Defense News

President Barack Obama spoke today on U.S. counterterrorism policy and looked at how the United States can defend itself from terrorism, yet remain true to core beliefs.

The president’s speech at the National Defense University on Fort Lesley J. McNair here took a broad view of counterterrorism efforts. Obama reviewed what has taken place since September 11, 2001, and how the counterterrorism effort has changed. 

In 2001, Al-Qaida was the threat. It was that organization, led by Osama bin Laden, that planned and executed the attacks that killed 3,000 people on 9/11. “Now the core of al-Qaida in Afghanistan and Pakistan is on a path to defeat,” the president said.

The United States has relentlessly pursued al-Qaida’s senior leadership and the threat of a 9/11-scale attack is greatly reduced, he said.

At the same time the threat has morphed. Al-Qaida affiliates – notably those in North Africa and on the Arabian Peninsula – remain threats to the American homeland. Threats have grown following the unrest in the Arab world, although those are mostly local or regionally based.

Finally, there is a threat from homegrown extremists like those who are alleged to be responsible for the bombing in Boston.

Attacks like those from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, like those against our embassy in Benghazi and like those in Boston represent the future of the threats we face from terrorism, the president said.

“We must recognize, however, that the threat has shifted and evolved from the one that came to our shores on 9/11,” he said. “With a decade of experience to draw from, now is the time to ask ourselves hard questions – about the nature of today’s threats, and how we should confront them.”

Since 9/11, the United States has spent well over a trillion dollars on war. “Our service members and their families have sacrificed far more on our behalf,” he said. “Nearly 7,000 Americans have made the ultimate sacrifice. Many more have left a part of themselves on the battlefield, or brought the shadows of battle back home. From our use of drones to the detention of terrorist suspects, the decisions we are making will define the type of nation – and world – that we leave to our children.”

No one can promise the total defeat of terror. There will always be people misguided enough to resort to attacks on society, the president said. “What we can do – what we must do – is dismantle networks that pose a direct danger, and make it less likely for new groups to gain a foothold, all while maintaining the freedoms and ideals that we defend,” Obama said. “To define that strategy, we must make decisions based not on fear, but hard-earned wisdom.”

The threats do not arise in a vacuum, the president said. There is the belief in many parts of the world that Islam is in conflict with the United States and the West, and that violence against Western targets is justified in pursuit of a larger cause. “Of course, this ideology is based on a lie, for the United States is not at war with Islam; and this ideology is rejected by the vast majority of Muslims, who are the most frequent victims of terrorist acts,” Obama said.

The ideology persists, however, and all parts of the U.S. government must work to counter it, he said.

The United States must continue to defeat al-Qaida and its associated forces, the president said. In Afghanistan, U.S. forces will follow the NATO plan and continue training Afghan security forces up to the end of NATO combat operations there at the end of next year, Obama said.

“Beyond Afghanistan, we must define our effort not as a boundless ‘global war on terror’ – but rather as a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America,” he said. Most of these will be done in partnership with other nations, he said, specifically mentioning Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

The United States will continue to cooperate with other nations and share counterterrorism intelligence with these nations, he emphasized, butwill not be afraid to work alone when the situation calls for it.

Al-Qaida looks for ungoverned areas to set up and plan, he noted. “In some of these places … the state has only the most tenuous reach into the territory,” Obama said. “In other cases, the state lacks the capacity or will to take action.”

In cases when using American troops in these places isn’t possible and lethal action is needed, he said, “The United States has taken lethal, targeted action against al-Qaida and its associated forces, including with remotely piloted aircraft commonly referred to as drones.”

The technology raises profound questions about targeting, civilian casualties and the risks of creating new enemies, he said, but Obama maintained the strikes strikes have been effective and are legal nationally and internationally. “Simply put, these strikes have saved lives,” he said.

Beyond Afghanistan, the United States only targets al-Qaida and its associated forces, the president said.

“America does not make strikes when we have the ability to capture individual terrorists - our preference is always to detain, interrogate, and prosecute them,” Obama said. “America cannot take strikes wherever we choose – our actions are bound by consultations with partners, and respect for state sovereignty. America does not take strikes to punish individuals – we act against terrorists who pose a continuing and imminent threat to the American people, and when there are no other governments capable of effectively addressing the threat. And before any strike is taken, there must be near-certainty that no civilians will be killed or injured – the highest standard we can set.”

The president insists on strong oversight of all lethal action. “After I took office, my administration began briefing all strikes outside of Iraq and Afghanistan to the appropriate committees of Congress,” he said. “Let me repeat that – not only did Congress authorize the use of force, it is briefed on every strike that America takes.”

The use of force must be part of a larger discussion about a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy, he said, adding that. force alone cannot make America safe.

“We cannot use force everywhere that a radical ideology takes root; and in the absence of a strategy that reduces the well-spring of extremism, a perpetual war – through drones or Special Forces or troop deployments – will prove self-defeating, and alter our country in troubling ways,” the president said. 

President Barack Obama today vowed to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying the prison has become a symbol of an America that flouts the law.

Obama spoke at the National Defense University at Fort Lesley J. McNair here. His discussion on the Gitmo facility was part of a larger discussion on counterterrorism policy.

The original premise for opening the detention center at Guantanamo was that detainees would not be able to challenge their detention, he noted during his remarks, but added the Supreme Court found that unconstitutional five years ago.

“In the meantime, Gitmo has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law,” the president said. “Our allies won’t cooperate with us if they think a terrorist will end up at Gitmo. During a time of budget cuts, we spend $150 million each year to imprison 166 people –almost $1 million per prisoner. And the Department of Defense estimates that we must spend another $200 million to keep Gitmo open at a time when we are cutting investments in education and research here at home.”

Obama has tried to close the facility and transferred 67 detainees to other countries before Congress stopped the process, he noted. “These restrictions make no sense,” he said.

Obama said he believes these detainees can be held in U.S. prisons and prosecuted in U.S. courts. “No person has ever escaped from one of our super-max or military prisons in the United States,” he said. “Our courts have convicted hundreds of people for terrorism-related offenses, including some who are more dangerous than most Gitmo detainees.”

The president called on Congress to lift the restrictions on detainee transfers from the facility.

“I have tasked the Department of Defense to designate a site in the United States where we can hold military commissions,” he said. “I am appointing a new, senior envoy at the State Department and Defense Department whose sole responsibility will be to achieve the transfer of detainees to third countries. I am lifting the moratorium on detainee transfers to Yemen, so we can review them on a case-by-case basis. To the greatest extent possible, we will transfer detainees who have been cleared to go to other countries. Where appropriate, we will bring terrorists to justice in our courts and military justice system. And we will insist that judicial review be available for every detainee.”

There will still be detainees who have participated in attacks on Americans who cannot be prosecuted due to tainted evidence, Obama noted. “But once we commit to a process of closing Gitmo, I am confident that this legacy problem can be resolved, consistent with our commitment to the rule of law,” he said.

The president was interrupted several times by a heckler who yelled that the president should close the facility now. He said her voice needed to be heard.

Obama asked if Guantanamo is the kind of legacy America wants or deserves. “Is that who we are? Is that something that our founders foresaw? Is that the America we want to leave to our children?” he asked. “Our sense of justice is stronger than that.” 

When heavy rain threatened a dam near Cavalier, North Dakota, the call went out from North Dakota National Guard units yesterday. Within 12 hours, Guardsmen from communities across eastern North Dakota were on duty in Cavalier beginning yesterday.

The soldiers, about 40 today down from a peak of 70 yesterday, are working rotating 12-hour shifts to support the community, which was evacuated Tuesday evening after significant rainfall threatened the stability of the Renwick Dam on the Tongue River.

“Unfortunately, due to all of the events in recent years — from statewide flooding to another threatened dam near Kathryn, North Dakota, in 2009 — we’ve become well experienced in working with others across our state to provide flood-related support,” said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota adjutant general, who toured the area yesterday with Gov. Jack Dalrymple and met with city and county leaders in Cavalier, Crystal and Grafton. “Our Guardsmen again responded quickly, and we will continue to support northeastern North Dakota as long as we’re requested to do so.”

Senior Airman Gabriel Irvis called the flood-related mission “familiar territory,” although this time he’s working in his other uniform — that of Trooper Irvis, a member of the Highway Patrol’s Northeast Region in Langdon, N.D.

At five entrance points to the city, the Highway Patrol joined with the North Dakota Guardsmen and members of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, to provide security, information and some traffic control for the city of about 1,300 that resembled a ghost town Wednesday.

On the western edge of the city, Spc. Brandon M. Nelson and Spc. Fredrick Burdick — who both live in Devils Lake and serve with the 3662nd Maintenance Company at Camp Grafton Training Center — watched for vehicles and visited with their counterparts from the Highway Patrol and Border Patrol. They expressed empathy for the homeowners who needed to leave quickly while facing the uncertainty of the dam and spillway withstanding the pressure of the water.

“I feel bad telling them no, they can’t come back in,” Burdick said.

On the north end of town, the sentiment was the same with Spc. Dominic Sevigny, of Grand Forks, N.D., Spc. Moses Zozimo, of Fargo, N.D., and Spc. Alex Nagel, of Grand Forks. Sevigny serves with the Fargo-based 191st Military Police Company, Zozimo is with the Fargo-based Company A, 231st Brigade Support Battalion, and Nagel serves with the rear detachment for the Grand Forks-based 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, all North Dakota Army National Guard units.

Zozimo, an immigrant from Sudan, said flood-related missions are new for him, but he’s proud to be helping his new home.

“It is kind of a good feeling helping out,” he said. “By me doing even a little, it’s helping them a lot.”

Meanwhile, Capt. Ryan Boom, a North Dakota National Guard liaison officer who serves with the 191st Military Police Company, was coordinating updates and information with other leaders in a meeting at the Cavalier Law Enforcement Center.

“Cavalier had luck on its side, as it had equipment staged near the location of the temporary dike that was there for a different project,” he said. “It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the city of Cavalier. The response from the community together as a team showed what a success it is. It’s a privilege to be a part of this amazing team response.”

Beyond law enforcement support, the North Dakota National Guard provided three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that were on standby to place 1-ton sandbags to slow the erosion of the Renwick Dam spillway on Wednesday. The helicopters also were on standby for potential search-and-rescue missions, but ended the mission in Cavalier last night as the pressure on the dam began to lessen. 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has directed the Defense Department to implement the guidance President Barack Obama outlined in his national security speech delivered at the National Defense University here today, including efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In a statement issued immediately after the speech, Hagel said the president presented a comprehensive vision for continuing to protect the nation from terrorism, especially from al-Qaida and its affiliates, while remaining true to the nation’s values and laws.

“I have directed the Department of Defense to work closely with our interagency partners and allies to implement the president’s guidance, including the efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,” Hagel said.

The secretary noted he has been closely involved in these issues as a U.S. senator, co-chairman of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board and now as defense secretary.

“I applaud President Obama’s strong leadership in defending the United States of America and advancing our interests around the world,” he added.
 

Defense leaders will work closely with Veterans Affairs Department counterparts to ensure full integration of health records, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said yesterday.

Hagel and VA Secretary Eric K. Shinseki took part in a roundtable discussion on veterans health benefits claims with members of the Senate Appropriations Committee’s defense subcommittee. During the meeting, Hagel explained the work Pentagon officials have done to integrate DOD records systems with VA’s to ensure seamless data flow. He also outlined steps the department is taking to adjust recordkeeping procedures as it aims to prevent future backlogs.

Pentagon leaders are responsible for making sure that as service members transition to veteran status, they’re “not only cared for, but treated fairly,” the secretary noted.

Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, told reporters yesterday the challenge facing DOD and VA exists on two fronts. First, they must seamlessly integrate their health-record sharing, so service member records transfer smoothly to the VA system as troops leave active duty. Second, each agency also needs to modernize the networked software system it uses to produce records.

Kendall said the first issue’s solution, which involves replacing read-only records DOD sends to VA with live-data records, is well underway.

“We've made an investment in that which is paying off,” he said. “We have a relatively short-term goal of having integrated, seamless records with the VA by the end of this year.”

The second part of the solution will involve upgrading the networked software system DOD uses in its clinics and hospitals to track patient care and produce medical records. Kendall announced yesterday that Hagel has decided to seek a commercial firm to provide that software, which will be fully compatible with VA’s system. Market research turned up 20 firms interested in the proposal, Kendall said.

“So we think we have a rich field to pick from, and we can make a best value determination for DOD,” the undersecretary noted.

After yesterday’s roundtable, Hagel indicated he’ll tackle health records with the same approach he has taken to other major issues, including sexual assault in the military: listening to those who know the subject best, collaborating to identify problem points and possible solutions, and establishing and maintaining accountability.

Most of the backlogged veteran health benefits claims now in the system are from pre-Iraq and Afghanistan service records, Hagel told committee members yesterday. As efforts to clear that backlog continue, he added, defense and VA staffs also are working to ensure current and future health records are fully transferrable between the two agencies.

Digitizing and integrating records dating back several decades is a big challenge facing both DOD and VA, Hagel acknowledged.

“We've got a lot to do. We haven't done everything. We get that; we understand that. … But the cooperation has been there. It will continue,” he said.

Hagel noted he has sought out and listened to VA and DOD health care providers and benefits specialists to learn “what are we not doing, what we need to do more of, what are the expectations.”

With a plan in place to address both past and future complications in health records management, Hagel said, DOD and VA are committed to maintaining rapid progress toward fully solving compatibility issues.

“It's working, it's collaborating, which we will continue to do,” Hagel said. “[Shinseki] and I are pledged to do that. Our organizations are.”

He concluded, “I want to assure you, as I have Secretary Shinseki and members of Congress, that DOD will be a full partner, a responsible partner, understanding our piece of this, and we intend to be successful.”
 

The Midwest region is certainly no stranger to inclement weather, having heavy snow and ice in the winter months and severe thunderstorms and deadly tornados during the spring and summer.

However, the recent string of storms that have passed through the region have left the Oklahoma communities of Newcastle, Moore, Oklahoma City and Shawnee in tatters, displacing hundreds of families, and resulting in 26 confirmed deaths.

For many residents affected by the record EF-5 tornado that tore through the central Oklahoma landscape, the week began with an anticipation of thunderstorms and heavy rain. That all changed May 20 as a deadly tornado developed southwest of Oklahoma City. The tornado grew as it moved through southeastern Oklahoma City and across Moore.

In the wake of the destruction, first responders from across the country began to pour into Moore and Oklahoma City, including support from the Oklahoma National Guard.

For one Oklahoma Air National Guardsman, the tornado came only a month after he returned from a six-month deployment to the Middle East. Air Force Senior Airman Brandon Tucker, a crew communication specialist with the 185th Air Refueling Squadron, was at home working in his garage, getting his personal items moved back into his house after deciding to take his house off the real estate market.

“I was here right before the tornado came through,” Tucker said. “I noticed that the wind had picked up quite a bit, and all of a sudden it just stopped, which I thought that was kind of odd. I walked inside in time to see Gary England announce that a tornado was heading toward the Newcastle Casino. I high-tailed it out of there.”

The citizens of Oklahoma City and Moore sought cover wherever they could and braced for their lives. The tornado left a trail of destruction stretching 17 miles from Newcastle to southeast Oklahoma City.

Search-and-rescue efforts immediately began as first responders, Oklahoma National Guardsmen and citizens of surrounding communities converged on the area in hopes of finding survivors. As the nation anxiously watched, news reports shifted from severe weather coverage to rescues and how others could contribute through much-needed donations.

With entire neighborhoods having been being wiped out by the tornado’s wrath, hundreds of Oklahomans were finding themselves homeless, and with only the clothes on their backs. Many of the residents started sifting through piles of debris and rubble in hopes of finding any personal items not swept away by the tornado’s more than 200 mph winds. Some of the neighborhoods were unreachable other than by foot or were too dangerous to allow residents back into as first responders were faced with fires, natural gas leaks and unstable structures.

“It was a full 24 hours before I was able to get back home with the streets so littered with debris; you just couldn’t get through any other way than by foot,” Tucker said. “When I finally got back, I could hardly recognize my house. I was overwhelmed by the amount of damage.”

Some of Tucker’s fellow National Guardsmen went with him as he rummaged through a pile of debris that now stands where his house once was. With the support of his military family that includes his father, Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Kevin Tucker, public affairs sergeant for the 137th Air Refueling Wing, Brandon Tucker has begun the long process of cleaning and rebuilding.

“I was able to find a couple of pictures that could not be replaced with just money, and my pet has also safely made it through all of this with me,” Brandon Tucker said.

Oklahoma City has seen the effects of deadly tornados time and again in the past, and the resiliency of its citizens will help those who were most directly affected.

Like Brandon, the many people impacted have the support of the nation, the Oklahoma National Guard and the communities in which they live as they cope with loss and rebuild their lives.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today urged service members, civilian employees and their families to enjoy the upcoming summer, but to do so safely.

In a message to all Defense Department activities, Hagel emphasized the need to make good decisions during a time of year that resulted in more than 80 percent of the department’s noncombat deaths in 2012.

Here is the text of the secretary’s message:

The summer months are often a high point of our year as we take a well-deserved vacation and spend time with family and friends. The summer allows for an opportunity to relax and refresh. However, many of the activities we pursue during our vacation time put us at risk for accidents that have potentially serious consequences.

As you drive to and from vacation destinations, remember that 81 percent of the non-combat fatalities in 2012 total took place over the summer. Last summer, 80 service members died in motor vehicle collisions; 27 in 4-wheel vehicles, 47 while riding motorcycles, 4 were pedestrians, and 2 were bicyclists. These fatalities occurred in spite of state laws and Department of Defense policies requiring the use of seatbelts while in a car and protective gear while riding motorcycles and bicycles.

An untold number of deaths resulted from fatigue -- deaths preventable by proper trip planning and fatigue management while driving. All military leaders must emphasize how important it is for everyone in our DOD community to follow these simple precautions while traveling on our nation's roads.

Some of you will enjoy water activities such as swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, or water skiing. Sadly, six service members died while participating in water-related activities last summer. It is important to follow swimming area rules and to be aware of the hidden dangers inherent in participating in water activities.

Alcohol is all too often a component in these tragic accidents. Recognize the risks and make good decisions. We all know that alcohol, even in small quantities, impairs our decision-making and is often a significant factor in many accidents. So before taking our first sip, we need to remember never to drink and drive. Plan ahead and always think before acting.

We all must do everything we can to be safer this summer. Each of us must do our part to keep everyone around us safe off-duty, as we do on-duty. Fundamental military lessons of working together, exercising leadership, focusing on the mission, and having the courage to say no to a risky situation are all essential to enjoying the summer and returning to your units.

I want to thank each of you for your service to this nation. You serve so that all Americans can be safe and free. I wish each of you a safe and enjoyable summer.
 

The Pentagon is committed to doing everything it can to work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to reduce the claims backlog, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told a Senate panel today.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion held by the defense subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hagel told lawmakers that the department’s responsibility is to ensure that service members have quality health care throughout their military careers and that their transition into the care of the VA is seamless and efficient.

The defense secretary noted that he led the first effort to computerize veterans’ claims during his time as deputy administrator of the VA under then-President Ronald Reagan. He praised current Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki for improving access to VA health care for Vietnam and Gulf War veterans and for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“As a former VA leader, senator and veteran I have been involved in veterans’ issues for many years, and have some understanding and appreciation of the complications and difficulties of this backlog issue,” Hagel said.

“One difficulty,” he added, “is that the majority of the backlog numbers represents veterans who served prior to Iraq and Afghanistan; meaning that veterans’ records from as far back as World War II are many times not available, or easily accessible, or have been lost.”

To address and help fix this problem, DOD has initiated several actions, Hagel said.

-- In January, DOD sent a team of experts to work side by side with Veterans Benefits Administration personnel to analyze the disability claims backlog and assist VA in processing claims, Hagel said.

-- DOD is providing VBA personnel with the ability to log directly into its electronic medical records system, allowing VA to process claims more quickly than under the current system for transferring records.

-- Similarly, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service provides accounts for VBA claims processors to directly access an individual's financial and service information.

-- Although service members transitioning under the Integrated Disability Evaluation System are not counted under the current backlog, in order to speed up the processing of these claims, DOD provided 15 soldiers to the VA site in Seattle. These soldiers are assisting in administrative tasks, freeing up VA adjudicators to focus on evaluating IDES claims.

“Because a very large percentage of VA backlog claims are from veterans who served prior to Iraq and Afghanistan, DOD and VA are taking steps to ensure that those currently serving will not face a similar backlog in the future,” Hagel said.

Those actions include:

-- Certifying service treatment records so that claims processors know not to hold up processing to request additional records;

-- Holding data-sharing summits every six weeks to look for ways to improve DOD and VA practices;

-- Conducting separation health assessments to establish baseline medical conditions, which will speed future disability benefits claims; and

-- Improving the format of DOD service treatment records so that they are portable and can be quickly scanned by other users.

“While these efforts won't reduce the current backlog,” Hagel said, “they will ensure that future generations of transitioning service members won't experience these challenges.”

The centerpiece of the department’s effort is the integrated electronic health record program, the defense secretary said. He noted that the program is a priority for President Barack Obama, Shinseki and himself, as well as for Congress.

“As we work to modernize our electronic health record system, DOD remains committed to our shared goal of achieving full interoperability of health care records,” Hagel said. “This is a complex and expensive undertaking. It is critical that we get it right.”

The DOD faces a different situation in its modernization effort than does the VA, he said. Where the VA was able to modernize around its previously existing electronic health record system, DOD cannot, Hagel explained.

Yesterday, the defense secretary directed the department to begin a best-value competitive process to select commercial applications that DOD will use to modernize its legacy electronic health record system.

“This will be done using open standards and systems in a way that ensures complete data interoperability with VA,” Hagel said.

“As I've said, DOD has a responsibility to ensure that our active duty military receives the best medical care we can provide while they are in the service of our country,” the defense secretary said.

“And as I've said, we also have a responsibility to ensure that this same quality health care is carried through to the end of service members’ active duty careers when their status changes from active duty to veteran,” he added.

“Our service members and veterans, and their families, expect and deserve a seamless system to administer the benefits they have earned,” Hagel said. “Secretary Shinseki and I will continue to work closely together, in partnership with Congress, to deliver on that promise.”
 

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel hosted the Netherlands’ Minister of Defense Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert at the Pentagon today, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

Little said Hagel strongly emphasized the importance of the Netherlands as both a bilateral partner and North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally, and on behalf of the Department of Defense, reemphasized the commitment of the U.S. to the strong United States-Netherlands defense partnership.

Hagel and Minister Hennis-Plasschaert discussed a range of issues, including the Joint Strike Fighter program, NATO’s role in post-2014 Afghanistan, and Syria, Little said.

On JSF, Hagel underscored U.S. commitment to the program and encouraged continued cooperation between the U.S. and the Netherlands in its development, Little said.

Hagel thanked Minister Hennis-Plasschaert for the Netherlands’ decision to support the NATO Patriot missile deployment to Turkey, Little said, and he stressed the need for continued international cooperation on the ongoing crisis in Syria.
 

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel today urged service members, civilian employees and their families to enjoy the upcoming summer, but to do so safely.

In a message to all Defense Department activities, Hagel emphasized the need to make good decisions during a time of year that resulted in more than 80 percent of the department’s noncombat deaths in 2012.

Here is the text of the secretary’s message:

The summer months are often a high point of our year as we take a well-deserved vacation and spend time with family and friends. The summer allows for an opportunity to relax and refresh. However, many of the activities we pursue during our vacation time put us at risk for accidents that have potentially serious consequences.

As you drive to and from vacation destinations, remember that 81 percent of the non-combat fatalities in 2012 total took place over the summer. Last summer, 80 service members died in motor vehicle collisions; 27 in 4-wheel vehicles, 47 while riding motorcycles, 4 were pedestrians, and 2 were bicyclists. These fatalities occurred in spite of state laws and Department of Defense policies requiring the use of seatbelts while in a car and protective gear while riding motorcycles and bicycles.

An untold number of deaths resulted from fatigue -- deaths preventable by proper trip planning and fatigue management while driving. All military leaders must emphasize how important it is for everyone in our DOD community to follow these simple precautions while traveling on our nation's roads.

Some of you will enjoy water activities such as swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, or water skiing. Sadly, six service members died while participating in water-related activities last summer. It is important to follow swimming area rules and to be aware of the hidden dangers inherent in participating in water activities.

Alcohol is all too often a component in these tragic accidents. Recognize the risks and make good decisions. We all know that alcohol, even in small quantities, impairs our decision-making and is often a significant factor in many accidents. So before taking our first sip, we need to remember never to drink and drive. Plan ahead and always think before acting.

We all must do everything we can to be safer this summer. Each of us must do our part to keep everyone around us safe off-duty, as we do on-duty. Fundamental military lessons of working together, exercising leadership, focusing on the mission, and having the courage to say no to a risky situation are all essential to enjoying the summer and returning to your units.

I want to thank each of you for your service to this nation. You serve so that all Americans can be safe and free. I wish each of you a safe and enjoyable summer.
 

Vice President Joe Biden told the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s graduating class today they are entering a world of new threats, some that didn’t even exist when they were born, and that the service’s changing mission means they are not joining “your father’s Coast Guard.”

“No graduating class gets to choose the time into which they graduate, and you’re graduating into a world that is rapidly changing,” Biden told the nearly 300 men and women about to be commissioned in New London, Conn., “from challenges and missions to changing climates.”

Biden noted the Coast Guard has become fully integrated into the U.S. military, playing an increasingly complex role in national security, given the types of post-Cold War threats America now faces.

“New stateless actors have stepped into the breach with the desire to smuggle weapons of terror into American ports in the belly of cargo containers to do our people great harm,” he said.

Human trafficking and piracy on the high seas are occurring at rates no one would have imagined 50 years ago, the vice president said, posing growing challenges to free trade and commerce.

“More than at any time in history, every nation’s economic power and viability [are] tied to the global economy and dependent on the safe passage of goods on the seas,” he added.

Another responsibility for the 2013 graduating class will be increasing operations in the Arctic. Biden said the melting of the polar ice caps triggered by global warming will likely open up new international shipping routes.

“You’ll operate icebreakers that allow ships to navigate waters that would otherwise be impassable from the Great Lakes in the Northeast to new passages in the Arctic,” he said.

BidenHe also highlighted Coast Guard achievements, especially the dangerous missions the service is routinely called on to carry out, from helping victims of Hurricane Sandy last year to humanitarian missions further from home.

“Your shipmates have saved 3,650 lives last year alone, risking their lives,” he noted.

From natural disasters to rescues at sea, Biden said, “there are tens of thousands of grateful men and women and children from all parts of the world who will tell anyone who will listen that the most welcome sight they’ve ever seen are those racing stripes coming toward them or the sound of that orange Coast Guard helicopter above them, lowering a bucket with a man or woman inside to save their lives.

“In this changing world, we are going to be increasingly dependent on you,” he said.
 

The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments should be able to create a seamless health records system by the end of the year, Undersecretary of Defense Frank Kendall told reporters today.

The undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics led a review of the health care records system.

The idea is to create a system in which health care records can move from DOD to VA or other health care providers. The two departments are building on President Barack Obama’s national standards for health care records. “This will enable records to move more easily between DOD and the VA,” Kendall said during a Pentagon news conference.

DOD has been sending electronic medical records to VA for years, the undersecretary noted. Those “read only” records are used by VA to determine eligibility for benefits and disability. But records are also necessary for medical care, he said.

“It’s there that we’re really trying to improve -- the records used by doctors and clinicians,” he added. “The first step in that is to get in compliance with the standard data format so it can move in a seamless way. We expect to have integrated, seamless records with the VA by the end of this year.”

A separate effort is to modernize the systems used within the Defense Department and VA to provide health care.

“There’s no requirement that we use the same software to do that,” Kendall said. VA officials elected to modernize using the department’s existing Vista system.

“It was a reasonable decision for VA,” Kendall said. “They had a solid base in Vista, had a lot of people trained in it, had the programming in-house, and their physicians were familiar with it.”

Veterans Affairs will continue to build for the future on the Vista system, and DOD may use Vista or it may use another software altogether, Kendall said.

“The question is how to provide the best value for our people and the best possible health care for our people,” he said. “The conclusion after the review is the best possible approach taps into the commercial market and brings commercial systems in as candidates, along with Vista-based systems as well.”

DOD reached out to industry and received 20 proposals, including three based on Vista. “We think we have a rich field to pick from, and we can make a best value determination for DOD,” the undersecretary said.

Kendall said the next task moving forward is going to be understanding of what’s affordable, given the budget stream.

“Modernization is probably going to take place … in an incremental fashion,” he said.

The bottom line for service members is that they will have a single integrated record, Kendall said.

“The record is the data,” he said, “and once we have that data in the standardized form and we have converted the data we have now into that architecture, then we’re positioned to whatever lies ahead -- whatever software we buy, wherever we move it to.”
 

Students, teachers and parents of the Defense Department’s schools can be confident that despite the department’s upcoming civilian furloughs, the school year will start on time, the Department of Defense Education Activity’s director said today.

DODEA operates schools overseas and at some U.S. locations for the children of military families.

In an interview at the school system’s headquarters at the Mark Center here, Marilee Fitzgerald told the Pentagon Channel and American Forces Press Service that while her workforce will be affected by the coming furloughs, leaders are working together to ensure the least possible impact on students.

“We’ll take a five-day instructional loss,” Fitzgerald explained. “Fortunately, this is occurring in the DOD schools, where there is probably no group of teachers who are better prepared for this kind of challenge.”

Fitzgerald explained that like other DOD employees, 12-month DODEA employees -- including headquarters workers, principals and others -- will be scheduled for up to 11 furlough days to begin no earlier than July 8. Nine-month DODEA employees, including teachers and some staff members, will be scheduled for up to five furlough days beginning in September, she added.

“The goal of all of our teachers -- and everyone, really, in DODEA -- is to try to ensure that there is the least disruption possible to the educational life and experience of our children,” she said. “You know, we’re in the teaching and learning business. That’s what we do. And we’re not going to sacrifice one minute that those children are in front of us, to try and help them gain the kind of knowledge that they will need to be successful in the school year.”

DODEA schools will be open, but will not conduct regular classes on furlough days, she said. Fitzgerald explained that many school employees, including host-nation employees in overseas schools, are exempt from furlough.

“We can still do extracurricular activities [on furlough days], but those activities must occur after the school day,” she said. The director added that furlough days will not be scheduled on standardized testing days, and will most often happen on a Monday or Friday, to regulate students’ schedules as much as possible.

Fitzgerald noted that DODEA’s teachers are attuned to the needs of their students, who change schools and even countries of residence frequently, often while also dealing with the challenges of having a parent deployed to a war zone.

The teachers will focus on making the best possible use of the classroom time they do have, and will give students extra reading assignments and homework to help them make up the loss of classroom time, she added.

Fitzgerald noted that education research indicates instructional time is crucial, and that from an educator’s perspective, five days should be added to the school year, not subtracted from it.

“We’re going to be watching that carefully, and our teachers are acutely aware of that research,” she said. “They understand the challenge here in trying to help our children make up, if you will, for that instructional loss. … We’re hoping the effect will be minimal.”

Fitzgerald said the question of maintaining school accreditation -- which the current plan will maintain -- was important when the issue of furloughs arose. She said she had been troubled a few months ago, when early discussions spoke of possible 22-day furloughs.

“This was a great concern to the department,” she said. “There are threshold requirements in our accreditation standards, and we felt that if we went below 175 days of classroom instruction, we were really threatening our accreditation process. Fortunately, the department was able, even in this very severe budget crisis, to ensure that we took a fewer number of days so that we wouldn’t in any way compromise our accreditation.”

She said DOD places great value on its education activity and its educators and staffs, who run schools around the world and on military installations across the country.

“They’ve made great investments in the education of our children, and they certainly understand the importance that a quality education has to our nation, [and] to the recruitment and retention of a quality workforce. … I think they demonstrated that when they reduced the number of furlough days for our employees,” she said.

Furloughing school employees demonstrates the depth of crisis facing DOD, Fitzgerald said. “I found every opportunity, every effort being made, to ensure that we would not have to furlough,” she added. “[Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel] himself, in his letters, has said he came by this decision with great pain and great regret.”

DOD, DODEA, and every other agency devoted to securing the nation’s future are struggling under the current budget and deficit conditions, Fitzgerald noted. “I don’t think the department would make this decision if it weren’t for this financial crisis,” she added.

DODEA is not planning to conduct further furloughs beyond the coming school year, she said.

“That can’t become a routine,” she added. “I believe the department is committed to this investment that it’s making in the education of the children, so budget cuts would have to come from other sources, within DODEA and within the department itself, to try and avoid impacting the educational program. We would just have to stop doing certain things.”

Fitzgerald said around the world, DODEA’s employees will work to keep morale high and their focus on the children, but she acknowledged the furloughs would have an effect.

“This is going to be a very difficult time for our families and our employees,” she said.

Still, Fitzgerald said, she’s confident her workforce will “push through” the professional and personal difficulties that a loss of classroom time and a loss of pay will bring.

“It’s not a heavy lift to keep our teachers motivated,” she said. “In fact, during times of great crisis, you will see our teachers … be the first ones to tell you, ‘Let’s stay focused on the mission.’”

Educators are people whose career choice is motivated by love of the work, she pointed out. “They believe they can make a difference in the lives of these children,” she said. “That characteristic is actually present in all DODEA employees. That’s what makes DODEA so special.”

From the headquarters to each individual school, she said, “our focus is on the children. It’s not about us, it’s about them.”

Her entire workforce understands the challenges they’re facing with a five-day instructional loss this year, Fitzgerald said.

“I would tell you that the prevailing feeling is, while there is great disappointment and concern … during this whole process, the one thing I think you’ll find in DODEA is that they will rally, and they will look back on this -- and they want everyone to do so -- with the sense that, ‘Yes, those were tough times, and we performed magnificently,’” she added.

Principals are now working to schedule the precise furlough schedules their schools will observe, Fitzgerald said. She added that parents should contact their local school offices and websites for more information on furlough schedules.

“I can say this to all of our parents: the school calendar shows a report date, an opening of school, and that won’t change,” she said. “These furlough days … are not going to be taken, probably, until after the Labor Day holiday. So teachers, parents, children should report to school on time.”
 

U.S. Northern Command is coordinating Department of Defense-provided support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and state and local response activities in response to tornado-devastated areas in Oklahoma.

Currently, there are two Northcom mission assignments approved in support of disaster operations.

The command has activated the Region VI Defense Coordinating Officer, and the Defense Coordinating Element to Moore, Okla., to validate, plan and coordinate potential DOD support of FEMA's disaster response operations and to facilitate DOD's support of potential life-saving and response operations. DOD will provide regional knowledge, requirements validation, and liaison support to the affected areas.

Northcom also has deployed search-and-rescue coordinators as part of the Federal Search and Rescue Coordination Group. The FSARCG will provide search-and-rescue coordination and planning to Moore, Okla.

Northcom, based here, is the joint combatant command formed in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to provide homeland defense and defense support of civil authorities.

Supporting FEMA and state and local response to the Oklahoma tornado-damaged communities, Northcom is preparing for continued rescue and recovery needs as they are requested.
 

In a dedication ceremony here yesterday, the U.S. military’s top enlisted member commended students who produced a mural that honors the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and service members who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The ceremony culminated a year of tireless creativity from about 60 students at William McKinley Intermediate School 259 in the borough of Brooklyn.

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, spoke at the Armed Forces Memorial Mural dedication ceremony to commend the students who created a 270-foot-long mural across two stories of the school with artwork, poetry, and more than 6,000 names painstakingly painted in gold.

“We understand the commitment, drive, focus and determination that it takes to build and produce a winning product,” Battaglia said. “Those paintings and the names of our fallen written in gold depict powerful imagery that accurately captures and proudly honors our U.S. military, especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.”

Leaders from the military and the New York fire and police departments also attended the unveiling in conjunction with Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit organization that assists post-9/11 service members, their families, and families of the fallen who have suffered physical and psychological wounds in the line of duty.

“It was fairly easy to determine that these folks were on a mission,” Battaglia said of the students. “Not just a mission of a student coming to school to get education, but rather a larger mission where education was taken to a whole different level.”

The sergeant major said he also marveled at his first tour of the school earlier this year, when three young students described the symbolism of each piece of art -- with inspiration ranging from Michelangelo to Rodin -- that captured individual and team actions of first responders and military members.

“Never should a day go by where we are absent in thanking the brave and courageous volunteers who provide the freedom and security that we enjoy,” Battaglia said. “And on that September morning when our nation was brutally attacked, many have and many still continue to answer the call of duty.”

Battaglia said he found it powerful that everyone gathered to commemorate such an impactful piece of art that “depicts real and authentic images about first responders -- military service members and many others saving lives, administering first aid, trauma care and humanitarian assistance.”

Tom Buxton, a McKinley English teacher, collaborated with art teacher Roma Karas to inspire the children to depict how 9/11 resonated with them, even though many of the artists were not yet 2 years old on that fateful morning.

“I had to wake up at 6 a.m., because I live pretty far from the school, and I worked mornings and during lunches to paint,” said artist Anne Wang, age 14. “Everyone was proud of what we’d done, and we just wanted to show it off.”

The students took nearly a year to display moments in time from 9/11 to present day.

Spectators can enjoy the mural view from a large window on the third floor hallway, where, when the sunlight intensifies, the names painted in gold are illuminated, said artists Ayisha Siddiq, 13, and Nada Farraq, 13.

Battaglia called several students up to the stage to present them with a shadow box containing a U.S. flag he flew over Afghanistan. In return, he received an art book created by the students that recently earned an Ezra Jack Keats Award.
 

Sequestration spending cuts are letting 38 more metric tons of cocaine into the United States, the director of the Joint Interagency Task Force South said here today.

Coast Guard Rear Adm. Charles D. Michel told the Defense Writers Group that sequestration is devastating his cocaine interdiction effort.

Michel’s task force targets cocaine -- an $85 billion-a-year malevolent industry. The drug is made in only three countries -- Colombia, Peru and Bolivia -- and the United States is its biggest market. The three countries produce about 1,200 metric tons of cocaine a year, with roughly 500 metric tons going to the United States.

Last year, the command interdicted or disrupted about a third of cocaine shipments to the United States. This year, Michel said, he expects cocaine interdictions to drop between 20 and 25 percent.

The primary reason for the decreased interdiction is a lack of capabilities, the admiral said.

“It breaks my heart to see multi-metric-ton cocaine shipments go by that we know are there and we don’t have a ship to target it,” he said. “Once it gets on land, it becomes almost impossible to police up.”

The task force looks to U.S. Southern Command for support, and that has “always been an economy-of-force theater,” Michel noted. Still, he said, ships and aircraft were devoted to the mission in the past.

“With sequestration, as well as other Department of Defense cuts, those resources become scarcer,” he said. At his interagency group based in Key West, Fla., resources have been on a “multi-, multiyear downward trend,” Michel said -- doubling the prefix to illustrate the length of the trend -- “particularly for aircraft and vessels.”

On the U.S. side, aircraft come from the Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection. Vessels come from the Coast Guard and the Navy. International partners -- Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and others -- provide vessels to work with the task force.

“There is more intelligence out there on the movement of cocaine than there are surface vessels to interdict this product,” Michel said.

The scope of the area and mission are daunting. The area goes across five combatant commands’ geographic areas and is 12 times the size of the continental United States.

“Right now … on any given day, I’d estimate that for U.S. capital ships I have about three or four,” he said. The same is true of major aircraft assets such as P-3 Orions.

“Go back 20 years and we would have multiple times the number of ships and aircraft,” he said, though he noted that ships and planes were far less capable then.

“It is difficult to resource this mission set, and sequestration has been devastating to it,” he said. “At one point, it looked like the mission would receive no Navy ships.”

Law enforcement agencies cannot duplicate the Defense Department’s capabilities, the admiral said. They don’t have anti-submarine warfare capability, they have little capability to board a semi-submersible vessel or radar systems to detect aircraft, he added.

The drug networks have all of these capabilities and more, he said.
 

After 12 years of unprecedented demand for special operations forces capability worldwide, the commander of U.S Special Operations Command is shaping his forces for the future based on his “SOF 2020” vision.

Navy Adm. William H. McRaven began an assessment of how to posture special operations forces to meet 21st-century challenges shortly after taking command in August 2011. He formed operational planning teams to focus on four major priorities:

-- Win the current fight in Afghanistan;

-- Strengthen the global special operations forces network;

-- Preserve the force and families; and

-- Resource responsibly.

By necessity, McRaven said, winning the current fight remains at the top of the list, a vital step toward accomplishing the other pillars of the vision.

“Every commander that is in my position realizes that you have to take care of the 25-meter target first. For us, that is Afghanistan,” the admiral told several hundred participants at the 2013 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference here last week.

“And I think we are making great strides in Afghanistan,” he said, citing the success of a new command structure that aligns various NATO and U.S. special operations forces under a two-star headquarters.

“We are achieving in the SOF world probably the best results we have seen in many, many years in terms of synchronizing the effect on the ground, on the battlefield by pulling together all three of the SOF components,” he said.

But shaping for post-2014, McRaven said, the defense strategic guidance released in January 2012 and the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations championed by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, form the baseline for Socom’s future force and operations.

“Special operations forces are uniquely suited to implement the guidance outlined in these documents,” he told the House and Senate armed services committees earlier this year.

With a pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region and continuing focus on the Middle East and Southwest Asia, the guidance includes a solid role for special operators around the globe, McRaven told the Tampa forum.

“I am very comfortable that … there will still be a place for a force that is small, light, agile, networked, partnered -- the sort of things that are a part of the SOF core competencies,” he said.

But looking to the future of the special operations force, McRaven said, those enamored with “Zero Dark 30” -- the blockbuster movie depicting the SEAL mission that took out Osama bin Laden -- and the myriad bestsellers about high-profile special operations forces activities are likely to be disappointed.

“The fact of the matter is, that [counterterrorism] piece -- that we do better than anybody in the world -- … is a small part of our portfolio,” McRaven said. “The broader part of our portfolio is how we build capability, how we link with our allies and our partners overseas so that we can help them take care of their problems so we don’t have to end up doing [counterterrorism].”

This capacity-building is vital in confronting the long tentacles of trans-regional and often globally networked adversaries, the admiral told the audience.

“There is no such thing as a local problem any more,” McRaven said. “If you have a problem in Mali, it will manifest itself in Europe. And that problem in Europe will manifest itself in the Far East. Then the problem in the Far East will manifest itself in the Middle East. The world is linked, and therefore we need to be linked. We have to build a network to defeat the enemy network.”

McRaven’s SOF 2020 vision calls for a globally networked force of special operations forces, interagency representatives, allies and partners, with aligned structures, processes and authorities to enable its operations.

Globally networked forces, he explained, will provide geographic commanders and chiefs of mission with improved special operations capability as they respond rapidly and persistently to address regional contingencies and threats to stability.

McRaven noted his own experience working with the Joint Special Operations Command in Afghanistan. “It has been interesting to work in a network like that, and we do that very, very well on the direct-action side,” he said. Part of the Socom plan, he added, is figuring out how to extend that network out to the theater special operations commands and down to special operations forward elements and forces assigned to them.

But McRaven said his No. 1 mission -- one on which every other initiative depends -- is the preservation of the force and family.

Shortly after assuming command, McRaven received the results of an extensive evaluation of the special operations forces community, directed by Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, the former commander. The findings were sobering, he said.

“It said the SOF force as a whole was frayed,” McRaven said, a state he said continues with no light at the end of the tunnel in terms of operational demands. “I would say, in the last 20 months, the force is fraying at a rate I am not comfortable with at all,” he added.

McRaven recalled his initial SEAL training, provided by Vietnam veterans who, along with their families, weren’t properly cared for after the war. “We are not going to let that happen to this force,” he said. “So we are putting a fair amount of effort, money, manpower [and] time into preserving the force and families.”

Finally, McRaven underscored the importance of responsive resourcing for the special operations forces community and the “strategic employment” of SOF funding.

Socom’s unique acquisition authorities are critical to meeting the demands of the force and its operations, he said. The goal, he added, is to simplify processes and cut through red tape to “move money more quickly to deal with problems from the field and be able to provide that capability as quickly as possible.”

Meanwhile, McRaven acknowledged budgetary constraints during his congressional testimony and affirmed his commitment to “common-sense steps to cost-cutting and cost avoidance.”

As he implements the SOF 2020 vision and aligns resources to meet it, the admiral emphasized to Congress the value special operations forces deliver to the United States.

“Special operations forces exemplify the ethic of smart power -- fast and flexible, constantly adapting, learning new languages and cultures, dedicated to forming partnerships where we can work together,” he said.
 

Efforts to help people who were injured or lost their homes began almost immediately after a deadly tornado struck Moore, Okla., May 20.

One of those willing to help was Air Force Tech. Sgt. Shane Buss, the 47th Flying Training Wing’s equal opportunity noncommissioned officer in charge, along with his wife and four children.

"I was stationed in Oklahoma when an EF4 tornado hit in 1999, so I've seen the kind of destruction these things can have," Buss said. "We consider some old friends up there to be like family, and that region feels like home to us."

The Buss family plans to drop off much-needed supplies such as snacks, water, towels and soap.

"Apart from food and water, the supplies needed most are construction equipment like wheelbarrows and gloves for clean-up efforts," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Chris Robertson, a 72nd Security Forces Squadron patrolman assigned to Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. The tornado destroyed his home and crushed his family’s two vehicles.

"It's wonderful to see people helping who are so far away," he said.

Drop-off points have been established here for items anyone in the Laughlin community wants to donate to the tornado victims.
 

Oklahoma National Guard soldiers are assisting law enforcement officials and other responders in the wake of a deadly tornado that killed 24 people and flattened part of this Oklahoma City suburb May 20.

The Oklahoma Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team’s 22 soldiers specialize in search and rescue operations, atmospheric monitoring for hazardous materials and searching for physical hazards such as live downed electrical lines. Many of the unit members have previously deployed and have responded to other natural disasters, including the search and rescue mission following a tornado in Piedmont, Okla., nearly two years ago.

But this mission has special meaning, as many of the soldiers know people who have been directly affected by this disaster and some even live in the path of the tornado that struck here.

“We get to serve our community at home,” said Army Sgt. Warren Williams, a member of the 63rd CST. “There are a lot of other agencies coming from other locations, but this is personal for us. These are people we know. There are people in the unit who have been affected by this personally, so it’s satisfying to be out here helping our fellow neighbors.”

First responders from across the country have converged on Oklahoma City and Moore to assist with the search and recovery effort. The efforts of the soldiers and first responders have resulted in more than 100 survivors being rescued from storm shelters where they sought refuge from the tornado.

Although the mission for the 63rd CST is far from complete, the commitment of service to community that has been demonstrated by the Oklahoma National Guard has greatly affected the success in the joint operation between military and local law enforcement officials here.

“We work with the National Guard all of the time; it’s a really good pairing,” said Dr. Joe Holley, head of Tennessee Task Force 1 and an emergency medical services physician. “The military is great at the logistics part of a mission, and we have some special capabilities … that tie together in order to get the job done.”
 

The United States and China, by increasing their dialogue and engagement, can build a foundation of trust while fostering regional security and prosperity, the top U.S. commander in the region said yesterday.

“While competition between the United States and China is inevitable, conflict is not,” Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told members of the National Committee for U.S. China Relations in New York.

“This means identifying strategic areas where our two countries can cooperate, while recognizing frankly and openly the areas where we will continue to differ, and to manage those,” he said. “Our approach is to manage the friction and disruptive competition and increase areas of congruence and cooperation between our two nations.”

Locklear encouraged the China experts to envision a future in which “the U.S. and China collaborate to build upon an existing Indo-Asia-Pacific community of peace and prosperity.”

Reaching that goal, he said, requires recognizing, understanding and managing areas of divergence that could disrupt the security environment. These range from China’s concerns that the U.S. strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region is designed to contain China’s rise to differences in how the two countries view the maritime global commons and the lack of common ground on behavior in cyberspace.

Locklear emphasized that the rebalance is a whole-of-government strategy, recognizing that “the United States’ success in the 21st century will, to a large extent, depend on what happens in this critically important region of the world.”

Based on a strategy of collaboration and cooperation, the rebalance acknowledges the reality that the United States’ future is “inextricably linked” to Asia’s, he said. And one of the fundamental goals in implementing it is to build a “stable, productive and constructive relationship with China,” he added.

Despite many areas of divergence between the two countries, Locklear said, he believes they’re outweighed by areas where the United States and China share common interests.

“First, it is my belief that neither of our two nations desire conflict, especially armed conflict,” he said.

But both countries must also recognize the major roles they both play in the region, he said. “The Pacific is big enough for all of us,” Locklear told the group, borrowing a quote from both former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the United States’ and China’s economic relationship -- one that Locklear said draws them together and positively affects the entire region.

The admiral noted other promising developments that are solidifying this foundation: China’s growing participation in the international community, its commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and its efforts to address HIV/AIDS and pandemic diseases, among them.

Meanwhile, China is demonstrating “a real appetite to deepen the military-to-military dialogue and build on those areas on which we converge,” Locklear said. The goal, he said, is to continually improve the channels of communication and to demonstrate practical cooperation on issues that matter to both sides.

Gen. Fang Fenghu, China’s top military officer, identified counterterrorism, antipiracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, logistics and military medicine as potential areas of cooperation during a visit to Beijing by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Looking to the future, Locklear said, it’s vital that both China and the United States recognize their responsibilities as regional and global leaders.

“We must move beyond our individual differences to bring consensus to issues that threaten regional stability and future prosperity,” he said. That includes partnering with other nations to address regional security challenges such as piracy, terrorism, proliferation and pandemic disease.

Secondly, he said, the two countries must work together and with the international community to ensure access to the shared domains through universally accepted standards. This extends from the maritime domain -- and territorial disputes in the South China and East China Seas -- to the cyber and space domains, where they can play a role in helping to establish worldwide standards and practices, he said.

Also key, Locklear said, is China’s increasing participation in regional military-to-military engagements. He cited progress in the Military Maritime Consultative Meeting and other forums, and China’s agreement to take part in the next Rim of the Pacific international maritime exercise.

These engagements help to build trust and mutual understanding and, ultimately, reduce the likelihood of miscommunication and miscalculation that could derail forward progress, Locklear said.

“I believe the best hope for sustained bilateral cooperation will come from strategically identifying those areas where our interests overlap and building, over time, greater understanding and trust between our two armed forces,” the admiral said.