New Policy Bridges Korea Tour Normalization

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2010 - The top U.S. commander in South Korea has introduced a new policy prioritizing what positions qualify for highly sought-after command sponsorships for family members.

Army Gen. Walter L. "Skip" Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, chats with a student as he signs the ribbon he cut during the official opening the new Casey Elementary School at Camp Casey, South Korea, Sept. 15, 2010. Courtesy photo by Yu Hu Son (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.

Army Gen. Walter L. "Skip" Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, announced the new system this week to control the flow of command-sponsored military families to ensure infrastructure improvements underway are prepared to accommodate them, he explained in his "Sharp Point" blog. The policy reflects the huge popularity of tour normalization in South Korea, said Air Force Lt. Col. Angela Billings, the command's deputy public affairs officer.
With full tour normalization, assignments to South Korea will be more like assignments to Germany, Japan or other overseas installations. Single servicemembers typically will serve two-year tours, and troops who bring their families will stay for three years.
"We were overwhelmingly successful with our tour normalization efforts and had the wait list to show it," Billings said. "With over 900 on the wait list, the commander wanted a better, more transparent way for servicemembers and their families to make decisions affecting their lives."
The new policy is designed to reduce uncertainty for these families as the command works to expand command-sponsorship opportunities as quickly as possible, she said.
U.S. Forces Korea currently can accommodate just 4,600 families, but Sharp hopes to allow as many of the estimated 14,000 married troops currently in South Korea to bring their families as more housing, schools and other facilities become available. He promised in his blog message to pursue the funding and infrastructure initiatives needed to expand command sponsorships as quickly as possible.
"Because of the great quality of life and a desire for families to remain together at a time when many have been separated, more and more servicemembers want to come to Korea and more and more families want to accompany them," Sharp said in his command blog. "I appreciate your continued patience during this transition as we implement the revised [command-sponsorship program] policy on our way to full tour normalization in Korea."
"We simply had to take a more deliberate, graduated approach" to command sponsorships for the near term, Billings said. "The commander was clear: He didn't want to take on more than the infrastructure and facilities could manage in order to keep the quality of life for the families who are here at an acceptable level."
Under the new policy, top priority for command sponsorships will go to servicemembers assigned to key billets considered so vital to the mission that they mandate 24-month tours, regardless of whether the servicemembers bring their families, Sharp said.
U.S. Forces Korea established a new second-priority category for troops assigned to military jobs determined to provide commanders the greatest benefit when served in 24- and 36-month tours. These positions typically will be key leadership positions that require lengthy pre- or post-arrival training or certifications, or jobs involving low density and hard-to-fill skill sets, Sharp explained. Unit commanders will recommend what positions qualify for "Priority 2" status, subject to component commander approval, and they will vary by service, location and unit, he said.
The new policy gives commanders flexibility in filling the remaining "Priority 3" positions. Factors likely to be considered are recent deployments, consecutive overseas tours, dual military or single military family status and junior servicemember opportunities, Sharp said.
He noted that Navy and Marine Corps command sponsorship opportunities are aligned to specific positions, which are centrally managed by their respective service centers and are based on available allocations by location.
Commanders in South Korea will conduct town hall meetings and commander's calls over the next 10 days to explain the revised policy, answer questions and provide detailed information about the three command-sponsorship priority categories, Sharp said.
In addition, he has directed the chain of command to contact all servicemembers already on a waiting list for command sponsorship to explain how the new policy affects them and options available to them and their families.
Since Sharp took command of U.S. Forces Korea in 2008, he has advocated longer tours to benefit U.S. military families, cut down on moves and reduce disruption within the command.
The vast majority of U.S. troops in South Korea historically have served one-year, unaccompanied tours, so the normalization policy is ushering in big changes.
Nowhere is evidence of those changes quite so striking as at Camp Humphreys, once a quiet aviation base off the beaten track from Pyongtaek. It's transforming into a major hub for U.S. forces in South Korea, almost all of them scheduled to move south of the Han River within the next several years, and an unprecedented number of military families.
Army Col. Joseph Moore, the garrison commander, predicted that the post could ultimately become home to as many as 30,000 family members, swelling the base's total population to more than 62,000.
Meanwhile, Camp Casey's new Casey Elementary School, just 20 miles south of the demilitarized zone, opened its doors for the new school year Aug. 30.
Sharp joined Clifford Stanley, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, in mid-September to cut the ribbon on the new school that accommodates 363 kindergarten through eighth-grade students, most of them children of 2nd Infantry Division soldiers.
And because the school already is "bursting at the seams," Principal Shelly Kennedy is looking forward to an expansion next school year. That's when a second barracks building being renovated next door will be ready to accept about 250 more students.
"This reduces stress on the military," he told American Forces Press Service during a helicopter flight to the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "With families already separated by deployments, why have an unaccompanied tour if you don't have to?"
But Sharp said it also improves U.S. capability by reducing the turmoil of permanent-change-of-station moves, and that it underscores the enduring U.S. commitment to South Korea.
"To allow servicemembers to be here two and three years rather than just one year at a time has hugely increased capability," he told families at a luncheon before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. "It strengthens the alliance and sends a huge deterrent message to North Korea."
 

Biographies:

Related Sites: U.S. Forces Korea

Related Articles:
New School Signals Commitment to Families, Alliance
South Korea Post Readies for More Troops, Families

(CONTINUATION) Lake Effect Snow Warning issued December 02 at 3:20PM EST expiring December 03 at 6:00AM EST by NWS Buffalo ...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY... A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY. * LOCATIONS: PRIMARILY CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY AND NORTHERN LEWIS COUNTY THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE BAND WILL MOVE FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE TUG HILL REGION AND NORTHERN OSWEGO COUNTY AFTER MIDNIGHT. * TIMING: CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES IN THE MOST PERSISTENT BANDS. STORM TOTALS OF 12 TO 18 INCHES IN SOME AREAS. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. * IMPACTS: HEAVY SNOW WILL PRODUCE VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS WITH SNOW COVERED ROADS AND POOR VISIBILITY. TRAVEL ON INTERSTATE 81 WILL BE DIFFICULT FROM WATERTOWN TO PULASKI. IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.

...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY... A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY. * LOCATIONS: PRIMARILY CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY AND NORTHERN LEWIS COUNTY THROUGH THIS EVENING. THE BAND WILL MOVE FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE TUG HILL REGION AND NORTHERN OSWEGO COUNTY AFTER MIDNIGHT. * TIMING: CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES IN THE MOST PERSISTENT BANDS. STORM TOTALS OF 12 TO 18 INCHES IN SOME AREAS. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR. * IMPACTS: HEAVY SNOW WILL PRODUCE VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS WITH SNOW COVERED ROADS AND POOR VISIBILITY. TRAVEL ON INTERSTATE 81 WILL BE DIFFICULT FROM WATERTOWN TO PULASKI.

IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.

Army Researchers Study Computer, Human Networks

By Jian DeLeon Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2010 - Computer networks and social networks depend on interaction between individuals –- whether it's individual machines or human beings. The science of these complex interactions shares some common underlying themes, and a team of Army researchers hopes that examining these networks will provide feasible solutions. "Today's warfare and all types of military activities are truly permeated, if you wish, with networks. The most obvious ones are computer networks and communication networks, and our soldiers use them constantly and for numerous purposes in numerous diverse ways," Alexander Kott, chief of the Army Research Laboratory's network science division, said yesterday during a "DOD Live" bloggers roundtable. Kott said his position focuses on network-related phenomena and serves him well in his other role as manager of the Network Science Collaborative Technology Alliance, a program initiated by the Army about a year ago, which involves about 27 universities, a few companies, and about 200 researchers who look at the basic science of networks. Despite being well-versed in the technology of networks, Kott said, modern soldiers aren't just interacting with computer systems. "Our soldiers also deal on a daily basis with even more important genre of networks -- human networks, networks of humans connected by complex social and coordinative links," he said. These social links that can be challenging to traverse, he added, noting that troops often have to deal with cultural, ideological and adversarial issues in addition to negotiating between civilians and local governments. This complex interactivity between various tangible resources can be problematic, he said. "All these different genres of networks -- they're not inert masses," he said. "They are not something pre-engineered and constant. They are living, evolving creatures. They live their mysterious lives. They grow. They shrink. They branch out. They merge. They have these mysterious interactions between themselves and within themselves. They are complex, adaptive systems. They produce all kinds of puzzling, nonlinear, difficult-to-predict behaviors." To ensure network reliability, the Army is looking into a technology known as disruption-tolerant networking, said Robert Cole of the Army's Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center. "That's a technology that will be important in future Army networks," Cole said. This focus on reliable and stable communications, he explained, is why the Army has been hesitant to adapt commercial technologies such as cellular communication, which could be compromised on the battlefield despite recent advances in smart phone technology. "Cellular communications means you have to have some type of cell phone towers on the battlefield," Kott said, "and they are tremendously attractive and vulnerable targets." However, he added, the military does see the tactical advantage such a communication tool would provide, and is working toward adapting a more dependable, less vulnerable version of that technology. "The Army has been investing research and developing the mobile, ad hoc networks where every radio on the battlefield is known in the network and you are not reliant on a cell-phone tower or one node. ... Of course, many of the features of the smart phones that are so attractive today and will grow, [and] inevitably, certainly will be explored in our military networks as well," he said. Researchers also are conducting projects to directly benefit ground teams in Afghanistan and Iraq to give them an advantage in both combat and noncombat situations. "For example," Kott said, "we have recently completed research that shows propagation processes, propagation of influence, propagation of trust and distrust, propagation of beliefs and conviction within human networks. This process can actually be at least partially predictable. It can be modeled. It can be analyzed." Kott said it's clear why the Army is moving in this direction. "We are operating on a new battlefield -- a very, very complex, networked battlefield of insurgency in particular," he said, "where it is so important to understand those complex network phenomena and to be able to influence them."

Related Sites: "DOD Live" Bloggers Roundtable Related Articles: Researchers Aim to Bring Smart Phones to Warfighters

Military Can Manage 'Don't Ask' Repeal By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2010 - The military can deal effectively with allowing openly gay servicemembers in its ranks, leaders of a working group that studied the issue for the Defense Department told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Group co-chairs Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, and Jeh C. Johnson, DOD general counsel, testified along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a hearing about possible repeal of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. "After nine months of study, I am convinced that if the law changes, the United States military can do this, even in a time of war," Ham said. The department released the report on effects of possible repeal and an accompanying implementation plan Nov. 30. Ham said he doesn't underestimate the challenges that would come with implementing a change in the law, but added that servicemembers can adapt to such change while accomplishing the nation's military missions. "I came to this conclusion not only as a co-chair of the Department of Defense review, but perhaps more importantly, as the commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe," Ham said. "I was cognizant every day of this review that I might actually have to lead the changes included in our report. As a serving commander, I am confident that if this law changes, I and the leaders with whom I serve can do just that." Johnson said the working group's basic assessment was that "our military can make this change, provided we do so in an orderly and reasonable manner, in accord with the recommendations for implementation we offer in our report." He cautioned committee members that leaving the repeal decision in the hands of the courts could damage the military's capability to manage the change. "From where I sit as the lawyer for the Department of Defense, the virtue of the legislation pending before the Senate is that, if passed, repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell will be done on our terms and our timetable, upon the advice of our military leadership," he said. Johnson said the report makes clear that the military must address many issues with regard to a repeal of the "Don't Ask" law, such as "education and training, the core messages to be delivered as part of education and training, same-sex partner benefits, berthing and billeting, a policy on re-accession, related changes to the [Uniform Code of Military Justice], and so forth." The fact that litigation on gay rights matters has increased is undeniable, Johnson told the Senate panel. "Since 2003, when the Supreme Court decided Lawrence vs. Texas, the courts have become increasingly receptive to gay rights claims," he said. "Within the last year alone, federal district courts have for the first time declared California's gay marriage ban, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' all unconstitutional." The Defense Department must face the possibility of implementing the change "on the terms and timetable of a court and a plaintiff" if a court strikes down the law, Johnson said. A flurry of court actions on the law in October and November demonstrated possible consequences of repeal through court rulings, he noted. A federal district judge ordered suspension of the law Oct. 12, the appellate court issued a temporary stay of that injunction Oct. 20, the 9th Circuit Court agreed to keep the stay in place Nov. 1, and the Supreme Court denied a request to overturn the stay Nov. 12. "In the space of eight days, we had to shift course on the worldwide enforcement of the law twice, and in the space of a month faced the possibility of shifting course four different times," Johnson said. "Our plea to the Congress is to not leave the fate of this law to the courts." Gates and Mullen both have said they would not certify the military as ready to implement a change in law until the department can prepare post-repeal policies and regulations and has begun to educate and train the force, Johnson said. Legislation passed by the House of Representatives and now before the Senate requires that the president, the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs chairman must certify the military's readiness to make the change before repeal would take effect. "In all likelihood, this will not be possible if repeal is imposed upon us by judicial fiat," Johnson said. "For these reasons, we urge that the Senate act now on the pending legislation." Biographies: Jeh C. Johnson Army Gen. Carter F. Ham Related Sites: Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated Special Report: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Military Can Manage 'Don't Ask' Repeal By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2010 - The military can deal effectively with allowing openly gay servicemembers in its ranks, leaders of a working group that studied the issue for the Defense Department told the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Group co-chairs Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of U.S. Army Europe, and Jeh C. Johnson, DOD general counsel, testified along with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in a hearing about possible repeal of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law. "After nine months of study, I am convinced that if the law changes, the United States military can do this, even in a time of war," Ham said. The department released the report on effects of possible repeal and an accompanying implementation plan Nov. 30. Ham said he doesn't underestimate the challenges that would come with implementing a change in the law, but added that servicemembers can adapt to such change while accomplishing the nation's military missions. "I came to this conclusion not only as a co-chair of the Department of Defense review, but perhaps more importantly, as the commander of U.S. Army forces in Europe," Ham said. "I was cognizant every day of this review that I might actually have to lead the changes included in our report. As a serving commander, I am confident that if this law changes, I and the leaders with whom I serve can do just that." Johnson said the working group's basic assessment was that "our military can make this change, provided we do so in an orderly and reasonable manner, in accord with the recommendations for implementation we offer in our report." He cautioned committee members that leaving the repeal decision in the hands of the courts could damage the military's capability to manage the change. "From where I sit as the lawyer for the Department of Defense, the virtue of the legislation pending before the Senate is that, if passed, repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell will be done on our terms and our timetable, upon the advice of our military leadership," he said. Johnson said the report makes clear that the military must address many issues with regard to a repeal of the "Don't Ask" law, such as "education and training, the core messages to be delivered as part of education and training, same-sex partner benefits, berthing and billeting, a policy on re-accession, related changes to the [Uniform Code of Military Justice], and so forth." The fact that litigation on gay rights matters has increased is undeniable, Johnson told the Senate panel. "Since 2003, when the Supreme Court decided Lawrence vs. Texas, the courts have become increasingly receptive to gay rights claims," he said. "Within the last year alone, federal district courts have for the first time declared California's gay marriage ban, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' all unconstitutional." The Defense Department must face the possibility of implementing the change "on the terms and timetable of a court and a plaintiff" if a court strikes down the law, Johnson said. A flurry of court actions on the law in October and November demonstrated possible consequences of repeal through court rulings, he noted. A federal district judge ordered suspension of the law Oct. 12, the appellate court issued a temporary stay of that injunction Oct. 20, the 9th Circuit Court agreed to keep the stay in place Nov. 1, and the Supreme Court denied a request to overturn the stay Nov. 12. "In the space of eight days, we had to shift course on the worldwide enforcement of the law twice, and in the space of a month faced the possibility of shifting course four different times," Johnson said. "Our plea to the Congress is to not leave the fate of this law to the courts." Gates and Mullen both have said they would not certify the military as ready to implement a change in law until the department can prepare post-repeal policies and regulations and has begun to educate and train the force, Johnson said. Legislation passed by the House of Representatives and now before the Senate requires that the president, the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs chairman must certify the military's readiness to make the change before repeal would take effect. "In all likelihood, this will not be possible if repeal is imposed upon us by judicial fiat," Johnson said. "For these reasons, we urge that the Senate act now on the pending legislation."

Biographies: Jeh C. Johnson Army Gen. Carter F. Ham Related Sites: Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Issues Associated Special Report: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

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(CONTINUATION) Lake Effect Snow Warning issued December 01 at 7:34PM EST expiring December 03 at 6:00AM EST by NWS Buffalo

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Affected Jurisdictions:  Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, Wyoming Counties



...LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY... A LAKE EFFECT SNOW WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST FRIDAY. * LOCATIONS: PRIMARILY THE SOUTHERN HALF OF JEFFERSON COUNTY... NORTHERN HALF OF LEWIS COUNTY...AND EXTREME NORTHERN PORTION OF OSWEGO COUNTY. * TIMING: OVERNIGHT...CONTINUING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. * SNOW ACCUMULATIONS: 12 TO 18 INCHES IN THE MOST PERSISTENT BANDS. SNOWFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR LIKELY. * IMPACTS: HEAVY SNOW WILL PRODUCE VERY DIFFICULT TRAVEL CONDITIONS WITH SNOW COVERED ROADS AND POOR VISIBILITY.

IN LAKE EFFECT SNOW THE WEATHER CAN VARY FROM LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW IN NARROW BANDS TO CLEAR SKIES JUST A FEW MILES AWAY. IF YOU WILL BE TRAVELING ACROSS THE REGION BE PREPARED FOR RAPID CHANGES IN ROAD AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.

U.S Border Patrol Foils Maritime Smuggling Attempt Nine arrested after coming ashore on Dog Beach

Coronado, Calif. — On Saturday evening, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested nine Mexican nationals after they illegally entered the country aboard a small, open-bow boat along the San Diego County coastline.

At about 6:20 p.m., agents on patrol spotted a suspicious boat traveling with no visible running lights and approaching the shoreline near Dog Beach in Coronado. Agents observed the vessel come ashore and all of its occupants quickly disembark. 

Agents intercepted the group of seven males and two females and determined that they were all Mexican nationals who had entered the United States illegally. They were arrested and transported to a local Border Patrol station for processing and further investigation. Agents identified two of the arrested men as being responsible for this smuggling attempt. They are in federal custody pending prosecution for alien smuggling. The vessel was seized by the Border Patrol. 

The U.S. Border Patrol is a member agency of the Maritime Unified Command. The Maritime Unified Command, comprised of the Coast Guard, CBP, ICE, and state and local law enforcement partners operating in the San Diego and Orange County maritime domain, utilizes the fusion of intelligence, planning, and operations to target the threat of transnational crime along the coastal border.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.