-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a prelude to war! 000024. Defense leaders champion troop needs by Linda D. Kozaryn American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- Faced with recruiting and retention challenges due to plentiful, lucrative job opportunities within the nation's flourishing economy, defense leaders here are striving to improve service members' lot. College money was once "the gold-standard of recruiting, but the market has changed," said Rudy de Leon, under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness. In light of stiff competition for the best and brightest, he said, the military is concentrating on enhancing quality of life for its forces. "We want to keep the people we've got," he said. "That's why we fixed retirement. That's why we're 'plussing' up pay and focusing on housing and medical. We want to make sure we're retaining the key people. We've made an investment in them, and we hope they'll see this new investment in them as a reason to stay." So far, de Leon said, DOD efforts primarily focused on the five-year, $35 billion pay package recently approved by Congress and the president. The three-part package included a substantial across-the-board pay raise, pay table reform for mid-careerists and more generous retirement benefits. This is now a done deal. January earnings statements will reflect the 4.8 percent pay raise approved by Congress. In July, mid-career ranks will see additional increases as high as 5 percent. The base retirement benefit has been restored to 50 percent. Aiming to build on the pay package success, de Leon said, defense officials are turning their attention to housing and health care. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen and Army Gen. Henry Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have pledged to make these two key quality-of-life issues top priorities in the coming year. Just as they included pay reforms in the fiscal 2000 defense budget, Pentagon leaders now are working to include further quality-of-life improvements in the new budget proposal. Officials adjusted housing allowances effective Jan. 1, for example, that will more accurately reflect actual costs. Cohen announced Jan. 6, that DOD's fiscal 2001 budget request will include a plan to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, service members' out-of-pocket costs for off-base housing. This new initiative would reduce service members out-of-pocket costs from an average of 18.8 percent in 2000, to 15 percent in 2001, with continued reductions each year thereafter, eliminating out-of-pocket costs entirely by 2005. DOD has realigned more than $3 billion into the housing allowance program over the next five years, beginning with $160 million in the fiscal 2001 budget. DOD leaders want to ensure the January pay increases "don't quickly go out of pocket to pay for increases in rent," de Leon explained. The officials intend to help both military members who live on base and those who live off base, he said. Along with adjusting housing allowances to compensate for out-of-pocket expenses, he said, Pentagon officials are looking at whether DOD has the right amount invested in military construction and family housing. Remedying housing problems is one DOD initiative, de Leon said. Responding to concerns about health care, is another. This is an area that has long been an issue for service members and their families, he noted. Cohen, Shelton and Sue Bailey, assistant defense secretary for health affairs, "are very much engaged on TRICARE and our military treatment facilities," de Leon said. Generally, he said, surveys show that military men and women are satisfied with the health care they receive. "Their frustrations are on the business side -- how quickly and conveniently can they schedule appointments and, where they use the TRICARE system, how quickly can they get claims paid." DOD officials are working now on ways to simplify the business side of health care, he said. They also are addressing some funding issues in the fiscal 2001 budget, as well as longer-term issues. "Again," he stressed, "pay raises shouldn't go to paying for necessities of health care or housing." Overall, DOD is directing a lot of effort at improving health care, de Leon said. Last spring, DOD chartered the Defense Medical Oversight Committee, comprised of the vice-chiefs and the service undersecretaries, to involve all service branches in these policy issues and to ensure DOD has "a solvent healthcare foundation," he said. The committee is preparing recommendations for the secretary and the joint chiefs. Another area of concern for the Pentagon top personnel manager and other military leaders is the fact that some 13,000 service members qualify for food stamps, he said. Factors that trigger food stamp eligibility include family size and whether a family lives in base housing or draws a housing allowance. "We're spending a lot of time looking at why some of our very junior members are on food stamps. Putting more money into pay goes to the heart of that issue," de Leon said. DOD officials also are evaluating other underlying issues. "We want to make sure that the most junior enlisted understand how to use and manage all the financial assets available to them," he said. "Pay raises can be quickly consumed by paying minimum balances on credit cards, for example." DOD wants to ensure service members know how to use credit cards and how to maintain their financial well being. "Credit card offers come regularly and it's easy to get hooked on credit," de Leon remarked. Pentagon officials, particularly the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also continue to look for ways to reduce the high operations tempo affecting service members' morale and retention. "Optempo," in this case, covers the gamut of the pace and number of operations and the time service members are training and deployed away from home station. "It's an issue in each of the services, but it's a cultural issue for the Air Force and the Army, which are going from being forward-deployed forces to contingency-based forces," de Leon said. "The leadership is working very, very hard to be able to make quality-of-life transitions that have to go with that. "The Air Force, for example, has made great strides in creating an aerospace expeditionary force and looking at how to manage the work level," he said. The Army is relieving the pressure on active-duty forces by deploying more Army Reserve and National Guard units to share the burden of long-term contingency operations. "Let's look at the Bosnia mission, for example," de Leon said. "In '96 and '97 the Bosnia mission was falling most heavily on the U.S. Army in Europe. So, like a coach, the Army looked at its bench, and what you saw going into Bosnia in 1999 was the 1st Cavalry from Fort Hood, Texas, the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y., and units of the Texas National Guard doing rotations." DOD officials are also looking at using today's information technology to track individual service members' optempo. They are also considering ways to give people advance notice on deployments, de Leon said. "We want to make sure that, whether you serve in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps, you have a real sense of when you're going to be at home and when you're going to be away," he said. "Our military men and women have great capacity to respond to crisis on very, very short notice, but we want to give people more predictability and a little bit more control of their lives." Contingency missions are not the only factors that escalate optempo, de Leon added. Military leaders also are evaluating training exercises and other things that have an impact. They want to ensure, for instance, that "training that takes a troop away from home really is readiness enhancing," he said. Efforts are also under way to enhance living conditions by building up facilities in Bosnia and Kosovo and to ensure family members left behind are well cared for at their home stations. "Military leadership has come up with ways to make sure there are people at home base that are attuned to the families and their needs," de Leon said. While contingency missions increase optempo, they've also had a positive effect, de Leon stressed: "While it was a very challenging recruiting year for the Army, they hit their numbers because their re-enlistment rates were exceptionally high." Troops in Bosnia and Kosovo posted the highest re-enlistment rates, he noted. A soldier explained why that was when de Leon visited Kosovo in July, he said. "That was when it was early and the GIs couldn't go on the street without having a dozen kids shadow them everywhere. I had an NCO come up to me and say that this was the most satisfying mission he'd ever been involved in. "The mission's real," de Leon said. Service members "see the impact that they're having and they know that it makes a difference." 000022. Personnel director focuses on people issues by Cynthia Minnick 11th Wing Public Affairs WASHINGTON (AFPN) -- The best part of her job is being out among people, said Maj. Gen. Susan L. Pamerleau, and she had the opportunity to do just that as guest speaker for the 11th Wing Professional Development Series at the Defense Intelligence Agency auditorium here recently. Pamerleau, director of personnel force management, said the two top personnel issues are recruiting and retention. She cites a booming economy and more college-bound youth as two reasons for the slump in signing up new recruits. "This is the first time in 20 years that we have missed our recruiting goal," said Pamerleau. "The recruiters have worked harder and more productively than ever, but the problem isn't just recruitment -- it's retention." One of the more visible efforts to boost recruiting numbers includes a new advertising campaign beginning in March. "Up until this year, never in its history has the Air Force paid for television advertising," said Pamerleau. "But senior leadership made the decision that we need to have a greater impact across the nation." The advertising will do double duty -- targeting recruiting and highlighting the mission and people of the Air Force at the same time, according to Pamerleau. "It's a way to show people here's what we do, this is a great place to be, and we do important things for our nation and for our world," she said. Although senior leadership wanted to boost the numbers of recruits, they did not want to let the quality of the force suffer, said Pamerleau. Rather than lower quality standards in order to fill shortages, "I am proud that the Air Force stood tall and said we will not lower our quality standards for people coming into the United States Air Force," she said. "If every person in the United States Air Force took it as a goal to find one person and encourage them to enlist, imagine how much easier it would be for our recruiters," said Pamerleau. "We would solve our recruiting shortfall. Every one of us can have a direct impact on the future of the Air Force." Some other solutions to increase recruiting were to increase the numbers of recruiters and initiate expansions in enlistment bonuses, the prior service program, and Junior ROTC programs. Retention is a critical issue and Pamerleau put the figures into perspective. She illustrated that in order to keep its strength, the Air Force needs 55 percent of first termers to re-enlist, 75 percent of second termers to re-enlist and 95 percent of career airmen to re-enlist in order to sustain the enlisted force structure. Some solutions to retention are increasing promotion rates, rebalancing the noncommissioned officer force, eliminating career job reservation constraints and implementing high year of tenure waiver policy, along with increased selective re-enlistment bonus and special pays, according to the general. "Just two years ago we only had 35 skills that had selective re-enlistment bonuses," she said. "Today, 135 skills get selective re-enlistment bonuses, to the tune of about $90 million. "It's important for us to retain a highly trained, skilled enlisted force," she added. "The goal is to have 56 percent of the enlisted force in the top five grades, which would result in more promotions and a higher selection rate for promotion." In the officer ranks, while there is well-noted concern about pilot shortages, there are also challenges in retaining support officers. "There is real concern for our mission support officers," said Pamerleau. "Because those are skills that are in high demand." As examples, communications and acquisitions officers are highly employable in the private sector, said Pamerleau. For Air Force civilian employees, Pamerleau said investing in career program internships along with fully funded training and retraining efforts will help shape the civilian work force. "We are committed to developing civilian leadership as well as military," said Pamerleau. "We have to make sure civilians are professionally developed." The general cited initiatives such as civilian access to professional military education and advanced education programs. In the past year, the No. 1 accomplishment was "to fix retirement," said Pamerleau. "As we came through this last year, culminating with the National Defense Authorization Act, it gave us the largest pay raise since 1982," said Pamerleau. "Now 4.8 (percent) may not seem like a whole lot, but when you add that to fixing retirement, it went a long way in taking care of a lot of people." While there has been a great emphasis in taking care of people, it must be balanced with mission requirements, said Pamerleau. "In the context of that, we have to also make sure we pay attention to readiness, infrastructure and modernization -- critical elements in what we do on a daily basis," she said. The strategy for addressing quality of life issues includes compensation, tempo, health care and housing, community and family programs, retirement, and education. The next big focus will be on "fixing TRICARE," said Pamerleau. 000020. ANG changes enlisted grades policy by Army Master Sgt. Bob Haskell National Guard Bureau Public Affairs ARLINGTON, Va. (AFPN) -- Promotions from staff sergeant to technical sergeant, from pay grade E-5 to E-6, are quietly celebrated in most Air National Guard circles by one's enlisted peers, commander, and perhaps a few members of the family. The ANG's director and command chief master sergeant rarely make a point of traveling to those ceremonies. So it was a special occasion indeed that brought Maj. Gen. Paul Weaver Jr., ANG director, and Command Chief Master Sgt. Gary Broadbent to Maryland's 175th Wing at Martin State Airport, outside Baltimore, Jan. 5. Staff Sgts. Joseph Casal, James Elliott and Michael Jones were each promoted to technical sergeant during the high-profile ceremony that punctuated the ANG's new pay-grade policy for its 96,000 enlisted people. The three sergeants are the first to benefit from the new enlisted grades policy that gives ANG members a few thousand more higher-ranking and higher-paying positions and an equitable rank structure. It also makes sure that every airman gets the chance to become at least a staff sergeant. Weaver approved the policy -- which was 10 months in the making -- in late 1999, during the ANG's Year of the Enlisted Force. Many more ANG men and women are expected to be promoted this year because of the new program unique to the Air National Guard. "We need to take care of our people. We need to have our own grades policy that reflects our capabilities, that reflects our great people," explained Weaver. The three new technical sergeants' pay raises will amount to more than $40 for their monthly drill weekends. Their extra stripe also means more prestige and the chance for added responsibilities. Elliott, a C-130 air cargo crewmember, and Jones, an A-10 crew chief, have each been staff sergeants for a dozen years. They wondered if they would ever be promoted because their units already had an abundance of E-6s, who were locked into their slots. "It seemed like it would be a long wait, from the looks of the manning document," acknowledged Jones who joined the Maryland outfit in 1982, and has been a full-time A-10 technician since 1986. "This will streamline the upward mobility and create more incentives for the younger people. They know they can move up now," offered Elliott, 48, a four-year Navy aviation veteran who became a part-time ANG C-130 crewmember in 1984. He works full-time at a Veterans Administration hospital. "People stay in my unit in the same rank because of the pay and benefits and because they have the best chance to travel all over the world," added Elliott. His unit frequently flies cargo to Europe and Southwest Asia. "It was very hard to get rank under the old system unless someone went away," said Casal. He was a technical sergeant in the New York ANG for eight years before moving to Maryland with his new wife in 1998 to become a full-time trainer on the new, high-tech C-130J airplanes his wing is acquiring. That's because there was no universal system, said Broadbent. "The new initiative will correct the functional imbalance that exists within some career fields -- too many airmen in some fields, not enough technical sergeants in others," said Weaver. He also vowed that "under no circumstances would we tolerate any further reduction in grade structure; absolutely no reduction." The ANG's new enlisted grades policy is intended to eliminate a log jam and give enlisted people the chance to make rank, provided they meet the requirements for time in service, time in grade and professional training and education as well as demonstrate potential, explained Broadbent. He and James Ware, civilian chief of the Military Requirements Branch in the ANG's manpower office, led the 13-member team that wrote the policy. Ceilings for the total funded enlisted force are: E-9s, 2 percent; E-8s, 5 percent; E-7s, 18.5 percent; E-6s, 25.5 percent; and a minimum grade of E-5 on all unit manning documents, Broadbent said. "People who join the Air National Guard will have the chance to make E-5 at a minimum," he stressed. The ANG now has additional grade authorizations for 400 E-8 slots and an extra 3,800 E-7 and 3,800 E-6 positions, Broadbent added. Weaver made it crystal clear why he believes all people who wear stripes deserve the chance to earn promotions and the extra pay that goes with them. "Our enlisted force is the backbone of the Air National Guard," the director said in Maryland. "You are also an indispensable element of the total force mix, thanks to your maturity, experience and smarter way of doing business. "Because you are all about 'service before self,' it's high time our enlisted grades policy kept pace with the standards you have all set for our military." 000025. German forces honor USAFE commander with 'Grand Tattoo' BONN, Germany (AFPN) -- German troops yielding lit torches and weapons marched onto the parade grounds at the Federal Ministry of Defence compound here Jan. 6 to honor the man who represents the close ties between the U.S. and German air forces. Gen. John P. Jumper, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, traveled to Bonn -- heart of the Federal Republic of Germany's armed forces -- to accept the tribute, a "Grand Tattoo" honoring him with a precision drill and musical ceremony. The tribute comes one week before Jumper is scheduled to relinquish command of both USAFE and Allied Air Forces Central Europe. The nighttime ceremony is based on a tradition dating back 300 years to the British army of King William III. The series of maneuvers performed by the participants symbolize the movements of a disciplined force on the battlefield. An established military tradition in Germany, the Grand Tattoo is usually reserved to honor and bid farewell to high-ranking military officers of outstanding merit, said German air force Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Rolf H. Portz. "This ceremony outlines how I feel for General Jumper -- not only as a military leader, but as a personal friend. It is not only a deep honor but a pleasure to present this Grand Tattoo to someone I consider a close friend of the German air force, a reliable ally and a true friend," said Portz during a reception prior to the ceremony. Jumper, who addressed military leaders and dignitaries during the reception, said, "This is more than an old airman's heart can stand, and I must tell you how grateful I am. This is an overwhelming honor that I certainly never expected. I am most grateful." The general will leave Europe after a Jan. 13 change-of-command ceremony at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to take over Air Combat Command. ACC is the Air Force's largest major command, with 18 major installations and more than 90,000 active-duty airmen. (Courtesy of USAFE News Service) 000021. Robot demonstrates self-adaptive software techniques by Fran Crumb Air Force Research Laboratory Public Affairs ROME, N.Y. (AFPN) -- A mine-detecting robot has successfully demonstrated the feasibility of software that automatically adjusts to failures and changes in a system. The Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate and IS Robotics of Somerville, Mass., used the firm's "Ariel 2" autonomous legged underwater vehicle to show how robots can be made to adapt to their environment through the use of self-adaptive software techniques. Ariel 2 is a mine-detecting robot with six legs that can perform both on land and underwater. Research into both the robot and SAS technology is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of Arlington, Va. "Adaptive features of the robot include tolerance for sensor inadequacy, environment adaptation, tolerance to actuator failure, and goal-driven choice of behaviors," said Daniel E. Daskiewich, program manager in the directorate's Information Technology Division. Engineers from IS Robotics tested Ariel 2 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, Fla., to demonstrate simulated mine detection on land and in shallow water. Metal targets were detected successfully in both environments. Walking, posturing and station keeping (walking a straight line along a compass heading) were demonstrated both partially and fully submerged. "Making the robot adapt to its environment was the main premise behind the testing," said Daskiewich. "If parts are failing - such as one of six legs becomes inoperable -- the software realizes that and adjusts for the failure. Adaptable software should be made as generic as possible for use in various applications. The self-adaptive techniques developed for Ariel 2 robotic are directly applicable to all real-time embedded Air Force systems." "Most of Department of Defense's complex systems depend on software for successful operation," said Daskiewich. "Software for these systems is easily broken or degraded by unanticipated inputs or conditions and cannot respond to changing needs." "The development of software that modifies its own behavior in order to adapt to discovered changes in requirements, inputs, and internal and external conditions will drastically cut both the cost and time required for defense system (Courtesy of Air Force Materiel Command News Service) 000026. AFOSI ends year with apprehension of fugitive ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. (AFPN) -- Capt. Stephen James Dodge, wanted for questioning concerning alleged indecent acts or liberties with a child, distribution of controlled substances and desertion, was apprehended Dec. 30 by U.S. marshals. Dodge, assigned to the 11th Wing at Bolling AFB, D.C., was taken into custody in Stafford, Va. Air Force officials declared Dodge a fugitive Nov. 19. An allegation of criminal wrongdoing does not imply guilt. Working with Air Force Personnel Center and law enforcement agencies, AFOSI began a concerted effort to locate Air Force deserters in August 1995. Since then, 31 fugitives have been apprehended for crimes ranging from indecent assault of a child to attempted murder, as well as narcotics manufacturing and distribution. AFPC maintains an up-to-date list of Air Force deserters, including some from as far back as the 1980s. From that list, AFOSI identifies those who deserted to avoid prosecution or punishment for criminal acts, or who disappeared after having access to sensitive national security information. It then prioritizes the list of missing airmen based on the crimes they have allegedly committed. A list of the Air Force's top 10 fugitives can be found at http://www.dtic.mil/afosi. To report the possible whereabouts of an Air Force fugitive, call the AFOSI operations center at 1-888-745-1639, or contact your local law enforcement agency. 000024. Commentary: First CMSAF compares past, present enlisted force by Paul W. Airey Retired Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- There is a tendency for many of us to look back and see what has happened or transpired during the course of a year. Rather than looking back on the past year, I want to look back 57 years to 1942, when I first enlisted in the United States Army Air Force. My active-duty service encompassed three wars, the Berlin airlift, the Cuban missile crisis and many years of the Cold War with the Soviet block. I'm mentioning this for more reasons than to reminisce about the past; I'd like to compare the Air Force of yesterday to the Air Force of today. I'll skip over the fantastic advances we've made in space, weapons systems and hardware and stick to the people -- still the Air Force's most valuable asset. In the late 1940s, two significant events took place. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act, allowing the Air Force to become a separate branch of the service. Shortly thereafter, in 1948, segregation in the armed forces ended. These two events opened doors and created opportunities that many people never dreamt possible -- they gave us a better-rounded noncommissioned officer corps. I am amazed at the educational level of today's enlisted airmen. It's easy to equate the enlisted force of today to the officer corps I knew in World War II. We now have NCOs and airmen performing duties historically done by officers. In addition, the majority of officers in the 1940s did not have degrees; many of today's airmen do -- a testament to the dedication and opportunities afforded to today's force. The outstanding training we give as a result of professional military education has also done a lot to make the enlisted force what it is today. Young airmen with an average of five years in service are given management and leadership training that often far exceeds that provided in the civilian sector. Along with this, we have a remarkable enlisted promotion system. A system that's been in effect for more than 30 years with only minor changes. Of course, there is no segment of our military society that has made more progress than women in the armed forces. I remember the days of the Women's Army Auxiliary and the Women's Army Corps. Women in the Air Force today are full-fledged members of our great service; standing right alongside their male counterparts. We've also made great leaps in quality-of-life issues. Never in my wildest dreams did I foresee a day when all airmen who live on base would have their own dorm rooms. Other quality-of-life additions such as the creation of family support centers, child development centers, better family quarters and unique travel opportunities have contributed to what recruiters call "a great way of life." I realize there are many frustrations that today's airmen deal with; problems such as constant rotations, single parenting and family separations. However, these frustrations are a fact of life and have always been present. I firmly believe the Air Force of today is far better than it was 50, 20 or even 10 years ago. I also have no doubt that the Air Force of the future will still offer a rewarding career for those who are willing to accept the challenges. I look forward to seeing many more enlisted breakthroughs as we head into the future, such as the first enlisted person in space. Our country and our Air Force will always need dedicated, patriotic airmen who are willing to place their duties ahead of their personal likes and desires. We have always had people like that and I know we always will. (Editors note: Paul W. Airey was the first chief master sergeant of the Air Force. He served in that position from April 1967 to July 1969. He retired from active duty Aug. 1, 1970.) **COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. 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