Published: 2/12/2013

The United States will reach out to countries around the world to deal with shared threats, President Barack Obama said during the State of the Union speech tonight.

Terrorism remains a threat to Americans, but it is just one of many. And in each, working with other nations is key to neutralizing them.

Obama declared that al-Qaida, the terror group that killed 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001, is a shadow of its former self. America, working with allies in many parts of the globe, has taken out key leaders and has the terror organization on the run.

But the al-Qaida ‘brand’ continues. “Different al-Qaida affiliates and extremist groups have emerged – from the Arabian Peninsula to Africa,” he said. “The threat these groups pose is evolving. But to meet this threat, we don’t need to send tens of thousands of our sons and daughters abroad, or occupy other nations. Instead, we will need to help countries like Yemen, Libya and Somalia provide for their own security, and help allies who take the fight to terrorists, as we have in Mali.”

Still, the United States will take direct action where it is needed, the president said.

At the same time, he said Americans must adhere to the values for which the nation stands. The administration has worked to forge a durable legal and policy framework to guide U.S. counterterrorism operations. “I recognize that in our democracy, no one should just take my word that we’re doing things the right way,” Obama said. “So, in the months ahead, I will continue to engage with Congress to ensure not only that our targeting, detention and prosecution of terrorists remains consistent with our laws and system of checks and balances, but that our efforts are even more transparent to the American people and to the world.”

North Korea and Iran are dangers to America and its allies, with each believed by U.S. officials to be heading down the road toward nuclear weapons. “The regime in North Korea must know that they will only achieve security and prosperity by meeting their international obligations,” the president said.

Tuesday, North Korea said it carried out another underground nuclear test. “Provocations of the sort we saw last night will only isolate them further, as we stand by our allies, strengthen our own missile defense and lead the world in taking firm action in response to these threats,” he said.

There is still time for diplomacy to work with Iran, Obama said, but it is dwindling. The United States is working with a coalition “demanding that they meet their obligations, and we will do what is necessary to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon,” he said.

The president promised to continue working with Russia to reduce both nations’ nuclear arsenals, and said the United States will continue leading the effort to stop nuclear materials from falling in to the wrong hands.

The president also promised progress in countering the growing threat of cyber-attacks. “We know hackers steal people’s identities and infiltrate private e-mail,” he said. “We know foreign countries and companies swipe our corporate secrets. Now our enemies are also seeking the ability to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions and our air traffic control systems.”

He called these attacks real threats to America’s economy and security. “That’s why, earlier today, I signed a new executive order that will strengthen our cyber defenses by increasing information sharing, and developing standards to protect our national security, our jobs, and our privacy,” he said. “Now, Congress must act as well, by passing legislation to give our government a greater capacity to secure our networks and deter attacks.”

Freedom is the birthright of all people, the president said. “In defense of freedom, we will remain the anchor of strong alliances from the Americas to Africa; from Europe to Asia,” he said. “In the Middle East, we will stand with citizens as they demand their universal rights, and support stable transitions to democracy.”

North Africa and the Middle East will remain problematic, but the United States will remain committed and engaged. “The process will be messy, and we cannot presume to dictate the course of change in countries like Egypt; but we can – and will – insist on respect for the fundamental rights of all people,” the president said.

In Syria, the United States will keep the pressure on a regime that has murdered its own people and turned millions of others into refugees. The United States will support Syrian opposition leaders that respect the rights of all citizens.

The United States will continue its strong stand with Israel in pursuit of security and a lasting peace.

“All this work depends on the courage and sacrifice of those who serve in dangerous places at great personal risk – our diplomats, our intelligence officers and the men and women of the United States armed forces,” he said. “As long as I’m Commander-in-Chief, we will do whatever we must to protect those who serve their country abroad, and we will maintain the best military in the world. We will invest in new capabilities, even as we reduce waste and wartime spending.”

The president vowed to ensure equal treatment for all service members, and equal benefits for their families – gay and straight. “We will draw upon the courage and skills of our sisters and daughters, because women have proven under fire that they are ready for combat,” he said. “We will keep faith with our veterans – investing in world-class care, including mental health care, for our wounded warriors; supporting our military families; and giving our veterans the benefits, education, and job opportunities they have earned.”

The president thanked his wife Michelle and Dr. Jill Biden for championing the needs and capabilities of military personnel, veterans and their families.
 

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Published: 2/12/2013

U.S. troops in Afghanistan will decrease by 34,000 over the coming year, President Barack Obama announced tonight in his annual State of the Union address.

“After a decade of grinding war, our brave men and women in uniform are coming home,” he said early in his remarks to a joint session of Congress. Later in the speech, the commander in chief outlined his plan for troops in Afghanistan, now numbering about 66,000.

“Already, we have brought home 33,000 of our brave servicemen and women,” he said. “This spring, our forces will move into a support role, while Afghan security forces take the lead. Tonight, I can announce that over the next year, another 34,000 American troops will come home from Afghanistan. This drawdown will continue. And by the end of next year, our war in Afghanistan will be over.”

The president credited “the troops and civilians who sacrifice every day to protect us. Because of them, we can say with confidence that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan, and achieve our objective of defeating the core of al-Qaida.”

America’s commitment to a unified and sovereign Afghanistan will endure beyond 2014, Obama said, but the nature of that commitment will change.

“We’re negotiating an agreement with the Afghan government that focuses on two missions: training and equipping Afghan forces so that the country does not again slip into chaos, and counter-terrorism efforts that allow us to pursue the remnants of al Qaeda and their affiliates,” he noted.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, in a statement, said he welcomes the commander in chief’s announcement. The figure was based, he said, on Marine Corps Gen. John Allen’s strategic recommendation of a phased approach to decreasing the force, now numbering about 66,000.

Allen turned over command of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan to Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. during a Feb. 10 ceremony in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The secretary said in his statement that in consultations with the president and his national security team, “I strongly supported General Allen’s recommendation and I believe the president’s decision puts us on the right path to succeed in Afghanistan.”

Panetta said he is confident Dunford will have the combat power he needs to protect coalition forces, continue building up Afghan forces, and “achieve the goal of this campaign ­ to deny al Qaeda a safe haven to attack our homeland.”

Panetta noted the United States, NATO and the Afghan government agreed in Lisbon in 2010, and affirmed in Chicago in 2012, that Afghanistan will assume full responsibility for its security by the end of 2014.

“We are on track for that goal,” he said, “and we will maintain a long-term commitment to Afghanistan ­ including through the continued training and equipping of Afghan forces and counter-terrorism operations against al Qaeda and their affiliates.”

The American people should never forget 9/11 is the reason their men and women are fighting in Afghanistan, Panetta said.

“After more than a decade of great sacrifice and hard-fought progress, we are now on a path to an Afghanistan that cannot be used as a launching pad for attacks against our nation,” the secretary said.

“Our troops on the ground will continue to be in a tough fight, and they will continue to face real challenges, but our fundamental goal is now within sight,” he concluded. “Thanks to their continued dedication and sacrifice, I believe we will prevail.”
 

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Published: 2/13/2013

Sequestration and a yearlong continuing resolution would significantly hinder the National Guard’s ability to protect and defend the homeland, the chief of the National Guard Bureau told the Senate Armed Services Committee yesterday.

Sequestration is a mechanism built into budget law that will trigger deep, across-the-board spending cuts unless Congress comes up with an alternative by March 1. A continuing resolution is temporary funding that keeps the government running in lieu of a congressionally approved budget. The current continuing resolution runs through March 27.

“Sequestration will be devastating to the Department of Defense and the National Guard,” Army Gen. Frank J. Grass said, joining other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and senior defense officials before the committee.

“Although National Guard warfighters will continue to receive support, the ability to provide ready forces and equipment to respond to disasters in support of our nation’s governors and to meet our federal obligations will be negatively impacted,” Grass said in a statement delivered to the committee.

The general outlined four priority areas directly related to readiness where the National Guard would be severely affected: personnel, equipment maintenance, facility maintenance and training.

Under sequestration, Grass said:

-- About 115,000 traditional Guard members would not get annual medical or dental exams. “Within one year, readiness will be degraded to pre-war levels,” he said.

-- The National Guard’s civilian workforce would face a potential furlough. “Furloughs of these essential personnel will further reduce the readiness of our people, equipment, facilities and training,” Grass said, because military technicians and civilian employees support maintenance and training.

-- The Army would cancel or reduce depot-level equipment maintenance, including the reset of materiel returning from deployment. “National Guard units will return to their states with equipment in a low state of readiness, and it may not be available to the unit to support state authorities in response to tornados, floods or wildfires -- or a complex catastrophe,” the general said.

-- The Air National Guard would be forced to “park” aircraft, degrading readiness.

-- Military construction projects would be cut.

-- Some facility security, firefighting, groundskeeping, custodial, snow removal and maintenance contracts might have to be cancelled, affecting jobs in communities and costing even more money in penalties for early termination.

-- Equipment shortages would degrade training opportunities.

-- Training cuts by the Army and the Air Force would affect both the Army National Guard and the Air National Guard. “Under sequestration, most flying units [in the Air Guard] will be below acceptable readiness standards by the end of this fiscal year,” Grass said.

“Your support is needed more than ever today to mitigate the impacts of sequestration,” Grass told senators. “Without congressional action, these across-the-board cuts will impact the National Guard’s ability to meet steady state demands and act as a strategic hedge for unforeseen world events.”
 

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Published: 2/12/2013

As he prepares for retirement, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta today addressed the Pentagon workforce, representing the entire Defense Department, thanking them for their contributions to national defense.

Speaking in the Pentagon courtyard, Panetta thanked leaders of the Defense Department, civilian employees and the military for their commitment to accomplishing the department’s mission since he was sworn in as the 23rd secretary of defense on July 1, 2011.

“I’m a believer that our fundamental mission here at the Department of Defense is very simple,” he said. “It is to protect and defend the United States of America and to keep our country safe. And because of your great work, and because of everything you do, we can say with pride that we have kept our country safe.”

The defense secretary said knowing everything the Defense Department has done has helped to keep the country safe is his biggest source of pride as he heads back to California.

Panetta also paid tribute to the “love and support” of the workforce’s families as they serve in “tough jobs.”

“We face a lot of pressure, and challenges that sometimes demand we go long distances away from home,” he said. “And yet throughout that, knowing that our families are there, knowing that they love and support us, is what gives us the ability to do this job.

“So my deepest thanks go out, not just to all of you, but to your families,” he continued. “They are part of our Pentagon family, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their sacrifice and their dedication.”

Panetta said he has come away from his experiences as defense secretary with a deep respect and admiration for all the dedication and sacrifices involved in keeping the nation safe. “Every day I see the people in this department, working and fighting together as one family, united behind our mission of protecting our country,” he said.

The secretary also lauded service members for their willingness to fight to keep America safe.

“[It’s] our No. 1 job, and I am so grateful for those that do that,” he said. “I think that we are, as a nation, strong because there are men and women that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect our country.”

Panetta also acknowledged the civilian workforce’s contributions to the Defense Department’s mission.

“You do everything you can to support our mission,” he said. “You support our warfighters downrange. You don't get a hell of a lot of public recognition, but the fact is your efforts make a difference.

“We could not do this job without the civilian workforce,” Panetta continued. “You're the unsung heroes of this nation, … [and] are an important part of our success.”

Panetta said he is “grateful and proud” as he reflects on what the Pentagon team has been able to accomplish together.

“We've developed, and are implementing, a new defense strategy that will sustain the strongest military power on Earth as we face challenges in defending our country while implementing fiscal discipline, Panetta said. “I have never believed that we have to choose between our responsibility to national security and our responsibility to fiscal discipline. We can do both.”

Panetta said the new defense strategy implements key capabilities the military will need in the future, such as agility, rapid deployment, force protection and projection, and rotational deployments, among others.

“Putting those elements together was the result of a team effort by both the military and the civilian workforce here,” he said. “I deeply appreciate their working as a team to put that in place.”

The secretary thanked the Pentagon workforce for its part in maintaining the leading U.S. role in world affairs.

“We are the strongest military power in the world,” he said. “The world needs our leadership. The world needs the United States of America to lead the world towards peace and towards prosperity.”

Panetta expressed his gratitude for having the “honor” of leading the Defense Department, and told the workforce they would be “in my heart forever.”

“My friends, it has been the honor of my life to have served with you in this position as secretary of defense,” he said. “It's been the greatest privilege I've had in my almost 50 years of public service to be able to represent the people of this department to our friends and to our partners around the world.”
 

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Published: 2/13/2013

A combined Afghan and coalition force killed a Taliban leader in the Khugyani district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province today, military officials reported.

Mojib, also known as Mansoor, conducted direct-fire attacks against Afghan government officials and Afghan and coalition forces. He was directly associated with Taliban senior leadership operating in Khugyani district and procured rocket-propelled grenades to be used in an attack on a coalition aircraft, officials said.

The security force seized assault rifles with associated gear as well as several grenades and a pistol in the operation.

Also today, a combined force in Khost province’s Terayzai district arrested a Haqqani network leader who is accused of conducting attacks and kidnappings.

The security force also detained two suspected insurgents and seized grenades, an assault rifle with associated ammunition, an Afghan army uniform and two Afghan army identification cards in the operation.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- Afghan and coalition forces called in a precision airstrike in Helmand province’s Nad-e Ali district that killed a Taliban leader responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces. He also helped insurgents obtain heavy weapons. A post-strike assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no property was damaged in the operation.

-- A combined force called in a precision strike that killed two insurgents in Kunar province’s Ghaziabad district. A post-operation assessment determined no civilians were harmed and no civilian property was damaged in the operation.

-- In Kandahar province’s Maiwand district, a combined force arrested a Taliban facilitator believed responsible for coordinating and conducting insurgent operations.
 

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Published: 2/13/2013

Who doesn’t hate when their computer crashes, gets infected with a virus or, worst of all, flashes them the dreaded “blue screen of death”?

Navy Rear Adm. Thomas “Hank” Bond Jr. worries about that problem more than most. That’s because, as director of command-and-control systems at U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, he’s responsible for the networks vital to the dual commands’ homeland defense mission.

Operating in a “no-fail” environment where a mistake can cost American lives, Bond and his staff in the commands’ “J-6” directorate run the architectures and networks that deliver critical sensor data -- some that would need to be acted on immediately to prevent an attack on the United States.

“We provide the connective tissue across the command to get the job done,” Bond told American Forces Press Service at the Northcom/NORAD headquarters here.

Information is critical across the organization, he said, but particularly at the NORAD and Northcom Current Operations Center that maintains an around-the-clock watch, seven days a week, 365 days a year. “That data needs to get to people who can make decisions about it,” and ultimately to Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., the NORAD and Northcom commander, who would make the call for action, Bond explained.

“This is a mission that requires that you be able to talk, to get the message out and to assign the forces to do what you need them to do,” he said. “You can’t say ‘I’m sorry’ because you are rebooting the system.”

To ensure that never happens, Bond and his team are exploring more efficient and whenever possible, less costly ways to assure secure network access across the commands.

Rather than coming up with expensive new “gee-whiz” technologies, they are tapping some of the best concepts emerging in the commercial marketplace. “We’re looking for new and better solutions that are also lower cost, still providing all the services, but still reliable and redundant,” Bond said. “That is our big trend.”

For example, the team is exploring better ways to present data to decision-makers. One idea is to make the two-dimensional display screens that dominate the command center 3-D to better reflect the real world. Another is to identify improved ways to portray activities in the air, space, land, maritime and cyber domains to help operators “connect the dots” and develop better situational awareness.

“It all boils down to that age-old problem of knowing what is going on in your operating area and knowing what is going on in the enemy’s operating area and being able to use that to your advantage,” Bond said. Information technology alone can’t deliver that, he said, but it can go a long way in empowering well-trained operators with finely tuned processes.

“We are thinking about how to visualize data differently, and present it in a way that can be more useful for our commander and for the operators to understand,” Bond said. “I want to be able to provide them the framework that might save them 30 seconds thinking about one particular part of the problem, which will give them more time to think about that harder thing over there.”

In another major, but less apparent effort, the J-6 directorate is studying ways to take advantage of Internet protocol. Migrating to “everything over IP,” a popular trend in the commercial world, would enable the commands to share and store a full range of data over one infrastructure in lieu of myriad independent systems, Bond explained.

It would eliminate the cost of running multiple services, he said. But by eliminating redundancy, it also creates some inherent risk.

“That’s something we can’t accept with our no-fail communications missions,” Bond said. “So we continue to watch this, to see if there is a way to embrace it in our effort to identify new solutions.”

One solution already in the works involves improvements to the NORAD Enterprise Network used to share secret-level information between the United States and Canada. The network runs parallel to the U.S. Secure Internet Protocol Router Network, or SIPRNET, and its Canadian equivalent.

Particularly during tough budget times, maintaining these separate networks is simply too costly, Bond said. “So we are looking for a new way to employ an old system, and working through all the policy issues to figure out how we can more economically operate with our partners north of the border in a way that can be sustained into the future,” he said.

Looking to the future, Bond said, he expects increasing challenge in protecting against cyber attacks that threaten the command’s networks and, by extension, its ability to accomplish its mission.

Toward that end, his directorate is involved heavily in the new NORAD/Northcom Joint Cyber Center that stood up in May. Operating under the command’s operations directorates, the new center has a threefold mission: extend situational awareness across the cyber domain; improve defense of the commands’ networks; and stay postured to provide cyber consequence response and recovery support to civil authorities, when requested.

As the Joint Cyber Center matures and begins to form a network with other combatant commands’ JCCs, Bond said he sees tremendous potential in the power of information technology in promoting situational awareness across the board.

“It is coming,” he said. “We are growing in our ability to do this.”
 

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Published: 2/12/2013

A U.S. Army soldier who was awarded the Medal of Honor for risking his life to save his comrades during an ambush in Afghanistan has been inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.  

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, Army Secretary John McHugh and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno presented the Medal of Honor flag and Hall of Heroes plaque to Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha. President Barack Obama awarded the 31 year old the nation’s highest military honor at a White House ceremony a day earlier.

Panetta called the former 4th Brigade Combat Team Infantryman a hero as he described Romesha’s selfless, fearless reconnaissance during a surprise enemy attack on Oct. 3, 2009 in which 400 Taliban fighters converged on Combat Outpost Keating, Kamdesh District, Nuristan Province.

On that deadly day, the outpost at the bottom of a steep valley, manned by only 52 Soldiers, fell under attack through concentrated fire.

An injured Romesha summoned help and fought to protect the bodies of fallen soldiers while providing cover to wounded team members.

Eight of Romesha’s comrades perished in the day-long battle.

“A new greatest generation of Americans has stepped forward after 9/11,” Panetta said. “A new generation of patriots that answered the call to serve … has endured enormous hardships and they have done it with unflinching courage.”

Panetta stressed any generation in which people risk their lives for America is the greatest generation, including those who have fought and died since 9/11.

“They’ve dealt with lengthy separations from friends and family, repeated deployments … to austere battlefields in distant lands,” he said. “They’ve witnessed the horrors of modern warfare, seeing their comrades in arms, their closest friends horribly maimed, and yes, killed by the scourge of improvised explosive devices … and the scourge of an enemy whose purpose is to kill Americans.”

Still, Panetta continued, American troops remain undeterred, in vigilant patrol throughout the streets and alleyways of Iraq and in the mountains and deserts of Afghanistan.

“For 10 long years … they have fought because they believe that America is worth fighting for – that Americans still serve as a shining example for that world in which we have the most precious values of all – values of freedom, equality, justice and democracy.”

Those ideals and the United States’ commitment to go after Al Qaida safe havens, Panetta said, brought Romesha and his comrades to that remote outpost, where enemies hid with confidence.

“That the Taliban failed to overtake Combat Outpost Keating is … a testament to the bravery, the heroism, the warrior spirit of the 50 American Soldiers who fought to save it,” Panetta said. “And Clint later [said] to a reporter, ‘That was our America right there … we own that and we weren’t going to let anybody come and take it.”

During the ceremony, Romesha said Taliban fighters surrounded a place he and 52 other members of Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry called home.

“Four hundred Taliban versus 52 American Soldiers.” It just doesn’t seem fair … to the Taliban.”

Romesha said the Medal of Honor is not often given when things go well on the battlefield.

“Some say I’m a hero, but it doesn’t make sense, because I got to come home with a few scars,” Romesha said. “Eight of my friends did not have that fortune.”

He identified each comrade who perished during the attack that day in Afghanistan: Staff Sgt. Justin Gallegos, Sgt. Christopher Griffin, Sgt. Joshua Hardt, Sgt. Joshua Kirk, Spc. Stephan Mace, Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin, Sgt. Michael Scusa, and Pfc. Kevin Thomson.

“Whether I wear a uniform or civilian attire, I am and will always be a Soldier for life,” Romesha said.

Panetta said one of his toughest responsibilities is writing condolence letters to the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

“… As tough as it is to lose a loved one, perhaps there is some comfort to know that they gave their lives for this country, and that they are heroes, and that they are patriots, and that they will never, never be forgotten,” he said.

Romesha is only the fourth living service member to receive the medal for service in Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

“You fought well, you fought bravely, and your courage is now a part of American history,” Panetta said.
 

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Published: 2/13/2013

The Army’s top leaders joined Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta yesterday for the induction of former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes.

At a White House ceremony the previous day, President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to Romesha for his battlefield gallantry in Afghanistan.

Army Secretary John M. McHugh, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler were on hand as Romesha joined the rolls of all Medal of Honor recipients whose names and memories are enshrined in the Hall of Heroes.

"Today as we induct Staff Sergeant Romesha into the famed Hall of Heroes, he joins the rare fraternity of military service members in the Medal of Honor Society,” Odierno said. "They have demonstrated uncommon valor and extraordinary courage under fire."

"Of being awarded the nation's highest military decoration,” the general continued, “Staff Sergeant Romesha said, 'This medal isn't for me. The medal is for all the great things the platoon and the troops did that day.' His humility, honor, leadership, integrity, personal courage and selfless service represent what is best about our soldiers and our Army."

Romesha is the fourth living service member to receive the medal for either Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom. The soldier earned the medal for actions Oct. 3, 2009, at Combat Outpost Keating in Afghanistan. On that morning, Combat Outpost Keating, manned by only 53 soldiers and situated at the bottom of a steep valley, came under attack by as many as 400 Taliban fighters.

During the fight, the enemy breached the outpost’s perimeter. Romesha, who was injured in the battle, led the fight to protect the bodies of fallen soldiers, provide cover to those soldiers seeking medical assistance, and reclaim the American outpost that would later be deemed "tactically indefensible."

Odierno told those in attendance that Romesha embodies "the essence of a soldier" and that he represents what every soldier strives to be: "an individual who has earned the trust of all he associates with, one who possesses humility and selflessness that we all respect, [and] one who embraces esprit de corps and routinely demonstrates a dedication to his profession, with moral and physical courage that epitomizes the ethos of the American soldier."

After senior leaders spoke, Romesha and his wife, Tammy, were asked to step forward. Romesha was presented with a frame containing both his picture and a copy of his Medal of Honor citation. He and his wife then revealed the board that now contains his name alongside the names of other medal recipients from Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. That board will be placed in the Hall of Heroes.

Afterward, Romesha was able to address those in attendance at the ceremony.

"Nearly 400 Taliban fighters surrounded the place me and 52 other members of Bravo Troop 3-61 Cavalry called home," Romesha said. "Four hundred Taliban versus 53 American soldiers: it just doesn't seem fair … for the Taliban."

The normally shy Romesha drew a laugh from the crowd, during what had previously been a more solemn ceremony. But then he turned again to something very serious for him: the friends he lost in Afghanistan in 2009.

"It was our home, and they simply couldn't have it," he said of Combat Outpost Keating. "But you know, the Medal of Honor is not often given when things went well on the battlefield. It tends to come at a price, and heroes are often revealed. Some say I am a hero. But it doesn't make sense, because I got to come home with few scars.

“Eight of my friends did not have that fortune,” he continued. “Eight of my brothers fought to survive for a place we had called home. And more importantly, they fought for their comrades. And in the end, they gave their lives in their defense. Those eight amazing men, they are the real heroes."

Those who died in the fighting that day were Staff Sgt. Justin Gallegos, Sgt. Christopher Griffin, Sgt. Joshua Hardt, Sgt. Joshua Kirk, Spc. Stephan Mace, Staff Sgt. Vernon Martin, Sgt. Michael Scusa, and Pfc. Kevin Thomson.

"These aren't just names. They are some of the best troops, and my friends," Romesha said.

With the Medal of Honor around his neck, and in a uniform he no longer needs to wear because he is now a civilian, he told those in attendance and the other Medal of Honor recipients that he would not let them down.

"I will wear it with dignity and humility, in their honor," he said of the medal around his neck. "I vow to respect their memories and carry each of them in my heart for the rest of my life. It is on their behalf that I stand before you today as just a regular grunt.

"There was no shortage of heroism at COP Keating that day," he continued. "And I am honored that some of the heroes of COP Keating are here with me today."

He asked those other heroes, soldiers in the audience who had fought with him that day, to stand.

"Thank you brothers, thanks for everything," he said. "You are the strength of our nation."

The Army's latest hero finished his short remarks by saying he hopes he will always be able to make proud those who are the most important to him.

"I pray that God and my family will always be proud of me," he said. "And know this: whether I wear a uniform or civilian attire, I am and always will be a soldier for life."
 

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Published: 2/12/2013

President Barack Obama today strongly condemned the latest North Korean nuclear test, saying it undermines regional stability in an important part of the world.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a statement shortly after midnight EST announcing that a “seismic event” had taken place, and later issued a second statement saying North Korea probably conducted an underground nuclear test near Punggye. The explosion yield was approximately several kilotons and the analysis of the event continues, the second statement said.

This is North Korea’s third and largest nuclear test.

“This is a highly provocative act that, following its Dec. 12 ballistic missile launch, undermines regional stability, violates North Korea’s obligations under numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions, contravenes its commitments under the Sept. 19, 2005, Joint Statement of the Six-Party Talks and increases the risk of proliferation,” Obama said in a written statement. The Six-Party Talks include North Korea, South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the United States.

North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs constitute a threat to U.S. national security and to international peace and security, Obama said.

“The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and steadfast in our defense commitments to allies in the region,” he added.

North Korean exploded its first nuclear device in October 2006, and conducted its second test in 2009.

“These provocations do not make North Korea more secure,” Obama said in his statement. “Far from achieving its stated goal of becoming a strong and prosperous nation, North Korea has instead increasingly isolated and impoverished its people through its ill-advised pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.”

The U.N. Security Council is conducting an emergency session in New York to consider responses. “We will strengthen close coordination with allies and partners and work with our Six-Party partners, the United Nations Security Council, and other U.N. member states to pursue firm action,” Obama said.

On Capitol Hill today, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter expressed the hope that China would join in condemning the test.

“There’s nothing more provocative than what the North Koreans did,” Carter said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, where he’s testifying on the effects of looming defense spending cuts.

“It is very dangerous,” he added. “We will take action to condemn and get the rest of the international community to condemn, particularly looking to China to join in that condemnation. They have a pivotal role in influencing the future here. That is an extremely dangerous situation.”
 

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Published: 2/12/2013

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter urged lawmakers today to find a way to avoid billions of dollars in cuts set to take a deep bite out of Pentagon spending in two weeks, saying the nation will face a crisis in military readiness if they take effect.

And if the current budget trend is not corrected over the longer term, Carter told the Senate Armed Services Committee, the military will have to revise its entire defense strategy within the decade and “would not be able to rapidly respond to major crises in the world or be globally positioned to deter our adversaries.”

Carter’s testimony came as much of official Washington braces for a March 1 deadline in which massive, across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration are set to take effect -- cuts that would remove $46 billion from the Pentagon budget over the remainder of fiscal year 2013, which ends Sept. 30.

The threatened sequester is the outcome of the unresolved dispute between Congress and the White House over how to reduce the nation’s debt. The cuts will kick in unless Congress and the White House can agree on equivalent targeted spending cuts and revenue increases.

Carter told lawmakers the threat of the cuts alone already has taken a toll, and he urged Congress to delay them at the very least.

“The cloud of uncertainty hanging over our nation’s defense affairs is already having lasting and irreversible effects,” he said. And he called the long-term cuts contained in the budget act as “too large, too sustained for us to implement the [defense] strategy that we crafted under the president’s guidance just one year ago.”

Carter, appearing at the hearing along with Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, representatives of the military branches and the National Guard chief, detailed multiple areas in which the nation’s military readiness and security would be affected. He warned that failure by Congress to approve a defense appropriations bill would render the nation’s military no longer able to “protect much of which is of value to the country.”

The deputy secretary referenced the Defense Department’s pre-emptive decision not to move ahead with the scheduled deployment of at least one aircraft carrier. And if the cuts take effect, he added, troops coming back from Afghanistan will lack adequate maintenance and “won’t be training in the way their profession requires them to.”

Most DOD civilians would be furloughed without pay for a day a week for up to 22 weeks, the Air Force would fly below acceptable readiness standards, the Navy and Marines could see a significant reduction in operations in the Asia-Pacific region, and the Pentagon might not be able to pay all of its TRICARE medical plan bills, Carter told the senators.

“The wolf is at the door,” he warned, adding that “allies, partners, friends and potential foes the world over need to know we have the political will to implement the defense strategy we’ve put forward.”
 

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Published: 2/12/2013

Looming spending cuts could put the military on the path to a moral dilemma, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said that if Congress allows major across-the-board spending cuts to go forward, the military eventually will be asked to deploy troops who are unready and ill-equipped.

“None of us walk away or run away from a crisis or a fight,” Dempsey said, sitting alongside representatives of the services and the National Guard at the committee hearing. “That’s not our nature. But I will tell you personally, if ever the force is so degraded and so unready, and then we’re asked to use it, it would be immoral.”

The cuts, known as sequestration, would be the sharpest and largest reduction in total obligating authority for the Defense Department in history, the chairman said. And they would come at a time that the world is more dangerous than it’s ever been, he added.

The magnitude of another $500 billion in defense cuts over 10 years, on top of the $487 billion in cuts over that period made under the 2011 Budget Control Act -- along with efficiencies previously implemented -- will make the current defense strategy unfeasible, Dempsey said.

“Any additional cuts will change the strategy,” he said.

For example, he said, special operations forces were somewhat protected as part of the new defense strategy in the cuts that followed the 2011 Budget Control Act. But if sequestration occurs, everybody will be affected, the chairman added.

“We have to maintain a joint force of conventional and unconventional capability,” the general told the senators.

The question members of Congress must address, Dempsey said, is what defense strategy they are willing to live with, noting that the cuts could affect U.S. interaction with its military partners.

“The Joint Chiefs are responsible for balancing global responsibilities, … sometimes directly ourselves, sometimes through partners in a region,” he said. “Our ability to do that is going to be called into doubt, given the effects of sequestration.”
 

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