Panetta Lauds DoD

02/12/2013 11:35 AM CST

Appreciate for Commitment to Protecting Nation By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.   American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2013 - As he prepares for retirement, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today addressed the Pentagon workforce, representing the entire Defense Department, thanking them for their contributions to national defense. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanks the Defense Department's workforce at a farewell ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard, Feb. 12, 2013. Panetta is stepping down as the 23rd defense secretary. DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo  Speaking in the Pentagon courtyard, Panetta thanked leaders of the Defense Department, civilian employees and the military for their commitment to accomplishing the department's mission since he was sworn in as the 23rd secretary of defense on July 1, 2011."I'm a believer that our fundamental mission here at the Department of Defense is very simple," he said. "It is to protect and defend the United States of America and to keep our country safe. And because of your great work, and because of everything you do, we can say with pride that we have kept our country safe." The defense secretary said knowing everything the Defense Department has done has helped to keep the country safe is his biggest source of pride as he heads back to California. Panetta also paid tribute to the "love and support" of the workforce's families as they serve in "tough jobs." "We face a lot of pressure, and challenges that sometimes demand we go long distances away from home," he said. "And yet throughout that, knowing that our families are there, knowing that they love and support us, is what gives us the ability to do this job. "So my deepest thanks go out, not just to all of you, but to your families," he continued. "They are part of our Pentagon family, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their sacrifice and their dedication." Panetta said he has come away from his experiences as defense secretary with a deep respect and admiration for all the dedication and sacrifices involved in keeping the nation safe. "Every day I see the people in this department, working and fighting together as one family, united behind our mission of protecting our country," he said. The secretary also lauded service members for their willingness to fight to keep America safe. "[It's] our No. 1 job, and I am so grateful for those that do that," he said. "I think that we are, as a nation, strong because there are men and women that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect our country." Panetta also acknowledged the civilian workforce's contributions to the Defense Department's mission. "You do everything you can to support our mission," he said. "You support our warfighters downrange. You don't get a hell of a lot of public recognition, but the fact is your efforts make a difference. "We could not do this job without the civilian workforce," Panetta continued. "You're the unsung heroes of this nation, ... [and] are an important part of our success." Panetta said he is "grateful and proud" as he reflects on what the Pentagon team has been able to accomplish together. "We've developed, and are implementing, a new defense strategy that will sustain the strongest military power on Earth as we face challenges in defending our country while implementing fiscal discipline, Panetta said. "I have never believed that we have to choose between our responsibility to national security and our responsibility to fiscal discipline. We can do both." Panetta said the new defense strategy implements key capabilities the military will need in the future, such as agility, rapid deployment, force protection and projection, and rotational deployments, among others. "Putting those elements together was the result of a team effort by both the military and the civilian workforce here," he said. "I deeply appreciate their working as a team to put that in place." The secretary thanked the Pentagon workforce for its part in maintaining the leading U.S. role in world affairs. "We are the strongest military power in the world," he said. "The world needs our leadership. The world needs the United States of America to lead the world towards peace and towards prosperity." Panetta expressed his gratitude for having the "honor" of leading the Defense Department, and told the workforce they would be "in my heart forever." "My friends, it has been the honor of my life to have served with you in this position as secretary of defense," he said. "It's been the greatest privilege I've had in my almost 50 years of public service to be able to represent the people of this department to our friends and to our partners around the world."

Biographies: Leon E. Panetta

We all should join her....without further delay

"I Am Rising...": Anoushka Shankar

The Afghan presidential elections

02/11/2013 04:25 PM CST                       Tue, Feb 12, 2013 at 4:08 AMOfficial Stresses Importance of 2014 Afghan Elections
How the Afghan forces protect voting 
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press ServiceWASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 - The Afghan presidential elections now set for April 2014 are looming ever larger as a milestone for measuring progress in the country, NATO officials in Afghanistan said yesterday.

How the Afghan forces protect voting and how the Afghan people accept the results will be key to the long-term success of the country, said a senior International Security Assistance Force official speaking on background.

Things are looking up in Afghanistan, the official said, but there are many hurdles to overcome. Only 22 months remain in the ISAF mandate. By spring, Afghan forces will be leading security operations throughout the country. By the end of 2014, Afghan forces will shoulder the security burden themselves as the NATO mission ends.

The Taliban are also looking forward, the official said. "There will be a '13 fighting season," he said. The Taliban will be up against 352,000 members of the Afghan security forces. That force has grown in capability as it has grown in size, the official said.

There will be negotiations and talks between the Taliban and the international community. "From my vantage point I think it's a delaying tactic," he said. "They've gone through 12 years of war and they are 22 months away from a very small presence."

He said Afghan Taliban leaders in Quetta, Pakistan, are looking at three key things over the next two years. First, how good are the Afghan security forces? Second, what will be the U.S. and NATO investment in the country after 2015? And the third are the April 5, 2014, elections.

"[The elections] are probably the most critical thing that will happen in the next 22 months," he said. Afghans will go to the polls to elect a new president and provincial councils. The last election, in 2009, was marred by allegations of vote fraud. It is supremely important that these new elections go well and that Afghans accept the outcome, the official said.

The official spoke about the changes in Afghanistan since the surge of U.S. and NATO forces ended. The surge did what it was supposed to do, he said, buy time for Afghans to field their forces. Now Afghan soldiers and police are in the lead in security through most of the country and have grown in size and capabilities.

This is a long way from January 2009, the official noted, when the entire Afghanistan campaign looked like a failure. "In January 2009, Kandahar was at risk [and] the central Helmand Valley was at risk," he said. "There were a number of attacks into Kabul."

Then-ISAF commander Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal's assessment was that the actual campaign was at risk and asked for additional troops. "Take where we were in 2009 and jump to the end of the surge ... in September 2012," the official said. "As I see the battlespace, I can honestly say that you have a less capable, less popular and less of an existential threat when you look at the insurgency. But you still have a threat."

And the threat will remain in January 2015, but the Afghans should be able to manage it.

Like Afghanistan itself, statistics that look at violence in the country are complex. "When people look at statistics, they say that you have virtually inconsequential changes from '11 to '12," he said. "If you just look at those numbers without the context there is so much you miss."

Last year was about holding the gains that the surge made possible, he said. The Afghans moved to the lead as the United States pulled 23,000 personnel out of the country in September 2012. Afghan forces held the ground and actually expanded their control in the area west of Kandahar and in the Helmand River Valley, the official said.

Another piece of the statistics equation is where the violence was happening. "What we were able to do in 2012 was slowly start separating the insurgency from the major population centers," he said.

The violence in 2012 happened increasingly in sparsely settled rural areas, the official said, noting that in surveys, Afghans report they feel safer and believe the Taliban is not coming back.

Violence is still a problem and the official said 17 districts out of the 402 in the nation are where 50 percent of the violence occurs. Put another way, 80 percent of the attacks occur where 20 percent of the population live. The worst districts are in northern Helmand.

The Haqqani network specializes in high-profile attacks, the official said. "If there is an attack in Kabul it gets the press ... It gives the impression that Kabul is under siege, which is not the case."

Afghan forces have responded quickly and professionally to attacks in the capital, another sign of their continued maturation, he said, but high-profile attacks are going to happen, and they are going to get through.

There were 18 high-profile attacks in Kabul in 2011 and nine in 2012. While there were just nine attacks, the official said, there were "hundreds of threats." And while Afghan capabilities are improving, he added, "even the best goalie in professional soccer is going to get scored on."

Afghan forces are not going to let the Taliban have the rural areas, the official said. The Afghan Local Police -- now with some 20,000 members -- are becoming a security net for the people. "The ALP becomes a hold force for you," the official said. "You have police who live and work in the rural areas."

The official sees three tiers to the threat to Afghanistan. The first tier is tactical -- the 20,000 to 30,000 mostly local insurgents in the country.

The next level is the operational cadre -- the leadership, the shadow government and the Taliban in Pakistan, he said. These men can recruit, train and supply fighters. The leaders in Pakistan are problematic for ISAF, the official said. "We've heard that the Pakistanis are changing their strategic calculus, but there is 'what you say' and 'what you do,'" he said. "I'm waiting for the 'what you do' to see how that works."

The third threat is not the insurgency, the official said, but the degree of corruption and criminality that exists within the government.

"If you can get some rule of law and move forward, then you can pull the carpet out from under the insurgency," he said. Putting in place a legal system and service infrastructure will be a key outgrowth of the April 2014 elections, the official noted.

The world will be watching those elections as well. After 2015, there are 28 NATO nations and eight partner nations that have already said they will invest in Afghanistan. "And all will be watching the elections," the official said. 

Related Sites:NATO International Security Assistance Force

The Ponseti Method- can correct the foot deformity

09-February-2013 16:33 IST
Vice President Inaugurates National Clubfoot Conference
The Vice President of India, Shri M. Hamid Ansari has said that in India it is estimated that over 50,000 children are born with clubfoot every year making it an important factor of disability amongst our children. Delivering inaugural address at the “National Clubfoot Conference” organized to raise awareness on the prevalence of Clubfoot deformity here today, he has said that while clubfoot is easily identifiable and curable based on timely intervention; as a large number of children suffering from the disease are from the rural areas, they remain permanently disabled for want of access to timely cure and treatment.
He expressed his concern that it is estimated that in India there are more than 10 million persons with locomotor disabilities. Until two years ago, Polio was a major cause of disability. However, thanks to an effective anti-polio program, based on Government, NGO and international partnership, we have not had a single case of paralytic poliomyelitis for the last two years. With the eradication of Polio, it becomes logical to address the other causes of childhood disabilities; congenital clubfoot is one of them.
The Vice President said that until recently many children with clubfoot were treated surgically, which is not only an expensive but a less than fully satisfactory option due to relatively poor long-term results. Apparently, now a new method –The Ponseti Method- can correct the foot deformity in children in a more cost effective and efficient manner. Its relevance in low resource setting cannot be over estimated. The Ponseti method is now the standard of all National Clubfoot programs across the globe. It's phenomenal success is attributable to a combination of sound scientific knowledge, applied in an integrated socio-medical environment using the already existing health care delivery system in many countries.

Following is the text of Vice President’s address :“I am happy to have been invited to inaugurate the National Clubfoot Conference being organized by CURE International India Trust in partnership with the State Governments especially the Government of Delhi, where the program to treat and eradicate the clubfoot disease is being implemented. I welcome all the participants, especially those from abroad, who have joined us today.
The Conference is expected to provide the doctors and experts from India and abroad an interactive platform to share experiences and update themselves on newer knowledge and techniques in the treatment of clubfoot disease.
It is estimated that in India there are more than 10 million persons with locomotor disabilities. Until two years ago, Polio was a major cause of disability. However, thanks to an effective anti-polio program, based on Government, NGO and international partnership, we have not had a single case of paralytic poliomyelitis for the last two years. With the eradication of Polio, it becomes logical to address the other causes of childhood disabilities; congenital clubfoot is one of them.
In India it is estimated that over 50,000 children are born with clubfoot every year making it an important factor of disability amongst our children. While clubfoot is easily identifiable and curable based on timely intervention; as a large number of children suffering from the disease are from the rural areas, they remain permanently disabled for want of access to timely cure and treatment.
Until recently many children with clubfoot were treated surgically, which is not only an expensive but a less than fully satisfactory option due to relatively poor long-term results. Apparently, now a new method –The Ponseti Method- can correct the foot deformity in children in a more cost effective and efficient manner. Its relevance in low resource setting cannot be over estimated.
The Ponseti method, I am told, is now the standard of all National Clubfoot programs across the globe. It's phenomenal success is attributable to a combination of sound scientific knowledge, applied in an integrated socio-medical environment using the already existing health care delivery system in many countries.
I am happy to learn that this simple but effective method is being adopted for treating children born with clubfoot in India. This programme has been launched under the public- private partnership mode with several State Governments partnering CURE International India to make this option a reality for the needy patients. It is particularly heartening to know that a large number of poor and deprived patients are able to access this method of treatment. In a short span of 3 years the program has become the largest in the world with over 7000 children enrolled for free treatment in 18 states in India and more are being added.
One of the key components of clubfoot care is follow up, as this condition can recur as the child grows older. It is good that the clubfoot program in partnership with Government medical colleges and CURE International India is documenting all cases and closely following up all the children treated with clubfoot.
I commend the National Rural Health Mission for partnering in this program of early identification of children with clubfoot. This is a major step forward in disability prevention, as an early intervention yields better results.
I congratulate all the Professors, doctors and experts, including members of CURE International India for this commendable initiative. I hope that this partnership will lead to making India free from disability caused by clubfoot. This would be a major achievement given the grave physical, economic and social consequences of the disease on the patient and his family.
I conclude by wishing the organizers and the participants of this Conference all success in their deliberations.”*****
Sanjay Kumar/VPI/09.02.2013

“Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Germany”

The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee receiving the first copy of the book “Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Germany” from Smt. Anita Bose, the daughter of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, in New Delhi on February 06, 2013.(PIB photo)          06-February-2013

Universal Screening of Children

05-February-2013 11:23 IST
Launch of National programme for the purposeThe National Rural Health Mission of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India will launch a new initiative of Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services to provide comprehensive care to all the children. The purpose of these services is to improve the overall quality of life of children through early detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays including disability. 

The Programme will be launched by Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson, UPA from Palghar, a Tribal Block in Thane district, Maharashtra tomorrow in the presence of Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Chief Minister of Maharashtra. 

It may be mentioned that the burden of birth defects, development delays due to deficiencies and diseases is significant in children. This is also one of the important factors for child mortality and out of pocket expenditure for poor families. Birth defects account for 9.6% of all new-born deaths and 4% of under five mortality. According to March of Dimes, 2006, out of every 100 babies born in this country annually, 6 to 7 have a birth defect. In Indian context, this would translate to 17 lakhs birth defects annually. Development delays affect at least 10% children and these delays if not intercepted timely may lead to permanent disabilities including cognitive, hearing or vision. 

A set of thirty common conditions have been identified for screening and further management. These services are built on the existing school health services and these services will be provided through dedicated mobile health teams placed in every block. The block level dedicated mobile medical health teams would comprise of four health personnel viz. two AYUSH doctors (One Male, One Female), ANM/ SN and a Pharmacist. The teams will carry out screening of all the children in the age group 0 – 6 years enrolled at Anganwadi centres at least twice a year besides screening of all children enrolled in Government and Government aided schools. The newborns will also be screened for birth defects in health facilities where deliveries take place and during the home visit by ASHA. An estimated 27 crore children in the age group of zero to eighteen years are expected to be covered in a phased manner. 

The District Early Intervention Centre is envisaged to be made operational in all districts of the country for providing management of these referred cases from the blocks and will also link these cases with tertiary level health services in case of surgical management. The existing services from Ministry of Women and Child, Social Justice and empowerment and Education will also be optimally utilized. Necessary treatment costs would be provided under National Rural Health Mission to tertiary level institutions whether in Government or Private sector. The implementation of these services will also generate country wide epidemiological data on selected health conditions for improved future planning of health services. 

Early identification of select health conditions and their linkage to care, support and treatment, under Child Health Screening and Early Intervention Services will help to achieve equitable child health care. In the long run, the programme would prove economical for the poor and marginalized through reducing out of pocket expenditure, burden of diseases, improving health awareness among community, improving the professionalism in service delivery and finally strengthening the public sector hospitals. This would lead to promotion of health among children which is of fundamental value to the entire nation. (PIB)
BN/HB

In 9/11 Case

01/31/2013 02:54 PM CST                              Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 2:37 AM
Commission Tackles Complex Pretrial Issues 
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press ServiceFORT MEADE, Md., Jan. 31, 2013 - The judge presiding over pretrial hearings for five defendants charged with orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks ruled today at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that only he will have the authority to block audio feeds believed to contain classified information.

Army Col. James Pohl, wrapping up the latest round of hearings for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the attacks, and four co-defendants admonished the unnamed "original classification authority" that had activated a censor button in the courtroom earlier this week.

The button sets off a flashing warning light and blocks the audio for anyone observing the proceedings via closed-circuit TV, as well as media who sit behind soundproof glass in the courtroom.

The Jan. 28 incident caught Pohl and others by surprise, and he subsequently ordered that information disclosed during about two minutes of static be admitted to the court record. He also ordered the government to disconnect technology that enables anyone but him and his security officer to activate the mute button.

"This is the last time an [original classification authority] or any third party can decide if it can be unilaterally decided," Pohl decreed. "The pubic has no unfettered right to access classified information. However, the only person who is authorized to close the courtroom is the judge."

Activation of the warning light prompted the defense team to question who may be listening in on and presumably censoring the proceedings, as well as their confidential discussions with their clients. David Nevin, Mohammed's lead defense attorney, submitted an emergency motion to halt the proceedings until the matter is resolved.

He expressed concern that confidential discussions between the defense team and defendants could be jeopardized. During a news conference following today's proceedings, Nevin, as an example of his concern, questioned why guards at the detention facility ask what language defense attorneys will use during meetings with their clients.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins, chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions, explained during the news conference that court feeds are used by court reporters to provide accurate records of the proceedings.

"The prosecution never listens to any confidential communications between the accused and their counsel," he said in a statement. "To do so would be a blatant violation of our professional responsibilities and our oaths to serve justice and would also implicate the court reporters in a breach of their oaths and neutral responsibilities. And let me be clear that there has never been any substantive or credible allegation that the prosecution listens to such conversations."

Navy Cmdr. Walter Ruiz, one of the defense attorneys, called the "invisible hand" that activated the mute button emblematic of the flawed commission system. Ruiz called it a "counterfeit system" that defies America's values, ideals and legal principles.

Much of the week's hearing -- which ran Jan. 28 and 29, recessed during Jan. 30 and wrapped up today -- involved complicated legal issues regarding procedures for the government to provide classified information to the defense team. Before receiving it, the defense must sign a memorandum of understanding agreeing to how that information will be handled.

The defense team also objected to requirements that they submit information about their witnesses in advance, telling Pohl it will disadvantage their cases by giving the prosecution advance notice of the approach they are taking.

Pohl acknowledged that nobody wants "trial by surprise," but ruled that the defense must articulate why they want any particular witness to testify.

In an unusual twist during this week's hearing, the defense attorneys asked Pohl to allow them to spend two nights in Camp 7, where the defendants are detained. They told the judge they hope to get a better sense of the conditions their clients are living under. Pohl did not rule on the request.

In addition to Mohammed, the other defendants are Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. All five defendants were captured in Pakistan in 2002 and 2003 and have been confined at Guantanamo Bay since 2006.

They were charged during their arraignment in May 2012 with terrorism, conspiracy, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, murder in violation of the law of war, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking or hazarding a vessel or aircraft.

The prosecution has since requested that the conspiracy charge be dropped.

Exercising a right clarified earlier this week, all of the defendants opted to skip today's court proceedings. Pohl ruled, however, that they must attend the opening day of their next pretrial hearing Feb. 11.

A trial date has not been set. "Jury selection will take many months," as will the trial itself, Martins told reporters today. That's to be expected in complex criminal prosecutions, "particularly one with this much at stake," he added.

Defense attorney James Connell condemned what he called an uncharacteristically long and cumbersome commission process. He complained to reporters that this week's pretrial hearings, and those before them, had consumed "so much time and so much money," while "accomplishing so little."

Nevin defended the defense team's challenges to the commission system. Doing so, he said, ensures the process remains true to the spirit of U.S. law, seeks to "honor, rather than disrespect" the memory of those killed in the 9/11 attacks.

Family members who lost loved ones during 9/11 were mixed in their impressions of the system. Phyllis Rodriguez, who lost her son Greg on 9/11, told reporters that the case should be tried in U.S. federal court. This would make the process more open and transparent and allow more Americans to see the process, she said.

Rodriguez added that she opposes the death penalty and doesn't want any of the defendants to receive it.

Matthew Selitto, whose son Matthew was killed on 9/11, disagreed, calling Guantanamo Bay the appropriate venue for the commissions. Selitto told reporters he believes the defendants are getting a fair shot at justice. "There are not too many countries in the world today where they would get the chances they are being given," he said.

His wife, Loreen Selitto, said delays in the commission process are hurtful to families. She urged the legal teams to "do your jobs" and "get justice moving."

She said she felt pride seeing the men and women who serve at Guantanamo Bay. It demonstrated "the strength of my country and all you do to serve us," she said.

Related Sites:Office of Military Commissions
Related Articles:More Pretrial Hearings Kick Off for 9/11 Suspects