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  • MIL-OSI Canada: Government advances Made-in-Canada sustainable investment guidelines to accelerate progress to net-zero emissions by 2050

    Source: Government of Canada News

    Backgrounder

    October 9, 2024

    The Government of Canada supports the development of voluntary Made-in-Canada sustainable investment guidelines (otherwise known as a taxonomy) that would categorize investments based on scientifically determined eligibility criteria that are consistent with the goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

    This is a high standard that will be important for building and maintaining the credibility of a Canadian taxonomy, which will mobilize private capital for low- or non-emitting activities with a “green” category.

    Importantly, the Canadian taxonomy would also establish a “transition” category to identify, and boost funding for, scientifically credible pathways to rapidly decarbonize Canada’s emissions-intensive sectors. Canada’s leadership in the transition aspect of taxonomy will be a notable and valuable contribution to the international dialogue on transition finance.

    The development of the metrics-based Canadian taxonomy would first focus on the following sectors for the Canadian economy: electricity, transportation, buildings, agriculture and forestry, manufacturing, and extractives, including mineral extraction and processing, and natural gas. A taxonomy for two to three priority sectors will be released within 12 months of the arm’s-length, third-party organization(s) beginning its work.

    Once finalized, the Canadian taxonomy would be available for entities such as financial institutions, lenders, and companies to use on a voluntary basis. It would not be mandatory.

    Details of the Canadian Taxonomy

    This backgrounder outlines the government’s expectations for the development and implementation of the Canadian taxonomy, including:

    1. Guiding Principles
    2. Defining green and transition investments
    3. Priority Sectors
    4. Company-level expectations
    5. Governance and Funding

    Background on Taxonomy

    To close the climate financing gap, financial market participants, including banks, insurers, pension plans and asset managers, have indicated that they need clarity about what economic activities are considered “green” or “transition.” A taxonomy is a tool that can provide this clarity by promoting a shared understanding or classification system that defines or categorizes these activities.

    Like the proposed Canadian taxonomy, many international taxonomies also use detailed eligibility criteria, anchored in climate science, to support the taxonomy’s credibility among international investors. These eligibility criteria often involve the use of performance-based metrics and thresholds to demonstrate what economic activities are aligned with pathways to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, in line with the Paris Agreement. These taxonomies likewise aim to preserve interoperability with other jurisdictions to reflect the global nature of financial and capital markets.

    A taxonomy supports a wide range of use cases. For example, taxonomies can be used to set standards for classifying climate-related financial instruments (e.g., bonds or loans), and/or to evaluate the green or transition credentials of financial instruments and issuers.
    The aim of the Canadian taxonomy would be to mobilize investment in support of Canada’s net-zero transition by enabling investors to understand and communicate which key activities and investments will deliver a Canadian net-zero economy.

    Over 40 jurisdictions worldwide are developing or have implemented taxonomies, which generally are calibrated to a particular country’s domestic economic reality and priorities. This is an opportunity to develop a Made-in-Canada taxonomy that aligns with Canada’s net-zero pathways and drives transformational investments within Canada’s economy that will also create good-paying, sustainable jobs.

    The Sustainable Finance Action Council (SFAC), which was composed of 25 of Canada’s leading deposit-taking institutions, insurance companies, and pension funds, was launched by the Government of Canada in May 2021 to help lead the Canadian financial sector towards integrating sustainable finance into standard industry practice. The SFAC’s recommendations on taxonomy, including its Taxonomy Roadmap Report, have been important inputs for informing the Government of Canada’s next steps on taxonomy. The Government of Canada thanks the SFAC for its advice on taxonomy and its valuable contribution to building a sustainable finance market in Canada throughout its mandate, which concluded on March 31, 2024.

    i. Guiding Principles

    The Canadian taxonomy would be developed and maintained in accordance with the following principles (Guiding Principles), which draw from the recommendations of the SFAC and international organizations, as well as from international taxonomy precedents.

    These Guiding Principles are intended to ensure that the Canadian taxonomy fulfills its objective of being a credible and usable tool for financial market participants and others to identify green and transition investments.

    Guiding Principles

    • Usable

      Mobilize capital toward the net-zero transition.

    • Credible

      Clear, rigorous, and credible science-based criteria that align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.‍5°C above pre-industrial levels, with no or low overshoot and all relevant emissions scopes considered.​ Any activity which receives the green or transition taxonomy label must be scientifically defensible as being aligned with this.

    • Comprehensive

      Cover transition and green activities that make a material positive contribution to climate change mitigation, addressing high-emitting sectors.

    • Interoperable

      Be interoperable and broadly compatible with other major science-based taxonomies and frameworks globally, while reflecting Canada’s own economic context.

    • Transparent

      A governance structure that is transparent, efficient, adaptive, and results-oriented; safeguards scientific integrity; and engages with key stakeholders, including provincial and territorial governments, civil society, financial market participants, industry, and Indigenous partners.

    • Dynamic

      A built-in review process to ensure the Canadian taxonomy is updated as the landscape evolves.

    • Holistic

      Do-No-Significant-Harm criteria addressing environmental, social, and Indigenous objectives.

    ii. Defining green and transition investments

    At a high level, the Canadian taxonomy would define which economic activities are green or transition in line with SFAC recommendations, as follows:

    • Green: low-or zero-emitting activities, such as green hydrogen, solar, and wind energy generation, or those that enable them, such as electricity transmission lines and hydrogen pipelines; and,
    • Transition: decarbonizing emission-intensive activities that are critical for sectoral transformation and consistent with a net-zero, 1.5°C transition pathway, such as installing lower-emitting (electric) furnaces to produce steel.

    Activities are expected to be classified according to a categorization framework to be confirmed and operationalized. The figure below shows an example of such a framework proposed by the SFAC.

    SFAC Taxonomy Roadmap Report Categorization Framework

    For clarity, in this framework:

    Green activities are expected to be those that:

    • Do not have material scope 1 and 2 emissions;
    • Have low or zero downstream scope 3 emissions; and,
    • Sell into or benefit from markets that are expected to grow in the global
      net-zero transition.

    Transition activities are expected to be those that:

    • Have material scope 1 and 2 emissions but make significant emission reductions;
    • Have low or zero scope 3 emissions; and,
    • Do not create carbon lock-in and path dependency.

    As well as activities that:

    • Have material scope 3 emissions but significantly reduce their scope 1 and
      2 emissions;
    • Do not face immediate demand-side risk (i.e., market contraction); and,
    • Have lifespans proportionate to when global demand for their products is expected to decline.

    iii. Priority Sectors

    The initial phase of taxonomy development would focus on developing eligibility criteria for the following priority sectors. A taxonomy for two to three priority sectors will be released within 12 months of the arm’s-length, third-party organization(s) beginning its work. The final determination of eligible activities would rest with the third-party organization(s) which will develop, implement, and maintain the Canadian taxonomy, and align with the guiding principles, including scientific credibility and alignment with limiting global warming to 1.5°C:

    Electricity, which could include activities related to low- and zero-emitting electricity generation, electricity storage, and grid infrastructure improvements.

    Transportation, which could include low- and zero-emitting passenger and freight transportation activities in a variety of transportation modes (e.g., road, rail, marine transport) as well as enabling infrastructure (e.g., electric vehicle charging).

    Buildings, which could include the construction and operation of high-performance buildings, the retrofitting of buildings to improve their performance, and the installation of equipment to reduce the emissions of buildings and their occupants.

    Agriculture and Forestry, which could include the sustainable production of crops and livestock, activities to decarbonize agricultural production, and the planting, sustainable management, and restoration of forests.

    Heavy Industry:

    These important sectors of the Canadian economy have been prioritized based on the following criteria:

    • Anticipated future levels of green and transition investment opportunity, including as assessed by market participants;
    • Importance of their decarbonization for decarbonizing the Canadian economy, based on current sectoral emissions and projections of future emission reductions; and
    • Economic significance to Canada, including current levels of investment and economic activity.

    Further below is a list of examples of activities within these sectors that may be eligible for a green or transition taxonomy label, subject to the development of activity-specific performance criteria and Do-No-Significant-Harm requirements.

    iv. Company-level expectations

    The Government of Canada supports the adoption of net-zero targets, credible transition plans, and robust climate disclosures by Canadian companies. These are key infrastructure elements of a robust sustainable finance market and are essential to achieving net-zero goals, fostering transparency, and enabling informed decision-making.

    The Government of Canada has committed to moving towards mandatory climate-related financial disclosures across a broad spectrum of the Canadian economy. Mandatory disclosure requirements are already in place for federal Crown corporations and federally regulated financial institutions. The Government of Canada intends to bring forward amendments to the Canada Business Corporations Act to enable climate-related financial disclosure requirements for large, federally incorporated private companies.

    The Government of Canada encourages the developers of the taxonomy to consider including these company-level requirements as part of the eligibility criteria for green and transition labelling in the Canadian taxonomy, in line with SFAC’s recommendations.

    Potential Company-Level Actions for Taxonomy Users

    • Net-Zero Targets

      A commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 or earlier, usually with interim targets.​

    • Credible Transition Plans

      A strategy that lays out the company’s targets, actions, and/or resources for its transition toward a lower-carbon economy, including actions such as reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.​

    • Robust Climate Disclosure

      The provision of information about a company’s climate-related governance, risk management, strategy, and metrics and targets.​

    v. Governance and Funding

    Developing a taxonomy requires significant climate science and sectoral expertise and engagement with stakeholders, including financial market participants, industry, civil society, governments, regulators, and Indigenous partners. In addition, good governance practices are needed to oversee the development and implementation of a Canadian taxonomy that safeguards scientific integrity and meets market needs. The guiding principle of scientific credibility will ensure that the taxonomy’s green and transition labels are only applied to activities that are in line with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot.

    The Canadian taxonomy would be developed, implemented, and maintained at arm’s length to the Government of Canada by an organization or organizations external-to-government.

    The final determination of guiding principles, eligible activities, priority sectors and company-level expectations would rest with the external-to-government organization.

    The Government of Canada would contribute funding to support the technical work to develop the eligibility criteria for the taxonomy.

    Examples of Potential Taxonomy Eligible Activities

    Under the Canadian taxonomy, a range of economic activities that contribute to Canada’s net-zero transition will be eligible for a “green” or “transition” label, which, for example, could be used in the context of labelled bond issuances. Not all economic activities will be eligible.

    Through a survey of international taxonomies, the following examples of activities in priority sectors that may be eligible for a green and/or transition label were identified. These examples are in no way intended to direct the work of the arm’s length organization or organizations who will develop, implement, and maintain the Canadian taxonomy, who would make final determinations with respect to the inclusion of and criteria for these example activities, in line with the guiding principles, including alignment with limiting global warming to 1.5°C. As such, these examples should be considered indicative only, not prescriptive.

    It is expected that activity-specific performance criteria would be developed for each activity included in the Canadian taxonomy along, with Do-No-Significant-Harm requirements, to define the circumstances under which that activity would be eligible for green or transition labelling. That is, only some forms of a given activity might be eligible while other forms of the same activity might be ineligible. Some forms of an eligible activity may be green-eligible while other forms would be transition-eligible. As such, the examples below show activities that may  be eligible, subject to activity-specific criteria and Do-No-Significant-Harm requirements.

    These examples are not intended to be exhaustive. The international taxonomies surveyed to identify these examples reflect the economic and net-zero transition needs of other jurisdictions, which may be different from those of Canada, so it is to be expected that the Canadian taxonomy could break new ground and include sub-sectors or activities not covered in these examples. For example, it could include green and transition activities in the agricultural sector such as certain forms of crop and livestock agriculture.

    In consideration of Canada’s economic makeup, the taxonomy could potentially include activities that significantly reduce the emissions of existing natural gas production and/or the emissions associated with a limited buildout of existing production sites. The technical drafters may also consider a broad range of possible eligibility criteria for existing natural gas production, such as the displacement of more polluting fuels internationally, provided they are aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Based on the Guiding Principles, the Government does not anticipate new natural gas production to be eligible. The final determination of eligible activities across all sectors will be made by the arms length, external organization(s).

    In the electricity sector, examples of potentially eligible green or transition activities include:

    • Co-generation of heating or cooling and electricity from solar energy;
    • Electricity generation from bioenergy;
    • Electricity generation using concentrated solar power (CSP) technology;
    • Electricity generation from geothermal energy;
    • Electricity generation from hydropower;
    • Electricity generation from ocean energy technologies;
    • Electricity generation using solar photovoltaic technology;
    • Electricity generation from wind power;
    • Storage of electricity; and,
    • Transmission and distribution of electricity.

    In the transportation sector, examples of potentially eligible green or transition activities include:

    • Low carbon transport infrastructure, such as electric vehicle charging.
    • Zero-emission and low-emission operations of the following modes of transportation:
      • Air transport, including ground handling operations;
      • Freight transport by road;
      • Inland water transport;
      • Road passenger transport;
      • Sea and coastal water transport;
      • Railway transport; and,
      • Urban and suburban passenger land transport.

    In the buildings sector, examples of potentially eligible green or transition activities include:

    • Acquisition and ownership of low-emitting and energy-efficient buildings;
    • Construction of low-emitting and energy-efficient new buildings;
    • Installation of energy efficiency equipment;
    • Installation of renewable energy technologies; and,
    • Renovation of existing buildings to reduce emissions and/or improve energy efficiency.

    In the agriculture and forestry sectors, examples of potentially eligible green or transition activities include:Footnote 1

    • Afforestation;
    • Conservation, restoration, and maintenance of natural forests; and,
    • Sustainable forest management.

    In the heavy industry sector, examples of potentially eligible green or transition activities include:

    • The low-emission or energy-efficient manufacturing of:
      • Aluminum;
      • Basic chemicals, such as ammonia, aromatics BTX, carbon black, chlorine, nitric acid, and soda ash;
      • Cement;
      • Hydrogen;
      • Iron and steel; and,
      • Plastics in primary form.
    • The manufacturing of:
      • Batteries;
      • Energy efficiency equipment for buildings, such as energy-efficient appliances and light sources, energy-efficient HVAC systems, heat pumps, and energy-efficient building automation and control systems;
      • Equipment for the production of hydrogen through electrolysis;
      • Low-carbon technologies for household sector;
      • Low-carbon technologies for transport, such as low-carbon vehicles that meet transportation sector criteria; and,
      • Renewable energy technologies.
    • The mining of:Footnote 2
      • Copper;
      • Iron ore;
      • Lithium; and,
      • Nickel.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: SECNAV Del Toro As-Written Remarks at the San Francisco Fleet Week Senior Leaders Seminar

    Source: United States Navy

    Introduction/Thank you

    Good afternoon, everyone! It is an honor to be here onboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) for the start of San Francisco Fleet Week and this Senior Leader Seminar.

    Mr. Loeven, thank you for inviting me for this wonderful occasion and for providing me with the opportunity to say a few words.

    Captain Harrington, thank you for hosting us here on your ship—this incredible instrument of American naval power and a phenomenal example of our Navy-Marine Corps team.

    Representative Garamendi, it’s wonderful to see you. Thank you for joining us, and for your steadfast partnership and advocacy for our Sailors and Marines in Congress.

    Ambassador Romualdez, it is wonderful to see you. Thank you for your ongoing efforts to strengthen the critical partnership between our nations.

    Lieutenant General Cederholm, thank you for your leadership and guidance of our Marines and Sailors at One MEF.

    Vice Admiral Downey, Ms. Forbes, Mr. Wunderman, Mr. Vaca, and Mr. Gonzales, thank you for being part of the panel in a few minutes to discuss how the Bay Area can work with us to restore our national maritime industry.

    To the rest of our distinguished guests and panelists in later sessions, thank you for coming.

    It truly is wonderful to be back here in San Francisco.

    San Francisco holds a special place in my heart—when I was a student at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, my wife Betty and I would often make the drive up to the city with our kids.

    History

    This city’s rich maritime and naval history and tradition is worth celebrating, not just annually during Fleet Week, but yearlong.

    San Francisco Bay once hosted an extensive Naval presence from Port Chicago to Treasure Island, and two major Naval shipyards—Hunters Point and Mare Island.

    Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first U.S. Navy base established on the Pacific coast and, in the middle of last century, was the only shipyard on the West Coast that built nuclear submarines.

    In fact, the first commanding officer of Mare Island Naval Shipyard—indeed the man hand selected by the 22nd Secretary of the Navy, James Dobbin to establish the shipyard—was also our Navy’s first Admiral, and our first Hispanic-American Admiral, David Glasgow Farragut.

    I think he’s a little more famous for his service during the Civil War, but I would submit that his work creating a basing and repair station on the West Coast for the Navy had nearly as profound an impact on the future of our Navy and our Nation.

    And during World War I, the Union Iron Works Shipyard south of the Embarcadero built cruisers, submarines, and battleships and during World War II, nearly two thirds of Liberty and Victory ships were built in the Bay area.

    On a more somber note, I was most recently here in July for the 80th commemoration of the Port Chicago Disaster.

    If any of you are unfamiliar with the story, 258 African-American Sailors were wrongfully and shamefully labeled as criminals for refusing to work in unsafe conditions during World War II.

    Thanks to the work of my General Counsel, Mr. Sean Coffey, and his military assistant Captain Justin Pilling, I was able to make the decision in July to set aside the court martial results of all Sailors convicted as part of the Port Chicago incident.

    That action was about more than correcting the historical record.

    It was and is a resounding affirmation of the values we, as Americans, hold dear—justice, equality, and the right to a safe workplace.

    The legacy of the Port Chicago Sailors should inspire us all to be more vigilant, to speak truth to power, and to never give up on the pursuit of liberty and justice.

    San Francisco has long been a key part of our nation’s maritime industry—and our naval heritage.

    And while we don’t currently build naval ships here, our relationships with industry here and academic partnerships through the Naval Postgraduate School are integral to developing the fleet of the future.

    World Today

    The world our nation faces today is much different than when I was sworn in as Secretary of the Navy in August 2021, much less during my career on active duty or the end of World War II.

    In Europe, the unprovoked and illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine continues—and is now well into its third year.

    This conflict poses a direct threat to European security and the principles of democracy and sovereignty upon which our international order is built.

    In July, we, alongside our NATO allies, convened in Washington to reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine.

    We stand united in our commitment to helping Ukraine defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, recognizing that their struggle is not just for their own freedom but for the preservation of democracy worldwide.

    Beyond the European theater, for the first time since World War II, we face a comprehensive maritime power—our pacing challenge—in the Indo-Pacific.

    The People’s Republic of China continues to assert its unlawful maritime claims through its naval, coast guard, and maritime militia forces.

    I can assure you that the PRC is watching the ongoing conflicts in Europe and the Red Sea closely and drawing valuable lessons for its own strategic ambitions.

    In the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, we have been working tirelessly alongside our NATO allies and Middle Eastern partners to protect innocent civilian mariners and commercial shipping from Iranian-aligned Houthi attacks.

    Following the October 7th attacks in Israel one year ago this week, our Navy and Marine Corps were swiftly deployed to the region, forming a formidable and integrated force capable of responding to any threat.

    Carrier Air Wing Three, our “Battle Axe,” played a pivotal role in protecting civilian mariners, deploying over sixty air-to-air missiles and over 420 air-to-surface weapons.

    The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, with the embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, made significant contributions by deterring hostile Houthi attacks and preventing the conflict from escalating throughout the region.

    Our warships, including the Carney, Mason, Gravely, Laboon, Thomas Hudner, and Eisenhower, have demonstrated exceptional performance under fire, successfully deterring and defeating missile and drone attacks targeting innocent maritime shipping.

    And last week, Cole and Bulkeley—the latter of which I had the honor and privilege to construct and commission as her first commanding officer—launched interceptors in defense of Israel from nearly 200 Iranian ballistic missiles.

    As President Biden said, “Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad. We unequivocally condemn this brazen attack by Iran.”

    The actions of our ships and their crews echo the valiant and heroic legacies of their namesakes.

    Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley, the namesake of the ship I commissioned, was awarded the Medal of Honor for bringing Douglas MacArthur through Japanese controlled waters in a PT boat to safety in the dark early days of World War II.

    As a destroyer skipper in the Mediterranean later in the war, he spotted a pair of German ships that threatened to overwhelm the group of vulnerable coastal vessels he was assigned to protect.

    Despite being outnumbered and outgunned, and with just one of his destroyer’s main guns operable, Bulkeley charged into close action and sank both German ships without losing a single one of his sailors.

    As he later said of his actions on that day in 1944, and I quote, “What else could I do? You engage, you fight, you win. That was the reputation of our Navy then, and in the future.”

    Ladies and gentlemen, that is still the reputation of our Navy and Marine Corps—and it will remain our reputation because of the brave men and women who have chosen, in this era of accelerating change and uncertainty, to serve our country.

    They truly have earned our deepest respect and gratitude.

    Their exceptional service and courage in the face of danger represents the absolute best of our Navy, Marine Corps, and indeed our Nation.

    And if anyone is inspired to join the Navy or Marine Corps, I’m happy to administer the oath right here!

    Maritime Statecraft

    Last fall, at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, I set out a vision for a new Maritime Statecraft to guide our nation through an era of intense strategic competition.

    This comprehensive approach extends beyond traditional naval diplomacy and maritime competition, encompassing a whole-of-government effort to build robust U.S. and allied maritime power, both commercial and naval.

    Maritime Statecraft recognizes that great naval power requires the solid foundation of a thriving commercial maritime industry.

    Investing in economic development, trade, education, science, innovation, and climate diplomacy can enhance our global competitiveness and support our maritime industry.

    A cornerstone of Maritime Statecraft is the revitalization of U.S. commercial shipping and shipbuilding.

    By restoring the competitiveness of these sectors, we can not only improve the cost-effectiveness of naval shipbuilding but also strengthen our national economy and maritime capabilities.

    To achieve this goal, I have worked tirelessly with cabinet leaders across the administration to raise awareness and advocate for long-term solutions to the Navy’s challenges.

    The solutions to many of our Navy’s most pressing issues lie in renewing the health of our nation’s broader seapower ecosystem.

    A significant step in this direction was our creation of the Government Shipbuilder’s Council.

    This interagency body brings together representatives from the Maritime Administration (MARAD), Coast Guard, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and even the Army to address common ship construction and maintenance challenges.

    Furthermore, we have catalyzed multiple White House-led interagency processes on both naval and commercial shipbuilding, involving the National Security Council, National Economic Council, and various departments across the Executive Branch. These efforts aim to identify and implement effective strategies for strengthening our maritime capabilities.

    In addition, my team is working closely with Congress to revitalize existing authorities and create new incentives for building and flagging commercial ships in the United States.

    By investing in domestic shipbuilding, we can support our naval shipbuilding efforts, create jobs, and boost our domestic manufacturing base.

    And as part of Maritime Statecraft, it is essential to forge strong partnerships with local governments, suppliers, and leaders.

    These collaborations will be instrumental in revitalizing our nation’s maritime industry.

    By working closely with local officials, we can identify and address the specific challenges and opportunities, including potential infrastructure improvements, streamlining regulatory processes, and attracting investment to support shipbuilding, repair, and maritime-related industries.

    I have long advocated for the restoration and expansion of some of our nation’s smaller, dormant, and underutilized shipyards as part of the effort to rebuild our maritime industrial capacity, and nowhere is that more applicable than here in San Francisco.

    We are confident that these initiatives will yield significant returns for naval shipbuilding and sealift.

    By adopting a holistic approach to Maritime Statecraft, we can position the United States to maintain its global leadership and safeguard our national interests.

    Conclusion

    As we move to the panel, I want to leave you with one question.

    The theme for this session is “Reimagining the American Maritime Industry.”

    At the heart of the matter the question I would ask us to ponder today, this week, and moving into our shared future is:

    “How can the Bay Area and the Navy work together to restore the comprehensive maritime power of the United States?”

    Whether through workforce development, improving and increasing maritime infrastructure, partnerships in the technology sector and with academia, or revitalizing dormant or underutilized shipyards, the Navy is prepared to work alongside you, to partner with you, and to succeed together.

    Thank you for joining us today, and may God grant the Navy, the Marine Corps, San Francisco, and indeed our Nation fair winds and following seas.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: To visit the Russian agro-industrial exhibition “Golden Autumn”

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

    On October 10, at the 26th Russian agro-industrial exhibition “Golden Autumn”, Mikhail Mishustin will speak at the plenary session “Russian Agro-Industrial Industry – 2030: Ways to Achieve Technological Leadership” and present state awards to workers in the agro-industrial complex.

    The event will be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev and Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut.

    ***

    The Russian agro-industrial exhibition “Golden Autumn” is the main business event in the agro-industrial complex. The largest agricultural forum has been held by the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia annually since 1999. The exhibition is timed to coincide with the Day of Agricultural and Processing Industry Workers, which is celebrated annually on the second Sunday of October.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://government.ru/annuncements/52946/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Secretary of the Navy Emphasizes Strategic Partnerships and Maritime Dominance at San Francisco Fleet Week

    Source: United States Navy

    San Francisco, CA – October 9, 2024 – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro delivered keynote remarks at the Senior Leader Seminar aboard USS Tripoli during San Francisco Fleet Week today.

    In his opening remarks, Secretary Del Toro underscored the historical significance of San Francisco to the U.S. Navy and the nation’s maritime heritage. He emphasized the need to revitalize the American maritime industry to meet the challenges of a complex global security environment, marked by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, China’s assertive actions in the Indo-Pacific, and threats to maritime security in the Red Sea.

    “The world our nation faces today is much different than when I was sworn in as Secretary of the Navy,” said Secretary Del Toro. “We face a comprehensive maritime power – our pacing challenge – in the Indo-Pacific. The People’s Republic of China continues to assert its unlawful maritime claims, and we must be prepared to respond.”

    The Secretary commended the bravery and professionalism of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel who have been deployed to deter aggression and protect freedom of navigation around the world. He cited recent examples of successful naval operations, including the defense of Israel from Iranian missile attacks and the ongoing efforts to safeguard commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

    “The actions of our ships and their crews echo the valiant and heroic legacies of their namesakes,” said the Secretary, drawing inspiration from the courage of naval heroes like Vice Admiral John D. Bulkeley. “Ladies and gentlemen, that is still the reputation of our Navy and Marine Corps – and it will remain our reputation because of the brave men and women who have chosen to serve our country.”

    Secretary Del Toro outlined his vision for Maritime Statecraft, a comprehensive approach that extends beyond traditional naval power to encompass a whole-of-government effort to strengthen the U.S. maritime industry. He stressed the importance of investing in domestic shipbuilding, fostering innovation, and building strong partnerships with local governments and industry leaders.

    “Maritime Statecraft recognizes that great naval power requires the solid foundation of a thriving commercial maritime industry,” emphasized the Secretary. “By restoring the competitiveness of these sectors, we can not only improve the cost-effectiveness of naval shipbuilding but also strengthen our national economy and maritime capabilities.”

    The Secretary’s remarks set the stage for a dynamic panel discussion moderated by Ms. Emily Desai, Senior Deputy Director for Strategic Program Planning and External Affairs at the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. The panel featured Vice Adm. James Downey, Commander of Naval Sea Systems Command; Ms. Elaine Forbes, Director of the Port of San Francisco; Mr. Jim Wunderman, CEO of the Bay Area Council; Mr. Sal Vaca, Founder of Richmond Build; and Mr. Robert Gonzales of Mare Island Dry Dock. The panelists explored ways in which the Bay Area can contribute to the revitalization of the American maritime industry, including workforce development, infrastructure improvements, and technological innovation.

    Congressman John Garamendi, representing California’s 8th District, delivered closing remarks, reinforcing the importance of collaboration between government, industry, and local communities to ensure a strong and prosperous maritime sector. He commended the Secretary’s leadership in advancing Maritime Statecraft and pledged his continued support for initiatives to strengthen America’s sea power.

    The Senior Leader Seminar served as a powerful call to action, emphasizing the critical link between a robust maritime industry and national security. By fostering collaboration and innovation, the U.S. Navy and its partners are working to ensure that America remains a global maritime leader in the 21st century.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight Charged in $68M Social Adult Day Care and Home Health Care Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    An indictment was unsealed today in Brooklyn, New York, charging eight defendants for their alleged roles in a scheme to defraud Medicaid of approximately $68 million through the operation of two social adult day cares and a home health care financial intermediary that were paying kickbacks and bribes for services that were not provided.

    According to court documents, Zakia Khan, 53, of Brooklyn, and Ahsan Ijaz, 27, of Brooklyn, owned two social adult day cares, Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Happy Family) and Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Family Social), and a financial intermediary, Responsible Care Staffing Inc. (Responsible Care), for the New York Medicaid Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services Program (CDPAP), which permits family members of Medicaid recipients to receive payment for assisting Medicaid recipients with activities of daily living. Beginning in approximately October 2017, in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, marketers Elaine Antao, 45, also known as Aleena, of Brooklyn, Omneah Hamdi, 61, of Brooklyn, and Manal Wasef, 44, of Brooklyn, allegedly referred Medicaid recipients to Happy Family, Family Social, and/or Responsible Care. The marketers in turn allegedly paid kickbacks and bribes to Medicaid recipients for social adult day care and CDPAP services that Happy Family, Family Social, and Responsible Care billed to Medicaid but were not provided or were induced by kickbacks and bribes. Ansir Abassi, 38, also known as Zaib Abassi and Ansir Zaib, of Brooklyn, and Amran Hashmi, 53, of Brooklyn, allegedly managed Happy Family and Family Social and the marketers. To carry out the kickback scheme, Khan, Antao, Ijaz, Abassi, and Hamdi allegedly used business entities to launder the fraud proceeds and generate the cash used to pay kickbacks and bribes. Seema Memon, 30, of Brooklyn, an employee of Happy Family who was previously charged by complaint on July 1, was also indicted.

    “As alleged in the indictment, these defendants orchestrated a years-long scheme to defraud Medicaid of tens of millions of dollars for social adult day care and home care services for seniors that they did not provide,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendants allegedly paid cash bribes and kickbacks to recruiters and Medicaid recipients as part of a scheme to enrich themselves at the expense of vital programs for senior citizens. Today’s charges make clear that the Criminal Division will not tolerate schemes that brazenly steal from federal health care programs.”

    “Social adult day care and home health services are meant to help seniors, but as alleged, the defendants allegedly turned their businesses into a brazen cash grab of millions of dollars from the Medicaid program,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “My office is committed to investigating and prosecuting those who plunder taxpayer-funded, federal health care programs dollars while purporting to offer health care services.” 

    “HHS-OIG is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations that bribes and kickbacks are paid with Medicaid monies,” said Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “Individuals and entities that participate in the federal health care system are required to obey the laws meant to preserve the integrity of program funds and the provision of appropriate, quality services to patients.”

    “The crimes outlined in this indictment took advantage of a network that offers essential health care and other services to those in need,” said Interim Commissioner Thomas G. Donlon of the New York City Police Department (NYPD). “Let it be clear: anyone who attempts to profit by defrauding the system will face consequences, as these schemes drain already limited resources and deprive beneficiaries of crucial funds. I commend our NYPD investigators and federal law enforcement partners for their successful and continued collaboration.”

    “As alleged, the defendants saw nothing beyond the dollar signs associated with their crimes, and in turn defrauded the U.S. government of $68 million in welfare funds meant for one of our country’s most vulnerable populations,” said Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Today’s announcement underscores the HSI New York El Dorado Task Force’s unrelenting focus on dismantling and disrupting financial fraud schemes that exploit the American public and hurt our economy.”

    Khan is charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, paying health care kickbacks, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, 10 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and paying health care kickbacks, and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

    Abassi, Antao, Hamdi, and Ijaz are charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

    Hashmi is charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, three counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and paying health care kickbacks. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and paying health care kickbacks, and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

    Memon is charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and paying health care kickbacks. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and paying health care kickbacks and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

    Wasef is charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks.

    HHS-OIG, NYPD, and HSI are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Patrick J. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section is prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanisha R. Payne for the Eastern District of New York is assisting with forfeiture matters.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at http://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sols 4327-4328: On the Road Again

    Source: NASA

    3 min read

    Earth planning date: Monday, Oct. 7, 2024

    After successfully completing investigations within Gediz Vallis, Curiosity is back on the road through the Mg-sulfate (magnesium sulfate) bearing unit. The terrain under our wheels is a familiar collection of broken up blocks, and we’re keeping our rover eyes on the more distant stratigraphy and the deposits within the Gediz Vallis channel (as seen in the above Navcam image). Our traverse along this side of the channel is a great chance to understand the erosional and depositional history of Gediz Vallis from a different perspective, and to characterize variations in the sulfate unit.

    I was on shift as Long-Term Planner today, and it was a pretty straightforward two-sol plan, with contact science on the first sol and driving on the second sol. The team planned a great collection of measurements to characterize the rocks in our workspace and more distant features.

    The plan starts with remote sensing, including ChemCam LIBS on a gray, smooth slab at “Paloma Meadows,” followed by two long-distance RMI mosaics to assess the thickness and distribution of white clasts in Gediz Vallis. Then Mastcam will document Paloma Meadows and a distant dark clast at “Sky Parlor Meadow” to understand the variety of rock types and where they might have come from. The remote sensing block also includes a Navcam observation to search for dust devils.  Later in the afternoon Mastcam will acquire a mosaic looking back towards “Whitebark Pass” including the white clasts (some of which were previously tied to observations of high sulfur) and the distribution of deposits within “Pinnacle Ridge.” Then Curiosity will use the instruments on the arm to assess one of the blocks in our workspace at “Pincushion Peak.” We’ll use the DRT, MAHLI, and APXS to assess the grain size, textures, and composition of a nodular block of bedrock. On the second sol Curiosity will acquire ChemCam LIBS and Mastcam of Pincushion Peak, which will make for a nice set of coordinated observations. The second sol also includes a long-distance RMI mosaic of an interesting dark block to assess sedimentary structures, and two Navcam observations to characterize atmospheric opacity and the movement of fines on the rover deck. Then Curiosity will continue driving, and take post-drive imaging to prepare for a similar plan on Wednesday. Looking forward to continuing to explore what’s under our wheels and on the horizon!

    Written by Lauren Edgar, Planetary Geologist at USGS Astrogeology Science Center

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Local alcohol policy: Freeze on new liquor stores happening now

    Source: Auckland Council

    From Monday 16 September, 24 areas including Auckland’s city centre, will be subject to a freeze on the opening of new off-licences as Auckland’s local alcohol policy starts coming into effect. Pubs, bars and clubs will also need to carry out new practices designed to help keep customers safer. 

    The policy was voted for unanimously by councillors at a Governing Body meeting on 29 August this year. Councillor Josephine Bartley, chair of Auckland’s Regulatory and Safety Committee, says limiting the number of liquor stores in our neighbourhoods is something communities have asked for and is a step forward in creating a thriving, healthy and safe Tāmaki Makaurau.

    “When I grew up, my cousins and I could walk up to our neighbourhood shops and at the time, they consisted of a bakery, lawnmower shop, dairy, and a fish and chip shop. Today the same neighbourhood shops consist of a takeaway, dairy and a heavily branded liquor store. Children today are faced with liquor stores in their neighbourhoods and town centres like it’s a normal thing.

    “These communities have been crying out for change – wanting to see better for their neighbourhoods by objecting to new liquor stores opening up. They have said enough is enough!

    “The freeze aims to put a stop to new liquor stores opening in areas where alcohol is having a negative impact on peoples’ health, or there is already a high number of liquor stores in the area.”

    What changes today?

    From Monday 16 September, the District Licensing Committee (DLC) must consider the local alcohol policy when it’s assessing applications to open new off-licence premises, such as liquor stores, bottle shops and supermarkets selling alcohol. The policy recommends that applications to open off-licences in the city centre, as well as 23 other suburbs across Auckland, should be refused. These areas already have a high number of liquor stores and experience higher levels of alcohol-related harm.

    Rob Abbott, Principal Specialist Alcohol Licensing at Auckland Council says that new stores in the 24 areas subject to the freeze would need to meet a very high threshold for the DLC to consider granting a licence.

    “The local alcohol policy says that applications to open new off-licence premises, like bottle shops, in one of the 24 ‘freeze’ areas should be refused due to the high number of existing bottle shops in the area, and as these areas see higher instances of alcohol impacting on peoples’ health and safety. The DLC has to take this into consideration when it’s assessing applications. There would have to be a very, very good reason for a new licence to be granted.”

    ‘New’ off-licences are shops that have not been licensed to sell alcohol within the past six months. Existing stores in the areas can keep trading. This includes when ownership of a store is being transferred to another person, or when the licence comes up for renewal – as long as it continues to meet the required conditions.

    Outside of the 24 areas, applications for new off-licences in neighbourhood centres face a ‘rebuttable presumption’. Rob explains that this means it will also be tougher to open a new off-licence in other areas of Auckland.

    “There are over 400 neighbourhood centres across Auckland – they’re usually areas with rows of shops. The local alcohol policy will also make it more difficult to open a new off-licence in these areas,” he says.

    From September 16, the DLC will also assess applications for new alcohol licences and renewal of existing licences, to decide if they should have special conditions put on them. This will apply to off-licence premises, as well as pubs, bars and clubs, and includes requirements for them to do things like keep an incident register; display information on transport, such as taxis, to help customers get home safely; have CCTV; and train staff to a certain standard. 

    For more information on the local alcohol policy, visit OurAuckland or read the policy on the Auckland Council website.

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Case Condemns Misinformation On Federal Disaster Relief For Current And Pending Disasters

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (D-HI-01), a member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Homeland Security with authority over the budget of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal disaster relief efforts, today condemned deliberate misinformation that FEMA and related disaster assistance is being diverted from current and pending disasters to other sources.

    “Not only is this misinformation fully inaccurate, but it is deliberately harming people and communities in most need of relief by leading them to believe incorrectly that they cannot access critical and available federal assistance,” said Case, whose own state of Hawai‘i continues to be critically impacted by the Maui wildfires of August 2023.

    “In fact, Congress just approved and the President just signed into law an additional $20 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), the federal government’s main channel of disaster relief, and all of those funds have been delivered to FEMA. These funds will fully continue FEMA’s disaster assistance efforts for all of Maui, recent Hurricane Helene and pending Hurricane Milton and other federally declared disasters until they require further replenishment.”

    Case noted that in North Carolina alone, which was heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene on September 27th of this year, FEMA continues full efforts on the ground along with some two thousand other federal employees. He further noted that on Maui, FEMA and other federal partners have now provided approximately $3 billion in Maui wildfire efforts and continues its assistance with ongoing DRF funding.

    FEMA’s DRF is the principal fund for immediate and ongoing disaster relief to affected communities. In the recent Continuing Resolution, which continued federal government funding into current Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 commencing October 1st and was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President on September 26th, the DRF, which was running low, was re-funded at $20 billion. Additionally, although federal government funding was continued through December 20, 2024 to allow for completion of the FY 2025 appropriations process and funding for most federal departments was prorated only through that date, Congress specifically authorized a full FY 2025 funding of $20 billion for the DRF and the money is fully available to FEMA.

    “The misinformation that FEMA does not have available federal disaster relief, and that these monies have instead been diverted to ‘illegal immigrants’, Ukraine, and elsewhere, is completely false,” said Case. “Not only do the perpetrators and amplifiers know that it is false, not only are they making these statements for political purposes, but they are also deliberately harming the people and communities who most need this assistance as they are effectively being told it’s useless to seek assistance when they most need it.”

    The Administrator of FEMA, Deanne Criswell, has called the misinformation a “truly dangerous narrative,” adding that it’s not just inconvenient, it is actively hindering disaster relief efforts by “creating this fear of trying to reach out and help us or register to help.”

    To counter misinformation, FEMA has also launched a Hurricane Rumor Response webpage, which you can view here: https://www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-helene/rumor-response

    U.S. Representative Chuck Edwards, a Republican representing one of the districts most heavily impacted by Helene, also issued a press release dispelling misinformation from “untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos,” assuring people that Hurricane Helene was not geoengineered by the government, FEMA is not turning away donations, FEMA has not diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid, FEMA is not going to run out of money and FEMA cannot seize property or land, among other things.

    Case continued: “To be clear, there are areas where disaster assistance is running dangerously low, in particular Small Business Administration loan relief, and it is also very clear that even the $20 billion of new appropriations into the DRF will not be sufficient to indefinitely continue disaster assistance to Maui, the communities affected by Helene and Milton and other impacted communities across the country. 

    “This is why I have joined colleagues on my House Appropriations Committee and otherwise in strongly advocating for an emergency supplemental disaster relief package to be passed as soon as Congress reconvenes this November after the elections.  My full efforts are devoted to passage of that package and to continued relief for Maui and all other communities affected by disasters.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Case, Hirono, Steel, Scott, Moylan And Tokuda Lead Introduction Of Measures In U.S. House and Senate Commemorating October As Filipino-American History Month

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Representative Ed Case (D-HI 01 and his House colleagues, Reps. Michelle Steel (R-CA 45 ), Robert Cortez (Bobby) Scott (D-VA 3), James Moylan (R-GU) and Jill Tokuda (D-HI 02), have joined U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) in co-leading a bipartisan, bicameral measure commemorating October as Filipino-American History Month.

    The Members’ resolution (link to copy below), co-sponsored currently by an additional 33 Members, celebrates the long and distinguished history of Filipino Americans in the United States, where FilAms now number over 4,000,000.

    It resolves that Congress:

    1)   recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as –

    ·        a testament to the advancement of Filipino Americans;

    ·        a time to reflect on and remember the many notable contributions that Filipino Americans have made to the United States; and

    ·        a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States; and

    2)   urges the people of the United States to observe Filipino American History Month with appropriate programs and activities

    “Since 2019, and as the Member of Congress with the most Filipino Americans of any U.S. House district nationwide, I have been honored to co-lead an annual resolution recognizing October as Filipino American History Month,” said Rep. Case. 

    “I have joined many colleagues in doing so in order to recognize and celebrate the great contributions of Filipino Americans to our country, in government and law, music and entertainment, sports, business and countless other ventures.”

    “From the first Filipino contract laborers who arrived in Hawai‘i seeking a better life, to the Filipino American leaders in business, health care, and our Armed Forces, this community has contributed to our country’s diversity and helped to shape our identity as a nation,” said Sen. Hirono. “As we continue working to uplift the voices of Filipino Americans in Hawai‘i and across the country, I am proud to introduce this resolution to honor the Filipino American community’s contributions and accomplishments and celebrate their rich history and culture.”

    “The Filipino community in Southern California adds rich culture and heritage to our communities, and I am proud to serve as the voice of so many of them in Congress,” said Rep. Steel.

    “As we approach Filipino American History Month, I’m excited to celebrate the enormous contributions of Filipino Americans to our shared American story.”

    “As the only currently serving Member of Congress with Filipino ancestry and Co-Chair of the U.S.-Philippines Friendship Caucus, I am proud to co-lead this resolution with Reps. Case, Moylan, Steel, Tokuda and Senator Hirono as we celebrate Filipino American History Month,” said Rep. Scott.  “This is a time to recognize Filipino Americans’ contributions as our veterans, our healthcare workers, our educators, and so much more. I have the privilege of representing a rich and vibrant Filipino American community in Hampton Roads and I am proud to celebrate this month with Filipino Americans across the nation.”

    “I am proud to introduce this legislation with my friend, Representative Case. Filipino Americans have been integral to the success of this nation as well as to my district of Guam,” said Rep. Moylan. “It is important we recognize and celebrate the many achievements of these patriots, and I look forward to the countless future achievements by the Filipino American community.”

    “Since arriving in Hawaiʻi in the late 1800s to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantations, Filipinos played an important role in the history, culture, and fabric of Hawaiʻi,” said Rep. Tokuda. “They have made, and continue to make, significant contributions to my home state and the country and that’s why I’m proud to cosponsor this measure, celebrating the historical achievements and milestones that make up Filipino American History Month.”

    Case continued: “Since their early beginnings, our Filipino American community has grown to some 4.4 million citizens and is the third largest Asian American and Pacific Islander group in the United States. Their mark lies in all parts of our society, with a bright future of further contributions to come.

    “In introducing our resolution, we also recognize the increasingly strong and critical ties between our country and the Republic of the Philippines. We also again honor the over 250,000 Filipinos who answered the call to protect and defend America and the Philippines in the Pacific theater, and who were awarded the Filipino Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal by Act of Congress and bestowed by President Obama in 2016.”

    Filipino-American History Month resolution is here.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: U.S. House Passes Case Measure To Further Strengthen Partnerships Between The United States And Pacific Island Nations

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i – District 1)

    (Washington, DC) – U.S. Congressman Ed Case (Hawai’i-First District) today announced that the U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 7159, his proposed Pacific Partnership Act, to further increase U.S. engagement in the critical Pacific region.

    Case, a Co-Chair and Founding Member of the first-ever Congressional Pacific Islands Caucus, introduced the measure together with 25 other bipartisan colleagues. 

    “Our country’s Indo-Pacific Strategy states in no uncertain terms that no region is of more consequence to the world and to everyday Americans than the Indo-Pacific,” said Case in remarks during full House debate on the measure. “The United States and our allies and partners around the world who are aligned with an international rules-based order share the common vision  of a free and open Indo-Pacific whose governance, priorities, goals and prosperity are determined by the countries of the Indo-Pacific  without manipulation and dominance by malicious actors.

    “This is especially true of the Pacific Islands themselves, in the heart of the Pacific, which today face the challenges of increased natural disasters and human and drug trafficking, economic sustainability, threats to democracy and more. It is crucial that the United States continue to extend our hand of full partnership in assisting the countries of the Pacific to meet these challenges, as we have for generations.”

    The Pacific Partnership Act requires an annually-updated Strategy for Pacific Partnership that sets specific goals for United States engagement with the Pacific Islands, assesses the threats and pressures to the region and a plan to address such threats, and analyzes the needs and goals of the Pacific Islands in the context of the national interests of the United States. The bill also requires the strategy to be developed in consultation with the governments of Pacific Islands countries, ensuring that the United States follows through on its commitment to support Pacific-led priorities. The bill further extends diplomatic courtesies to the Pacific Islands Forum, the primary multilateral organization of the Pacific Islands nations, and requires increased collaboration in U.S. efforts in the Pacific with ally and partner nations including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

    “I am honored to co-lead this bipartisan legislation with Congressman Case that builds off of the actions of successive administrations to strengthen United States engagement in the Pacific Islands,” said Congressman Andy Barr (R-KY 6th District).  “It is essential that the United States demonstrates that we are not merely interested in the region, but we are invested in an evolving, enduring relationship with our Pacific Islands partners. 

    “This important, forward-looking legislation ensures that all arms of the United States government are in coordination to support a rules-based order and address threats to sovereign nations across the region.”

    “As a Pacific nation, the United States has a responsibility to engage and strengthen the partnerships that have ensured the region’s security and prosperity for decades,” said Congressman Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY 5th District), the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which approved Case’s bill unanimously. “This legislation will ensure future administrations build on President Biden’s leadership to maintain our focus on the Pacific Islands.”

    “I want to thank Congressman Case for this much-needed bipartisan bill, said Congresswoman Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa).  “The United States is a Pacific nation, and our region is critically important to U.S. interests. While Congress has extended the Compacts of Free Association for another 20 years for three Pacific Island countries, there are 11 other nations who need our attention. The United States has enduring cultural, historic, economic, and people-to-people connections with the Pacific Islands. The Pacific Partnership Act will go far in providing better focus for U.S. engagement with Pacific Island nations.”

    “The United States is a Pacific nation, and it is critical that we partner with our friends in the Pacific to tackle shared challenges including climate resilience, healthcare, and economic development,” said Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA 6th District). “This bill designates the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as an international organization with diplomatic privileges and encourages the establishment of a PIF mission in America. The bill also solidifies our commitment to the region by codifying the Pacific Partnership Strategy. By strengthening our diplomatic presence in the region, we ensure that the United States remains a reliable partner in promoting a free, resilient, and prosperous Pacific.”

    “The Pacific Partnership Act bolsters our longstanding relationship with the Pacific Islands, a crucial region in our defense against the Chinese Communist Party,” said Congressman Steve Womack (R-AR 3rd District).

    “This bill strengthens our partnerships and supports American defense. This is particularly meaningful to my constituents in Northwest Arkansas, given the high concentration of Marshallese in our region. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this bill and am pleased it passed the House.”

     “We must counter ongoing aggression from the PRC by building effective relationships with our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA 36th District). “The Pacific Partnership Act would support diplomatic, strategic and economic relationships in the Indo-Pacific and strengthen our defenses against CCP aggression. I am pleased to have been a cosponsor on this important bill and am hopeful that it will be signed into law.”

    “Throughout my career, I have witnessed firsthand the critical importance of American leadership in the Indo-Pacific,” said Congressman Neal Dunn, M.D. (R-FL 2nd District).  “Continuing the crucial partnership to strengthen diplomatic, economic, and security ties with the Pacific Islands is essential to counteract the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

    “The Pacific Partnership Act benefits both America and the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. must continue to show strength and promote regional stability and cooperation.”

    “The U.S. shares a long history with the Pacific Islands, and we must continue to prioritize our diplomatic, economic, and security relationships in the region,” said Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA 47th District).  “Pacific Islanders abroad and in the U.S. are counting on us to counter Chinese aggression, right our historic wrongs, and strengthen our cooperation with these important partners. As a member of the Natural Resources Committee’s Indo-Pacific Taskforce and a cosponsor of the Pacific Partnerships Act, I’m glad we are moving forward on developing a forward-looking framework to help shape U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific for the years to come.”

    “The Pacific Partnerships Act stands to shift America’s perspective of global affairs, by acknowledging our country’s deep cultural ties to the Pacific and refocusing on the region as core to national security,” said Congressman James Moylan (R-Guam).

    “The bill’s requirement for consecutive national strategies on Pacific will provide continuity and focus to our nation’s engagement with Pacific partners. I thank Rep. Case for his work on this bill, and his specific focus on elevating small pacific island communities such as Guam.”

    “The U.S.’s longstanding partnerships with the Pacific Islands are critical to national security. The Pacific Partnership Act, which I was proud to cosponsor, ensures we have a strategy for engaging with nations in the Indo-Pacific region and sets us up to support our allies while also preserving U.S. diplomatic, economic, and security interests,” said Congressman Donald Norcross (D-NJ 1st District). “Today, I was pleased to see this legislation pass the House of Representatives, marking an important step forward in enhancing our national security.”

    “Supporting our friends and allies in the Indo-Pacific is essential to guaranteeing American security in the region and across the world,” said Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL 8th District). “This legislation will bolster security, stability, and growth across the Pacific Islands while expanding collaboration on efforts to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s continuing aggression.”

    “A strong Indo-Pacific is critical for our national security and economy,” said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (D-WA 10th District). “The Pacific Islands are key partners, and the Pacific Partnership Act further solidifies our relationship and diplomacy with them.”

    Case continued: “As ourselves a Pacific nation for over two centuries, we have enjoyed a mutually beneficial partnership with the Pacific Islands which only continues to increase in historic, economic, cultural and strategy significance.

    “Our Pacific Partnership Act advances the breadth and depth of our engagement with the Pacific Islands on issues of particular importance to the Pacific Islands, as recently reconfirmed in the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Tonga. In doing so, we advance the mutual national and international interests of like-minded nations throughout the Indo-Pacific who are committed to an international rules-based democratic order.”

    ·        Copy of H.R. 7159 is here.

    ·        Summary of the bill is here.

    ·        Text of Case’s House Remarks are here.

    ·        Video Case’s Remarks Pacific Partnership Act Floor Speech

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Justice delivers statewide address providing remarks about the conclusion of Special Session

    Source: US State of West Virginia

    CHARLESTON, WV — Gov. Jim Justice delivered a statewide address today, highlighting the success of the recently concluded Special Session.

    He emphasized the swift passage of 37 bills, which included a 2% personal income tax cut, a childcare tax credit, and $500 million in supplemental appropriations.

    The Governor also thanked the West Virginia Legislature, in particular Senate President Craig Blair and Speaker of the House Roger Hanshaw, for their hard work in getting important legislation across the finish line.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Banking: The new Global Signal Exchange will help fight scams and fraud in Australia

    Source: Google

    Scams have a devastating impact on people’s lives, and can cause real-world harm. Keeping people safe from scammers is core to the work of many teams at Google. It’s why we’ve developed world-class systems for detecting and preventing fraud, and block millions of attempted scams every day across our different products and services.

    It’s also why today we’re sharing more information about a new partnership to help fight scams, as well as announcing how Cross-Account Protection is actively protecting 3.2 billion users, since we first announced it earlier this year.

    Global Signal Exchange

    Today we are announcing a new partnership with the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA) and DNS Research Federation (DNSRF) to launch the Global Signal Exchange (GSE). The GSE is a new project with the ambition to be a global clearinghouse for online scams and fraud bad actor signals, with Google becoming its first Founding Member.

    This collaboration leverages the strengths of each partner: GASA’s extensive network of stakeholders, the DNS Research Federation’s robust data platform with already over 40 million signals, and Google’s experience in combating scams and fraud. By joining forces and establishing a centralised platform, GSE aims to improve the exchange of abuse signals, enabling faster identification and disruption of fraudulent activities across various sectors, platforms and services. The goal is to create a user-friendly, efficient solution that operates at an internet-scale, and is accessible to qualifying organisations, with GASA and the DNS Research Federation managing access.

    The GSE seeks to address the complex issue of online fraud and scams signal sharing. We have had a long history of partnering with Priority Flaggers around the world to take in scam signals. In this initial pilot of the data platform, Google was for the first time able to share over 100,000 URLs of bad Shopping merchants and as part of the same test, ingest 1 million scam signals. We’ll start by sharing URLs that we have actioned under our scams policies, and as we gain experience from the pilot, we will look to add data soon from other relevant Google product areas.

    The data engine powering the platform runs on Google Cloud Platform and will allow participants to both share and consume signals gathered by others while benefiting from Google Cloud Platform’s AI capabilities to find patterns and match signals smartly.

    As part of this announcement, Google is supporting the DNS Research Federation and GASA with new funding to launch the GSE. We have also developed a partnership enabling the sending and receiving of signals related to scam and fraud activities across relevant and in-scope products and services related to online scams and fraud.

    We know from experience that fighting scams and the criminal organisations behind them requires strong collaboration among industry, businesses, civil society and governments to combat bad actors and protect users. We’re committed to doing our part to protect users, including through our continued work developing tools, publishing research, and sharing expertise and information with others to protect people online.

    Cross-Account Protection

    In May, we announced Cross-Account Protection, a tool which enables ongoing cooperation between platforms in the fight against abuse. Today we’re sharing that Cross-Account Protection is actively protecting 3.2 billion users across sites and apps where they sign in with their Google Account. This helps support our commitment to keeping you safe on Google platforms — and beyond.

    Cross-Account Protection is free and automatically available when sites and apps integrate Sign in with Google, allowing Google to share security notifications — in a privacy-preserving way — about suspicious events with the apps and services you’ve connected to your Google Account. Collaboration is critical to protect people across the internet, and that’s why we’re proud to be partnering with your favorite sites and apps on Cross-Account Protection, including Canva, Electronic Arts and Indeed. In turn, third-party apps and services can use Google’s suspicious event detection to help keep you safer online and prevent cybercriminals from gaining and maintaining a foothold across your many online accounts.

    MIL OSI Global Banks –

  • MIL-OSI USA: S. 2492, Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    S. 2492 would permanently require the Social Security Administration (SSA) to share all of its data on deaths with the Do Not Pay program—a program administered by the Department of the Treasury that allows agencies to identify ineligible recipients by checking various databases before payments are made. Under current law, that requirement expires on December 27, 2026. 

    SSA collects information on deaths and maintains a record of all deaths reported to the agency, dating to 1936. SSA has more than 142 million death records that contain the deceased person’s name, Social Security number, date of birth, and date of death, including 40 million records of deaths reported by states. SSA uses those data to administer its programs and shares the information with other agencies that administer federal benefit programs.

    SSA provides the complete death file (also known as the full file of death information) to eight federal agencies, including the Internal Revenue Service, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Department of Defense. Other agencies that pay federal benefits can access that information using the Do Not Pay program.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/09/2024, 12:03 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A0JWX04 (BashNFTBO9) were changed.

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09.10.2024 12:03

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 10/09/2024, 12-03 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 105.33) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1089.81 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 9.38%) of the security RU000A0JWX04 (BashnftBO9) were changed

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73848

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: On 10.10.2024, the deposit auction of JSC “SME Corporation” will take place

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73850

    Category24-7, MIL-AXIS, Moscow, Moskov Stotsk Exchange, Russians Savings, Russian Federation, Russians Language, Russian economy

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    Parameters
    Date of the deposit auction 10/10/2024
    Placement currency RUB
    Maximum amount of funds placed (in placement currency) 700,000,000.00
    Placement period, days 37
    Date of deposit 10/14/2024
    Refund date 11/20/2024
    Minimum placement interest rate, % per annum 18.00
    Conditions of imprisonment, urgent or special Urgent
    Minimum amount of funds placed for one application (in placement currency) 700,000,000.00
    Maximum number of applications from one Participant, pcs. 1
    Auction form, open or closed Open
    Basis of the Agreement General Agreement
     
    Schedule (Moscow time)
    Preliminary applications from 10:30 to 10:40
    Applications in competition mode from 10:40 to 10:50
    Setting a cut-off percentage or declaring the auction invalid until 11:30
       
    Additional terms  

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/09/2024, 13:55 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A0JVD25 (RusHydro09) were changed.

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09.10.2024 13:55

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 10/09/2024, 13:55 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 95.54) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 982.06 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 7.5%) of the security RU000A0JVD25 (RusHydro09) were changed.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73855

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: Prospects for the development of remote identification of clients of financial organizations: report of the Bank of Russia

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    Digitalization of the financial sector, development of remote service channels have created a demand for remote identification of clients of financial institutions. Bank of Russia offers to discuss directions for further development of this institution, the need to introduce new mechanisms and technological solutions, as well as possible risks and ways to minimize them.

    For example, despite the active use of new technologies, including audio and video communications, the personal presence of the client is still required when opening an account at a bank. This is due, in particular, to threats in the field of information security, including identity substitution using artificial intelligence algorithms. The Bank of Russia and Rosfinmonitoring plan to develop special regulations that will allow banks to identify clients via video communications, but such an opportunity, as suggested in the report, will be provided only within the framework of an experimental legal regime.

    The report pays special attention to the problem of identification carried out by bank payment agents.

    Preview photo: Stock-Asso / Shutterstock / Fotodom

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    http://vvv.kbr.ru/press/event/?id=21066

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/09/2024, 15:48 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A101NQ1 (VBRR 1P-04) were changed.

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09.10.2024 15:48

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 10/09/2024, 15-48 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 101.01) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1063.39 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 10.0%) of the security RU000A101NQ1 (VBRR 1P-04) were changed

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73859

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/09/2024, 16-13 (Moscow time) the values of the upper limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A0JVYG8 (ROSEXIMB1) were changed.

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09.10.2024 16:13

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of Moscow Exchange PJSC by NCO NCC (JSC), on 10/09/2024, 16-13 (Moscow time), the values of the upper limit of the price corridor (up to 101.81) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 1125.47 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 10.0%) of the security RU000A0JVYG8 (ROSEXIMB1) were changed

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73861

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/09/2024, 16-27 (Moscow time) the values of the lower boundary of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A105104 (RUSAL BO05) were changed.

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09.10.2024 16:27

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 10/09/2024, 16-27 (Moscow time), the values of the lower limit of the price corridor (up to 90.62) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 12047.19 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 10.0%) of the security RU000A105104 (RUSAL BO05) were changed

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73863

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: 10/09/2024, 16:51 (Moscow time) the values of the lower limit of the price corridor and the range of market risk assessment for the security RU000A0JX2F6 (RosbankB11) were changed.

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    09.10.2024 16:51

    In accordance with the Methodology for determining the risk parameters of the stock market and the deposit market of PJSC Moscow Exchange by NCO NCC (JSC) on 10/09/2024, 16-51 (Moscow time), the values of the lower limit of the price corridor (up to 93.03) and the range of market risk assessment (up to 936.47 rubles, equivalent to a rate of 8.13%) of the security RU000A0JX2F6 (RosbankB11) were changed

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73866

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: On the start of trading in shares of PJSC “Corporate Center ICS 5”

    MILES AXLE Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

    Source: Moscow Exchange – Moscow Exchange –

    In accordance with the Listing Rules of Moscow Exchange PJSC, the Chairman of the Management Board made the following decisions on October 8, 2024:

    define:

    “09” January 2025 as the date of commencement of trading in the circulation of the following securities:

    Name of security Common stock
    Full name of the Issuer Public Joint Stock Company “Corporate Center ICS 5”
    Type of securities Common stock
    Issue registration number, registration date 1-01-16812-A from 05/27/2024
    Nominal value 1 164,26 rubles
    Number of securities in issue 271,572,872 pieces
    ISIN code PO000A108Х38
    Listing level First level

    Information about the assigned trade code will be published additionally.

    Contact information for media 7 (495) 363-3232PR@moex.com

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    https://www.moex.com/n73868

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Buncombe County

    Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency

    Headline: Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Buncombe County

    Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Buncombe County

    Raleigh, N.C. – A Disaster Recovery Center will open Thursday, Oct. 10 in Asheville (Buncombe County) to assist North Carolina survivors who experienced losses from Helene.

    The Buncombe County center is located at: 

    A.C. Reynolds High School
    1 Rocket Dr.
    Asheville, NC 28803
    Open: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., Monday through Sunday  

    A Disaster Recovery Center is a one-stop shop where survivors can meet face-to-face with FEMA representatives, apply for FEMA assistance, receive referrals to local assistance in their area, apply with the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for low-interest disaster loans and much more.

    FEMA financial assistance may include money for basic home repairs, personal property losses or other uninsured, disaster-related needs, such as childcare, transportation, medical needs, funeral or dental expenses.

    A Comfort Care Center will also be available at this location where survivors can shower, do laundry and take advantage of other services.

    Additional recovery centers will be opening soon. To find other center locations go to fema.gov/drc or text “DRC” and a Zip Code to 43362. All centers are accessible to people with disabilities or access and functional needs and are equipped with assistive technology.  

    Homeowners and renters in 27 North Carolina counties and tribal members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can visit any open center. No appointment is needed. 

    It is not necessary to go to a center to apply for FEMA assistance. The fastest way to apply is online at DisasterAssistance.gov or via the FEMA app. You may also call 800-621-3362. If you use a relay service, such as video relay, captioned telephone or other service, give FEMA your number for that service.

    For the latest information about the North Carolina recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4827. Follow FEMA on X at x.com/femaregion4 or on Facebook at facebook.com/fema.

    barbara.murien…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police lay charges over brazen theft at retailer

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police have swooped in on offenders allegedly trying to sell clothing stolen from a west Auckland retailer yesterday.

    At around 4.30pm, four masked offenders entered a store in Westgate, stealing jackets from the display racks.

    Waitematā West Area Commander, Inspector Jason Edwards, says the offenders had arrived in a stolen vehicle before entering the shop.

    “The group loaded the stolen items into the car, before fleeing the area,” he says.

    “Some of the clothing they had stolen had been dropped outside the store and was returned by members of the public.”

    No staff inside the store were injured.

    Inspector Edwards says Police arrived in the area, and eventually located the stolen vehicle abandoned in Massey.

    “Thanks to vigilant members of the public, they saw the group getting into another vehicle and contacted Police.”

    Further enquiries led Police to a Massey address last night, with the Police Eagle helicopter witnessing suspicious activity at an address of interest.

    “Our staff approached the address on Woodside Road, and soon carried out a search of the address,” Inspector Edwards says.

    “Two males were located inside the house and were arrested, with the clothing items that had been stolen.”

    Two men aged 20 and 17 are scheduled to appear in the Waitākere District and Youth Courts.

    Inspector Edwards says enquiries are ongoing and further charges cannot be ruled out including for anyone who may have bought any stolen clothing.

    “This offending impacts our retailers, the wider community, and hardworking people who are just doing their job.

    “It is a great outcome to make arrests so quickly over this matter, and Police acknowledge members of the public for quickly reporting suspicious activity.”

    ENDS.

    Tony Wright/NZ Police
     

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: FACT SHEET: Hurricane Helene Recovery Continues as Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Prepares for Hurricane  Milton

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    The Biden-Harris Administration continues to both make urgent and life-saving preparations for Hurricane Milton and carry out response and recovery efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.
    Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris received a briefing from members of their Administration about updates on the latest forecast for Hurricane Milton, expected impacts for the State of Florida, and the robust pre-landfall preparations underway. They also received an update on the ongoing response to the impacts of Hurricane Helene across the Southeast and Appalachia. President Biden will address the Nation tonight regarding Hurricane Milton.
    President Biden has spoken to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, and Pinellas County Chairwoman Kathleen Peters to get firsthand reports on recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene and to discuss preparations for Hurricane Milton. The President told each of the officials to call him directly if they need additional assistance on response and recovery efforts.
    More than 8,000 Federal personnel are on the ground across the Southeast, including in Florida, to continue Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and respond to the impacts of Hurricane Milton.
    At the direction of President Biden, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will travel to Florida tonight to join the personnel on the ground and ensure every Floridian gets the help they need when this storm passes.
    Additional updates on our efforts for Hurricanes Milton and Helene include:
    Hurricane Milton Pre-Landfall Preparations
    Pre-Landfall Outreach and Emergency Declarations
    President Biden granted pre-landfall emergency declarations for the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida for Hurricane Milton, enabling FEMA to provide direct assistance to the state, local and Tribal response, preposition supplies and response assets and mobilize hundreds of personnel in the state, many of whom were already in place supporting the Hurricane Helene response.
    The White House has been in contact with more than 60 Florida officials from all 51 counties that fall under the pre-landfall Emergency Declaration approved by President Biden. We remain in close communication with officials in the 16 cities and counties that will likely be in the direct path of the storm.
    Surging Resources and Personnel to Florida
    FEMA has over 1,000 responders on the ground in Florida supporting Hurricane Milton preparations and recovery efforts from previous disasters. There are over 1,400 search and rescue personnel pre-staged to support Hurricane Milton response efforts.
    The U.S. Coast Guard has 1,300 personnel stationed in Florida ready to immediately assist with life-saving and life sustaining search and rescue operations throughout the State. The Coast Guard also has personnel ready who will work directly with the U.S. Army Corps of engineers to assess and open the critical lifeline of the Port of Tampa as quickly as possible to ensure necessary supplies and fuel can start to flow into the impacted areas again.
    The State of Florida has activated over 6,000 members of the National Guard and expects to bring on an additional 3,000 National Guard members from Florida and other States to support State response activities.
    The Federal government has pre-positioned resources to support local and state response efforts ahead of Hurricane Milton. FEMA pre-staged seven FEMA Incident Management Assistance Teams, eight federal Urban Search & Rescue and swift water rescue teams, three U.S. Coast Guard Swift Water Rescue teams, 10 HealthCare System Assessment Teams, two U.S Army Corps of Engineers temporary power teams, debris experts, Environmental Protection Agency wastewater experts, over 500 ambulances, 20 helicopters prepared to support media requirements following landfall, and 60 High Water Vehicles with ladders from the Department of Defense.
    Additionally, FEMA has five incident staging bases with commodities including food and water. Right now, FEMA has 20 million meals and 40 million liters of water ready to deploy to address ongoing Helene and Milton response efforts with capacity to expand as needed.
    The Department of Defense is ready to support air search-and-rescue efforts, support urban search-and-rescue teams, provide helicopters to move personnel and equipment, and provide high water vehicles. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is staged across the area of impact and is prepared to support debris management, assessments of infrastructure and water/wastewater facilities, temporary power installations, and flood/water mitigation efforts.
    Additional Efforts to Support Pre-Landfall Preparations and Protect Communities
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is leveraging state-of-the-art technology to keep communities safe throughout the southeast. NOAA’s fleet of “Hurricane Hunter” aircraft gather vital data to help improve track and intensity forecasts, supporting the 24-7 work of the National Weather Service (NWS). NWS provides the real-time, accurate information that assists local meteorologists and emergency operations leaders protect their communities and combat weather misinformation. Additionally, data from reconnaissance planes and drones used to survey damage following Hurricane Helene’s landfall will help us better prepare for post-Milton recovery operations.
    The Department of Energy’s Energy Response Organization remains activated to respond to storm impacts. Via the Electricity Sub-Sector Coordinating Council and Oil and Natural Gas Sub-Sector Coordinating Council, the Department has been coordinating continuously with energy sector partners on both the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton.
    The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has notified local public housing authorities and owners of its assisted multifamily and heath care properties within the State of Florida to immediately implement all appropriate safety protocols for residents and workers. HUD is committed to ensuring that residents of its assisted homes and properties receive critical information that can save lives during extreme weather events. HUD is also conducting outreach and communications on the programmatic flexibilities and waivers that can be utilized to assist communities and survivors. Additionally, HUD is working with communities, shelter operators and homelessness services providers to prepare and support them—in collaboration with FEMA and disaster assistance organizations such as the Red Cross—as they provide life-saving assistance before and after the storm.
    The Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) is assessing potential critical supply chain disruptions following Hurricane Helene’s impact on the IV solution supply chain. ASPR is coordinating with B Braun, an IV solution manufacturer with a facility in Daytona Beach, Florida, to move their product out of the path of the storm and facilitate other activities that will mitigate potential impacts on future distribution. ASPR and HHS partners are committed to continue working with public and private partners to support the supply chain as facilities address return to full operational capacity. ASPR is encouraging manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors to evaluate product allocation and healthcare providers to implement product conservation strategies to maximize available supply. ASPR is in communication with stakeholders to reduce disruption and facilitate product allocation.
    Protecting Impacts to Power and Travel Infrastructure
    The Department of Transportation is deploying a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Field Incident Response team to Florida and pre-staging operations in Jacksonville to support any impacted towers and airports. The team will work with the State and local authorities and the Department of Defense within the established Emergency Operations Center. The Department of Transportation is also deploying the FAA Communication Support Team (CST), which plays a critical role in restoring communications at impacted air traffic management facilities. Specifically, the CST will set up Starlink and Mobile Phone Bonding kits, which increase signal stability and data throughout the region. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading the restoration efforts for communications at air traffic facilities. The FAA is placing aircraft on standby to transport personnel from various agencies, mobilize resources, and support damage assessments to infrastructure.
    The FAA granted permission to the utility Florida Power & Light to use large Teros drones to assist with damage assessments and power restoration after Milton passes. These 1,800-pound drones can fly in harsh conditions and operate in winds up to 70 mph before crewed aircraft are able to fly.
    The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration is coordinating with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and is prepared to rapidly process Emergency Relief (ER) funding requests from FDOT. The ER program helps pay for long-term, permanent repairs, and other immediate emergency repairs, such as protecting remaining facilities and restoring essential traffic. It reimburses State, local, federal, Tribal, and territorial governments for eligible expenses associated with damage from natural disasters or other emergency situations based on their requests.
    Hurricane Helene Response and Recovery
    The Department of Defense continues to support search-and-rescue operations, route clearance, and commodities distribution across western North Carolina with 1,500 active-duty troops. The Department of Defense is also employing additional capabilities to assist with increasing situational awareness across the remote terrain of Western North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers continues missions supporting temporary emergency power installations, infrastructure assessments, and debris management oversight.
    Mobilizing Financial Assistance and Surging Additional Personnel and Resources
    Over $344 million in assistance has been provided to Hurricane Helene survivors. President Biden approved a 100 percent Federal cost-share for Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee to assist in those States’ response efforts. In North Carolina alone, FEMA has approved over $60 million in aid for more than 51,000 households.
    FEMA personnel and other Federal partners, including FEMA’s Surge Capacity Force, remain on the ground supporting impacted communities, with over 17.2 million meals and 13.9 million liters of water delivered and ensuring information is accessible, including resources in preferred languages and ASL.
    Over the course of the last two weeks, 1,000 Urban Search and Rescue personnel have assisted over 3,200 survivors. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams are on the ground in neighborhoods in all Helene-affected States helping survivors apply for assistance and connecting them with additional State, local, Federal and voluntary agency resources.
    Supporting Infrastructure Recovery
    The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration announced over $130 million in Quick Release Emergency Relief funding to support North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The funding represents a down payment to address the immediate needs to restore vital transportation systems in these states. Additional funding will flow to affected communities from the Emergency Relief program.
    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) worked with partners to ensure the national airspace returned to steady state operations and all airports across impacted states reopened. The FAA’s Security and Hazardous Materials Safety Communication Support Team was deployed to restore communications to impacted airports, including delivering satellite communications kits to the Asheville Regional Airport in North Carolina and ongoing work at Valdosta Regional Airport in Georgia. The FAA Air Traffic Organization Technical Operations Team is on-site and leading communications restoration efforts at air traffic facilities. FAA also supported FEMA with two aircrafts to conduct flyover assessments and transport emergency personnel and gear, such as satellite communications kits.
    Additionally, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued Regional Emergency Declarations for Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This Declaration affords emergency regulatory relief from Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations, including maximum driving time for property- and passenger-carrying vehicles from the date of declaration. This allows truck drivers to get essential supplies to affected areas. The FMCSA Regional Declaration eliminates the need for each individual state to request a 14-day extension and allows FMCSA the ability to manage one declaration that includes all eight states and does not expire until October 27.
    NOAA continues to support post-disaster imagery flights following Hurricane Helene, already totaling over 68 flight hours during 20 flights, including over western North Carolina. NOAA is currently repositioning to support Florida and the impacts of Hurricane Milton. NOAA’s aerial imagery captures damage to coastal areas caused by a storm and aids safe navigation. Aerial imagery is a crucial tool to determine the extent of the damage from flooding, and to compare baseline coastal areas to assess the damage to major ports and waterways, coastlines, critical infrastructure, and coastal communities. This imagery not only supports FEMA and the broader response community, but the public at large.
    Supporting Students and Student Loan Borrowers
    The U.S. Department of Education is lifting up a series of resources for students, families, and borrowers impacted by these hurricanes. These resources include guidance, in person support, technical assistance, and peer-to-peer connections for state and local leaders; resources for recovery needs such as mental health support for students and educators; flexibilities to help institutions of higher education continue to manage the Federal financial aid programs; and automatically enrolling affected borrowers with missed payments into a natural disaster forbearance. Thanks to regulations issued by the Biden-Harris Administration, this forbearance will count toward Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) and income-driven repayment forgiveness.
    Providing Financial Flexibilities to Homeowners and Taxpayers
    The Department of Housing and Urban Development is providing a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures of mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as well as foreclosures of mortgages to Native American borrowers guaranteed under the Section 184 Indian Home Loan Guarantee program. The moratorium and extension are effective as of the President’s disaster declaration date in each state. When homes are destroyed or damaged to an extent that reconstruction or complete replacement is necessary, HUD’s Section 203(h) program provides FHA insurance to disaster victims. Borrowers from participating FHA approved lenders are eligible for 100 percent financing including closing costs. HUD’s Section 203(k) loan program enables individuals to finance the purchase or refinance of a house, along with its repair, through a single mortgage. Homeowners can also finance the rehabilitation of their existing homes if damaged. FHA is coordinating and collaborating with the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Agriculture to ensure consistent messaging and policies for single family loans regarding foreclosure moratoriums and repayment/arrearage agreements. Additionally, affected homeowners that have mortgages through Government-Sponsored Enterprises – including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac – and the FHA are eligible to suspend their mortgage payments through a forbearance plan for up to 12 months.
    The Internal Revenue Service announced disaster tax relief for all individuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Helene, including the entire states of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and parts of Florida, Tennessee and Virginia. Taxpayers in these areas now have until May 1, 2025, to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments. In addition, the Internal Revenue Service is providing more than 1,000 employees to help with FEMA disaster relief call lines and intake initial information to help disaster victims get federal relief. IRS Criminal Investigation agents are also on the ground in devastated areas to help with search and rescue efforts and other relief work – including assisting with door-to-door search efforts.
    Protecting Public Health
    The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services activated the Emergency Prescription Assistance Program for North Carolina to aid uninsured residents in replacing prescription medicines or certain medical equipment lost or damaged in Hurricane Helene.
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working closely with state and local officials to restore drinking water service in North Carolina and across the Southeast as well as provide assistance in debris and hazardous waste clean-up efforts.
    Supporting Workers and Worker Safety
    The U.S. Department of Labor announced initial emergency grant funding to Florida to support disaster-relief jobs and training services to help respond to Hurricane Helene. Additional grant funding for North Carolina is forthcoming. The National Dislocated Worker Grant – supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 – allows the Florida Department of Commerce to provide people with temporary disaster-relief jobs and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to address immediate, basic needs for those displaced by Hurricane Helene. The funding also enables the state to provide training and services to individuals in the affected communities.
    Working alongside the Department of Labor, the States of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee have all announced that eligible workers can receive federal Disaster Unemployment Assistance to compensate for income lost directly resulting from Hurricane Helene. And, through the Department of Labor’s innovative partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, displaced workers from North Carolina and South Carolina can now go to the post office in any other state and verify their ID for purposes of getting their benefits quickly.
    The Department of Labor is also working alongside on-the-ground personnel providing disaster relief, recovery, and rebuilding to prevent additional workplace disasters. This includes producing a worker safety training resource for resilience workers in Florida who are continuing to clear debris, rebuild infrastructure, and prepare for Hurricane Milton. This also includes activating the Wage and Hours Division Natural Disaster outreach, education and strategic enforcement program to provide employers and workers with the information they need to ensure everyone is paid correctly under the law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: A Forest Fire in Western Wyoming

    Source: NASA

    Smoke billowed from a fire in the forests of western Wyoming in early October 2024. High winds and low humidity helped the Pack Trail fire spread over 60,000 acres, forcing people to evacuate from cabins, homes, and ranches west of Dubois, Wyoming, according to local news reports.
    Lightning ignited the fire on September 15, and it continued to burn over three weeks later in both the Bridger-Teton National Forest and the Shoshone National Forest. By October 6, gusty winds of up to 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour helped the fire spread 7 miles eastward, chewing through timber on the slopes near South Fork Fish Creek. This image, acquired by the MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) instrument on NASA’s Aqua satellite, shows smoke streaming from the region on October 7.
    Smoke darkened the air of valleys and towns both east and west of the blaze. As it flowed into the valley of Jackson Hole, the smoke prompted hazardous air quality alerts in Grand Teton National Park and elevated air quality concerns elsewhere. In downtown Jackson, 30 miles west of the fire, particulate matter made the air “unhealthy” on October 8 and 9, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow Fire and Smoke Map. To the east of the flames, the smaller town of Dubois also had “unhealthy” air on those days.

    Smoke from multiple fires raging in Idaho can also be seen in the image above, acquired by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the Suomi NPP satellite, which shows a wider view of the region. As of October 9, at least 14 active fires were burning across the state.
    Fire season in the western U.S. typically starts in the spring and ends when seasonal winter rains and snow arrive. As of October 9, 2024, the number of fires detected across the country this season has been slightly less than average: 40,000 compared to the 2014-2023 average of 47,000, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. However, the area burned has been greater than average: 7,600,000 acres compared to the average of 6,200,000 acres.
    NASA Earth Observatory images by Wanmei Liang, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership; and MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Emily Cassidy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: The Marshall Star for October 9, 2024

    Source: NASA

    By Rick Smith
    Nearly 500 students and faculty of Auburn University gathered on campus Sept. 30-Oct. 2 to hear lectures from leading NASA propulsion and engineering experts and to talk careers goals and opportunities with representatives of the U.S. space program and various aerospace industry firms.
    The Aerospace Industry Day event, exclusively focused on careers supporting rocketry and space exploration, was the first of its kind at Auburn. University spokespersons said they hope to make it an annual expo – and team members from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center helped ensure the kickoff was a success.

    “The event marked a significant milestone for our organization and the university as a whole,” said Austin Miranda, an Auburn aerospace engineering undergraduate and president of Auburn’s chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “We deeply appreciate NASA’s participation, which significantly enriched the experience for our attendees.”
    Marshall managers and engineers in the Space Launch System and Human Landing System programs, the Engineering Directorate, and the Space Nuclear Propulsion Office presented guest lectures, staffed exhibit booths, and met informally with students. The event also included a pair of intensive focus sessions on propulsion engineering, face-to-face networking opportunities between students and NASA and industry leaders, and a career fair with Marshall, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, and more than a dozen leading aerospace industry companies.
    “As an Auburn alum, it’s always great to be able to return to the plains and engage in activities on campus,” said Josh Whitehead, associate manager of the SLS Stages Element at Marshall. “I was impressed not only with the outstanding faculty who engaged from multiple engineering departments, but also with the engineering students who asked informed, insightful questions about NASA, our missions, and the new technologies we are developing to enable exploration of space.”
    Mike Houts, nuclear research manager for NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office at Marshall, also was struck by students’ enthusiasm.
    “The students’ depth of interest and understanding was impressive,” he said. “Many of them stayed to talk long after events were officially over, and several have already followed up by email. I foresee lots of ‘win-win’ potential moving forward.”

    Among the aerospace industry participants were representatives from the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., Jacobs Technology, Lockheed Martin, Relativity Space, Reliable Microsystems, RTX subsidiaries Pratt & Whitney and UTC Aerospace Systems, and Technology Service Corp. 
    “Everyone was impressed with the level of knowledge and interest from Auburn students, many of whom waited in long lines to ask questions and talk about career opportunities,” said Heather Haney, SLS Program test and verification subsystem manager. “NASA has a great history of collaborating with Auburn to support our nation’s space program, and that was reflected by the excitement on so many faces during the event.”
    Auburn has contributed to a number of key Marshall endeavors in recent years, including support for Marshall’s RAMPT (Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology) project, refining a variety of additive manufacturing processes, and for a new laser-ablation technology study to develop multi-material 3D printers for use in microgravity. The latter is set to begin testing in spring 2025. Additive manufacturing research at Auburn was pivotal to development of NASA’s 2024 Invention of the Year, an innovative rocket engine thrust chamber liner and fabrication method. Auburn students also are perennial contenders in annual NASA STEM events, including the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge and the Student Launch rocketry competition.
    The Aerospace Industry Day event was hosted by Auburn’s Office of Career Development and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering.
    Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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    NASA and SpaceX are standing down from the Oct. 10 launch attempt of the agency’s Europa Clipper mission due to anticipated hurricane conditions in the area.
    Hurricane Milton is expected to move east to the Space Coast after making landfall on Florida’s west coast. High winds and heavy rain are expected in the Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island regions on Florida’s east coast. Launch teams have secured NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft in SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center ahead of the severe weather, and the center began hurricane preparations Oct. 6.

    “The safety of launch team personnel is our highest priority, and all precautions will be taken to protect the Europa Clipper spacecraft,” said Tim Dunn, senior launch director at NASA’s Launch Services Program.
    On Oct. 4, workers transported NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft from the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at Kennedy to the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in the hangar as part of final launch preparations ahead of its journey to Jupiter’s icy moon. While Europa Clipper’s launch period opens Oct. 10, the window provides launch opportunities until Nov. 6.
    Once the storm passes, recovery teams will assess the safety of the spaceport before personnel return to work. Then launch teams will assess the launch processing facilities for damage from the storm.
    “Once we have the ‘all-clear’ followed by facility assessment and any recovery actions, we will determine the next launch opportunity for this NASA flagship mission,” Dunn said.
    Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
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    The seven NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station relaxed and took a break Oct. 8 before the SpaceX Crew-8 mission leaves. Mission managers are monitoring weather conditions off the coast of Florida with Hurricane Milton.
    Expedition 72 flight engineers Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps of NASA and Alexander Grebenkin from Roscosmos are now targeting departure from the orbital outpost aboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft for no earlier than 2:05 a.m. CDT on Oct. 13, pending weather. The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) crew is scheduled to call down to Mission Control Center for farewell remarks Oct. 10 at 8:15 a.m. Watch live coverage of both events on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media.

    Space biology and physics were the focus of research operations for the Expedition 72 crew Oct. 7. NASA flight engineer Nick Hague worked in the Columbus laboratory module swapping filters inside the BioLab’s incubator. BioLab supports the observation of microbes, cells, tissue cultures and more to understand the effects of weightlessness and radiation on organisms. NASA flight engineer Don Pettit set up a laptop computer on the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a research incubator with an artificial gravity generator, located in the Kibo laboratory module.
    Station Commander Suni Williams explored space physics mixing gel samples and observing with a fluorescence microscope how particles of different sizes gel and coarsen. Results are expected to benefit the medicine, food, and cosmetic industries. NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, who has been aboard the station with Williams since June 6, trained to operate advanced life support gear installed in the Microgravity Science Glovebox for a different space physics experiment then relaxed the rest of the day.
    The Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
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    Dave Reynolds has been named to the Senior Executive Service position of manager of the Space Launch System (SLS) Booster Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, effective immediately. In his role, Reynolds is responsible for the design, development, and flight of the solid rocket boosters for the SLS rocket, NASA’s deep-space flagship rocket, designed for a new era of science and exploration.

    Reynolds began his NASA career in Marshall’s propulsion systems department in 2004 as a rocket engines component designer. Since 2020, Reynolds has served as the deputy program manager for the SLS Boosters Office. In this role, he was responsible for the execution of two major contracts with a combined value of $7.6 billion. He also served as an alternate to the manager for overseeing the performance, budget, schedule, and discretionary spending for developing, fabricating, and flying the SLS Boosters. Reynolds supervised a team of 31 civil servants and contractors and acted as the representative for the booster element in key SLS program reviews decision boards, milestones, and budget risk assessments.
    Reynolds’ previous roles include leading the development program for the SLS Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension effort starting in 2016, officially being selected as the development program manager in 2019. In this role he was responsible for creating the strategic plan and initiating the early development phases for the SLS Block II Booster. He also served as a SLS Booster subsystem manager from 2013-2019 where he was responsible for the management of the SLS motor cases, igniters, and small motors.
    From 2012-2013, Reynolds participated in a temporary rotational assignment with the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center where he acted as the NASA liaison as a propulsion subject matter expert and supported military intelligence assessments of foreign weapon systems. From 2002-2004, Reynolds was a design engineer at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division at China Lake, California, where he served as a propulsion designer specializing in the design, fabrication, and testing of U.S. Navy weapons propulsion systems.
    Reynolds holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration and Management from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. He holds two patents for additive manufacturing technologies and has received numerous NASA awards including the Outstanding Leadership Medal, the Exceptional Achievement Medal, and the Silver Snoopy.
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    By Wayne Smith
    NASA has selected 75 student teams to begin an engineering design challenge to build rovers that will compete next spring at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center near the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The competition is one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges, encouraging students to pursue degrees and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

    Recognized as NASA’s leading international student challenge, the 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) aims to put competitors in the mindset of NASA’s Artemis campaign as they pitch an engineering design for a lunar terrain vehicle which simulates astronauts piloting a vehicle, exploring the lunar surface while overcoming various obstacles.
    Participating teams represent 35 colleges and universities, 38 high schools, and two middle schools from 20 states, Puerto Rico, and 16 other nations from around the world. The 31st annual Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC) is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2025. The challenge is managed by NASA’s Southeast Regional Office of STEM Engagement at Marshall.
    Following a 2024 competition that garnered international attention, NASA expanded the challenge to include a remote-control division, Remote-Operated Vehicular Research, and invited middle school students to participate. The 2025 HERC Handbook includes guidelines for the new remote-control division and updates for the human-powered division.
    NASA’s Artemis Student Challenges reflects the goals of the Artemis campaign, which seeks to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon while establishing a long-term presence for science and exploration.
    More than 1,000 students with 72 teams from around the world participated in the 2024 challenge as HERC celebrated its 30th anniversary as a NASA competition. Since its inception in 1994, more than 15,000 students have participated in HERC – with many former students now working at NASA, or within the aerospace industry. 
    Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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    By Wayne Smith
    NASA has selected 71 teams from across the U.S. to participate in its 25th annual Student Launch Challenge, one of the agency’s Artemis Student Challenges. The competition is aimed at inspiring Artemis Generation students to explore science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for the benefit of humanity.
    As part of the challenge, teams will design, build, and fly a high-powered amateur rocket and scientific payload. They also must meet documentation milestones and undergo detailed reviews throughout the school year.

    The nine-month-long challenge will culminate with on-site events starting on April 30, 2025. Final launches are scheduled for May 3, at Bragg Farms in Toney, Alabama, just minutes north of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Teams are not required to travel for their final launch, having the option to launch from a qualified site. Details are outlined in the Student Launch Handbook.
    Each year, NASA updates the university payload challenge to reflect current scientific and exploration missions. For the 2025 season, the payload challenge will again take inspiration from the Artemis missions, which seek to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, and pave the way for future human exploration of Mars.
    As Student Launch celebrates its 25th anniversary, the payload challenge will include reports from STEMnauts, non-living objects representing astronauts. The STEMnaut crew must relay real-time data to the student team’s mission control via radio frequency, simulating the communication that will be required when the Artemis crew achieves its lunar landing.
    University and college teams are required to meet the 2025 payload requirements set by NASA, but middle and high school teams have the option to tackle the same challenge or design their own payload experiment.
    Student teams will undergo detailed reviews by NASA personnel to ensure the safety and feasibility of their rocket and payload designs. The team closest to their target will win the Altitude Award, one of multiple awards presented to teams at the end of the competition. Other awards include overall winner, vehicle design, experiment design, and social media presence.
    In addition to the engineering and science objectives of the challenge, students must also participate in outreach efforts such as engaging with local schools and maintaining active social media accounts. Student Launch is an all-encompassing challenge and aims to prepare the next generation for the professional world of space exploration.
    The Student Launch Challenge is managed by Marshall’s Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM). Additional funding and support are provided by NASA’s OSTEM via the Next Gen STEM project, NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, Northrup Grumman, National Space Club Huntsville, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, National Association of Rocketry, Relativity Space, and Bastion Technologies.
    Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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    NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration broke yet another record for laser communications this summer by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA’s Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away. That’s the same distance between our planet and Mars when the two planets are farthest apart.
    Soon after reaching that milestone on July 29, the technology demonstration concluded the first phase of its operations since launching aboard Psyche on Oct. 13, 2023.

    “The milestone is significant. Laser communication requires a very high level of precision, and before we launched with Psyche, we didn’t know how much performance degradation we would see at our farthest distances,” said Meera Srinivasan, the project’s operations lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Now the techniques we use to track and point have been verified, confirming that optical communications can be a robust and transformative way to explore the solar system.”
    Managed by JPL, the Deep Space Optical Communications experiment consists of a flight laser transceiver and two ground stations. Caltech’s historic 200-inch aperture Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, acts as the downlink station to which the laser transceiver sends its data from deep space. The Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory at JPL’s Table Mountain facility near Wrightwood, California, acts as the uplink station, capable of transmitting 7 kilowatts of laser power to send data to the transceiver.
    By transporting data at rates up to 100 times higher than radio frequencies, lasers can enable the transmission of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video, which are needed to support humanity’s next giant leap when astronauts travel to Mars and beyond.
    As for the spacecraft, Psyche remains healthy and stable, using ion propulsion to accelerate toward a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
    The technology demonstration’s data is sent to and from Psyche as bits encoded in near-infrared light, which has a higher frequency than radio waves. That higher frequency enables more data to be packed into a transmission, allowing far higher rates of data transfer.
    Even when Psyche was about 33 million miles away – comparable to Mars’ closest approach to Earth – the technology demonstration could transmit data at the system’s maximum rate of 267 megabits per second. That bit rate is similar to broadband internet download speeds. As the spacecraft travels farther away, the rate at which it can send and receive data is reduced, as expected.

    [embedded content]
    This 45-second ultra-high-definition video was streamed via laser from deep space by NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration June 24, when the Psyche spacecraft was 240 million miles from Earth.

    On June 24, when Psyche was about 240 million miles from Earth – more than 2½ times the distance between our planet and the Sun – the project achieved a sustained downlink data rate of 6.25 megabits per second, with a maximum rate of 8.3 megabits per second. While this rate is significantly lower than the experiment’s maximum, it is far higher than what a radio frequency communications system using comparable power can achieve over that distance.
    The goal of Deep Space Optical Communications is to demonstrate technology that can reliably transmit data at higher speeds than other space communication technologies like radio frequency systems. In seeking to achieve this goal, the project had an opportunity to test unique data sets like art and high-definition video along with engineering data from the Psyche spacecraft. For example, one downlink included digital versions of Arizona State University’s “Psyche Inspired” artwork, images of the team’s pets, and a 45-second ultra-high-definition video that spoofs television test patterns from the previous century and depicts scenes from Earth and space.
    The technology demonstration beamed the first ultra-high-definition video from space, featuring a cat named Taters, from the Psyche spacecraft to Earth on Dec. 11, 2023, from 19 million miles away. (Artwork, images, and videos were uploaded to Psyche and stored in its memory before launch.)
    “A key goal for the system was to prove that the data-rate reduction was proportional to the inverse square of distance,” said Abi Biswas, the technology demonstration’s project technologist at JPL. “We met that goal and transferred huge quantities of test data to and from the Psyche spacecraft via laser.” Almost 11 terabits of data have been downlinked during the first phase of the demo.
    The flight transceiver is powered down and will be powered back up on Nov. 4. That activity will prove that the flight hardware can operate for at least a year.
    “We’ll power on the flight laser transceiver and do a short checkout of its functionality,” said Ken Andrews, project flight operations lead at JPL. “Once that’s achieved, we can look forward to operating the transceiver at its full design capabilities during our post-conjunction phase that starts later in the year.”
    This demonstration is the latest in a series of optical communication experiments funded by the Space Technology Mission Directorate’s Technology Demonstration Missions Program managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the agency’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program within the Space Operations Mission Directorate. Development of the flight laser transceiver is supported by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, L3 Harris, CACI, First Mode, and Controlled Dynamics Inc. Fibertek, Coherent, Caltech Optical Observatories, and Dotfast support the ground systems. Some of the technology was developed through NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research program.
    Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program, which is managed by Marshall.
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    By Rick Smith
    An ancient celestial traveler will make its first close pass by Earth in mid-October. Mark those calendars – because it won’t be back for another 80,000 years.
    The Oort Cloud comet, called C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, was discovered in 2023, approaching the inner solar system on its highly elliptical orbit for the first time in documented human history. It was identified by observers at China’s Tsuchinshan – or “Purple Mountain” – Observatory and an ATLAS (Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System) telescope in South Africa. The comet was officially named in honor of both observatories.

    The comet successfully made its closest transit past the Sun on Sept. 27. Scientists surmised it might well break up during that pass, its volatile and icy composition unable to withstand the intense heat of our parent star, but it survived more or less intact – and is now on track to come within approximately 44 million miles of Earth on Oct. 12.
    “Comets are more fragile than people may realize, thanks to the effects of passing close to the Sun on their internal water ice and volatiles such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide,” said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke, who leads the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “Comet Kohoutek, which reached the inner solar system in 1973, broke up while passing too close to the Sun. Comet Ison similarly failed to survive the Sun’s intense heat and gravity during perihelion in 2013.”
    Though Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be ideally positioned to view from the Southern Hemisphere, spotters above the equator should have a good chance as well. Peak visibility will occur Oct. 9-10, once the half-moon begins to move away from the comet.
    Choose a dark vantage point just after full nightfall, Cooke recommended. Looking to the southwest, roughly 10 degrees above the horizon, identify the constellations of Sagittarius and Scorpio. Tsuchinshan-ATLAS should be visible between them. By Oct. 14, the comet may remain visible at the midway point between the bright star Arcturus and the planet Venus.
    “And savor the view,” Cooke advised – because by early November, the comet will be gone again for the next 800 centuries.
    It’s highly unlikely Tsuchinshan-ATLAS will be visible in daylight hours, except perhaps at twilight, Cooke said. In the past 300 years of astronomical observation, only nine previous comets have been bright enough to spot during the day. The last were Comet West in 1976 and, under ideal conditions, Comet Hale-Bopp in 1997.
    The brightness of comets is measured on the same scale we use for stars, one that has been in use since roughly 150 B.C., when it was devised by the ancient scholar Hipparchus and refined by the astronomer Ptolemy. Stellar magnitude is measured on a logarithmic scale, which makes a magnitude 1 star exactly 100 times brighter than a magnitude 6 star. The lower the number the brighter the object, making it more likely to be clearly seen, whether by telescope or the naked eye.

    “Typically, a comet would have to reach a magnitude of –6 to –10 to be seen in daylight,” Cooke said. “That’s extremely rare.”
    At peak visibility in the northern hemisphere, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS’s brightness is estimated at between 2 and 4. In comparison, the brightest visible star in the night sky, Sirius, has a magnitude of –1.46. At its brightest, solar reflection from Venus is a magnitude of –4. The International Space Station sometimes achieves a relative brightness of –6.
    Comets are often hard to predict because they’re extended objects, Cooke noted, with their brightness spread out and often dimmer than their magnitude suggests. At the same time, they may benefit from a phenomenon called “forward scattering,” which causes sunlight to bounce more intensely off all the gas and debris in the comet’s tail and its coma – the glowing nebula that develops around it during close stellar orbit – and causing a more intense brightening effect for observers.
    “If there is a lot of forward scattering, the comet could be as bright as magnitude –1,” Cooke said. That could make it “visible to the unaided eye or truly spectacular with binoculars or a small telescope.”
    What will become of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS? Cooke noted that it is not expected to draw too near the planetary giants of our system, but eventually could be flung out of the solar system – like a stone from a sling – due to the gravitational influence of other worlds and its own tenuous bond with the Sun.
    But the hardy traveler likely still has miles to go yet. “I learned a long time ago not to gamble on comets,” Cooke said. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
    Smith, an Aeyon employee, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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    There’s more to thunderclouds than rain and lightning. Along with visible light emissions, thunderclouds can produce intense bursts of gamma rays, the most energetic form of light, that last for millionths of a second. The clouds can also glow steadily with gamma rays for seconds to minutes at a time.

    Researchers using NASA airborne platforms have now found a new kind of gamma-ray emission that’s shorter in duration than the steady glows and longer than the microsecond bursts. They’re calling it a flickering gamma-ray flash. The discovery fills in a missing link in scientists’ understanding of thundercloud radiation and provides new insights into the mechanisms that produce lightning. The insights, in turn, could lead to more accurate lightning risk estimates for people, aircraft, and spacecraft.
    Researchers from the University of Bergen in Norway led the study in collaboration with scientists from NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Goddard Space Flight Center, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and multiple universities in the U.S., Mexico, Colombia, and Europe. The findings were described in a pair of papers in Nature, published Oct. 2.
    The international research team made their discovery while flying a battery of detectors aboard a NASA ER-2 research aircraft. In July 2023, the ER-2 set out on a series of 10 flights from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. The plane flew figure-eight flight patterns a few miles above tropical thunderclouds in the Caribbean and Central America, providing unprecedented views of cloud activity.
    The scientific payload was developed for the Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly’s Eye Geostationary Lightning Mapper Simulator and Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (ALOFT) campaign. Instrumentation in the payload included weather radars along with multiple sensors for measuring gamma rays, lightning flashes, and microwave emissions from clouds. 
    The researchers had hoped ALOFT instruments would observe fast radiation bursts known as terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs). The flashes, first discovered in 1992 by NASA’s Compton Gamma Ray Observatory spacecraft, accompany some lightning strikes and last only millionths of a second. Despite their high intensity and their association with visible lightning, few TGFs have been spotted during previous aircraft-based studies.  
    “I went to a meeting just before the ALOFT campaign,” said principal investigator Nikolai Østgaard, a space physicist with the University of Bergen. “And they asked me: ‘How many TGFs are you going to see?’ I said: ‘Either we’ll see zero, or we’ll see a lot.’ And then we happened to see 130.” 
    However, the flickering gamma-ray flashes were a complete surprise.

    “They’re almost impossible to detect from space,” said co-principal investigator Martino Marisaldi, who is also a University of Bergen space physicist. “But when you are flying at 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) high, you’re so close that you will see them.” The research team found more than 25 of these new flashes, each lasting between 50 to 200 milliseconds. 
    The abundance of fast bursts and the discovery of intermediate-duration flashes could be among the most important thundercloud discoveries in a decade or more, said University of New Hampshire physicist Joseph Dwyer, who was not involved in the research. “They’re telling us something about how thunderstorms work, which is really important because thunderstorms produce lightning that hurts and kills a lot of people.” 
    More broadly, Dwyer said he is excited about the prospects of advancing the field of meteorology. “I think everyone assumes that we figured out lightning a long time ago, but it’s an overlooked area … we don’t understand what’s going on inside those clouds right over our heads.” The discovery of flickering gamma-ray flashes may provide crucial clues scientists need to understand thundercloud dynamics, he said.
    Turning to aircraft-based instrumentation rather than satellites ensured a lot of bang for research bucks, said the study’s project scientist, Timothy Lang of Marshall. 
    “If we had gotten one flash, we would have been ecstatic – and we got well over 100,” he said. This research could lead to a significant advance in our understanding of thunderstorms and radiation from thunderstorms. “It shows that if you have the right problem and you’re willing to take a little bit of risk, you can have a huge payoff.”
    › Back to Top

    By Paola Pinto
    NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center’s sea surface temperature (SST) product is a pivotal resource for enhancing weather analysis, forecasting, and marine safety at the National Weather Service (NWS) and within the coastal/marine user community.

    Its real-world applications range from improving weather forecasts to enhancing marine safety. What sets this SST product apart from others is its integration of data from multiple satellites, generating a high-resolution 7-day composite at a 2 km resolution. By combining observations from five satellites – three VIIRS and two AVHRR on polar-orbiting satellites like SNPP and MetOp – it achieves around 80% coverage of SST data that are less than two days old, ensuring timely and accurate insights for remote ocean areas, coastal regions, and large lakes. This advanced system supports critical functions such as tropical storm monitoring, visibility forecasts, and ice formation predictions.
    David Marsalek, a meteorologist with NOAA’s NWS in Cleveland, Ohio, highlights the value of SST data for the safety of the Great Lakes, particularly for shipping and recreational activities. Marsalek, who has been focused on marine conditions, notes the dual role of SST data in both summer and winter.
    “For us at WFO Cleveland, SST data is vital year-round,” Marsalek said. During winter, Marsalek emphasizes the role of SST data in forecasting ice formation. He indicates that in Lake Erie, during colder months, the SST product from NASA SPoRT is crucial for predicting ice formation for Great Lakes interests.
    “Our office relies heavily on this data to issue ice outlooks for the pre-ice season in fall and early winter and advisories for situations such as rapid ice growth,” he said. “Without it, we would struggle to provide accurate long-term forecasts, especially as buoys are often removed before ice forms.”
    The SPoRT SST product helps his team bridge this gap, enabling them to make informed predictions about ice development.
    Brian LaMarre, a meteorologist with NWS in Tampa Bay, Florida, said SPoRT SST data, introduced through a pilot project from 2012 to 2015, has become essential for Tampa Bay’s 24/7 forecasting and warnings. The high-resolution SST data is crucial for maritime navigation, particularly in improving marine channel forecasts and helping forecasters anticipate visibility restrictions due to fog in the Port of Tampa Bay. By integrating the SPoRT SST product with air and dewpoint temperature forecasts, forecasters can diagnose when fog will form due to warm, moist air flowing over cooler SSTs in the channel, especially during the Florida fog season from late fall into early spring. This accurate forecasting is essential for Tampa Bay’s largest port, which handles $18 billion in trade annually. Unanticipated port closures due to fog can have a significant economic impact, halting shipping operations and causing costly delays.
    “This data supports decision making for the Coast Guard and harbor pilots,” LaMarre said.

    Additionally, SPoRT SST data aids in assessing water temperature impacts during major weather events like hurricanes, further ensuring the safety and economic viability of the region. LaMarre also highlighted how SST data provides timely temperature forecasts to local organizations focused on marine life rescue. This helps them quickly deploy rescue missions for wildlife, such as sea turtles and manatees, affected by cold water stunning events.
    John Kelley and his nowCOAST Team at NOAA’s National Ocean Service Coastal Marine Modeling Branch within the Coast Survey Development Lab have made NASA SPoRT SST composites available via nowCOAST’s web mapping services and GIS-based map viewer for the past nine years. On average, nowCoast receives around 400,000 monthly hits and even higher web traffic during severe weather events; some users include state agencies, the Coast Guard, and marine industry professionals.
    “The SPoRT SST composite is integrated with a variety of data and information from NOAA, such as tropical cyclone track and intensity forecasts, lightning strike density maps, and marine weather warnings, to support critical operations like marine navigation, coastal resiliency, and disaster preparedness and response,” Kelley said. Accurate SST data plays a key role in helping vessels navigate safely through shifting ocean temperatures and currents, which can affect fuel efficiency, weather conditions, and route planning. It also supports coastal communities by providing timely data to anticipate severe weather events, such as hurricanes, which can impact ecosystems and infrastructure.
    Kelley said SPoRT SST is also used to evaluate the accuracy of short-range predictions from the National Ocean Service operational numerical oceanographic forecast models for both coastal oceans and the Great Lakes. Recently, the composites have been crucial in evaluating lake surface temperature predictions for large, non-Great Lakes inland lakes, where in-situ water temperature observations are often unavailable.
    “The SPoRT SST composites provide critical verification data for large lakes where in-situ water temperature observations are not available,” Kelley said.
    The SPoRT center was established in 2002 at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center to transition NASA satellite products and capabilities to the operational weather community to improve short-term weather forecasting.
    Pinto is a research associate at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, specializing in communications and user engagement for NASA SPoRT.
    › Back to Top

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Reappointment of Australian statistician

    Source: Australian Treasurer

    The Albanese Government has reappointed Dr David Gruen AO as the full‑time Australian Statistician to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) for a further five years, beginning on 11 December 2024.

    Dr Gruen has served as the Australian Statistician since 2019, providing outstanding leadership of the ABS through a unique period in history.

    Dr Gruen is one of Australia’s best and most experienced economists and has a distinguished record of public service. He previously served as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and in the Department of the Treasury.

    The professional manner in which Dr Gruen has led the ABS meant that during the COVID‑19 pandemic the ABS provided rapid statistics to guide policy responses during a period of unprecedented economic uncertainty, and again after the pandemic to assess how it changed Australia’s economy and society.

    He is a distinguished, innovative and respected leader who has led the agency to streamline data collection and harness existing data sources, improving the quality, reliability and timeliness of statistics, which is helping to better inform important public policy issues.

    The ABS has curated major longitudinal data assets, including the Person Level Integrated Data Asset (PLIDA) and Business Longitudinal Analysis Data Environment (BLADE) datasets, which are being used extensively by researchers in government and academia, including research that has informed the work of the Competition Taskforce.

    Alongside his role as Australian Statistician, Dr Gruen was appointed by the Australian Public Service Commissioner as the inaugural Head of Data Profession.

    The Data Professional Stream ensures the entire APS workforce has the data capabilities to harness the growth in the availability and value of data across the public service.

    The ABS is Australia’s national statistical agency and provides trusted, independent, timely and relevant data, statistics and insights to inform Government policy.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Medicines access continues to increase

    Source: New Zealand Government

    Associate Health Minister with responsibility for Pharmac David Seymour is pleased to see Pharmac continue to increase availability of medicines for Kiwis with the Government’s largest ever investment in Pharmac. 

    “Pharmac operates independently, but it must work within the budget constraints set by the Government,” says Mr Seymour. 

    “When our Government assumed office, New Zealanders were facing an uncertain future for medicine access. Pharmac had a $1.7 billion funding hole and had no new money to increase access for medicines. 

    “It was a priority for this Government to fix that. We’ve allocated Pharmac its largest ever budget of $6.294 billion over four years, so that it can get on and do its job – negotiating the best deals for medicine for New Zealanders. 

    “That is now showing tangible results, with new cancer drugs continuing to be made available. This is an early sign of the direction we’re setting for Pharmac – one that prioritises expanding opportunities and access for patients and their families. 

    “Today represents another step forward for cancer patients as the $604 million uplift from the Government continues to facilitate access to new treatments.  

    “From 1 November 2024 an estimated 380 people will benefit from the full funding of Cetuximab for bowel (colorectal) cancer located on the left side of the bowel, which has spread, and does not have certain (RAS or BRAF) gene mutations. Cetuximab will be fully funded at any point in a person’s treatment.  

    “Pharmac also recently, announced funding of pembrolizumab (branded as Keytruda), from 1 October, for another type of bowel cancer. 

    “Cancer chemotherapy medicines, bendamustine and pemetrexed will also be made more accessible, to more people.  

    Pharmac currently fund bendamustine for people with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and lymphomas, which are types of blood cancer. They are adjusting the eligibility criteria to include people with relapsed or refractory CLL. 

    “The eligibility criteria for pemetrexed is being adjusted to make it available for any relevant use,” says Mr Seymour. 

    “I’m pleased to see Pharmac’s responsiveness to the voices of patients and their families by expanding access to more medicines for more groups. This decision reflects our commitment to a more adaptable and patient-centered approach. 

    “We want to build a world-class health system, and that requires access to world-class medicines.” 

    Note to editors:  

    • Please find the link to Pharmac’s announcement here: https://pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/news/pharmac-improves-access-to-three-cancer-medicines  
    • Pharmac is an independent Crown entity responsible for deciding which medicines and medical devices are funded in New Zealand. The recent funding uplift from the Government has enabled Pharmac to make these significant changes. Further details about the funding changes will be available on Pharmac’s website and through their communications channels. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Parliament moves one step closer to wiping $3 billion of student debt from 3 million Australians

    Source: Australian Ministers for Education

    Today the Albanese Government has passed legislation through the House of Representatives to cut the student debt of more than three million Australians.

    The legislation will wipe around $3 billion in student debt from workers and students across the country.

    The Universities Accord (Student Support and Other Measures) Bill 2024 which caps the HELP indexation rate at the lower of either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Wage Price Index (WPI) with effect from 1 June 2023 will now move to the Senate.

    The Government will backdate this relief to all HELP, VET Student Loan, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan and other student support loan accounts that were indexed on 1 June last year.

    This will benefit all Australians with a student debt, fixing last year’s spike in the indexation of 7.1 per cent and preventing indexation from outpacing wages in the future.

    An individual with an average HELP debt of $26,500 will see up to $1,200 wiped from their outstanding HELP loans.

    After the legislation passes the Parliament, the ATO will automatically apply a credit for the difference between the current indexation rate and the new indexation rate to outstanding student loans.

    If someone has completely repaid their HELP debt after 2023 or 2024 indexation was applied, the credit would be via a refund to their bank account (assuming there are no outstanding tax debts).

    Estimated indexation credit for HELP debtors

    HELP DEBT at 30 June 2023    TOTAL ESTIMATED CREDIT FOR 2023 AND 2024*
    $15,000     $670
    $25,000 $1,120
    $30,000 $1,345
    $35,000 $1,570
    $40,000 $1,795
    $45,000 $2,020
    $50,000 $2,245
    $60,000 $2,690
    $100,000 $4,485
    $130,000 $5,835

    *Actual credit amount will vary depending on individual circumstances including repayments made during the year. All HELP debts that were indexed in 2023 and 2024 will receive an indexation credit.

    Australians with a HELP debt can find out how much this is estimated to benefit them using the HELP Indexation Credit Estimator here.

    The Bill also introduces the Commonwealth Prac Payment from 1 July 2025 for around 68,000 higher education teaching, nursing, midwifery and social work students to help support them financially while they do the practical part of their degree.

    It also expands FEE-FREE University Ready Courses which act as a bridge between school and university to help more Australians get a crack at university and succeed when they get there.

    This is part of the first stage of reforms the Albanese Government will implement in response to the Universities Accord.

    Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:

    “We are one step closer to wiping out around $3 billion in student debt from more than three million Australians.

    “The Bill has passed the House and now it is off to the Senate.

    “The Universities Accord recommended indexing HELP loans to whatever is lower out of CPI and WPI.

    “We are doing this, and going further. We are backdating this reform to last year. This will wipe out what happened last year and make sure it never happens again.”

    MIL OSI News –