American Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – The U.S. Air Force's elite demonstration squadron, the "Thunderbirds," will help kick off Super Bowl XLI in Miami with a flyover of Dolphin Stadium on Feb. 4.  The team's six red, white and blue F-16 fighter jets will roar over in their signature six-ship Delta formation at the conclusion of the national anthem. The aircraft will fly over at about 500 feet and 450 miles per hour.  "We are honored to participate in the Super Bowl, especially this year, as the United States Air Force commemorates our 60th anniversary," said Lt. Col. Kevin Robbins, Thunderbird commander.  The flyover is just one of many events the Thunderbirds will participate in during 2007 to commemorate the Air Force's six decades of air and space power.  The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, four civilians and about 120 enlisted airmen performing in more than 25 career specialties. "Our job is to represent the thousands of airmen who serve their country on a daily basis, including the more than 25,000 fighting on the front lines in the global war on terror," Robbins said.  The Super Bowl is the nation's highest-rated TV program annually. According to the National Football League, more than 141 million viewers in the United States tuned in to the last Super Bowl game. Super Bowl XLI will be broadcast to a potential worldwide audience of 1 billion in more than 230 countries and territories 

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By Sgt. Sara Wood, USAAmerican Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – Cooperation and assistance from U.S. allies in the Middle East are essential to promoting security and stability in Iraq, the president's nominee to lead U.S. Central Command said here today.  Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, whom President Bush nominated to take over for Army Gen. John Abizaid, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that, if confirmed, he would draw on his diplomatic experience as the commander of U.S. Pacific Command, where he has served since February 2005. In Pacific Command, Fallon said, he engages countries in the region for advice and opinions in security operations. He would like to bring this same approach to the Middle East, he said.  "It seems to me that we make progress when we are willing to be open and to use every means at our disposal to try to achieve the ends. But this, of course, requires reciprocal actions from the other parties," Fallon said. "And so I don't know the extent to which those endeavors have been undertaken in the Middle East, but I am very anxious to find out and to try to play a constructive role in that."  If confirmed, Fallon will be the first Navy officer to head Central Command. He acknowledged today that a new way forward is needed in Iraq, with more emphasis on securing the Iraqi population. He said that Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who was confirmed Jan. 26 to command Multinational Force Iraq, will be in charge of operations on the ground, while he will focus on the broader issues.  "It seems to me that there's an expectation that I'd be working outside the borders of Iraq to try to get the neighborhood, for example, to help us, and to continue to work these other issues like Afghanistan," Fallon said. "So I'd be looking to work in a complementary manner."  Right now, Fallon said, he sees a lot of inaction on the part of Middle Eastern countries. He is eager to work with the U.S. Department of State in engaging these countries and working toward stability, he said.  In Iraq, political and economic progress must take place, or security improvements will mean nothing, Fallon said. The Iraqi government must act on the objectives it set out to give the people confidence and hope, he said.  "If this endeavor of a pluralistic democratic entity in Baghdad is going to survive, it's going to require political courage and leadership, I believe, to stand up and make decisions that can be helpful to people," he said.  The United States must make clear to the Iraqi government that U.S. forces are not in an open-ended commitment, and progress is expected, Fallon said. However, now is not the time to give the Iraqis strict deadlines without flexibility, he said.  Diplomacy also will be important in dealing with Iran, Fallon said. The government there is trying to deny U.S. involvement in the region, but is also a threat to U.S. allies, he noted. The U.S. must work with these allies and pay close attention to Iran's actions, he said.  "There are many things that ought to be considered as we approach our engagement in the region, and I'll be very anxious to particularly consult with the Gulf region nations to see what's new, what's learned, because it's been a number of years since I actually engaged in this area," Fallon said.  

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By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – Sometimes all it takes for a wounded veteran to begin healing is being surrounded by family and friends. That's the premise on which the Minnesota-based Veterans Airlift Command was founded.  Walter Fricke, founder of the nonprofit organization and a former Army aviator, knows having family and friends nearby can aide a wounded vet's recovery. "I was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and I was wounded while flying a helicopter," he said.  Fricke said he spent about six months in a military hospital with 700 miles separating him from his family. It was only after his family members gathered the resources to visit him that his condition, which had actually begun to decline, started turning around.  "I didn't start healing until my family got there. In fact, I was going downhill until they got there," he said. "I really know the value of having a family close by and also for kids getting home on convalescent leave."  Years after Fricke made a full recovery, he realized there was again an unmet need. Wounded veterans of the global war on terrorism are recovering at military medical facilities and Veterans Affairs hospitals across the country, sometimes far from home and their families.  With the mission of providing "air transportation for medical and other compassionate purposes to wounded warriors, veterans and their families through a national network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots," he began Veterans Airlift Command.  It began in spring 2006 and in November, with nine aircraft in its network, Veterans Airlift Command flew its first mission, which involved a young Marine.  "We now have well over 200 aircraft in our system," Fricke said, adding that the number of volunteer pilots has grown without any formal advertising. "The aviation community really connects on this, and they have been pretty aggressive in signing up."  Fricke said he received many requests for assistance during the holiday season from wounded servicemembers wanting to get home to spend time with their families. Typically, though, about half of requests for transport come from family members, he said.  In fact, that's how the first mission came about. A young injured Marine had traveled from his home in Melbourne, Fla., to Jacksonville, N.C., to receive his Purple Heart and other awards. The trip took 13 hours and required four layovers.  The Marine's father, in an effort to make things easier for his son's return trip, contacted the Military Severely Injured Center, which put him in touch with Veterans Airlift Command. "We flew him home in two and a half hours, nonstop," Fricke said.  Other inquiries typically come through official channels, Fricke said, adding that his group has developed a good relationship with Walter Reed Army Medical Center here. The medical facility makes at least one request daily.  The organization operates with very little overhead, Fricke said. The group works with donations that include the pilots' time, use of their planes and fuel. The cost of the flights can vary greatly depending on the distance flown and what type of aircraft is used. A typical flight, up to 500 miles, costs the pilots a minimum of $500, but can go as high as $10,000 when a corporate jet flies a mission for Fricke.  When the group's fundraising mechanism is organized, Fricke expects that anything raised above what is needed to cover his few overhead costs will be used to buy airline tickets when it's not practical to use a private aircraft. For example, if a flight is outside the organization's maximum flight radius of about 800 miles, a commercial airline is a more practical choice.  The organization also has been working with USA Cares on a travel request hotline, Fricke said. Though the group prefers requests come to them via their Web site, by the end of February, USA Cares will be fielding and vetting requests for Veterans Airlift Command assistance received on the travel request hotline, 1-866-784-8917.  USA Cares is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting the ways Americans are supporting the nation's servicemembers.  To date, Veterans Airlift Command has flown about 35 missions and expects to complete at least 250 this year. While he anticipates the organization's volunteer network will be able to handle 1,000 missions in 2008, Fricke's ideal number would be much lower.  "Zero would be the perfect number," he said, to indicate he wished the need for his service didn't exist.  

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American Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – American military engineers in Iraq discovered and detonated an anti-tank mine; Iraqi police were attacked by an improvised explosive device; and Iraqi soldiers nabbed an insurgent during operations in Iraq over the past few days, officials said.  During a route clearance mission east of Baqubah yesterday, soldiers from the 72nd Engineer Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, attached to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, discovered an anti-tank mine after receiving a tip.  The convoy was about to leave a village when a local citizen stopped the soldiers and gave them a "boom" signal, Army Sgt. 1st Class Sean Thomas, of 72nd Engineer Company, said. After talking with the townsperson, the soldiers realized there was an anti-tank mine in the area.  "This means a lot to us," Thomas said. "It means they trust us and know that we are not there to bring them harm. We are there to protect them. To me, they don't want the terrorists around. They disrupt their business and their day-to-day lives."  The engineers blew up the bomb with no damage or injuries to the forces or the local population.  In other news, Iraqi emergency response personnel, Iraqi police and civilians in northwestern Ramadi were attacked by a suicide truck-bomber early Jan. 28. Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 37th Infantry Brigade, worked together to provide medical assistance and evacuate the casualties. Along with the suicide bomber, 16 people were killed in the attack.  Also on Jan. 28, Iraqi soldiers arrested a local citizen implicated in a drive-by shooting incident near Taji. Iraqi troops from the 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized), were on a patrol when the suspect, riding in a car, allegedly opened fire on their T-72 tanks. The troops detained the man and confiscated an AK-47 assault rifle. The suspect is being held for further questioning.  

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By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – When the National Training Center opened here in 1981, it presented the most realistic environment imaginable for troops to prepare for a potential large-scale, tank-on-tank confrontation with the Soviet Union in Germany's Fulda Gap.  Today, this sweeping training center has transformed dramatically to train troops for the fight they face today against terrorists and insurgent groups in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Deep within the Mojave Desert, on a post larger than Rhode Island, there's little sign of the National Training Center's past life, when it focused on preparing troops for a major Cold War confrontation.  Gone is the permanent opposing force that operated with Soviet tactics, dressed in Soviet uniforms and navigated the training grounds in Vietnam-era M-551 Sheridan tanks modified to look like T-72 and BMP tanks.  Army Capt. Sean Patrick, an observer-controller with the Operations Group here, remembers going through the old NTC in 1999. "It was a high-intensity conflict environment, designed for tank-on-tank conflict," he recalled. "It was wide-open desert, with no towns. We were fighting the Soviet army, so our techniques were different."  Today, Patrick and the rest of the NTC cadre and staff offer what soldiers training here describe as the best preparation they could receive stateside for combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Troops now train for the many diverse tasks they'll be called on to conduct while deployed: mounted and dismounted patrols, cordon-and-search missions, searches for weapons caches and high-value targets, bilateral talks with Iraqi officials, and infrastructure missions.  "What we do here runs the spectrum, from troop-leading procedures to teaching units how to react to contact and everything in between," said Patrick.  Army Sgt. 1st Class Adam Lammers, another observer-controller, went through NTC in 1997 with the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment. Ten years later, he's training the same unit for its third deployment to Iraq.  "Instead of putting the emphasis on big tank-on-tank battles, now the focus is on stability and support operations," he said. "Also, back then, we used tactical assembly areas. Now our operations are FOB (forward operating base)-based. So a lot has changed."  Training reflects the environment and threats troops will face in Iraq, and is altered slightly for troops deploying to Afghanistan. Scenarios are updated regularly to reflect lessons learned on the battlefield, said Army Col. Steven Salazar, commander of the Operations Group. "We do absolutely everything we can possibly think of to make sure we have a current environment and a current scenario," he said.  Army Sgt. 1st Class Heath Thayer, a section trainer for the scout platoon, calls the NTC's similarity to conditions in Iraq the perfect environment to reinforce the tactics, techniques and procedures troops will use during their deployment.  "This gives us an opportunity to rehearse (standard operating procedures and tactics, techniques and procedures) that soldiers have been working on at home station and evaluate if they will actually work in theater ... against the most realistic and up-to-date threats," he said. "It's all very realistic, about as realistic as it gets."  Much of the activity centers around 12 Iraqi-style villages that dot the landscape, inhabited by some 1,600 actors posing as Iraqi citizens. Most of these actors are soldiers from the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment that serves as NTC's permanent opposing force, but 250 are Iraqi-Americans. They adopt roles ranging from political or tribal leaders to mullahs to everyday people whose support varies for or against U.S. troops depending on their actions.  John Wagstaffe, the training center's public affairs officer, compares the scenarios that take place in these villages to "an improvised Shakespearean play."  Citizens in the fictional village of Wasl, for example, started a recent training exercise relatively neutral toward the Americans in their midst. But after a patrol from the 3rd Infantry Division disrupted a house during a search and treated an "Iraqi" woman in a way the local people thought inappropriate, they staged a demonstration. The protest turned violent, and two soldiers were "captured."  The following day, a small group of soldiers met with the town mayor, police chief and religious leaders to help turn a bad situation around. "We focus on getting soldiers used to dealing with the Iraqis and how to react to different scenarios," explained David Beach, one of two site managers in the "town."  Army Pvt. 2 Jimmy Hills, who has played a friendly Iraqi for the past six months, said he sees a direct correlation between soldiers' actions and the local people's behavior. "It all depends on what the soldiers do. If they mess up the city, it's just like in real life; we get angry," he said. "When soldiers go through here, they actually reap the repercussions of their actions. As they do that, they are learning cultural awareness, how to use the language and what to look for."  Nearly every training situation here enforces the ever-present threat posed by improvised explosive devices and snipers. Pyrotechnics are used widely to keep troops ever watchful for roadside bombs, car bombs and insurgents wearing suicide vests. Snipers hide within the villages, often attacking when troops react to IEDs.  For example, medics going through Lammers' simulation training exercise lane got a taste of that when their Humvee and a vehicle loaded with "Iraqis" got hit by an IED. As the troops secured the area and began treating patients, they were hit with a sniper attack.  Army Cpl. Nathan Bell, a gunner with the 3rd Infantry Division's 2nd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, who returned from Iraq in March, called the villages, explosives, rocket-propelled grenades and sniper fire here good preparation for the unit's upcoming deployment. "This is all pretty realistic, and it's making us better prepared," he said. "We're able to work on deficient areas and get retrained in areas we need it."  Army 1st Lt. Doug Serota had glowing words for the training the NTC cadre offered his troops. "These guys learned a lot from overseas, and they know what they need to push our way," he said. "There's always stuff we can learn, and these guys are awesome in what they give us."  The NTC cadre and staff say they recognize the urgency of the training. "Nobody comes to the NTC anymore unless they are going to deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan," Wagstaffe said. "That puts a lot more pressure on us to ensure that the training is challenging and meaningful. We have to be sure that when people leave here, they are ready to go."  After-action reviews, conducted after training events, take on a more pressing nature than ever before. "No thin skin, okay?" Army Sgt. 1st Class Steve Smith, an observer-controller, said as he talked with members of 1st Platoon, 58th Combat Engineer Company, about a road-clearance training mission.  Smith pointed out shortcomings in the mission in which five tracked vehicles got ambushed and two of them got hit with IEDs. The vehicles were spaced too closely together, making them vulnerable to attack, he noted. The soldiers didn't properly scan the area for secondary IEDs before reacting to the first. They had no established succession of command in the event that the leaders were lost. And a single vehicle crew was tapped to do two missions it couldn't possibly do simultaneously: evacuate casualties while setting up a traffic control point.  "Hopefully you will learn something from here," Smith told the soldiers, all bound for Iraq within the next few months. "Take what you get here and apply it."  "The whole thing we do here is to get these guys spun up and get them ready," said Bob Mortensen, a civilian who advises troops going through route-clearance training. "The more knowledge people have when they get (to the combat theater), the better. So that's our mandate: to train these guys, give them the most up-to-date information so that when they're into the theater, they're prepared."  Army Sgt. Tony Smith, preparing for his third deployment to Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division's 3rd Brigade, said he welcomes the preparation he's getting at NTC. "This training parallels everything we deal with over there in Iraq," he said.  "This is probably as close as we are going to get to what it looks like and what we're going to be exposed to in Iraq," agreed Sgt. Marcus Williams, Smith's comrade. "It gets pretty intense here, because that's what it's going to be like when we are over there. So this is the time we can make mistakes and fix those mistakes."  

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By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – Early reports that credit Iraqi troops for taking the initiative during a Jan. 28 battle with insurgents near Najaf are heartening news, President Bush said during an interview with National Public Radio here yesterday.  Bush also told NPR's Juan Williams that the Iranian government shouldn't be taking military actions in Iraq that endanger the lives of U.S. servicemembers deployed there.  The Najaf battle "is an indication of what is taking place, and that is the Iraqis are beginning to take the lead," Bush said. The fight involved Iraqi soldiers with U.S. military support engaging some 600 militants. Reports say more than 200 insurgents were killed in the engagement. A U.S. helicopter crashed during the battle, killing two crewmembers.  As part of the new strategy being implemented to stabilize Iraq, Bush expects the Iraqis to "show the American people that they're willing to (do) the hard work necessary to secure their democracy, and our job is to help them."  It's in the United States' national interest to assist the Iraqi government in defeating extremists, Bush emphasized.  Sectarian violence and criminality experienced in Baghdad and other parts of the country must be dealt with to achieve the political reconciliation that's necessary for uniting Iraq, Bush said. That's why more than 21,000 additional U.S. soldiers and Marines are being deployed to Baghdad and western Iraq, he added.  "And so I made a tough decision, and that is to reinforce our troops there and put a new commander there in the hopes of breaking the sectarian violence or helping the Iraqis break it," the president said.  The two-pronged strategy to secure Baghdad and other areas first involves U.S. troops training Iraqi forces and then accompanying them and providing support if necessary, Bush said.  He added that the democratic Iraqi government must achieve a reconciliation of the country's many sectarian and tribal groups, including Sunni and Shiite.  Failure in Iraq "would be a disaster for the Iraqi people and for the American people," Bush emphasized.  Williams passed along a question from a Minnesota National Guardsman deployed in Iraq, who asked the president what he'd do if the troop surge strategy doesn't work. Bush replied that he places great faith in his civilian and military advisors who recommended the surge plan. The U.S. strategy in Iraq also is flexible, Bush assured the soldier, noting it is "constantly adjusting to conditions on the ground" there.  Regarding conditions in Iraq, Bush warned the Iranian government against fomenting violence in Iraq or putting U.S. servicemembers' lives at risk. Some U.S. intelligence reports describe Iranian agents providing assistance to insurgents in Iraq.  "If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly," Bush said. "It makes sense for the commander in chief to say to our troops and the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government that we will help you defend yourself from people that want to sow discord and harm.  "And so we will do what it takes to protect our troops," he added.  However, Bush stressed, the United States is not planning to invade Iran. The United States has no hostility toward the Iranian people, he said, noting U.S. governmental concern is solely focused on the present Iranian government.  The United States and its allies want to employ diplomatic means to dissuade the Iranian government from acquiring nuclear power that could be used to develop atomic bombs, Bush said.  "However, if your government continues to insist upon a nuclear weapon, there will be a lost opportunity for the Iranian people; they won't be able to realize their full potential," the president said.  America will protect its interests in Iraq, Bush reiterated.  "That's what the American people expect us to do; that's definitely what our troops want to do; and that's what the families of our troops want us to do," the president said.  "And if we find the Iranians are moving weapons that will end up harming American troops, we'll deal with it," Bush said.  

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By Linda D. KozarynAmerican Forces Press Service Jan. 30, 2007 – How does a nation thank someone whose legs were destroyed by an insurgent's homemade bomb? How do Americans pay tribute to someone whose face melted in the fires of war?  In marking the opening of a new state-of-the-art rehabilitation center and two new Fisher Houses here yesterday, Cabinet secretaries, military leaders, senators, business leaders, and celebrities did their best to express their gratitude to some of the nation's sons and daughters who bear the scars of combat. The VIPs acknowledged both the servicemembers' and their family members' sacrifice.  "All those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and all those recovering from their wounds remind us of the price of freedom," Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England said. "It is a price that is periodically required to be paid in blood, and suffering and courage."  England was one of about 3,000 people gathered here to mark the opening of the Center for the Intrepid, the Army's national rehabilitation center, and two Fisher Houses, where families of the severely wounded stay to be near their loved ones. The $50 million center was built from private funds donated to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.  "What you see before you is a monument built by contributions by 600,000 Americans," said Arnold Fisher, chairman of the fund. "This is a monument to not only the men and women and their families who will come here, but a monument to the generosity of our citizens and their love for those who serve."  Both the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund and the Fisher House Foundation are members of the Defense Department's America Supports You program. The program works to highlight ways in which Americans support U.S. troops  The guests, including actress Michelle Pfeiffer, talk show celebrity Rosie O'Donnell, singer-songwriter John Mellencamp and producer David E. Kelley, paid tribute to more than 300 severely wounded men and women. While some troops sat in a row of wheelchairs in front of the stage, others slowly walked beneath crossed swords to silently parade before the applauding audience.  Mellencamp performed two of his hit songs, "Pink Houses" and "Our Country" during the event. The entertainer said he came here because the rehabilitation center is a worthwhile project. "It shows the spirit of what people can do on their own when they want to and when they need to," he told American Forces Press Service.  Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the military's highest-ranking officer, said he objects to the idea that these members of the all-volunteer force "lost" their limbs. "You gave an arm; you gave a leg; you gave your sight as gifts to your nation that we might live in freedom," the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff emphatically told the wounded warriors.  Pace said families members have sacrificed in ways that most people can only imagine. They, too, often need rehabilitation, and that's why the Center for the Intrepid and the Fisher Houses are so important.  "Those of you who are family members of the fallen and of the wounded have served this country as well as anyone who has ever worn the uniform, and we thank you for that," the chairman said. "You pray for us when we're gone, and ... when we're wounded, you're there to put us back together again."  Pace's senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, later echoed his boss's sentiments. "Families are the most important thing to us soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and 'Coasties,'" Gainey said in an interview. "If we have a system that will take care of our families, then we can deal with it, and that's a fact. If we take care of the families, we take care of the troops."  Pace also paid tribute to the military's caregivers. "From the instant any of us is wounded on the battlefield until the time we arrive here," he said, the medical professionals provide "the loving care and compassion that these wounded warriors so deserve."  One of those caregivers, retired Army Sgt. 1st Class Kathy Rasmussen, assistant administrator for the Center for the Intrepid, led the chairman on a brief tour of the $50 million facility. The 24-year veteran from Charles City, Iowa, recently retired from active duty but stayed on as a civilian employee here. "What better way to continue to serve my country," she told American Forces Press Service. "I absolutely love working with the patients."  Army Master Sgt. Daniel Robles, 17-year-Army veteran from Tucson, Ariz., who's now a patient at the Center for the Intrepid, was severely injured about four months after deploying to Iraq. He said hopes to find work at Fort Sam Houston.  "There's a lot of good people here who want to support me in that," he said in an interview. "I think it's going to work out."  During the ceremony, Arizona Sen. John McCain acknowledged the debt the nation owes its combat veterans and their families. "We have incurred a debt to you, and no matter how sincerely and generously we honor our obligations to you, we can never repay in full," McCain said. "What you have done for us we can never do for you. But we're mindful of that distinction and humbled by it.  "Our appreciation for your service demands that we all do what we can ... to help keep this nation a place, an idea worthy of the hardships, dangers and sacrifices you have borne so valiantly for us."  New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said the country has been well served by those who fight for our freedoms.  "We are blessed to have so many who have given so much," she said. "But in return, we are obligated to ensure in every way we can that they and their families are given the support that they have so richly earned and deserved."  The rehab center will be a place of healing and support, for the wounded warriors who face a challenging road ahead, Clinton said.  "May this center and the staff that serve so nobly here help all who pass through its doors to heal in body and soul, to look forward to a future that is still filled with potential, to live long and productive lives at home and to continue in whatever way you choose to serve this nation that admires, respects and loves you," she said.  

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By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service Jan. 29, 2007 – As a full-time member of the opposing force at the National Training Center here, Army Spc. Tim Lawson is accustomed to putting troops preparing to deploy through rigors like they'll confront in Iraq and Afghanistan.  But now that Lawson and his fellow 1st Platoon, 58th Combat Engineer Company, troops have orders to Iraq, they're getting put through the same paces themselves. And with the shoe on the other foot, they're realizing just how difficult the challenges -- especially those posed by improvised explosive devices -- are.  Not long into a route-clearing training mission with his mock Buffalo mine clearing vehicle, Lawson got a taste of what it's like to come up against what's become the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq.  "Once you get into the zone, everything looks suspicious," Lawson said after his "Buffalo" -- actually a heavily modified 5-ton truck -- and four other vehicles got "ambushed" by "snipers" and two vehicles got hit with simulated IEDs.  The training, offered by NTC's Operations Group in cooperation with the new Joint IED Center of Excellence, is helping arm Lawson's unit with the most up-to-date ways to confront roadside bombs, vehicle bombs and even terrorists laden with suicide vests. The Joint IED Center of Excellence opened its doors here in summer 2006 to share the latest counter-IED tactics, techniques and procedures with deploying troops, explained Air Force Lt. Col. Rodney Taylor, the center's chief of integration.  By quickly incorporating lessons learned on the battlefield into training scenarios -- sometimes within 24 hours after an event -- and exposing troops to the IED-defeating technology they'll use in the theater, it's giving them a critical leg up on their adversaries, he said.  "The enemy is continuing to evolve in its approach and its tactics, so we have to stay ahead of the game," Taylor said. "We have to be proactive."  The Joint IED Center of Excellence is part of the Joint IED Defeat Organization, a Washington-based group focused specifically on the IED threat. The center works hand in hand with four service IED centers of excellence to ensure the most comprehensive approach to countering IEDs, explained Christine DeVries, spokeswoman for the Joint IED Defeat Organization. The Army's center is here at Fort Irwin; the Marine Corps' at its Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif.; the Air Force's is at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; and the Navy's at Indianhead Naval Base, Md.  The Joint Center of Excellence builds on training the services are conducting, she said, gathering lessons learned throughout the military and ensuring they're shared with the widest possible audience.  It also recognizes that every service has a stake in the IED fight and a variety of skills sets to lend, Taylor said. The Army, for example, contributes combat arms and military intelligence troops. The Marines provide reconnaissance specialists and communications capabilities. The Air Force provides electronic warfare officers and military working dog specialists. The Navy contributes explosive ordnance disposal specialists and cryptologists.  "There are a lot of specialties, and although it may not be intuitive, they all bring something to the table in terms of the IED threat," Taylor said.  The Joint Center of Excellence focuses on helping prepare deploying troops for their own role in the IED fight, but also ensures they know what capabilities the other services can contribute. "What people get here is an understanding of the large number of assets that can be brought to bear in the IED problem," Taylor said. "When they come here to a joint environment, they learn a lot (about those capabilities). And that's important, because when they show up in Iraq or Afghanistan, they are going to be in a joint environment there."  Here at the home of the Army's Center of Excellence, the training scenarios are designed to give troops a basic foundation in the most up-to-date counter-IED tactics and exposure to some of the specialized equipment they wouldn't otherwise see until they arrived in the combat theater  "When they leave here, they will be trained to where they understand what it is to operate in an IED response sequence," said Army Capt. Sean Patrick, an observer-controller here.  That means incorporating what Patrick called the "five Cs" of IED response: "call" or identify a potential IED, "confirm" that it's an IED, then "cordon," "clear" and "control" the area.  Detecting IEDs can be particularly difficult because they can be hidden almost anywhere, and every pile of rubble or garbage is suspect, he explained, so the training focuses on situational awareness. "We're training soldiers to be keen, to be acute and to be paying attention," Patrick said. "Our goal is to impart our experience so when it comes down to them being able to execute, it's second nature."  Army Sgt. Edgar Huezo, a member of the 58th Combat Engineer Co., welcomed the training he's receiving as the clock ticks toward his unit's deployment. "Going through this training basically prepares the mind to be confident in what you are doing over there," he said. "And if you make a mistake, this is the place to do it, because you can improve it before you go."  Army Sgt. Marcus Williams, a member of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, is preparing for his third deployment to Iraq and understands firsthand the damage IEDs can do.  But despite a lot of experience under his belt and limited time stateside before his unit deploys, Williams said he recognizes the value of the training the troops are getting here. "This is getting us prepared for what we are going to face over there in Iraq," he said. "This is the place where the new guys are getting a chance to work out the kinks, and the veterans are getting to work out their (standard operating procedures). So it's very worthwhile for us."  Encountering a real-life IED forces everyone involved to focus on the situation and respond quickly, Williams said. "That's when you have to snap out of a panic mode and react," he said. "And that's when you fall back on your training."  In addition to providing troops the specialized training they need to identify and clear IEDs before they explode, the Joint Center of Excellence serves as a focal point for developing and testing new technologies to defeat them and better ways to foil the networks responsible for emplacing them, DeVries said.  Toward that end, the scenarios are focused not just at the individual and small-unit level, but also at the battalion and brigade level. As ground troops scan their patrol routes for hidden IEDs and equipment operators get experience in detonating the devices with equipment like they'll use in the theater, headquarters staffs focus on intelligence operations designed to track down the terrorists who emplaced IEDs.  "We want to find and defeat the devices before they hurt people, and when we find an IED, we want to explore the forensics of it," DeVries said. "But you can't stop at defeating the devices. You have to attack the network and take out the guys who are using them."  The tactics used to conduct these far-ranging operations require flexibility and adaptability, Taylor said.  "The enemy we face today appears to be a decentralized type of enemy, a headless enemy. If you cut off a portion of it, it still is able to operate," he said. "So we have to think outside the box in our approach, to be sure we are on the leading edge of technology and capability so we can effectively defeat the enemy."  Ultimately, countering IEDs has huge implications for U.S. military operations in the war on terror, Taylor said. Although IEDs may be relatively simple weapons, he said, they have the impact of strategic weapons. "If IEDs kill enough Americans, that may change the will of the American public, which is what we require in order to stay in Iraq and get the job done," he said.  As American troops focus on getting the job done, Patrick said, the training being offered here is going a long way toward preparing them to face IEDs. "Every minute we spend training these guys can effectively help ensure we're able to bring them home," he said.  

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American Forces Press Service Jan. 29, 2007 – Coalition forces detained 33 insurgents and destroyed a terrorist training facility this week in operations across Iraq. In raids in Iraq yesterday:  -- Coalition forces in Karmah captured 11 suspected terrorists, including a high-level al Qaeda courier with ties to senior al Qaeda in Iraq personnel.  -- Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, with Iraqi army troops, detained seven suspected insurgents near Baghdad. The insurgents are allegedly responsible for acts of terrorism in the region.  -- Coalition forces detained four suspects responsible for facilitating foreign fighter movement in Bayji.  -- Coalition forces in Baghdad captured three individuals with ties to senior al Qaeda in Iraq leadership.  -- Coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists, including the leader of an IED cell, in Ramadi.  Also this week in Iraq, soldiers from Company D, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, and Iraqi army soldiers found and destroyed a suspected insurgent training site Jan. 27 while patrolling northwest of Samarra.  At the site, combined forces found 20 rocket-propelled grenade launchers, one 82 mm mortar tube with a base plate, four 60 mm mortar tubes with base plates, a car battery and more than 7,000 large caliber machine gun rounds. An explosive ordnance disposal team destroyed the weapons and buildings.  In Baghdad on Jan. 27:  -- Paratroopers from 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), with Iraqi