By Tech. Sgt. D. Clare, USAF

Special to American Forces Press Service

Jan. 29, 2008 - The Air Force Theater Hospital's 98 percent survivability rate for injured U.S. servicemembers would be meaningless if the wounded were unable to survive their journey out of the combat zone.  Four years into the war, the process of saving lives and safely transporting critically injured and ill troops out of Iraq has become one of the greatest military feats in modern history, according to Air Force Lt. Col. Beverly Johnson, chief nurse for the Contingency Aeromedical Staging Facility here.

The CASF is a minor conglomerate of different functions. It's at once a ward for the sick and injured and a recreation center for those who are able enough. It's a passenger terminal where travelers get bandages changed and customs agents come to the bedridden.

Patients are pre-assessed, assessed, and reassessed. Lessons have been learned and are applied. How will altitude affect cranial swelling for a traumatic brain injury victim? Will an arm in a cast swell in mid-flight? Burn patients must stay warm, current prescriptions must be filled, and care providers must anticipate every possible scenario before the patient goes by bus to the plane. Launch nurses pass on reports; other nurses pick the most critical patients up from the hospital's intensive care unit.

"By the time most patients get here, they might have some pain, but they're pretty happy," said Air Force Staff Sgt. Joan Sanchez, lead technician for the litter side of the CASF ward. "For many soldiers, this is as nice a facility as they have ever seen in Iraq."

Sanchez and other CASF team members act as care providers, terminal agents and hospital logisticians. The team also has mental health professionals who monitor traumatic brain injury victims and support patients suffering from post-traumatic stress.

On the ground, the team organizes its passenger load based on the configuration of outbound cargo aircraft. A C-17 Globemaster III transport jet has to be reconfigured to become a flying hospital.

In addition to hosting the most comprehensive medical facility in Iraq, the Air Force Theater Hospital's CASF here acts as the hub for wounded troops being flown out of the country. If servicemembers from anywhere in Iraq require aeromedical evacuation from the theater, they will pass through the Air Force Theater Hospital and the hands of CASF team members en route to follow-on care, said Air Force Lt. Col. Rene Bloomer, Air Expeditionary Force CASF chief nurse.

The 60-member CASF team represents more than a half dozen specialties and facilitates one of the hospital's top priorities -- clearing beds.

"Our No. 1 goal is to get them here, quickly assess and stabilize them, and get them on an airplane," Johnson said.

Success at the hospital depends on a constant cycle. Staff members must always be ready to save new trauma victims and have enough empty beds for the next casualties.

Beyond the logistical achievement of maintaining constant airflow from Balad to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany and to bases outside the combat zone, the aeromedical evacuation process has evolved and improved, said Johnson, a 15-year CASF veteran.

Aeromedical evacuation has been a military asset since World War II, she said, though at first on a limited scale and with equally limited capabilities. The Korean and Vietnam wars saw increasing use of air power in medical evacuations. Neither those wars, nor the limited casualties in Desert Storm, however, truly tested the system, she said.

But the simultaneous bombing of three U.S. embassies in East Africa in August 1998 and the terrorist attack on the USS Cole in a Yemeni harbor in October 2000 showed the modern capabilities of critical care teams and aeromedical evacuations. Johnson recalled when the system was being tested In the 1990s.

"The European Command called saying, 'What would happen if we had to move 1,000 casualties in a day?' I said, 'We can't. We don't have enough aircrews to support that kind of movement.' They've really built up the system, and it's been seamless since I've been here. It's really been revolutionary for the Air Force. It's always been a good system, but we've really put it to the test in this war, and it has performed phenomenally."

On the flight line, seriously wounded and ill patients are transferred to the Critical Care Air Transport Team -- specially trained flight medics, nurses and physicians who set up and staff the trauma ward in the sky.

On a busy day, 50 patients will head out to Germany. On a slow day, 10 or 12 patients might be outbound. Rarely is there a day without an aeromedical evacuation. Johnson said 600 to 700 patients move out from Balad every month now, a 20 percent decrease from what teams experienced during past rotations.

Aeromedical evacuation teams in general and CASFs in particular are not common in stateside military medical facilities. Airmen like Staff Sgt. Jessica Reese, a CASF medical technician, said the opportunity for additional training before her deployment and the ability to work outside her normal clinical experience make the facility a rewarding place to work.

A dermatology technician at home, she said she knows she's making a difference in Iraq.

"I'm so proud of what I do. I feel good to be taking care of these troops who have made such tremendous sacrifices. It's an honor to be here for them, to take care of them and to send them home safe," Reese said. Her favorite part of the job comes after litters are loaded on the flightline.

"For the guys who can walk, we line up in two rows and applaud them as they walk onto the plane. I love that. It's our way of saying, 'We support you, and you get to go home now,'" she said.

(Air Force Tech. Sgt. D. Clare serves in public affairs with the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing.)

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

Jan. 29, 2008 - President Bush is asking Congress to approve $70 billion as partial payment for global war on terrorism operations in his fiscal 2009 defense budget request, Defense Department officials said today.  Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said during a news conference that the $70 billion request will fund operations through the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The fiscal 2009 budget request goes to Congress on Feb. 3.

"Why we are submitting just a partial amount is predicated on a couple of things, one of which is the fact that ... we haven't gotten our money that's needed and has been requested for fiscal year '08 yet to fight the global war on terror," he said.

The department is still waiting for Congress to approve $102 billion for this fiscal year, Morrell said. During his State of the Union address last night, President Bush asked Congress to approve the 2008 supplemental funding request quickly.

How much the department will need is based on events on the ground, Morrell said. Trends in Iraq are positive, but Pentagon officials want to hear the reports of Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multinational Force Iraq commander; Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, U.S. Central Command chief; and the Joint Chiefs of Staff before making budgeting decisions.

"So we are submitting the $70 billion request with the anticipation that at some point we will go back to the Congress and ask for what else is needed in fiscal year '09," Morrell said.

The $70 billion request is a marker for what the department will need in fiscal 2009, Morrell said. That money should be able to at least handle much of the first quarter of the fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, and then the rest will be executed by a subsequent administration and secretary of defense, he noted.

"But we will likely come back to the Congress at some point in this year to revise the global war on terror funding request, to include what is needed in its totality," he said.

By Elaine Eliah Special to American Forces Press Service  Jan. 29, 2008 - To many Americans, convenient shopping means easy, safe parking at clean, wholesome supermarkets. In Iraq, where shoppers often risk their lives buying groceries and vendors watch produce rot for lack of electricity or transport, marketing has different requirements. The New Baghdad Market, also known as 9 Nissan, soon will be able to meet these special needs.  The "Baghdad 2" embedded provincial reconstruction team and the 3rd Infantry Division's 2-69th Armor Battalion have been working with the Baghdad Provincial Council, local district and neighborhood councils and the U.S. Agency for International Development's "Inma" agribusiness program to rekindle plans for a modern community-based retail food market. Inma is an Arabic word that means "growth."  The high-profile New Baghdad Market is perfectly located beside a highway, adjacent to bus transport and surrounded by a large residential community. It was designed for secure shopping, sanitary food handling and safe food storage. Built with USAID funding in 2004, the market remained unoccupied as violence and ethnic tension drove many residents away.  Local police continuously ran squatters out of the stalls, and coalition forces often found weapons caches there. As stability took hold and local residents returned to their neighborhood, hundreds of vendors commandeered nearby streets, building makeshift stalls from scrap wood and plastic sheeting to sell vegetables, chicken and meat.  "The area developed so fast economically that it attracted people even from outside the area," said Army Capt. Alexis Perez-Cruz, who has worked for 10 months with Iraqi police and soldiers in the area of the market. "Neighborhood council meetings have now shifted focus from security to economic issues."  Looking at the unoccupied New Baghdad Market, the council saw economic opportunity ready to be developed. The Iraqi police saw a way to clear a major thoroughfare, and coalition forces saw an opportunity to work with the Iraqi government to improve a community and the lives of its residents.  Late last year, 2-69th Armor and the Baghdad 2 team asked Inma to help make the market viable. Inma's value chain strategy for improving Iraq's private sector agribusiness recognizes that increasing the supply of farm produce without enabling markets to accommodate the demand cannot lead to sustainable development.  "A clean, safe market offers Iraqi shoppers one small semblance of normalcy in their lives," said Inma Chief of Party Herschel Weeks. "The facility will ultimately impact farmers by becoming an introductory step toward modern marketing and packaging."  When Inma engineers visited the New Baghdad Market, they found street lighting in place, but no electricity; sewers and toilets were in need of cleaning and repair, but had no running water. Strengthening Iraq's agribusiness value chain requires water and electricity for cleaning, packing and refrigerating produce to prolong its shelf life.  Soldiers from 2-69th Armor designed the security for the market, including T-wall concrete barriers, "drop-arm" vehicle entry gates and pedestrian checkpoints. Their noncommissioned officer for projects, Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey Rogers, has been instrumental in bringing together the many stakeholders. The battalion will coordinate crews for clearing parking lots and cleaning the sewer system.  Representatives of the Iraqi government and local councils documented land ownership at New Baghdad Market and will secure an agreement that allows market vendors to hold official leases for their stalls.  USAID contractors will complete display stands and install roller shutters on the stalls. They also will manage construction repairs and upgrades, including electrical and plumbing installation, flooring, roofing, doors and shutters for market booths.  Taking the lead on market completion, Inma will install the security elements and will provide generators and cold storage units. Inma helped the 9 Nissan Market Agricultural Association, which will manage the facility, legally register as a nongovernmental organization and will train association members in facility operations and food safety management.  Opening New Baghdad Market will ease traffic congestion by ending street-selling. Many vendors say they prefer renting one of the 730 new stalls to improve their safety and comfort. New tenants will be prime candidates for micro loans and grants, funds that could help them purchase coolers and other store fixtures.  "It's a tremendous opportunity for stability," said Capt. Joseph Peppers, 2-69th Armor effects coordinator. "These stalls mean steady jobs – a chance to have a regular business."  Community buy-in is vital not only for market viability, but also to make New Baghdad Market a respected, protected, permanent fixture in the neighborhood and to further increase the number of people who benefit from its operations.  "This will be the best market, and everyone will want to say they're in the best place," Peppers said. "It's going to act as a model market – a mini mall."  While each of the stalls will provide sales employment for tenant vendors, the market itself will generate hundreds of other job opportunities for transporters, cleaners and other service providers. A higher standard of cleanliness and safer, more secure facilities will enable restaurants and cafes to grow up around it – many of which will employ women.  "If you walk through New Baghdad Market, it doesn't exactly match its name," said Neighborhood Council Chairman Haitham Ali, while touring the current vending area. "We are working together to make New Baghdad, really New Baghdad."  Rebuilding the New Baghdad Market demonstrates the U.S. government's three-track strategy – security, coupled with economic and political stability – through the cooperation of the U.S. military, USAID and Department of State and through collaboration with their Iraqi counterparts in government, police, nongovernment organizations and the private sector.  "New Baghdad Market also shows the Iraqi people that this market, started by Americans, was finished by Americans – with the help of their Iraqi colleagues," Weeks said.  

(Elaine Eliah, Inma Public Relations/Communications Manager, has worked in Iraq for over three years.)

By John J. Kruzel American Forces Press Service  Jan. 29, 2008 - Active duty troops will receive retroactive earnings next month, followed weeks later by a supplemental payday for non-active personnel, a Pentagon official said today.  The National Defense Authorization Act signed into law yesterday by President Bush stipulates a 3.5 percent military pay raise. This hike is 0.5 percent higher than an executive order Bush signed Dec. 28 to increase pay by 3 percent, which took effect Jan 1.  In mid-February, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service will pay active duty troops the extra 0.5 percent raise earned since the start of 2008. Non-active members will receive the supplement "a couple weeks later," said Bill Carr, deputy undersecretary for military personnel policy.  Carr said the Pentagon is "delighted" with the act and praised cooperation by Congress. Disagreement between the president and Congress over non-defense-related earmarks and controversial language about the Iraq war had delayed the bill's enactment.  "I think it's good news for everybody in uniform," Carr said. "This Congress has been terrific in working with us in terms of providing to the troops the things that they need."  Between 2000 and 2007, private-sector pay increased by 29 percent, while military pay jumped 42 percent during the same time, Carr said. Meanwhile, wages paid to noncommissioned officers, which includes corporals and all grades of sergeant and petty officer, spiked by about 52 percent.  "We've made considerable headway, in terms of increasing the value of military pay, to the point where we're now frankly in about the 70th or 80th percentile of similarly educated American earners," Carr said. He noted that the most recent raise, by virtue of exceeding the current inflation rate, will increase servicemember recipients' purchasing power.  Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said the retroactive payments ensure "that our forces are compensated commensurate to their service and sacrifice." In a news conference at the Pentagon today, Morrell noted that troops will benefit in various ways by provisions codified in the act.  "It lets us resume offering bonuses to new recruits and re-enlisting troops," he said. The act also includes funding to improve health care and benefits for wounded troops and veterans.  

The bill became law just a week before the next budget cycle begins as Bush sends his fiscal 2009 request to Capitol Hill. That budget proposal, along with a request for $70 billion in emergency war spending, will be delivered to Congress Feb. 3.

By Samantha L. Quigley American Forces Press Service  Jan. 28, 2008 - Servicemembers from the Tar Heel state who face financial burdens can turn to a newly established fund for assistance.  The North Carolina Heroes' Fund was established to provide support to military men and women from North Carolina or stationed at one of North Carolina's many military bases, said Scott Stone, the fund's chairman.  "This support is primarily centered on hardships which these men and women, or their families, may have endured due to their service overseas," he said.  The assistance is provided through various methods, including direct payments or coordinating volunteer efforts. Family members also can benefit from cash payments for financial needs, Stone said.  As resources allow, academic scholarships will be available to dependents of North Carolina's servicemembers, with special consideration for children of servicemembers killed in action, according the fund's Web site.  Initial reaction to the new fund has been positive, Stone added. "We have already seen widespread support of the organization," Stone said of the fund, which has a first-year goal of raising $500,000. "Between some of the commitments we have already received from corporate sponsors as well as private individuals, we are confident that the North Carolina Heroes' Fund will be able to raise a substantial amount of money."  The North Carolina Heroes' Fund recently became a supporter of America supports You, a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.  "One of the greatest challenges is spreading the word of our organization, particularly to potential grant recipients," Stone said. "Often those soldiers in need or their families are either reluctant to ask for help or don't know where to turn for assistance."  

Stone said he hopes his group's affiliation with America Supports You will help spread the word.

By Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Caldwell, USA Special to American Forces Press Service  Jan. 28, 2008 - The Joint Provincial Coordination Center in Jalalabad is serving as a model in eastern Afghanistan for synchronizing the efforts of the U.S. forces, Afghan National Police, Afghan Border Police, Afghan National Army, and emergency fire and medical services.  Exchanging information and discussing what they can do to better serve the citizens of the province, provincial law enforcement representatives and Task Force Raptor soldiers meet weekly at the coordination center. While the center's successes are numerous, the highest-profile program thus far has been the implementation of an emergency phone number based on the U.S. 911 system. Dialing 100 in Jalalabad provides quick access to emergency responders 24 hours a day.  "They dial three numbers, and they can talk to the (Afghan National Police)," said Army 1st Lt. Jeff Reed, officer in charge of the Joint Provincial Coordination Center, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 173rd Special Troops Battalion.  "If they need to talk to anybody, if there is anything going on, from this center they can dispatch fire trucks, ambulances, police patrols, or they can just ask questions," Reed said.  The JPCC averages 25 to 50 calls on the 100 number on a normal day. Some days, that number surpasses 100 calls. For now, the majority of the calls are to check whether the number actually works. It does.  Afghan National Police respond to the 10 percent of calls that provide actionable information.  The program is another step forward in Afghanistan's progress, Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Milhorn, 173rd Special Troops Battalion and Task Force Raptor commander, said.  "Generally, the people are now securing themselves," Milhorn said. "They now have a communications network established that they can tie back to the JPCC immediately and get a relatively rapid response."  As with any new program, obstacles had to be overcome, said Army Staff Sgt. Michael Roth, JPCC noncommissioned officer in charge, assigned to HHC, 173rd STB.  "The initial problems were dealing with the different phone carriers," he said. "Now they have lines for everybody, regardless of whatever phone carrier the people are using. They can call in and make contact."  Afghan National Police Maj. Abdul Gadim said that although crank calls to the toll-free number have been an annoyance in the early going, he's impressed with the success of the program.  "It's fantastic," he said. "It's great. If there's a problem, we can jump on it and help the people."  

(Army Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Caldwell serves in public affairs with 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.)

By Spc. George Welcome, USA Special to American Forces Press Service  Jan. 28, 2008 - When the "Legends of Wrestling" tour rolled in here Jan. 26, servicemembers and civilians gathered at the Morale, Welfare and Recreation clamshell to take part in the festivities. Professional wrestling greats Nicholai Volkoff, Greg "The Hammer" Valentine, Diamond Dallas Page, and legendary manager "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart took pictures and signed autographs for wrestling fanatics. Trivia questions were asked of the crowd, those who gave correct responses won hats and T-shirts.  For some die-hard wrestling fans, the event was a dream come true.  "I became a wrestling fan in 1999 after constantly seeing it on TV," said Army Pfc. Michael Grandi Jr., a member of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, who has attended numerous live wrestling events.  "I had constant adrenaline pumping during the event," he said of meeting his idols. "It was really cool how laid-back they were. And none of the soldiers were bothering them; they took pictures, got their autographs and moved along. There was a mutual respect."  The meet-and-greet session lasted for just over an hour, with the stars posing and chatting with all comers. Afterward, those who stayed were treated to an inspirational speech by Page, former three-time World Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Champion. In his address, Page told of how he overcame a turbulent family life, a learning disability and other issues to achieve his dreams through a process he called "living life at 90 percent."  "I once heard (football coaching legend) Lou Holtz say, 'Life is 10 percent of what happens to you and 90 percent of how you react to it,'" Page said. "In our personal lives and our professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after another, most of which we have no control over. The one thing we have control over is our mindset."  Page introduced the audience to his no-impact workout system, which he calls "Yoga for Regular Guys." Page said he scoffed at the idea of yoga until a spinal injury threatened to keep him out of the ring.  "When I got injured, my wife tried to get me to do yoga," Page said. "But I always thought yoga was for sissies. I learned that flexibility was the key to youth, not just in the body, but in the mind. I wanted to get back to wrestling so badly that I started doing it. "  At the completion of his rousing speech, Page received a standing ovation from the audience. After signing more autographs and taking photos with fans, he led all those who stayed behind through an intense hour-long session of Yoga for Regular Guys.  The program, which consisted of slow-count isometric exercises, static holds and various yoga poses, managed to raise heart rates and get the crowd sweating.  "I liked it a lot, it was an awesome workout," said Army Chief Warrant Officer Stephen Cranford, Company C, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade. "I am going to get the DVD and keep doing it. Once I get better, I will introduce it to my guys for (physical training)."  

(Army Spc. George Welcome serves in public affairs with 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.)

By John J. Kruzel

American Forces Press Service

Jan. 28, 2008 - Increasing cooperation across the military health community and responding to health care feedback should guide health professionals serving U.S. troops, a top Pentagon official said.  During the annual Military Health System conference that kicked off here today, David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, spoke to an auditorium packed with servicemember medics and military health personnel.

The public's expectation, appropriately, is that the military health system will deal well with every medical case, Chu said, reminding the crowd that each patient is somebody's son, daughter, father or mother. Far outreaching expectations placed on the private sector, he said, military health care should strive to perform at or above its own elevated standards.

One precept that should steer military health care toward achieving this goal is increasing cooperation among military health personnel, said Chu, who quoted one of the nation's forefathers to illustrate the benefit of working together and the risks of working apart.

"After signing the Declaration of Independence, (Benjamin Franklin's) acid phrase was, 'Gentlemen, either we all hang together, or assuredly, we shall all hang separately,'" Chu said. "Working together, bringing the country together, is one element of future success."

Chu said the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have adopted a "joint approach" to confronting issues facing the treatment of servicemembers who have suffered significant wounds or injuries during U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The other precept Chu recommended is that personnel listen more closely to concerns raised about military health issues. He noted that two decades ago, the Army conducted seminal research on breast cancer primarily by listening to patients.

In addition to being receptive to patients' feedback, the military health system is listening to the recommendations of external health experts. For instance, the Defense Department has approved nearly every recommendation offered by a bipartisan commission tasked to improve wounded warrior care, Chu said.

Known as the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors, the nine-member panel -- co-chaired by Donna Shalala, a former secretary of health and human services, and former Kansas Sen. Bob Dole -- was created in March by President Bush in the wake of news reports that troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here were receiving subpar treatment.

In addition to the Dole-Shalala commission, Chu said, key findings have been reported by the Veterans Disability Benefits Commission, the Marsh-West Independent Review Group, the Veterans Affairs Interagency Task Force on Returning Veterans and the Mental Health Task Force. Some of the recommendations help to codify partnerships among various departments; implementing them also will encourage the precept of cooperation, he noted.

Chu said the military health system is tackling key challenges as it rebounds from a year in which the news media -- with varying degrees of accuracy -- raised doubts about military health care.

The CBS television program "60 Minutes" praised the military health system's clinical achievements in a segment highlighting wounded warrior care. But the investigative newsmagazine also questioned "larger personnel" issues, including the system's treatment of veterans and servicemembers suffering from traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and stress related to repeat deployments. The articles about Walter Reed that appeared in the Washington Post in February exposed similar shortcomings in long-term care.

Further, an article in the New York Times questioned whether the military health community paid sufficient attention to the effects of war on servicemembers, suggesting that violent behavior patterns in veterans might be rooted in combat experience. Chu noted the report's veracity was later questioned by an editor at the paper.

"Nonetheless, all these questions, I argue, remind us that we're responsible for every case that we care for, from the beginning to end, as these individuals resume their military careers or move to civil life," Chu said. "In short, a good clinical outcome is not enough. The whole personnel outcome is really the issue with which we must deal."

To amplify the level of feedback from servicemembers, Chu said military health patients are surveyed on how satisfied they are with health care they receive. Results of surveys completed by patients and family members will be considered by the military health community, Chu said.

"We are not simply aiming at an absence of complaints in these surveys," Chu said, "but on whether most, if not all, feel good about the experience they've had accepting that many of the wounds are grievous and that there will be life-changing outcomes as a result of these events."

Chu said the military health system has recently succeeded by adapting to meet challenges. A decade ago, he said, military personnel were not responsible for bringing servicemembers injured in combat back to the United States. Now, however, it is virtually taken for granted that servicemembers arrive home in some cases within 36 hours of their injury.

"We can do it if we listen; we can do it if we work together," Chu said about continuing military health success. "I hope at next year's conference, as we look back on what's happened in 2008, that we can conclude that Ben Franklin would have indeed been proud of us."

The Department of Defense announces the selection of seven Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) projects for fiscal 2008 and three JCTD projects that started at the end of fiscal 2007.

Fiscal 2008 New Starts:

Combat Autonomous Mobility System (CAMS) — Autonomous, ground-mobile system that leverages manpower for Special Operations Forces

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)

Transition Service/Agency: U.S. Army Special Operations Command

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Communications AirBorne Layer Expansion (CABLE) — Integrated Services airborne communications relay and gateway effort to provide seamless mesh network environment for data, voice, and IP-based networks

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM)

Transition Service/Agency: Navy and Air Force

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Collaborative On-Line Reconnaissance Provider/Operationally Responsive Attack Link (CORPORAL) — Scalable, IP-based, plug and play open architecture tailored to the ground war fighter for critical information sharing

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)

Transition Service/Agency: Marine Corps

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Hard Target Void-Sensing (HTVS) Fuze —Void-sensing, cockpit-programmable, and BLU-109/113/122 warhead-compatible fuze that functions in greater than 10,000 pounds per-square-inch concrete

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: USSTRATCOM

Transition Service/Agency: Air Force

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Joint Force Protection Advanced Security System (JFPASS) — Integrates and automates access control and perimeter security for expeditionary military installations

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: U.S. European Command (USEUCOM)

Transition Service/Agency: Army

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Multi-Function Threat Detector (MFTD) — Affordable, hostile fire indicator with threat classification

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: USCENTCOM

Transition Service/Agency: Navy

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Shadow Harvest (classified) — Obscured target mitigation via a rapidly tailorable multi-intelligence on-board package

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: U.S. Southern Command

Transition Service/Agency: Air Force

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Three additional Fiscal 2007 New Starts:

Global Observer (GO) — High-altitude, long-endurance, liquid hydrogen-powered unmanned aerial vehicle

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: USSOCOM and USSTRATCOM

Transition Service/Agency: USSOCOM

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Joint Surface Warfare (JSuW) — Integrated multiple airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance and strike platforms with dynamic retasking of existing stand-off weapons for maritime interdiction

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: U.S. Pacific Command

Transition Service/Agency: Army

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

Zephyr — Joint, real-time, battlefield persistent surveillance and communications via an extended-duration, solar-powered, unmanned aerial vehicle

Combatant Command/User Sponsor: USCENTCOM and USEUCOM

Transition Service/Agency: TBD

Project Oversight: OSD/DDR&E/AS&C

The JCTD business model, entering its third year, completely replaced the ACTD model in fiscal 2007 to rapidly move advanced technology and innovative concepts into the hands of warfighters in the field. Building on the successful ACTD model in which new operational concepts are combined with maturing technologies in a joint environment, JCTDs focus more on tailoring projects to a combatant commander's specifically identified needs — emphasizing "needs pull" over historical "technology push." 

A JCTD enables faster project start-up by providing more resources earlier in the traditional two-year DoD budget cycle and a flexible start process that facilitates urgently needed combatant command-driven capabilities throughout the fiscal year. One key aspect of the JCTD program is the enhanced transition planning process, which seeks to deliver enduring capabilities to the combatant commands.

The JCTD program also demands faster fielding of interim capabilities; structures funding to provide incentives for military service and agency participation without requiring the services or agencies to fund from their existing programs; and, provides services and agencies clear visibility in their participation of joint efforts.

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service  Jan. 28, 2008 - The military cannot solve the problems of Afghanistan by itself, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe said today.  Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock spoke on National Public Radio's Diane Rehm Show. NATO is responsible for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.  Craddock, who has held his post since December 2006, said he had just returned from a trip to Afghanistan, and though he sees progress every time he goes to the country, it is uneven. Even where security progress has been good, more needs to be done to bring good governance to the people and to create jobs, he said.  "The fact is the military can't solve the problem," Craddock said. "The military will set the conditions to allow the people of Afghanistan and the local, provincial and national governments to provide better governance, and create jobs."  The idea, he said, is to drive a wedge between the Taliban and the people. He said he wants to break the "day fighters" -- Afghans who fight for the Taliban or al Qaeda as a way to earn money and put food on their families' tables -- away from the group.  "If they could get an honest wage, they would do it," Craddock said. "That's the job creation that needs to happen throughout the country. And it has to happen in the south and east, as well as the more stable areas in the north and west."  Most of Afghanistan's 396 districts are peaceful, the general said, with 40 districts in the southern and eastern parts of the country causing 70 percent of Afghanistan's security problems. "That is Taliban country," Craddock said.  The United States is sending an additional 3,200 Marines into Afghanistan beginning in March. Part of the force will go to reinforce NATO forces in Regional Command South, and the rest will be trainers for the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police.  NATO has 47,000 troops in Afghanistan, 18,000 of them American. Another 10,000 American servicemembers are part of Operation Enduring Freedom and are not under NATO command. This includes trainers with Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan.  The Marines will be a short-term fix. Once they leave Afghanistan after a seven-month stint, NATO nations must pony up their replacements. The need for the troops is undisputed; NATO nations determined the numbers, and the alliance members agreed.  "We have a requirement that has not been met," Craddock said. "We have a troop list, and we continue to work with the NATO nations to get them to contribute to meet all of our military requirements."  Some of the requirements are in the "high-demand, low-density" category. These include helicopters and complex intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets. In some cases, the general said, political issues preclude nations from contributing.  The NATO effort must be a long-term commitment, Craddock said, because NATO forces will be needed until Afghan security forces can take responsibility. Meanwhile, he said, the Afghan government must work with the international community and nongovernmental organizations to put aid and job programs in place. These programs "must be integrated, coordinated and focused on the delivery of the effects: the jobs, the infrastructure, the roads," he said.  "The key here is the development of a competent Afghan National Army and police force," he said.  

The Afghan National Army is moving along very well. The army could be ready to take over total responsibility in four to five years, he said, with the police two years behind.

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service  Jan. 28, 2008 - President Bush called on Congress tonight to reward the contributions servicemembers and their families make every day through better services and laws that let them share unused education benefits and give military spouses hiring preference for federal jobs. Addressing both houses of Congress during his seventh annual State of the Union address, the president also urged passage of Dole-Shalala Commission recommendations to ensure wounded warriors receive the services they deserve.  The president acknowledged the great sacrifices military families make as their loved ones serve, and announced new proposals to show appreciation.  "Our military families also sacrifice for America. They endure sleepless nights and the daily struggle of providing for children while a loved one is serving far from home," Bush said. "We have a responsibility to provide for them. So I ask you to join me in expanding their access to child care, creating new hiring preferences for military spouses across the federal government, and allowing our troops to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouses or children."  Bush urged Congress to approve legislation that allows servicemembers to transfer unused Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits to their spouses and children. The G.I. Bill provides up to 36 months of education benefits to eligible veterans for college, technical or vocational courses and other job training. Currently, the Army is the only service that allows its members to transfer those benefits to their children.  The president said he wants all veterans to be able to transfer benefits they have earned to their spouses and children.  Bush also asked Congress to pass a bill creating new hiring preferences across the federal government for military spouses. Under current law, only veterans themselves are entitled to preferences over others in competitive hiring for federal government jobs.  "Our military families serve our nation, they inspire our nation, and tonight our nation honors them," he said.  The United States owes that same honor to its veterans, Bush said, particularly those wounded in the war on terror.