Dempsey: Iraqi Forces Not Driven From Ramadi, They Drove Out of Ramadi

 

By Jim Garamone
DoD News, Defense Media Activity

BRUSSELS, May 20, 2015 – Iraqi security forces weren’t “driven from” Ramadi, they “drove out of Ramadi,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told reporters traveling with him that he has said from the start that the mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant would take years to accomplish.

“At the start I said three years,” he said. “That still might be the case, we may be able to achieve our objectives in three years. But I said then, and I reiterate now, that there may be tactical exchanges — some of which go the way of Iraqi security forces and others which go the way of ISIL. But the coalition has all the strategic advantages over time.”

Time will tell, the general said, and time is also a factor because the key to victory is not just military success on the battlefield, but the ability of the Iraqi government to draw the various groups in the country back together.

Soldier Missing from Korean War Accounted For

The Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that the remains of a U.S. soldier, missing from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

 

Army Cpl. Francis D. Knobel of La Crosse, Wisconsin, will be buried May 21, in Arlington National Cemetery. In December 1950, Knobel was a member of Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division, operating along the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. On Dec. 12, 1950, following the battle, Knobel was one of many men reported missing in action.

The DoD Today (May 18, 2015)

  

 

 

Today in the Department of Defense, 5/19/2015

05/18/2015 05:08 PM CDT

Today in the Department of Defense, Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter welcomes Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s defense minister, to the Pentagon with an honor cordon at 9:45 a.m. EDT at the Pentagon River Entrance. Journalists without a Pentagon building pass will be picked up at the Pentagon River Parking Pedestrian Bridge only. Plan to arrive no later than 45 minutes prior to the event; have proof of affiliation and two forms of photo identification. Please call 703-697-5131 for escort to the cordon.   Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey have no public or media events on their schedules.   Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall discusses the Defense Department’s focus on innovation at 8:15 a.m. EDT at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner, McLean, Virginia.   Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Sandy Winnefeld provides keynote remarks at 10 a.m. EDT at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Future of Missile Defense conference, 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW, Washington, District of Columbia.   Gen. John Kelly, commander, U.S. Southern Command, provides remarks at 4:30 p.m. EDT at the Atlantic Council on the future of U.S. defense cooperation in Latin America, 1030 15th St. NW, Washington, District of Columbia.   Use Pick a Day to go to a different day. Check Other Events for additional listings, including air shows, band concerts, Congressional hearings, reunions and much more.

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What’s New in Defense.gov More: news, photos, advisories, contracts, transcripts

Department of Defense Contracts Awarded – May 18, 2015

 

No: CR-093-15
May 18, 2015

CONTRACTS

ARMY

 Akima Construction Services LLC,* Laurel, Maryland, was awarded a $6,657,720 modification (P00001) to contract W912DR-15-C-0013 to construct a vehicle storage facility and an additional modulus test. Work will be performed in Washington, District of Columbia, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 30, 2016. Fiscal 2011 and 2013 military construction funds in the amount of $ $6,657,720 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

 

Raytheon Co., Andover, Massachusetts, was awarded a $6,959,530 modification (P00016) to foreign military sales contract W31P4Q-12-C-0078 to add an additional 138 man-months for the United Arab of Emirates (UAE) Patriot technical assistance contract for Patriot missile system ground support equipment. Work will be performed in Saudi Arabia and the UAE with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2016. Fiscal 2015 other procurement funds in the amount of $ 6,959,530 were obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity.
 

CORRECTION: The contract W15QKN-15-D-0004 announced March 30, 2015, to Armtec Defense Products, Coachella, California, was announced in error and was awarded today.
 

CORRECTION: The contract W91247-15-D-0002 announced May 15, 2015, to Gunter Construction Inc., Sulphur, Louisiana, was announced in error and was awarded today.

Pakistan’s Daily Security Briefs: May 4, 2015

The Pakistan Daily Security Briefs for May 4, 2015, have been compiled by Iqtidar Kahn, assistant editor of The Bureau of Investigative Reporting. They are made available at 4:00pm local time.

I include them here as this news most-likely will not be reported by US-based media. Information here have been collected by Kahn, including articles that have appeared in foreign press.

Enjoy reading the other side’s perspective, what is important to them, and about conflicts that you just won’t find anywhere else.

Editorial Snapshot

Polio watch: A three day polio campaign will begin in certain sensitive Union Councils (UCs) of Karachi from today. Fingers crossed for no casualties.

Senate, the upper house of parliament, to meet today:  The Senate session, which was summoned by the President last Thursday, is going to meet today at 16:00 hours local time.

Defense Early Bird Briefs – May 4, 2015

The following information was collected and compiled by the editors of the Defense and Military Times magazine. Known as the Early Bird Briefs, this was edited by Oriana Pawlyk (opawlyk@militarytimes.com) from The Military Times Magazine. I present it here as it appears from my email.

The editors over at the Military Times compile news by branch of service, by country, by industry contracts, by pending legislation in Congress or the Senate, etc. from many major news outlets, major blogs, and from the Department of Defense and its own publication, Military Times. 

Here are the Top 5. Click on “Continue Reading” link will take you to the rest of today’s news.

** Note: The Military Times is not affiliated with any government site. While there might be links to government sites, Military Times is published by Gannett Government Media, which is a subsidiary of Gannett Co., Inc.

TODAY’S TOP FIVE NEWS STORIES:

142 U.S. troops involved with Nepal earthquake relief

(Military Times) There are 142 U.S. service members currently involved in earthquake relief efforts in Nepal, according to U.S. Pacific Command. That breaks down to 86 Marines, 38 soldiers and 18 airmen, PACOM spokesman Army Maj. David Eastburn told Military Times on Sunday. 

 

Mysterious new force emerges in Yemen to fight rebels

(Los Angeles Times) A shadowy new pro-government force has been deployed in the embattled Yemeni port city of Aden, according to reports Sunday, sparking speculation that ground troops from the Saudi-led coalition may have joined the battle against Houthi rebels and their allies. Saudi Arabia, however, denied that it had sent ground forces to Aden or any other part of Yemen. 

 

Afghan security forces suffer record casualties

(USA Today) Afghan security forces have suffered record casualties this year as they combat Taliban rebels largely without the benefit of U.S. air power and other international military support they had come to rely on in the past, U.S. and Afghan officials said. 

 

US advisers hope realistic training scenarios help Iraqi troops face Islamic State fighters

(Stars & Stripes) With live explosives, smoke and rocket fire from helicopter gunships, American troops and their international partners are trying to give Iraqi soldiers a realistic idea of what they can expect when they take on Islamic State militants. 

 

Signs Point to Dunford as Next JCS Chairman

(Defense News) Gen. Joseph Dunford, the commandant of the Marine Corps, is at the top of the list to become the next Joint Chiefs chairman, according to several sources. 

This Week in Defense News with Vago Muraudian

 

DoD’s New Cyber Strategy

(Defense News) The Atlantic Council’s Steve Grundman and Capital Alpha Partners’ Byron Callan discuss Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s recently unveiled cyber initiative for the Pentagon. 

 

Improving USMC Amphibious Capabilities

(Defense News) Maj. Gen. Robert Walsh, director of Navy expeditionary warfare, on how the Marine Corps is improving its amphibious skills. 

 

Navy’s New Missile Sub

(Defense News) Rear Adm. Joseph Tofalo, director of Navy undersea warfare, on core missile sub requirements. 

 

Vago’s Notebook: New DoD Cyber Strategy

(Defense News) Culture change is needed at the Pentagon and Silicon Valley for Ash Carter’s new cyber strategy to succeed. 

CONTINUE READING…

NASA Administrator Statement on House Authorization Bill That “Guts Earth Science Program”

April 30, 2015 
RELEASE 15-080
NASA Administrator Statement on House Authorization Bill 

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on the House of Representatives’ NASA authorization bill:

“The NASA authorization bill making its way through the House of Representatives guts our Earth science program and threatens to set back generations worth of progress in better understanding our changing climate, and our ability to prepare for and respond to earthquakes, droughts, and storm events.   

“NASA leads the world in the exploration of and study of planets, and none is more important than the one on which we live.

“In addition, the bill underfunds the critical space technologies that the nation will need to lead in space, including on our journey to Mars.”

NOTE FROM EDITOR: This post is included here because the various branches of service (Air Force, Navy) and the DoD are also interested in some aspects of Cosmology and Space Exploration.