that he and the other crewmembers are honored to receive the MacKay Trophy, which has gone to many great heroes before them.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3551.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

America Supports You: Groups Invited to Compete in 'Newman's Own' Awards

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Volunteer organizations that benefit troops and their families are invited to compete for a share of $75,000 grants as part of the 7th annual "Newman's Own Awards."

"(Judges) are looking for projects that will benefit members of the military and their families with an emphasis on either support to servicemembers who are deployed, and equally important, to the families that are back here in the United States, the families of deployed servicemembers," Jim Weiskopf, Fisher House Foundation vice president for communications, said in an interview today.

The entry chosen as the most outstanding will receive a $10,000 grant to help implement that plan. The judges will allocate the remaining $65,000 to other organizations. The awards are not geared toward large nonprofit organizations, he said, but more toward smaller, community-level groups.

"The whole premise behind the Newman's Own Awards is there are a lot of small- to medium-sized organizations comprised primarily of volunteers," Weiskopf said. He added that instead of seeing people with great ideas going through possibly several fundraising efforts to be able to implement their projects, the group would rather give them the money to get their plans under way.

In announcing the competition on Dec. 2, Weiskopf said the 2006 contest award money has increased $25,000 - from $50,000 to $75,000.

Specific eligibility rules are available on the Fisher House Foundation's Web site, www.FisherHouse.org, or by calling (888) 294-8560. Entries must be received by April 28.

The awards are sponsored by Newman's Own, Fisher House and Military Times Media Group. A World War II veteran, actor Paul Newman donates all profits and royalties from the sales of his Newman's Own food line to charitable and educational purposes. Since 1982, he has given more than $175 million to multiple charities.

Related Site:

Fisher House Foundation [http://www.fisherhouse.org/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3550.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

General Urges Vigilance, Resolve in Terror War Fight

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - No war has ever been won on a timetable, and the war in Iraq can be no exception, a former commander in Iraq who's now assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Dec. 2.

Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, assistant to Marine Gen. Peter Pace and former commander of the 4th Infantry Division, told grassroots supporters of the military partnering with the America Supports You program that an artificial timetable is no way to begin troop withdrawals from Iraq.

Decisions about troop levels need to be condition-based, grounded in increasing self-reliance among Iraq's security forces, Odierno told group members who gathered here for an America Supports You summit. And even when U.S. troops leave Iraq, the United States must stand its guard against future terrorist activity, he said.

Several factors point to Iraqis' increasing self-reliance on the security front, the general said. They've assumed the lead in more operations, are taking responsibility for more territory, growing in readiness, and building leadership capability.

As this occurs, coalition forces are able to reduce their "footprint" in the region, he said. "We are making progress," Odierno told the group. "It is slow, but we are making good progress."

Now, as this progress continues, it's critical that Americans don't give up their resolve and throw in the towel before the mission is completed, he said. Doing so would hand the terrorists "a decisive victory," with a new safe haven in Iraq to recruit and train extremists and plan more attacks against the United States and its interests, he said.

"It's a battle of wills," Odierno said. "We must have American resolve. We have to hang in there on this."

Unlike many critics who keep watching the calendar, questioning when the troops can return home and the war can be declared over, terrorists are a patient enemy who "will wait us out," Odierno said.

"What they know they have on us is time," he said. "Their goal is to wait us out, have us lose interest, have us forget about (the threat they pose). And they think that is their strength."

Terrorists will wait as long as it takes to achieve their goal of a worldwide Islamic caliphate that rejects Americans' and the free world's way of life, he said. "We have to be aware of that. It has to be a constant fight to ensure we stay on top of this," Odierno told the group.

Confronting terrorism in Iraq and elsewhere around the world will be a long struggle that demands constant vigilance, Odierno said. "It is going to be something we have to constantly suppress and make sure that (terrorist groups) don't grow so they can affect our children and our grandchildren," he said.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3549.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Enemy Fire Caused Hard Landings of Two U.S. Helicopters

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Initial reports indicate that hostile fire caused two CH-47 Chinook helicopters to make hard landings Dec. 4 in southern Afghanistan, officials reported today.

Officials initially reported Dec. 4 that one heavily damaged helicopter made a hard landing north of Kandahar, wounding five American soldiers. The other Chinook made a hard landing at a forward operating base south of Tarin Kowt, in Uruzgan province, wounding an Afghan National Army soldier, officials noted.

The Afghan soldier is in stable condition at a nearby U.S. military treatment facility.

The five U.S. soldiers are also reported in stable condition at a U.S. medical facility.

Elsewhere in Afghanistan, three U.S. soldiers were injured Dec. 4 when an improvised explosive device went off near their convoy in Zabul province, southwest of Deh Chopan, officials said. The injured soldiers are in stable condition at a military medical facility at U.S.-run Kandahar Airfield, about 15 miles from Kandahar, Afghanistan's second largest city and chief trade center.

Elsewhere, Afghan National Police and coalition forces broke up two IED assembly and emplacement cells and arrested five individuals in separate raids conducted near Bagram and Ghazni Dec. 2 and Dec. 4. Police were tipped off about the IED cell's locations.

"These were (Afghan police) planned, led and executed operations," said Army Lt. Col. Jerry O'Hara, spokesman for the coalition's Combined Joint Task Force 76. "The success of these operations is indicative of the level of professionalism and dedication we routinely see among (Afghan police) and Afghan National Army forces. Had these two cells continued to operate, they could have been responsible for the deaths of untold innocent Afghan men, women and children."

In the first raid near Ghazni, police confiscated an undisclosed amount of explosive materials and documents outlining the assembly and emplacement of IEDs, officials noted. They said the second raid netted enough explosives to assemble one IED and included a large amount of IED assembly materials. The five suspects are in Afghan custody.

In the air war over Afghanistan, coalition aircraft flew 28 close-air-support missions in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, including missions supporting coalition and Afghan troops, reconstruction activities, and the conduct of presence route patrols.

U. S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolts and British Royal Air Force GR-7 vertical take-off and landing attack aircraft provided close-air support to coalition forces in contact with enemy troops in the vicinity of Oruzgan, officials noted.

Four U.S. Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Afghanistan. Also, Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role.

(Compiled from Combined Forces Command Afghanistan and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Combined Forces Command Afghanistan [http://www.cfc-a.centcom.mil/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3548.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Official Debunks Myths About Military Recruits

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Recruits entering the military are head and shoulders above their contemporaries, and myths that imply otherwise reflect the Vietnam era, not today, a top Pentagon official told the American Forces Press Service.

"They are so clearly a cut above America," Bill Carr, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for military personnel policy, said of today's recruits.

Carr bristles when he hears unfounded charges that the men and women entering the military are less educated, less affluent or less likely than other 18- to 24-year-olds to have alternatives to military service. Rather, a combination of volunteerism and commitment to service is prompting young people to enlist, Carr said, noting that a measure of shrewdness plays into their decision. "They are planning their future and considering what part we can play in it," he said.

Carr likes to think of himself as a "myth buster," helping break stereotypes he said are flat-out wrong and cheat servicemembers out of the pride they've earned and deserve.

He rattled off examples of those myths and set the record straight for each one.

- Myth 1: Military recruits are less educated and have fewer work alternatives than other young Americans.In fact, military recruits are far better educated than the general youth population, Carr said. More than 90 percent of recruits have a high school diploma, compared to about 75 percent of the U.S. youth population.

That's an important issue to the military, Carr said, because a traditional high school diploma is the single best indicator of a recruit's stick-to-it-ness and likelihood of successfully adjusting to military service. Recruits with a high school diploma have a 70 percent probability of completing a three-year enlistment versus a 50 percent chance for nongraduates.

The military has exceeded the 90-percent benchmark for recruits with high school diplomas every year since 1983, Carr noted.

- Myth 2: The military tends to attract people with lower aptitudes.
Recruits actually have much higher average aptitudes than the general youth population, Carr said. In fiscal 2005, 67 percent of recruits scored above the 60th percentile on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery. The test is designed so that the average young person will score 50 percent, he explained.

But high achievement on the test isn't new, Carr said. Sixty percent of new enlistees have scored at or above the 50 percentile -- the military's benchmark for recruits -- every year since 1985.

- Myth 3: The military attracts a disproportionate number of poor or underprivileged youth.
In reality, military recruits mirror the U.S. population and are solidly middle class, Carr said. He cited a recent Heritage Foundation report that shows most recruits come from middle-class families, rather than poorer or wealthier ones. Patterns in recent years reinforce this trend, showing a slight dip in recruits from lower socioeconomic groups and a slight increase from upper-class groups, Carr said.

- Myth 4: A disproportionate number of recruits come from urban areas.
Inner cities are actually the most underrepresented area among new recruits, Carr said. Both suburban and rural areas are overrepresented, he said.

- Myth 5: The military isn't geographically representative of America.

The southern part of the United States generates the most recruits, 41 percent, but also has the biggest youth population to draw from, 36 percent, Carr said. Twenty-four percent of recruits come from north-central regions, which have 23 percent of the youth population. The west, with 24 percent of the nation's youth, contributes 21 percent of the new enlistees. And the northeast, with 18 percent of the youth population, provides 14 percent of new recruits.

Clearing up misconceptions about military recruits paints a truer picture of the young men and women joining the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, and the capabilities they bring to their respective services, Carr said. It also reinforces what Carr said military leaders have recognized all along: "There's enormous talent in their midst," he said.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3547.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Iraqi, U.S. Troops Find, Destroy Large Weapons Caches

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Iraqi soldiers and U.S. troops found and destroyed a treasure-trove of weapons caches during a three-day period Dec. 2-4. The enemy stockpiles included everything from rocket-propelled-grenade launchers to AK-47 assault rifles to artillery shells and hundreds of pounds of explosives and munitions, officials said.

Iraqi and U.S. troops discovered five weapons caches throughout north central Iraq Dec. 4. The largest cache included 27 artillery rounds, several hand grenades, a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher with six rounds, and an AK-47, officials noted. A joint patrol of soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, and U.S. Task Force 1-32 Cavalry, from the 101st Airborne Division, made the discovery in the village of Tamim, northwest of Kirkuk.

U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team discovered a 155 mm artillery shell, a large mortar round and 3,000 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition during a raid near Balad early on the morning of Dec. 4. Five suspected terrorists were detained at the site.

Another patrol, from Task Force 100-442 Infantry, found a small cache of two rocket-propelled-grenade launchers and two warheads near Balad Dec. 4. U.S. soldiers from the 101St Airborne Division seized two rockets while searching for gunmen who attacked them with small-arms fire near Kirkuk Dec. 4.

In other news, a tip from a local citizen resulted in the capture of two terror suspects and the discovery of a large weapons cache stored in a salt factory in western Rashid Dec. 3, officials said. When soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, searched the factory, they found: 23 60 mm mortar rounds, 20 82 mm mortar rounds, two 120 mm artillery rounds, 40 fuses, two rocket-propelled grenades, one grenade, and 200 rounds of small-arms ammunition.

Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, discovered another large cache, containing 25 large mortar rounds and 50 detonating fuses, Dec. 3 in Tamim.

The list of terrorists weapons stockpiles found by U.S. troops and Iraqi soldiers keeps growing in the Baghdad area as well.

On Dec. 2, soldiers from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, discovered two significant weapons caches in southern Baghdad, officials said. While conducting a routine cordon and search of houses, soldiers of A Troop, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment, found a small weapons cache, which led the troops to a larger find at the site, officials noted. The weapons stockpile included two 82 mm rockets, one 60 mm mortar tube, two 60 mm mortar rounds, and one small-arms tripod.

While an explosive ordnance disposal team was en route to the area, the soldiers continued searching the site and surrounding roads and field. They found one more site with multiple explosives, munitions and other suspicious materials.

When the cache site was excavated, the troops found a huge stockpile of weapons, including two complete mortar systems, one rocket-propelled-grenade launcher, 10 Iraqi army-issue flak jackets, 10 Iraqi army-issue uniforms, 20 pounds of homemade explosives, 33 rocket-propelled grenades, 36 86 mm mortars, 42 52 mm mortars, 21 120 mm mortars, 47 rocket-fired grenades, 34 "pick-up" mortars, 11 various rockets, and 3,000 anti-aircraft munitions. They also found thousands of rounds of ammunition and materials used to manufacture improvised explosive devices.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq news releases.)

Related Site:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3546.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Chairman's Enlisted Advisor Visits U.S. Strategic Command

By Staff Sgt. Aaron Cram, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service

OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb., Dec. 5, 2005 - The first senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reminded servicemembers stationed at U.S. Strategic Command headquarters here that they are just as worthy of being called warriors as the men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. "Joe" Gainey visited STRATCOM Dec. 1 and 2 as part of his tour to take a closer look at the combatant commands' missions and meet with the units' senior enlisted leaders. During his visit, Gainey, who assumed his current position Oct. 1, received several briefings from men and women assigned to STRATCOM and took an opportunity to speak with the command's enlisted force.

The sergeant major said his briefings were very educational and caused him to think about STRATCOM's soldiers', sailors', airmen's, Marines' and civilians' contributions to the global war on terrorism.

"The young men and women of U.S. STRATCOM are warriors, and they need to believe that, because this is what they are," Gainey said. He said the young men and women operating at Offutt are providing the troops in Iraq or throughout the world with the capabilities to use their systems.

During a speech at a joint professional military education session, Gainey explained his newly created position and his priorities as the chairman's advisor.

"The chairman told me he could not picture being the first Marine chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff without having a senior enlisted advisor seated next to him," Gainey said. "When General Pace asks my advice about issues or concerns, I will always be up front with him and give him an honest answer."

Gainey said his position basically breaks down into four roles: being the senior enlisted leader in the Department of Defense; providing oversight for topics the chairman is concerned with; being a spokesman for the enlisted force to the chairman and the chairman's spokesman to the enlisted force; and being an integrator. As an integrator, Gainey said his job is to integrate solutions across military services that may have similar problems.

Gainey also said his priorities mimic those of the chairman. His first priority is to strengthen the relationship between combatant command and service senior enlisted leaders and the Joint Staff, because the working relationship between them has to be solid. When it's not, Gainey said, it affects the young men and women serving below them.

The second priority is to improve education for all joint-service members through a joint military education program. His third priority is safety, because all the services are losing too many people to noncombat injuries, Gainey said.

The sergeant major said his fourth priority is quality of life, but not because it's the least important. "It's the one that's never going to end," he said. "The chairman and I are committed to the quality of life for all of our servicemembers. Priorities 1, 2 and 3 we can fix and slide others in their place, but quality of life is a never-ending process. It's the foundation of my three other priorities."

After sharing his priorities, Gainey asked the leaders in the audience to ask their troops to practice what he calls the four Cs: candor, courage, commitment and confidence. He explained that each leader should ask their subordinates to be candid with them, have the courage to do the right thing when no one is watching, be committed to their jobs, and be confident in everything they do.

Gainey also shared his view on what junior enlisted people want from their leaders. "They want all of the responsibility they can handle," he said. His "R Triple A Plan" calls for the leaders to pass their subordinates responsibility, give them the authority to carry out that responsibility, hold them accountable for what they are responsible for, and assist them when they need help.

The sergeant major's advice didn't stop there. "As leaders, don't forget where you come from," he said. "Be true to yourself. If you're not true to yourself, you can't be true to your fellow soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Coast Guardsmen.

"Also, always make a self-assessment every single morning," Gainey said. "When I got up this morning, I made an assessment of what I did yesterday. And then today I thought to myself, 'Well, I'm going to make a difference in someone's life today.' That's what the leaders need to do. Always focus on making a difference in someone's life each day."

The senior enlisted advisor also offered different advice for the junior enlisted troops. "Be the best that you are," Gainey said. "Learn your trade and get what I call a PhD in being a soldier, sailor, Marine, airman or Coastie; ... get a PhD in what you do on active duty."

Gainey also shared his thoughts on working in a joint environment.

"What I would ask all the services to do when you work in a joint environment is to take your index finger and cover your service on your name tape," Gainey said. "What do we have? We have 'U.S.' It's all about 'us.' No one service takes priority over another one. I'm not telling you not to be proud of your service; I'm proud of being in the Army. Be proud of your unit, your service and yourself because pride is very contagious."

To close his session with the men and women of STRATCOM, the sergeant major called the oldest and youngest servicemembers to the front of the ballroom.

"I do this because it's about the oldest servicemember that actually paved the way for all of us," Gainey said. "It's also about the youngest, because we as the oldest have to stick to our policies and procedures to make sure we provide them a future."

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Aaron Cram is assigned to U.S. Strategic Command.)

Biography:

Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, USA [http://www.jcs.mil/bios/bio_gainey.html]

Related Site:

U.S. Strategic Command [http://www.stratcom.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3545.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Corps of Engineers Restructures Contracting Support in Iraq

By Denise Calabria
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has changed the way it administers contracts for rebuilding Iraq, officials said.

A "change of charter" ceremony at the corps' Gulf Region Division headquarters in Baghdad's International Zone Dec. 4 heralded the change. In essence, the change folds the responsibilities of the former Project and Contracting Office into those of the Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division.

Ambassador for Iraq Reconstruction Daniel Speckhard was the keynote speaker at the event in which Hugh M. Exton Jr., director of the Project and Contracting Office, relinquished authority of the PCO's mission to Army Brig. Gen. William H. McCoy Jr., Gulf Region Division commander.

The PCO intentionally stood up as a temporary organization in May 2004 to serve the people of the U.S. and Iraq by contracting for and delivering a total $18.4 billion in resources that Congress on behalf of the American taxpayers had allocated for rebuilding Iraq.

From the outset, planners anticipated that the GRD would have a longer-term presence in Iraq to support Multinational Force Iraq, officials said. Given GRD's substantial program, project and construction-management capabilities, there were potential organizational efficiencies to downsize and restructure PCO functions while GRD continued its presence in theater.

Exton thanked his team for doing a "great job in effecting the consolidation within budget, above 'spec' and ahead of schedule."

"I believe we have achieved mission success," he said.

The Gulf Region Division is the executive agency of the Iraq Reconstruction Program. Its headquarters and three districts provide engineering services to Multinational Force Iraq and the Iraqi government in support of military and civil construction.

"Today, two great organizations that have successfully performed the missions for which they were created now unify their efforts in service to the Iraqi people," McCoy said.

"PCO and GRD have had very similar missions in the past -- to rebuild Iraq," he noted. "Of a program of over 3,500 different projects, together we have started over 3,000 and completed over 2,000."

McCoy said those projects should improve essential services and capabilities in Iraq and should jumpstart the economy. "That is a historic mission," he said, "and these two organizations have made significant progress in the last year and a half."

The Gulf Region Division's north and south districts, located in Mosul and Talil, respectively, have quality control and assurance responsibilities for more than 1,000 projects each, while the Baghdad-based Gulf Region Central district oversees the reconstruction of over 900 projects.

Related Site:

Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division [http://www.grd.usace.army.mil]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3542.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

U.S. Doesn't Condone Torture of Captive Terrorists, Rice Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - The United States is a law-abiding nation and never has transported captured terrorists to another country to be tortured as part of the interrogation process, the senior U.S. diplomat said today.

"Torture is a term that is defined by law. We rely on our law to govern our operations. The United States does not permit, tolerate or condone torture under any circumstances," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., as she prepared to depart on a four-day European trip to Germany, Romania, Ukraine and Belgium.

Rice rebutted recent news reports alleging that the United States has transported captive terrorists to other countries to be tortured in order to exact confessions.

"The United States does not transport, and has not transported, detainees from one country to another for the purpose of interrogation using torture," Rice said.

She also said the United States doesn't use the airports or airspace of other countries to transport terrorist detainees to other places for the purpose of torture.

"The United States has not transported anyone and will not transport anyone to a country when we believe he will be tortured," Rice said. "Where appropriate, the United States seeks assurances that transferred persons will not be tortured."

Rice said she supports the practice of rendition, or the transport of detainees from the point of their capture to their home countries or to other locations where they can be questioned, held or brought to justice.

"Renditions take terrorists out of action and save lives," Rice said. For decades, she said, the United States and other countries have used renditions to move captive terrorists.

"Rendition is a vital tool in combating transnational terrorism. Its use is not unique to the United States or to the current administration," Rice said.

Rice said rendition brought 1993 World Trade Center bombing mastermind Ramzi Youssef to the United States, where he now serves a life sentence for his crimes. Rendition also brought the notorious terrorist Ilich Ram�rez S�nchez, better known as "Carlos the Jackal," to France for trial after his 1994 capture in Sudan, Rice recalled. Today, Ram�rez S�nchez spends his days in a French prison, she said.

Biography:

Condoleezza Rice [http://www.state.gov/secretary/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3544.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Roadside Bomb Kills Soldier; Ops Nab Fighters, Weapons

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed Dec. 4 when his patrol struck an improvised explosive device in eastern Baghdad, officials reported today.

The soldier's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

In other news, five suspected terrorists were detained Dec. 4 after Iraqi police and U.S. troops found an IED near Bayji and a cache of IEDs near Kirkuk, officials said.

A joint patrol of Iraqi police and soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team discovered the IED cache waiting to be emplaced near Kirkuk. The roadside bombs were made up of 130 mm artillery shells with detonating devices attached. An Iraqi explosive ordnance disposal team inspected the IEDs and destroyed them in place. Iraq police detained two local men for questioning.

At about the same time, soldiers from the 101st's 3rd Brigade Combat Team found an IED near Bayji and called for an EOD team to defuse it. While en route to the site, the combat team escorting the EOD team was told that the bomb's triggermen were driving around the area in a gray vehicle. Combat team members stopped and searched a gray car with three passengers, finding a video camera and a long-range detonating device that matched the detonator on the IED.

"Terrorists often videotape their deadly work in order to use it as propaganda in the media and on the Internet," a spokesman noted.

After securing the detainees, the soldiers went to the IED site, where they found a large mortar round and a propane tank with 40 pounds of plastic explosives.

On Dec. 4, about 100 Iraqi soldiers and 400 U.S. soldiers in Ramadi launched Operation Rams, the sixth in a series of disruption operations aimed at neutralizing the insurgency in that region. The operation will also help set conditions for a successful Dec.15 election in Ramadi, capital city of Anbar province, officials noted.

The Iraqi soldiers are members of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Division. The American soldiers belong to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.

"As a result of the recent operations, insurgent attacks against Iraqi civilians and both Iraqi and U.S. forces in the Ramadi area have decreased," a spokesman noted. "The operations target areas where semiautonomous, al Qaeda in Iraq-led insurgent cells are known to operate. The operations have resulted in the detention of dozens of insurgent cell members and the discovery and subsequent destruction of multiple weapons caches."

Elsewhere in Iraq, Iraqi soldiers and police joined forces in eastern Baghdad Dec. 3 to disable a bomb and prevent a terrorist attack, officials said. Iraqi soldiers patrolling the Sadr City section of Baghdad noticed a bag with protruding wires and called Iraqi police to investigate. The bag contained a landmine connected to a triggering device, which an explosive ordnance disposal team disarmed and destroyed.

Officials also reported that 24 terror suspects were taken off the streets of Baghdad's Rasheed district during a 12-hour period Dec. 3 and 4. The suspects were located based on tips from Iraqi citizens and intelligence reports.

In other action, soldiers from 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, conducted three cordon-and-search operations during which they captured nine insurgents:

Six individuals were detained in eastern Rasheed Dec. 3. One of the detainees was a known member of an al Qaeda bomb-making cell, and another individual is suspected of running safe houses used to smuggle terrorists into Baghdad, officials said.

A few hours later, another element from the 184th detained a targeted individual in Abu Dischir and another two at daybreak in Dora.

A tipster led soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, to two suspected terrorists in western Rasheed Dec. 3. Later, battalion soldiers captured three individuals in Jihad, where they had detained another individual the night before.

"The operation last night was a huge victory for the locals in Jihad," said Army 1st Lt. Reeon Brown, a platoon leader from Company A of the 3rd Battalion who led one the operations. "This man has spent months killing innocent Iraqis and Iraqi security forces. Now he is off the street thanks to the bravery of one local man. I want to thank him and let the Iraqi people know that they are the most powerful weapons in the fight against terrorists."

Farther south, in the rural areas of Baghdad, soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, also rounded up terror suspects, including nine individuals Dec. 4.

In the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 54 close-air-support missions Dec. 4 in support of coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.
A combination of 16 U.S. Air Force and Navy and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, British Royal Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Task Force Baghdad and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3543.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================

Rumsfeld: Quitting Is No Option in Iraq

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 - Quitting in Iraq before the mission is finished would be an invitation to more terrorist violence against the United States, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.

"This is not just a hypothesis," Rumsfeld told an audience at Johns Hopkins University's Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at its campus here. "The U.S. withdrawal from Somalia emboldened Osama bin Laden in the 1990s. We know this. He said so."

Similarly, a retreat in Iraq would send an unmistakable message to America's enemies and friends alike, the secretary said. It would signal to Iraqis and moderate reformers throughout the region that they can't count on the United States, he said. And to the country's enemies, Rumsfeld said, it would say: "If America will not defend itself against terrorists in Iraq, it will not defend itself against terrorists anywhere."

What's needed in Iraq is "resolve, not retreat (and) courage, not concession," Rumsfeld told the group. "Rather than thinking in terms of an exit strategy, we should be focused on the strategy for success," he said.

President Bush's strategy for success in Iraq, released Nov. 30, focuses on the political, economic and security tracks that are all are moving steadily forward, Rumsfeld said.

Politically, Iraq will hold national elections Dec. 15 to seat a new national government, and Sunnis are increasingly taking part in the political process, he noted. Economically, Iraq's country's stock market "is alive and well" as the country makes other important advances, he said. On the security side, some 214,000 Iraqi security forces are now trained and equipped, working with coalition forces and steadily gaining experience.

While progress continues, the job is not yet done, the secretary told the group. Giving up in Iraq too soon, he said, will derail much of this progress and egg on violent terrorists who behead people, bomb children and attack funerals and wedding receptions, Rumsfeld said.

"This is the kind of brutality and mayhem the terrorists are working to bring to our shores," he said. "And if we do not succeed in our efforts to arm and train Iraqis to help defeat these terrorists in Iraq, this is the kind of mayhem that these terrorists, emboldened by a victory, will bring to our cities again. Let there be no doubt."

Defeating extremists' aspirations in Iraq is essential to protecting Americans lives, Rumsfeld said. "Imagine the world our children would face if we allowed (Ayman al-) Zawahiri, (Abu Musab al-) Zarqawi, bin Laden and others of their ilk to seize power and operate with impunity out of Iraq," he said.

They'd turn Iraq into what Afghanistan was before Sept. 11, 2001: a haven for terrorist recruitment and training and a launch pad for attacks against the United States and its interests, he said.

"Iraq would serve as the new base of a new Islamic caliphate to extend throughout the Middle East and which would threaten legitimate governments around the world," he said. "This is their plan. They have said so."

Americans would make "a terrible mistake" if they don't listen and learn from terrorists and, as a result, steel their resolve to do what's necessary to keep them from achieving their goals, Rumsfeld said.

"Quitting is not a strategy," he said.

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

Related Site:

National Strategy for Victory in Iraq [http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/iraq_strategy_nov2005.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051205_3541.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

====================================================

Unsubscribe from or Subscribe to this mailing list:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/subscribe.html
====================================================