Military

WASHINGTON, (11/02/09) - As the Defense Department begins to compensate military members forced to serve beyond the expiration of their contracts, the number of those still serving under "Stop Loss" has been greatly reduced, a Pentagon official said.

The Army, the only service still using the program, still has 9,600 soldiers serving involuntarily beyond their resignation or retirement date, Sam Retherford, The Defense Department's director of officer and enlisted personnel management, said during an Oct. 29 "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.

That compares to 16,000 servicemembers on Stop Loss in 2005, he said.    » read more »

TONAWANDA, N.Y., (11/02/09) - The New York National Guard along with local officials from Erie County and the cities of Tonawanda, Buffalo and Niagara Falls joined with other state, regional and federal officials to formally announce the launch of the largest emergency response exercise to have ever been conducted in Western New York.

"Vigilant Guard is an opportunity for military and civilian professionals to train together and prepare for a potential catastrophe we all naturally hope will never happen," said Brig. Gen. Michael Swezey, commander of the Guard's Joint Task Force 6, based in Buffalo.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, (11/2/09) - The Defense Department has started receiving H1N1 vaccines and will begin distributing doses in the coming weeks.

The Health and Human Services Department is distributing the vaccines, manufactured by four producers, to the department. Because rates of production vary among the manufacturers, supplies are expected to be limited initially, but to increase over time, said Ellen P. Embrey, acting assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.    » read more »

October 30, 2009 -- U. S. ARMY NORTH – As the leaves turn and the country heads into winter U. S. Army North personnel are preparing to exercise and train the one of the Department of Defense’s consequence management response forces at Camp Atterbury, Ind. Nov 1 – 13.

Exercise Vibrant Response 10.1 will put about four thousand members of Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, High Yield Explosive Consequence Management Response Force, or CCMRF, 10.1 through a domestic incident response in support of a primary agency for the first time.    » read more »

Nov 02, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — As shipments of some 3.7 million doses of H1N1 vaccine ordered by the Defense Department continue to arrive from the manufacturer, more than enough will be available for all military personnel and their beneficiaries, military medical experts say.

Navy Cmdr. Danny Shiau, division chief for the Bureau of Navy Medicine and Surgery's force health protection, and Dr. Robert Morrow, the bureau's preventive medicine programs and policy officer, took questions about the military's seasonal flu and H1N1 preparedness efforts during an Oct. 29 "DoDLive" bloggers roundtable.

Morrow explained why it has taken the primary manufacturer, Novartis, longer than expected to produce the vaccine.    » read more »

November 02, 2009 -- (Oklahoma City) -- Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry is urging fellow Oklahomans to support a privately funded effort that helps World War II servicemen and other veterans travel to Washington, D.C., to visit the national monuments and memorials dedicated to their service.

At a State Capitol news conference today, the governor announced that Oklahoma has become an official state hub of Honor Flight Network, Inc., a national non-profit organization that raises private funds to organize and finance trips to the nation’s capital at no cost to the veteran. The hub designation, Oklahoma Honor Flights, allows the state chapter to raise funds to help pay the costs of Oklahoma veterans who are able to participate in the program.    » read more »

Fund Would Provide Greater Aid to Military Families Nationwide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 4, 2009 -- Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will endorse a bill that would provide aid to military families in all branches of the armed services at a National Press Club Newsmakers press conference at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. The press conference will be in the Zenger Room on the 13th floor of National Press Building, 529 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20045.    » read more »

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division Sea Test Range, Calif., Nov. 2, 2009 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) and the U.S. Navy completed the first free-flight demonstration of the Joint Standoff Weapon Extended Range air-to-surface precision guided missile.

The JSOW-ER is a powered variant of the combat-proven glide JSOW. It takes the GPS-inertial navigation system reliability of existing JSOW variants and combines it with the network-enabled maritime-interdiction capabilities currently in development for the JSOW C-1. The JSOW-ER also integrates the Hamilton-Sundstrand TJ-150 engine, currently in production for Raytheon's Miniature Air Launched Decoy.    » read more »

ANAHEIM, Calif., Nov. 3, 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has delivered upgraded cryptography devices to Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Air Force for the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system. The devices provide additional communications security between the missile system's launch control centers and launch facilities.

The new devices are part of the ICBM Cryptography Upgrade (ICU) program for ICBM missile wings at Air Force bases F.E. Warren in Wyoming, Malmstrom in Montana and Minot in North Dakota. Boeing designed, developed and delivered the replacement units and supporting technical data, trainers, support equipment, and code processing system modifications.    » read more »

VA Secretary unveils plan at DC homeless summit

November 3, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Mark Begich today praised a plan released by Secretary of Veterans Affairs Erik Shinseki to end homelessness among veterans by marshalling the resources of the government, business and the private sector. According to the VA, the comprehensive plan includes preventive measures like discharge planning for incarcerated veterans re-entering society, supportive services for low-income veterans and their families, and a national referral center to link veterans to local service providers.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) issued the following statement today on learning that Shaw Air Force Base has been selected as a candidate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

“I was pleased to receive word today from the Secretary of the Air Force that Shaw Air Force Base has been selected as a candidate for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) – the Air Force’s new fifth generation fighter designed to replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II.

“In choosing candidates for the F-35, the Air Force evaluated over 200 sites. The process was highly competitive, and Shaw’s selection as a candidate is testament to its strength and value as an Air Force base.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Air force is planning to start deploying its new F-35A fighters at 10 locations around the country starting late next year or early in 2011.

And a new study out today of 205 potential locations names the top 10 spots where the planes could be housed for training and military operations – including two locations in the Sunshine State.

The two Florida spots are Eglin Air Force Base near Fort Walton Beach in the Panhandle, which would be home initially to 59 of the fighters for pilot training; and, the second location is at Jacksonville International Airport, where 18 of the jets would be housed with the Florida Air National Guard.    » read more »

WASHINGTON -- October 29 - Senator Patrick Leahy and the Vermont Congressional Delegation – Leahy (D), Senator Bernie Sanders (I) and Representative Peter Welch (D) -- announced Thursday that the Secretary of the Air Force has selected the Vermont National Guard in Burlington as one of 10 final candidates to base the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The Air Force conducted a system-wide review of more than 200 locations before selecting Burlington and nine other bases as finalists for either the training or primary operations of the F-35.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Mark Begich released the following statement after learning the Department of Defense will not be putting any of the first 250-300 aircraft of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) at any of Alaska's military bases:

"Given Alaska's important geographic and strategic advantages for the overall defense of our country, I am disappointed to learn that none of Alaska's Air Force bases were chosen as one of the preferred locations to base a portion of the Air Force's first 250-300 aircraft in the F-35 JSF. This is particularly disappointing since the Air Force indicated last fall that Eielson was on the "short list."    » read more »

Rolls Royce will keep making Joint Strike Fighter engine; bill preserves 300 Indianapolis jobs, up to $1.7 billion for state economic development

October 28, 2009 -- Washington – Senator Evan Bayh today praised President Obama’s signing of a defense spending bill that includes full funding for an alternate Joint Strike Fighter aircraft engine made in Indianapolis.

Bayh led the fight on the Senate floor to secure funding for Rolls Royce North America to develop and produce the military fighter engine at its Indianapolis facility. When funding for the program was stripped out of the legislation this summer, Bayh successfully fought to have it reinstated in a joint Senate-House conference committee.    » read more »