Financial Crisis Puts New Urgency on Security, Chairman Says

The global financial crisis is adding a layer of uncertainty that could exacerbate problems in many parts of the world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on NBC-TV's "Today Show" Thursday morning.

"This global financial crisis in the months ahead could have a significant effect on security around the world," Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told host Matt Lauer during the interview. "That creates an additional sense of urgency [for leaders] in resolving that as fast as we can."

The chairman did not speculate as to where problems might crop up. Some obvious groups may take advantage of the added uncertainty of the financial crisis in their areas, but there are other areas in which planners may not have advance warning.

"We're not very good at predicting the future," Mullen acknowledged. "My concern is that as governments struggle to take care of their people, those shortfalls could result in increased pressures on those governments to provide for their people. That could result in increased levels of instability."

Mullen also touched on the importance of civilian experts and the troop-level increase in Afghanistan.

Civilian experts are needed to help put the Afghan governance infrastructure in place and to coach Afghans in the various ministries. Civilian experts also are needed to advise provincial and village councils.

Building government entities, improving agriculture and creating jobs will help improve the long-range outlook for Afghanistan. "That aspect of moving forward is really critical, and we haven't had that to date," Mullen noted.

The increase in U.S. troop levels that President Barack Obama has announced will serve two purposes, the chairman said. The 17,000 additional forces are combat troops and "are really focused on turning the tide with respect to the violence level and providing security for the Afghan people," he said. "Our center of gravity is the Afghan people who we've got to get to a point where they feel secure."

The chairman said 4,000 additional soldiers will train the Afghan security forces, and are the long-term aspect of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy the president announced last week.

"The exit strategy in Afghanistan is to have them provide for their own security -- the police the army -- and those 4,000 troops will be focused on that," Mullen said.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
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Social Software Keys Information Sharing, Security, Researchers Say

Social software such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter may close information gaps on the battlefield by advancing collaboration and information sharing among warfighters and analysts, according to researchers at the National Defense University.

"Social tools ... give people platforms to share information with each other in ways that you really can't do with e-mail or some more traditional forms of communication," said Mark Drapeau, associate research fellow at NDU's Center for Technology and National Security Policy during an April 1 "Armed with Science" audio webcast on Pentagon Web Radio.

"Every warfighter wants the right information at the right time, but in many cases it is very hard to know what the 'relevant' information is in advance," Drapeau said. "Social software can facilitate simple sharing of possibly relevant information to supplement traditional methods, yielding better knowledge for better decision-making."

Social software encompasses a broad range of tools that connect people and promote information sharing over networks such as the Internet. These tools include social networking, video and photo sharing, blogs, wikis, and instant messaging.

While many social software tools are freely available to the public, cyber security concerns, infrastructure limitations, employee demographics and existing federal policy have hindered the integration of these tools in the federal workplace.

"[The Defense Department] is simply the largest organization in the world. Large organizations, in general, are not very good at sharing information," Drapeau said.

Drapeau is working with Linton Wells II, former chief information officer for the Pentagon, on a soon-to-be published research paper that proposes a framework for how the department can use emerging social software to increase information sharing, transparency, and engagement with the public. The paper will address the national security and intelligence concerns that have limited the use of these tools, he said.

Drapeau compared the balance between information sharing and security to the balance between inhaling and exhaling. "We need both," he said.

"While cyber security is a very serious and important issue, completing your mission is a more serious and important issue," Drapeau said. "People need access to tools that will help them accomplish their mission."

Social software has played a role in a number of international events with U.S. national security implications. During last year's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, citizens used the micro-blogging platform, Twitter, to share information about the events as they happened in real-time. In March, the State Department used Twitter to deny rumors that could possibly have led to a siege on the American Embassy in Madagascar.

The push to incorporate social software into the Defense Department is in line with a memo President Barack Obama issued in January, "Transparency and Open Government," which directs leaders to foster in their agencies a system of transparency, public participation and collaboration by leveraging emerging information technologies, including social software.

Drapeau said this effort extends beyond just allowing the use of social software in the department.

"It means the government being more accountable to the people, being more transparent to the people, and working better with the people," he said.

(Author John Ohab holds a doctorate in neuroscience and works for the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)
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Heritage Foundation: North Korea Positions Missile on Launch Pad

The North Koreans are expected to launch a long range ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States some time during the next week. North Korea's actions indicate that America's enemies are working as diligently as ever to advance and test their ballistic missile capabilities. In response, America must continue to develop and enhance our ballistic missile defenses to counter this devastating threat.

The truth is brutal -- a missile launched from North Korea would take 33 minutes or less to hit the U.S.

33 Minutes, produced by The Heritage Foundation, opens our eyes to the reality that, many years after 9/11, Americans still remain vulnerable to a missile attack. Shot in high definition, 33 Minutes features breathtaking and dramatic footage as well as exclusive interviews with world leaders including Lady Margaret Thatcher, Attorney General Edwin Meese and others.
33 Minutes is your go to source to better understand the threats our enemies pose and what we need to do now to protect America. 33 Minutes on WTIC-AM Hartford!

Heads-up Connecticut! Don’t miss Heritage Foundation national security expert Peter Brookes on WTIC in Hartford this Friday, April 3rd, from 9-12 AM. Peter will be discussing 33 Minutes and the latest on missile defense. Be sure to tune in!

33 Minutes in your hometown!

Go to 33minutes.com to see a full list of upcoming screenings. Don't see a screening in your hometown? Host your own! Go to 33minutes.com for details.

Missile Defense News
Heritage Analyst Bruce Klingner on North Korea's Missile Test
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American Contractors Discuss Time in Captivity

Three American contractors who survived five and a half years in a Colombian jungle likened their captivity to being on the "planet of the apes," said one of the three contractors held by the terrorist organization known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

"We were off this planet for so long that we would marvel at something basic, as basic as a flat floor and a flat wall. It was a totally different planet that we had escaped or been rescued from," Tom Howes told online journalists and bloggers during a "DoD Live" bloggers roundtable March 26.

Another former captive, Marc Gonsalves, added that seeing an American for the first time upon their rescue brought an overwhelming emotion of pride.

"After coming off the helicopter in which we were rescued, we were then guided to a jet, and we were then loaded on that aircraft. At the entryway of the stairs leading to the door, there were a couple of U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers there as guards," he said. "That was the first Americans that I had contact with. And, I remember the sight of that beautiful flag patch on his shoulder, and I just remember feeling an immense amount of pride to see and talk and to hear the voice of another American again."

Their captivity started in February 2003 on a routine mission. The three -- Gonsalves, Howes and Keith Stansell -- were based out of Bogota, Colombia.

"We were flying en route to a forward operation location where we would be able to pick up more fuel," Gonsalves said. "And as we were crossing a mountain range, we experienced an engine failure and were forced to crash land."

Five people were aboard the plane when it crashed into the thick jungle of Colombia: four Americans and one host-nation rider.

"The impact was violent. The fuselage of the airplane was ripped open," Gonsalves said. After landing in a small clearing on a mountain slope, the group was greeted with the sound of gunfire.

"We were immediately ... attacked, basically by a group of rebels, a group that calls themselves the FARC," Gonsalves said. "And, in their luck, and against our luck, we crashed right in a middle of a group of these people. It was only minutes before they were there. They had us, and they began to take us away at gunpoint."

As the three Americans were taken away from their crash site, Howes was still unconscious from the crash. His left shoulder had slipped out of the safety belt, and on impact he swung around and hit his head on the support between the windshield and the side window. They would later learn that a member of the terrorist organization had killed the rest of the crew.

"And when my memory came back, I was a prisoner of the FARC. I'd already been strip-searched, and there were people -- FARC -- with AK-47 rifles on either side of me," Howes said. "And that began the period of captivity."

The three American contractors were forced on a 24-day march deep into Colombia, to what Howes called a fixed camp.

"We had time to rest up and realize the severity of our situation," he said. "In my mind, I started to eat myself alive, realizing that this was going to be a ... possibly very long, difficult period in the most difficult of conditions."

Howes and Gonsalves both said while the situation shocking at first, their minds toughened up to adapt. The three Americans, Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and 11 Colombian national police and military members also held hostage by the FARC were flown to safety after being rescued July 2 in a Colombian military operation. Howes said the rescue seemed to be over almost as soon as it started. "Five and half years ended in less than a second," he said.

The former captives both said they didn't the extent of efforts on their behalf in the United States and Colombia until after their rescue. "And my heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone in the U.S. military and all those in the Colombian military, for everything they've done for us," Howes said.

Since their return to the United States, the former captives have reconnected with their families and started working again. On March 12, they received the Department of Defense Medal of Freedom, the civilian equivalent of the Purple Heart.

(Author Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)
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Latest Ship Seizures Broaden Counter-Piracy Challenge

Two ship seizures in the Indian Ocean in recent days appear to indicate that pirates have broadened their focus beyond the heavily patrolled Gulf of Aden.

Pirates hijacked two chemical tankers: the Bahamian-flagged, Norwegian-owned vessel Bowasir on March 25 and the Panamanian-flagged, Greek-owned Nipayia yesterday, a Navy spokesman confirmed.

Bowasir and its 23-member crew were operating more than 380 nautical miles southeast of Kismayo, Somalia. Nipayia and its 19 merchant mariners were pirated 490 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, the official said.

The seizures were the farthest yet from the Gulf of Aden, where the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet and the international community stepped up patrols after piracy soared last year.

"This appears to be a new round of attacks well off the east coast of Somalia vs. in the Gulf of Aden where we had seen the majority of attacks last year and in 2009 to date," the official said.

The latest hijackings expand the pirates' operating area, creating what the official called "a monumental challenge" to those working to prevent piracy.

"To put the challenge into geographic perspective, the area involved off the coast of Somalia and Kenya as well as the Gulf of Aden equals more than 1.1 million square miles," he said. "That is roughly four times the size of the U.S. state of Texas, or the size of the Mediterranean and Red Seas combined."

To better confront the problem, Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, who commands U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, stood up a multinational, anti-piracy effort known as Combined Task Force 151 on Jan. 1.

Task force members have national mandates to conduct counter-piracy operations and work together "to support our goal of deterring, disrupting and eventually bringing to justice the maritime criminals involved in piracy events," Gortney explained as the task force became fully operational in mid-January.

CTF 151 operates primarily in and around the Gulf of Aden, but also in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

At any given time, 12 to 16 warships from the task force as well as non-coalition nations are operating in the region. "The international presence there is significant," the Navy official said. "We are working with everybody who is there."

But the vast size of the region would require 61 ships just to control the internationally designated shipping lanes, he said. "And that's a small portion of the area we are talking about."

Despite the geographic challenges, the task force's efforts are showing signs of success.

Pirates seized 42 ships last year, but 80 of the 122 piracy "events" were unsuccessful, the official reported. So far in 2009, 48 "events" have occurred, with 11 hijackings and 37 unsuccessful attempts.

Meanwhile, more commercial shipping crews are applying lessons learned so they can foil pirates' attempts.

Just this week, the vessel Preventor evaded an attack more than 450 nautical miles southeast of Dar el Salam, Tanzania. The ship's crew conducted evasive maneuvering and used charged fire hoses to repel the pirates, the official said.

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
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Forces Kill 13 Militants, Destroy Weapons in Afghanistan

Afghan and coalition forces killed 13 militants, detained one suspected militant and seized weapons caches in operations in Afghanistan over the past four days, military officials reported.
In Helmand province's Lashkar Gah district, Afghan and coalition forces arrived at a compound militants had occupied for the night. The force immediately was engaged by armed militants from inside the compound. Several militants fled, while the force continued to receive small-arms fire from inside a building. The force cleared the building, killing three militants.

One militant was barricaded in one of the buildings, using women and children as shields. The force used precision small-arms fire to kill the militant with no harm to the women or children.

The force pursued the armed militants who had fled the compound on foot. One militant was killed when he maneuvered on the force. Four other militants engaged the force with a PKM machine gun and were killed. Two militants armed with AK-47 assault rifles were killed after posing a serious threat to a nearby compound. One suspected militant was captured unharmed and detained.

Also yesterday, Afghan national security forces, assisted by coalition forces, killed two armed militants and destroyed an improvised explosive device in Oruzgan province's Deh Rahwod district.

The Afghan-led force was conducting a combat reconnaissance patrol in a known area of heavy militant presence when they observed three militants planting IEDs along a frequently traveled road. Once it was determined that the area was clear of civilians, forces called for close-air support, killing two militants.

During a search of the area, Afghan forces discovered one IED and safely destroyed it in place.

In operations March 24, Afghan soldiers, assisted by coalition forces, discovered and destroyed two weapons caches while on a combat reconnaissance patrol in Herat province's Shindand district.

Concerned local villagers stopped the patrol and directed the commandos to the location of two weapons and ordnance caches in a nearby area. The commandos unearthed the first cache, which was buried less than two-feet deep in a dried-up riverbed near a well-traveled road. The cache consisted of 10 mortar rounds, seven cases of 30 mm anti-aircraft rounds, one 100 mm projectile, nine rocket fuses and four grenades.

The second cache contained 20 rocket-propelled grenades, 30 sabot rounds, eight Russian smoke canisters and two cases of 20 mm anti-aircraft rounds.

The contents of both caches were safely destroyed by the commandos.

(Compiled from U.S. Forces Afghanistan news releases.)
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Mexico Drug Cartel Violence: News Roundup

Fox News, Greta Van Susteren, On the Record video:



In other related news:

Fugitive U.S. Marshal Vincent Bustamente found slain in Juarez, Mexico, in latest border violence
A fugitive U.S. Marshal appears to be the latest casualty of the brutal violence between drug cartels and authorities along the U.S. border with Mexico.

U.S. truckers warned of violence near Mexico border
American truck drivers operating near the U.S.-Mexico border are being warned of increasing violence among warring drug cartels and told to stay on alert against attacks or hijackings.

Mexico violence affects volunteers' plans
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (BP)--Several Illinois Baptist churches and associations regularly send mission teams to work in Mexico each summer. This summer, however, a number of mission trips have been cancelled or changed due to rising violence from drug cartels and gangs on the Mexican side of the border.

Clinton says US shares responsibility for Mexico's drug violence
The United States is at least as responsible as Mexico for the violent drug wars that are roiling its southern neighbor because of an insatiable US market for narcotics, the failure to stop weapons smuggling southward and a three-decade "war" on drugs that "has not worked," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday.

Mexico's top cop says cartel targeted his family
Mexico's top law enforcement official says drug traffickers tried to attack his family last year but were stopped by bodyguards.

Iraqi Interior Ministry Reduces Corruption, Improves Rule of Law

New systems and procedures within the Iraqi Interior Ministry have decreased corruption and increased professionalism in several divisions, a Navy officer said.

Navy Cmdr. John Muth, director of special staff for the Ministry of Interior Transitional Team, discussed the ministry's progress with bloggers and online journalists March 18 during a "DoDLive" Bloggers Roundtable.

Muth touched on the ministry's four divisions -- internal affairs and security, office of inspector general, human rights and the court system.

"The main mission of the internal affairs and security directorate is to arrest bad cops," Muth said. The directorate also has missions related to counterterrorism and security background checks.

Muth said that when he arrived in April 2008, security was lacking, but steadily improving. Internal affairs visited locations in Basra, Diyala, Mosul and Samarra where the police were not functioning well, he explained. Their visits resulted in police officers either being fired or disciplined.

"From an operational point of view, I've seen improvements in the police force because bad elements within the police force have been removed," Muth said.

The Iraqis are building the office of inspector general "into something that can look at financial corruption, look at different procedures that are being utilized, and standard operating procedures," he said.

"So now you have systems that are being followed, procedures that are being followed," he continued. "You have a greatly increased level of professionalism by the police and how they conduct their business."

The increased professionalism has created a domino effect and is now reducing corruption and improving the rule of law, he noted.

Muth also discussed human rights for prisoners in pretrial detention centers, which is under the ministry's responsibility.

"There was a human rights case in Diyala where a family of Sunni complained to internal affairs about the death of one of their family members while in police custody," Muth said. "It was addressed by internal affairs."

This case was significant, Muth said. While there was some political interference, the major general who handled the case was very professional and was not deterred from his job.

The ministry's court system also has improved, the commander said.

"We've seen good progress in that [court] system and we think that it'll have large effects in improving the discipline of the police and holding them accountable," he said.

In the past, the police were not held accountable for their actions, Muth said, but the number of cases brought against officers has more than doubled since 2007.

"We've seen a large increase in the total number of cases that have been opened by internal affairs and that are being closed," he said. "And in 2008, we had ... 1,500 or so policemen fired and some 2,000 be disciplined."

Now, Muth said the transition team is shifting its emphasis to advanced training.

"Since October, we've trained 500 or 600 people in the inspector general's area," Muth said. "And as we get the population of the IG trained in those basic concepts, we've also gone to advanced investigation training."

In the future, Muth said he believes the coalition will be involved with specialized training rather than basic concepts training.

Muth acknowledged that corruption remains a problem within the ministry, but said he is seeing a positive trend in eliminating it.

"I've been personally rewarded in terms of dealing with the Iraqi people," he said. "I can tell you that they are working very hard to improve their organization. While there's a lot of friction and things don't always move smoothly, there's definite progress forward."

(Author Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class William Selby is assigned to the Defense Media Activity's Emerging Media directorate.)

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Obama Considers Deploying National Guard to U.S.-Mexico Border

As President Barack Obama considers deploying National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to control escalating violence, Arizona's governor has requested about 250 more National Guard troops on its border with Mexico, and the Texas governor is considering a similar action.

"We're going to examine whether, and if, National Guard deployments would make sense and in what circumstances they would make sense as part of this overall review of our border situation," Obama told reporters yesterday, according to media reports. The White House does not release transcripts of media roundtable sessions.

"I haven't drawn any conclusions yet," reporters said Obama told them. "I don't have a particular tipping point in mind."

While emphasizing that he does not want to "militarize" the border, Obama called it "unacceptable if you've got drug gangs crossing our borders and killing our citizens."

The president noted that Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Mexico last week to meet with his Mexican counterparts about the situation and to discuss additional support the United States could provide.

Meanwhile, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer sent a letter to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates requesting 250 more National Guard soldiers to be posted along the 350-mile Arizona-Mexico border.

Although Brewer has the authority to call up the troops, she asked Gates to mobilize them as part of the federally funded Joint Counter Narco-terrorism Task Force. That force currently includes about 150 Army and Air National Guard members.

"Arizona communities and citizens are negatively affected by the impacts of the illegal drug trade and related border violence, and enforcement agencies in all jurisdictions are stretched as they attempt to address the enormity of the problems," Brewer said. "The support these additional soldiers can provide to law enforcement agency operations would prove invaluable."

In neighboring Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has expressed the need for more troops or border agents along its border with Mexico. Perry reiterated at a ceremony last week the need for more help to disrupt operations of the Mexican Mafia, Texas Syndicate, Barrio Azteca, MS-13 and other violent transnational gangs.

Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today it's too soon to know if additional military support will be granted.

The last major federal National Guard mission along the U.S.-Mexico border was Operation Jump Start. The two-year mission, from June 2006 to July 2008, dispatched as many as 6,000 National Guard members to Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas to make the border more secure for legal immigration and commerce until the U.S. Border Patrol could boost its own ranks.

Guard members did not serve in a direct law-enforcement role, but provided vital reinforcement to the Border Patrol. Their missions included engineering, aviation, entry identification teams, and a wide range of technical, logistical and administrative support.

By the time the mission ended in July, more than 30,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen from across the nation had participated.

Whitman emphasized that the proposed border mission, if ultimately approved, would have a very different purpose and timeline than Operation Jump Start.

In the meantime, the United States is exploring other ways it can help Mexico deal with escalating violence, he said. "We continue to offer Mexico assistance in any number of ways," he told reporters.

The Merida Initiative, for example, provides Mexico and several other countries funding to counter drug trafficking, and the U.S. military has a strong military-to-military partnership with Mexico. The United States also is providing Mexico foreign military financing for five helicopters, a maritime surveillance aircraft and handheld scanners used for detection purposes, Whitman said.

"The U.S. government as a whole is concerned about the escalating violence and its effect on public security as well as the Southwest U.S. border," he said. "I think that what you are seeing is a recognition of the problem that is facing the Mexican government, and as good neighbors, the United States is looking at any number of ways in which we might be able to render some additional assistance."

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
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Military to Focus on Shorter-term Goals in Afghanistan, Gates Says

As part of the Obama administration's assessment of the strategy being employed in Afghanistan, the U.S. military will focus its efforts on achieving shorter-term goals there, the Defense Department's top official said here yesterday (1/23/09).

"One of the points where I suspect both administrations come to the same conclusion, is that the goals we did have for Afghanistan are too broad and too far into the future," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters at a Pentagon press conference.

President Barack Obama met with Gates and other National Security Council members at the White House on Jan. 21.

The United States needs to set "more concrete goals" for Afghanistan that "can be achieved realistically within three to five years," Gates said. For example, he said, efforts should be made to re-establish Afghan government control in the country's southern and eastern regions, as well boost security and improve the delivery of services to the population.

And, U.S., coalition and Afghan military operations targeting al-Qaida and Taliban insurgents must be maintained in Afghanistan to prevent the re-establishment of terrorism in the region, Gates said.

Obama said yesterday during a State Department visit that increased violence in Afghanistan and Pakistan threatens global security and constitutes "the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism." The Afghan government, he said, has been hard-pressed to deliver basic services to its people.

"Violence is up dramatically in Afghanistan," Obama said. "A deadly insurgency has taken deep root." And, along Afghanistan's eastern border with Pakistan, he said, al-Qaida and Taliban fighters "strike from bases embedded in rugged tribal terrain along the Pakistani border."

About 34,000 U.S. troops are posted in Afghanistan. Commanders there have requested about 30,000 additional U.S. forces to be used to suppress resurgent Taliban fighters and al-Qaida terrorists.

Meanwhile, Obama is studying several Pentagon-provided options for a drawdown of U.S. combat troops from Iraq.

Improved security and reduced violence in Iraq today "clearly permit" a responsible drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who accompanied Gates at yesterday's news conference. The availability of more troops for Afghanistan, Mullen said, is generally "tied to that [Iraq] drawdown."

The threat to the United States now "is focused in the Afghan theater," Gates said, including "both sides" of the Afghan-Pakistani border. Obama, accordingly, "wants to put more emphasis on Afghanistan," the secretary said.

Therefore, Gates said, the U.S. military is transitioning from the "highest priority that we have given to Iraq over the last several years, and moving that priority to Afghanistan."

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service
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Leaders Work to Improve Security in Western Afghanistan

U.S. and Afghan officials met to discuss the status of security in the area and future security initiatives Jan. 21 at the Regional Command West headquarters in western Afghanistan's Camp Arena.

The Regional Security Committee conference drew participants from the Afghan government, NATO's International Security Assistance Force, as well as U.S. and civilian leaders from across the region.

The security committee's goal is to implement policy and initiatives that will produce tangible improvements in security, governance, reconstruction and development throughout the year, officials said.

"I hope we can achieve better coordination with this conference," Ahmad Yusef Nuristani, Herat province's newly appointed governor, said. "We cannot do this alone. We have to coordinate the security sectors and cooperate with one another against the region's enemies."

The conference offered a forum in which representatives from each sector could voice their concerns and opinions and work together to solve the problems they collectively face. Discussing lateral support and lessons learned helps to bolster security in the area, officials said.

"The biggest need in [Herat] province is security, because without security we can't do much in terms of building bigger projects and attracting foreign investment and trade," Nuristani said. "We need to provide some sort of relief in terms of security for the people so they can go to sleep at night with peace of mind."

Now is the time to take action against the Taliban and the insurgent groups in Baghdis [province], Baghdis Governor Mohammad Ashraf Naseri said, and "to let the people know that we are here to bring peace and stability in your areas.

"We are here to solve your problems. We are here to support you and provide an education to your children," he added.

Seif Ibrahim, regional representative for the United Nations Aid Mission to Afghanistan, said he was impressed with the solutions participants brought forth at the conference.

"We are here to coordinate all the activities of the United Nations agencies from humanitarian aid to development," he said. "And for us, security is one of the most important aspects. Wherever there is security, there is development. But when there is no security, there is a negative impact to our activities.

"I am very, very impressed in the way the people have been explaining the security problems and giving out some solutions so that in the future we can reach the people who need us," he said.

(From the NATO International Security Assistance Force public affairs office.)
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Iraqi, U.S. Forces Detain Criminals, Discover Weapons

Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers seized weapons caches and arrested a suspected criminal in the Baghdad area Jan. 16, military officials reported.

Iraqi and U.S. soldiers and Iraqi National Police confiscated 18 AK-47 assault rifles while conducting clearing operations in Rashid district's Saydiyah community.

Also in the Saydiyah community, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained a suspected criminal.

North of Baghdad, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers found a large cache that consisted of eight 37 mm projectiles, 19 73 mm mortars, 10 60 mm mortars, three 82 mm mortars, a 75 mm rocket, two rocket-propelled grenades, 200 12.7 mm rounds, 20 mortar primers, 200 7.62 mm rounds, a 155 mm projectile and a 60 mm warhead.

Responding to a tip, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers discovered two homemade bombs in an abandoned home in the Abu T'shir community.

In operations Jan. 15:

--- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained a suspected murderer in the Saydiyah community. The criminal was apprehended using an Iraqi-issued warrant from the Baghdad Operations Center.

-- During three separate patrols, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers discovered a barrel containing four 57 mm rockets buried in the ground in Rashid district's Karb De Gla neighborhood, two pipe bombs in Arab Jaboor, and confiscated two AK-47 assault rifles in the Saydiyah community.

-- While conducting operations in southern Baghdad's Rashid district, U.S. airmen from the Police Transition Team and Iraqi police discovered a hand grenade.

-- In the Karb De Gla neighborhood, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers discovered a weapons cache that contained eight propane tanks, three mortar rounds and two homemade bombs. Soldiers safely removed and transported the munitions to a combat outpost for proper disposal.

-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers discovered an 82 mm mortar round during combat operations in the Saydiyah community. The patrol transported the round to a nearby joint security station for disposal.

-- Iraqi and U.S. soldiers discovered a weapons cache consisting of a 60 mm mortar round, an anti-tank mine and several fuses, and detained four individuals in the Saydiyah community. The suspected criminals were detained on warrants issued by the Baghdad Operations Center. The patrol moved the ordnance and detainees to a nearby joint security station.

-- South of Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers seized a cache that contained 60 60 mm mortars, 50 hand grenades, a mortar tube, two mortar stands and homemade explosive ingredients.

-- Acting on a local resident's tip, U.S. and Iraqi soldiers seized a cache that contained several small homemade bombs, a small amount of detonation cord and a magnetic homemade bomb in western Baghdad's West Rashid neighborhood.

-- Iraqi soldiers found a cache in the West Rashid area that contained a 60 mm mortar, an anti-tank mine and an undetermined number of mortar fuses.

(Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)
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Defense Officials Switch Seabee Deployment from Kuwait to Afghanistan

Instead of deploying to Kuwait, about 500 Navy Seabees will deploy to Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today.

The Seabees are the 25th Naval Construction Regiment home-ported in Gulfport, Miss., and they will deploy beginning next month in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

"What the regiment provides is expeditionary engineering and construction support," Whitman said. The regiment can build buildings, put in roads or air strips. The projects the Seabees work on could be used by NATO and Afghan forces.

"This is a new deployment to Afghanistan," Whitman said. "The regiment was originally scheduled to deploy to Kuwait, but will now deploy to Afghanistan."

The unit will not have to go through intensive retraining due to the shift. "The type of tasks they do ... are labor skills, and whether you are doing those in Kuwait, Iraq or Afghanistan, it is very similar," Whitman said.

They will go through geographical orientation and cultural instruction before they deploy, and will be deployed for no longer than 12 months, he said.

U.S. officials have talked in the past of the need for more infrastructure to support additional U.S. forces that will deploy to Afghanistan in the coming year.

"These Seabees can provide the support that is necessary as we look to the future and can provide the type of construction that will be necessary as we look to add combat capability into Afghanistan," Whitman said.

The Seabees are the largest "enabling force" unit that has been announced, and are needed to allow combat units to perform their missions.

Whitman also announced the 25th Infantry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Richardson, Alaska, will deploy to Afghanistan as part of the normal rotation. The unit will replace the 101st Airborne Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team in Regional Command East.

"The commander, of course, can place these forces wherever he sees fit," he said.

The 3,500-man brigade will be part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. The Alaska unit will deploy beginning next month.

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
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Coalition Forces, Diplomats 'Engineer' Peace in Baghdad

Coalition and Iraqi partnerships are stronger than ever, and they are taking advantage of the improved security situation to further reconstruction efforts in Baghdad, the U.S. military's top engineer officer in Baghdad province said yesterday.

Throughout the past year, nearly 400 projects and reconstruction actions valued at more than $70 million have led to "tremendous improvements" in infrastructure as well as the availability of essential services to Baghdad residents, Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Talley told reporters during a news conference in Baghdad.

Rebuilding and refurbishing Iraq's infrastructure "represents a commitment from the people of the United States to help the Iraqi citizens," Talley, who also commands the Army Reserve's 926th Engineer Brigade, added.

Sanitation and sewage repairs, improved water treatment facilities, an expanded power grid, expanded health care facilities, and 39 newly built and refurbished schools are some of the projects coalition forces and Iraqi officials have tackled and are ongoing, he said.

Many of those projects also directly link to security efforts, he said.

Sanitation projects to clean up and collect garbage in the streets reduce prospects for homemade bombs being placed there, he said. Also, the nearly 400 construction projects have created employment opportunities for many who may otherwise have turned to insurgency, he added.

Talley explained that the construction projects not only help the Iraqis execute engineering projects, "but more importantly, [the projects] assist in sustaining security in Baghdad."

In Sadr City, one of Iraq's most historically dangerous neighborhoods, 195 projects have been completed or have been ongoing since May. More than $44 million in efforts have given citizens there a new source of pride in the city, prompting more of them to report militiamen and weapons caches, he said.

"Delivery of projects, services and assistance that enable hope within the citizens of this great city in turn foster greater relationships with the Iraqi security forces and the supporting coalition forces," he said. "All of these efforts are helping us engineer the peace."

Provincial reconstruction teams and U.S. forces are focusing their efforts on processes and capacity building for the Iraqis rather than immediate improvements. The downturn of violence in Iraq has allowed forces and officials to shift their focus from the counterinsurgency fight to addressing more infrastructure and development challenges, John Bass, team leader for the Baghdad PRT, said.

"We're helping them to develop analysis and data to solve their own problems and apply resources to tackle the most important ones," Bass said. "We're not trying to build or repair the sewer network for the city of Baghdad. We're helping the city of Baghdad develop the analytical tools to be able to assess their sewer networks themselves and make informed decisions based on objective data about what their most pressing priorities are.

"As we have shifted to a more bilateral relationship based on understanding and mutual respect between the United States and Iraq ... I see a very real transition of a new ability of the local government to address the needs of the local citizens," he said.
By Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service
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