NewzIntel.com

Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Defense Announces Arrival of High-Threat Illegal Aliens at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    The Department of Defense announced the arrival of 10 high-threat illegal aliens to the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba yesterday. This activity is in support of President Trump’s direction to the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to expand the Migrant Operations Center at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay to provide additional detention space for high-priority criminal aliens unlawfully present in the United States.

    These 10 high-threat individuals are currently being housed in vacant detention facilities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is taking this measure to ensure the safe and secure detention of these individuals until they can be transported to their country of origin or other appropriate destination.

    The Department of Defense is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to protect the American people and upholding national security interests.

    The detention of these high-threat illegal aliens at Guantanamo Bay is a temporary measure, and the Department of Defense will continue to support the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies in their efforts to facilitate the removal of the aliens as soon as possible.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Forging Readiness: Navy Reservists Train for Expeditionary Operations at NEMWDC

    Source: United States Navy

    The ERSS and ERCS training helps test the expeditionary medicine systems capabilities and reinforces essential operational skills, including combat lifesaving, tactical communications, weapons handling and mission planning.

    For the reservists, the training ensured they remain proficient and mission-ready, prepared to integrate seamlessly with active-duty forces to support the fleet while integrating their unique blend of expertise and military experience. Their role is crucial in providing surge capacity, specialized expertise and operational flexibility, strengthening the Navy’s ability to respond to global missions and maritime security challenges.

    During the training, the reservists worked alongside active-duty personnel to respond to simulated combat scenarios, including a bomb threat and a firefight. In one scenario, two service members sustained life-threatening injuries from an improvised explosive device and multiple gunshot wounds. Cmdr. You Wei Lin, a reservist anesthesiologist with the 4th Medical Logistics Group, 4th Medical Battalion Surgical Company Alpha, provided critical care and support to the simulated patients, ensuring they were safely sedated and monitored throughout a critical surgical procedure.

    Lin’s expertise allowed the surgical team to focus on life-saving interventions, such as controlling internal bleeding and repairing damaged tissue, under challenging condition. This collaboration demonstrated the importance of having skilled reservists integrated into expeditionary medical teams, showcasing their ability to perform seamlessly alongside active-duty counterparts in high-pressure scenarios.

    “I believe our team members integrated much more and started working together more cohesively after each evolution,” Lin said. “With high-fidelity simulation training, this course prepared our team both physically and mentally for the upcoming deployment.”

    The participation of the reservists in the training highlighted their importance to operational readiness.

    “Reservists bring specialized expertise and civilian medical experience that enhance the capability and flexibility of expeditionary medical teams, ensuring the highest level of care in combat and humanitarian missions,” explained Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Jeffrey Reyes, the leading petty officer of education and training at NEMWDC.

    The Naval Expeditionary Medicine Warfighter Development Center, located at Camp Pendleton, is a center of excellence for unit-level medical training, advancing combat trauma skills and certifying expeditionary medical platforms to ensure readiness for future operations. The center’s training programs, like the one the reservists participated in, are critical to preparing medical personnel for the challenges of combat and contingency operations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer Delivers Remarks at Press Conference Announcing Criminal and Civil Actions Related to Unlawful Advertising and Sale of Dietary Supplements

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Good afternoon.

    We are here today to explain critical steps the federal government is taking to stem the tide of unlawful dietary supplements being sold to consumers nationwide. 

    Almost every day, news sources on the Internet, television and in print feature stories about the dangers of dietary supplements:  A supplement is laced with an undeclared pharmaceutical ingredient.  A study is released about adverse health consequences of a so-called natural remedy.  An athlete or member of the military falls ill after taking an untested energy product.  These stories arise across the country all too often. 

    Consumers turn to supplements when they want to lose weight, get an edge in athletic performance, or improve their overall well-being.  From California to Maine, consumers ingest pills, powders and liquids every day, not knowing whether they are wasting money or whether they may end up harming, rather than helping, themselves.  Unfortunately, many of these products are not what they purport to be or cannot do what the distributors claim they can do.  In some instances, consumers might be choosing supplements over other, proven therapies for serious conditions under the mistaken belief that these products can help.

    I am honored to be joined at the podium today by my colleagues from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).  Today we are announcing a sweep of actions targeting unlawful dietary supplement makers and marketers.  Over the past year, we have pursued civil and criminal cases against more than 100 makers and marketers of dietary supplements and similar products. 

    A centerpiece of the sweep announced today is the indictment of USPlabs, relating to widely popular workout and weight loss supplements.  Bestselling dietary supplements, with names like Jack3d, OxyElite Pro, and OxyElite Pro “New Formula” and “Advanced Formula,” raked in hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.

    As alleged in the indictment unsealed today, the defendants were on a perpetual search for the next miracle ingredient.  That search generally focused on Chinese chemical manufacturers.  When they found an ingredient that they believed was promising – and knowing full well how the market for dietary supplements operated – they doctored packaging, labeling, and other paperwork to defraud others about what the product was.  Much of the alleged fraud focused on the defendants’ claims that their products were made from natural plant extracts.  In truth, as one defendant put it, “lol stuff is completely 100 % synthethic [sic]”.

    These fraudulent claims ensured that the synthetic chemicals entered the United States, got on store shelves, and were purchased by consumers.  As alleged in the indictment, the defendants falsified paperwork to stay off the radar of regulatory agencies – when the products crossed the border and as they circulated in commerce.  They made misrepresentations to convince well-known retailers, who had concerns about untested synthetic chemicals, to sell their products.  They falsified labeling and marketing materials to convince consumers, who prized natural ingredients, to buy their products.  All of these people – regulators, retailers and consumers – trusted that the defendants were telling the truth about their products.  All of these people were deceived.

    This deception put lives at risk.  The indictment describes the safety testing – or, more accurately, the lack of safety testing – that the defendants undertook before hawking these factory-made stimulants.  For instance, the indictment alleges that the defendants sometimes tested the ingredients on themselves and sold the ones that made them feel good.  With one product, the defendants allegedly recognized that the substance could potentially cause “liver toxicity.”  Yet without conducting a single test to determine whether that substance was safe, they went ahead and sold it, working from the baseless assumption that they weren’t using enough of the substance in their products to cause problems. 

    But there were problems.  There was an outbreak of liver injuries allegedly associated with the OxyElite Pro New Formula.  Consumers experienced jaundice; several needed transplants to save their lives.  How did the defendants respond?  As the indictment alleges, they promised the FDA and the public that they would stop distributing the product at issue.  They didn’t.  Instead, they undertook a surreptitious, all-hands-on-deck effort to sell as much of the product as they could.

    We are here today, in part, to take an important step in holding USPlabs accountable for its actions.  The indictment unsealed today charges USPlabs in Texas, four of its executives, and one of its consultants with a series of crimes associated with the sale of dietary supplements.  Charged with these defendants is S.K. Laboratories based in Southern California, which manufactured many of USPlabs’ products, and one of S.K. Laboratories’ executives.  As noted, this is just a step.  All of the defendants will have their day in court.  Whatever the outcome, I am confident that the dedicated men and women – from the Department of Justice and the special agents from the FDA and IRS Criminal Investigation – who have worked so hard to bring us to this point will ensure that justice is served.

    The allegations against USPlabs and its operators should serve as a wake-up call to the supplement industry.  The unmistakable message is that the Department of Justice and its partners will be vigilant when it comes to the health and safety of the American public.  Fighting illegal activity in the dietary supplement industry is a high priority on our consumer protection agenda.

    The USPlabs case is only one of the many cases brought as part of the sweep announced today.  Over the past year, law enforcement and regulatory officials have focused efforts on many additional products that cause high levels of concern among health officials nationwide.

    Many of the cases we have brought relate to products that misrepresent the ingredients they contain. 

    We have also brought cases involving products that make unsupported claims about their effects.  In numerous matters, the defendants are selling products online through websites and touting their products to consumers for the cure, treatment, or prevention of diseases ranging from cancer to Alzheimer’s disease to herpes.  Making these disease cure claims defines these products as drugs under the law.  And even though they were warned by the FDA – and in some cases, through joint letters with the FTC – to stop making such claims, a number of the individuals and companies at issue continued to make these claims and promote their products as treatments or cures for diseases.  Yet these drugs lack substantial evidence of safety and effectiveness.  They are also being sold without adequate directions for their use.  Selling them in interstate commerce in these circumstances is illegal. 

    The government is taking a multi-faceted approach to combat the problem of unlawful dietary supplements.  In addition to criminal actions, we are using civil and administrative tools to safeguard consumers from harmful products.  As part of this sweep, the Department of Justice brought a dozen civil injunctive actions (including five in the last week) under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and in some cases, using the civil mail fraud injunction statute, seeking to stop the defendant entities and individuals from violating the law.  In these cases we are asking the courts to order the defendants to stop their illegal conduct and to put in place processes and procedures to prevent them from violating the law in the future.  Our partner agencies, including the FTC, FDA, USPIS, DoD and USADA, are taking other measures both to enforce the law and to educate the public.

    As I mentioned, I stand here in partnership with other agencies with whom we have joined forces to address this problem.  Through enforcement and education, each agency is performing its own mission to protect consumers or service members or athletes from dangerous, ineffective products.  You will hear more from my colleagues about the actions their agencies are taking.  Together, through cooperation and teamwork, we can multiply the impact of our efforts.  These actions will not put an end to this widespread problem.  But they will go some distance toward bringing change to the industry.

    We are not here to criticize the entire supplement marketplace.  Not every supplement contains an undisclosed ingredient.  Not every label lies about what is contained in the bottle.  Not every claim about dietary supplements is unsupported by scientific evidence.

    But consumers must be on guard before taking dietary supplements.  Oftentimes, it may be difficult or impossible to tell the conditions under which the supplements are manufactured, and it is challenging to sort through real scientific substantiation for a product as compared to unsupported hype.

    How can consumers perform their own due diligence? 

    Talk to your health care provider.  At physical exams, ask a physician whether the bottle seen on store shelves or on the Internet could cause you harm, or whether it is worth the money you are spending to buy it.

    Consult the public education materials provided by the FTC, FDA, DoD and USADA.  The FDA’s website, for example, includes tips for making informed decisions and evaluating dietary supplements, and the FTC’s website also has a wealth of information. 

    The Department of Defense and USADA have developed extraordinary tools, including a cell phone app, to help consumers make informed choices about supplements.

    This is only the beginning.  Thanks to the partnerships we have built, our efforts in this area will continue.  We will keep investigating violators and we will use all available tools at our disposal to advance our enforcement goals and to protect consumers.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Bill Baer Delivers Remarks at Second International Conference on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Thank you, Jennifer [Smith of the International Legal Foundation] for your kind words. 

    I want to thank Minister of Justice [German] Garavano, Vice-Minister of Justice [Santiago] Otamendi and Chief Federal Public Defender General Stella Maris Martinez of the Government of the Republic of Argentina, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Legal Foundation, for coordinating this important gathering so that we may, together, explore how to strengthen and improve access to criminal legal aid globally.

    And equally important, I want to thank all of you – the gathered Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Attorneys General, Supreme Court Justices and criminal legal aid providers and experts – for participating in this conference.  All of the leaders in this room – and so many others across the globe – are indispensable partners in our efforts to fulfill the promise of access to criminal legal aid.  Your work is moving us closer to the ideals of equality, opportunity and justice under law.

    The United States participated with enthusiasm at the historic first international convening on criminal legal aid, held in Johannesburg, and it is a privilege to join you in Buenos Aires at the second biannual conference.

    Today, with our Presidential election just concluded, I address you not only as an official of the United States Department of Justice, but also as a representative of American democracy.  Since George Washington first relinquished his office to incoming President John Adams in 1797, a peaceful transition of power has symbolized the stability of the United States government.  On January 20, for the 44th time, a President will transfer his authority and responsibilities to his democratically elected successor.  With that transition may come changes in policies and priorities.  That is normal and in the natural course.  But what will not change – what has not changed for over 200 years, from Administration to Administration – is the promise that all people – regardless of wealth or want, status or stature, color or creed – are entitled to a set of undeniable rights:  equal protection, fundamental fairness and impartial justice.

    This commitment to equal justice is rooted in the founding ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.   It has been enshrined by our Supreme Court in milestone decisions like Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down racial segregation in schools, and Gideon v. Wainwright, which guaranteed that a defendant in a criminal case has the right to a lawyer whether or not that person can afford one.  It has been embraced by Presidents of both parties, as exemplified by the creation of the Legal Services Corporation, the largest funder of civil legal aid for low-income Americans, by President Richard Nixon and President Bill Clinton’s signing of the landmark Violence Against Women Act, which provides legal aid for victims of domestic violence.  And it is embodied in the renewed debate on the criminal justice system, in which Americans from a range of backgrounds and political beliefs have come to agree on the need to address persistent inequities and inefficiencies in our criminal justice system, from the fairness of our sentencing laws, to the injustice in imposing fines and fees against those unable to pay, to how we reintegrate into civic and economic life those individuals convicted of crimes who have paid their debt to society.

    Our progress towards fulfilling these promises has not been uninterrupted.  At times, we have made great strides, dedicating resources, energy and ideas to the task.  At other times, we have fallen short of our own ideals.  But with each triumph and setback, we have been reminded that justice is as much a journey as it is a destination – as much a process as it is an outcome – and that the fairest criminal justice system gives equal attention to both.

    Addressing this challenge has been a priority of the Department of Justice in the eight years of the Obama Administration.  In 2010, the department launched the Office of Access to Justice – which I oversee and which seeks to improve access to legal aid to everyone in the United States who needs it.  Much of the Office’s work is directed at strengthening criminal defense for the poor by focusing on many of the same values outlined in the 2012 U.N. Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems.

    Among our most significant accomplishments has been to ensure the reality of Gideon’s promise, for the right to counsel is not only a constitutional imperative but vital to the effective functioning – and legitimacy – of the U.S. criminal justice system.  Fulfilling this promise is not easy.  Between 1999 and 2007, the number of public defenders – the front-line lawyers in our country who provide legal aid to indigent criminal defendants – increased by only four percent while their caseload increased by 20 percent.  When managing such huge caseloads, it is difficult and often times impossible, for public defenders to carry out their legal and ethical duties to their clients.  To help alleviate that problem, the Department of Justice has awarded millions of dollars to cities, states and defense advocacy organizations to support their indigent defense work.  These awards expanded the number of cities that participate in the department’s “Smart Defense” program, where cities use data, research and research partnerships to enhance criminal justice systems and programs.  These funds have also been invested in bringing risk assessment to the pre-trial detention stage, so that judges are making informed pre-trial release decisions that improve cost-effectiveness while protecting public safety and defendants’ due process, and to ensure that our public defenders have the skills necessary to be effective pretrial advocates.   And where states have proven unwilling to dedicate the necessary resources to public defender services, the department has filed amicus briefs in our courts arguing that it is a constructive denial of the constitutional right to counsel for a public defender system to be so under-resourced, so understaffed and so underfunded that an indigent defendant has access to counsel in name only. 
     
    The priority on access to criminal legal aid has extended to forging partnerships with American Indian tribes – our nation’s indigenous communities.  As Robert Kennedy rightly noted when he served as Attorney General, it is a tragic irony that the first Americans have endured a long and painful history of broken promises, deferred action and denied rights at the hands of the United States Government.  As one of many steps taken by the Justice Department to right these injustices, we have authored and supported landmark legislation to expand American Indian tribal governments’ criminal jurisdiction and sentencing authority while at the same time enhancing protections for criminal defendants in tribal courts.  To further that effort, the department has worked hard to support tribes through funding and training that improves the trial skills of tribal public defenders as well judges and prosecutors. 

    Of course, advancing access to justice for all also requires that we look critically at the Justice Department’s own role – and its own responsibility – as a central player in the federal criminal justice system.  Three years ago, the department launched the Smart on Crime initiative – a groundbreaking effort designed to reorient the way we approach criminal justice issues by diminishing the use of harsh mandatory sentences for low-level drug offenses; investing in rehabilitation and reentry programs that can reduce the likelihood of recidivism; and supporting vulnerable communities to prevent them from being caught up in the criminal justice system in the first place.  Additionally, we have embarked on an historic clemency initiative, allowing the President to commute sentences for more individuals than the last 11 Presidents combined.  And we have worked hard to get the incentives right in ensuring access to counsel in the federal system, including no longer requiring defendants in plea deals to waive future claims about whether their counsel was effective, and no longer allowing an immigrant convicted of a crime to be found deportable on the basis of alleged facts never established in the criminal case – a process unfair to immigrants who lack counsel and who may have agreed to plead guilty specifically to avoid immigration consequences. 

    Internationally, we have been proud partners with you on promoting equal access to justice, both in the criminal and civil arenas.  Since the U.N.’s unanimous adoption, just over a year ago, of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, we have been working with the international community to breathe life into Global Goal 16, which calls on countries – including the United States – to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.”  To that end, the White House Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR) was formally established. 

    The Roundtable works to identify how and when legal aid can improve federal programs that serve our nation’s vulnerable and underserved populations. By integrating civil legal aid into a wide array of federal programs designed to improve access to housing, health care services, employment and education, and enhance family stability and public safety, the programs are strengthened and objectives better met.  This month, the Roundtable will issue its first annual report to the President.  This report will detail the history of this interagency effort and provide concrete examples of how civil legal aid has been integrated into federal programs that support the poor and vulnerable.

    The Roundtable’s report will not be our only effort to track the progress toward fulfilling Goal 16 – and specifically Target 16.3, which calls on countries to “promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all.”  In September, I announced the United States’ commitment to identifying national indicators for Target 16.3, joining other nations around the world, including in the Americas, who have started regional efforts to identify indicators. The United States’ effort, which is being led by the Department of Justice, and includes experts from across the federal government, will help develop national criminal and civil access to justice indicators so that we can rigorously gauge our progress towards the goal of equal justice for all Americans.   While we are still assessing what these indicators might be, we are exploring whether we can track the impact of criminal and civil legal aid on myriad aspects of the justice system.

    And because the United States is so strongly supportive of ensuring quality and effective criminal defense, we introduced the groundbreaking resolution at this year’s United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (UN Crime Commission) that you heard about yesterday to promote access to indigent defense, including through the creation of national, regional and international networks of legal aid providers.  Resolution 25/2: Promoting legal aid builds on past international activity, including the 2012 U.N.  Principles and Guidelines, and on the common sense idea that the best way to improve defense services across the globe is through peer-to-peer exchanges and learning.  The United States stands ready to share its experiences in promoting indigent defense and to learn from yours.

    Let me end where I began:  by thanking all of you for your participation in this conference, and for your commitment and perseverance to the work of promoting equal access to justice.  When my predecessor Tony West spoke at the inaugural gathering in South Africa, he was clear-eyed about both the progress that had been made in the provision of the right to counsel and the hard work that remained to be done.  Two years later, I echo Tony’s message.  Global efforts to support the right to counsel have never been stronger.  But we have much left to do. 

    Conferences like this one are a beginning not an end.   Long after this conference concludes, after all of us have returned home, after all the keynote speeches have been given and outcome documents adopted, there will remain the work of continuing to build criminal and civil legal systems that deliver the promise of equal justice under law for every individual, regardless of where they were born, their color or class, their religious faith or their sexual orientation.  That work will not be easy.  The progress will not always be uninterrupted.  But rest assured that the United States stands with you in this mutual endeavor.  We will remain an outspoken advocate on the importance of access to criminal legal aid at home and abroad.   We will continue to be a staunch ally in the fight for justice.  And we will remain a steadfast partner in the endeavor to build legal systems that are fair and effective for all.  I look forward to all that we will achieve – together – in the years ahead.  Thank you.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch Delivers Remarks at United States Military Academy

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for that warm welcome.  I am so grateful to be here today.  I also want to thank Lieutenant General [Robert] Caslen and Brigadier General [Diana] Holland for their tremendous leadership here at West Point, and for their gracious invitation to address the Cow Class of the Corps of Cadets.  And I want to acknowledge my colleague, Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General [Bill] Baer, who is here with me today.  Bill does a tremendous job of leading the Justice Department’s Servicemembers and Veterans Initiative, which is our most important program to secure the rights of our men and women in uniform.

    What an honor it is to stand before you today in this venerable place.  This campus is unlike any other in the United States – and not just because it’s the only one that Benedict Arnold once tried to sell to the British.  Few institutions have had a greater hand in molding the United States into the nation it is today than West Point.  Your fellow alumni include two distinguished presidents: Dwight Eisenhower, who I believe said that failing to make the West Point baseball team was one of his life’s greatest disappointments, and Ulysses S. Grant, who wrote in his memoirs that each year at West Point “seemed about five times as long” as a year back home.  They may have grumbled about their time here by the Hudson – something I am sure you have never done – but this much is clear: the path that led them to the highest office in public service began right here at West Point.

    There is no doubt that this institution has a proud and rich history.  But West Point is not simply a monument to the past.  It is a gateway to our future.  And that is why I look on each of you with such great pride and excitement.  Because each of you has taken that future into your hands.  When you were not yet 18, you made a choice.  You chose to embark on an education that demands more of you than almost any other institution demands of students your age. You made a choice to forego many of the traditional comforts of college for a more challenging path.  Before you could even vote, you made a choice that for at least the next nine years, the watchwords of your life would be “Duty, Honor, Country.”  That is an enormous testament to your character.  And that is a tremendous gift to our nation.

    I am moved by the sacrifices that you have made, and that you will make.  The conflict of my childhood was Vietnam, a place that meant nothing to me until it reached into my world and took my family members away.  It’s a history lesson now, but I still vividly remember my cousins and uncle going off to Vietnam, when I was a young girl.  My father, a minister, had a family prayer service for them the night before they left.  I remember being struck by the magnitude of their sacrifice.  It was the first time I ever really knew someone who was prepared to give his or her life for an ideal – for someone else’s freedom.  Their country had called and they had answered, and that was more important than their own comfort or safety.  Over the years I watched as other family members, including my own brother, made the choice to serve their country in the armed forces.  Their example has stayed with me throughout my life, and it has never been far from my mind during my years with the Department of Justice.   That sense of sacrifice and devotion to a greater mission – which was instinctive to my family members who served, and which has brought all of you to West Point – is perhaps the most important ingredient I can think of in the creation of a leader.  As a famous graduate of this school, General [Norman] Schwarzkopf, once said: “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.  But if you must be without one, be without strategy.”

    And that is what I want to talk to you about today: why we need your character more than ever.  It seems that our news cycles too frequently feature stories of rancor and division.  Many of those stories give voice to those raising the question of what kind of leadership we want for our nation.  I believe the answer to that question can be found here at West Point.  And not simply because of your substantive knowledge, or your training to lead one of our most vital institutions in the most difficult of situations.  Rather, it is because a West Point education is concerned not only with what you know, but with who you are.  It is concerned not only with your mastery of strategy, but with your empathy and ability to understand those who are starkly different from you – whether they serve in your platoon or sit across from you at the negotiation table.  It is concerned not only with your physical prowess, but with the resilience of your moral core.  It is concerned not just with your sterling credentials, but your resolve to use those abilities to serve others.  In short, I believe that your West Point education is giving you the very tools we need in all walks of life, military and civilian alike: the ability – and the responsibility – to bridge the gap among our fellow Americans.  

    It is clear why you are receiving this important and rigorous education.  You will lead men and women through the most trying of circumstances.  It will be up to you to show those in your command that their common goals transcend their individual differences.  It will be up to you to ask them to do things they may not believe themselves capable of doing.  It will be up to you to bring out the best in those you lead.  And you will only be able to convince them to do those things if you do them yourself – exactly as you are learning to do here.  And when you do that – when you realize that leadership is the ultimate form of service to and for others – then those in your command will surprise you, and themselves, with their selflessness, with their decency, and with their ability to join in a common cause.  This is precisely the leadership that we also need, at this moment, in our national discourse, in our communities, and in our homes.  Because as challenging as your military career will be, some of your greatest leadership challenges will come when you are out of uniform, in a world that doesn’t always exemplify the lessons you have learned here.  How will you lead when a child you know is being bullied for being of a different race or religion?  How will you lead when someone with whom you disagree needs your help?  How will you lead when someone feels ignored or even targeted by the very government we are all sworn to serve?  People will listen and look up to you.  What will you say to them?  Those are the times when you will truly lean on the lessons of this great institution – that true leaders speak up for those whose voice cannot be heard, protect the weak from the strong, and always focus on the common goals and principles that overcome our differences. 

    Being a leader often brings fulfillment, recognition and rewards.  But it also brings unexpected moments.  People once your peers may surprise themselves and you by not being completely happy for you, and that will hurt.  Along with the acclaim you will also receive criticism, questioning your decisions, your motives, even your integrity, and that will sting.  And, although it may be hard to believe – especially for you engineers out there – there will come a time when you will make mistakes, and disappoint others and yourself.  We all fall down.  It’s how you get up that tells the world who you are, even more than the rank on your sleeve.  And how you respond to these challenges will confirm or deny everything that you have said about leadership in less fraught times.  Because these are the times you show the content of your character.  These are the times you must summon what is best in you – your courage, your integrity and your honor.  These are the moments that count.  These are the moments when you realize that true leadership focuses not on you, but on the institution you lead and the mission it serves.  

    In my life, I have been fortunate that that institution is the Department of Justice, and the mission is the protection of the American people and the upholding of the rule of law.  And in my most difficult moments, first as a U.S. Attorney, and now as Attorney General of the United States, I have always been well served by reminding myself that my first responsibility is not to what others think of me, but to what my institution can do for others.

    You have also committed to serving an institution: the U.S. military.  I have no doubt that you will use your talents to uphold its proud traditions and to leave it an even stronger institution than you found it.  We will be a safer and better people for your service defending our country and its values.  But I also ask you to consider yourselves servants of these United States.  The motto of this institution is not “Duty, Honor, Army” – although it will be, for a brief moment, on December 10.  The motto is “Duty, Honor, Country.”  And I want you to take that motto seriously.  Because the division and disunity that we now see too often is symptomatic of a deeper pain in our people – pain that we must learn to heal. At a time when rhetoric and ideology divide us, and bitterness and mistrust tear at the fabric of our democracy, we need you to model service to a larger cause.  We need you to remind us that our responsibility as Americans is to promote the welfare of all our people; to protect the vulnerable and the weak; and to ensure that the nation we leave for our children is better than the one our parents inherited.   We need you to bring us back to the heart of our greatness, the beauty of our different voices, paths and faces coming together as one people.  We need you to remind us of what we have achieved together, in the early motto of this great country:  E pluribus unum.  Out of many, one.

    That is my challenge to you today: be leaders not just of our military, but of our country.  Wherever life takes you beyond West Point – whether you stay in the armed forces for life, or whether you choose a different path – I challenge you to continue to be servant leaders.  Inspire others to serve causes larger than themselves.  Bring the lessons of sacrifice and selflessness that you have learned to our boardrooms, our classrooms, to the halls of Congress.  Show the American people that “Duty, Honor, Country,” is a motto not only for the proud few who pass through West Point, but for every person, in every community.  You are uniquely positioned to perform this essential work, and as I look out over this exemplary group of men and women, I am filled with hope: hope that we will continue marching together toward a brighter future; hope that we will transcend our divisions and bridge our divides; and hope that our nation’s best days still lie ahead. 

    I want to thank you all for having me here.  I look forward to seeing everything you will achieve as you assume the heavy – and honorable – mantle of leadership. 

    May God bless you all, and shelter your dreams with his everlasting grace.  May God bless all of our men and women in uniform, and hold their safety in the palm of his hand.  And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

    Thank you.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: NPS, Industry Research Leads to First in Persistent, Ocean Acoustic Data Collection Technology

    Source: United States Navy

    The team’s successful development of an innovative, self-powered autonomous underwater drone, known as the Persistent Smart Acoustic Profiler (PSAP) Voyager, has already delivered large swaths of oceanographic and passive acoustic data primed for NPS student research since it was deployed for the first time off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, in early November of 2024

    Naval forces have an inherent operational reason to be quiet and stealthy at sea. Retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. John Joseph, a researcher in the NPS Department of Oceanography and principal investigator on the project, said the effort has been funded by the school’s Consortium for Unmanned Systems Education and Research (CRUSER), which is sponsored by the Office of Naval Research.

    “PSAP started as a CRUSER project a few years ago when Yi Chao, Seatrec CEO and a well-known oceanographer, gave a talk at NPS about their energy-harvesting system,” said Joseph, who recognized an opportunity to combine the school’s expertise in undersea acoustics and research instrumentation with Seatrec’s innovative energy harvesting technology.

    NPS excels at conducting applied research in the operating environment. For the first time, PSAP offers an ability to collect and send oceanographic and passive acoustic monitoring data in near real-time for an unlimited period, thanks to the profiler’s ability to harvest energy from the temperature differences in the ocean, enough to fully power the instrumentation indefinitely.

    “Theoretically, PSAP can be deployed once, communicate its acoustic information to remote operators in near real time for limitless periods without requiring retrieval to offload data, refreshment – such as swapping batteries or data storage, or replacement,” explained Joseph. “These characteristics greatly reduce lifecycle costs of a continuous acoustic monitoring effort.”

    Empowering student research and discovery is central to the institution’s efforts with industry partners, and the PSAP Voyager’s ongoing operational test – which can be monitored via the Seatrec website – has provided a trove of data for potential research.

    “Now that we have a sizable amount of oceanographic and acoustic data collected by PSAP, we plan to have students in the undersea warfare and meteorology and oceanography curricula to use these data for thesis research,” said Joseph.

    The role of acoustic sensing in Naval operations is far-reaching and fundamental to U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations at sea, including undersea sensing and detection.

    “Passive acoustic listening has many operational and research applications in the Navy, and our students at NPS conduct applied research to meet naval-unique needs for at-sea operations that require measurements of ambient noise, understanding the composition of soundscapes and monitoring of marine mammals,” said Joseph. The autonomy and endurance of the PSAP Voyager “provides an unprecedented opportunity to collect acoustic data in real-time for very long periods in remote areas without the expense and logistical tail of ship support.”

    “Sound is used to ‘see’ underwater and is vital to understanding the ocean and monitoring the movement of natural and man-made objects,” added Yi Chao, Ph.D., Seatrec’s CEO and Founder in a recent news release. “Previously, hydrophones required power from expensive underwater cables from shore or ships but our PSAP Voyager untethers hydrophones and provides nearly unlimited persistent monitoring of the ocean in an extremely economical way.”

    While the technology promises to be useful for improving maritime domain awareness, it will also enhance U.S. naval oceanographic models for operational planning used to improve own-force sonar system performance.

    (This news story does not constitute an endorsement of Seatrec or its products and services by the Naval Postgraduate School, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of Defense.)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: NAS Pensacola Participates in Annual Force Protection Exercise

    Source: United States Navy

    The exercise was part of Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2025 (CS-SC25), an annual, two-part force protection Commander, Naval Installations Command (CNIC) and U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC)-led exercise that is taking place Feb. 3 through 14 at all continental U.S. Navy installations.

    CS-SC25 is designed to enhance the training and readiness of Navy security personnel and better prepare Department of the Navy (DoN) personnel for potential force protection situations.

    “Our security personnel operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year,” said NAS Pensacola Installation Training Officer Erich Brinkmeir. “Although this exercise is not held in response to any specific threat, it’s important that we train for a variety of realistic threats to enhance our personnel and force-wide readiness.”

    Brinkmeir said that the exercise stress-tests NAS Pensacola’s ability to disseminate information and put into action individual response plans and security force responses while testing their ability to coordinate with local emergency responders and the community.

    “We’re committed to safeguarding life, equipment and facilities, and training like this helps us do that,” he said.

    Brinkmeier said scenarios during Citadel Shield – the first week of the exercise, led by CNIC – included the active shooter drill and hostage scenario, which members of the NAS Pensacola Anti-Terrorism Training Team (ATTT) used to gauge readiness from responding NAS Pensacola Naval Security Forces personnel.

    “Making sure that all of the different entities on base are aligned can help our Naval Security Forces personnel more effectively do their job,” he said. “Communication during any event is critical in ensuring the safety of our most valuable assets – the men and women here – which is crucial to our ongoing mission of supporting the commands which train the best aviators, aircrewman, aviation maintenance personnel and cyber warfare specialists in the world.”

    The second week of the annual Navy-wide exercise – Solid Curtain, led by USFFC – is centered around NAS Pensacola’s capability of exercising Navy Command and Control (C2) capabilities and evaluating the readiness and effectiveness of fleet and installation force protection programs.

    The two-part approach is designed to enhance the readiness of U.S. Navy security forces and ensure seamless interoperability among the commands, other services and agency partners in order to protect life, equipment and facilities.

    NAS Pensacola, referred to as the “Cradle of Naval Aviation,” is designed to support operational and training missions of tenant commands, including Naval Air Technical Training Center (NATTC), Naval Aviation Schools Command (NASC), the Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training (CNATT), Marine Aviation Training Support Groups (MATSG) 21 and 23 and is the headquarters for Naval Education and Training Command (NETC).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Delivers Remarks at the Department of Justice’s Veterans Appreciation Day Ceremony

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Thank you, Lee for that kind introduction and thank you for your 36 years of service to the Department of Justice and your 12 years of stewardship of the Department’s finances.

    I also want to thank the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard for the Presentation of the Colors and Girale Wilson-Takahashi from our COPS office for that beautiful rendition of the National Anthem.

    Thank you all for being here for the Department’s eighth Veterans’ Appreciation Day.

    Above all, thank you to the 150 veterans who have joined us today.

    Thank you for your service in our Armed Forces—and thank you for your service in this Department.

    At this Department of Justice, we recognize that public safety is government’s first and most important priority.

    The men and women of our Armed Forces—Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard—risk their lives for that mission every day, and each of us owes them a debt of gratitude.

    This Department also works for public safety by enforcing our laws—but we know that our work depends upon the bravery and sacrifice of our troops.

    We are proud of each one of the 27,000 veterans who serve in this Department.

    Your skills, your patriotism, and above all your selfless character make you the kind of employees that any employer would want.  But you’ve chosen to continue to serve your country—you’ve chosen to work in the Department of Justice.  I commend you for that.

    We are well aware that heroes walk these hallways.

    Outside of my office is a memorial with the names of colleagues who during World War II made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our grateful country.

    I also know firsthand of the heroes we have in department, because I am now literally surrounded by them each and every day.  Most of the FBI agents in my security detail are veterans.

    That includes Special Agent Damon Flores, who is a former Navy rescue swimmer in the Mediterranean and in the Persian Gulf.  After his service in the Navy, he went to college on the GI Bill and got an accounting and finance degree.  He quickly realized that accounting was not as exciting as being a rescue swimmer.  He wanted a little more adventure, and so he signed up with the FBI.  He marked his 14th anniversary with the Bureau just yesterday.  Damon, congratulations.

    We’re also proud to be the home of Maura Quinn of DEA.

    Maura graduated from the Naval Academy, and then in flight school she chose to fly helicopters so she could pilot a combat aircraft.  After graduation she deployed twice—first with a carrier battle group to the Indian Ocean and then in support of Operation Desert Shield. 

    She served as an instructor pilot for two years and went to law school at night.  As if she weren’t busy enough, she gave birth to two children before graduation.

    After law school, she joined the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of California and then the FBI’s Office of General Counsel.  She then served for eight years in the Chief Counsel’s office at DEA.  Over that time she became an expert in technology law—and today she serves as DEA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator for Information Systems.  Maura, thank you for your service.

    I could go on and on.  There are roughly 26,998 more examples that I could talk about.

    But this is the caliber of people that we are so grateful to have in this Department.

    Through our Veterans Employment Office in the Justice Management Division, we have made hiring veterans a priority and helped them make the transition into careers with the Department.

    We want more exemplary employees like Damon Flores and Maura Quinn.

    We will continue to invest in our heroes—because you’re a good investment.  You are, in the words of General John Kelly, “the very best this country produces.”

    Now I have the honor of introducing someone who knows that as well as anyone.

    Our keynote speaker is the Director of Military Force Management Policy for the Air Force, Major General Robert LaBrutta.  You might think of him as the Air Force’s head of human resources.

    Major General LaBrutta has served in the Air Force for the last 37 years.

    Today he is responsible for setting force management policy that affects more than half a million Air Force personnel—issues like assignments, evaluation, readiness, and transitioning back to civilian life.

    Before this assignment he served as Commander of the Second Air Force at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi.

    He has earned a number of distinguished awards including the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, and many others.

    Please join me in welcoming Major General Robert LaBrutta.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim Remarks at the American Bar Association Antitrust Section Fall Forum

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    “November Rain”: Antitrust Enforcement on Behalf of American Consumers and Taxpayers

    Good morning, and thank you for the kind introduction.  I’d like to thank the American Bar Association for your invitation to this year’s Fall Forum and Deb Garza for her leadership of the Section this year. 

    I find it hard to believe it’s been only a little more than a year since I was confirmed as AAG and spoke at last year’s Fall Forum.  Over the past year, the Antitrust Division has been hard at work on behalf of American consumers. We made a number of significant enforcement actions this week, but before I turn to those, I’d like to update you on a few recent changes in the Front Office. 

    First, Michael Murray recently joined us from the Deputy Attorney General’s office, where he served as Associate Deputy Attorney General.  Mike now will be a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Front Office, where he will be overseeing our Appellate Section and our 4A damage actions on behalf of the American taxpayer.  Mike has significant appellate experience, including as a law clerk for Justice Anthony Kennedy. 

    In addition, our new acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Economics is Jeff Wilder.  Jeff received his Ph.D. from MIT and has distinguished himself as an outstanding economist serving as one of the leaders in the Division’s Economic Analysis Group, and we’re happy to have him join us in the Front Office.

    Some of you may remember that at last year’s Fall Forum, I spoke about antitrust and deregulation.  In those remarks, I focused on remedies, including our preference for structural remedies and our emphasis on making consent decrees more enforceable.  I also discussed our commitment to the view that antitrust enforcement is law enforcement, not industrial regulation, and that the Antitrust Division should strive to accomplish its law enforcement mission in the most efficient and effective way possible.  The Division has stood by those principles. 

    More recently, in a speech at Georgetown, I announced several improvements to the merger review process.  We are making good on those changes as well.  Today, we posted a model timing agreement and a model voluntary request letter on our website.  Those documents increase transparency and predictability and will help merging businesses and their counsel know what to expect as part of the merger review process.  We’ve also begun tracking the duration of merger reviews more carefully, so that we can monitor our performance and factors affecting it.  You will recall our goal is to resolve investigations within six months of filing, provided that the parties cooperate and comply with our document and data requests during the entire process.

    I would like to focus the remainder of my remarks today on four important settlements in the last week that reflect the Antitrust Division’s commitment to vigilant and effective antitrust enforcement. 

    As some of you may have seen, the Division announced just yesterday a set of global settlements with three South Korean companies.  Those unprecedented settlements resolve criminal charges and civil claims arising from a bid-rigging conspiracy that targeted fuel supply contracts to U.S. military bases in South Korea.  They are the result of tremendous hard work in parallel criminal and civil investigations by the Antitrust Division’s Washington Criminal I Section, the Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section, and the Fraud Section of the Civil Division.  We were assisted ably by our partners at the FBI and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

    The United States currently maintains numerous military bases in South Korea, housing American soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors in the region.  These military bases need fuel for various purposes, and two Department of Defense agencies, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), contract with South Korean companies to supply fuel to the numerous U.S. military bases throughout South Korea. 

    Our investigation, which is ongoing, revealed that SK Energy, GS Caltex, Hanjin Transportation, along with other co-conspirators, rigged bids and fixed prices for fuel supply contracts issued by the U.S. military in South Korea for over a decade.  They cheated the Military and American taxpayers out of precious limited resources.  As a result of the conspiracy, the Department of Defense paid substantially more for fuel supply services.  Although the immediate victim here was the U.S. military, the American taxpayer, you and me, ultimately footed the bill. 

    The three companies agreed yesterday to plead guilty to criminal charges under Section 1 of the Sherman Act, and they will pay at least $82 million in criminal fines for their involvement in the conspiracy.  Importantly, the three defendants have also agreed to cooperate with the ongoing criminal investigation of the conduct. 

    Robert Jackson, who is one of my legal heroes, recognized that bid rigging is particularly harmful to government purchasers.  When he served as Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Antitrust Division, Jackson broadly denounced arrangements that “compel purchasers to pay a price based on calculation, not competition,” and specifically emphasized that “[w]hatever the effect of this on private buyers, it completely destroys the mechanism set up by federal, state, and municipal governments to keep favoritism and corruption out of public buying.”

    The harm Jackson recognized still exists today, and these settlements serve as an important reminder that the Justice Department and its law enforcement partners will investigate aggressively and prosecute without hesitation companies who cheat the United States government and the American taxpayer. 

    We did not stop there.  We are committed to using all authorities Congress has granted to us to remedy antitrust injuries to the American taxpayer.  Those tools include the authority conferred in Section 4A of the Clayton Act.  Section 4A is an important but underused enforcement tool that allows the government to recover treble damages for antitrust violations when the government itself is the victim. 

    To that end, the Division established a parallel civil enforcement team, led by Kathy O’Neill and a group of capable litigators from the Transportation, Energy, and Agriculture Section to pursue parallel civil actions for damages.  We negotiated separate civil resolutions with each of the three defendants on behalf of American taxpayers.  We also worked alongside our partners in the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, who pursued charges against the defendants under the False Claims Act for making false statements to the government in connection with their conspiracy. 

    To resolve both the civil antitrust and the False Claims Act violations, these three defendants have agreed to pay an additional $154 million in total.  They also have agreed to cooperate fully with the Division’s ongoing civil investigation and to implement effective antitrust compliance programs.

    These historic cases mark the first significant settlements under Section 4A in many years.  In fact, as far as we can tell based on our records, they are the largest settlements the government has ever recovered since the enactment of Section 4A.    

    Let me take a step back to review the history of Section 4A. 

    When Congress enacted the Sherman Act in 1890 and the Clayton Act in 1914, neither statute contained a provision specifically allowing the government to recover damages it suffered as a result of an antitrust violation.  In 1939, the United States, led by Assistant Attorney General Thurman Arnold, brought its first-ever antitrust suit for damages on its own behalf.   The government claimed authority to do so under Section 7 of the Sherman Act, which was the predecessor of Section 4 of the Clayton Act.  As most of you know, Section 4 permits “any person” injured by an antitrust violation to recover the damages they suffered. 

    In that pioneering case, United States v. Cooper, the government alleged that eighteen defendants had “collusively fixed” bids that were “identical to the penny on eighty-two different sizes of tires” sold to the United States.  The defendants successfully moved to dismiss the action on the question of whether the government is a “person” entitled to bring an action for damages under the statute.  The Second Circuit affirmed, and the Supreme Court ultimately held that the United States is not a “person” entitled to sue. 

    In 1955, Congress amended the Clayton Act in response to the Court’s ruling in Cooper by adding Section 4A.  As originally enacted, Section 4A allowed the government to recover only single damages, so that the government could recover damages where it was the victim of an antitrust violation. 

    At first, the Division used Section 4A aggressively, filing numerous cases for damages throughout the 1960s and 1970s.  In the 1980s, however, the government brought only four cases under Section 4A—a remarkable decline from the prior two decades.  Some attributed this drop, in part, to the Supreme Court’s Illinois Brick decision in 1978, because many of the cases brought in the ‘60s and ‘70s involved claims by the United States as an indirect purchaser.  The government, however, increasingly purchases goods and services directly.

    The next milestone came in 1990, when Congress amended the Clayton Act again to allow the government to seek treble damages in Section 4A cases. 

    Since 1990, a span of nearly thirty years, only three Section 4A cases have been filed.  In 1991, the Division recovered $250,000 from two companies for rigging bids to purchase surplus gunpowder.  In 1994, the Division filed suit against two defense contractors for entering into a “teaming” arrangement that eliminated competition in supplying the Department of Defense with cluster bombs.  In that case, the Division recovered $4 million on behalf of American taxpayers and obtained an $8 million discount on the bid price.  In 2012, the Division challenged collusion between two companies bidding on four natural gas leases at auctions run by the Bureau of Land Management.  The Division recovered $275,000 from each company. 

    The American Taxpayer deserves to see a revitalization of the government’s Section 4A authority.  This week’s settlements are only the first in that direction.  Going forward, the Division will exercise 4A authority to seek compensation for taxpayers when the government has been the victim of an antitrust violation.  We hope that these efforts will also deter future violations. 

    In light of our policy of seeking damages under Section 4A where available, I would like to address how parallel criminal and civil enforcement will proceed going forward. 

    First, the Division’s new focus on Section 4A enforcement will not require any changes to the Division’s leniency policy.  The Division offers strong incentives to come forward to report criminal antitrust violations in exchange for leniency, and those incentives do not change when the government is harmed by the violation. 

    The Antitrust Criminal Penalty Enhancement and Reform Act of 2004, better known as ACPERA, created another valuable incentive for leniency applications.  Under ACPERA’s detrebling provision, those who successfully qualify for leniency will be subject only to single damages in follow-on civil suits, rather than treble damages.  In addition, those who successfully qualify for leniency are not subject to joint and several liability.

    This detrebling incentive will apply to any Section 4A claims brought by the government.  We will also follow the underlying requirements for ACPERA in Section 4A cases: companies will need to cooperate with the civil team, as they would with any private plaintiff, in order to reap the detrebling benefits.

    The bottom line is that the Division’s enforcement of Section 4A will increase the incentive for co-conspirators in cartel cases to come forward. 

    Separately, I should note that global resolutions like the ones announced yesterday should serve the interests of the parties as well.  Cooperating companies subject to penalties under multiple statutes can gain certainty and finality.  Employees, customers, and investors can resolve the problem and move on. This is consistent with the Department’s broader policies on coordination of corporate penalties.

    Next, as we pursue Section 4A damages going forward, global resolutions of criminal and civil antitrust liability will help maintain a consistent policy on how to calculate civil damages.  Yesterday’s settlements underscore this point.  They provide that SK Energy, GS Caltex, and Hanjin each will pay an amount calculated to exceed the overcharge paid by the government.  At the same time, the amount reflects both the value of the cooperation commitments each defendant made as a condition of settlement and the cost savings the Division realized by avoiding extended litigation.  

    As a general matter, if the government is required to litigate claims it brings under Section 4A, the government will seek treble damages.  In addition, we anticipate that earlier cooperators will benefit by paying a lower multiple of damages, because the value of their cooperation is higher earlier in our investigation. 

    I will turn now to another significant settlement the Division filed this week, one which resolves a complaint against six broadcast television companies alleging that they engaged in widespread, unlawful sharing of non-public, competitively sensitive information.  Along with the complaint, the Division filed proposed final judgments requiring the companies to cease such conduct and to undergo rigorous compliance and reporting measures for the next seven years.

    We uncovered this conduct during our investigation into Sinclair Broadcasting Group’s proposed acquisition of Tribune Media Company, which has since been abandoned. 

    As we allege in the complaint, the defendants agreed in local broadcasting markets throughout the United States to exchange revenue pacing information and other competitively sensitive information.  “Pacing” compares a broadcast station’s revenues booked for a certain time period to the revenues booked in the same point in the previous year.  Pacing indicates how each station is performing versus the rest of the market and provides insight into each station’s remaining spot advertising for the period. 

    We discovered that the defendants had been exchanging pacing information either directly between stations or corporate headquarters, or indirectly through national representatives that help local stations sell advertisements to national advertisers.  By exchanging this information, the broadcasters were better able to anticipate whether their competitors were likely to raise, maintain, or lower spot advertising prices, which in turn helped inform the stations’ own pricing strategies and negotiations with advertisers.  As a result, the information exchanges harmed the competitive price-setting process.

    We have not heard any legitimate pro-competitive justification for this conduct.  We are therefore pleased that these companies recognized that a protracted investigation and litigation would serve no purpose, and we welcome their cooperation as our investigation continues.  We also want to remind businesses, as well as the antitrust practitioners that advise them, that agreements between competitors to exchange competitively sensitive information can violate the antitrust laws and lead to a civil enforcement action even if the conduct does not amount to the type of hard core cartel conduct that the Antitrust Division prosecutes criminally.

    Finally, this morning we announced the third significant enforcement resolution this week—a settlement with Atrium Health, formerly known as Carolinas Healthcare System.  We were joined in the settlement by the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office, and we thank them for their partnership in this action.  The settlement resolves over two years of civil antitrust litigation challenging the hospital system’s use of anticompetitive steering restrictions in its contracts with major health insurers.  These steering restrictions prevented health insurers from promoting innovative health plans and more cost-effective healthcare providers.  

    Atrium is the dominant hospital system in the Charlotte, North Carolina metropolitan area.  It used its market power to limit major health insurers’ ability to introduce plans designed to encourage consumers to choose cost-effective healthcare providers.  Specifically, Atrium would agree to participate in a broad network plan only if the insurer would commit not to introduce other plans that would steer patients away from Atrium.  The steering restrictions also deliberately constrained insurers from providing consumers with transparency into the comparative cost and quality of their healthcare alternatives.

    Because the steering restrictions were in place, insurers could not introduce more innovative health insurance plans that create financial incentives for patients to use lower-cost healthcare services.  Needless to say, competition for patients encourages healthcare providers to reduce costs, lower prices, and increase quality.  These steering restrictions inhibited competition among healthcare providers to provide higher quality, lower-cost services.  

    The resolution prevents Atrium from enforcing the steering restrictions in its contracts with major health insurers.  If approved by the Court, it will restore competition between healthcare providers in Charlotte, North Carolina.

    I would like to make a broader point about the Division’s settlements this week.  The consent decrees in all three cases, like all other decrees the Division has entered into the past 13 months, include specific new provisions designed to improve their enforceability. 

    These provisions (i) address the burden of proof in a civil contempt action by providing that the preponderance standard will apply; (ii) make defendants responsible for reimbursing the government for all costs it incurs in connection with enforcing the decree; (iii) allow the United States to seek a one-time extension of the term of the decree in the event of a violation, or to terminate the decree early if continuation is no longer necessary or in the public interest.  Another provision addresses interpretation of the decree by stating that courts can enforce any provisions that are stated specifically and in reasonable detail, whether or not they are clear and unambiguous on their face.

    The Division serves as a guardian of American consumers, and we act in the public’s trust.  When the Division enters into a consent decree to resolve charges of anticompetitive conduct, we will hold parties’ feet to the fire and enforce the decrees. 

    Finally, last Friday, three defendants pled guilty to conspiring to rig bids and allocate the market in auctions of foreclosed properties in Palm Beach County, Florida.  This case is unlike the Division’s prior foreclosure auction prosecutions because the auction occurred online rather than in-person, and the collusion occurred primarily by text message rather than in-person.  It is a good illustration of the fact that while defendants may use new platforms and technologies to commit antitrust crimes, the Division too is evolving and stands ready to prosecute these crimes in the digital age.

    The conspiracy took place in the aftermath of the financial crisis, which affected the housing market nationwide and the Florida real estate market in particular.  Defendants and their affiliated business entities were the largest buyers of foreclosed properties in Palm Beach County.  Together, the commerce affected by the defendants’ collusion was $25 million. 

    The Division began an investigation into possible collusion in online foreclosure auctions in Palm Beach County, Florida after receiving an anonymous citizen complaint that included a link to a YouTube video detailing the collusion. 

    Co-conspirators texted each other to coordinate their bidding and facilitate the conspiracy to obtain foreclosed homes at suppressed prices.  Most commonly, bidders would agree to stop bidding or to refrain from bidding at their co-conspirators’ request.  In some instances, they lowered bids for each other’s benefit. 

    After learning of the investigation, one of the defendants used and encouraged other co-conspirators to use a text messaging application to continue colluding.  He believed that law enforcement would be unable to read or trace any messages sent through the application.

    The three defendants were indicted by a grand jury in November 2017.  Since then, all three have pleaded guilty.

    I will conclude by taking this opportunity to highlight the outstanding attorneys and economists at the Antitrust Division.  They are the core of executing the Division’s mission and work tirelessly in their commitment to protect competition and consumers.    

    It has been a busy year at the Antitrust Division.  We have been working hard on behalf of America’s consumers and taxpayers, and look forward to continuing our efforts on their behalf in the year to come. 

    Thank you.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Ukraine has every right to determine its own future: UK Statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    UK Military Advisor, Joby Rimmer, says Russia’s war of aggression has achieved little except the catastrophic loss of life, the loss of Russia’s military credibility, and the loss of Russia’s international reputation.

    Thank you, Mr Chair. Sadly, we have started this year like the last, and the overwhelming concern of this forum remains: Russia’s ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. The UK remains resolutely committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they defend their homeland. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, the UK has provided over £3 billion per year in military, humanitarian and financial assistance, and this support will continue for as long as necessary to ensure Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored.

    What has Russia accomplished so far? Russia’s full-scale invasion has been nothing short of a disaster. The Russian state’s bold assertion that the subjugation of Ukraine would be accomplished within a matter of days was made almost three years ago. Having failed in pursuit of its own strategic aims, the campaign has achieved little except the catastrophic loss of life on both sides, the loss of Russia’s military credibility, and the loss of Russia’s international reputation.

    The UN estimates that more than 12,000 Ukrainian civilians and some 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed as a direct result of Russian aggression. Independent reports suggest approximately 830,000 Russian casualties, a number that demonstrates President Putin’s disregard for his own countrymen sent to fight in a war they did not choose. On 29th January alone, the Russian military lost 1,670 men with Russian casualties for January averaging over 1,500 per day. At the current rate of loss, Russia will have suffered over 1 million casualties by June 2025. As Russian casualties mount, Russian recruitment in Moscow has reduced, with military recruitment currently at 40 personnel a day, five times lower than the Summer-Autumn 2024 average of 200 recruits a day. Half of these recruits are reportedly indebted Russians and foreign nationals. The direct participation of DPRK troops in combat operations is another dangerous expansion of Putin’s illegal war. Of the 11,000 DPRK troops deployed in Kursk, reporting indicates that 4,000 are already casualties, including 1,000 fatalities.

    What has Russia accomplished militarily? Reports from the region paint a stark image of Russian military mediocrity. Russia has reportedly now lost over 3,700 Main Battle Tanks, over 8,000 armoured vehicles and 1,800 pieces of artillery. Any marginal Russian gains around Donetsk, Toretsk and Pokrovsk have been extremely costly, with progress augmented through the cynical use of glide bombs, drone and missile attacks, causing widespread damage to local housing, medical facilities and critical infrastructure. Independent reports state that Russia launched over 1,250 aerial bombs and over 1,000 attack drones into Ukraine in the last week of January. Nearly all resulted in civilian casualties.

    Last week, the Ukrainian army’s general staff reported that Russian forces bombed a boarding school in an area of Kursk under Ukrainian control, where civilians were sheltering and preparing to evacuate. Four people were killed and dozens injured. Russia’s continued disregard for human life cannot, and will not, be overlooked.

    Russia is also suffering the cost to its international reputation. The war in Ukraine clearly violates the UN Charter and contravenes our shared commitments of the Helsinki Final Act – respecting sovereignty, territorial integrity and the non-use of force. This full-scale invasion is not just an illegal act that contravenes international law; it is a serious miscalculation and one that fundamentally represents loss; most appallingly, the loss of human life, the loss of Russia’s international reputation, and the loss of Russia’s military credibility.

    Finally, the UK remains firm in its belief that any path to peace must be grounded in a position of strength for Ukraine. Ukraine must not be coerced into peace talks under duress or pressure from the aggressor. Ukraine has every right to determine its future, and its right to self-determination must be upheld. The UK is proud to be a steadfast friend of Ukraine and will not rest until Ukraine achieves peace on its own terms – Russia must cease hostilities in Ukraine and remove its forces from Ukraine’s internationally recognised borders. Thank you, Mr Chair.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 February 2025

    Invasion of Ukraine

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Chief of Navy Reserve Visits Camp Lemonnier

    Source: United States Navy

    Lacore, a former commanding officer of CLDJ, returned to the installation for the first time since being sworn in as the 16th Chief of Navy Reserve. The visit provided an opportunity to view the installation’s advancements, share her Strategic Advantage vision and connect with Reserve Force Sailors.

    During the visit, Lacore and Hunt toured Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) facilities and met with Sailors assigned to the Military Working Dogs (MWDs) unit, the Emergency Medical Facility (EMF) and the Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 8. Meeting with the Sailors in their various operational environments allowed Lacore to witness firsthand their operational readiness and capabilities.

    Lacore also recognized five Sailors for exemplary leadership and commitment to their fellow warfighters. During a town hall with Reserve Force Sailors assigned to CLDJ, she addressed questions and concerns about policies, leadership and future deployment opportunities for reservists.

    “Getting a chance to speak with her and ask questions was really encouraging,” said Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Maya Castillo-Rodriguez. “It feels good knowing she really is looking out for us and cares about what we have to say.”

    Lacore spoke on the strategic advantage the U.S. Navy Reserve Force provides to the Joint and Combined Force. She noted that Reserve Force Sailors fill more than half of the Navy’s independent mobilization assignments, serving alongside active-duty counterparts at every level to ensure the Navy’s readiness and ability to mobilize around the world.

    “We are prepared to mobilize a worldwide deployable Force,” said Lacore. “Delivering strategic depth at scale, trained and ready to contribute to the fight. We will posture our Force for warfighting by accelerating the pace of organizational development and strengthening our warfighters.”

    Camp Lemonnier is an operational installation that enables U.S., allied and partner nation forces to be where they are needed to ensure security and protect U.S. interests. The installation provides world-class support for service members, transient U.S. assets and 36 local tenant commands. (U.S. Navy story be Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Maurice Brown)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: President and CEO Dana Erickson Announces New Structure to Senior Leadership Team at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dana Erickson, president and CEO of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross), has announced a revised structure and a new addition to her senior leadership team. The changes have two established Blue Cross senior team members, Chris Fanning and Carey Smith, taking on expanded responsibilities in their respective fields of market portfolio growth and technology. Additionally, accomplished healthcare leader David Im is joining the organization as Chief Operating Officer.

    “These changes to our senior leadership team build upon Blue Cross’ market-leading strengths while creating new opportunities to grow in ways that will further sharpen our customer focus,” said Erickson. “As an organization, Blue Cross has been a champion of providing affordable and accessible healthcare for more than 90 years. The depth of talent, experience and vision across our leaders have us in a great position to continue our journey to a century of serving Minnesota.”

    Details behind changes to the Blue Cross senior leadership team include the following:

    Chris Fanning, Chief Growth Officer

    Fanning joined Blue Cross in 2020 to lead the company’s portfolio of health plans across commercial market clients based in Minnesota, with members located in all 50 states. Now as Chief Growth Officer, Fanning will lead plans and identify opportunities for additional membership across all lines of business, including innovative health plan company Coupe Health.

    In his expanded role as Chief Growth Officer, Fanning has accountability for client and membership retention, acquisition and financial performance for both commercial and government markets within the state (including Medicare and Medicaid), as well as Minnesota-based membership within the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Federal Employee Plan. His extensive experience in healthcare includes sales and marketing leadership positions at major health insurers based in Pennsylvania, Virginia and Michigan.

    Carey Smith, President of Xcelerate Health

    Smith, who has been a member of the Blue Cross senior leadership team since 2022, will focus on developing and implementing technology products and services as president of a newly established business unit called Xcelerate Health. Currently in the early stages of development, Xcelerate Health will be structured and staffed to drive innovation and enhanced capabilities across the healthcare market. At the same time, Smith will continue to have strategic oversight of Blue Cross’ technology architecture and integration under the title of Chief Technology and Innovation Officer.

    For more than three decades, Smith has built and delivered modernized and proficient IT solutions that drove transformational change at numerous companies across the insurance, financial services, and manufacturing industries. He first worked for Blue Cross from 2012 to 2017 as an information technology (IT) leader.

    David Im, Chief Operating Officer

    David Im is joining Blue Cross as the newest member of Dana Erickson’s senior leadership team. Starting on February 10, Im will be responsible for operational direction and systems oversight of claims, customer service, clinical operations, vendor management, payment integrity, and provider operations.

    Im has more than two decades of strategic and operational leadership experience in healthcare. Prior to joining Blue Cross, he was with Centene Corporation in the role of Corporate Vice President of Business Operations, overseeing enrollment, eligibility, member billing, and fulfillment services for 26 million members. His career path also includes tenures at Integra ServiceConnect, Magellan Health, OptumHealth, and Boston Scientific.

    Im is a graduate of West Point and served 11 years in the U.S. Army and Minnesota National Guard in various leadership positions, attaining the rank of Major. He spent a total of 40 months on operational and training deployments overseas.

    About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
    For more than 90 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (bluecrossmn.com) has supported the health, wellbeing and peace of mind of our members by striving to ensure equitable access to high quality care at an affordable price. Our more than 2.5 million members can be found in every Minnesota county, all 50 states and on four continents. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.

    FOR MORE INFORMATION:                                                
    Jim McManus | 651.662.2882
    Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
    Jim.McManus@bluecrossmn.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Video: This We’ll Defend: Honoring 250 Years of Army Legacy

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    : Sgt Joshua Lightfoot, 5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

    For 250 years, America’s Army has served and defended the people of the United States, the American way of life, and our nation. From the Revolutionary War to modern-day missions, the Army’s motto “This We’ll Defend” remains a timeless reminder of its purpose. As the Army looks to the future, it draws inspiration from its rich history, empowering individuals to realize their full potential and embody the values of strength, honor, and commitment.

    About the U.S. Army:
    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L
    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #Army250

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjLgLG8KVCQ

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Defense Program Funds Study of Cranial Regeneration

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Biomedical engineering researchers at UConn Health believe there might be a way to use ultrasound to compel the body to regrow cranial tissue.

    Yusuf Khan, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery, and Dr. David Hersh, associate professor of neurosurgery, have been studying whether some principles of bone development in children could apply to bone healing in adults who’ve had part of their skull removed and replaced.

    A decompressive craniectomy (left) is performed to accommodate intracranial swelling by removing a large portion of the skull. When the swelling resolves, a cranioplasty (right) is performed to replace the missing bone, often with the original bone flap that had been removed during the first surgery. (Images provided by David Hersh)

    They recently were awarded a two-year grant totaling $435,000 through the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program’s Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program, part of the Department of Defense.

    A decompressive craniectomy, or the removal of a portion of the skull, is a potentially life-saving intervention for when a patient suffers from brain edema, or severe swelling, such as when there has been a traumatic brain injury. The procedure gives the swelling brain more space, relieving pressure and lowering the risk of herniation, which can be fatal.

    Hersh, a pediatric neurosurgeon at Connecticut Children’s who performs craniectomies on select patients with certain conditions, notes that after the follow-up cranioplasty, which is when the portion of skull that had been removed is then reattached, that piece of bone can have problems reintegrating with the remainder of the skull. In some cases, the bone gets resorbed, meaning it instead starts to shrink and get absorbed by the body.

    “You end up being left with big gaps in the bone, which can leave the underlying brain at risk,” Hersh says. “And then the patient needs even more surgeries to provide appropriate coverage, which might involve a synthetic replacement.”

    Dr. David Hersh (left), UConn School of Medicine associate professor of neurosurgery and pediatric neurosurgeon at Connecticut Children’s, speaks with Yusuf Khan, associate program director of the UConn School of Medicine’s Skeletal Biology and Regeneration Graduate Program, in Khan’s lab at UConn Health. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    Original bone has many biological and other advantages over synthetic materials, such as metals or hard plastics, and trying to eliminate or reduce the need for synthetics is one of the tenets of regenerative engineering.

    In 2019, Hersh started collaborating with Khan, who had been studying therapeutic ultrasound and how it facilitates fracture repair. Hersh had prior experience using therapeutic ultrasound for neurosurgical applications such as for blood brain barrier opening.

    “David came to me with a very specific pediatric problem that he wanted to try to solve,” Khan says. “This grant really grew from the original pediatric application, but, through us working together over the years, we realized the potential for adults, too. And the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program is an ideal funder for a project like this because of the type of battlefield injuries that soldiers unfortunately experience.”

    The focus is on the dura, the thin layer of tissue that encloses the brain, and whether low-intensity ultrasound can provide a physical force that the cells can sense, possibly stimulating cranial bone regeneration.

    “We think that there’s something unique about those dural cells in that they respond to physical forces, just like bone cells do,” Khan says. “We’ve seen interesting responses by dural cells from young animals that are exposed to ultrasound, and we’re now going to explore whether skeletally mature cells act the same way. We plan to add stem cells to the defect site to study how they communicate with dural cells and whether this can stimulate new bone formation.”

    Hannah Anderson is a 2025 Ph.D. candidate in The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering. Yusuf Khan is her mentor. (Photo by Chris DeFrancesco)

    Khan likens it to how certain fractures actually benefit from weight-bearing during the healing process.

    Hersh says the body already provides an encouraging clue.

    “Our hypothesis is based on what people have learned about normal development –the skull grows in response to the underlying dura releasing signals that then stimulate bone formation,” Hersh says. “We think that happens as a result of the brain itself growing when we’re young and applying mechanical strain to the dura, which then signals to the bone above it. So, our aim is to recreate that natural process to facilitate bone healing in a way that’s similar to the original bone development.”

    While studying this issue may have utility for wounded warriors, its potential applications may extend far beyond that. Examples include patients undergoing a decompressive craniectomy and subsequent cranioplasty for reasons unrelated to combat, including in the setting of civilian traumatic brain injury and certain severe types of stroke.

    “This collaboration on regenerating cranial bone is so important for the future of our wounded warriors,” says Dr. Cato T. Laurencin, the founder and director of the Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering. “It is also beneficial to any mature patient with a traumatic brain injury. Congratulations to Dr. Khan and Dr. Hersh for securing funding to continue their life-altering research.”

    The UConn School of Medicine’s Dr. David Hersh (left) and Yusuf Khan are studying how ultrasound may help the body regrow skull bone, funded through a grant from the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs. (Tina Encarnacion/UConn Health photo)

    Khan is the associate program director of the UConn School of Medicine’s Skeletal Biology and Regeneration Graduate Program and a member of the Laurencin Institute.

    “This is a great example of the power of academic interdisciplinary medicine, where a talented surgeon brought a clinical problem to an engaged and creative scientist-engineer to work towards the betterment of patient care,” says Dr. Isaac Moss, chair of UConn Health’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “When I connected Drs. Hersh and Khan five years ago, it was clear that these two faculty members would form a great partnership and it’s great to see fruits from this collaboration.”

    Dr. Ketan Bulsara, chair of UConn Health’s Department of Neurosurgery, agrees.

    “The interdepartmental collaboration between Dr. Hersh from neurosurgery and Dr. Khan from orthopedic surgery is just another example of our symbiotic clinical and research excellence that has the potential to transform patient care through our tripartite mission,” Bulsara says. “I congratulate them both on receiving this prestigious grant, and congratulate Dr. Jonathan Martin also for leading our exemplary pediatric neurosurgery team at Connecticut Children’s.”

    Martin, a professor of surgery and pediatrics, directs Connecticut Children’s Division of Neurosurgery and holds its Paul M. Kanev Chair of Pediatric Neurosurgery.

    “We have been privileged to partner with the UConn Health Department of Neurosurgery through the neurosurgery residency program, which has also expanded our access to new clinical and research partners,” Martin says. “The collaboration between Connecticut Children’s and UConn Health has accelerated the ability of exceptional faculty like Dr. Hersh to pursue answers to difficult questions that will benefit patients well beyond Connecticut and Western New England.”

    The grant starts Feb. 1. While the research is in its very early stages, Khan says when the time comes, the work in the lab will be easily translatable.

    “To me, this represents the best version of a clinician-research collaboration, where there is a clinical need looking for a solution, and there is a research solution looking for the ideal clinical application,” he says. “This demonstrates the power of and the need for clinician-scientist collaborations.”

    The work was supported by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs endorsed by the Department of Defense, in the amount of $435,465.00, through the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program under Award No. HT9425-25-1-0053. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs or the Department of Defense.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: U.S. Army: ALWAYS Ready!

    Source: US Army (video statements)

    : DMD

    About the U.S. Army:

    The Army Mission – our purpose – remains constant: To deploy, fight and win our nation’s wars by providing ready, prompt & sustained land dominance by Army forces across the full spectrum of conflict as part of the joint force.

    Interested in joining the U.S. Army?
    Visit: spr.ly/6001igl5L

    Connect with the U.S. Army online:
    Web: https://www.army.mil

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/USarmy/
    X: https://www.twitter.com/USArmy
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/usarmy/
    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/us-army
    #USArmy #Soldiers #Military #JPMRC

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVg14ciQN9M

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: ‘Tornado 2 Tempest’: Fighter jet component recycling project off to flying start

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Individual parts from retired Tornado aircraft have been ground down and 3D printed into new components suitable for next generation Tempest fighter jets.

    A Tempest Jet flying over London.

    First-of-its-kind initiative shows how defence is an engine for growth and supports the government’s Plan for Change.

    Development could save money, support the UK defence industry and producer higher quality components.

    Individual parts from retired fighter jets have been ground down and 3D printed into new components suitable for the UK’s next generation of military aircraft – a first of its kind initiative for the Royal Air Force.

    The innovative recycling project has seen parts from old Tornado aircraft turned into powered metal and used to 3D print new components suitable for Tempest jets. This is a great example of UK-developed technology of the future, and demonstrates UK defence industry as an engine for growth and a key part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

    The development could save taxpayer money, reduce the UK’s reliance on global supply chains of critical and high value metals and produce components that are lighter, stronger, and longer lasting than those made through traditional forging techniques.

    Many of the Ministry of Defence’s surplus assets contain strategic metals, including high quality steel, aluminum, and titanium, and the Tornado 2 Tempest project team have been identifying whether some of these components could be atomised into powders – known as “feedstock” – for additive manufacturing to make new parts.

    Tornado parts containing titanium, including jet engine compressor blades from a low-pressure air compressor, were selected. They were cleaned, successfully atomised and recycled into a 3D printed nose cone and compressor blades by Additive Manufacturing Solutions Limited (AMS) for Orpheus – Rolls-Royce’s small engine concept that is part of the MOD’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme delivering Tempest.

    The nose cone was fitted onto an Orpheus test engine and passed suitability and safety checks – demonstrating the technique has potential use in the sixth-generation jet.

    Minister for Defence Procurement and Industry, Maria Eagle said:

    The Tornado 2 Tempest project highlights the creativity, ingenuity and innovation defence employs in our approach to national security.

    By working with key industry partners, we can deliver savings, reduce reliance on global supply chains and ensure our Armed Forces have the very best kit to keep our country safe.

    Not only does this initiative have a positive impact on the environment and national security, it supports the domestic defence industry acting as an engine for growth, which is at the heart of Plan for Change.

    The project was led by Defence Equipment and Support’s (DE&S) Defence Recycling & Disposals Team (DRDT) in partnership with the MOD FCAS team, Rolls-Royce and AMS based in Burscough, Lancashire.

    The initiative also led to the creation of three jobs and sustained two at Small Medium-Sized Enterprise (SME), AMS. The business now expects to create 25 new jobs by offering the innovation to other suppliers.

    A team of more than 80 people participated in the project, including DRDT’s commercial graduates and Rolls-Royce graduate apprentices, combining current skills and innovative technologies to deliver and maintain future capabilities.

    Funded by UK Strategic Command’s Defence Support Organisation in relation to its Circular Economics for Defence Concept Note, the feat shows that turning old parts into new is viable and could bring huge benefits to the MOD and wider Defence, especially through increasing the accessibility of strategic metals to the UK Defence industry and suppliers.

    The MOD’s Chief of Defence Logistics and Support (CDLS) recently awarded the Tornado 2 Tempest Rolls-Royce Team a CDLS Commendation in recognition of their commitment and dedication to the delivery and improvement of support to the front line.

    The team also demonstrated a Digital Product Passport (DPP) by capturing and recording material provenance and lifecycle data. This can potentially enable more informed decisions around material allocation and protect against the use of counterfeit materials.

    Andrew Eady, Rolls-Royce VP FCAS Sustainability, said:

    The Tornado 2 Tempest project exemplifies the forward-thinking sustainability principles embedded in the FCAS Sustainability Strategy and MoD Defence Support Strategy.

    This project is bold, exciting and innovative, and a demonstration of exemplary collaboration between the MoD, industry and SME, furthering the drive for circular economy practices and innovative digital enablers in Defence.

    Robert Higham, AMS Director, said:

    At AMS our tagline is ‘Innovative Solutions for a Sustainable Future’ and we were confident our innovations and ideas would have a great bearing on the future of a resilient supply.

    This project turned our proposed solutions into a reality, and we have been very humbled and grateful to the MOD and Rolls Royce, for allowing us to showcase our capability to deliver game-changing circular economy processes and parts in Defence.

    Updates to this page

    Published 5 February 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI China: Xi signs order to promulgate revised regulations on military equipment research

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    BEIJING, Feb. 5 — Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission, has signed an order to promulgate a set of revised regulations on scientific research related to military equipment.

    The regulations set rules for the quality control, cost management, acceptance procedures, support measures, and safety and confidentiality issues of relevant work.

    The regulations, comprising 49 articles in eight chapters, will take effect on March 1.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chairs a high-level review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chairs a high-level review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi

    Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government is committed to wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir

    The ecosystem of terrorism in J&K has been weakened due to the sustained and coordinated efforts of the Modi government

    Union Home Minister directed all security agencies to step up the fight against terrorism with the goal of ‘zero infiltration’

    Our goal should be to uproot the existence of terrorists

    Terror funding from the proceeds of the narcotics trade has to be curbed with alacrity and rigour

    Posted On: 05 FEB 2025 3:40PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi today. The meeting was attended by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha, the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, along with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, yesterday also held an important review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which was attended by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, the Home Secretary and other senior officers of MHA and Army.

    Addressing the meeting, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is committed to completely wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. He said that due to the sustained and coordinated efforts of the Modi government, the terrorism ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir has been significantly weakened. The Home Minister directed all security agencies to step up the fight against terrorism by aiming for the ‘zero infiltration’ goal. He asked all security agencies to take more stringent action on infiltration and acts of terror with a ruthless approach. He said that it should be our goal to uproot the existence of terrorists.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the narco network is providing support to infiltrators and terrorists to carry out their activities. He said that there is a need to take prompt action against terror funding from the proceeds of the narcotics trade with alacrity and rigour.

    Shri Amit Shah directed the agencies to make new appointments in the posts of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in view of the timely implementation of the new criminal laws.

    Shri Amit Shah emphasised the Modi government’s ‘policy of zero tolerance’ against terrorism to achieve the goal of a terrorism-free Jammu and Kashmir. He directed all security agencies to remain vigilant and continue to work in synergy to eliminate terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Union Home Minister appreciated the efforts of the security agencies for significant improvement in all parameters of the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.

    ******

    Raj Kumar/Vivek/Ashutosh/Pankaj

     

    (Release ID: 2099997) Visitor Counter : 87

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: General Saïd Chanegriha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defence, Chief of Staff of People’s National Army, Algeria to visit India

    Source: Government of India (2)

    Posted On: 05 FEB 2025 11:10AM by PIB Delhi

    General Saïd Chanegriha, Minister Delegate to the Minister of National Defence, Chief of Staff of People’s National Army, Algeria will be on an official visit to India from February 06 to 12, 2025. He will attend the inauguration of Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru and interact with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh. The Minister Delegate will attend the Defence Ministers’ Conclave on the theme ‘BRIDGE – Building Resilience through International Defence and Global Engagement’, facilitating dialogue towards strategic partnerships. He will also hold key meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of Aero India.

    In New Delhi, the General will lay a wreath at the National War Memorial and will be accorded a Guard of Honour. He is scheduled to meet Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh.

    General Chanegriha will also visit several military institutes, including the Defence Image Processing and Analysis Centre of the Defence Space Agency, the National Defence Academy at Khadakwasla and INS Hansa, the premier Naval Aviation training establishment. He is also scheduled to visit Defence & Aerospace public and private establishments including BrahMos Aerospace, Goa Shipyard Limited, Bharat Electronics Limited, L&T Defence and Bharat Forge.

    General Chanegriha’s visit paves the way for continued collaboration between the militaries of India and Algeria. It will further deepen the strong bonds & historical relationship between the two friendly nations and enhance their cooperation on matters of mutual interest.

    *****

    SR/Savvy

    (Release ID: 2099928) Visitor Counter : 88

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: In freezing foreign aid, the US leaves people to die – and allows China to come to the rescue

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Melissa Conley Tyler, Honorary Fellow, Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne

    One of the executive orders US President Donald Trump signed the day he was inaugurated was a 90-day pause in US foreign development assistance.

    The US Agency for International Development, USAID, was ordered to halt funding. Programs worldwide were issued with stop-work orders.

    All of a sudden, more than US$60 billion (around A$95 billion) of programs for the world’s most vulnerable people just stopped.

    So what happened? The world became less fair, and US soft power fizzled.

    What’s happened so far?

    We know this decision will cause deaths.

    Stop-work orders were delivered to programs that provide AIDS medication to patients. If you stop this, people die.

    Charities, many of which work on a shoestring, had no choice but immediately to lay off staff.

    Food and vaccines already in warehouses couldn’t be distributed.

    Programs providing landmine clearing and counterterrorism training ceased.

    Belatedly, the US walked this back to some extent by saying life-saving humanitarian programs would be exempted.

    But it doesn’t appear to have slowed the pace of layoffs, partly because of confusion.

    With USAID staff now either sacked, placed on forced leave or told to stay home – and the agency’s website taken down – USAID is essentially no longer operational.

    Agents from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have raided the offices of USAID and assumed control, with Musk posting on his X social network that “USAID is a criminal organization” and “it’s time for it to die”.

    Some of the people affected have gone public, including Australian organisations on behalf of their partners.

    But most in the sector can’t speak up if they hope for funding in the future. So the true extent of the impacts, including their knock-on effects, is likely much larger than has been publicly reported so far.

    A more unequal and unstable world

    With the halt in aid for the poorest, the world just became more unequal.

    Before this week, the US was the world’s largest aid donor.

    USAID was established by then-US president John F. Kennedy in 1961. Its programs focused on improving global health, alleviating poverty and providing emergency relief in response to natural disasters or conflict, as well as enhancing education and strengthening democratic institutions abroad.

    The countries that were receiving the most USAID assistance in 2023 were Ukraine, Ethiopia, Jordan, Afghanistan and Somalia.

    In the Indo-Pacific, the Lowy Institute’s aid maps show that the Pacific received US$249 million (about A$470 million) and SouthEast Asia received US$1 billion (almost A$1.6 billion) in US overseas development assistance annually in the most recent data.

    This funded 2,352 projects, including peacebuilding in Papua New Guinea, malaria control in Myanmar, early childhood development in Laos, and programs to improve the education, food security and health of school-age children across the region.

    All of these programs are now being reviewed to ensure they are “fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States”.

    Based on the first Trump administration, there seems no chance that programs on climate, gender equality, abortion and equity inclusion will be reinstated after the 90-day assessment period. Losing funds for climate adaptation and mitigation is a huge issue for the Pacific Islands.

    Assistance for survivors of gender-based violence, employment for people with disabilities and support for LGBTQIA+ youth will likely lose funding.

    In communities that received significant USAID funding, the sudden cut in programs and loss of community organisations will damage the fabric of society.

    An unequal world is a less stable one. Australia’s peak body for the non-government aid sector, the Australian Council for International Development, says the suspension of USAID programs “will work against efforts to build peace, safety, and economic stability for the world”.

    A power that’s no longer super

    Thinking of the impact on the US interests, there has been an enormous hit to US soft power from an entire pillar of US foreign policy suddenly disappearing.

    This is underlined by the fact the cuts apply equally to ally, partner and adversary nations alike.

    In the Pacific, the Biden Administration made a real effort to increase US presence, opening embassies and announcing USAID programs.

    All of this has now been squandered by withdrawing from this space. I am aware of a project for which China has come in to provide funding where US funding has gone. It is a spectacular setback for the US.

    What is most extraordinary is that this is self-inflicted damage. There were alternatives, such as continuing business as usual during a 90-day period of review, then giving notice to some programs that they would be discontinued.

    The performative and haphazard way in which the policy has been implemented suggests an administration that doesn’t care much about the world outside its borders and is more concerned about ideological battles within.

    Researcher Cameron Hill describes Trump as linking foreign aid “to the symbols and slogans of his domestic political coalition”. This is likely to continue beyond the demise of USAID to other agencies involved in foreign assistance, such as development finance.

    Australia needs to help fill the gap

    What does this mean for Australia? As a middle power, it has an opportunity to step up – and work with other development partners such as Japan, Korea, India, Indonesia, Canada and European donors in the face of a genuine emergency.

    For the Australian government this might mean an emergency increase in development funding or freeing up existing funding to keep the lights on.

    Australia will undoubtedly now need to step up on climate programs in the Pacific if US funding doesn’t return. Australia could seek to convene an urgent meeting through the Pacific Islands Forum to discuss.

    The first fortnight of the Trump administration has had global impact well beyond US politics. On the most important issue for the majority of the world – development – the US decided to withdraw, destroying in a few days what have taken decades to build.

    Melissa Conley Tyler is Executive Director at the Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy & Defence Dialogue (AP4D), an initiative funded by the foreign affairs and defence portfolios and hosted by the Australian Council for International Development.

    – ref. In freezing foreign aid, the US leaves people to die – and allows China to come to the rescue – https://theconversation.com/in-freezing-foreign-aid-the-us-leaves-people-to-die-and-allows-china-to-come-to-the-rescue-249024

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: US and Philippines Commemorate the 80th Anniversary of the Cabanatuan Raid

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines  –  

    On Feb. 1, 2025, American and Filipino dignitaries, military leaders, and local officials gathered at the Cabanatuan American Memorial to honor the 80th anniversary of the Cabanatuan Raid. This daring World War II rescue mission saved 511 Allied prisoners of war. The event commemorated the courage, sacrifice, and partnership that defined this historic operation.

    The Cabanatuan Raid, also known as “The Great Raid,” demonstrated the unmatched coordination and bravery of the United States Army 6th Ranger Battalion, Filipino guerrillas and local resistance fighters. Conducted on Jan. 30, 1945, this was the first combat mission for the 6th Ranger Battalion after rigorous training under Lt. Col. Henry Mucci and led by Capt. Robert Prince.

    “The raid on Cabanatuan was a resounding success. Over 500 Allied prisoners were liberated, brought back from the brink of death to the embrace of freedom. It was a victory not just for the soldiers rescued but for the ideals of liberty and human dignity that our nations hold dear,” said Ambassador MaryKay L. Carlson, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. “This was not just a military operation; it was a testament to the strength of the partnership between U.S. and Philippine forces, a symbol of hope in the darkest days of war, and a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict.”

    The ceremony included a wreath-laying to pay tribute to those who sacrificed their lives, a historical account delivered by Dr. Mike Krivdo, U.S. Army Pacific historian, and remarks from representatives of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, the modern-day successors of the 6th Ranger Battalion.

    Dr. Mike Krivdo provided historical context and noted, “In all the annals of military history, the Raid at Cabanatuan is on the short list to be studied by military leaders, exciting the imagination with its near flawless execution and impact. The Raid exemplified ingenuity, determination and collaboration.”

    “It is a shining example of how U.S. and Filipino forces came together in wartime to overcome insurmountable odds for the most noble of causes. This legacy will forever inspire generations of Soldiers and leaders.”
    The raid’s success was rooted in meticulous planning, precision, and an unbreakable commitment to never leave a fallen comrade. These ideals laid the foundation for the Ranger Creed, which was later written in 1974 by Command Sgt. Maj. Neal R. Gentry, the first command sergeant major of the reactivated 1st Ranger Battalion. Today, Rangers uphold these values in their missions worldwide.

    “As we reflect on their heroism, let us also remember the lessons they left behind,” said Capt. David Bryan, a Ranger with 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. “The Raid at Cabanatuan teaches us that even in the face of overwhelming odds, unity and determination can achieve the extraordinary. It reminds us that the fight for justice and liberty is a collective effort, requiring the collaboration of nations, the strength of communities, and the resolve of individuals.”

    The Cabanatuan Raid would not have been possible without the invaluable support of Filipino guerrillas, whose local knowledge and determination were crucial to the mission’s success. This partnership ensured the operation’s success and solidified a bond between the U.S. and the Philippines that remains strong today.

    As the U.S. Army commemorates 80 years since the end of World War II, it remains focused on meeting the challenges of the 21st century. The Army’s presence in the Indo-Pacific remains vital, fostering peace and stability through strong alliances and unwavering readiness to address emerging threats. By honoring its past and strengthening its partnerships, the U.S. Army continues to serve as a powerful deterrent in one of the world’s most strategically significant regions.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Army Japan Begins North Wind 25

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CAMP MAKOMANAI, Japan  –  

    U.S. Army Japan begins North Wind 25, a bilateral cold-weather field training exercise designed to enhance combat readiness and promote interoperability with the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force running through February 9, 2025, at Camp Makomanai and the Hokudai-en Hokkaido Large Training Area in Hokkaido, in northern Japan.

    The exercise is comprised of approximately 190 U.S. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment and approximately 400 members of the 18th Infantry Regiment, 11th Brigade, Northern Army, Japan Ground Self Defense Force.

    “The U.S.-Japan alliance, an alliance spanning 60 years, is the foundation of a regional peace and stability,” said Col. Matthew Hall, U.S. Army Japan Chief of Operations and Deputy Chief of Staff. “North Wind is an important piece out of many exercises that build and maintain a stronger alliance and stability in the region.”

    North Wind 25 is a routine exercise that is conducted annually, to enhance bilateral tactical operations at the squad through company level and reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the defense of Japan against external aggression.

    “Our training objectives are improving bilateral operational capability, tactical skills and interoperability in the Arctic environment,” said Major General Yoshiki Adachi, commanding general, 11th Brigade, Northern Army, Japan Ground Self Defense Force.

    During the exercise, U.S. Soldiers and JGSDF members will exchange tactics, techniques, produces and fieldcraft for an extreme cold weather and develop cross country ski and snowshoe mobility and maneuver proficiency over uneven terrain and mountainous environment.

    Bilateral training exercises like North Wind strengthen our relationships and increase interoperability with allies and partners through shared experiences and tough, realistic activities.This enduring alliance highlights not only the strength of our partnership, but also our continued ability to meet new challenges together.

    JGSDF and the U.S Army are proud of their history of staying trained and ready.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: 31st MEU Embarks with the America Amphibious Ready Group

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    WHITE BEACH NAVAL FACILITY, Okinawa   –  

    The Amphibious Ready Group-Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG/MEU) forms a cohesive Navy and Marine Corps combined-arms team, ready to respond across a range of military operations. The Navy and Marine Corps team delivers decisive, integrated American naval power.

    The America ARG is based out of Sasebo, Japan, and is comprised of the staff of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11 and its three ships: the amphibious assault carrier USS America (LHA 6), the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22), and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47). The 31st MEU, headquartered out of Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, consists of a command element, an aviation combat element with F-35B Lightning II aircraft, a combat logistics battalion and a ground combat element.

    “We’re looking at a pretty large chunk of INDOPACOM’s ‘ready now’ combat power,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Chris Niedziocha, the commanding officer of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. “Here in the first island chain, the ARG/MEU team competes every day with our opponent. It’s exhilarating to be this far forward, embarked aboard warships – deterring the adversary, reassuring our partners, and signaling resolve.”

    The ARG/MEU, which consists of more than 5,000 Marines and Sailors, is underway conducting routine operations in U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed number fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners to preserve a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Red Flag 25-1 Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev.  –  

    Red Flag 25-1 takes flight at Nellis Air Force Base uniting U.S. forces with allies from the Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force in a combined exercise to enhance combat readiness and strengthen partnerships.

    This iteration of Red Flag marks 50 years of high-end training, highlighting Red Flag’s enduring legacy of preparing its participants to be combat-ready and mission-effective in the face of evolving threats. 

    For half a century, Red Flag has provided warfighters with realistic training to prepare for combat against evolving adversaries. What began in 1975 to address lessons learned in Vietnam has grown into an international training ground with participants from 29 nations honing their skills in joint and allied operations. This year, the RAF and RAAF bring critical expertise to the fight.

    “Integrating combat capability is what Red Flag is all about and being ready for integrated combat operations with our Allies is key to success in any potential future conflict,” said Col. Eric Winterbottom, commander of the 414th Combat Training Squadron. “The Royal Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force bring not only advanced capabilities but also a wealth of operational experience that enriches everyone’s experience in this exercise. Red Flag is where we come together as one team to sharpen our edge, build trust, and prepare for tomorrow’s challenges today.”

    Red Flag continues to focus on overcoming the complexities of Great Power Competition, with an emphasis on integrating air, space, and cyber capabilities to counter advanced threats. Training scenarios push participants to operate in contested and degraded environments, forcing rapid decision-making and teamwork under pressure. The RAF and RAAF play key roles in these scenarios, demonstrating their ability to seamlessly integrate with U.S. forces in highly dynamic combat situations.

    With over 500,000 military personnel trained and more than 420,000 sorties flown since its inception, Red Flag’s legacy continues to evolve. Allied participation is a cornerstone of that legacy ensuring that joint and partner forces are ready to respond to threats anywhere in the world.

    Red Flag 25-1 highlights the enduring importance of allied partnerships demonstrating that the U.S., RAF, and RAAF are stronger together in facing the challenges of the future.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: 3rd MLG CG Completes JGSDF, ROK Visits Ahead of Bilateral Exercises

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CAMP KINSER, OKINAWA, Japan  –  

    Brigadier General Kevin Collins, the commanding general of 3rd Marine Logistics Group, completed today a multinational visit of U.S., Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea self-defense and military commands ahead of scheduled bilateral exercises in Japan and Korea, Jan. 27 through Feb. 4, 2025.

    With multiple bilateral exercises on the horizon for 3rd MLG, Collins and his command staff visited multiple units to better understand their capabilities and to discuss better integration with the MLG for upcoming bilateral exercises and preparedness training for any humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. As the logistics arm of III Marine Expeditionary Force, 3rd MLG’s understanding of the housing and distribution of allied forces’ equipment and how to further train the blending of respective countries’ logistics systems is crucial for supporting the Marine Corps mission in the Pacific, in either contested environments or areas impacted by natural disasters.

    In Japan, Collins met with the director of logistics for the Western Army at Camp Kengun in Kumamoto, followed by a tour of the Kyushu District Depot and its Western Army Logistics Support Unit, visits timed concurrently with planning conferences about the upcoming exercise Resolute Dragon, a training evolution hosted by III MEF and the Western Army that rehearses operations over maritime terrain to strengthen bilateral command, control, and multi-domain maneuver capabilities. Additionally, he visited 3rd MLG Marines stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka, as the MLG has personnel dispersed across mainland Japan and Okinawa as logistical liaisons at sister units. Further, he toured U.S. ordnance and other supply facilities at MCAS Iwakuni, the Kure Ammunition Depot, and Yokohama North Dock on CFAY.

    In Korea, Collins met with both U.S. and ROK leadership at United States Forces Korea before visiting Marine Corps Forces, Korea, where they discussed the upcoming Korea Theater of Operations training package, which includes exercises Freedom Banner, Freedom Shield, and the Korean Marine Exchange Program. Freedom Banner is the maritime offload, dispersal, and retrograde of equipment in support of follow-on training events; Freedom Shield strengthens the combined defensive capabilities of both countries’ armed forces in a changing security environment; and KMEP focuses on bolstering ROK and U.S. Marine Corps interoperability as a unified, regional littoral force.

    With these shared exercises ahead of 3rd MLG, such command visits and planning iterations further codifies the alliances built upon by previous training events. 3rd MLG is focused on enhancing cooperation with partner nations, strengthening partnerships, and demonstrating its role as a critical element in maintaining a ready and capable force to deter adversary actions to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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  • MIL-OSI USA News: National Security Presidential Memorandum/NSPM-2

    Source: The White House

    MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF STATE
                  THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
                  THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
                  THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
                  THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY
                  THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
                  THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY
                  THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF OF STAFF
                  THE UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE
                  THE UNITED STATES PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE
                     UNITED NATIONS
                  THE DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE
                  THE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
                     AGENCY
                  THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND
                     BUDGET
                  THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR NATIONAL
                     SECURITY AFFAIRS
                  THE COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT
                  THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR ECONOMIC
                     POLICY
                  THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
                  THE DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF
                     INVESTIGATION

    SUBJECT: Imposing Maximum Pressure on the Government of
           the Islamic Republic of Iran, Denying Iran All
           Paths to a Nuclear Weapon, and Countering Iran’s
           Malign Influence

    As President, my highest priority is to ensure the safety and security of the United States and the American people.  Since its inception in 1979 as a revolutionary theocracy, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has declared its hostility to the United States and its allies and partners.  Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terror and has aided Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, the Taliban, al-Qa’ida, and other terrorist networks.  The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is itself a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization.

    The Iranian Government, including the IRGC, is using agents and cyber-enabled means to target United States nationals living in the United States and other countries around the world for attacks, including assault, kidnapping, and murder.  Iran has also directed its proxy groups, including Hezbollah’s Islamic Jihad Organization, to embed sleeper cells in the Homeland to be activated in support of this terrorist activity.   

    Iran bears responsibility for the horrific Hamas massacres committed on October 7, 2023, and bears responsibility for continued Houthi attacks against the United States Navy, allied navies, and international commercial shipping in the Red Sea.  Since April 2024, the regime has twice demonstrated its willingness to launch ballistic and cruise missile attacks against the State of Israel. 

    Iran commits grievous human rights abuses and arbitrarily detains foreigners, including United States citizens, on spurious charges without due process of law, subjecting them to abuse.  The United States stands with the women of Iran who face daily abuse by the regime. 

    Iran’s nuclear program, including its enrichment- and reprocessing-related capabilities and nuclear-capable missiles, poses an existential danger to the United States and the entire civilized world.  A radical regime like this can never be allowed to acquire or develop nuclear weapons, or to extort the United States or its allies through the threat of nuclear weapons acquisition, development, or use.  Iran today stands in breach of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations by concealing undeclared nuclear sites and material as required by its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  Iran has obstructed IAEA access to its military sites or sites tied to the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, also known as SPND, and to interview nuclear weapons scientists still employed by SPND.  Public reports indicating that Iran may now be engaged in computer modeling related to nuclear weapons development raise immediate alarm.  We must deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon and end the regime’s nuclear extortion racket. 

    Iran’s behavior threatens the national interest of the United States.  It is therefore in the national interest to impose maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to end its nuclear threat, curtail its ballistic missile program, and stop its support for terrorist groups. 

    Section 1.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States that Iran be denied a nuclear weapon and intercontinental ballistic missiles; that Iran’s network and campaign of regional aggression be neutralized; that the IRGC and its surrogates be disrupted, degraded, or denied access to the resources that sustain their destabilizing activities; and to counter Iran’s aggressive development of missiles and other asymmetric and conventional weapons capabilities. 

    Sec. 2.  Enacting Maximum Pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran.  (a)  The Secretary of the Treasury shall:

                  (i)    immediately impose sanctions or appropriate enforcement remedies on all persons for which the Department has evidence of activity in violation of one or more Iran-related sanctions;

                  (ii)   implement a robust and continual sanctions enforcement campaign with respect to Iran that denies the regime and its terror proxies access to revenue;

                  (iii)  review for modification or rescission any general license, frequently asked question, or other guidance that provides Iran or any of its terror proxies any degree of economic or financial relief;

                  (iv)   issue updated guidance to all relevant business sectors including shipping, insurance, and port operators, about the risks to any person that knowingly violates United States sanctions with respect to Iran or an Iranian terror proxy; and

                  (v)    maintain countermeasures against Iran at the Financial Action Task Force, evaluate beneficial ownership thresholds to ensure sanctions deny Iran all possible illicit revenue, and evaluate whether financial institutions should adopt a “Know Your Customer’s Customer” standard for Iran-related transactions to further prevent sanctions evasion. 

    (b)  The Secretary of State shall:

                  (i)    modify or rescind sanctions waivers, particularly those that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief, including those related to Iran’s Chabahar port project;

                  (ii)   implement a robust and continual campaign, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and other relevant executive departments or agencies (agencies), to drive Iran’s export of oil to zero, including exports of Iranian crude to the People’s Republic of China;

                  (iii)  lead a diplomatic campaign to isolate Iran throughout the world, including within international organizations, including the denial of freedom of movement or safe haven to the IRGC or any terror proxy of Iran wherever such may operate outside Iran’s borders; and

                  (iv)   take immediate steps, in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury and other relevant agencies, to ensure that the Iraqi financial system is not utilized by Iran for sanctions evasion or circumvention, and that Gulf countries are not used as sanctions evasion transshipment points. 

    (c)  The United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations shall:

                  (i)    work with key allies to complete the snapback of international sanctions and restrictions on Iran;

                  (ii)   hold Iran accountable for its breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and

                  (iii)  regularly convene the United Nations Security Council to highlight the myriad threats posed by Iran to international peace and security. 

    (d)  The Secretary of Commerce shall conduct a robust and continuous export control enforcement campaign to restrict the flow of technology and components used by the regime for military purposes.   

    (e)  The Attorney General shall:

                  (i)    pursue all available legal steps to investigate, disrupt, and prosecute financial and logistical networks, operatives, or front groups inside the United States that are sponsored by Iran or an Iranian terror proxy;

                  (ii)   pursue all available legal steps to impound illicit Iranian oil cargoes;

                  (iii)  pursue all available legal steps to identify Iranian governmental assets in the United States and overseas, and help American victims of terrorism, including Gold Star Families, collect on Federal judgments against Iran;

                  (iv)   pursue all available legal steps to indict and prosecute the leaders and members of Iranian-funded terrorist groups and proxies that have captured, harmed, or killed American citizens and, where possible and in coordination with the Secretary of State, seek their arrest and extradition to the United States; and   

                  (v)    use all criminal, regulatory, and cyber authorities and tools to vigorously investigate, prosecute, and disrupt efforts by the Iranian government to conduct espionage or obtain military, intelligence, government, or other sensitive information, compromise the Homeland and our critical infrastructure, evade sanctions and export controls, obtain material support for terrorism, exert foreign malign influence, and threaten harm and infringe on First Amendment-protected speech, including efforts designed to sow anti-Semitism.

      Sec. 3.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

                  (i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

                  (ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.   

         (b)  This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.   

         (c)  This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Media are invited to the 381 Glenn Dunbier ONZM Police recruit wing graduation

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    New Zealand Police is pleased to announce that recruit wing 381 will graduate from their initial training course on Friday morning 7 February. 

    Attending the ceremony will be Commissioner Richard Chambers and members of the Police executive, Hon Mark Mitchell, Minister for Police, Hon Casey Costello, Associate Minister for Police along with Wing Patron, Glenn Dunbier ONZM.

    Wing 381’s prize-winners are spread across four police districts, namely Auckland City, Bay of Plenty, Wellington and Tasman.

    More details about statistics, prize winners and other recruits will be shared after graduation on Friday.

    The 381 Wing Patron former police officer Glenn Dunbier was Bay of Plenty District Commander from 2010 to 2014. He was then appointed Deputy Commissioner: Resource Management in 2014, a role he held until he took a three-year secondment in 2017 to work with the Australian Defence Department. On returning to New Zealand Police in 2020 he took up the role of Deputy Commissioner: Districts and then Deputy Commissioner: Operations.  While in Police, Glenn was awarded two Silver Merit Awards for his work in covert policing. He was recognised in the 2022 New Year Royal Honours, appointed as an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for services to policing and the community. He retired from Police in April 2023.

    Media are welcome to attend the graduation parade which takes place at 10am on Friday 7 February at The Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua. 

    Media will need to be in place by 9.45am, however will need to RSVP to Police Media Centre as soon as possible:  media@police.govt.nz

    ENDS

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  • MIL-OSI Security: DPAA Conducts Honorable Carry Ceremony from Philippine Mission

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii  –  

    On 28 January, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency conducted an honorable carry ceremony to honor service members from World War II at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

    An honorable carry ceremony is a tradition that honors unknown service members as they return to American soil for the first time in over 80 years.

    The 18 U.S. flag-draped transfer cases contained the potential remains of 36 unknown World War II service members who were interred at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. The cases were repatriated to the DPAA’s laboratory in Hawaii for identification and analysis.

    “Thirty-five of these brave individuals perished in captivity at the Cabanatuan prison camp, while one gave their life in the Tokyo Prison Fire during World War II,” said John M. Figuerres, the DPAA’s acting deputy director for operations.

    These service members were among those who fought bravely at the battles of Bataan and Corregidor in 1942. With no supplies, reinforcements or hope of relief, they held their ground longer than any Allied force against the Imperial Japanese army’s initial attacks.

    “After being forced to surrender, many of these service members suffered through the brutal 65-mile Bataan Death March and lost their lives while being held as prisoners,” Figuerres explained.

    The DPAA launched the Cabanatuan Project in 2014 and has since accounted for more than 90 personnel. However, more than 900 individuals remain unaccounted for.
    “As part of its ongoing efforts, the agency’s annual goal is to conduct two Philippine disinterments and repatriate about 70 transfer cases”, said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jordan Underwood, DPAA team leader for the disinterment.

    Additionally, the DPAA continues working to identify service members who perished in the Tokyo Military Prison in May 1945, initiating the Tokyo Prison Fire Project in 2022. Dozens of American Airmen who were being held in the Tokyo Military Prison died during the Allied firebombing of the Japanese capitol in March 1945, trapped amidst the blaze engulfing the city.

    The agency identifies potential remains using a wide variety of methods, some examples include anthropological testing, dental analysis and DNA testing in partnership with the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System.

    “The DPAA’s mission is to account for missing personnel from past conflicts. We hope to identify these service members and return them home. One family member once told me that it’s not about providing closure, but about closing a chapter of their family history, and I think that’s a great way to describe it”, said Dr. Carrie LeGarde, a DPAA scientific recovery expert. “We cannot achieve this without bringing these remains back to the DPAA laboratory.”

    For the men and women of the DPAA, an honorable carry is both a solemn occasion, and a triumph.

    “Today, after more than 84 years away from their homeland, we honor their return to the United States,” Figuerres said. “Their sacrifice stands as a testament to the extraordinary courage and resilience of the Greatest Generation. Our mission to identify these heroes continues, ensuring their legacy is preserved and their sacrifice to our nation is never forgotten.”

    For more information about the DPAA’s efforts to recover POW/MIA remains, visit https://www.dpaa.mil.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Adm. Jirapol Wongwit, at the Pentagon, Feb. 4, 2025.

    Source: United States Navy

    Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Adm. Jirapol Wongwit, at the Pentagon today.

    The two leaders outlined plans to enhance interoperability and capabilities, with a focus on expanding maritime domain awareness with robotic and autonomous systems, cyber security improvements, and a commitment to military modernization to address shared challenges.

    Franchetti also shared the Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy with Jirapol, which underscores her priorities of warfighting, warfighters, and the foundation that supports them, as well as building relationships with Allies and partners.
    Franchetti expressed appreciation for Thailand’s continued support for U.S. ship and aircraft visits, highlighting the recently concluded USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group port visit to Laem Chabang. 

    The leaders also discussed future opportunities to enhance collaboration through participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises, including the Cobra Gold multinational exercise held in Thailand, Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), and CARAT Thailand (Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training).

    Thailand is a major non-NATO ally, one of five U.S. treaty allies in the Indo-Pacific, and a leader within the Association of Southern Asian Nations (ASEAN).

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Cornyn Votes to Confirm Doug Collins for VA Secretary

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas John Cornyn

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after former Congressman Doug Collins was confirmed as Secretary for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

    “As an experienced military chaplain, Air Force Reserve Colonel, Iraq War veteran, and former Congressman, Doug Collins knows firsthand the unique challenges and brave sacrifices our service members and their families face. Doug is well-equipped for the task ahead and understands both our moral obligation and the urgent need to deliver quality and timely services to our nation’s heroes, and I look forward to working alongside him as he ushers in a new era at the VA.”

    MIL OSI USA News –