By Samantha L. QuigleyAmerican Forces Press Service March 31, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces are working with city leaders to secure the Iraqi city of Tal Afar after a bombing at a market killed more than 80 people earlier this week, a military official said today in a briefing from the city.  "It's been a tremendously busy four days, tremendously stressful four days," Army Lt. Col. Malcom Frost, commander of 3rd Squadron, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, told journalists from Forward Operating Base Sykes in Tal Afar. "But ... the city is now secure and going back to its normal routines."  The question of possible involvement by Iraqi security forces, police or army has come up since the March 27 attack. Frost dismissed the notion that Iraqi forces had anything to do with the incident.  "As we investigate this, there's no indication that this was an inside job or that the Iraqi police or army or security forces supported this incident from the inside so to speak," he said. "As much as we want war to be, it is not a zero-defect exercise, and unfortunately the enemy sometimes finds a seam. This is the case in this incident."  Extra measures are in place to prevent another such incident, he added. Checkpoints are being reinforced and joint checkpoints are being increased, as are patrols.  Frost said coalition an Iraqi security forces are working to ensure that the attack doesn't overshadow the good works done during the past 15 months. Schools and medical clinics have been built, infrastructure and the general economic situation of the residents of Tal Afar have been improved.  "I want to emphasize that this tragic event is absolutely not indicative of the thousands of good things that have happened over the last 15 months in the city of Tal Afar," Frost said.  In addition to working with the Iraqis to help secure the city, he added that coalition forces are conducting successful humanitarian assistance missions to provide food, medical supplies and shelter to the victims of the March 27 blast.  Frost describes the market bombing as the insurgents' "Hail Mary" attempt to regain a foothold in the city, incite sectarian violence, and undermine the credibility of the Iraqi police and the local government. It fell short, he said.  Instead of driving the city into continued sectarian violence, it has had the opposite effect, he said, as the city's residents have come together.  "Sometimes you must take half a step back to take two steps forward," he said. "I'm confident that the city that has already come together will take those steps forward and continue to progress toward a more secure and stable area here in Tal Afar."  

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By Sgt. Sara Wood, USAAmerican Forces Press Service March 31, 2007 – The military commissions case of Australian detainee David Hicks, which concluded last night with a sentence of nine months imprisonment, was a fair proceeding that established a good basis for future commissions cases, the chief prosecutor for the Defense Department said here yesterday.  Hicks, 31, was sentenced according to a plea agreement after pleading guilty to one charge of providing material support for terrorism. The commission recommended a seven-year sentence, which was the maximum allowed under the agreement, but another part of the agreement guaranteed a suspension for any portion of the sentence beyond nine months.  "What I hope is going to be reported is that we gave an al Qaeda terrorist a full and fair trial," Air Force Col. Morris Davis, chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions, said at a news conference after the sentencing.  Davis conceded that because of the plea agreement, not all parts of the commission process were tested. However, the portions that did happen were fair and orderly, and everyone involved learned from them, he said.  Hicks, the first detainee charged under the Military Commissions Act of 2006, entered a guilty plea March 26 in an unexpected evening hearing here. After two days of negotiations between the defense and prosecution, Hicks appeared before the military judge to confirm that he attended several al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan in 2001 and that after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he spent time with al Qaeda fighters at Kandahar Airport and at the front lines in Konduz before being captured while fleeing to Pakistan. He did not, however, admit to ever firing a shot or having any knowledge of the 9/11 attacks in advance.  Marine Maj. Michael Mori, Hicks's detailed defense counsel, said at the news conference that the plea agreement was Hicks's choice, and that Hicks is looking forward to returning to Australia soon. The agreement states that Hicks must be transferred to Australian custody within 60 days of the sentence being passed.  "I think David right now is looking forward to getting back to Australia," Mori said. "He has some certainty finally in his life, and he'll be able to focus on getting on with his life, getting back with his family, finishing his education, and putting this part of his life behind him."  Mori said he has filed all the necessary paperwork for Hicks's transfer and hopes it will happen before the May 29 deadline.  Davis said about 74 more cases are waiting to be tried in military commissions here, and that the processes will be the same as were used in Hicks's case. Each case is unique and may or may not involve a plea deal, but what is important are the procedures and rules, he said.  "I'm not as concerned with the outcome of a particular case as I am in that the trial is fair and the proceeding is fair," Davis said.  

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By Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump, USAFSpecial to American Forces Press Service March 31, 2007 – Slovenia's deployments to multiple countries for NATO, the United Nations and the European Union drew praise here yesterday from the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani met with Defense Minister Karl Erjavec, Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Albin Gutman and Gutman's deputy, Maj. Gen. Alojz Steiner, at the Defense Ministry of this nation at the crossroads of central Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans.  "Slovenia has contributed substantially to a variety of operations across NATO," the admiral said at a news conference. "Clearly, the most significant that is occurring right now is Kosovo, with a very large presence of a battalion of Slovenian troops there. We're very thankful for that, both from the United States and throughout the alliance."  The battalion is the first large unit deployment from Slovenia to Kosovo, he said. In addition to that deployment, the Slovenian defense forces are making contributions in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq.  "All of those are very meaningful and are a strong testament to the desire for Slovenia to be a good partner in this alliance," Giambastiani said. "In fact, I would compliment Slovenia on exceeding the troop deployment goals that NATO has set, and Slovenia continues to punch above its weight, and we're very thankful for that."  "In 2006 for example, Slovenia averaged well over 700 troops deployed," he said. "Now that's not the only measure of what a country does as part of our alliance, but what's significant is that there's other deployments in support of the United Nations and of the European Union, and also independent deployments based upon other commitments Slovenia has made. The fact that Slovenian armed forces have come this far in a short period of time is impressive."  Slovenia is slightly smaller than New Jersey, and abolished its military draft in 2003. Its all-volunteer military has about 40,000 members.  During the day's meetings, Slovenian officials briefed Giambastiani on plans for their government to increase the percentage of gross domestic product applied toward national security and NATO commitments. The admiral was also briefed on proposed pay increases and plans for increased training and education.  "That is very important to draw the highest quality people you can," the admiral said.  (Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump is assigned to the Joint Chiefs of Staff public affairs office.)  

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By Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump, USAFSpecial to American Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – While NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan is a success, more help is needed from the international community, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a speech here yesterday.  Navy Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani spoke to about 60 members of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association, Euro-Atlantic Center, and Center for European and North Atlantic Affairs about NATO efforts in Afghanistan.  Giambastiani said NATO has a Combined Joint Statement of Requirements, or CJSOR, to fill military missions.  "The inability of NATO to fill all of these CJSOR requirements is disconcerting," Giambastiani said. "To a former NATO officer, it's hard. Given the size of the combined militaries of NATO and the universal political commitment that has been shown, several key capabilities are needed."  One top priority in his view: helicopters.  "In a country that's as vast as Afghanistan with mountainous regions and valleys, you need helicopters to move around. Thousands of helicopters exist within NATO. We are still having trouble finding 20 helicopters to replace the U.S. bridging force that we put in Afghanistan."  He said this also highlights the importance of a strategic lift capability within NATO to get troops and helicopters into a theater of operations.  Giambastiani also said Afghanistan needs more help from other nations.  "The dollars and the euros actually spent there are much less than the promises or commitment made in many cases. They have not met the Afghan people's expectations based on what they've been told. There's a good effort to date. For example, 1 million in euros in reconstruction aid has been promised. Not all of it has been obligated."  Another area Afghanistan needs assistance with is police forces.  "More police mentors are needed in Afghanistan," the admiral said. The European Union is sending 160 mentors. Seventy will go to the Afghan capital of Kabul, while the other 90 will go to other parts of the country, he said, noting that as a positive sign.  Overall, the admiral said, the mission in Afghanistan is critical to the NATO alliance.  "In my view, so goes Afghanistan, so goes NATO. This is a big challenge, both for our defense establishments and our cultures."  The admiral said intelligence sharing among Afghanistan, its neighbors and other NATO countries is critical, and overcoming challenges faced in Afghanistan is imperative for the alliance.  "Conducting high-intensity operations, counterinsurgency operations and civil-military cooperation operations will either serve to transform NATO and its military capabilities, or drive it to division and failure," he said. I am optimistic about NATO. I am optimistic about this alliance and its ability to transform."  (Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam M. Stump is assigned to the Joint Staff public affairs office.)  

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By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service 

March 30, 2007 – The general in charge of coalition military efforts in Iraq today condemned "barbaric actions" by al Qaeda elements in the wake of bombings in the northern city of Tal Afar that killed dozens of Iraqi civilians and injured scores of others. In a written statement issued by Multinational Force Iraq, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said the attacks are designed to divide the Iraqi people and draw attention away from the improving security situation in Iraq's capital.

 "Al Qaeda in Iraq elements once again displayed their total disregard for human life, carrying out barbaric actions against innocent Iraqi citizens in an effort to reignite sectarian violence and to undermine recent Iraqi and coalition successes in improving security in Baghdad," Petraeus said in the statement.  "These horrific attacks demonstrated al Qaeda's complete rejection of respect for life itself, and the coalition joins Iraqi leaders in condemning these latest acts of cold-blooded murder," he said.  Today's statement is the second strong official reaction to the attack on a crowded marketplace from the top coalition command in Iraq. The day after the attack, Multinational Force Iraq released a statement that wasn't attributed to a specific official. The March 28 statement called the attack a "cowardly and inhumane" and "another example of attempts by extremists to reignite violence between people who have lived in peace despite being from different sectarian and ethnic groups."  The statement called on Iraqi leaders and citizens to remain united, to reject violence, and to bring to justice those responsible for the Tal Afar attack.  A coalition military leader in northern Iraq also spoke out on March 28.  "This was an act of cowardice and only demonstrates to the world how desperate this enemy is," said Army Brig. Gen. Mick Bednarek, deputy commander of Task Force Lighting and Multinational Division North. "The Iraqi people must stand united against these forces so the country can continue on its path to a free and democratic state."  

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American Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – Coalition and Iraqi forces captured 12 suspected terrorists today, and bombers continued to target Iraqis over the last few days, military officials reported. In Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, Iraqi and coalition forces captured a suspected criminal tied to explosively-formed projectile facilitation networks.  The suspect is believed to be involved with several violent extremist groups responsible for attacks against the Iraqi people and coalition Forces and facilitating the movement of EFPs into Iraq, officials said.  Near the Syrian border, coalition forces captured six suspected terrorists with alleged links to al-Qaeda and the smuggling of foreign fighters into Iraq. Five more suspects with alleged involvement in foreign fighter smuggling were captured in a raid north of Karmah.  Meanwhile, bombers targeting Iraqis have continued to strike. An explosion occurred at a Shaab Ur market last night. Coalition officials had no immediate information on how many people were killed or wounded, but said the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division responded to provide medical assistance and to secure the area. The market was closing down at the time of the attack.  Two car bombs killed four Iraqi police officers and an Iraqi civilian and wounded 16 others in southwest Baghdad yesterday. Initial reports indicate that the police officer and Iraqi civilian died when a bomb detonated near a patrol at about 8 a.m. near the Jihad neighborhood. Iraqi soldiers and police were investigating a suspicious vehicle when it detonated, officials said. Later, a second car-bomb detonated in Bayaa, wounding seven Iraqi civilians, including several children.  Shortly after the attacks, Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad troops established checkpoints and began to evacuate the wounded to local hospitals, while also searching for other possible car-bombs in the area.  A vehicle exploded between a market area and a mosque south of Baghdad on March 28, killing five people and wounding 20 others. Iraqi soldiers responded to the explosion and assisted in the evacuation of the wounded to the al-Hillah hospital. They also found an unexploded 82 mm mortar round was found.  (Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)  

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By Gerry J. GilmoreAmerican Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – It's imperative - especially during wartime - that the Defense Department continues to provide viable family and troop morale programs for servicemembers and their families, a senior Defense Department official said here yesterday.  "Our military families are the heart and soul of troops on the battlefield," Leslye A. Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, told the House Armed Services Committee's subcommittee on military personnel at a Capitol Hill hearing.  The Defense Department "has made family support a priority and redesigned and boosted family support in a number of ways to recognize the crucial role families play in supporting servicemembers" deployed worldwide in support of the war against terrorism, Arsht said.  Military families cite communication with their deployed servicemembers as their No. 1 concern, Arsht said. Among other initiatives, defense officials haves established special computerized communications centers that help keep families and servicemembers connected during deployments, she noted.  Military families also want easy and quick access to information that's important to them, Arsht said, and she cited two Web-based Defense Department initiatives designed to meet that need.  Military OneSource is a 24-hour information and referral service at www.militaryonesource.com that provides information about parenting, child care, educational services, financial information and counseling, Arsht said.  Military Homefront is the department's quality-of-life web portal at www.militaryhomefront.dod.mil that provides useful information about stateside or overseas moving, spouse job information, and more. These services also support National Guard and Reserve military families, Arsht added.  Military family support and assistance centers established across the services "remain the backbone of support provided to families in the military," Arsht said.  The military services also provide counseling support to help families cope with separations due to servicemembers' overseas deployments, Arsht said. Trained family counselors can help families with life management issues such as reunion expectations, loneliness, stress, long separations, effects of deployment on children, loss and grief and more, she said.  The department's commissary, military exchange and child-care systems all provide important support to military families, Arsht said. Military families save more than 30 percent annually on groceries by using their local commissary and save 16 to 20 percent at their local exchange stores, she noted.  About 42 percent of junior enlisted servicemembers who use child care said they were moderately to very concerned about the issue during their last deployment, Arsht said.  Accordingly, the department has provided $228 million in funding for military child care since the start of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, she said, while creating about 7,000 more child care spaces at 37 child care centers. The department has earmarked another $82 million, Arsht said, for expanding existing child care facilities.  Another program, Operation Military Child Care, provides support for the child care needs of geographically dispersed military parents, Arsht said, and is especially helpful for members of the National Guard and Reserve.  The military also provides several no-cost youth activity programs through partnerships with national organizations such as the Boys and Girls Clubs, 4-H Clubs, and the Armed Services YMCA, Arsht said.  Overseas troops regularly enjoy top-name entertainment provided by the Armed Forces Entertainment, Arsht said. In 2006, AFE conducted 118 tours with 1,433 shows in 25 countries, she said. Entertainers include Gary Sinise, Colin Quinn, World Wrestling Entertainment personalities, the Harlem Globetrotters, and many more groups.  Additionally, the Spirit of America tour puts on shows for stateside military audiences, Arsht said. From 2002 to 2006, the Robert and Nina Rosenthal Foundation worked with the country music industry to provide 76 celebrity shows at no cost to military members and their families, she noted.  Defense officials will continue to do their best to support servicemembers and their families as the war against global terrorism continues and the Defense Department restructures itself, Arsht pledged.  "The needs of individual servicemembers and their families must still be met," Arsht said. "The department will continue to explore the most effective means of underwriting support to families and developing innovative new support systems."  

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By Carmen L. GleasonAmerican Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – Running a nonprofit organization can be strain on an individual's time, space and resources. One home-front group's leader says she relies on a specific form of aid through the tough times: divine intervention.  Frankie Mayo, founder of Operation AC, said the fund-raising strategy for her troop-support group is prayer.  "When God puts something on your heart to do, you just have to do it," she said. "I pray at night before I go to bed about the issues that have come up, and the next morning God shows me what I'm supposed to do."  Although Mayo's organization has encountered occasional difficulties, it still has managed to send nearly $3 million worth of supplies to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003.  Operation AC is a member of America Supports You, a Defense Department program helping home-front groups connect to members of the U.S. military and their families at home and abroad.  The Delaware-based group began when Mayo's son and daughter-in-law were deployed to Iraq. The summer heat was so oppressive that bars of soap melted and cans of shaving cream burst. In an effort to do something positive and help boost the morale of deployed troops, Mayo started purchasing air conditioners to help make their lives a little more bearable.  Although her "kids" returned from their deployments three years ago, Mayo said that her efforts are far from over.  "I feel that whatever my husband and I can do to support the war, it's our responsibility," she said. "These troops are our brothers, sisters and children. They deserve our utmost respect and support."  The family-run group continues to send over occasional batches of air conditioners, but its scope has broadened to adapt to the ever-changing needs of the men and women in uniform who are deployed.  Operation AC's Web site, www.operationac.com, allows users to exchange e-mails and adopt individual servicemembers by purchasing items on their wish lists for "virtual care boxes."  Through bulk mail, the organization helps troops get personal items such as hygiene supplies, music, games and movies, as well as replenishments of Defense Department-approved boots, helmet chin straps and other equipment.  "I would like to say a heartfelt thanks to all of you," one soldier wrote to the group's Web site. "Sometimes getting things from home is the only thing keeping us going."  Mayo's team also has worked on several special projects like "Boots from Bikers," in which a local Harley Davidson store has donated more than 4,200 pairs of combat boots to troops.  Through its Web site, Operation AC also allows individuals to purchase boots for troops at a discounted rate. To date, more than $450,000 worth of footwear has been sent to the troops.  "We buy them for $4 more than we sell them for; God makes up the rest," said Mayo. She said she believes that even though the manufacturer has increased prices, that shouldn't be passed along to the organization's supporters.  In addition to meeting the physical needs of soldiers, the group tries to meet their emotional needs as well.  Thousands of get well cards have been sent to wounded troops in combat support hospitals in Iraq through Operation AC. Mayo's daughter, Olivia, started the effort two years ago when she was 11 years old. By sending cards of support directly to nurses at the hospitals, Olivia is able to get cards in the hands of servicemembers before they are evacuated from the country.  "What you have given blesses these precious men and women," wrote a chaplain who is stationed at one of the hospitals on the Web site. "Your gifts enhance the holistic healthcare we provide for all those who proudly perform their sacred duty."  The kindness of the organization hasn't stopped at the gates of the forward operating bases and camps scattered throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. Operation AC is reaching out to others in need by sending clothing and shoes to Afghan orphanages. Each month, hundreds of boxes "hitch a ride" with the support items going to troops and are then distributed to needy Afghan children.  Vietnam veteran Mike Cormier has been involved with the organization since its inception. He packs every box that makes its way into the hands of soldiers.  "I remember when I was in 'Nam,' we didn't receive the kind of stuff Frankie's doing for troops," he said. "I know from personal experience that it boosts morale to have support from back home. And I won't quit what I'm doing until the last one comes home."  Mayo is straightforward when asked why she continues to carry on this mission.  

"I'm not here to have a job for myself; when the war is over, we will go away," she said. "But the whole point is that one person can make a difference, and I have a responsibility to do my part." 

 

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By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – An alleged al Qaeda leader being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said he admitted to involvement in the attack on the USS Cole only because he was being tortured, according to a transcript of his hearing released today.  Meanwhile, another detainee admitted that he helped transfer the funds used to bomb the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta in August 2003, but said he had no idea how the money was to be used.  Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, alleged to be the mastermind and local manager of the 2000 Cole bombing, spoke through a translator during his March 14 combat status review tribunal hearing at the detention facility.  Mohammed Nazir Bin Lep, known as "Lillie," opted not to attend his March 20 hearing, but issued a written statement denying the allegations against him.  Both tribunals were administrative hearings to determine only if the detainees could be designated as enemy combatants.  Evidence was presented against Narshiri, alleged to be a former al Qaeda operations chief on the Arabian Peninsula who led terror cells in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.  During his hearing, Nashiri said he had confessed under torture to playing a role in several terrorist incidents, including the USS Cole bombing and the October 2002 ramming of the French oil tanker MV Limberg Aden Harbor, Yemen. However, he insisted that he made the confessions only because he was coerced.  Nashiri denied any involvement with al Qaeda, although he admitted to knowing people who were involved in the Cole and other attacks.  He told the tribunal he had confessed to involvement in plans to bomb U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf and to hijack a plane and crash it into a ship, and claimed that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has a nuclear bomb.  "The detainee states that he was tortured into confession, and once he made a confession, his captors were happy and they stopped torturing him," Nashiri's translator told the tribunal president.  Nashiri "made up stories during the torture in order to get it to stop," the translator told the tribunal president.  "From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me," Nashiri said, according to the transcript. "I just said those things to make the people happy. They were very happy when I told them those things."  Nashiri acknowledged frequent meetings with bin Laden and said he received big sums of cash from him, some of it meant to buy explosives for the Cole attack. However, Nashiri said, he spent it in other ways or gave it to friends.  Nashiri said he doesn't consider Americans his enemies, but he said he does want the United States to leave the Persian Gulf.  Lillie said in a written statement he had no knowledge of the Jakarta Marriott bombing. Evidence presented against him during the tribunal showed Lillie was slated to be a suicide bomber for an al Qaeda attack targeting Los Angeles. He also allegedly was involved in a plot against the British High Commission in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and cased targets in Thailand in mid-2002.  The U.S. government established the CSRT process at Guantanamo Bay as a result of a June 2004 Supreme Court decision in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden who challenged his detention at Guantanamo Bay. Between July 2004 and March 2005, DoD conducted 558 CSRTs at Guantanamo Bay. At the time, 38 detainees were determined to no longer meet the definition of enemy combatant, and 520 detainees were found to be enemy combatants.  

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By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service  March 30, 2007 – Al Qaeda's use of chlorine gas against civilians and use of children as suicide bombers highlights the terror organization's barbarity, a Joint Staff spokesman said here today.  Al Qaeda extremists in Iraq are using chlorine canisters and chlorine-carrying trucks to attack civilian targets, said Army Maj. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, Joint Staff deputy director for operations.  On March 23, Barbero said, Iraqi police foiled an attack in Ramadi that could have caused catastrophic casualties. The police intercepted a truck carrying 5,000 gallons of chlorine and two tons of explosives.  On March 28, two chlorine-laden trucks exploded outside the Fallujah military operations center. The attack injured 14 U.S. troops and 57 Iraqis.  "I strongly believe that this use of chlorine should not be dismissed simply as a new tactic or an emerging trend," Barbero said. "Chlorine is a poison gas being used on the Iraqi people. Before these attacks, the last time poison gas was used on the Iraqi people was by Saddam Hussein."  Al Qaeda in Iraq and related Sunni extremists are using this weapon against the Sunni population of Anbar province. "We have Sunni extremists attacking innocent Sunnis with a poison gas," Barbero said.  Coalition officials see the escalation as a response to the Iraqi people's growing sentiment against the terror organization. Al Qaeda is trying to intimidate the people of the province, Barbero said.  Its actions show that al Qaeda in Iraq is not an "honorable resistance" aimed at "driving out the infidels," the general said.  The terrorists continue to use children to launch attacks. On March 28, Iraqi police went after a suspicious vehicle in Haditha. "As they drove past a 12-to14-year-old boy riding a bicycle, a bomb in the boy's backpack detonated, killing him instantly," Barbero said.  "These acts - the use of poison gas and the use of children as weapons - are unacceptable in any civilized society and demonstrate the truly dishonorable nature of this enemy," he said.  

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 By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – The United States and Japan are increasing their military cooperation and coordination to face evolving threats, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force here said.  "The security relationship between the United States and Japan is tied to international knowledge and understanding of the alliance," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright.  The bedrock of U.S. strategy in Asia remains the Japanese-U.S. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Defense. Signed in 1960, the treaty relationship between the two nations has changed, but the document still remains relevant.  "Only 15 years after the end of a horrific war between our nations, Japan and the United States made a decision to move forward," Wright said. "The words in the treaty come from America's ideal - all are created equal, a commitment to freedom and democracy for all.  "What's neat for me is that the results speak for themselves," he continued. "The results are exemplary. It is now a pact between the two greatest economic powers in the world. We are mutually supportive economically and certainly in our military-to-military relationships."  Wright said coordination and cooperation between the two militaries has increased exponentially. In 1960, the United States essentially was responsible for the defense of Japan. The enemy at the time was the Soviet Union. China was a lurking menace, and the Korean War was just seven years in the past.  Today, the North Korean threat has drawn the two countries closer together, Wright said. North Korea has proliferated missile technology, and the country's nuclear test last year gave impetus to the relationship between the United States and Japan for ballistic missile defense.  "There is a lot of debate within Japan over the issue of collective self-defense," the general said. Japanese and American forces are working together to establish the missile defense posture. "That requires a level of close coordination that hasn't been needed in the past," he said.  A new joint operations and coordination center at Yokota Air Base, Japan, was very effective during the North Korea missile tests, Wright said. A new bilateral and joint operations coordination center is going in at Yokota and will be operational in 2010. U.S. and Japanese personnel will use their own equipment, but coordination will be close.  The flight time of a missile from North Korea to Japan is short, Wright said. The coordination needed to defend against that threat is extensive and should carry over to other aspects of U.S.-Japanese cooperation.  "If you can handle the ballistic missile defense problem, it's going to percolate in a joint bilateral way in how we coordinate," Wright said. "It's just an improvement in defense capabilities. There is no expansion of U.S. or Japanese forces involved. In a resource-constrained environment, it is using information systems technology, it's building on a shift in our traditional ways of doing business."  The two militaries working together equal more than the sum of their parts, Wright said. What is more, the pact allows for allies to play important roles.  "This is an alliance that has its arms open," Wright said. "This military alliance should and does reach out to include military-to-military-to-military-plus interaction with multiple countries in the region, including South Korea and China.  "From the foundation of an exemplary alliance, now is the time to reach out," he continued. "Certainly, Australia is an important part of this alliance. That's just another example of the relevance of the alliance in a dynamic security alliance."  The Japanese have moved more decisively into security operations. The Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force sent engineers to Iraq. The Air Self-Defense Force is flying missions out of Kuwait. The Maritime Self-Defense Force maintains tankers in the Indian Ocean, providing long-term capabilities for navies operating there.  "The Japanese have a lot of pride in the operation in Iraq," Wright said. "It had a positive affect on the Japanese as a whole. The military for years has not been very visible. That's changing over time, and I think that it is changing for the good in the context that it reminds people that there is a Japan-U.S. military partnership. It is helpful to both nations at the strategic level."  The United States will continue the realignment of its forces in Japan, Wright said. "(The realignment) will be expensive, but I think the forces are about the right size and it is essential to work on the roles and missions and capabilities of our forces for the future," Wright said.  That assessment, he said, must include improved planning coordination, interoperability, more consistent and persistent joint and bilateral training and addressing common weapons systems so those systems are compatible.  

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By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – President Bush assured the medical staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center today he recognizes that problems at the facility reflected a failed bureaucracy, not the care they were providing.  Bush, on his first visit to Walter Reed since news of its problems was revealed, thanked the staff for the extraordinary care they provide military men and women.  "Every time I come to Walter Reed, I'm also impressed by the caregivers: the docs, the nurses, the people who spend many hours trying to heal those who have been wounded in service to our country," he said. "The soldiers and Marines stay here only for a few months, but the compassion they receive here stays with them for a lifetime."  Bush said he knows the work these medical professionals do is often behind the scenes, and they don't get a lot of glory for it.  "But you certainly do from the family members who first come here and they see their loved one on a bed, wondering whether or not that person will ever walk again, and then, six months later, the body is returning, and the spirit is strong, the person's up and moving around," he told them. "The family and the soldier (are) impressed by that care."  Americans need to understand that the problems at Walter Reed aren't about medical care, the president said. "The quality of care at this fantastic facility is great, and it needs to remain that way," he said.  He cited independent analysts who have given the facility high marks for its medical care, and reaffirmed that assessment during a recent surprise inspection.  "In other words, this isn't my assessment; nor is it the assessment of people I have talked to, the families, although that's what they believe," the president said. "It is also the assessment of a joint commission which accredits thousands of American hospitals. And this commission has given Walter Reed the highest possible rating, a gold seal of approval."  Bush thanked the staff for keeping the quality of care at Walter Reed top-notch, and vowed to ensure other aspects of the facility come up to the same standard.  "The problems at Walter Reed were caused by bureaucratic and administrative failures," he said. "The system failed you and it failed our troops, and we're going to fix it."  The country owes its wounded troops the best, and it's evident that Walter Reed's medical staff feels the same way, the president said.  "People here recognize (that) each human being here matters, each person counts, and each person has endless possibilities, even though they may have received terrible wounds on the battlefield," he said.  Serving the people who serve the country is a special calling, the president said.  "It requires a unique person to come here on a daily basis and to heal the hurts of those who have served our country," he said. "And so our nation is grateful and I am proud to be your commander in chief."  

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By John J. KruzelAmerican Forces Press Service March 30, 2007 – Over the last year, coalition forces have laid the foundation for stability and provincial Iraqi control in Anbar province, the commander of Multinational Force West said today.  "Our strategy of clear, hold and build, combined with an energized governmental and tribal engagement, is beginning to bear fruit," Marine Maj. Gen. Walt Gaskin told reporters at the Pentagon via satellite.  Progress is evident in the region's increased Iraqi security forces recruiting figures, decreased number of attacks, and in the upswing in economic commerce, he said.  Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's benchmark visit to the region, Gaskin added, was a large step in the right direction for reconciliation and reconstruction. "We cannot overemphasize the significance of having the prime minister come to an overwhelmingly Sunni chapter of Ramadi," he said.  "An important event which occurred in Ramadi while the prime minister was (here) was the first locally held meeting of the Al Anbar Provincial Council in 11 months," the commander said. "The council adjourned last spring from Al Anbar because of security concerns. This dialogue makes me very hopeful for the future of the province."  Anbar governance, Gaskin said, is beginning to function independently. Residents there are starting to put in place city mayors and provincial and municipal governorships, all of which are helping to stimulate economic development and provide input to the council.  Public sentiment toward al Qaeda in Iraq has shifted from "tolerance to open hostility" in the province, the general said.  "Anbar is different than the other 17 provinces in Iraq," Gaskin said, describing the unique challenges in Anbar. "It is predominately Sunni, the main threat that we have is al Qaeda in Iraq, and what we see is that once we gain the peace and stability into the major cities, then we can work on ... pushing al Qaeda out."  Purging al Qaeda elements from Anbar cities requires three important aspects, including "getting the Iraqi police into the cities, getting the Iraqi army in support of the police (and) getting the coalition forces in overwatch," he said.  Many tribal sheikhs, a highly influential sector of Anbar society, believe reconstruction strategy is consistent with the principles of human rights, the rule of law and due process, and are encouraging young Iraqi men to enlist in Iraqi security forces, Gaskin said.  "It is with their permission and courageous leadership that the men of Al Anbar join the Iraqi army and the police," he said. "With the support of the local tribal leaders, the capabilities of the security forces are growing. The terrorists are finding it increasingly difficult to operate and hide within the civilian population."  There are about 2,500 members of the various emergency relief units, 13,200 police officers and 13,000 Iraqi army soldiers, alongside about 35,000 men and women of Multinational Force West currently serving throughout Anbar, Gaskin said.  

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