The Department of Defense announced today the identity of an airman listed as Duty Status Whereabouts Unknown (DUSTWUN). 

Maj. Troy L. Gilbert was the pilot of an Air Force F-16C engaged in support of coalition ground combat operations that crashed approximately 20 miles northwest of Baghdad Nov. 27.

Gilbert is assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron, Luke Air Force Base, AZ and currently deployed to the 332nd Expeditionary Wing, Balad Air Force Base, Iraq.

For further information related to this release the media can contact the Luke Air Force Base public affairs office at (623) 856-5853.

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By Jim Garamone Nov. 29, 2006 – New Orleans police officials have requested that Louisiana National Guardsmen remain on state active duty for another six months, a Guard spokesman said.  Air Guard Lt. Col. Peter Schneider confirmed that New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren J. Riley has asked Gov. Katherine Blanco to extend the tours of 300 Guardsmen through June 2007.  Guardsmen have been patrolling neighborhoods in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged city since June, when five teenagers were killed over one weekend. If the governor does not extend the tours, the state deployment will end by the end of December.  Over the Thanksgiving weekend, six people were killed in New Orleans.  The request has gone to Blanco. The governor's office wants a better plan for how the city will use the Guardsmen. Currently, Guardsmen patrol deserted areas of the city allowing New Orleans police to concentrate on high-crime areas. "If approved, we will keep doing this," Schneider said.  

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By Staff Sgt. Marelise Wood, USAF Nov. 29, 2006 – A 600-man battalion from the Afghan National Army's 201st Corps has been selected as the country's first unit to undergo commando training.  The battalion, led by Afghan National Army Lt. Col. Muhammad Farid Ahmadi, was selected over others because of its high morale and unparalleled esprit de corps, U.S. officials said.  An important part of developing commando capability is training noncommissioned officers who can go back and train others. Each of the five corps in the Afghan army will eventually have a commando unit assigned, and the 201st Corps soldiers train those units, officials said.  The unit's soldiers were evaluated on marksmanship, a timed three-mile run, push-ups, sit-ups, and a rucksack foot march in full battle gear. When the dust cleared, 100 soldiers were selected to receive specialized training.  "I think this is a good recognition, ... that they have recognized me and my battalion," Ahmadi said. "I am very proud."  His soldiers are equally proud and happy to be a part of the battalion. "He's a very good commander; he's professional," Capt. Sayed Naser said. "Since he's been assigned here, there have been positive changes, from physical training to education to professionalism. There is a great positive change. In all the battalion, from privates to NCOs to officers, they are happy with him and his leadership."  The soldiers selected are scheduled to receive specialized training in Jordan for six months, and expectations are high. "With this new training, good equipment, and designation as commando battalion, we will play a greater role in the future and the stability and security of the region," Ahmadi said.  "When there is security there will be reconstruction," he said. "This will lead to good diplomatic relations with the international community as a sound and healthy member. Reconstruction, economy, education, road building, all these things depend on security, and this battalion will play its role in that."  

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By Jim Garamone Nov. 29, 2006 – Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are looking at the whole spectrum of conflict and the various options open to them regarding troop deployments, Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace said here today.  "Whether it's been reported that we're looking at beefing up or it's reported that we're looking at 'skinnying' down, (we are doing) as you would expect your military planners to do: We're looking at the whole spectrum of possible military actions," Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a Pentagon news conference.  Pentagon leaders are not considering abandoning Iraq's Anbar province and moving the 30,000 U.S. Marines and soldiers in that province to the battle in and around Baghdad, as has been reported by some media outlets, he said.  "Why would we want to forfeit any part of Iraq to the enemy? We don't," Pace said. "We want to provide security for the Iraqi people. You want to be able to assist the Iraqi government in providing good governance and providing economic opportunity."  He also said U.S. officials have no immediate thoughts to moving coalition forces out of Anbar and leaving the security situation to Iraqi security forces. "It's not on the table," he said.  In addition, discussions on whether Iraq is in a civil war are wasted effort, Pace said. He said the Iraqis do not call the conflict in the country a civil war; the Iraqi government is operating; and the Iraqi military and police are answering to that government. "The level of violence that's being inflicted by al Qaeda and the like is specifically designed to create a civil war," he said. "It is specifically designed to create an ungovernable condition so the terrorists can then set up shop and rule those people the way they want to.  "It's much more important that we focus on how to defeat the enemy that is trying to create the civil war than it is we spend a lot of time dancing on the head of a pin as far as what particular words we should use to describe the environment which is currently unacceptable," he continued.  Military leaders in the Pentagon are looking at all aspects of the war on terror, and observers should not think a leaked piece of information is the be-all and end-all of strategy, Pace said.  The chiefs analyze the action against the desired outcome, get input for the rest of the staffs, apply their own experience, and then apply their best military judgment, the chairman said. Pace would not say what the chiefs' advice on the size of the force in Iraq was. He did confirm that Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, is moving "a couple" of U.S. battalions into Baghdad. Pace did not say where the battalions are coming from.  The chiefs' advice will be weighed alongside advice from the Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton. Pace said he is not concerned about bumping into the group's recommendations. "This is a very complex problem, and the more 10-pound rings we can bring to bear on the problem for our nation the better," he said. "And the fact that somebody's wearing a uniform and not wearing a uniform doesn't impact whether or not they have a good idea."  Many different options are being considered, and no decisions have been made, despite media reports to the contrary. Bits and pieces of the deliberations are being reported, and some reporters are assuming that every item is the one way forward, Pace said. While it is true that the chiefs may be examining an option, it is just one of many.  

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By Donna Miles Nov. 29, 2006 – As Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld prepares to leave the office he's held for almost six years, the chief of the National Guard Bureau said the Defense Department and nation are losing "a heck of a leader" who led the department through a difficult and challenging period.  Speaking with American Forces Press Service today during a week-long visit to the border states to observe National Guard operations in support of the U.S. Border Patrol, Army Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum said he'll personally miss Rumsfeld and the strong leadership style he brought DoD. "We're a nation at war, and we don't want a pushover as secretary of defense," he said.  "We're prosecuting this war, and we still don't know exactly what we're dealing with," Blum continued. "It's easy (for people) to criticize, but this is not business as usual."  Blum said he's particularly impressed that Rumsfeld held on to his conviction to transform the military even after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.  "Rumsfeld took on the transformation and modernization of the Pentagon and that whole structure, and then 9-11 got thrown in," he said. Rather than "pushing transformation aside" to focus on the global war on terror -- something Blum said would have been a lot easier than overseeing both simultaneously -- Rumsfeld used the terror war as a "forcing mechanism" to speed up the transformation process.  Blum also credited Rumsfeld with recognizing early on that the military, despite its strengths, can't carry the entire share of the load in conducting the terror war. Other agencies and organizations must step up to the plate and contribute their capabilities as well, the general said.  "We can't put the entire burden on the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines," he said. "DoD can't be a one-dog sled that covers everything."  Blum expressed appreciation that Rumsfeld was willing to do what was necessary to serve the Defense Department at such a critical period in the country's history. "Here he is, in his golden years, and who else at that point of their life is going to push himself and work that hard?" he said. "He's a pretty selfless guy and a real patriot."  

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY OPENS THE APPLICATION PERIOD FOR FY2006 FIRE PREVENTION AND SAFETY GRANTS 

Beginning December 4, 2006 at 8:00 a.m. eastern standard time, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin accepting applications for Fire Prevention and Safety grants (FP&S).  

FP&S applications are automated and accessible via the program’s website: www.firegrantsupport.com.   The web site contains important information on the FP&S, including the FY2006 funding priorities and program guidance, a web based tutorial on the application process, a listing of frequently asked questions, and other materials.  Applicants that have questions regarding this grant opportunity should contact the Help Desk at 1-866-274-0960 or at firegrants@dhs.gov.  During the application period, Help Desk hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  (Eastern time), Monday through Friday. 

Additional help desk hours may be added if demand is high. The FP&S is administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Grants and Training (G&T) in cooperation with the U.S. Fire Administration.  The grants provide support for efforts to mitigate incidences of deaths and injuries caused by fire and fire-related hazards especially in high-risk target groups such children, adults over 65, and firefighters.  Eligible applicants for FP&S grants include fire departments as well as national, regional, state, local, or community organizations that are recognized for their experience and expertise in fire prevention or safety programs and activities.  FP&S also supports Firefighter Safety Research and Development activities.  Private and public non-profit organizations, academic institutions, non-federal governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, and individual researchers (i.e. doctorial candidates) are eligible to apply for funding for research and development activities.

Through the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2006, Congress provided $27 million for the Fire Prevention and Safety grants.

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By Jim Garamone Nov. 28, 2006 – Terrorists and extremists in Iraq are working to destabilize the country to further their own goals, a coalition spokesman in Iraq said at a news conference today. This goal drives the horrific attacks on civilians and fuels retaliatory killings in and around Baghdad, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said, adding that all this is counter to the will of the Iraqi people.  "Al Qaeda, foreign terrorists and extremists do not want to let the Iraqis decide their own future," Caldwell said. "Through two elections and a constitutional referendum, the Iraqi people have demonstrated they want to be a part of this political process and they want to have a representative government."  Saddam Hussein's rule crippled the oil-rich nation. Making the transition from dictatorship to democracy would be tough even without terrorist efforts to derail the process, Caldwell said, but he predicted the will of the Iraqi people will prevail. "Iraqis are creating a country that will replace the rule of the gun with the rule of the law," Caldwell said. "And they will put criminals and killers out of business."  Mortar and car bomb attacks Nov. 23 that killed more than 180 innocent Iraqis and wounded 245 in Sadr City, a predominantly Shiite neighborhood on the east side of Baghdad, reflect the al Qaeda in Iraq strategy in the nation, the general said. "It was indisputably a terrible crime against the Iraqi people," Caldwell said. "The retaliatory attacks we have seen the last couple of days are also."  Terrorists seek to control the Sunni population in the country, Caldwell explained, and they are looking to dominate Baghdad, the military and political center of gravity in Iraq. Al Qaeda kills and intimidates Sunnis who want to work with the elected, representative government. The group also seeks to weaken the Iraqi government and destroy faith in the democratically elected representatives. The terrorists attack the representatives and work to make Iraqis fearful of dealing with their own government.  Al Qaeda's strategy also calls for attacks on Shiite civilians. The attacks in Sadr City are an example of this strategy, Caldwell said. Al Qaeda launches the attacks and counts on illegal militias to launch revenge attacks on Sunnis. This creates division along sectarian lines.  The Iraqis and coalition have made progress against al Qaeda in Iraq, Caldwell said. Since November 2004, Iraqi and coalition forces have killed or captured more than 7,000 al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists, including more than 30 senior-level terrorists who have been captured or killed since July, he said.  Between Nov. 14 and 19, Iraqi and coalition forces conducted a number of targeted raids across Iraq and captured the terrorist emirs of Ramadi, Bakuba, Qaim, Tikrit, Bayji and Baghdad, Caldwell said. The forces also captured two terrorist facilitators, a courier, an explosive expert and a financier. "The detention of these terrorists represents a serious blow against the al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist network," he said.  Iraqi and coalition forces also are working diligently against death squads. Most sectarian attacks in the country are within 30 miles of Baghdad, and Iraqi and coalition forces continue to work against illegal militias. "In the past week, our combined forces conducted 18 operations against sectarian death squads resulting in the detainment of 78 suspected cell members," Caldwell said.  Caldwell said that polls in Iraq show the people want the government to succeed. He said Iraqis are resolved on a unified, secure and prosperous Iraq. "In polling conducted last month, 89 percent of Iraqis nationwide agreed with this statement: 'My first loyalty is to my country rather than my sect, ethnic group or tribe,'" Caldwell said. Only 25 percent of Iraqis said the country would be better off divided along sectarian lines.  Coalition forces continue to work with Iraqi security forces to build their professionalism, Caldwell said. More than 4,000 U.S. servicemembers organized in 430 teams advise the Iraqi army, police and border guards. The teams are necessary "to sustain and develop these forces so they can evolve into a professional security institution," the general said. "They will remain in place long after we have met our goal of training and equipping 325,000 Iraqi security forces."  

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By Spc. Courtney Marulli, USA Nov. 28, 2006 – The medics of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, train hard to save the lives of any soldier, and sometimes that includes the lives of soldiers they work with on a daily basis. These Army medics found out quickly they have little time to adjust from garrison to combat once in Iraq.  Sgt. Bambi Sharpe, the supply and evacuation noncommissioned officer in charge for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, of Rocky Mount, N.C., said the new medics did a wonderful job when several casualties came in after a mortar attack.  "I thought, initially, we were going to have people choke up," Sharpe said, "but they got right in there and got their hands dirty. I am very proud of them."  Sharpe said seasoned and new medics are stepping up and doing what needs to be done to properly care for patients.  Pfc. Heaven Gallop, a medic with HHC, BSTB, from Winston, S.C., said she wanted to be a medic since she was a little girl. She used to go around trying to bandage animals and other children whenever they were hurt. "I grew up watching war movies with my father," she said. "I wanted to be the one out there with the face paint and helping."  Gallop said the medical team for her brigade, with a mix of medics and physician's assistants, offers her a great environment to continue learning about the medical field.  When her first patient came in, Gallop said, her training paid off.  "You don't really have time to freak out. You don't have time to process it," she said. "You can only concentrate on the patient and then later reflect on it. You always learn from each patient, because they're different."  Gallop said it's rewarding when patients look at her and know they can depend on her. She said she also feels good when she's done the best she can to help someone.  Pfc. Chris Llewellyn, of Sacramento, Calif., a medic with HHC, 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, said even though this is his first deployment, he isn't feeling too apprehensive. "I had more anxiety before I got here than since I've been here," he said.  The first time Llewellyn toured the aid station, there was a mortar attack and the lights went out. Several casualties came in, but the trauma training he received prepared him for the emergency and the outage, he said.  Aside from treating casualties, Llewellyn said, he is learning how to manage sick call, which includes learning about medications and how to tell what is normal by listening to someone's heart and lungs.  Pvt. Charlie Pennington of Indianapolis, a line medic with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, said he was a pre-med major before joining the Army. His interest is orthopedics, but he enjoys it all aspects of health care. This is his first deployment, and Pennington hasn't had to treat a casualty yet while out on patrol. "We've been shot at, but no one's been hurt," he said.  Even though he hasn't treated anyone yet, Pennington said he feels prepared because of the experience he received at medical school. Pennington said he was also an emergency medical technician in high school.  Medics not only have to learn the technical aspects of their job, but also may have to put their knowledge to use on those they know. For Sharpe, that is the hardest part of her job.  "It's hard to work on someone you know who is on the table," she said. "I was a line medic last time, and it got real personal. Those guys are the ones who have your back, no matter what."  

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By Kathleen T. Rhem WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2006 – Afghanistan is NATO's most important military operation, President Bush said today in Riga, Latvia.  "By standing together in Afghanistan, we'll protect our people, defend our freedom, and send a clear message to the extremists: The forces of freedom and decency will prevail," he said in a speech at Latvia University.  Bush is in Riga attending a summit of leaders of NATO nations.  All 26 NATO allies and 11 other partner nations are conducting a variety of missions in Afghanistan: operating provincial reconstruction teams, conducting combat operations to root out Taliban fighters, and training the Afghan National Army and police forces.  "They're serving with courage, and they're doing the vital work necessary to help this young democracy secure the peace," he said.  NATO forces were tested after taking control of operations in southern Afghanistan -- the traditional home of the Taliban and other extremists -- over the summer. "The Taliban radicals, who are trying to pull down Afghanistan's democracy and regain power, saw the transfer from American to NATO control as a window of opportunity to test the will of the alliance," Bush said.  He noted that Taliban fighters amassed a large force near Kandahar to take on NATO troops. "It was a mistake," Bush said.  Combat forces from Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Britain, Australia and the United States engaged the enemy fighters, with forces from Romania, Portugal and Estonia providing support. "According to NATO commanders, allied forces fought bravely and inflicted great damage on the Taliban," Bush said.  Bush told the NATO allies they can be proud of the transformation Afghanistan has undergone. "Because of our efforts, Afghanistan has gone from a totalitarian nightmare to a free nation with an elected president, a democratic constitution, and brave soldiers and police fighting for their country," he said.  He cited several statistics that highlight successes in Afghanistan: More than 4.6 refugees have returned home; the country's economy has tripled over five years; 2 million girls are attending school, compared to none under the Taliban; and 85 women have been elected or appointed to the Afghan National Assembly.  "A nation that was once a terrorist sanctuary has been transformed into an ally in the war on terror, led by a brave president, Hamid Karzai," Bush said. "Our work in Afghanistan is bringing freedom to the Afghan people; it is bringing security to the Euro-Atlantic community; and it's bringing pride to the NATO alliance."  Still, security and the success of the Afghan government are not assured in the country. Drug traffickers, warlords and other criminals "remain active and are committed to destroying democracy in Afghanistan," Bush said.  "Defeating them will require the full commitment of our alliance. For NATO to succeed, its commanders on the ground must have the resources and flexibility they need to do their jobs," he added. "The alliance was founded on a clear principle: An attack on one is an attack on all. That principle holds true whether the attack is on our home soil or on our forces deployed on a NATO mission abroad."  

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By Jim Garamone Nov. 28, 2006 – The Air Force has convened an investigative board to look into the crash of an F-16 Fighting Falcon engaged in combat operations over Iraq yesterday.  The board will look into what caused the F-16CG single-seat fighter to crash about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad around 1:35 p.m.  The pilot of the craft is officially listed as "duty status: whereabouts unknown," coalition spokesman Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said during a Baghdad news conference today.  While the cause of the crash is unknown, there is nothing to suggest that insurgents shot down the aircraft Caldwell said. The aircraft was part of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, at Balad Air Base, Iraq.  Air Force Brig. Gen. Stephen Hoog, air component coordination element director for Multinational Force Iraq, said the fighter was part of a "troops in contact" operation. The aircraft was under operational control of ground commanders at the time of the incident.  Hoog said officials have retrieved DNA material from the site and that it will take two to four days to analyze the material.  Immediately after the crash, other aircraft and surveillance assets were over the site, the general said. "Those assets did observe insurgents in the vicinity of the crash site," he added.  A quick-reaction force secured the area as soon as combat operations in the area finished. Hoog said officials found the ejection seat, but it wasn't possible to determine if the pilot had used the seat or not.  

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NATO Countries Need to Make Strategic Investments, Bush Tells LeadersBy Kathleen T. Rhem WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2006 – NATO nations must invest enough to give NATO forces the capabilities they need to meet current and future challenges, President Bush told alliance leaders in Riga, Latvia, today.  "The most basic responsibility of this alliance is to defend our people against the threats of a new century," he said.  Bush described details of several military transformational initiatives that NATO leaders will announce during this summit.  The NATO Special Operations Forces Initiative will strengthen the ability of NATO special ops troops to work together.  A new Strategic Airlift Initiative will ensure a dedicated fleet of C-17 cargo aircraft available for use by NATO members.  The Riga Global Partnership Initiative will allow NATO to conduct joint training, exercises and planning with non-NATO partners such as Australia and Japan, "countries that share NATO's values and want to work with our alliance in the cause of peace." A new Training Cooperation Initiative will allow military forces in the Middle East to receive NATO training in counterterrorism, counterproliferation and peace-support operations.  These moves will follow other recent transformation initiatives such as the creation of the NATO Response Force, to ensure the alliance can deploy rapidly and effectively, and NATO Transformation Command, to ensure the alliance is prepared to meet threats of the future, Bush said.  "When NATO was formed in 1949, its principal mission was to protect Europe from a Soviet tank invasion," Bush said. "Today the Soviet threat is gone, and under the able leadership of the secretary-general, NATO is transforming from a static alliance focused on the defense of Europe into an (expeditionary) alliance ready to deploy outside of Europe in the defense of freedom."  NATO recognized that threats to alliance members may come from outside Europe and sent international forces to Afghanistan, 3,000 miles away from Europe, Bush said. "NATO has expanded (the International Security Assistance Force) from a small force that was operating only in Kabul into a robust force that conducts security operations in all of Afghanistan," he said.  Future threats could come from any front, Bush said.  "We're in a long struggle against terrorists and extremists who follow a hateful ideology and seek to establish a totalitarian empire from Spain to Indonesia," the president said. "We fight against the extremists who desire safe havens and are willing to kill innocents anywhere to achieve their objectives."  

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By Jim Garamone Nov. 28, 2006 – Freedom in Europe can be an example to the people of the greater Middle East, President Bush said in Tallinn, Estonia, and in Riga, Latvia, today.  Bush stopped in Estonia briefly on his way to Riga for a NATO Summit. In Tallin, Bush spoke after a meeting with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. In Riga, he spoke at Latvia University.  Both countries were under the totalitarian heel of the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Both countries are now free, prosperous and members of NATO.  "Freedom in Europe has brought peace to Europe, and freedom has brought the power to bring peace to the broader Middle East," Bush said in his speech in Riga.  He said that nations cannot compromise with terrorists. "The question facing our nations today is this: Will we turn the fate of millions over to totalitarian extremists and allow the enemy to impose their hateful ideology across the Middle East, or will we stand with the forces of freedom in that part of the world and defend the moderate majority, who want a future of peace?"  The president said the United States and its NATO allies have chosen freedom. "We refuse to give in to the pessimism that consigns millions across the Middle East to endless oppression," he said. "We understand that, ultimately, the only path to lasting peace is through the rise of lasting free societies."  Bush said during a news conference in Estonia that it is important for the region that the freely elected government of Iraq succeeds. He said al Qaeda in Iraq is trying desperately to bring down the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "The Samarra bombing that took place last winter was intended to create sectarian violence, and it has," Bush said.  Bush is set to meet with Maliki in Jordan Nov. 30. "My questions to him will be: 'What do we need to do to succeed? What is your strategy in dealing with the sectarian violence?' I will assure him that we will continue to pursue al Qaeda to make sure that they do not establish a safe haven in Iraq," the president said.  "It's in our interest that we succeed," Bush said. "A democracy in the heart of the Middle East is an important part of defeating the radicals and totalitarians that can't stand the emergence of a democracy."  The same pressure is being applied by terrorists to the government of Lebanon "That government is being undermined, in my opinion, by extremist forces encouraged out of Syria and Iran. Why? Because a democracy will be a major defeat for those who articulate extremist points of view."  Terrorists also will do what they can to short-circuit any progress in a Palestinian-Israeli peace, Bush said. "Extremists attack because they can't stand the thought of a democracy," he said.  

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Editors Note:  The use of forensic science to remains has now become a staple of many investigative agencies, specifically those involved in criminal justice.  The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Master Sgt. Robert V. Layton, U.S. Army, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is to be buried today at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C.  Layton was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division (making up the 31st Regimental Combat Team). The RCT was engaged against the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces along the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea. After intense fighting from Nov. 27-Dec. 1, 1950, the battalion was forced to abandon its position, leaving its dead behind. Layton was listed as missing in action on Dec. 2, 1950, and was later presumed killed in action. Between 2002 and 2004, joint U.S. and Democratic People's Republic of North Korea teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, seven times excavated a mass burial site associated with the 31st RCT along the eastern shore of the Chosin Reservoir. The team found human remains and other material evidence, including Layton's identification tag and part of his billfold containing a newspaper clipping reporting on a Bronze Star being awarded to "Sgt. Robert Layton" circa 1944. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.  

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

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  Combating anthrax “[A study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham], through the Centers for Disease Control, is being conducted nationwide at five separate centers and is helping to determine just how much of the anthrax vaccine the body needs to develop immunity.  Soldiers, for example, get a course of eight vaccines over 3½ years. But transfers to far-off stations or even combat sometimes means skipping an injection.  The study, among other things, is trying to find out if a person can get by with four injections.Researchers also will use the results to determine the side effects from injecting the shot into the muscles of the upper arm rather than the fatty tissue farther down.” (The Birmingham News; William Thornton)

http://www.al.com/living/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/living/1164623670293820.xml&coll=2

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-10/1164519882266570.xml&coll=1

“Within the next several months, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory [LLNL, California] plans to open a new building that will assist its scientists in developing detection technologies to help protect the United States against bioterrorism. The new building, called a Biosafety Level 3 facility, will permit Livermore researchers to conduct more sophisticated experiments on a wider range of microorganisms than can currently be handled... Dr. Caroline Purdy, of the Science and Technology directorate at DHS, said she believes the Livermore Biosafety Level 3 facility is important for continuing to upgrade the BioWatch system. ‘It is my professional opinion that LLNL's BSL-3 facility will significantly improve our nation's ability to detect and respond to the threat of terrorism using biological agents, and that delaying commencement of operations at LLNL's BSL-3 facility would directly and adversely impact the national security of the United States,' Purdy said...  Activists have appealed a previous U.S. District Court decision affirming the opening of the facility, citing concerns about earthquake safety, security and possible releases... [However,] independent safety reviews have been conducted of the Livermore BSL-3 facility, design and operations to ensure that the facility will be safely operated.” (Contra Costa Times; 25Nov06; Colston) http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/opinion/16095935.htm

Japanese Police Raid North Korea-Related Facilities

http://voanews.com/english/2006-11-27-voa13.cfm

Russian officials deny report of accident at chemical weapons reprocessing site

725 kilometers (450 miles) northeast of Moscow, holds 6,900 tons of nerve agents stored in aerial bombs and missile warheads — or more than 17 percent of Russia's chemical weapons stockpile.  ‘Information that depressurization of several weapons and poisonous liquids spilled on the ground is completely disinformation,’ said Mikhail Manin, the official in the Volga region responsible for weapons-related issues....The plant is a focal point of the push to meet an April 2007 target set by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for Russia to destroy 20 percent of its stockpile... The bombs stored at Maradykovsky hold VX, soman and sarin, as well as a less deadly mixture of lewisite and mustard gas.” (International Herald Tribune; 23Nov06; AP) http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/23/europe/EU_GEN_Russia_Chemical_Weapons.php

Composite Made from Synthetic Rubber with Liquid Crystals Could Protect from Toxic Chemicals

http://www.azom.com/details.asp?newsID=7224

Code of conduct for scientists could be a reality

(Channel NewsAsia; 27Nov06; Farah Abdul Rahim) http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/243835/1/.html

Review Conference Working Group Holds Third Meeting: The Role of the CWC in Enhancing International Peace and Security

(OPCW) in The Hague...The Third Meeting addressed the role of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) in enhancing international peace and security. The issues discussed included the importance of the destruction of declared chemical weapons stockpiles within the applicable deadlines, the importance of achieving universal adherence to and full and prompt implementation of the CWC, and the role of the CWC in responding to the threat of international terrorism. At the meeting, the Working Group also continued its consideration of the contribution of civil society to the review process.  The Working Group will hold its next meeting on 11 December 2006.” (OPCW Pres Release; 23Nov06) http://www.opcw.org/pressreleases/PR88_2006.html

Radioactive element found in blood of Russian ex-spy

“Traces of radioactive polonium have been found in the blood of the deceased ex-Soviet spy Alexander Litvinenko, the UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) said on Friday... High levels of radiation have been discovered in a central London hotel that Litvinenko frequented, and at the sushi restaurant where he said he ate on 1 November 2006... To poison someone, polonium would most likely have been chemically combined in some type of dissolvable salt, for example polonium nitrate, experts told New Scientist.  In this form the material could easily have bee