USPACOM Command Information
Ongoing
June 01, 2012 - November 30, 2012
June 1st marks the beginning of Hurricane Season in Hawaii. The attached handbook, created by the University of Hawaii Sea Grant program, has some excellent information on preparing for hurricanes and other natural hazards. This handbook will serve as a good reminder to those of you that are familiar with Hawaii and its natural hazards, and for those of you that are new to the islands, you will find that Hawaii has some unique characteristics. Remember - it is not IF, but WHEN the next hurricane will impact the islands. BE PREPARED!
July 2012 - November 2012
With the political party conventions fast approaching and a presidential election in the Fall, it is a good time to remember that there are restrictions in the Hatch Act and Department of Defense (DoD) policy concerning political activities of Federal/DoD employees.
1. Civilian Personnel: While the Hatch Act and DoD policy allow most Federal civilian employees to actively participate in political activities on their own time and outside of the Federal workplace, there are significant restrictions on fundraising, running for office in partisan elections, and using one's official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the result of an election. Employees are prohibited from engaging in political activity while on duty, in a government building, or in a government vehicle. Political activity is defined as an activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan political office, or partisan political group. Please note:
a. The Hatch Act does not prohibit all discussions by federal employees on political subjects or candidates in a federal building or while on-duty. In fact, it explicitly protects the rights of federal employees to express their opinions on political subjects and candidates both publicly and privately. Thus, "water-cooler" type discussions and exchanges of opinion among co-workers concerning the events of the day, including political campaigns are allowable; and
b. Federal civilian employees may be candidates for public office in nonpartisan elections, may register to vote and vote in elections, may assist in voter registration drives, may express opinions about candidates and issues, may contribute money to political organizations, may attend political fundraising functions, may attend and be active at political rallies and meetings, and may join and be an active member of a political party or club.
2. Military Members: Members of the Armed Forces who are on active duty are subject to a different and generally more restrictive set of rules concerning their political activities. As with civilian employees, service members are prohibited from engaging in political activity while on duty, while in uniform, in a government building, or in a government vehicle. Members on active duty are permitted to express their personal opinions on political candidates, sign petitions to place a candidate's name on the ballot, and attend a political event as a spectator, although not in uniform. They, however, may not participate in partisan political activities, solicit or engage in partisan fundraising activities, serve as the sponsor of a partisan club or speak before a partisan gathering. Personnel having questions concerning the scope of their permissible political activities are encouraged to consult with SSC Pacific's Designated Ethics Officials, Scott E. Miller, 619-553-4703, scott.e.miller@navy.mil or Kyle Eppele, 619-553-3001, kyle.eppele@navy.mil.
April - December 2012
Action Officer's Council Meeting Announcement. Do you have ideas that would save you or your co-workers time, save the command money and man-hours, or improve division or Command morale? Want to see YOUR idea implemented? Join the Action Officer's Council. Come by to share your ideas and make some bottom-up changes for the better. For questions or more information contact, Joanna Hurlburt (J53), 808-477-8098, joanna.hurlburt@pacom.mil.
May - December 2012
"Sexual assault crimes strike at the health, welfare and dignity of our service members and undermine the readiness of our Force. As military professionals we must fully understand the destructive nature of these acts, lead our focused efforts to prevent them, and promote positive command climates and environments that reinforce mutual respect, trust and confidence. Sexual assault among Servicemembers is a problem we face together, one that can only be solved together." - GEN Dempsey Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Kim, MAJ Cody, or Debra Morehead at 703-697-4272 or follow the link: http://www.dodlive.mil/index.php/2012/05/strategic-direction-to-the-joint-force-on-sexual-assault-prevention-response/.
May - December 2012
Ethics, Integrity, and Accountability: The attached Secretary of Defense memorandum dated May 2, 2012, Subject: Ethics, Integrity, and Accountability, OSD004370-12, is forwarded in PDF format for dissemination throughout the component. Questions may be directed to the Correspondence Analysis Branch of CMD at (703) 695-3133.
September - December 2012
MCBH Provost Marshal's Office (PMO) Special Enforcement Notification: MCBH PMO will conduct special traffic enforcement operations aboard Camp Smith in order to ensure the safety of pedestrians who walk to and from the upper tier parking areas off of Elrod Road at the direction of the Commanding Officer. Construction of the new gym combined with narrow roads consisting of numerous blind spots and sharp turns have created a hazardous situation for pedestrians aboard Capt Smith. Numerous drivers have been observed speeding and traveling too fast for conditions on this stretch of roadway which must be shared with pedestrians during the construction period. PMO personnel will strictly enforce the posted speed limit (15 mph) and cite driver's caught driving too fast for conditions around blind curves. Conversely, pedestrians must walk as close to the edge of the roadway as possible. The goal of this operation is to ensure the safety of pedestrians. There have been numerous close calls recently caused by speeders, drivers crossing the lane divides and pedestrians walking down the middle of the road. We have asked drivers to slow down and asked pedestrians to get out of the middle of the road. Responses have been disrespectful. Therefore, greatly enhanced enforcement starts on Monday. Please take this as a polite warning.
September - December 2012
Operation Tomodachi Registry. The Department of Defense (DOD) began establishing the Operation Tomodachi Registry following the devastating March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. These unfortunate events caused severe damage to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which resulted in the release of radiation into the environment. This Registry will include the names of nearly 70,000 DOD-affiliated individuals who were on or near the mainland of Japan during the period from March 12, 2011 to May 11, 2011 along with radiation exposure estimates for each of these individuals. The Operation Tomodachi Registry is being completed in phases. This website provides radiation exposure estimates for 13 different shore-based locations. Those locations were selected since most of the members of the DOD-affiliated population resided on or near the 13 DOD installations in Japan or in the cities represented. Final radiation dose estimates are expected to be available by the end of 2012. These estimates may include updates to dose estimates for shore-based locations as well as dose estimates for U.S. Navy ships located off the mainland of Japan during the March 12 through May 11, 2011 timeframe. By the end of 2012, radiation doses are also expected to be available for upwards of 8,000 individuals who had their external or internal radiation measured directly.
Due to privacy concerns, individuals will be unable to link directly to the Registry through this website, but they will be able to learn more about the event that ultimately led to establishing this registry, obtain location-based radiation dose estimates, and contact the Registry administrators to obtain answers to their questions. For information, please visit https://registry.csd.disa.mil/registryWeb/Registry/OperationTomodachi/DisplayAbout.do.