PENTAGON NEWS PAGE471

Syrian Actions 'Utterly Deplorable,' Pentagon Spokesman Says

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2012 - Armed attacks by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime that have killed and wounded thousands of citizens since last January are "utterly deplorable," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said here today.

On the same day the State Department suspended operation of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus and moved all American personnel, including Ambassador Robert Ford, out of the country, Little said the Defense Department's focus "remains on applying intense diplomatic and economic pressure on the Assad regime."

"We believe there is a strong chance that pressure can yield results on behalf of the Syrian people and those who are repressed in Syria," he added.

President Barack Obama issued a strong statement Feb. 4 about the regime's actions.

"Thirty years after his father massacred tens of thousands of innocent Syrian men, women, and children in Hama, Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated a similar disdain for human life and dignity," the president said.

On Feb. 3, the Syrian government murdered hundreds of citizens, including women and children, in Homs through shelling and other indiscriminate violence, Obama added, and Syrian forces continue to prevent hundreds of injured civilians from seeking medical help.

"The United States and our international partners support the Syrian people in achieving their aspirations and will continue to assist the Syrian people toward that goal," the president said.

On Feb. 4, Russian and Chinese representatives on the U.N. Security Council vetoed a resolution that backed an Arab League plan to resolve the crisis in Syria. Thirteen of the council's 15 members voted in favor of a draft text submitted by Morocco. A veto by any one of the council's five permanent members -- China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- means a resolution can't be adopted.

At the State Department today, spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement that the recent surge in violence in Syria, including bombings in Damascus on Dec. 23 and Jan. 6, "has raised serious concerns that our Embassy is not sufficiently protected from armed attack."

The U.S. embassy, along with several other diplomatic missions, she added, "conveyed our security concerns to the Syrian government but the regime failed to respond adequately."

The deteriorating security situation that led to the suspension of diplomatic operations "makes clear once more the dangerous path Assad has chosen and the regime's inability to fully control Syria," Nuland said.

In the meantime, according to news reports, over the past weeks several of the Assad regime's military leaders have publicly sided with those who oppose the regime.

"It is noteworthy," Little said, "that we're seeing some high-level defections of senior Syrian military officials ... to the opposition."
 

Families Foster Future Military Working Dogs

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

SAN ANTONIO, Feb. 6, 2012 - Navy veteran Hector Hernandez leans down to hug his dog as she pants noisily from her most recent dash around the living room. She nuzzles into his hand -- a momentary calm in the storm of activity that's Bella.

Hector Hernandez watches his wife, Anita, play with their foster dog, Bella, as their daughters, Tiffany, left, and Anita look on in their home in San Antonio. Bella belongs to the Defense Department's Military Working Dog Breeding Program on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. The program, which breeds Belgian Malinois for a variety of military assignments, relies on foster families to socialize the dogs and expose them to a variety of environments. DOD photo by Linda Hosek (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Although they already have a dog and weren't looking for another, the Hernandez family took Bella in about three months ago -- not out of a sense of obligation because she needed a home, but due to a deep desire to serve.

Like Hernandez, who retired from the Navy, Bella is destined for a lifetime of service. She is one of several future military working dogs placed with foster families across town. These families, all volunteers, raise these dogs for about five months before returning them for an intensive training program at the Defense Department's Military Working Dog Breeding Program at Lackland Air Force Base here.

This program, administered by the 341st Training Squadron, breeds, trains and raises Belgian Malinois to serve alongside other military working dogs, a select group used by DOD and other government agencies for patrol, drug and explosive detection, and in specialized missions both stateside and overseas, explained Bernadine Green, the program's deputy director.

The program solely breeds Belgian Malinois, since that breed tends to make outstanding working dogs, able to carry out a mission equally well on an installation or in a combat zone, she said.
Puppies spend their first months of life in the breeding center, where experts begin assessing them for signs of future promise. The puppies that show potential are placed with foster families -- a mix of active duty, veterans and community members -- starting at about 8 weeks old.

"Families love to do it," Green said. "It's their way of giving back to the community and the military, and also for the sheer pleasure of caring for a puppy."

Hernandez, a training instructor for Naval Technical Training Center Lackland, said a sense of service was the driving force behind his decision to take in Bella. After he arrived at work one day, he saw the puppies walking outside and asked one of the trainers about the program. After a facility tour, he was hooked.

He'd been searching for a way to serve since he retired in January 2011, he said. "I miss the military," he said. "I feel like I have a lot of good fight in me. I want to serve further."

He came home that night and told his wife and daughters that he wanted to take in a future working dog. The family already had a full plate. Hernandez and his wife, Anita, are full-time students, caregivers of Herndandez' mother, and also homeschool their two daughters, 17-year-old Tiffany and 10-year-old Brianna. Plus, they already have a dog, Rosie.

At first, Anita said she was taken aback. "I thought, 'Really, another dog?' But then I wanted to see what the breed looked like. I had to let it sink in. But the minute I saw her, I fell in love with her."

Hernandez brought Bella home Sept. 1. While they'll admit to a few rough spots, mainly between Bella and Rosie, who is used to being top dog in the house -- it's been smooth sailing since.

The family has trained her to sit and fetch, and helps to develop skills that will serve her well in her military future. They'll have her bite on a rag, Hernandez explained, which will later progress to bite training at school.

The family also ensures her well-being, keeping an eye on her eating, exercise and health. This day, the family entered crisis mode when they noticed Bella was bleeding slightly, but otherwise was fine. They did a brief examination and determined she had lost a baby tooth. "What a relief," Hernandez said, holding the tooth in his hand.

To foster her social skills, Hernandez takes her with him everywhere he goes, whether it's to run, to work or to meet with other foster families on base for "play dates" with other dogs, many of which are Bella's littermates.

Hernandez is right on track, Green said, noting the importance of exposing the dogs to a variety of environments.

The foster phase serves several purposes, she explained. By living in a home, versus an austere kennel, foster families "broaden the puppy's horizon."

"This phase is probably the most integral part of the program," Green added. "Without these foster parents raising puppies, ... we don't get well-rounded dogs."

The families are offered help in basic puppy rearing and instructed on basic obedience. However, the biggest challenge for foster families isn't the puppy care, Green noted, it's when the time comes to return their now-beloved dog.

"We have a lady who fostered 13 puppies and one of the brood bitches," she recalled. Each time she returns a puppy, "she cries a blue streak."

Upon her return to the breeding program in about a month, Bella will move on to puppy training, which will last until she's about a year old. At that time, if she's up to the task, she'll progress to the 341st Training Squadron's Military Working Dog Training Program here, which is about 120 days and teaches the dogs how to patrol and detect drugs and bombs worldwide. As with her classmates, Bella will be assigned to a military unit stateside or overseas, where she'll carry out patrol and detection missions.

While DOD dogs become part of the military working dog population scattered across the services, they always can be distinguished by their names. All DOD dogs have a double letter at the start of their names -- for example, Bella's birth name is Bbella, Green said.

Hernandez said he hopes he can track her career and catch up with her someday when her career winds down.

"If they retired her at Lackland, I would be elated to adopt her," he said, smiling at Bella, who finally had tired out and was sitting by his feet.

Meanwhile, Hernandez is determined to enjoy the brief time he has left with Bella. While he'll be sad to see her go, Hernandez said, the thought of her future mission eases his pain.

"It's going to be tough on the family, but she's going to go do a job, and it's a very important job, and I'm contributing," he said.

Hernandez' 10-year-old daughter, Brianna, echoed her father's pride. "I feel like I'm helping the military because I'm fostering their dog and they're going to be ... keeping America safe," she said. "I feel like they're blessings [and] should be treated with a lot of respect."

Tiffany sat quietly as her sister spoke. She later noted her concern about Bella's welfare. "I don't want her to get hurt," she said, staring affectionately at Bella.

Hernandez said he'd like to take in another dog since the program has an ongoing need for foster families, but will have to give it some time after he returns Bella. "A heartache needs healing," he said.
 

Wounded Warriors Enjoy Super Bowl Party

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 6, 2012 - Super Bowl festivities were in full swing last night at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center here, as hundreds of wounded warriors and their families gathered for the big game.

Army Sgt. Kevin Gaton, a 101st Airborne Division soldier who lost his leg following an attack in Afghanistan in July 2010, poses with former Washington Redskin star Roy Jefferson during a wounded warrior Super Bowl party at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Feb. 5, 2012. DOD photo by Donna Miles (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Wounded warriors and their families gathered around tables in the new wounded warrior barracks complex to cheer on their favorite team and enjoy the entertainment, both on and off the TV screens positioned around the hall.

Actor Jon Voight, former NFL stars Roy Jefferson and Carlton Kammerer and Washington Redskins cheerleaders mingled among them, shaking hands, posing for photos and thanking them for their sacrifices.

Professional impersonators brought the personas of Lady Gaga, Bette Midler, Elvis Presley and other stars to the party, and members of the New York Fire Department crooned the national anthem and other selections.

Meanwhile, a balloon artist entertained the kids, who also got a chance to do handicraft projects between visits to an egg cream soda station.

Other goodies served up during the party included pulled pork and chicken, as well as side fixings and finger foods ranging from Buffalo wings to pizza and nachos.

The event, hosted by Rolling Thunder, the Yellow Ribbon Fund, the USO and the New York City Fire Department, was designed to ensure every wounded warrior felt special, said Gary Scheffmeyer, national president for the Rolling Thunder veterans organization.

Rolling Thunder hosted Super Bowl parties at the now-closed Walter Reed Army Medical Center for the past six or seven years, he said, and joined this year with other groups to throw the biggest Super Bowl bash yet at the integrated Bethesda facility.

"Our major goal with these parties is to make sure these troops get what we didn't," explained Scheffmeyer, who recalled the poor reception he and his fellow Vietnam veterans received when they returned home from that conflict. "The bottom line is, this is good for the troops."

Scheffmeyer said the Super Bowl is a particularly special time to celebrate. "Whether you are a Giants fan or a Patriots fan, this is the Super Bowl," he said. "These troops get to watch it. They get to party. They get a break from their medical treatments. So it's a really good reason to have a party."

"The Super Bowl is real American tradition, one of the biggest events of the year in America," agreed Navy Rear Adm. (Dr.) Alton L. Stocks, the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center commander. "So it's a particularly important time for us to be able to say 'Welcome home' to these service members and make them feel at home.

"It's a lot of fun for everyone, but it's also a big part of the healing process," Stocks said. "As these wounded warriors physically heal, events like this help them heal emotionally as well."

Marine Cpl. Jesse Fletcher, a sniper wounded in Kajaki, Afghanistan, in October, said the Super Bowl party offered far more than the chance to cheer his New York Giants on to victory.

"The socializing here is great for us," he said. "It's great for our state of mind and outlook, and a great way for us to work on our recovery."

Marine Sgt. John Peck, a quadruple amputee who was wounded two years ago in Afghanistan's Helmand province, sported a New England Patriots jersey for the party. And although his team ultimately lost to the Giants, 21-17, the Super Bowl party made him and his fellow wounded warriors feel like winners. "It means people still care and show their support," he said. "That means a lot."

Army Sgt. Kevin Gatson, a 101st Airborne Division soldier wounded in Afghanistan in July, wasn't going to let the fact that his beloved Pittsburgh Steelers weren't playing keep him from wearing their team colors to the party. It's the same attire he wore to last year's Super Bowl, which Gatson watched at the White House with a personal invitation from President Barack Obama.

For Super Bowl XLVI, Gatson declared himself an "honorary Giants fan" and said he planned to spend the night rooting for a Patriots defeat.

But regardless of which team would win or lose, Gatson said, he was up for a good time. "This a fun time, getting everyone together and rooting for their teams and enjoying good camaraderie and good food," he said.

Voight, who gave the wounded warriors autographed photos with notes of appreciation, said he wouldn't miss the chance to share the Super Bowl with them.

"These guys are the reason we are living in peace and freedom," he said. "All of us are in their debt, and every free American should find a way to do whatever they can to support these great heroes and their families."

"Lindsay A," as one of the Redskins cheerleaders is known, said she developed a soft spot for military members spending time with them during a goodwill tour to Iraq.

"I'm really excited about seeing them home and in such good spirits," she said. She said she hoped her squad's presence, along with the other Super Bowl festivities, would help give them an emotional boost.

Diane Shoemaker, a volunteer for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which assists families as their loved ones are receiving care here, said throwing a big-scale party sends a strong message to the wounded warriors. "We want the injured service members to know that they are cared about," she said. "So for me, being a part of this is very personal. I feel like they are my own family. I love them all."

Former Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Colts and Washington Redskins player Roy Jefferson said he felt honored to be able to join in the party. "For me, it's a no-brainer. I want to do as much as I can for them, because they have all given me so much," he said.

About 30 members of the New York City Fire Department knew they had plenty of options for watching their home team take a Super Bowl victory, but elected to spend it hosting wounded warriors.

"This is a way to give back, and to thank them for their service," said Bill Rautenstrauch. "I feel honored to be in their presence."
 

New Special Report Focuses on Military Family Support

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2012 - A new American Forces Press Service special report that focuses on support for military families is available at http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2012/0212_familysupport/

New DOD Rule Supports Independent Research, Development

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2012 - A new rule published Jan. 30 that modifies the way major defense contractors report to the Defense Department on their independent research and development projects enhances communication between government and industry, a senior Pentagon official said last week.

Independent research and development, known as IR&D, is a contractor's own investment in basic and applied research and development and some kinds of studies that DOD will reimburse the company for making.

Every year the Defense Department invests about $4 billion in defense firms' IR&D. From this investment come new and improved devices, materials and other products, and advances in technology that ultimately benefit the department and its warfighters, said Ronald J. Kurjanowicz, director of strategy for the defense research and engineering director in the office of the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

The rule, published in the Federal Register, applies to defense contractors that claim more than $11 million in a year on IR&D and bid and proposal costs, Kurjanowicz said.

"It's asking firms to submit project data on their IR&D projects to the government [through a secure website] called the Defense Innovation Marketplace," he explained. The site is an industry portal that offers answers to frequently asked questions, contracting news, information about the new rule and other industry resources.

DOD contracting officials can search the site, he said, "and see where the innovation is, and then communicate back with industry the areas that we think are very strong and the areas where there are probably gaps that we can work with. So it will be a communication mechanism."

Contracts awarded on or after Jan. 30 are subject to the new requirements, a senior procurement analyst in Kurjanowicz's office said.

Major contractors must comply with the new rule, Kurjanowicz said, but the rule also allows other contractors to submit IR&D project data to the website for greater visibility by government contracting officials.

"We in the government have to know what [defense contracting firms] are working on, because as we build acquisition programs we want to get a sense of what's available out there," he added.

Defense officials decided on a rule rather than a voluntary move to the website "because we wanted to level the playing field and give everybody a chance to submit the information," he said.

"Industry wants to know where we're going, particularly now in this era, at this inflection point, ... so we have to communicate with industry the sort of capabilities we'll need for that environment," Kurjanowicz said.

With that communication, he added, "industry will begin to vector their IR&D in that direction."

IR&D communication mechanisms between DOD and contractors have evolved over the years. "In the 1980s," Kurjanowicz said, "we actually sent people on site" to contracting firms.

"We called them tri-service reviews, and they would review a contractor's entire portfolio," he added. They then would take the information back to their organizations, and based on their findings, the reviewers determined a company's reimbursement rate, he explained.

In that scenario, Kurjanowicz added, major contractors who could afford to do more IR&D than smaller contractors had an advantage. Today, he said, administrative contract officers do the reviews.

"Firms submit their IR&D projects every year, and everyone does it differently," Kurjanowicz said. "Some firms submit detailed reports, and others send in a list with dollar values, and the administrative contract officer is supposed to look through that and come up with a rate."

The problem, he added, is that the administrative contract officers don't always have the technical expertise to evaluate the submissions, "so we're losing insight into what the industry is working on."

Defense contracting officials thought that the easiest and fairest way to fix it for all was to update the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations with a rule, Kurjanowicz said.

"The fundamental word in IR&D is independent," he added. "We want to communicate our needs, but the firm has the option as to what technology they pursue. The leadership is very keen on that, because we can't say that we have all the good ideas, and ... we rely on industry to give us alternatives. So it's about capabilities, and [defense contractors] determine the technology."
 

Face of Defense: Sailor Learns from Five-star Chef

By Navy Lt. Cmdr. Jennifer Cragg
Submarine Group 2

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 6, 2012 - A USS California culinary specialist is honing his craft with the help of a five-star chef.

During a week-long culinary understudy opportunity that began Feb. 4 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel here, Navy Seaman Apprentice Justin Cramer of Moore, Okla., reflected on this opportunity to expand on his skills and how the training -- provided by the Santa Barbara Navy League -- will benefit his submarine's crew.

"This opportunity presents overwhelming joy to me," he said. "I was speechless when I found out, and for me, it was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I never imagined I would participate in something like this when I joined the U.S. Navy."

Patricia Westberg, vice president of Santa Barbara Navy League, said the young chef will learn techniques that will benefit not only Cramer, but also the USS California's crew.

"He will be able to create a West Coast climate on board the boat through menu planning and selections, so the crew will have a taste of our great state several times a month," she said.

Executive Chef Luis Martinez will teach Cramer a variety of cooking-related skill sets, such as culinary arts and advanced food preparation.

"For the next three years, I will have the opportunity to apply what I learned in Santa Barbara, bringing back valuable skills to benefit myself and my boat," Cramer said.

Cramer joined the Navy at age 23 in January 2011. He said he chose the culinary specialist rating from years of experience watching his parents enjoy the art of cooking.

"We have had a generation of five-star cooks in our family; it made sense for me to come into the U.S. Navy as a culinary specialist," he said.

Navy Lt. Angus McCallum, the USS California's supply officer, noted that with the USS California homeported in Groton, Conn., Cramer's opportunity is a way to unite the Virginia-class nuclear submarine and the state for which it is named.

"Seaman Cramer is going to be the bridge between the recently commissioned California and the Santa Barbara community," McCallum said. "With so much of the country between the boat and the city, this first opportunity forms a tangible bond between California and [the submarine's] home state."

McCallum added that Cramer is a valuable asset to the USS California team. Despite being the boat's most junior culinary specialist, he said, Cramer was chosen to participate in the understudy opportunity based on his stellar performance since arriving aboard the Navy's newest attack submarine.

"After being on board for one month, Cramer qualified in all culinary specialist watch stations, which led to the selection as the culinary specialist of the fourth quarter in 2011," McCallum added.
 

ISAF Helicopter Crew Survives Crash

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2012 - An International Security Assistance Force helicopter crew survived after their aircraft crashed in eastern Afghanistan today, military officials reported.

The crew members have been safely recovered and moved to a nearby base, officials said. The site has been secured and initial reports indicate there was no enemy activity in the area.

ISAF is assessing the circumstances to determine the cause of the crash.

In other Afghanistan news today, a combined force captured a Haqqani network leader, detained several suspected insurgents and seized assault rifles and a grenade in the Khost district of Khost province. The insurgent leader directed vehicle- and suicide-bomb attacks and distributed weapons and money to insurgents in Khost City.

In Afghanistan operations yesterday:

-- An Afghan-led and coalition-supported force seized a large number of bomb-making components and small arms in the Lashkar district of Helmand province.

In Feb. 3 operations:

-- In the Karjan district of Uruzgan province, a combined force killed several insurgents, detained several suspects and confiscated bomb-making components while searching for a Taliban leader.

In Feb. 2 operations:

-- In the Tarin Kot district of Uruzgan province, an Afghan-led and coalition-supported force killed an insurgent, detained several suspects and seized weapons while searching for a Taliban commander linked to the movement of bomb-making materials and targeting Afghan and coalition forces.
 

Obama Nominee Could Become Air Force's First Female General

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2012 - President Barack Obama has nominated Lt. Gen. Janet C. Wolfenbarger to the rank of general, and as commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced today.

The promotion would make Wolfenbarger the Air Force's first female four-star general.

"The secretary strongly supports the president's nomination, and he believes that General Wolfenbarger is an outstanding Air Force officer," Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said today. "The fact that she would be the first woman to wear a fourth star in the Air Force, if confirmed, is a testament to her skills, experience and dedication."

If confirmed by the Senate, Wolfenbarger would become the military's second female officer to receive four stars behind Army Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commander of Army Materiel Command, who was promoted to general in 2008.

As the military deputy in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition in the Pentagon, Wolfenbarger is responsible for research and development, test, production, and modernization of Air Force programs worth more than $40 billion annually.

A 1980 Air Force Academy graduate, Wolfenbarger began her career in acquisitions as an engineer at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. She has held a variety of assignments at headquarters Electronic Security Command and Air Force Systems Command.

Wolfenbarger has had oversight of the F-22 program at Wright-Patterson and in the Pentagon, and was program director for the B-2 aeronautical systems at Wright-Patterson. She commanded the Aeronautical Systems Center's C-17 Systems Group, Mobility Systems Wing.

Wolfenbarger was director of the Air Force Acquisition Center of Excellence at the Pentagon, then served as director of the Headquarters AFMC Intelligence and Requirements Directorate at Wright-Patterson. She was the vice commander of Air Force Materiel Command at Wright-Patterson before taking her current position.

Wolfenbarger holds master's degrees in aeronautics and astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in national resource strategy from the National Defense University.

White House to Honor Iraq War Veterans, Families

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr.
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 2012 - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will honor Iraq War veterans and their families at the White House later this month, White House officials announced in a statement today.

The president and first lady will host a dinner Feb. 29 to honor troops who served in operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn and their families.

"This dinner -- an expression of the nation's gratitude for the achievements and enormous sacrifices of the brave Americans who served in the Iraq War and of the families who supported them -- will include men and women in uniform from all ranks, services, states and backgrounds, representative of the many thousands of Americans who served in Iraq," the statement said.

Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter, and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, welcomed the final group of U.S. troops home from Iraq on Dec. 20.

Dempsey today praised troops and their families for their service and sacrifice while serving in two operations during the Iraq War.

"We will be honored to be a part of 'A Nation's Gratitude' hosted by President and Mrs. Obama to recognize the significant contributions of the U.S. military and military families to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn," the chairman said in a Facebook post earlier today.

"These heroes and those they represent have sacrificed to defend our nation and provide the Iraqi people an opportunity for a peaceful and secure future," he continued. "I'm proud of their courage and appreciate this appropriate recognition of their service."

The White House has been working with military and civilian leaders across the Defense Department on this tribute, the statement said, and will release more details regarding the dinner as they become available.

Officials: Women Can Suffer Same Deployment Ills as Men

By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 - It once was thought that servicewomen neither were exposed to the same combat situations as men nor developed the same psychological injuries. But officials now recognize otherwise.

"With the type of combat we're in now, ... it's probably the only place where men and women really are equal," therapist Jeanine Aversa says in "The Long Road Home," this month's installment of the Pentagon Channel series "Recon."

The segment made its debuted on the Pentagon Channel yesterday and will run through February. Officials estimate that the percentage of women in the military has doubled in the past 30 years. But that increase, the "Recon" segment noted, has come with a rise in problems such as homelessness, drug addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder among female veterans.

The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments work together to address service members' physical, mental and emotional injuries, including those of women, so officials say it's now easier for female veterans to ask for help.

Kate McGraw, acting deputy director for the psychological health, clinical standards of care at the Defense Centers for Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., said a "huge influx" of congressional funding and Defense Department support on the issues facing female veterans have helped address psychological health and traumatic brain injury.

"Because there are more people deploying and the frequency has increased over time," McGraw said, "we're also seeing an increase in support for the effects of deployment."

Focus groups, growing numbers of support groups and a mental health anti-stigma campaign are part of the DOD and VA support for female veterans, she said.

Battling the stigma of seeking mental health counseling also has remained a concern among military leaders, McGraw noted. Some service members don't seek help, she explained, because they believe doing so could hurt their careers.

"The fears don't necessarily have a basis," she said. "So this is an attempt to try to de-stigmatize those fears."

Peculiar to women is an apparent higher rate of "co-occurrence" of PTSD and depression when compared with men after returning from deployment, McGraw said. And other behaviors also can play a part in women's lives, she said.

"Women tend to have a higher incidence of binge drinking ... and a higher incidence of eating disorder behavior ... as compared to males," McGraw said, citing recent literature on studies conducted during the past five years.

Women made up only seven-tenths of 1 percent of the military when now-retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Wilma Vaught entered service in 1957. Although her active-duty experience was nothing like what today's women service members have undergone in Iraq and in Afghanistan, she said, she emphasized that many more doors are open to women in the military now than before.

"But that progress has come with a price," she said.

Veteran Jen Crane knows about that price. She began to have panic attacks while searching for work after she left the military. She couldn't continue her military job as a paralegal in the civilian sector, so she took a bartending job. There, she was introduced to cocaine. She said it brought her anxiety down and made her social.

Eventually, however, Crane's penchant for drugs nearly cost her everything.

"Because I was using, [I was told to] get help. I was a soldier, a warrior. I can handle anything," she said she believed. "I felt like a monster."

Crane turned to prostitution to support her drug habit, and became homeless and broke. As her situation spiraled downward, she decided to take her life.

"I was going to do it with drugs, because it was going to be slow and painful. That's what I felt like I deserved," she said. But before she could act on her plan, police arrested her for drug possession.

Crane went to court, and began receiving counseling from Aversa. With support from her therapist, the courts and her family, today she is married, has a child and is the national spokeswoman for a nonprofit organization, traveling around the country to tell her story.

Experiences like Crane's are helping to change the care female veterans receive. "We're undergoing a culture change within the Department of Veterans Affairs," Patricia Hayes, the VA's chief consultant on women's health, told "Recon."

VA estimates that 6,500 female veterans are homeless and live on the nation's streets -- double the number from 10 years ago. VA also reported that one in five women veterans reported military sexual trauma during their military service, and the number of women with PTSD is increasing.

The wartime roles for servicewomen have changed because of their exposure to combat today," Hayes said. Women were close to bombings in Vietnam, but not like in Iraq and Afghanistan, she said, which have involved carrying an M-16 rifle and being alert for roadside bombs.

Women need time to adjust after returning home, Hayes said.

"They need time to work through [what] they've been exposed to," she added. "A lot of women say they're thrust right back into family life. They tell us, 'The laundry is piled up.'"

McGraw outlined signs that someone is struggling with readjustment issues. She cited symptoms such as the inability to get a good quality sleep, nightmares, or the feeling of reliving events from a deployment when awake, disturbing dreams about deployment events, changes in mood, irritability feeling increasingly on edge or keyed up, or getting startled easily.

Veteran Genevieve Chase, who suffered a traumatic head injury after the vehicle she was riding in exploded, said told "Recon" that in spite of the struggles women try to overcome, their patriotism remains intact.

"Even the women who are trying to get on their feet or have been struggling through military sexual trauma, substance abuse, suicide or any major issue, ... when they come home, every single one of them is still proud of their service," Chase said.

The Pentagon Channel's "Recon" series is a monthly, 30-minute broadcast that provides an in-depth look at operations, missions, military events, history and other subjects highlighting the accomplishments of U.S. military men and women. All "Recon" programs are posted on the Pentagon Channel's website.

DOD Needs Cost-conscious Acquisitions Employees, Official Says

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 - The Defense Department acquisitions, technology and logistics office will need some of the brightest, most cost-conscious workers asking tough, introspective questions to meet the strategic and budgetary demands of the future, the office's acting director said here yesterday.

In remarks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Frank Kendall outlined the office's way forward under the administration's 10-year military strategy guidance and amid shrinking budget forecasts.

Kendall is President Barack Obama's nominee to succeed Ashton B. Carter -- now the deputy defense secretary -- as undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics.

"Acquisitions is not a science," he said. "There is a lot of art to this. We do very hard things that have never been done before. There's always going to be a learning process, but until we start examining carefully the impact of our policies, we're not going to learn enough from our experiences to put good things in place."

Kendall said many of the department's acquisitions problems stem from a culture that hasn't emphasized cost consciousness enough. He said a fighter pilot recently told him that every September, his unit would fly around burning up fuel, because any fuel left when the new budget year started Oct. 1 would be seen as excess, and the fuel allocation would then be cut for the next year.

"That's not the kind of culture we want," he added.

Kendall said he has spoken with all the service chiefs to elevate the abilities, characteristics and prestige of the acquisitions workforce.

"It is, in many cases, rocket science," he said. "It takes true professionalism to make this work. Leadership qualities have everything to do with success or failure."

Also, Kendall said, he is working with the Joint Staff to make acquisitions requirements specific, translatable, and feasible. "Sometimes requirements are so vague, there is no way to translate it onto a contract," he said, "so then industry defines what it means."

When the administration's proposed cuts in projected defense spending rose to $487 billion over 10 years, Pentagon officials had to take a new look at the way forward, Kendall said. "We had to step back at that point, because the cuts were so deep, and look at our fundamental strategy," he added.

Kendall said Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believe strongly that the right approach is to build toward a goal, as opposed to just making cuts. "So we asked the question, 'What do we want the Defense Department to look like in 2020?'" he said.

That question was answered with the new military strategy guidance unveiled last month that outlines a smaller, more agile and flexible military focused on the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. For the acquisitions and technology picture, Kendall said, it is a military that no longer spends billions of dollars on major weapons systems that are seriously over budget and off schedule.

Because the president's fiscal 2013 budget proposal is to be presented to Congress next week, Kendall said, he would not go into specifics about it in yesterday's forum.

"There probably will be some fine tuning," he said, "but I think we got it about right, and we have good evidence for the choices we made. They were painful. Some of them were extremely painful. But we tended to emphasize the positive."

The administration's budget proposal maintains all recapitalization and modernization requirements, Kendall said, and "all the programs we still have, we very much need."

The acquisitions office was prepared for the cuts because of the work it started in 2010 when then-Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced streamlining measures. Panetta has carried those measures through since succeeding Gates, Kendall said.

Kendall's highest priority, he said, is to strengthen the federal acquisitions workforce. Other priorities include strengthening the military industrial base, preserving technical superiority and buying into only affordable and dependable programs.

"We have to move forward," he said. "The times are such that to do anything else would be irresponsible."
 

Face of Defense: Military Spouse Enlightens, Educates

By T. Anthony Bell
Army News Service

FORT LEE, Va., Feb. 7, 2012 - You don't have to meet Latorial Faison to know her.

Latorial Faison, a military spouse and educator at Fort Lee, Va., says the strength of her calling as a poet lies in her ability to ignore what people might think of her work. U.S. Army photo by T. Anthony Bell (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

A Fort Lee military spouse and educator, Faison offers up her thoughts and feelings with such a naked and unadulterated truth that one might feel a form of intimacy with this native of rural Southhampton County.

"I tell people all the time that writing is risky," the 38-year-old mother of three said, "because you have to say what you feel, be truthful."

Raised by nonbiological grandparents who adopted her at a young age, Faison's being was formed in the church and is grounded in such values as hard work and family unity. She took up writing in grade school and eventually wound up studying English and religion at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, earning degrees from both.

She later went on to teach extensively in various parts of the country. She is currently an instructor at Virginia State University.

On her calling as a poet, Faison said the strength lies in her ability to ignore what people might think of her work.

"I don't look for the confirmation of others to tell me who I am, or that what I'm doing is worthy," she said. "If you're looking for confirmation, then you might not ever tell the story."

Confirmation certainly was not on her mind when she was invited to speak at her high school graduation years ago. Faison was warned to remove references to Christianity from her address, but she refused to do so.

"They told me two days before graduation, 'You have to take that out,'" recalled the deeply religious Faison. "Guess what? I left it in. That's the story of my life -- if others set a boundary and I feel like I need to cross it, I'm going to cross it."

Faison uses this trademark approach to share, teach and enlighten; especially when she's penning prose about black history and culture. She has written two books on the subject and many other separate works. Her efforts seems to subscribe to the notion that black history, although full of monumental achievements and celebrated as such during African-American History Month, also is fraught with inhumanity and heartbreak. These unpleasantries are worthy of acknowledgement, she noted.

Faison's poem titled "Tears for Freedom" is one of many that tackle events and issues in which the word "celebration" isn't quite the right fit.

They swallowed the great
Atlantic to loose the grip

Of shackles and chains
They leaped boldly from

Ships of inhumanity
To priceless freedom

Mother Earth was drenched
In blood and tears as one child
Enslaved another

Faison acknowledges such content may make some uncomfortable, but history can't be changed, she said, or sugar-coated. However, she added, she isn't interested in digging up the past to incite anger, inflict pain or cause guilt, but rather to use it to help all people understand the unique struggles of African-Americans and to support efforts to better race relations.

"For instance, in the workplace and various places in the community," she explained, "you might see a black, or any person for that matter, and you might not understand what their motives are -- why they do what they do. If you knew something about their history, you will understand that person better."

Faison might have been thinking along those lines when she wrote these verses in her poem "Celebrate":

Celebrate freedom's long road,
Every man and woman who bore the load.

Recognize every black institution.
Celebrate every black contribution.

Know the pride of black power.
Stand together in the final hour.

Acknowledge black history on any day.
Allow freedom to ring in the noblest way.

Faison's poetic range runs the full spectrum of emotion, from rage to pride. She said when she was younger, she wrote to "get things off my chest." As a result, many of those works are stinging, and even startling.

Faison said she still has the ability to alarm, but her expressions have evolved into something beyond her emotions. That ability is displayed in "Time to Be Set Free," a social and historical indictment that black people need "to let that past die and learn how to move beyond it," she said.

"I don't mean that we should forget it, that we don't honor it, that we don't teach it, but we don't sulk in its tragedy so much so that it deters us from prospering individually or collectively":

On this day we must recognize
That misconstrued fate has been baptized
Thrown from wretched slave ships capsized

To revisit the land of the living
Where we stare at one another
Half-way forgiving
For a past we never were meant to see
One so full of history

Let it be ... just simply be
A time to kill
that negative
get-us-nowhere noise
And be set free.

Faison said she will continue to use verse to move people beyond the pain of the past, but she concedes that much work has to be done.

"People are still uncomfortable with our history," she said. "We need to get to a place where we can comfortably and honestly talk about things. And I don't think we are where we need to be."

Faison said she plans to support her husband in his retirement, complete her doctorate, write fiction and nonfiction books, work full-time at a public institution and become a dean.
 

Pentagon Press Secretary Holds First Twitter Town Hall

By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 - For 30 minutes yesterday, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little traded a range of 140-character questions and answers with hundreds of users of the online social networking service called Twitter.

Topics included the situation in Syria, Defense Department energy-saving efforts, cooperation between the military services and international development organizations, unmanned aerial vehicles, wounded warriors, tensions with Iran, military benefits for same-sex partners, cyber threats and many more.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the first DOD Twitter town hall," Little told American Forces Press Service, adding that he appreciated engaging with the "Twitterverse."

In 2011, Twitter estimated that it had 300 million users worldwide.

"Social media is now an important forum for addressing topics of concern to troops and family members and the American public," Little said, "so it makes sense to engage not just in traditional formats, but on the Internet."

Difficult topics can be a challenge on Twitter because of the 140-character limit, the press secretary acknowledged. "But you can do multiple tweets, and you can also point people through Web links to other sources that have more material," he said.

Little, whose Twitter handle is @PentagonPresSec, said he needed some help to keep the rapid-fire session efficient. "I decided which [questions] to answer," he said. "I had some colleagues helping me manage the inflow of questions, but the answers were my own." Participating tweeters marked their questions with the hashtag #AskDOD.

Following is a sampling of Little's answers to questions posed during the session:

-- @13monsters asks about Libya v. Syria. Each difficult situation, but approaches to dealing with crises must be case-by-case.

-- @BrandiMaples asks about PTSD. #troops screened on redeployment and 3-6 mos after return. Committed to diagnosing & treating.

-- @antman311 asks about unmanned systems and Global Hawk. We will continue to invest in UAVs. Key intel and targeting tool.

-- @moberhoffner asks about #energysecurity. DoD has major efforts underway led by @ASD_Sharon Burke to improve battlefield energy efficiency.

-- @scott__diller asks re: wounded warriors. We do everything possible to support WWs. Visited WWs in Ger on Fri. Many want to return to serve!

After several people asked about DOD energy conservation efforts, Sharon E. Burke, assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, leapt in to help.

"@ASD_SharonBurke DOD Energy / DoD energy security means better defense, less risk, lower costs, from geostrat to tactics see http://energy.defense.gov/Operational_Energy_Strategy @pentagonpressec #askDOD," she tweeted.

"There were several good questions," Little said. "They varied widely, but I certainly after this experience see the power of this format. On certain issues you can connect people to other organizations. You can address very briefly a national security issue, and you can dialogue directly with people without filters."

Little said he may do more Twitter town hall events. Today, a few of the questions from yesterday's town hall are being answered through the @DeptofDefense account on Twitter.
 

Breeding Program Turns Puppies Into Troops

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas, Feb. 7, 2012 - Bernadine Green stands tall amid a group of young military recruits in training, assessing their behavior for signs of future excellence.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Russell Minta, senior noncommissioned officer for the Defense Department's Military Working Dog Breeding Program on Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, plays with a puppy. The program provides working dogs to every service branch and numbers among the largest military breeding programs in the world. DOD photo by Linda Hosek (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

But for the moment, Green is content to just stand back and watch. These future troops are, after all, just a few weeks old and of a much different sort -- or, to put it more accurately, breed -- than their military training counterparts.

While Lackland is known for its basic military training -- a grueling eight-and-a-half week program that turns young men and women into airmen -- it's also home to the Defense Department's Military Working Dog Breeding Program, which provides working dogs to every service branch and numbers among the largest military breeding programs in the world.

Green, the program's deputy director and a former Maryland State Police canine handler, is among a team of dog experts that breed, train and raise Belgian Malinois to serve alongside other military working dogs, a select group used by DOD and other government agencies for patrol, drug and explosive detection, and in specialized missions both stateside and overseas.

The breeding program, administered by the 341st Training Squadron, is an important DOD asset, Green told American Forces Press Service as she cradled an 11-week-old Belgian Malinois named Donja in her arms. "We can provide a product that's specially tailored for our needs," she said. "We can start these puppies from birth ... and really start guiding them along the DOD training path."

At the heart of the program are the breeders -- known as stud dogs and brood bitches -- which are selected for their outstanding performance as military working dogs. Experts select only Belgian Malinois for this purpose, Green explained, because that breed tends to make outstanding working dogs, able to carry out their mission equally well on an installation or in a combat zone.

Once a litter is born, the puppies progress through three phases that help determine their suitability to become a military working dog. The first phase, called whelping, takes place from until the puppies are 8 weeks old. This early on, whelping care attendants mainly are getting a feel for the puppies' personalities and exposing them to a variety of sounds.

Meanwhile, trainers and development specialists are keeping an eye out for the attributes that bode well for a successful working dog, Green said as she gestured toward a litter of puppies -- fourth-generation DOD -- tumbling over each other in a small playhouse. She ticked off a list of those qualities: not afraid of noises, inquisitive, eager to check out new places, sociable, not overly aggressive, and eager to play with objects, such as toys and balls.

As if on cue, Donja -- whose birth name is Ddonja, in keeping with the program's official double-letter naming convention -- wiggled out of Green's arms and began gnawing on a rope. DOD-bred dogs' names all start with double letters, she explained, to distinguish them from other military working dogs.

At about eight weeks, the puppies are placed in a foster home, where they stay for about five months. Foster families are volunteers from San Antonio and outlying communities. Some are service members or veterans, while others have military affiliation, but all share a common desire to serve.

"Families love to do it," Green said. "It's their way of giving back to the community and the military, and also for the sheer pleasure of caring for a puppy."

The foster phase serves several purposes, she explained. By living in a home versus an austere kennel, they learn social skills and are exposed to a variety of environments. "Families take them everywhere -- to school, playgrounds, stores, work," Green said. "It broadens the puppy's horizon."

Having foster homes also keeps the program's costs manageable, she added.

"This phase is probably the most integral part of the program," Green noted. "Without these foster parents raising puppies, ... we don't get well-rounded dogs."

At about 7 months old, foster families return the puppy to Green and her colleagues, a challenging time not just for the puppy, but also for the families who have grown attached to their now-beloved family member.

"We have a lady who fostered 13 puppies and one of the brood bitches," Green said. Each time she returns a puppy, she added, "she cries a blue streak."

The transition also can be tough on the puppy, Green noted, which now must adjust to sleeping in a kennel instead of their home. "They're taken care of, but it's not the same as being with their family," she said.

Some puppies don't recover from the loss, which is a strong indicator the dog isn't suited for military work. In that case, the dog is put up for adoption, Green said, noting there's a long list of people waiting to adopt DOD dogs.

The puppies that adjust well enter adolescent training, an intensive phase that lasts about five months and serves as a precursor to working dog training. Trainers use this time to expose the dogs to situations and environments they may encounter on an installation or in a combat zone, such as aircraft, vehicles and strange buildings, and to sounds such as gunfire.

"We evaluate how they are environmentally, their object drive, how long they'll play or interact with us," Green said. "This all leads to the ability to train as a detection dog."

When they're about 12 months old, the dogs are evaluated for entry into the 341st Training Squadron's Military Working Dog Training Program here, which is about 120 days long and teaches the dogs how to patrol and detect drugs and bombs worldwide. The squadron also trains all handlers, kennel masters and specialized mission function dog teams for the Defense Department.

Puppies that enjoy biting on balls, rags and "bite sleeves" tend to make good patrol dogs, Green explained, which are dogs tasked with security. They work with a handler to protect government assets, to track and apprehend, and to search buildings, among other tasks. Dogs that prefer to use their nose versus their teeth most likely will excel at detection work, she added, such as sniffing out explosives.

The program's goal is to produce about a third of DOD's working dog requirement, or about 270 dogs militarywide, Green noted.
While most of these dogs are assigned to military installations worldwide, based on demand, some may be sent to another government agency, such as the Transportation Security Administration. The 341st supports the TSA canine detection program with shared training facilities and working dog procurement.

"Right now, the need is great for detection dogs," she said, noting that the demand for these dogs skyrocketed after 9/11 and continues with the ongoing dangers posed to troops by homemade bombs. "These puppies will save more people with their nose than they ever will with their teeth."

Army Sgt. 1st Class Russell Minta, the program's senior noncommissioned officer, credits his former military working dog for his safe return from two deployments in Iraq. "He took care of me downrange," he said. "No one ever got within a leash length of me, and I was never worried about running into a bomb of any type. He cleared thousands of homes and roadways and fields."

As Green headed back to a private room to check on a new litter of puppies, she noted her pride at taking part in a mission that saves lives and protects troops in places such as Afghanistan.

It's a mission she expects to continue, particularly since it ensures a steady supply of quality working dogs to the military.

"We have a homegrown source right here," she said.
 

Combined Force Captures Taliban Leader

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force Joint Command News Releases

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 - An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan's Helmand province today, military officials reported.

One additional suspect was detained, officials said.

The Taliban leader moved supplies for fighters and directed an insurgent cell specializing in bomb attacks throughout the province.

In other Afghanistan operations today:

-- A combined force captured a Haqqani network leader and detained another suspect in the Pul-e Alam district of Logar province. The leader conducted attacks against Afghan forces.

-- Also in Logar's Pul-e Alam district, a combined force captured a Haqqani network leader who directed roadside-bomb and direct-fire attacks against Afghan forces.

-- An Afghan-led and coalition-supported force captured a Haqqani network facilitator and detained two other suspects in the Khost district of Khost province. The facilitator supplied explosives for use in attacks against Afghan forces.

-- A combined force captured a Taliban facilitator and detained two other suspects in the Arghandab district of Kandahar province. The facilitator supplied insurgents with explosives.

-- In Kandahar's Maiwand district, a combined force detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban leader who conducts direct-fire and roadside-bomb attacks.

-- A combined force in Helmand's Nahr-e Saraj district detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban leader who distributes ammunition and weapons to insurgents.

In operations yesterday:

-- In Helmand's Washir district, an Afghan-led and coalition-supported force detained several suspects while searching for an insurgent leader responsible for attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

-- An Afghan-led and coalition-supported force detained two suspects in the Shah Joy and Qalat districts of Zabul province.

In Feb. 4 operations:

-- Afghan soldiers and police captured a suspected Taliban bomb maker and weapons manufacturer in Zabul's Mizan district. The Afghan forces also confiscated numerous weapons, a motorcycle and bomb-making materials. The operation was developed from Afghan intelligence reports. Planning, coordination and execution of the mission was a joint effort involving the Afghan army, the national police and the national security service, officials said.
 

U.S., Japanese Officials Discuss Military Realignment

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 - U.S. and Japanese representatives met at the State Department yesterday to discuss changes under consideration to agreements on realignment of U.S. forces in the Pacific.

Specifically, the discussions centered on the 2006 Roadmap to Realignment and the 2009 Guam International Agreement, said Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Participants reaffirmed their governments' commitment to maintaining and enhancing a robust security alliance dedicated to Japan's security and to maintaining peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region, Hull-Ryde said.

"The [U.S. government] remains committed to enhancing the U.S.-Japan alliance and strengthening operational capabilities while significantly reducing the impact of U.S. bases on the Okinawan people," she added.

These and related longstanding agreements, negotiated over many years, describe the linkage between the Marine Corps Air Station Futenma relocation, the Marine Corps move to Guam and land returns on Okinawa, the commander said.

During the meeting, she added, "representatives reaffirmed their support of the principles of the 2006 Realignment Roadmap and pursuit of a military presence in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region that is operationally resilient, geographically distributed and politically sustainable."

The two countries remain fully committed to the implementation of a Futenma replacement facility and the relocation of the Futenma air base to Camp Schwab, she added.

Guam remains an essential part of the larger U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy, which includes developing Guam as a strategic hub and to establishing an operational Marine Corps presence on Guam by relocating some Marines there from Okinawa.

No decisions were made at yesterday's meeting, Hull-Ryde said.
 

Special Ops, Conventional Forces Work Together, Admiral Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Feb. 7, 2012 - The demands of 10 years of war have driven special operations and general-purpose forces closer together, the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said here today.

Navy Adm. William H. McRaven told an audience at a special operations and low-intensity conflict convention that military and interagency personnel have forged new relationships and broken new ground since 9/11.

Special operations forces have a prominent role in the new defense strategy guidance that President Barack Obama laid out last month, and McRaven said collaboration among the civilian and military leaders acknowledged the key role that special ops forces will play in the future.

"Not only has the last 10 years demonstrated the tactical, operational and strategic value of [special operations forces], but from a business sense, it has highlighted the cost-effectiveness of our force," he said.

The special operations force has grown from 33,000 personnel in 2001 to 66,000 today. The budget has increased from $3.3 billion in 2001 to $10.5 billion today. But even with those increases, the admiral noted, those forces still represent less than 1.6 percent of the entire Defense Department budget.

But that can be a bit misleading, McRaven said, noting that Special Operations Command relies on the military services for combat service and combat service support.

"Additionally, our success is dependent on the interagency and coalition partners," McRaven said. "Special operations today is a networked force that cannot be effective without these strong linkages to other organizations and other national special operations forces."

The future looks bright, but there are challenges, the admiral said. He spoke of three lines of operations that will be important.

The first, he said, is to win the current fight against extremism. The bulk of this effort is in Afghanistan, but it is far from the only front. Special operations forces are deployed in 75 countries on any given day, handling civil-military operations, providing security force assistance, and helping to shape good governance and anti-corruption messages, he said.

"This mostly nonkinetic and indirect approach is the past, the present and the future of special operations forces," McRaven said. "Working by, with, and through the host nation forces, we are helping to reduce the spread of extremism and eliminate the conditions that facilitate the rise of terror networks."

The second line of operation is about expanding the global special operations force alliance. "Much of this work is being done through geographic combatant commanders and their special operations commands," McRaven said.

The third line of operation is to preserve the special operations force, McRaven told the audience. "I have said repeatedly ... that we cannot achieve success ... unless we take care of the force," he said. "To this end, we are taking a holistic approach to increase deployment and training predictability."

The admiral also said he is working to ensure special operations personnel and their families get the best of care.

The collaboration between special operations and general purpose forces is not new. In Afghanistan, the 162nd Infantry Brigade -- also called the 162nd Security Force Assistance Brigade -- has two battalions partnered with special operations forces performing village stability operations. The Air Force has established an air advisory training academy program for light utility aircraft and light attack aircraft squadrons to train forces of partner nations. The Navy has established a global fleet station for partner-nation engagement, as well as a riverine warfare group and a maritime civil affairs group in direct support of special operations.

"The necessities of war drove [special operations] and general purpose forces closer together, and the new military strategy will take advantage of those relationships and build on the lessons learned," McRaven said.