Strikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq

You are subscribed to DoD News, Defense Media Activity for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Strikes Hit ISIL in Syria, Iraq 04/30/2016 11:14 AM CDT From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release SOUTHWEST ASIA, April 30, 2016 — U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today. Officials reported details of the latest strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports. Strikes in Syria Attack and remotely piloted aircraft conducted seven strikes in Syria:

Brooks Takes Command of UNC, CFC, USFK

You are subscribed to DoD News, Defense Media Activity for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Brooks Takes Command of UNC, CFC, USFK 04/30/2016 12:14 PM CDT Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks took command of United Nations Command, Combined Force Command and U.S. Forces Korea, April 30, 2016. (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. From a U.S. Forces Korea News Release YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea, April 30, 2016 — Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks took command of U.S. Forces Korea, Combined Forces Command and United Nations Command in a ceremony held here today. Brooks took command from Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, who had been in command since October, 2013. The ceremony was co-hosted by South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo and Air Force Gen. Paul. J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Brooks’ most recent assignment was as commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. He has held command at every level of the Army and served on the joint staff, in addition to serving as the deputy director of operations at U.S. Central Command. Scaparotti will next serve as the commander of U.S. European Command and the Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. “In the present day, the challenges continue to rise, but so does the strength of this alliance and the resolve of the United Nations,” said Brooks. “We must look into the future with clear eyes, confronting the challenges to peace and prosperity, and doing so in a spirit that is becoming of those who served and sacrificed before us.” Related Biographies Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks Related Images Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks takes the U.S. Forces Korea colors from Navy Adm. Harry B. Harris, the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, during a change of command ceremony at Yongsan Garrison, South Korea, in which Brooks took command of United Nations Command, Combined Force Command and U.S. Forces Korea, April 30, 2016. Photo by Army Sgt. Russell Youmans Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution Defense Department News Through Facebook on the DoD News Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos on the DoD News Facebook page. Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/DoD-News/808154485884259 or search for DoD News at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your ‘User Profile’ page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow service members need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet Naval Forces Europe – News Release Update

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. NAVEUR-NAVAF/U.S. 6th Fleet Wraps up CFMCC Course 04/29/2016 05:30 PM CEST NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY NAPLES, Italy – Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. 6th Fleet wrapped up the weeklong Combined Force Maritime Component Commander (CFMCC) Flag Course Europe on board Naval Support Activity Naples, April 29, 2016.

Watch Live at 2 a.m. EDT: Selva to Participate In U.S. Forces Korea Change of Command

Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to speak at the change-of-command ceremony for U.S. Forces Korea as Army Gen. Vincent K. Brooks assumes command from Army Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan’s Knights Field, South Korea. Watch it live here. Defense Department News Through Facebook on the DoD News Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos on the DoD News Facebook page. Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/DoD-News/808154485884259 or search for DoD News at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your ‘User Profile’ page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow service members need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Wildfire Recovery Update: Federal Disaster Assistance May Surpass $170 Million

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Wildfire Recovery Update: Federal Disaster Assistance May Surpass $170 Million
04/29/2016 06:11 PM EDT

DUPONT, Wash. – After two record-breaking wildfire seasons burned over 1.6 million acres of the Evergreen State, Washington continues to make headway in its recovery, which may be spurred by $170 million in federal disaster assistance, according to officials with the Washington Military Department’s Emergency Management Division (EMD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

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U.S. Department of Defense Defense News Lead Photo Update

You are subscribed to Defense News Lead Photo for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Hostage Scenario 04/27/2016 07:00 PM CDT Army Spc. Jason Green, left, talks to a hostage role player while Staff Sgt. Jesse Harris works to disarm explosives during a hostage rescue scenario for the 52nd and 111th Ordnance Group Joint Team of the Year 2016 competition at a training center in Greenville, Ky., April 28, 2016. The weeklong event tests teams in various scenarios they may encounter in situations around the world. Green is assigned to the 49th Ordnance Company, 184th Ordnance Battalion. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Kohl Handling Ammo Rounds 04/25/2016 07:00 PM CDT Army Spc. Dillon Weitzel waits for the order to fire on a machine gun range at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 26, 2016. Weitzel is a paratrooper assigned to the 25th Infantry Division’s 40th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), Alaska. Air Force photo by Justin Connaher

Carter Salutes Goldfein’s ‘Strong, Visionary Leadership’

You are subscribed to DoD News, Defense Media Activity for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Carter Salutes Goldfein’s ‘Strong, Visionary Leadership’ 04/29/2016 05:52 PM CDT The rank of four-star general is pinned on Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein by his wife, Dawn, and daughter Diana Glass, during his promotion ceremony, in Washington. D.C., Aug. 6, 2015. Goldfein’s promotion made him the Air Force’s 38th vice chief of staff. Goldfein was nominated by President Barack Obama on April 26, 2016, to become the next Air Force chief of Staff. Air Force photo by Scott M. Ash (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. By Terri Moon Cronk DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, April 29, 2016 — Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David L. Goldfein, who’s selected to become the next Air Force chief of staff, is a tested warrior and a proven top strategic thinker among senior leaders across the Joint Force, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said here today. In remarks at the Pentagon, Carter and Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, accompanied by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, congratulated Goldfein on his April 26 nomination by President Barack Obama, while expressing appreciation for departing Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III. Carter quoted from then-Col. Goldfein’s book, “Sharing Success, Owning Failure,” by noting, “’The single-most important element of success in war is leadership.’” The secretary said Goldfein’s demonstrated “strong and visionary leadership” gained from demanding assignments — commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, director of the Joint Staff and as vice chief of staff of the Air Force — convinced him to recommend Goldfein to become the 21st Air Force chief of staff. Knowledge of Arabian Gulf Region Goldfein developed a deep knowledge of the region where the Air Force carries out the “vast majority” of strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and The Levant in Iraq and Syria, Carter said. And while serving as commander of Air Forces Central Command — the air component of U.S. Central Command

Work: U.S., NATO Must Use 21st-Century Approaches for Deterrence, Dominance

You are subscribed to DoD News, Defense Media Activity for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Work: U.S., NATO Must Use 21st-Century Approaches for Deterrence, Dominance 04/29/2016 02:10 PM CDT Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work takes questions from members of the European Policy Center in Brussels, April 28, 2016. DoD photo by Navy Petty Officer First Class Tim D. Godbee (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. By Cheryl Pellerin DoD News, Defense Media Activity BRUSSELS, April 29, 2016 — The strategic landscape is at an inflection point that demands the United States and NATO use 21st century approaches to address threats large and small and to strengthen conventional deterrence against potential adversaries, Defense Secretary Bob Work said here yesterday. During a speech here at the European Policy Center, an independent nonprofit think tank, Work discussed the Defense Department’s third offset strategy and related plans for retaining military advantage over great-power competitors such as Russia. His visit was part of a weeklong trip to discuss with military and government officials in Sweden and Belgium topics such as regional security, accelerating the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and working with NATO to plan for a fast-moving future. “We believe very strongly that we’re at an inflection point in the strategic landscape … and as part of that strategic landscape, Europe — and by extension NATO — is facing threats from the south, from the east, from the north and from within,” Work said. Each challenge is different, he added, but each must be addressed with vigor, determination and most importantly collaboration across the Atlantic and within the NATO alliance and the European Union. Fighting Global Terrorism Beginning with global terrorism, Work praised the contributions of European countries, NATO and Gulf partners in the fight against ISIL. The United Kingdom is contributing significantly to the air campaign and to the advise, train and assist mission, he said. Italy has provided key enablers and is helping defend against ISIL’s shift to Libya. The French continue to battle ISIL and other terrorist groups across the Sahel in Central Africa, and in Iraq and Syria. And European nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and many others, are contributing to the accelerated fight, Work added. “We have to do more and we’re asking NATO to consider doing more, especially in the area of training Iraqi security forces in three primary areas — police, logistics and border security. So, in addition to the bilateral agreements we have with our allies, we’re asking NATO to step up also,” the deputy secretary added. Disrupt, Dismantle, Destroy “The lasting defeat of [ISIL] and other extremist groups is a global undertaking,” he noted, “because they’re a global threat.” Work added, “We’re not recommending that NATO get involved in the internal security of countries on the continent. We’re asking all governments to act to disrupt, dismantle and destroy extremist capabilities, recruiting and finances within their own borders.” Broadly, he said, that means improving the ability to gather intelligence, share intelligence among all nations, improve counterterrorism cooperation and partnerships, and enhance training of security forces. “The United States stands ready to help whenever asked,” the deputy secretary said. Resurgent Russia The other main challenge to NATO is a resurgent Russia, Work added, a situation the United States is helping address with a request to Congress for $3.4 million to fund the European Reassurance Initiative. The initiative’s next step is to establish a heel-to-toe military rotation on the continent. “Every time a brigade moves out, another brigade will come in,” he explained. “That means an armored brigade combat team will be on European territory 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.” By the end of September 2017, he said, “we will have a full division of U.S. troops in Europe all the time, with an airborne brigade in Italy, a Stryker brigade in Germany, and an armored brigade that rotates in constantly and that is backed up by a prepositioned set of [military] equipment for another armored brigade combat team.” The department is taking these steps to strengthen deterrence,” Work said. “That’s what this is all about.” NATO must think anew about such concepts, he added, because responding effectively to Russian aggression and confrontation requires the exercising of strategic muscles for the first time in decades. Third Offset Strategy “That’s why we’re exploring the third offset strategy,” Work said. “It is a combination of technology, operational concepts and organizational constructs — different ways of organizing our forces — to maintain our ability to project combat power into any area, at a time and place of our own choosing.” The third offset, he added, is about preserving peace, not fighting wars. Today — unlike the environment in which the first offset in the 1950s-1960s and the second offset in 1970s-1980s took place, the deputy secretary explained, competitors have access to many of the same commercially developed technologies that the department relies on, and they can quickly mimic state-of-the-art DoD systems with globally sourced components. Work said the “technological sauce” of the first offset was miniaturization of nuclear components. In the second offset, he added, that “sauce” included digital microprocessors, information technologies, new sensors and stealth. “We believe quite strongly that the technological sauce of the third offset is going to be advances in artificial intelligence and autonomy,” which will allow the department to create collaborative human-machine battle networks, he said. Battle networks consist of three interconnected grids, Work explained — a sensor grid; a command, control, communications and intelligence grid; and an effects grid. Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy “AI and autonomy put inside these battle networks is going to allow collaborative human-machine operations to absolutely new levels, letting the machines do what they do best and humans do what they do best in what we call human-machine symbiosis,” the deputy secretary added. The capabilities are being driven by revolutions in artificial intelligence, computer processing power, deep-learning machines and autonomous control systems, he said. “DoD is going to leverage AI technology, particularly in things like cyber defense, electronic warfare defense and missile defense. But it’s also clear to us that we need to go to new levels of human-machine symbiosis,” Work added. “These technologies are going to happen because they’re happening in the commercial realm and they’re going to affect all of our lives,” the deputy secretary said. “We will inevitably use them no matter what happens to our competitors, and they will allow us to be more efficient [and] make us less likely to have casualties because we’ll be able to use unmanned systems in many different ways that take men and women out of danger.” He added, “We’re in a competition where people use commercial technologies, and we have to stay ahead of them.” Conceptual Reawakening Work said it’s time for a NATO conceptual reawakening, and that the alliance must examine how it can deploy and sustain highly agile lethal formations in the face of conventional guided munitions, unmanned aerial vehicles, cyber and electronic warfare. “We think, for example, that NATO might consider standing up a new operational fires force … that would allow any soldier operating anywhere in NATO to call in fires,” he added. “We think this would be an incredibly important way to improve deterrence because it is inherently defensive and would also, hopefully, convince any Russian military planner that they would not be able to succeed.” As the United States increases its focus and investments on conventional deterrence, the deputy secretary said he hopes NATO allies will start to do the same. The United States also urges all NATO members to remain on the current upward trajectory of modernizing their forces and reversing recent declines in defense spending, Work added. “In our defense budgets, our planning, our capabilities and our actions,” he said, “we have to demonstrate to any strategic competitor that if they start a war, we have the capability to win it on our terms. And that’s the best way to underline and strengthen conventional deterrence.” (Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter: @PellerinDoDNews) Related Biographies Bob Work Robert O. Work was confirmed as the 32nd Deputy Secretary of Defense on April 30, 2014.Mr. Work most Defense Department News Through Facebook on the DoD News Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos on the DoD News Facebook page. Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/DoD-News/808154485884259 or search for DoD News at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your ‘User Profile’ page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow service members need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Centcom Commander: Communications Breakdowns, Human Errors Led to Attack on Afghan Hospital

You are subscribed to DoD News, Defense Media Activity for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Centcom Commander: Communications Breakdowns, Human Errors Led to Attack on Afghan Hospital 04/29/2016 02:57 PM CDT Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, briefs the media on the investigation into an Oct. 3, 2015 airstrike in Kunduz, Afghanistan, during a news conference at the Pentagon, April 29, 2016. DoD photo by Army Sgt. First Class Clydell Kinchen (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, April 29, 2016 — Communications and equipment failures and human error compounded by the stress of combat contributed to the mistaken airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders trauma facility in Kunduz City, Afghanistan, last October, the commander of U.S. Central Command said here today. Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel told Pentagon reporters that 16 service members were disciplined because of the tragic attack by an AC-130 aircraft that led to the deaths of 42 people. Votel again apologized for the incident and said the command will do all it can to learn from the incident. Unintended Target The general stressed that none of the personnel involved in the attack knew they were firing on a hospital. “The intended target was an insurgent-controlled site which was approximately 400 meters from the Doctors Without Borders Trauma Center,” the general said. “The investigation found that an AC-130 gunship air crew in support of a U.S. [Army] Special Forces element that was supporting an Afghan partner ground force misidentified and struck the Doctors Without Borders Trauma Center.” Votel put the mistaken attack in context. U.S. special operations personnel and their Afghan partners on the ground in Kunduz had been engaged in intense fighting for several consecutive days and nights and had repelled heavy and sustained enemy attacks, he said. “The ground force was fatigued from days of fighting, still engaged with an aggressive enemy, and running low on supplies,” the general said. “In response to this urgent tactical situation, the AC-130 aircraft and crew launched from the base 69 minutes earlier than originally planned.” The urgent situation meant the aircrew did not have time to receive all pertinent information, to include identification of no-strike areas such as the hospital. The aircraft’s satellite radio failed en route to Kunduz and the aircrew could not receive the no-strike information once in flight. Incoming Missile “Shortly after arriving on the scene, the aircraft was fired on by a surface-to-air missile and subsequently moved several miles away from the city center,” Votel said. “From this distance, the aircrew received the grid coordinates of a Taliban-controlled building.” When they attempted to plot the coordinates of the enemy building, he said, the system directed them to an open field, which was obviously not the correct location. “The aircrew attempted to find the intended target in the nearby area, but instead, they found the Doctors Without Borders trauma center that generally matched the physical description of the building relayed over the radio by the ground force,” the general said. The aircrew mistakenly believed that the trauma center was the Taliban-controlled building, which was actually about one-quarter mile away, Votel said. “The investigation found that throughout the engagement that followed, the ground force commander and the aircrew mistakenly believed that the aircrew and aircraft was firing on the intended target,” the general said. Protected Facility The general emphasized that the trauma center was a protected facility and was on a no-strike list. “Our forces did not receive fire from the trauma center during the incident, nor did the investigation find that insurgents were using it as a base for operations,” he said. The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement in the law of armed conflict, but this did not rise to the level of war crime, the general said. “The label ‘war crimes’ is typically reserved for intentional acts — intentional targeting [of] civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations,” he said. Votel said the 16 service members — including a general officer — received appropriate administrative or disciplinary action, including suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining. “In light of the report’s conclusion that the errors committed were unintentional, and after considering other mitigating factors, such as the intense combat situation and equipment failures that affected the mission, from a senior commander’s perspective, the measures taken against these individuals were appropriate to address the errors they made,” he said. (Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneDoDNews) Related Biographies General Joseph L. Votel GEN Votel attended the United States Military Academy and was commissioned in 1980 as an Infantry Defense Department News Through Facebook on the DoD News Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos on the DoD News Facebook page. Go to https://www.facebook.com/pages/DoD-News/808154485884259 or search for DoD News at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your ‘User Profile’ page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your email address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please visit subscriberhelp.govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow service members need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense

Department of Defense Press Briefing by Army General Joseph Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command

You are subscribed to News Transcripts for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Department of Defense Press Briefing by Army General Joseph Votel, commander, U.S. Central Command 04/29/2016 05:40 PM CDT