View allAll Photos Tagged Command
A member of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Para-Commandos parachute demonstration team flies in the US Air Force flag at the 2016 Oregon International Air Show held August 5-7, 2016, in Hillsboro, Oregon.
U.S. Army Pfc. Anthony Aul, left, South Carolina National Guard Task Force 59 is inprocessed by April Ayers, right, and Suzanne Richardson, center, both South Carolina National Guard Medical Command Medical medical case management contractors, before proceeding to a prescreening briefing as he prepares to be injected with the first in a series of two COVID-19 Moderna vaccinations at McEntire Joint National Guard Base, South Carolina, Dec. 23, 2020. The South Carolina National Guard is a Moderna Department of Defense (DoD) vaccine pilot program state and is provided a limited DoD allocation for South Carolina National Guard Soldiers and Airmen to have the opportunity to voluntarily take the vaccine. The South Carolina National Guard remains ready to support the counties, local and state agencies and first responders with requested resources for as long as needed in support of COVID-19 response efforts in the state. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Edward Snyder, South Carolina National Guard)
GULF OF THAILAND (Oct. 29, 2014) - The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89), front, steams in formation with the Royal Cambodian Navy Stenka-class patrol fast-attack craft 1131 and 1134 during the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Cambodia 2014 exercise. In its 20th year, CARAT is a series of bilateral naval exercises between the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the armed forces of nine partner nations in South and Southeast Asia. (U.S. Navy photo by MC2 Declan Barnes) 141029-N-TG831-720
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
This is CSM-119 which would have been used during the Skylab 4 rescue mission had NASA decided it was necessary. The standard Skylab Command Module accommodated a crew of three with storage lockers on the aft bulkhead for resupply of experiment film and other equipment. To convert the standard CSM to a rescue vehicle, the storage lockers were removed and replaced with two crew couches to seat five crewmen. This CSM also served as back-up to the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
CSM-119, on display at the Apollo/Saturn V Center, is shown here without its docking probe giving viewers an unrestricted look at the crew transfer tunnel.
PHILIPPINE SEA (March 18, 2022) - Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) sails alongside the Military Sealift Command dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) opposite of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) to conduct a replenishment-at-sea. Abraham Lincoln Strike Group is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability through alliances and partnerships while serving as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Taylor Crenshaw) 220318-N-UJ411-1034
** Interested in following U.S. Indo-Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/indopacom | twitter.com/INDOPACOM |
www.instagram.com/indopacom | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/ **
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, TUMON BAY, GUAM (Feb. 3, 2017) - U.S. Marines with Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225 wait to direct F/A-18D Hornets during exercise Cope North at Andersen Air Force Base. Marines trained with the Royal Australian Air Force and Japan Air Self-Defense Force supporting theater security, focusing on dissimilar air combat training and large force employment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Nathan Wicks) 170203-M-XD442-1144
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
USMA receives Colonel (P) Buzzard as the new Commandant for the Corps of Cadets at West Point New York on June 28, 2019. (US Army photo by Tarnish Pride).
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Karl Schultz visits the Coast Guard Academy, Sept. 18, 2020.
U.S. Coast Guard photos by Petty Officer 2nd Class Lauren Laughlin
A silk for the gala performance by command of His Majesty the King in honour of the visit of the President of the French Republic at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 7th July 1903.
Rigoletto with Melba and Bonci.
Carmen with Calve and Alvarez.
Romeo et Juliette with Melba and Alvarez.
SOUTH CHINA SEA (Oct. 25, 2013) - The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73), steams alongside the Royal Malaysian Navy offshore patrol vessel KD Pahang (172), guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54), and guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) during a training exercise. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Liam Kennedy)
131025-N-BD107-460
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
I work on a MacBook Pro laptop that plugs into the Apple Cinema Display monitor. Next to that is a Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner for digitizing everything. Apple keyboard and basic Logitech mouse (I had a MagicMouse but it just plain hurt my hand). Also featured: World of Warcraft stuffed gryphon, Kindle, iPad, ubiquitous moleskine (Pac Man edition).
RODRIGUEZ LIVE FIRE COMPLEX, South Korea (Feb. 5, 2015) - A Bradley Fighting Vehicle, from B Company, 3rd Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, fires its main gun at targets at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex. Bradley and M1A2 Abrams tank crews from 3-8 Cav. conducted gunnery skills training to ensure unit readiness before rotating out this summer. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Samuel Northrup, 1ABCT)
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
2nd Platoon, Alpha Company Cadets pose for their platoon photo. 10th Regiment, Advanced Camp Cadets take platoon photos August 11, 2019, after completing Cadet Summer Training at Fort Knox, Ky. | Photo by Madison Thompson, Cadet Summer Training Public Affairs Office
COMBAT TOWN, OKINAWA, Japan (Mar. 21, 2017) - U.S. Marines with Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Platoon, G-3, 3d Marine Division, protect themselves from debris caused by the MV-22 on Landing Zone Dodo, Camp Hansen, Okinawa. The CBRN Platoon conducts response drills to enhance the commander’s capabilities by exercising the operability and efficiency of the consequence management set within the 3d Marine Division CBRN response element. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by MCIPAC Combat Camera Lance Cpl. Jesus McCloud) 170321-M-NV775-0080
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
Sgt. 1st Class Roddy Rieger, U.S. Army Africa Command Surgeon NCOIC, views leishmaniasis under the microscope during Tropical Medicine Course (TMC) training Sept. 13, 2010, at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md.
U.S. Army photo by Capt. Gabrielle Caldara
The continent of Africa is home to many tropical diseases, which cause illness and, in some instances, death. Tropical diseases wreak havoc on the social and economic growth of the continent and affect the health and welfare of those who travel.
To combat the affects of tropical diseases, and to ensure the health and safety of all Soldiers operating in the U.S. Africa Command operational area, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, in coordination with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, has resurrected the formerly defunct Tropical Medicine Course (TMC) for the 21st century.
The original TMC was taught in 1941 and discontinued in 1991, after 50 years. It was resurrected in 2010 in response to the operational needs of AFRICOM and the Special Operations Command.
Once a six-week long course, it was converted to a targeted short course, and tailored toward non-physician health care providers. The week-long class is now a requirement for all medical professionals deploying to provide health care on the African continent, said Capt. Gabrielle Caldara, environmental science officer with U.S. Army Africa’s Command Surgeon’s Office.
Caldara, Sgt. 1st Class Roddy Rieger, the CSO’s NCOIC, and Staff Sgt. Darren Jones, a medical NCO with USARAF Headquarters Support Company, were the first Army Africa personnel to attend the class Sept. 13-17 at WRAIR in Silver Spring, Md.
The course focused on teaching medical personnel to recognize, diagnosis and treat a range of tropical diseases and ailments that can affect Soldiers who work and travel throughout Africa, said Rieger.
“There were a lot of lectures, seminars and hands on lab practices on things such as leishmaniasis and malaria,” he said. “We learned better ways to recognize symptoms and better ways to treat the problems.”
Among them was the Rapid Diagnostic Test, used to screen patients for malaria. The test uses only a pinprick amount of blood and “is as simple as using a pregnancy test,” Rieger said.
“This particular test allows medical professionals the freedom and convenience to test for the disease without requiring them to transport the patient to a medical facility,” Caldara said.
While Army Africa personnel attending the TMC appreciated the advances in treatment of many tropical diseases, Caldara stressed prevention and education remain key factors in disease prevention.
“This was a great class to understand the intricacies of these diseases, but in the end it all goes back to basics,” she said. “Proper precautions such as uniform treatment, use of DEET/insect repellent, adherence to proper medications and use of a bed net are essential.”
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, YAMAGUCHI, Japan (Sept. 13, 2017) - U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 lead a group of Japan Air Self-Defense Force personnel during an educational tour and class centered on the F-35B Lightning II at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. Several classes were conducted for JASDF personnel regarding maintenance, serviceability, operability and more. Afterwards, they briefly toured VMFA-121's facility, taking a peek into a few shop departments and visiting the hangar to see, touch and study the aircraft up close. This is the first time VMFA-121 has conducted an exchange like this. (Photo by Lance Cpl. Stephen Campbell) 170913-M-ON849-001
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
POHANG, South Korea (Mar. 11, 2017) - Marines with 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion discuss their preparations at an artillery school in Pohang, Republic of Korea, before heading to Camp Mujuk as a part of Korea Marine Exercise Program (KMEP) 17-6. The purpose of KMEP 17-6 is to enhance and improve the interoperability of both Marine Corps at the tactical level to build war fighting capabilities as partners. This includes ground combat element staff planning, mechanized maneuvers, mountain warfare training, bilateral tank operations and live fire ranges. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes) 170311-M-GT736-002
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 7, 2014) - The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), USS Kidd (DDG 100), and USS Stethem (DDG 63) are underway in the South China Sea. The ships are currently on patrol in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility supporting regional security and stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Declan Barnes) 140708-N-TS381-578
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 8, 2016) - Amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) transits in formation along with amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) and amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD 18) during a photographic exercise. USS Boxer, flagship for the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit team, is operating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jose Jaen/Released) 160908-N-VD165-241
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
Hosts and guests of the U.S. AFRICOM C4ISR Senior Leader Conference tour a winery in the hills above Vicenza, Italy, Feb. 3, 2011.
U.S. Army Africa photo by David Ruderman
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.
The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.
The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”
The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.
“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.
Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.
“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.
African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.
“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.
U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.
He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.
“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.
“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.
“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.
He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.
“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.
Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.
Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.
“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.
He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.
“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.
“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.
“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.
“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”
The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.
“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.
“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.
“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.
“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.
“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.
“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.
“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?
“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.
Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.
“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.
Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.
“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”
“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.
“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.
“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”
The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.
“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.
“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.
“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.
Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.
“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.
“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.
“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.
“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.
Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.
“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.
“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.
“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.
“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.
Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica
MANILA, Philippines (Oct. 9, 2017) - Armed Forces of the Philippines service members practice boarding, searching, and seizure operations at the Port of Manila during exercise KAMANDAG. Bilateral exercises such as KAMANDAG increase the ability of the United States and the Philippines to rapidly respond and work together during real world terrorist or humanitarian crises, in order to accomplish the mission, support the local population and help mitigate human suffering. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Nathan Maysonet) 171009-M-GT227-0007
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
#Apollo Command Module Skylab 4
Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC
18.08.2017 12:28 EST
40mm 1/80 sec f/5.0 ISO 1800
airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/command-module-skyl...
EAST CHINA SEA (Feb. 9, 2015) - An MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265 (Reinforced), takes off from the flight deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). Bonhomme Richard is currently deployed in the U.S. 7th Fleet Area of Operations. (U.S. Navy photo by MC3 Kevin V. Cunningham) 150209-N-UF697-202
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Davis
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.
The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.
“The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”
The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.
“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.
Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.
“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.
African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.
“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.
U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.
He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.
“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.
“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.
“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.
He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.
“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.
Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.
Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.
“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.
He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.
“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.
“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.
“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.
“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”
The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.
“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.
“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.
“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.
“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.
“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.
“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.
“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?
“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.
Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.
“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.
Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.
“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”
“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.
“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.
“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”
The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.
“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.
“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.
“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.
Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.
“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.
“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.
“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.
“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.
Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.
“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.
“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.
“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.
“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.
Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica
Chief leishmaniasis researcher, Juan Mendez, prepares a slide for U.S. Army Africa Capt. Gabrielle Caldara to view during Tropical Medicine Course (TMC) training Sept. 13, 2010, at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md.
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Roddy Rieger
The continent of Africa is home to many tropical diseases, which cause illness and, in some instances, death. Tropical diseases wreak havoc on the social and economic growth of the continent and affect the health and welfare of those who travel.
To combat the affects of tropical diseases, and to ensure the health and safety of all Soldiers operating in the U.S. Africa Command operational area, the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, in coordination with the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, has resurrected the formerly defunct Tropical Medicine Course (TMC) for the 21st century.
The original TMC was taught in 1941 and discontinued in 1991, after 50 years. It was resurrected in 2010 in response to the operational needs of AFRICOM and the Special Operations Command.
Once a six-week long course, it was converted to a targeted short course, and tailored toward non-physician health care providers. The week-long class is now a requirement for all medical professionals deploying to provide health care on the African continent, said Capt. Gabrielle Caldara, environmental science officer with U.S. Army Africa’s Command Surgeon’s Office.
Caldara, Sgt. 1st Class Roddy Rieger, the CSO’s NCOIC, and Staff Sgt. Darren Jones, a medical NCO with USARAF Headquarters Support Company, were the first Army Africa personnel to attend the class Sept. 13-17 at WRAIR in Silver Spring, Md.
The course focused on teaching medical personnel to recognize, diagnosis and treat a range of tropical diseases and ailments that can affect Soldiers who work and travel throughout Africa, said Rieger.
“There were a lot of lectures, seminars and hands on lab practices on things such as leishmaniasis and malaria,” he said. “We learned better ways to recognize symptoms and better ways to treat the problems.”
Among them was the Rapid Diagnostic Test, used to screen patients for malaria. The test uses only a pinprick amount of blood and “is as simple as using a pregnancy test,” Rieger said.
“This particular test allows medical professionals the freedom and convenience to test for the disease without requiring them to transport the patient to a medical facility,” Caldara said.
While Army Africa personnel attending the TMC appreciated the advances in treatment of many tropical diseases, Caldara stressed prevention and education remain key factors in disease prevention.
“This was a great class to understand the intricacies of these diseases, but in the end it all goes back to basics,” she said. “Proper precautions such as uniform treatment, use of DEET/insect repellent, adherence to proper medications and use of a bed net are essential.”
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica
TOKYO BAY (Jan 11, 2016) - The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS City of Corpus Christi (SSN 705) transits Tokyo Bay before arriving at Fleet Activities Yokosuka for a port visit as part of its deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brian G. Reynolds) 160111-N-ED185-081
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/
YOKOT AIR BASE, Japan (March 28, 2018) - U.S. Air Force and Koku-Jieitai Airmen (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) participate in a rapid airfield damage repair demonstration at Yokota Air Base. Airmen assigned to the 374th Civil Engineering Squadron took the Koku-Jieitai engineers through a step by step process as they accessed damage, cut and removed the damaged section and replaced the area with new concrete. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Juan Torres) 180328-N-XK398-039
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
On 20th July, Armstrong and Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon.
The Apollo XI mission was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. It was the 5th human spaceflight of Project Apollo and the 3rd voyage to the Moon. Launched on 16 Jul 1969, it carried Mission Commander Neil Alden Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin Eugene 'Buzz' Aldrin, Jr.
The cover measures 9-inches by 6-inches and carries two postmarks from - 9 September 1969 (day of release in Washington) and 20 July 1969 the moon landing. The cover has embedded within it a 3.25-inch by 3-inch, METAL, replica of the plaque left on the lunar surface by Apollo XI. The cover also carries a superb drawing of the 'Stars & Stripes' being planted on the moon along with those immortal words from Neil Armstrong.
After a few hours of fun, I was able to identify all of the signatures....
1. Alphonzo E. Bell Jr. - Alphonzo Edward Bell Jr. (September 19, 1914 – April 25, 2004) was a Republican United States Representative from California. Bell represented Malibu and the influential Westside region of Los Angeles for eight terms, from 1961 to 1977. While in Congress, Bell represented a vast Congressional District — the 28th and, after re-districting, the 27th — running along the California coast from Malibu to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and encompassing all or part of Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel-Air and West L.A. Then considered a Republican stronghold, the district nevertheless had only 40% to 49% GOP voter registration, making bi-partisan support for a candidate for office essential. In Congress, Bell became known as tending toward conservative positions on foreign policy and defense — he backed the Vietnam War through three presidential administrations — but often took more moderate to liberal positions on domestic issues, including open housing laws and other civil rights legislation, as well as on environmental and preservation issues, and on education policy and reform. LINK to a photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonzo_E._Bell_Jr.#/media/File:Al...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Larry Winn Jr. - Edward Lawrence Winn Jr. (August 22, 1919 – December 31, 2017) was an American politician and member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Kansas's 3rd district from 1967 to 1985. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Winn participated in athletics at Southwest High School before losing one of his legs in a boating accident at Lake Lotawana when he was sixteen. He earned a B.A. in journalism from University of Kansas in 1941. After graduating, Winn worked for a Kansas City radio station for two years and, during World War II, worked for North American Aviation at Fairfax Field, north of Kansas City, Kansas, where the B-25 Mitchell bomber was manufactured. He then pursued a career in home building and was vice president of the Winn-Rau Corporation from 1950 until his election to Congress. Additionally, he was a director of the National Association of Home Builders for fourteen years and was president of the Home Builders Association of Kansas. Winn was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Republican from the Wyandotte and Johnson Counties-based 3rd congressional district in 1966, succeeding three-term congressman Robert Ellsworth, and would be reelected eight more times until his retirement in 1984. During his tenure, he served on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and was a congressional representative to the United Nations. He was succeeded by fellow Republican Jan Meyers. Winn met his wife, Joan Elliott, while attending college and the two would be married for seventy-three years until her death in 2015. Together, they had five children; the death of their son Robert in 1983 played a part in the senior Winn's decision to retire from Congress. He lived in Prairie Village until his death on December 31, 2017, at age 98. LINK to a photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Winn#/media/File:Larry_Winn.jpeg
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Earle Cabell (October 27, 1906 – September 24, 1975) was an American politician who served as the 48th mayor of Dallas from 1961 to 1964. Cabell was mayor at the time of the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy and was later a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He was a conservative Democrat. In October 1961 President Kennedy flew to Dallas but when he arrived at the airport he was greeted only by the Dallas chief of police. Cabell claimed he was too busy to meet Kennedy and the White House was reportedly "steaming over the official brush-off".
Assassination of President Kennedy
Cabell and his wife met United States President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy at Love Field on the morning of November 22, 1963. Cabell's wife reported that while riding in Kennedy's motorcade through Dealey Plaza, she observed "a rather long looking thing" sticking out of a window of the Texas School Book Depository immediately after the first shot. After receiving word from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that he was the subject of a death threat, Cabell was guarded by police when he traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend Kennedy's funeral and also upon his return to Dallas. Cabell defended the Dallas PD after Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby in their custody. He said that he was proud of the police force and that those critical of their conduct were only looking for "someone else to blame". He added that "they have performed admirable under the most difficult of circumstances". One version of John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories, the "Renegade CIA Clique" theory, implicates Cabell and other alleged conspirators, including CIA officials James Jesus Angleton, William King Harvey, and Cabell's brother Charles Cabell, who had been fired by Kennedy following the Bay of Pigs Invasion. This theory claims that Earle Cabell re-routed Kennedy's motorcade as a favor to his brother. In 2017, documents declassified under the JFK Records Act revealed that Cabell had been a CIA asset since 1956.
Congress - On February 3, 1964, Cabell resigned as mayor of Dallas in order to run for Congress. He unseated the ten-year Republican incumbent Bruce Alger. Cabell served four terms in the House before he was defeated by Republican Alan Steelman in the 1972 election. A very rare autograph... LINK to his photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earle_Cabell#/media/File:Earle_Cabe...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Louis Frey Jr. (January 11, 1934 – October 14, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 until 1979. He represented Florida's 5th congressional district from 1969 to 1973 and the 9th district from 1973 to 1979, until he ran unsuccessfully in 1978 for the Republican nomination for governor to succeed the term-limited Democrat Reubin Askew of Pensacola. Congress - Frey was first elected in 1968 to succeed Edward Gurney, who in turn became Florida's first Republican U.S. Senator since Reconstruction. Frey himself is the fourth Florida Republican to have been elected to the U.S. House in the 20th century. While in Congress, Frey served on the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, the Science and Technology Committee, and the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control. Frey received the "Watch Dog of the Treasury Award" in each of his terms for "voting to hold the line against inflation and to curb excess government spending." He also received the "Guardian of Small Business Award". LINK to a photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Frey_Jr.#/media/File:Louis_Fr...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Bob Price - Robert Dale Price (September 7, 1927 – August 24, 2004) was an American politician of the Republican Party who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975, and in the Texas Senate from 1978 to 1981. Congress - Price was elected as a Republican to the 90th and to the three succeeding Congresses (serving from January 3, 1967 to January 3, 1975). While in Congress, Price served on the House Agriculture Committee and on subcommittees on NASA oversight and spaceflight. Price voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In 1971, Price was the sole Republican in the state's congressional delegation to vote for the Equal Employment Opportunity Act. In 1974, Price lost his re-election bid to Democrat Jack Hightower. LINK to his photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Price_(Texas_politician)#/media/File:Bob_Price.jpg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. Joe Waggonner - Joseph David Waggonner Jr. (September 7, 1918 – October 7, 2007) was a Democratic U.S. Representative for the 4th congressional district in northwest Louisiana from December 1961 to January 1979. He was also a confidant of Republican President Richard Nixon. Waggonner won a special election on December 19, 1961, to succeed long-time U.S. Representative Overton Brooks, who had died in office. Waggonner had already announced his intention to oppose Brooks for renomination in the 1962 Democratic primary, spurred by Brooks' congressional vote to expand the House Rules Committee to permit Speaker Sam Rayburn to add new liberal members to the panel, which was dominated at the time by minority conservatives from both national parties. In the special election, Waggonner turned back a relatively strong Republican challenge from Charlton Lyons, an Abbeville native and a Shreveport oilman. Waggonner polled 33,892 votes (54.5 percent) to Lyons' 28,250 ballots (45.5 percent). Over his eight re-elections, he faced opposition only twice, easily turning back primary challenges both times. LINK to his photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Waggonner#/media/File:Joe_d_wag...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Olin Earl "Tiger" Teague (April 6, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American politician and World War II veteran who served as the U.S. representative for Texas's 6th congressional district as a Democrat for 32 years, from 1946 to 1978. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Congressional career - While in Congress, he was a champion for veterans, authoring more veterans' legislation than any congressmember before him. He was one of the majority of the Texan delegation to decline to sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto opposing the desegregation of public schools ordered by the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education. However, Teague voted against the Civil Rights Acts of 1957, the Civil Rights Acts of 1960, the Civil Rights Acts of 1964, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was instrumental in improving benefits for servicemen's survivors. In 1956, he helped overhaul the survivor's benefits, with the creation of the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation. He was also chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs (1955–1972), and chairman of the House Committee on Science and Astronautics (1973–1978). Before 1973, he also chaired the Manned Space Flight Subcommittee and in that capacity oversaw NASA's efforts to place a man on the moon. In 1976, Teague was pivotal in establishing the Office of Science and Technology Policy. LINK to his photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olin_E._Teague#/media/File:Olin_E._...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. Emilio Daddario - Emilio Quincy Daddario (September 24, 1918 – July 7, 2010) was an American Democratic politician from Connecticut. He served as a member of the 86th through 91st United States Congresses. Daddario won election in 1958 to the Eighty-sixth Congress and served until January 3, 1971. "On Capitol Hill, he chaired the House Science Committee's subcommittee on science research and development, and the subcommittee on patents and science inventions. He also served on a subcommittee that was involved with the planning and development of the Apollo missions to the moon." He did not seek re-election to the Ninety-second Congress in 1970. He ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Connecticut in 1970, losing the general election to Thomas J. Meskill. He continued his career in public service as Director of the Office of Technology Assessment from 1973 to 1977. "For his sustained contributions to science and the national welfare during the years he served as a Congressman," Daddario was awarded the Public Welfare Medal from the National Academy of Sciences in 1976. He served as president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science from 1977 to 1978. From 1979 to 1989, he co-chaired the National Conference of Lawyers and Scientists, which was a joint committee of the American Bar Association and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. LINK to his photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Daddario#/media/File:Emilio_...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. Wayne N. Aspinall - Wayne Norviel Aspinall (April 3, 1896 – October 9, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician from Colorado. He is largely known for his tenure in the United States House of Representatives, serving twelve terms as a Democrat from 1949 to 1973 from Colorado's Fourth District. Aspinall became known for his direction of the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee, of which he was the chairman from 1959 to 1973. Aspinall focused the majority of his efforts on Western land and water issues. His actions supporting resource development often drew the ire of the increasingly powerful environmental lobby in the 1960s. David Brower, a prominent executive director of the Sierra Club, said that the environmental movement had seen "dream after dream dashed on the stony continents of Wayne Aspinall." The congressman returned the animosity, calling environmentalists "over-indulged zealots" and "aristocrats" to whom "balance means nothing." This battle shaped Aspinall's congressional career. LINK to his photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_N._Aspinall#/media/File:Wayne...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Don Fuqua - John Donald "Don" Fuqua (born August 20, 1933) is an American politician from Florida who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1963 to 1987. A member of the Democratic Party. Since the death of Merwin Coad in September 2025, Fuqua is the one of the two earliest-serving living members of the House as well as one of the two last living former members from either chamber of the United States Congress who served during the Presidency of John F. Kennedy, alongside Alec G. Olson of Minnesota, with both having been first elected in 1962. Politics
Fuqua was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives from Florida and served from January 3, 1963, to January 3, 1987. Fuqua was chairman of the United States House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Fuqua is the last living person who voted against the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. He later said that he voted no because he was expecting to be challenged by a segregationist in the 1964 elections. LINK to photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Fuqua#/media/File:Don_Fuqua_196...
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11. Richard L. Roudebush - Richard Lowell Roudebush (January 18, 1918 – January 28, 1995) was an American World War II veteran who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1961 to 1971. World War II - He served in the United States Army from November 18, 1941, to August 12, 1944, as a demolition specialist for the Ordnance Department in Middle Eastern, North African, and Italian campaigns. He was a farmer and a partner in a livestock commission company. He served as National Commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1957–1958, and as chairman of the Indiana Veterans Commission from 1954 to 1960. Congress - Roudebush was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-seventh and to the four succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1961 – January 3, 1971). He was not a candidate in 1970 for reelection, but was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the United States Senate against incumbent Democrat Vance Hartke in the closest Senate election in Indiana history. Later career and death - He later served as the Administrator of Veterans Affairs from 1974 to 1977. He died in Sarasota, Florida on January 28, 1995, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The Richard L. Roudebush V.A. Medical Center in Indianapolis was named in his honor. LINK to a photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_L._Roudebush#/media/File:Ri...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12. Bertram L. Podell - Bertram Lawrence "Bert" Podell (December 27, 1925 – August 17, 2005) was an American politician who served in the New York State Assembly for six terms and part of a seventh, and was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New York for part of one term and three full terms. He was a Democrat. In 1973, Podell was charged with bribery. He pled guilty to reduced charges of conspiracy and conflict of interest. Professional and political career - Podell practiced in New York City, and specialized in real estate law. State assembly - In 1954, he ran for the New York State Assembly; he defeated incumbent Thomas A. Dwyer in the Democratic primary, and went on to defeat Republican Irving Kornblum and two other candidates to win the general election. He served from 1955 to 1968, sitting in the 170th, 171st, 172nd, 173rd, 174th, 175th, 176th and 177th New York State Legislatures. Congress - Podell was elected as a Democrat to the 90th United States Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Abraham J. Multer. He was re-elected to the 91st, 92nd and 93rd United States Congresses, holding office from February 20, 1968, to January 3, 1975. LINK to photo - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_L._Podell#/media/File:Bertr...
PACIFIC OCEAN (Feb. 22, 2015) - An AV-8B Harrier assigned to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 311 lands aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), marking the ship's first launch and recovery of the aircraft. America is conducting maritime training operations off the coast of California. The ship is the first of its class and is optimized for Marine Corps aviation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael McNabb) 150222-N-AC979
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/Pacific Command and www.pacom.mil/
U.S. Army Africa photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kyle Davis
U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) hosted its second annual C4ISR Senior Leaders Conference Feb. 2-4 at Caserma Ederle, headquarters of U.S. Army Africa, in Vicenza, Italy.
The communications and intelligence community event, hosted by Brig. Gen. Robert Ferrell, AFRICOM C4 director, drew approximately 80 senior leaders from diverse U.S. military and government branches and agencies, as well as representatives of African nations and the African Union.
“The conference is a combination of our U.S. AFRICOM C4 systems and intel directorate,” said Ferrell. “We come together annually to bring the team together to work on common goals to work on throughout the year. The team consists of our coalition partners as well as our inter-agency partners, as well as our components and U.S. AFRICOM staff.”
The conference focused on updates from participants, and on assessing the present state and goals of coalition partners in Africa, he said.
“The theme for our conference is ‘Delivering Capabilities to a Joint Information Environment,’ and we see it as a joint and combined team ... working together, side by side, to promote peace and stability there on the African continent,” Ferrell said.
Three goals of this year’s conference were to strengthen the team, assess priorities across the board, and get a better fix on the impact that the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command will have on all members’ efforts in the future, he said.
“With the stand-up of U.S. Cyber Command, it brings a lot of unique challenges that we as a team need to talk through to ensure that our information is protected at all times,” Ferrell said.
African Union (AU) representatives from four broad geographic regions of Africa attended, which generated a holistic perspective on needs and requirements from across the continent, he said.
“We have members from the African Union headquarters that is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; we have members that are from Uganda; from Zambia; from Ghana; and also from the Congo. What are the gaps, what are the things that we kind of need to assist with as we move forward on our engagements on the African continent?” Ferrell said.
U.S. Army Africa Commander, Maj. Gen. David R. Hogg, welcomed participants as the conference got under way.
“We’re absolutely delighted to be the host for this conference, and we hope that this week you get a whole lot out of it,” said Hogg.
He took the opportunity to address the participants not only as their host, but from the perspective of a customer whose missions depend on the results of their efforts to support commanders in the field.
“When we’re talking about this group of folks that are here — from the joint side, from our African partners, from State, all those folks — it’s about partnership and interoperability. And every commander who’s ever had to fight in a combined environment understands that interoperability is the thing that absolutely slaps you upside the head,” Hogg said.
“We’re in the early stages of the process here of working with the African Union and the other partners, and you have an opportunity to design this from the end state, versus just building a bunch of ‘gunkulators.’ And so, the message is: think about what the end state is supposed to look like and construct the strategy to support the end state.
“Look at where we want to be at and design it that way,” Hogg said.
He also admonished participants to consider the second- and third-order effects of their choices in designing networks.
“With that said, over the next four days, I hope this conference works very well for you. If there’s anything we can do to make your stay better, please let us know,” Hogg said.
Over the following three days, participants engaged in a steady stream of briefings and presentations focused on systems, missions and updates from the field.
Col. Joseph W. Angyal, director of U.S. Army Africa G-6, gave an overview of operations and issues that focused on fundamentals, the emergence of regional accords as a way forward, and the evolution of a joint network enterprise that would serve all interested parties.
“What we’re trying to do is to work regionally. That’s frankly a challenge, but as we stand up the capability, really for the U.S. government, and work through that, we hope to become more regionally focused,” he said.
He referred to Africa Endeavor, an annual, multi-nation communications exercise, as a test bed for the current state of affairs on the continent, and an aid in itself to future development.
“In order to conduct those exercises, to conduct those security and cooperation events, and to meet contingency missions, we really, from the C4ISR perspective, have five big challenges,” Angyal said.
“You heard General Hogg this morning talk about ‘think about the customer’ — you’ve got to allow me to be able to get access to our data; I’ve got to be able to get to the data where and when I need it; you’ve got to be able to protect it; I have to be able to share it; and then finally, the systems have to be able to work together in order to build that coalition.
“One of the reasons General Ferrell is setting up this joint information enterprise, this joint network enterprise . . . it’s almost like trying to bring together disparate companies or corporations: everyone has their own system, they’ve paid for their own infrastructure, and they have their own policy, even though they support the same major company.
“Now multiply that when you bring in different services, multiply that when you bring in different U.S. government agencies, and then put a layer on top of that with the international partners, and there are lots of policies that are standing in our way.”
The main issue is not a question of technology, he said.
“The boxes are the same — a Cisco router is a Cisco router; Microsoft Exchange server is the same all over the world — but it’s the way that we employ them, and it’s the policies that we apply to it, that really stops us from interoperating, and that’s the challenge we hope to work through with the joint network enterprise.
“And I think that through things like Africa Endeavor and through the joint enterprise network, we’re looking at knocking down some of those policy walls, but at the end of the day they are ours to knock down. Bill Gates did not design a system to work only for the Army or for the Navy — it works for everyone,” Angyal said.
Brig. Gen. Joseph Searyoh, director general of Defense Information Communication Systems, General Headquarters, Ghana Armed Forces, agreed that coordinating policy is fundamental to improving communications with all its implications for a host of operations and missions.
“One would expect that in these modern times there is some kind of mutual engagement, and to build that engagement to be strong, there must be some kind of element of trust. … We have to build some kind of trust to be able to move forward,” said Searyoh.
“Some people may be living in silos of the past, but in the current engagement we need to tell people that we are there with no hidden agenda, no negative hidden agenda, but for the common good of all of us.
“We say that we are in the information age, and I’ve been saying something: that our response should not be optional, but it must be a must, because if you don’t join now, you are going to be left behind.
“So what do we do? We have to get our house in order.
“Why do I say so? We used to operate like this before the information age; now in the information age, how do we operate?
“So, we have to get our house in order and see whether we are aligning ourselves with way things should work now. So, our challenge is to come up with a strategy, see how best we can reorganize our structures, to be able to deliver communications-information systems support for the Ghana Armed Forces,” he said.
Searyoh related that his organization has already accomplished one part of erecting the necessary foundation by establishing an appropriate policy structure.
“What is required now is the implementing level. Currently we have communications on one side, and computers on one side. The lines are blurred — you cannot operate like that, you’ve got to bring them together,” he said.
Building that merged entity to support deployed forces is what he sees as the primary challenge at present.
“Once you get that done you can talk about equipment, you can talk about resources,” Searyoh said. “I look at the current collaboration between the U.S. and the coalition partners taking a new level.”
“The immediate challenges that we have is the interoperability, which I think is one of the things we are also discussing here, interoperability and integration,” said Lt. Col. Kelvin Silomba, African Union-Zambia, Information Technology expert for the Africa Stand-by Force.
“You know that we’ve got five regions in Africa. All these regions, we need to integrate them and bring them together, so the challenge of interoperability in terms of equipment, you know, different tactical equipment that we use, and also in terms of the language barrier — you know, all these regions in Africa you find that they speak different languages — so to bring them together we need to come up with one standard that will make everybody on board and make everybody able to talk to each other,” he said.
“So we have all these challenges. Other than that also, stemming from the background of these African countries, based on the colonization: some of them were French colonized, some of them were British colonized and so on, so you find that when they come up now we’ve adopted some of the procedures based on our former colonial masters, so that is another challenge that is coming on board.”
The partnership with brother African states, with the U.S. government and its military branches, and with other interested collaborators has had a positive influence, said Silomba.
“Oh, it’s great. From the time that I got engaged with U.S. AFRICOM — I started with Africa Endeavor, before I even came to the AU — it is my experience that it is something very, very good.
“I would encourage — I know that there are some member states — I would encourage that all those member states they come on board, all of these regional organizations, that they come on board and support the AFRICOM lead. It is something that is very, very good.
“As for example, the African Union has a lot of support that’s been coming in, technical as well as in terms of knowledge and equipment. So it’s great; it’s good and it’s great,” said Salimba.
Other participant responses to the conference were positive as well.
“The feedback I’ve gotten from every member is that they now know what the red carpet treatment looks like, because USARAF has gone over and above board to make sure the environment, the atmosphere and the actual engagements … are executed to perfection,” said Ferrell. “It’s been very good from a team-building aspect.
“We’ve had very good discussions from members of the African Union, who gave us a very good understanding of the operations that are taking place in the area of Somalia, the challenges with communications, and laid out the gaps and desires of where they see that the U.S. and other coalition partners can kind of improve the capacity there in that area of responsibility.
“We also talked about the AU, as they are expanding their reach to all of the five regions, of how can they have that interoperability and connectivity to each of the regions,” Ferrell said.
“(It’s been) a wealth of knowledge and experts that are here to share in terms of how we can move forward with building capacities and capabilities. Not only for U.S. interests, but more importantly from my perspective, in building capacities and capabilities for our African partners beginning with the Commission at the African Union itself,” said Kevin Warthon, U.S. State Department, peace and security adviser to the African Union.
“I think that General Ferrell has done an absolutely wonderful thing by inviting key African partners to participate in this event so they can share their personal experience from a national, regional and continental perspective,” he said.
Warthon related from his personal experience a vignette of African trust in Providence that he believed carries a pertinent metaphor and message to everyone attending the conference.
“We are not sure what we are going to do tomorrow, but the one thing that I am sure of is that we are able to do something. Don’t know when, don’t know how, but as long as our focus is on our ability to assist and to help to progress a people, that’s really what counts more than anything else,” he said.
“Don’t worry about the timetable; just focus on your ability to make a difference and that’s what that really is all about.
“I see venues such as this as opportunities to make what seems to be the impossible become possible. … This is what this kind of venue does for our African partners.
“We’re doing a wonderful job at building relationships, because that’s where it begins — we have to build relationships to establish trust. That’s why this is so important: building trust through relationships so that we can move forward in the future,” Warthon said.
Conference members took a cultural tour of Venice and visited a traditional winery in the hills above Vicenza before adjourning.
To learn more about U.S. Army Africa visit our official website at www.usaraf.army.mil
Official Twitter Feed: www.twitter.com/usarmyafrica
Official YouTube video channel: www.youtube.com/usarmyafrica
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea (Jan. 22, 2018) - U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Christopher Rose and Senior Airman David Botterill, 8th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron weapons load crew member, prepare to load an F-16 Fighting Falcon during an aircraft generation exercise. Members of load crews precisely and promptly loaded over ten aircraft in under 12 hours confirming the Airmen's abilities to proficiently carry out a concept of operations. Aircraft generations are simulated on a regular basis to confirm the Wolf Pack's capability maintains mission readiness at all times. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Josh Rosales) 180122-F-CM098-012
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
BUSAN, Republic of Korea (Oct. 21, 2017) The Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) approaches Busan for a scheduled port visit after routine operations in waters off the coast of the Korean Peninsula. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interests of its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class MacAdam Kane Weissman) 171021-N-AC117-236
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command | twitter.com/PacificCommand |
instagram.com/pacificcommand | www.flickr.com/photos/us-pacific-command; | www.youtube.com/user/USPacificCommand | www.pacom.mil/
U.S. Army Africa Soldiers Assist Rwandan Airlift For Peacekeepers In Darfur
By Rick Scavetta
U.S. Army Africa Public Affairs
When a U.S. Air Force officer saw Rwandan soldiers marking equipment and loading gear onto a C-17 cargo plane at Kigali International Airport, he asked Staff Sgt. Brian Ruse if that was okay.
Ruse and 1st Lt. Charlie Jones, both Soldiers with U.S Army-Africa, had been training the Rwandan Defense Force to do the job.
“It’s all right, sir,” Ruse told the officer, “They got it.”
Ruse, 31, of Summerville, SC, and Jones, 25, of San Diego, deployed to Rwanda in early January. Around that time, the U.S. government announced U.S. Africa Command would support the international peacekeeping mission in Darfur by airlifting Rwandan peacekeepers’ equipment into the war-torn region of the Sudan.
That day, Ruse and Jones were already headed to Africa. They learned about the airlift mission when the arrived in Rwanda.
“We were there to train members of the Rwandan Defense Force to U.S. standards for airlifting cargo,” Jones said. “We ended up partnering with an African nation to help get their mission done.”
The Soldiers’ assignment began Jan. 7, when 36 Rwandans gathered in the third-floor classroom in the Kigali airport terminal. Jones covered the role of a unit movement officer and the basics of loading military gear onto aircraft. Ruse then explained how to handle and mark hazardous material for shipment.
“The RDF is a very professional military,” Jones said. “The students were very attentive and eager to learn the material and they did not hesitate to ask questions.”
Soon, RDF soldiers were building shipping pallets and preparing equipment for air movement. Their first test was to load and unload wooden pallets from a MI-17 helicopter from the Rwanda Air Force. They also learned how to prepare vehicles to load on planes.
On Jan. 14, when a U.S. Air Force C-17 landed in Kigali, the Rwandan team was prepared to do its first mission, loading their equipment onto American planes.
“We were helping the RDF with materials that they needed airlifted to their peacekeeping mission in Dafur,” Ruse said. “We helped make sure it was done right, so there weren’t any hiccups with the Air Force”
Senior Rwandan military leaders and the local press were on hand to see the planes loaded, Jones said.
“There were high expectations, but everything went well,” Jones said. “We made sure that our command has a good name in Rwanda and set the standard for future missions.”
In December 2008, Southern European Task Force (SETAF) began its transformation to become the Army component to U.S. Africa Command.
The mission Jones and Ruse accomplished is part of an ongoing U.S. effort to build strong partnerships with African nations.
Both Soldiers relied on knowledge from previous assignments. In 2008, Jones returned from a yearlong combat deployment in Jalalabad, Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, where he gained valuable logistics experience - especially preparing equipment for airlifts.
“I had been through that process with the brigade, so when got back from deployment, they asked me to train others in Africa,” Jones said.
Ruse, a tracked vehicle mechanic who served six months in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division, arrived at SETAF in Nov. 2007. A 12-year veteran, Ruse serves as a platoon sergeant and shop foreman at the headquarters company motor pool. Ruse is also an expert in handling dangerous materials. Not only can he package such things as chemicals, fuel and ammunition, he is certified to train others.
Jones and Ruse made their first trip to Africa in July 2008 to train Ugandan soldiers in Entebbe, Uganda. The Rwanda mission allowed Ruse and Jones to further explore African culture.
A Rwandan captain even invited Ruse and Jones to his home, where they met his family and enjoyed a home-cooked meal of fish, meat and rice.
“It reminded me of back home,” Ruse said. “They were very friendly and welcoming.”
On the tarmac though, the RDF were all business. The Rwandans quickly put the skills they learned during training into practice, beating the standard U.S .Air Force loading times, Jones said. Both Jones and Ruse assisted their Rwandan partners during the upload, but mostly credit the RDF Soldiers for their motivation.
“For us, this was rewarding. They learned really well and took charge,” Ruse said. “For them, it was a mission accomplished.”
U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brian Ruse and 1st Lt. Charlie Jones
United States Army Africa
These images are cleared for release and are considered in the public domain. Request credit be given the US Army and individual photographer.
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea (Sept. 10, 2014) - F-16 Fighting Falcons prepare to taxi to the runway. The jets will be temporarily operating flying missions out of Osan AB while the runway at Kunsan is under construction for repairs. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Taylor Curry) 140910-F-BN144-123
** Interested in following U.S. Pacific Command? Engage and connect with us at www.facebook.com/pacific.command and twitter.com/PacificCommand and www.pacom.mil/