USS Blue Ridge remarks

U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter addresses officers and crew members of the USS Blue Ridge in Yokosuka, Japan, July 21, 2012. Japan is Carter's third stop during a 10-day Asia Pacific trip to meet with partners in Hawaii, Guam, Thailand, India and South Korea.

India launches New Generation Strategic Missile AGNI-V

AGNI-V (A-5) successfully flight tested today

India successfully flight-tested the Long Range Ballistic Missile (LRBM) Agni-V (A-5) 
from wheeler’s island, in Odisha on April 19, 2012.   (PIB photo)   19-April-2012

Setting a new milestone in the country’s Integrated Missile Development Programme, India’s maiden Long Range Ballistic Missile (LRBM) AGNI-V (A-5) was successfully flight tested today. 

The flawless auto-launch of the missile started at 08:04 hours. Piercing the thin cloud cover, the missile took off from the launch pad at Wheeler’s Island in Odisha at 08:07 hours and started rising exactly the way it was designed for. The missile, with a range of more than 5000 kms, followed the entire trajectory in copybook style perfection as the three stages of Propulsion dropped and fell at appropriate intervals into the Bay of Bengal. The three propulsion stages, developed completely indigenously by DRDO, performed exactly the way they were intended to. The indigenously developed Composite Rocket Motors performed well, signifying the country’s stride and complete self-reliance in this complex propulsion technology. 

Ships located in midrange and at the target point tracked the Vehicle and witnessed the final event. Radars and electro-optical systems along the path monitored in real time all the parameters of the Missile. 

A number of new technologies developed indigenously were successfully tested in this A-5 Mission. The redundant Navigation systems, very high accuracy Ring Laser Gyro based Inertial Navigation System (RINS) and the most modern and accurate Micro Navigation System (MINS) ensured the Missile reach the target point within few meters of accuracy. The high speed onboard computer and fault tolerant software along with robust and reliable bus guided the Missile flawlessly. 

The Vice-President Shri M. Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Defence Minister Shri AK Antony and National Security Advisor (NSA) Shri Shiv Shankar Menon have hailed the launch of the Agni-V. Dr Singh and Shri Antony spoke to DRDO chief Dr VK Saraswat and Programme Director Shri Avinash Chander and greeted the DRDO Scientists on the A-5 success. Air Marshal K.J. Mathews, Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command (C-in-C, SFC), who witnessed the launch, said that the success of Agni-V is a historic event for India. Dr V.G. Sekaran, Director, Advanced Systems Laboratory (ASL), Dr S.K. Chaudhari, Director, Research Centre IMARAT (RCI), Shri A.K. Chakrabarti, Director, Defence Research and Development Laboratory (DRDL), Shri S.P. Dash, Director, Interim Test Range (ITR), Shri Guruprasad, Director, Research & Development Engineers (R&DE Engineers, Pune) were present during the launch operations. Shri R.K. Gupta, Project Director guided the team of Scientists and employees of DRDO during the launch activities. (PIB) 19-April-2012 16:15 IST

Panetta Hosts

First Official U.S.-Netherlands Defense Meeting

By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2012 - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta hosted a Pentagon honor cordon today for his counterpart from the Netherlands during the two leaders' first official bilateral meeting. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta meets with Dutch Defense Minister Hans Hillen at the Pentagon, Jan. 12, 2012. Panetta and Hillen discussed the new U.S. defense strategic guidance, bilateral defense cooperation issues and ongoing operations in Afghanistan and plans for transition. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  The secretary and Dutch Minister of Defense Hans Hillen discussed the new U.S. defense strategic guidance, bilateral defense cooperation issues, and ongoing operations and plans for transition in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby said.The Netherlands has contributed troops to the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan since 2003. Currently, 183 Dutch troops are deployed to Regional Command South and the capital region, according to ISAF officials. Panetta and Hillen also discussed U.S. force posture in Europe, the upcoming NATO defense ministerial meetings to be held in early February in Brussels, and the NATO 2012 Summit scheduled for May in Chicago, Kirby said. While discussing NATO issues, the spokesman added, Panetta recognized and praised the Netherlands' "traditionally strong voice and leadership in the NATO alliance."

Biographies: Leon E. Panetta Related Sites: State Department Background Note on the Netherlands

Protest against Indian Govt.on September 24th

SIKHS TO HOLD "JUSTICE RALLY" DURING PM SINGH'S ADDRESS TO UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) announced that a "Justice Rally" will be held during PM Manmohan Singh's address to the UN General Assembly on September 24^th from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Sikhs are protesting against PM's Singh's Government's policy of impunity towards Congress (I) leaders who organized and participated in the killing of Sikhs during November 1984.

In November 1984, thousands of Sikhs were massacred, their properties looted and burnt, all across India, with the active connivance of law enforcement and on behest of leaders of Congress Party Leaders. Kamal Nath, Amitabh Bachchan, Arun Nehru, Vasant Sathe, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, were seen instigating and leading the killer mobs that attacked Sikhs in November 1984. Twenty Seven (27) years after the massacre, PM Singh has failed to prosecute those responsible and instead have rewarded the killers of Sikhs with seats in the parliament and positions in the Cabinet.

According to attorney Gurpatwant S. Pannun legal advisor to SFJ, PM Singh is not only protecting Kamal Nath in India but is also actively working to get him immunity from prosecution before U.S. Federal Court where he is being tried for his role in November 1984 Sikh Genocide. PM Singh's Government has been sending Démarches to the U.S. Department of State seeking immunity from prosecution for Kamal Nath added attorney Pannun. While Indian Governments claims of democracy, human rights, justice and equality grow louder, bolder and loftier; its actions of shielding the human rights abusers defy the same.

SFJ along with victims of November 1984 have filed a class action law suit against Indian National Congress (Congress I) and Kamal Nath (SFJ v. INC. & Nath SDNY (10 CV 2940)) under Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) for their role in the killing of Sikhs in November 1984. US Court issued summons against Kamal Nath on April 06, 2010 while summons against Congress Party were issued in March 2011.

Deal Averts Shutdown,

By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 9, 2011 - Government agencies are continuing normal operations after the administration, the Senate and the House of Representatives agreed to a fiscal 2011 budget. Speaking at the White House at 11:04 p.m. EDT, April 8, 2011, President Barack Obama announces reaching a budget agreement that averts a government shutdown. DOD screen grab  The continuing resolution expired last night at midnight, but the Senate and House passed a short-term funding bill that will allow both houses to finalize the full-year spending bill. Officials expect that bill to be passed and signed by mid-week. "This agreement between Democrats and Republicans on behalf of all Americans is on a budget that invests in our future while making the largest annual spending cut in our history," President Barack Obama said last night from the White House. "Like any worthwhile compromise, both sides had to make tough decisions and give ground on issues that were important to them. And I certainly did that." There will be no interruption in operations for the Defense Department, DOD officials said last night. Service members and civilian employees will receive their pays as normal, and no operations will be curtailed or eliminated. "This is good news for the American people," Obama said during an address from the White House last night. "It means that small businesses can get the loans they need, our families can get the mortgages they applied for, folks can visit our national parks and museums, and hundreds of thousands of Americans will get their paychecks on time, including our brave men and women in uniform." The agreement calls for $38.5 billion in cuts from the government budget. This is $79 billion less than what the president proposed originally in February 2010. "Some of the cuts we agreed to will be painful," the president said. "Programs people rely on will be cut back. Needed infrastructure projects will be delayed. And I would not have made these cuts in better circumstances. But beginning to live within our means is the only way to protect those investments that will help America compete for new jobs – investments in our kids' education and student loans, in clean energy and life-saving medical research. We protected the investments we need to win the future." Obama thanked House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for their leadership in the process. "It's my sincere hope that we can continue to come together as we face the many difficult challenges that lie ahead, from creating jobs and growing our economy to educating our children and reducing our deficit," Obama said. "That's what the American people expect us to do. That's why they send us here." Had the government shut down, officials expected around 400,000 DOD employees to be furloughed and problems with pay and other fiscal obligations. The president announced the deal less than an hour before the continuing resolution would have run out and operations would have ceased. The last government shutdown occurred in 1996.

Related Sites: OMB Guidance: Anticipated Enactment ofa Continuing Resolution Transcript: Remarks by the President on the Budget Related Articles: Budget Deal Avoids Government Shutdown

Army Brigade Commander Visits Wounded Troops

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, April 8, 2011 - The conversation flowed easily this morning as Army Col. Sean M. Jenkins sat with several 101st Airborne Division soldiers, talking about everything from operations heating up in Afghanistan's Paktika province to the impact of a possible government shutdown on his deployed troops and their families back at Fort Campbell, Ky. Army Col. Sean M. Jenkins, commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, visits with Army Sgt. Anthony Verra, a member of the 4th BCT's sister 2nd "Strike" BCT who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center during Jenkins' rest and recuperation leave. DOD photo by Donna Miles  The setting wasn't Forward Operating Base Sharana, Jenkins' 4th Brigade Combat Team and Task Force Currahee headquarters, or one of its combat outposts dotting the easternmost sector of Regional Command East in Afghanistan. It was in a cafeteria here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center where Jenkins, traveling home for his mid-tour rest-and-recovery leave, paid a visit to check on his wounded troops. They gathered around the table, one in a wheelchair, one with a cane, another rubbing his steel-plated leg that always aches when the barometer drops, eager for news about the units and comrades they left behind. The 101st "Screaming Eagles" have suffered heavy losses during their deployment as part of the surge force in Afghanistan. The 4th Brigade Combat Team alone has lost 15 soldiers since it deployed last summer, with scores more wounded and more than 40 medevacced out for advanced medical care. So when Jenkins left Afghanistan for the first time in seven months for his mid-tour leave -- before seeing his wife Karin, his bubbly, blonde 3-year-old daughter, or his beloved golden retriever and black Labrador dogs at Fort Campbell -- he spent several days with his wounded warriors at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas; and Walter Reed. "I came to say thanks," Jenkins said, "and to talk with them about what is going on forward and how their teammates are doing." The chit-chat today in Walter Reed's cafeteria, hallways and the Military Advanced Training Center where soldiers receive intensive physical therapy treatments bounced from one topic to another. They praised a heroic private first class from the unit who was undaunted as his unit faced the enemy, discussed the merits of the leadership novel, "Once an Eagle," talked about improvements in military housing and heard news of the new 120 mm precision-guided mortar munitions round the brigade just received in Afghanistan. But beyond the casual and sometimes not-so-casual conversation, Jenkins worked to gauge how his soldiers are faring as they recover from lost limbs, shattered bones and other devastating injuries. "I try to open up a stream of conversation with them about how they are doing, how they are being treated, how their medical care is going and what their concerns are," he said. Throughout his conversations, he pulled out a pocket-size notebook to jot down names, email addresses and messages to pass on or requests to follow up on. "These guys deserve everything we can do for them, and nothing less," Jenkins said. "They need to understand that we are here for them, whatever it is they need." Once of the most welcomed things Jenkins delivers to the troops -- whether his own or members of another 101st Airborne Division element -- is reassurance that they haven't been forgotten. "They are still part of the team," he said. "And that is part of the message. I tell them, 'Just because you are back here, attached or assigned to one of the hospitals for a period of time, you are still part of the unit.' It is important they understand that linkage is not broken." Many of the wounded warriors call that some of the best medicine they could get. "It's very important to me. It's part of your mental fitness," said Army 1st Lt. Aaron Palmer, a 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment soldier whose femur was broken in three places and his iliac artery destroyed during an enemy attack in October. "I can't tell you how close we are overseas," Palmer said. "Your unit becomes like your family, and it's really great when that family keeps in touch with you....Every time I see that [Screaming Eagle] patch, I know it's a brother." "It helps me a lot," agreed Army Sgt. Anthony Verra of the 4th BCT's sister 2nd "Strike" BCT who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device in September. "Visits like this are really motivational." Army Pfc. Corey Kent, another "Strike" soldier, said he's been "blown away" by the outpouring he's received from his fellow Screaming Eagles since arriving at Walter Reed in mid-July, just three weeks into his deployment. Kent was on a patrol near Kandahar, called in to provide security for another unit that had been hit by an IED. He suffered the same fate, losing two legs, one above the knee and one at the hip, as well as all the fingers on his left hand. Today, he told Jenkins he had hoped to make the military a career and still plans to explore options the Army may open to him. "I'd feel like I was giving up if I just leave," Kent said. Jenkins said he encourages his soldiers not to let their wounds prevent them from striving for their dreams. "There are no closed doors," he tells them. "Only you close the door if you physically want to close the door."

Related Sites: Walter Reed Army Medical Center 101st Airborne Division 4th Brigade Combat Team  Related Articles: Security Improves in Afghanistan's Paktika Province

Army Staff Sgt. Charles Allen, a member of the 101st Airborne Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, his mother, Denise Allen, right, and family friend Donna Porras chat with Army Col. Sean M. Jenkins, the 4th BCT commander, as he visits wounded troops at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. DOD photo by Donna Miles  Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution  Army Pfc. Corey Kent, a 101ST Airborne Division 2nd Brigade Combat Support Team soldier, said he's been "blown away" but the outpouring he's received from his fellow Screaming Eagles since arriving at Walter Reed in mid-July. DOD photo by Donna Miles  Download screen-resolution Download high-resolution

Taking a water break

U.S. Navy Steelworker 3rd Class Caleb Baker and Equipment Operator Constructionman Eric Hofmans, both assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74, Detail Horn of Africa, take a water break during a construction project at the Ecole 5 primary school in Djibouti March 31, 2011. NMCB-74 was deployed to support Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa in building partner nation capacity and promoting regional stability through construction engineering support. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Lindsey, U.S. Navy/Released)

Women’s Day Celebreted Behind Bars

Iranian Women Rights Activists Celebrate 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day under Pressure and Behind Bars

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Change for Equalitywww.we-change.org/english: Iranian women’s rights activists commemorate the 100th anniversary of international women’s day while facing increased pressures and while many of their colleagues remain in prison. While the activists in the One Million Signatures Campaign have remained active carrying out trainings and awareness raising activities on women’s rights the pressure on them as well as other women’s rights activists is increasing. The Campaign embarks on the 100th anniversary of International Women’s day while several of its activists remain in prison including:
Ronak Safazadeh, Kurdish women’s rights activist, currently serving a 6 year prison sentence in internal exile. She was arrested on October 9, 2007 and has been in prison since. Ronak Safazadeh is also a member of the Azar Mehr women’s NGO in Kurdistan Province.
Zeinab Bayazidi, Kurdish women’s rights activist currently serving a four year prison sentence in internal exile in the city of Zanjan. She was arrested on July 9, 2008. Her appeals process, as noted by her lawyer, was unusually speeding and suffered from legal irregularities.
Alieh Eghdamdoust, women’s rights activist, sentenced to serve three years in prison in relation to her participation in the peaceful protest in Hafte Tir Square on June 12 2006. She is currently serving her prison term in Evin. She has been in prison since February 1 2009.
Bahareh Hedayat, women and student rights activist currently serving a 9.5 year prison sentence at Evin prison. She has been denied visits and contact with her family. Bahareh was arrested on December 27, 2009 and has remained in prison since.
Nasrin Sotoodeh, human rights lawyer and women’s rights activist sentenced to 11 years of prison and 20 year ban on legal practice and travel. Nasrin was arrested on September 4 2010 and remains in prison while she appeals her sentence. New charges have been brought against her since her arrest.
Fatemeh Masjedi, women’s rights activist currently serving a 6 month prison sentence in Qom for her involvement in the Campaign. She was arrested on Friday January 28, as she was on her way to Tehran from Qom and taken to prison to start serving her sentence, despite the fact that her lawyer had filed a judicial review in her case.
Farnaz Kamali, women’s rights activist, arrested during protests on February 20, 2011. Her situation, the charges against her and her location remain unclear. She has been allowed one telephone call to her family from prison.
Also, many Campaign activists have been sentenced to prison terms in relation to their human rights or journalist activities, which have either not been implemented yet or are in appeals, including:
Mahboubeh Karami, Campaign activist who has been sentenced to serve a 3 year prison term, but the sentence has not yet been implemented.
Shiva Nazarahari, Campaign and human rights activist has been sentenced to serve a four year prison term, but the sentence has not yet been implemented.
Jila Baniyaghoub, Campaign activist and journalist has been sentenced to a 1 year prison term and a 30 year ban from journalistic activities.
Kaveh Kermanshahi, Campaign and human rights activist in Kermanshah has been sentenced to a 5 year term, which he is appealing.
Other women remain in prison during the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day well. They include women’s rights activists, student activists, journalists, political figures and human rights activists.
Some of the women currently in prison in relation to their activism include: Mahdieh Golroo, student activist, Haleh Sahabi, women and peace activist, Fariba Ibtahaj, women’s researcher and political activist, Hengameh Shahidi, journalist, Mahsa Amrabadi, journalist, Nazanin Khosravani, journalist, Atefeh Nabavi, student activist, Shabnam Madadzadeh, student activist, Zeinab Jalalian, Kurdish rights activist, Fatemeh Karoubi, political activist, Zahra Rahnavard, political activist, Fakhrolsadat Mohtashamipour, political activist, Leila Tavasolli, political activist, Mahvash Sabet, religious minority, and the list goes on…
We wish all our readers a happy International Women’s Day celebration. Here’s hoping that our colleagues and friends will be free and out of prison for next year’s celebration of the day for women.
Courtesy : We Change

Mullen was presented the medal

From left, Chief of the Australian Defense Force Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston and David de Kretser, the governor of the Australian state of Victoria, look at Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen’s Officer of the Order of Australia medal in Melbourne, Australia, Nov. 7, 2010. Mullen was presented the medal, awarded for distinguished service to Australia or humanity at large, while visiting Australia with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for the annual Australia- U.S. Defense Ministerial Consultations. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, U.S. Navy/Released)

During a hostage rescue training exercise

U.S. Navy Master-at-Arms Seaman Jon Finley and his team post outside a door at the Pacific Beacon housing complex at Naval Station San Diego, Calif., Oct. 28, 2010, during a hostage rescue training exercise. Personnel from the Department of the Navy, Naval Criminal Investigation Service, FBI and the San Diego Police Department took part in the exercise. 








(DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis K. Mendoza, U.S. Navy/Released)

Prepares to extinguish an aircraft fire

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Kenneth Blum prepares to extinguish an aircraft fire Oct. 27, 2010, during an aircraft accident exercise involving first responders and the 12th Flying Training Wing at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. (DoD photo by Don Lindsey, U.S Air Force/Released)

A composite training unit exercise

U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 154 prepare a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft for the first launch cycle of the day aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) while underway in the Pacific Ocean on Nov. 2, 2010. Sailors with the squadron are embarked to complete a composite training unit exercise in preparation for a deployment. DoD photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Oliver Cole, U.S. Navy. (Released)

Live-fire exercise

 U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Brigade perform a platoon mounted and dismounted live-fire exercise at Grafenwoehr Training Area in Germany Oct. 6, 2010. (DoD photo by Gertrud Zach, U.S. Army/Released)

practice of conversational English with children

U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Rodolfo Duqu (right) practices conversational English with children of Afghan National Army soldiers at Camp Shaheen, Afghanistan, Oct. 3, 2010. Duque is deployed from Naval Branch Health Clinic Bangor, Wash., as a member of NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan’s medical embedded training team to assist in the development and training of Afghan soldiers with the 209th Corps Regional Hospital. (DoD photo by Sandra Arnold, U.S. Navy/Released)

Super Puma helicopters deliver supplies

 AS-332 Super Puma helicopters deliver supplies to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) Oct. 2, 2010, during a vertical replenishment. Essex is under way in the East China Sea as part of the forward-deployed Essex Amphibious Ready Group. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Casey H. Kyhl, U.S. Navy/Released)

Playig with a Philippine child

 U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Carl Johnson, a combat engineer from Combat Logistics Battalion 31 (CLB-31), 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, plays with a Philippine child at Anastacio N.F. Dinglas Elementary School in Ternate, Philippines, Oct. 1, 2010. Marines with CLB-31 were constructing additional classrooms at the school during Amphibious Landing Exercise (PHIBLEX) FY 2011, which is a bilateral training exercise and security assistance program between the U.S. military and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 








(DoD photo by Lance Cpl. John T. Kennicutt, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

Mike Mullen addresses at Wayne State University in Detroit

U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addresses audience members at Wayne State University in Detroit, Aug. 26, 2010. Mullen is on three-day Conversation with the Country tour to the midwest discussing needs of returning troops, their families, and how community leaders can support them. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley.






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Barbara Starr interviews U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen

CNN correspondent Barbara Starr interviews U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Detroit, Aug. 26, 2010. Mullen is on three-day Conversation with the Country tour to the Midwest discussing how community leaders can support the needs of returning troops and their families. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley 

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During a shura in Deh Rawud, Afghanistan

U.S. Soldiers from the Deh Rawud Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) secure a perimeter during a shura in Deh Rawud, Afghanistan, Aug. 5, 2010. Security for the shura was provided by a joint force of Afghan National Police and PRT Soldiers. (DoD photo by Sgt. J.C. McKenzie, U.S. Army/Released)

Warfighting Exercise Focuses on South Korean Defense

By Donna Miles American Forces Press Service U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Dave, pointing, of the Nebraska National Guard's 1704th Transportation Company directs soldiers as they carry a patient to the landing zone established for a Medevac mission at Fort McCoy, Wis., during the Patriot exercise, July 15, 2005. Patriot, the largest annual exercise held across the United States, increases the warfighting capabilities of the National Guard, reserve, and active components of the Air Force and Army. Additionally, the participation of Canadian, United Kingdom, and Dutch forces increases combined effectiveness. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Todd A. Pendleton U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Dave, pointing, of the Nebraska National Guard's 1704th Transportation Company directs soldiers as they carry a patient to the landing zone established for a Medevac mission at Fort McCoy, Wis., during the Patriot exercise, July 15, 2005. Patriot, the largest annual exercise held across the United States, increases the warfighting capabilities of the National Guard, reserve, and active components of the Air Force and Army. Additionally, the participation of Canadian, United Kingdom, and Dutch forces increases combined effectiveness. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Todd A. Pendleton U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ronald Dave, pointing, of the Nebraska National Guard's 1704th Transportation Company directs soldiers as they carry a patient to the landing zone established for a Medevac mission at Fort McCoy, Wis., during the Patriot exercise, July 15, 2005. Patriot, the largest annual exercise held across the United States, increases the warfighting capabilities of the National Guard, reserve, and active components of the Air Force and Army. Additionally, the participation of Canadian, United Kingdom, and Dutch forces increases combined effectiveness. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Todd A. Pendleton WASHINGTON, Aug. 16, 2010 – A 10-day warfighting exercise kicked off today to improve allied capabilities to deter and, if necessary, counter aggression against South Korea. About 27,000 U.S. forces in South Korea, as well as about 3,000 U.S. servicemembers from the United States and its bases in the Pacific region, are participating in this year’s Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise, U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command officials reported. They join more than 500,000 South Korean military and government participants, as well as multinational representatives in the CFC-led exercise to test their readiness to defend South Korea and promote stability across northwest Asia. The exercise will “ensure that our alliance is prepared to respond to threats across the spectrum of conflicts, to include North Korean provocations,” officials said. This year’s exercise is taking place amid heightened tensions since North Korea sunk the South Korean navy frigate Cheonan in March. It also occurs during commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the North Korean attack that launched the Korean War. The South Korean-U.S. alliance has successfully deterred aggression on the Korean peninsula for 57 years, Army Gen. Walter L. “Skip” Sharp, who commands U.S. and United Nations forces in Korea, said in a message to his command before the exercise kicked off. He called Ulchi Freedom Guardian 10 “another opportunity for us to work together and demonstrate our resolve to ensuring regional stability.” The exercise is the first since President Barack Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak announced the decision to delay the transition of wartime operational control of allied forces on the Korean peninsula to the South Korean military, Sharp noted. That transfer, originally scheduled for April 2012, has been moved to late 2015. In the lead-up to that transition, Sharp called the exercise an opportunity to continue improving combat readiness and joint and combined interoperability between South Korean and U.S. forces. “Like our combined exercises in the past, Ulchi Freedom Guardian affords the combined team an opportunity to continue to develop organizational structures and collaborate on command and control relationships between our militaries and our governments,” he said. The scope of the exercise extends beyond the Korean peninsula, with many of the participants connected from outside Korea by communications and computer simulation networks. “With units participating in Korea, throughout [U.S.] Pacific Command and at multiple locations across the United States, UFG 10 is one of the largest Joint Staff-directed exercises in the world,” Sharp said. “Like our combined exercises in the past, Ulchi Freedom Guardian affords the combined team an opportunity to develop organizational structures and collaborate on command and control relationships between our militaries and our governments.” Although focusing on deterring aggression, the participants also are fine-tuning their coordinated warfighting capabilities, recognizing, officials said, that if deterrence fails, they must be ready to “fight tonight and prevail.” Sharp called on his command to demonstrate discipline, dedication and teamwork during the exercise, which continues through Aug. 26. “As we demonstrate our ability to successfully defend the Republic of Korea,” he said, “we ensure regional ability across northwest Asia and show the world that we remain an agile, adaptive force capable of taking on any challenge.”

Biographies: Army Gen. Walter L. “Skip” Sharp  Related Sites: U.S. Forces Korea Ulchi Freedom Guardian