Monday, January 12, 2009 | 12th Air Force Commander Says Air Force UAS Force is "All In" |
Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, Twelfth Air Force and Air Forces Southern Commander |
| "Next year, the US Air Force will procure more unmanned aircraft than manned aircraft," Air Force Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, commander of Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern), said today. The General explained how the Air Force has 85 percent of its UAS capability currently deployed in support of operations in Southwest Asia. The other 15 percent are stateside to train UAS pilots and for operational test and development.
Lt. Gen. Seip discussed the Air Force's unmanned aerial systems and pilot track, activities in Central, South America and the Caribbean, and A-10 Thunderbolt II wing cracking issues. Joining General Seip on the roundtable were Sagar Pathak with HorizontalRain.com, Chuck Simmins at America's North Shore Journal, David Axe with War is Boring, Paul McLeary, and Colin Clark of DoD Buzz. Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Thursday, January 08, 2009 | Army Apologizes for 7,000 Misprinted Letters |
Brig. Gen Reuben Jones, The Army Adjutant General |
| Brig. Gen. Reuben Jones, the Army's adjunct general, joined bloggers for a special roundtable to apologize for a printing error that appeared in approximately 7,000 letters sent to family members who lost a Soldier in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The letter did not contain a specific by-name salutation, but was sent with a placeholder greeting of "Dear John Doe." "Even though this horrible error has occurred, I don't want the families to lose sight of the intent behind those great Americans that I have working for me that have a very, very special relationship with our families," said Jones. "The intent is to provide them with support that they desire, for as long as they desire and whenever they are ready to have that support. And that was our intent. That commitment remains firm." Story | Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Thursday, January 08, 2009 | Coalition Transitions ‘Sons of Iraq’ to Iraqi Government, Ensures Job Placement |
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, Chief of Reconciliation for Multi-National Corps-Iraq |
| The coalition has transferred 75 percent of some 94,000 “Sons of Iraq” civilian security volunteers under Iraqi government control, said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, chief of reconciliation for Multinational Corps Iraq, since beginning to transition the program in October. The coalition plans to follow through with the Iraqi government to ensure the Sons of Iraq are placed into permanent jobs, Kulmayer said, with approximately 20 percent going into the Iraqi security forces and the remainder in jobs that compliment their skills or training. “We really see it as a commitment on our part to the Sons or Iraq,” he said, “who have helped us here and, really, frankly stood up for their country.” Story | Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Tuesday, December 30, 2008 | Afghan National Army Medical System Making Slow, Steady Progress |
Lt. Col. (Dr.) Ed Fieg, Lead ANA Medial Mentor of the 205th Corps |
| “The mission of the medical ETT (embedded transition team) is to train, coach, and mentor the ANA (Afghan national army) medical personnel in order for them to develop a self-sustaining medical system in order for the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to achieve security and stability,” U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Ed Fieg, Deputy Team Leader and senior physician mentor of the 205th Corps, Afghan Regional Security Integration Command – South said to bloggers Dec. 30th. Fieg said, while less than perfect, the ANA medical system are functional and have made remarkable strides over the past year. Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Thursday, December 18, 2008 | U.S. Army Official Addresses Iraqi Security Forces, Ministry of Interior |
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James M. Milano |
| The MNSTC-I Directorate of Interior Affairs has been assisting the Iraq Ministry of Interior to develop the Iraqi security forces, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Milano said to bloggers Dec. 18th. "Our mission is to assist the Ministry of the Interior to complete the generation of professional, credible police forces while at the same time developing institutional capacity to aquire, train, develop, manage, sustain, and resource those forces, leading to self-reliance and the maintenance of the rule of law," he said. Story | Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) Additional Resources: |
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Wednesday, December 17, 2008 | U.S. Army Releases Field Manual 7-0, Training for Full Spectrum Operations |
Brig. Gen Robert Abrams, Deputy Commanding General, Combined Arms Center |
| Brig. Gen. Robert A. (Abe) Abrams, deputy commanding general, U.S. Combined Arms Center, participated in an Army Bloggers Roundtable to discuss the release of FM 7-0, "Training for Full Spectrum Operations." FM 7-0 will help to train the force in offensive, defensive and stability operations anywhere along the spectrum of conflict. "We've learned a lot about how to train forces to be full spectrum," said Abrams. "This manual captures a lot of the lessons learned as to the how or the what of training units for full-spectrum operations and codified it in doctrine." Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Monday, December 15, 2008 | Army Scientist Discusses Disease Reseach |
Dr. Lisa Hensley, Research Microbiologist, U.S. Army's Institute of Infectious Diseases |
| Dr. Lisa Hensley, chief, Viral Therapeutics, Virology Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Md., participated in an Army Blogger's Roundtable to discuss her work in developing candidate therapies. Dr. Hensley is one of the most accomplished scientists in her field, having worked with some of the world's deadliest diseases, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Monkeypox, Marburg and Ebola. She discussed some of the specifics of her research, as well as how her work has changed since 2001. "I think there's a really good team effort here at USAMRIID," said Hensley. "It's not just the scientists but the support staff who keep the building running. They really believe in the mission that we're here for." Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Friday, December 12, 2008 | U.S. Army Col. Provides Insight Into Iraqi Police Training |
Colonel Larry Saunders, Director, Baghdad Police College Transition Team |
| U.S. Army Col. Larry Saunders, senior advisor to the Vice Deputy of Training for the Ministry of Interior, updated bloggers on the Iraqi national and local police as well as the Sons of Iraq transition program. “There’s a growing confidence that this democracy is going to work … There’s a great appreciation amongst those whom actually make the decisions for what the west brings them in terms of furthering democracy,” Saunders said. “I think from a strategic picture, all of the members of the government understand the importance of a balanced, nonsectarian dominated government,” he said. Story | Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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Thursday, December 11, 2008 | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Researching Solar Energy |
Dr. Ali Allack |
| Electrical engineers with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are currently researching and developing solar energy projects and initiatives in Iraq, Mr. Ali Allak, an official for the Corps of Engineers said. There are various ways of harnessing the suns rays that produce electricity which can be used for air conditioning units, lights, or water heaters, he said. Solar energy is important because it’s free of fossil fuels, relatively inexpensive, and free of wire connections, he added. Audio(Mp3) | Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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The Bloggers Roundtable provides source material for stories in the blogosphere
concerning the Department of Defense (DoD) by bloggers and online journalists.
Where available, this includes transcripts, biographies, related fact sheets
and video.
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