Published: 5/21/2013

Some 250 Oklahoma National Guard members are helping with recovery efforts after a massive tornado pounded an Oklahoma City suburb yesterday, killing at least 24 people and leaving neighborhoods, homes and businesses flattened or twisted, a senior Army National Guard leader said today.

Brig. Gen. Emery Fountain is an Army National Guard member from Oklahoma, who normally makes his home a few miles from Moore, where the tornado struck. Fountain currently works in the national capital region as support special assistant to Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. William E. Ingram Jr., but has been in close contact with his counterparts at home.

“They’ve established a perimeter around the location … that was most affected, [and] they’re managing traffic in and out of that area where the destruction was most significant,” he said. “They’re also providing clean, potable water to the first responders and the folks that are involved in the response.”

Fountain noted that as a longtime Guard member in his home state, he has responded to previous disasters, including the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. He also responded to previous tornados, he noted, so when yesterday’s monster storm hit, he knew his fellow Guard troops would kick into gear.

“You know it’s a rapidly evolving situation,” he said. “And you also know that there are first responders -- local, state, and federal in many cases -- that are immediately responding.” In such circumstances, National Guard members act as enablers to help those first responders do what they do, Fountain said.

He noted state emergency management offices have the lead in initial response, and National Guard forces are one of the resources they can call on.

Right now, Fountain said, about 250 Guard members are helping in disaster relief efforts, from a total of 6,384 in the state and a regional Guard force of 45,272, made up of members from Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas along with Oklahoma’s citizen-soldiers.

“All the states are very well postured, based on their demographics, to support their population,” he noted.

The Guard has a very robust reporting system, the general said.

“So you allow the leadership there, within the Oklahoma National Guard, [to] push information to us, rather than us to be part of their challenge, and clogging their networks with requests for information,” Fountain said. “Because of our standard operating procedures, they know how frequently we need information. … We pretty much are on the receiving end.”

Typically as disaster response efforts evolve, he said, “the National Guard Bureau has a team that we send forward -- and that team is, in fact, en route [to Oklahoma] -- that is there to offer them liaison to the entire ‘Guard Nation,’” or the Army and Air National Guards of all U.S. states and territories and the District of Columbia.

Fountain said he contacted Oklahoma Guard leaders yesterday to send his thoughts and prayers and offer any resources needed.

“We don’t want to inundate them with manpower and resources that would just get in the way,” he noted. “We right now are very much just in a posture to respond to their needs, and thankfully, we have a balanced force across the Army and the Air National Guard … and they have a great deal of capacity.”

Fountain explained that while tornados are common in Oklahoma and several other states, the disaster response efforts soldiers train and units plan for are more general in nature.

“We have contingency plans for all types of events,” he noted. “But I found in my time as the operations officer for the Oklahoma Guard that it is best to have very general contingency plans.

“For example,” Fountain continued, “whether you’re reacting to a hurricane, a tornado, an earthquake or a high-yield explosive, you’re dealing with failed infrastructure, collapsed structures, you’re dealing with the requirement to secure a specific area -- and so we simply leverage that capability and capacity of those formations within that particular state.”

The National Guard offers states the resource of a force trained and equipped for national defense but able to respond to natural disasters at home, Fountain said.

“And we do it quite well,” he noted. “In this particular case, they immediately went in with … a quick-reaction force, and that initial force is to get there very rapidly -- I wouldn’t say minutes, but hours -- so that we’re there with the first responders. And we normally will establish a perimeter around the incident site.”

Such a perimeter can be large, with multiple traffic control points, but the presence of a National Guard member at such a place and such a time can be calming for local populations and help keep people from putting themselves at risk, he said.

“Our initial focus is always in saving lives and executing a rescue,” he said. “What closely follows that is getting infrastructure back up -- whether it’s broken natural gas lines, power lines that are loose and hot -- and we partner with the local utilities to help them.”

Fountain said National Guard forces bring a particular comfort in disaster settings, because they’re helping family, friends and neighbors.

“The National Guard -- and the country -- has never let down a community,” he said. “So we’re always there. I think they know that. As soon as the public sees uniforms, it’s a calming factor. And their Guardsmen are their brothers and sisters. They get a call … and they report to duty, and they suit up, and they take on citizen-soldier mode and get after it, and stay on the mission until it’s done.”
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

The American people will stand with their fellow citizens in Oklahoma, President Barack Obama said today from the White House.

At least 24 people were killed by a tornado that struck Moore, Okla., yesterday, nine of them children who sheltered in an elementary school.

“As a nation, our full focus right now is on the urgent work of rescue, and the hard work of recovery and rebuilding that lies ahead,” the president said.

Federal, state and local resources have been mobilized to help those in need. The president has issued a disaster declaration to expedite resources to support the immediate response, “and to offer direct assistance to folks who have suffered loss,” he said.

The president said he met with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Advisor Lisa Monaco to underscore the point that Oklahoma needs to get everything that it needs right away. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate is on his way to Oklahoma to speed and coordinate federal relief. FEMA deployed to Oklahoma’s Emergency Operations Center on May 19, as the state already was facing down the first wave of deadly tornadoes.

“FEMA activated urban search and rescue teams from Texas, Nebraska and Tennessee to assist in the ongoing search and rescue efforts, and a mobile response unit to boost communications and logistical support,” Obama said.

“The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them as long as it takes,” the president said. “For there are homes and schools to rebuild, businesses and hospitals to reopen, there are parents to console, first responders to comfort, and, of course, frightened children who will need our continued love and attention.”

Americans will help their neighbors in Oklahoma, the president said, because in times of crisis, Americans pull together. “We’ve seen that spirit in Joplin, in Tuscaloosa. We saw that spirit in Boston and Breezy Point,” he said. “And that’s what the people of Oklahoma are going to need from us right now.”

The president prepared the nation for a long adverse weather season. Tornadoes threaten four states today, and next week is the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season, he noted.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin activated the National Guard yesterday, and as of this morning, nearly 250 Guard soldiers and airmen were assisting with security and the search for victims.
 

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Published: 5/22/2013

Oklahoma National Guard soldiers are assisting law enforcement officials and other responders in the wake of a deadly tornado that killed 24 people and flattened part of this Oklahoma City suburb May 20.

The Oklahoma Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team’s 22 soldiers specialize in search and rescue operations, atmospheric monitoring for hazardous materials and searching for physical hazards such as live downed electrical lines. Many of the unit members have previously deployed and have responded to other natural disasters, including the search and rescue mission following a tornado in Piedmont, Okla., nearly two years ago.

But this mission has special meaning, as many of the soldiers know people who have been directly affected by this disaster and some even live in the path of the tornado that struck here.

“We get to serve our community at home,” said Army Sgt. Warren Williams, a member of the 63rd CST. “There are a lot of other agencies coming from other locations, but this is personal for us. These are people we know. There are people in the unit who have been affected by this personally, so it’s satisfying to be out here helping our fellow neighbors.”

First responders from across the country have converged on Oklahoma City and Moore to assist with the search and recovery effort. The efforts of the soldiers and first responders have resulted in more than 100 survivors being rescued from storm shelters where they sought refuge from the tornado.

Although the mission for the 63rd CST is far from complete, the commitment of service to community that has been demonstrated by the Oklahoma National Guard has greatly affected the success in the joint operation between military and local law enforcement officials here.

“We work with the National Guard all of the time; it’s a really good pairing,” said Dr. Joe Holley, head of Tennessee Task Force 1 and an emergency medical services physician. “The military is great at the logistics part of a mission, and we have some special capabilities … that tie together in order to get the job done.”
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

Nearly 250 members of the Oklahoma National Guard are assisting with victim search and security today in Moore, Okla., where a monster tornado left at least 24 dead, including nine children, authorities said.

The twister hit yesterday about 3:15 p.m. CDT, when children were still in two elementary schools in the Oklahoma City suburb.

The tornado, packing winds of up to 200 mph, tore off the roof of Plaza Towers Elementary School and pulverized walls. Volunteers joined first responders to help in rescuing children and staff from the devastation, the Associated Press reported.

Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin activated the airmen and soldiers yesterday. Among those responding was the 146th Air Support Operations Squadron from nearby Will Rogers Air National Guard Base in Oklahoma City. In a video interview, Air Force 2nd Lt. Gabriel Bird said the unit members carried thermal imaging gear to help locate those buried in rubble.

"Hopefully, we’ll find survivors," Bird said.

Members also carried basic medical supplies and multiband radios to communicate with ground and aircraft crews, Bird said.

"We're a pretty new unit, so we haven’t supported any state emergencies," Bird said. But he noted that many squadron members are veterans who have supported other disaster-recovery operations when assigned to other units.
 

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Published: 5/22/2013

The United States and China, by increasing their dialogue and engagement, can build a foundation of trust while fostering regional security and prosperity, the top U.S. commander in the region said yesterday.

“While competition between the United States and China is inevitable, conflict is not,” Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told members of the National Committee for U.S. China Relations in New York.

“This means identifying strategic areas where our two countries can cooperate, while recognizing frankly and openly the areas where we will continue to differ, and to manage those,” he said. “Our approach is to manage the friction and disruptive competition and increase areas of congruence and cooperation between our two nations.”

Locklear encouraged the China experts to envision a future in which “the U.S. and China collaborate to build upon an existing Indo-Asia-Pacific community of peace and prosperity.”

Reaching that goal, he said, requires recognizing, understanding and managing areas of divergence that could disrupt the security environment. These range from China’s concerns that the U.S. strategic pivot to the Asia-Pacific region is designed to contain China’s rise to differences in how the two countries view the maritime global commons and the lack of common ground on behavior in cyberspace.

Locklear emphasized that the rebalance is a whole-of-government strategy, recognizing that “the United States’ success in the 21st century will, to a large extent, depend on what happens in this critically important region of the world.”

Based on a strategy of collaboration and cooperation, the rebalance acknowledges the reality that the United States’ future is “inextricably linked” to Asia’s, he said. And one of the fundamental goals in implementing it is to build a “stable, productive and constructive relationship with China,” he added.

Despite many areas of divergence between the two countries, Locklear said, he believes they’re outweighed by areas where the United States and China share common interests.

“First, it is my belief that neither of our two nations desire conflict, especially armed conflict,” he said.

But both countries must also recognize the major roles they both play in the region, he said. “The Pacific is big enough for all of us,” Locklear told the group, borrowing a quote from both former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the United States’ and China’s economic relationship -- one that Locklear said draws them together and positively affects the entire region.

The admiral noted other promising developments that are solidifying this foundation: China’s growing participation in the international community, its commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula and its efforts to address HIV/AIDS and pandemic diseases, among them.

Meanwhile, China is demonstrating “a real appetite to deepen the military-to-military dialogue and build on those areas on which we converge,” Locklear said. The goal, he said, is to continually improve the channels of communication and to demonstrate practical cooperation on issues that matter to both sides.

Gen. Fang Fenghu, China’s top military officer, identified counterterrorism, antipiracy, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, logistics and military medicine as potential areas of cooperation during a visit to Beijing by Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Looking to the future, Locklear said, it’s vital that both China and the United States recognize their responsibilities as regional and global leaders.

“We must move beyond our individual differences to bring consensus to issues that threaten regional stability and future prosperity,” he said. That includes partnering with other nations to address regional security challenges such as piracy, terrorism, proliferation and pandemic disease.

Secondly, he said, the two countries must work together and with the international community to ensure access to the shared domains through universally accepted standards. This extends from the maritime domain -- and territorial disputes in the South China and East China Seas -- to the cyber and space domains, where they can play a role in helping to establish worldwide standards and practices, he said.

Also key, Locklear said, is China’s increasing participation in regional military-to-military engagements. He cited progress in the Military Maritime Consultative Meeting and other forums, and China’s agreement to take part in the next Rim of the Pacific international maritime exercise.

These engagements help to build trust and mutual understanding and, ultimately, reduce the likelihood of miscommunication and miscalculation that could derail forward progress, Locklear said.

“I believe the best hope for sustained bilateral cooperation will come from strategically identifying those areas where our interests overlap and building, over time, greater understanding and trust between our two armed forces,” the admiral said.
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

The base community here immediately began supporting the civilian community, fellow airman and sailors and their families after the devastating tornado that struck nearby Moore, Okla., yesterday.

Twelve base firefighters and a safety officer were immediately dispatched to assist with rescue activities near 19th Street and Interstate 35 in Moore, and a surgeon was dispatched to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center. More help was provided overnight with lights, vehicles and water trucks, and volunteer airmen prepared to assist with crowd control and recovery efforts.

Air Force Col. Steven Bleymaier, 72nd Air Base Wing commander, directed Tinker’s airman and family readiness center to stand up its 24/7 emergency family assistance center to ensure base personnel and their families received effective support. Base personnel who need immediate assistance with food, clothing or emergency financial assistance can contact the center at 405-739-2747.

The emergency family assistance center also is seeking volunteers to "adopt" Tinker families who have been directly affected by the tornadoes by offering temporary shelter in their home.
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

A “DOD Live” blog post compiled by Ian Phillips of Defense Media Activity social media operations here provides a wide range of resources for people affected directly or indirectly by the deadly tornado that struck Moore, Okla., yesterday.

Links in the blog post include information or help related to:

-- Tips from Military OneSource on helping children cope with natural disasters;

-- How to administer psychological first aid after a disaster or traumatic event;

-- The PFA Mobile app, containing material adapted from the Psychological First Aid Operations Guide for responders who provide psychological first aid to adults, families and children;

-- The Red Cross database that for people to list themselves as “safe and well” or for loved ones to find people missing after a disaster; and

-- A Veterans Affairs Department list of resources for people needing help with post-traumatic stress.

The blog post also includes links to the Air Force Aid Society, Army Emergency Relief, the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance for service members who need financial assistance.
 

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Published: 5/22/2013

The Defense, Veterans Affairs and Health and Human Services departments yesterday reported on the progress they’ve made on initiatives to improve access to mental health services for veterans, service members and their families.

The initiatives are the result of an executive order President Barack Obama issued in August.

"One of the great challenges we face as a nation is how to provide quality, accessible, long-term mental health care for service members, veterans and their families,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said. “Using the combined resources and expertise from across the government, we are advancing services for those who have sacrificed so much for our nation."

The departments have released an interim report outlining their progress, including:

-- Increasing the capacity of the Veterans Crisis Line by 50 percent to help ensure that veterans in crisis can readily reach help;

-- Establishing 15 pilot projects in seven states in which VA works with community-based mental health providers to help veterans have timely access to mental health services;

-- VA hiring nearly 1,400 mental health providers and about 250 new peer specialists; and

-- Implementing a national suicide prevention campaign to connect veterans and service members to mental health services.

The departments also are working on additional initiatives called for in the executive order, including development of a national research action plan, officials said.
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Australian Defense Minister Stephen Smith met for a working lunch at the Pentagon this afternoon, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

In a statement summarizing the meeting, Little said the two defense leaders discussed the progress and cooperation between the United States and Australia on a number of fronts, including the rotation of U.S. forces to Australia, cooperation in space and cyberspace, and their nations’ shared commitment to investing in critical defense capabilities.

“Secretary Hagel commended the progress to date of the rotation of U.S. Marines to Australia, noting that the second company-sized rotation of Marines arrived in Darwin recently and will train with their Australian counterparts over the next six months,” the press secretary said.

Hagel also thanked Smith for Australia's significant commitment to the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan, Little added, and emphasized the enduring importance the United States places on the Asia-Pacific region.

“[He] assured Minister Smith of the American commitment to the Asia-Pacific and to the security of our allies and partners,” Little said. “The two leaders plan to meet again on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore next month."

The press secretary added that Hagel thanked Smith for his condolences in the wake of yesterday’s deadly tornado in Moore, Okla.
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

As dozens of fresh-faced recruits stood at attention here today and waited to raise their right hands, the U.S. military’s senior noncommissioned officer administered the oath of enlistment and commended them on their new journey.

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, imparted advice to the recruits during his tour of the New York Military Entrance Processing Station, the second-largest processing site in the nation.

“You have a little work to do before you earn that title of airman, Marine, Coast Guardsman, sailor or soldier,” Battaglia said to the enlistees. “But it’s certainly not a task that’s unachievable. It’ll take a lot of determination, a lot of grit, a lot of focus. … And never give up.”

Battaglia, a 33-year veteran of the Marine Corps, also thanked family members and friends who witnessed their loved ones enlist.

“We know that we are taking your sons and daughters and sisters and brothers away from you temporarily,” he said. “We’re going to do some great things with them. We’ll make them bigger and better, and they’re serving their nation.”

The MEPS mission is to evaluate applicants by applying established DOD standards during processing to determine eligibility for military service.

“Our vision is to be America’s elite source for military and federal employment screening,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Neal, medical noncommissioned officer in charge at the center.

The New York MEPS is part of a network of 65 centers located nationwide and in Puerto Rico.
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

Former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant and retired New York City fire captain John Vigiano is all too familiar with what he calls bad days.

Speaking after the Armed Forces Wounded Warrior Mural Dedication Ceremony at the William McKinley Intermediate School here, the soft-spoken, silver-haired veterans’ advocate discussed his experiences as military member, first responder and grieving father.

Having spent nearly four decades as a firefighter in Brooklyn, he seldom considered his life-saving responsibilities as work so much as a passion.

“Thirty-six years … I think I went to work five days, maybe six,” Vigiano said. “The rest of it was just great.”

Other days, he remembered, were not so great.

“Those were days of pretty significant losses,” Vigiano said. “When a fireman dies in your hands, you never forget that. It’s not a good day. The first time you find someone burned to death, it’s not a good day.”

But nothing, he said, could ever prepare him for the events of Sept. 11, 2001 –- the morning that both of his sons, John Jr. and Joe, perished in the line of duty while saving lives as the World Trade Center collapsed.

“9/11 will take me to the grave; both my sons were killed that day,” he said, his head lowered. “You go to bed saying, ‘I hope I don’t dream about it again, but you do.’”

John Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps as a New York City firefighter, while his younger brother, Joe, served as a detective in the New York Police Department. That particular morning, Vigiano was home watching the tragedy unfold with the rest of the world.

“The police department took my wife and me down to headquarters that afternoon and I stayed there until they closed the site,” Vigiano said. “Everyday from 6:30 in the morning to midnight, I’d walk the pile.”

At his wife’s request, he did not dig.

“She said, ‘if anything happens to you, I have nobody,’” he recalled. “So I just stood in the back and when a body was recovered, I’d go down and say a prayer and go back.”

His voice trembling, Vigiano said rescue teams found Joe’s remains, but they never found John Jr.

The elder Vigiano said his young granddaughter grew to comprehend that the spirit of her father lives on.

“That’s taken a lot to try and explain to her that his soul is still with us – that the body doesn’t mean anything,” Vigiano said.

Still, John and his wife of 50 years, Jan, pray for the day they find the bit of DNA that can finally bring them some closure.

“My wife and I bond together and we had 34 and 36 great years,” Vigiano said of his sons’ respective lives and, ironically, John Jr’s badge number, 3436.

“The last words that I spoke to my sons: ‘I love you’ and they said ‘I love you. It don’t get better than that.”
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

The Joint Information Environment isn’t a program, it’s an end state, the Defense Department’s deputy chief information officer for information enterprise said at an industry conference here today.

The term “Joint Information Environment” simply describes the ability to deliver data to the Defense Department’s military and civilian personnel wherever and whenever they need it, David L. DeVries explained.

“The bottom line is that the warfighter needs to have the mission accomplished, and to be successful, he needs to have the information there,” he said.

The department is working to define the final requirements for the capabilities that it wants for the Joint Information Environment, DeVries said, adding that the process should wrap up before mid-August.

This end state can’t be achieved without streamlining data delivery processes and eliminating excess capacity, DeVries said. Nor will it happen overnight, he added. “Replacing of legacy networks and putting in the right stuff takes time,” he said, adding that the way those networks are operated may change before they’re replaced.

The Defense Department now has about 1,850 data centers -- facilities used to house computer systems and associated components. In some instances, those data centers manage duplicate, parallel networks, DeVries said. For example, an Air Force unit housed at an Army base might have its own data center rather than using the one at the Army base. This leads to slower, less-efficient networks. But by fiscal year 2017, the number of data centers should be down to somewhere between 50 and 100, he said.

DeVries said he expects to develop a list of core data centers and their characteristics by the end of the summer.

The result will be a smaller physical network footprint that will move data much more quickly and efficiently and be easier to secure because it’s easier to oversee, DeVries said. “You have to know what you’ve got in order to secure it,” he said. “There is a need to know where your boundaries are, invest the money into the protection of those boundary lines where things cross, and to continuously monitor and sample the things in between.”

The streamlining process will carry over to acquisitions and personnel, he said, as enterprise-wide contracting becomes the standard and information technology staffs are consolidated.

With 3.5 million users on the unclassified side alone, DeVries said, “I can’t allow everyone to create their own network, to run it their own way, because then, truly, it’s too costly to secure.”

Ultimately, everyone will benefit, he said, because as the network becomes easier to secure, it will become more flexible -- something that takes on added importance as the department embraces mobile platforms.

“We're recognizing the fact that we can't just tether somebody to their desk,” DeVries said. “They've got to be mobile, whether they work from home or from work.”

These are paradigm shifts for the Defense Department and the military departments, DeVries said, but the Joint Information Environment will drive mission effectiveness.

One of the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan was that both technological and policy issues made data-sharing between partner nations difficult, he said. Policy problems can be worked through, DeVries noted, but the technological framework has to be in place for policy solutions to work.
 

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Published: 5/21/2013

During the busy season of military transfers, adjusting to new communities and registering children for school, more than 2,000 museums across the nation will open their doors, free of charge, to service members and their families as a break from the summer challenges, a Defense Department official said today.

From Memorial Day, May 27, through Labor Day, Sept. 2, all active duty service members, National Guardsmen and reservists and their families can take advantage of this cultural and educational opportunity in all 50 states.

“It’s an exciting, inspiring, educational and economical activity for our families to enjoy this summer,” said Navy Cmdr. Leslie Hull-Ryde, a Pentagon spokeswoman.

Launching its fourth year in a news conference today at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the 2013 Blue Star Museums Program is a collaboration among the Defense Department, Blue Star Families, the National Endowment for the Arts and the museums to give service members and their families a way to spend time together in their local museums.

“After long deployments, rigorous training schedules and very long hours, our time with our families is very limited and extremely precious to us,” Hull-Ryde said. “We are so grateful [to have] these programs. This program is an investment in our families.”

Arecord number of museums are participating this year. The program began in 2010 with free access to about 600 museums, while this year’s 2,000 is a figure that’s still growing, Blue Star Families and NEA officials said.

“This program is helping us make memories -- memories for our families,” Hull-Ryde said. “But it’s more than that. It is making a difference not only in the force of today, but in the force of the future.”
 

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