By Director Connie Patrick, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Last week, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) hosted 21 women in law enforcement as part of FLETC’s Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Training Program at our headquarters in Glynco, GA. FLETC hosted a week-long leadership training program to help promote and support women’s leadership in law enforcement, discuss current leadership challenges for women in law enforcement, and help facilitate career planning.
During the training program, I had the great privilege to join U.S. Secret Service (USSS) Chief of Staff Julia Pierson and FLETC Assistant Directors Cynthia Atwood and Dominick Braccio for a panel discussion on law enforcement leadership topics.
USSS Chief of Staff Pierson began her career as a police officer in Orlando, Florida and then served as a USSS Special Agent assigned to the Miami Field Office. FLETC Assistant Director Atwood was a special agent at the United States Department of Agriculture before coming to FLETC 15 years ago to promote law enforcement training excellence. FLETC Assistant Director Braccio has 32 years of law enforcement experience and recently received the Outstanding Advocate for Women in Federal Law Enforcement Award for his contributions in areas of recruiting, retaining, and promoting women in law enforcement from the Women in Federal Law Enforcement (WIFLE) Foundation.
During the panel discussion, we noted that, while the law enforcement officers in attendance represented a diverse spectrum of agencies and functions, they shared common experiences as women in law enforcement. Although women make up 47 to 50 percent of the workforce in the United States, they constitute only up to 20 percent of the law enforcement workforce and are underrepresented in the management ranks.
Here at FLETC, we are working hard to advance issues that impact women in law enforcement. In the coming year, we will hold Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Training Programs at the FLETC domestic centers and internationally at the International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) in Thailand, Hungary, Botswana, and El Salvador.
We at FLTEC understand that the law enforcement profession as a whole will continue to improve as women bring their skills and experience to leadership roles in law enforcement organizations across the country and around the world, and we look forward to being a part of their good work.
Connie Patrick is Director of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), DHS’s law enforcement training organization. Last year, FLETC trained more than 70,000 law enforcement professionals in skills including fingerprinting, tracking financial transactions, counterterrorism tactics, securing a building and searching a crime scene.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
Sept. 14, 2007 - For perspective about how much the Army Reserve has changed as it has evolved from a strategic reserve to an operational force that's a key player in the war on terror, few could offer as much insight as its senior enlisted soldier. Command Sgt. Maj. Leon Caffie was drafted into the Army in 1970 and served as an infantryman in Vietnam. After returning home, he joined an Army Reserve far different from the one he helps to lead today.
The little equipment reserve units had at the time was cast off from active-duty units. The training "weekend warriors" got when they gathered in their reserve centers typically consisted of reading military training manuals. If they went to the range for weapons qualification, they borrowed weapons from an active unit. Annual training was all but devoid of training.
Caffie remembers his first reserve AT, at Fort Jackson, S.C. He and his fellow reservists had to cut through the weeds to get to the condemned buildings they'd been assigned to work in. Their biggest task, Caffie recalls, was to put together the unit's annual AT party.
"They really didn't expect us to do anything," he said. "We were more of a nuisance to the active component than we were assets."
Flash forward 33 years, and Caffie is happy to report: "That legacy force no longer exists."
The Army Reserve has changed from a force of last resort to an integral part of the Army structure, he said. Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, more than 102,000 of the Army Reserve's 200,000 members have mobilized to support the war effort.
As the 10th senior enlisted advisor to the Army Reserve chief, Caffie is helping the Army Reserve continue to move beyond the legacy force he once served in. And a big part of that task, he said, is looking out for soldiers' interests.
Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz interviewed 16 people before selecting Caffie to the job last year. Impressed by Caffie's ability to impose strict standards and his genuine concern for the troops, Stultz said, he knew he had his man to help move the Army Reserve transformation forward.
"He won't tolerate substandard performance, and that's what soldiers appreciate – the fact that he demands and lives up to that warrior ethos and doesn't ask anything of a soldier that he's not willing to do himself," the general said at Caffie's swearing-in ceremony.
Even Caffie's job description represented a shift from the Army Reserve's old way of doing business. In the past, the Army Reserve had two enlisted leaders: one for the U.S. Army Reserve Command at Fort McPherson, Ga., and another for the chief of the Army Reserve in Washington. Stultz merged the two jobs into one position.
"This is symbolic of not only bringing in new leadership, but also of the fact that we're transforming the reserves into an operational force from an old, legacy force," Stultz said.
As he supports that transformation, Caffie focuses on training soldiers, developing leaders and helping reservists balance their military and civilian careers and family responsibilities.
Caffie has a keen appreciation of the juggling act citizen-soldiers face. He spent 28 years in law enforcement before retiring from the Alachua County Sheriff's Office in Florida, all while serving in increasingly responsible Army Reserve jobs.
Now that he's in a position to make a difference, Caffie said, he's committed to changing old-school ways to make it easier for citizen-soldiers to serve.
He's convinced, for example, that fixed battle assemblies – "drill weekends" in Caffie's earlier days – aren't the best way to train Army Reservists. He said he's encouraged to see more flexible schedules for reservists to enhance their skills.
When they train, Caffie wants reservists out in the field as much as possible, not in those "concrete cocoons that we call Army Reserve centers." Soldiers appreciate knowing that their training is worthwhile, and get motivated developing their leadership skills, he said.
"The key is to get the soldiers into a field environment. Show them appreciation. Challenge them with leadership roles," Caffie said. "And they will deliver."
They're delivering every day, he said, with some the vast majority of the 26,000 reservists currently mobilized serving in about 20 countries around the world, including Iraq. In addition to carrying out a broad range of critical missions overseas, about 6,000 reservists are training other troops about to deploy.
During his regular visits to check on these mobilized reservists, Caffie said, he's struck by the contrast to his early Army Reserve days. "You can walk into the theater today in Afghanistan and Iraq and I would wager that you could not distinguish the active-duty soldier from the reserve-component soldier," he said.
This, he said, shows that new approaches to training soldiers are paying off. "We've changed the paradigm and the old, mundane way of leadership. We're able to maintain the same high standards, but have torn down the boxes that we have built around ourselves," he said.
One big change is the way the Army Reserve looks at its members' civilian job responsibilities. Caffie said there's a growing recognition of the value of the vast civilian skills reservists bring to the military force beyond they military occupational specialties.
"It's important that we understand the force we have and the diversity that reservists bring to the fight," he said. "For too long, people have overlooked the wealth of experience reservists bring in terms of their education and civilian-acquired skills."
Caffie rattled off examples of the unique professional skills. Among them was the story of a young Army Reserve specialist the sergeant major met when visiting a medical unit deployed to Sarajevo. The soldier was working in a corner of the medical facility, hunched over a malfunctioning MRI machine he had torn apart.
"He told me he works for the company that makes the machines," Caffie said. "He said he knew what the problem was, that he'd called back to his company to get them to send the parts it needed, and that he'd put it back together and get it working.
"That's the kind of expertise you have in the Army Reserve, so it's important that you understand what you've got," he continued. "We have people with two unique professional skills – the one they train on as an MOS and the one they bring from their civilian careers."
These civilian-acquired skills make Army Reservists particularly value to the military, Caffie said.
With Stultz, he's working to remove some of the roadblocks that interfere with their ability to continue serving. They promote employer support programs and praise efforts being advanced through the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
They're also focusing on programs for families, particularly during reserve call-ups. "We recruit soldiers, but we sustain families," Caffie said. "We still have a ways to go, but I think we have made significant improvements in that arena."
Some of Caffie's focus boils down to issues as basic as clearing the way to pay reservists for out-of-pocket expenses associated with their military training. Caffie relayed the story of an Army Reserve specialist who regularly drives more than 250 miles to his battle assemblies, pays two nights' hotel costs to attend them and has to pick up the tab for two meals a day while he's away from home for training. At the end of a drill weekend, the soldier ends up in the red.
"It's not fair, but that is the legacy way that we have done business," Caffie said. "We need to move away from that into an operational mindset. An operational mindset says that I have talented soldiers out there, and I will do anything within my power to ensure they are treated fairly and get what they are entitled to."
Fixing this problem is one of the "rocks" Caffie said his boss has "put into my rucksack."
"I got rid of some of them, but some are still there," he said. "I still have some I continue to work on."
As he picks away at these rocks, Caffie said he gets personal gratification knowing he's serving his soldiers and helping the Army Reserve move beyond that legacy force he joined back in 1974.
One indication of how far that force has come is reflected in Army Reserve retention rates. Attrition – at chronic levels during Caffie's early Army Reserve days – is at its lowest point in seven years as the Army Reserve exceeds all retention goals.
Caffie called these retention successes "remarkable," particularly among troops who have deployed to combat. "If you look at the stats for soldiers who have been deployed in the Army Reserve, those retention rates are astronomical as well," he said. "We have done a remarkable job of retaining soldiers with combat experience, who have deployed into either Afghanistan or Iraq."
These retention rates are no accident, he said, particularly when some Army Reserve troops already have served two deployments, and some are preparing for their third deployment.
"When you throw all those angles into the mix, and you are still able to retain them, we are doing something correct," he said. "I think that's about leadership. It starts at the top."
Ultimately, Caffie attributes the success of the Army Reserve and the fact that its members continue to serve to old-fashioned patriotism. Many reservists serve because they believe they're making a contribution to their country and helping preserve its freedoms, he said.
"That's the reason a lot of these soldiers continue to serve today -- because they figure that one must be willing to pay to be free," he said. "They're great American patriots."
By Meghan Vittrup
American Forces Press Service
July 26, 2007 - Growing up in Mobile, Ala., Judith L. Lemley never imagined being in the military. But after graduating with a bachelor's degree in secondary education, Lemley was inspired to follow in the footsteps of her father and enlisted in the Navy. "My father was proud of his time in the military, and he spoke highly of it," Lemley, now a Navy lieutenant, said.
Lemley enlisted 15 years ago and received her officer commission after completing the Limited Duty Officer Program.
Lemley has deployed four times on ships in the Persian Gulf and recently returned from a seven-month tour to Afghanistan, where she helped train Afghan National Army soldiers to use and maintain field radios.
The Afghan soldiers' training also incorporated cryptography to secure communications. It also established automatic link systems so soldiers could communicate without having to change wavelengths throughout the day.
After taking initiative and looking over program cost projections, Lemley was able to carve out $240 million, saving 41 percent over initial projections, when she realized things were being purchased haphazardly.
"I came in and said, 'Nope, I'm going to take this over," Lemley said. "And I carved it out, and I said, 'You know what? This is what we are going to do. We are not going to buy all this excess; we are going to trim the fat and make it happen.' And that's what we did; we stayed focused. What you save in one area someone can always use in another."
Lemley is one of eight servicemembers who served in Iraq, Afghanistan or the Horn of Africa selected to share their individual stories to Americans across the country through the Defense Department's "Why We Serve" public outreach program.
The "Why We Serve" program was initially the idea of Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The program began in fall of 2006. Groups that comprise two military servicemembers from each branch are selected to participate in the program for about 90 days.
"My experience will only help other people grow and stir interest to support the troops, and that's what it's about," Lemley said.
Holding a leadership position in the military, where women only make up a small percentage, can be a challenge. But training Afghan soldiers in a country where women and men are not treated equally can be intimidating, she said.
"The part I find fulfilling is that I did have to meet with (Afghan National Army) generals and colonels on an almost daily basis, and I was the one who kept the key to the kingdom because I fielded all communication equipment," Lemley said. "They found out early on that they couldn't yell at me and order me around. But as a woman, I learned all you have to do is stand your ground and be logical. Women do have value and can make sound decisions."
Lemley said she wants Americans to know that job satisfaction and challenging work are key components of success. "Job satisfaction is the most critical thing," she said. "Respect yourself, and others will respect you."
Lemley also said she wants people to understand the importance of volunteerism and of supporting the troops.
"I want Americans to know that the servicemembers are trying to do as we've been directed, and we really need their support," Lemley said. "Whether they agree with the war or not, we are Americans trying to protect their safety and security in the United States, and we would greatly appreciate their support."
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
July 25, 2007 - Through scholarships, care packages and emergency financial relief, the Scott Vallely Soldiers Memorial Fund, a troop-support group in Montana, honors its namesake. Army Pfc. Scott Paul Vallely was attending special-operations training at Fort Bragg, N.C., when he died on April 20, 2004. The 29-year-old, who entered the Army in October 2003, had just completed infantry training at Fort Benning, Ga.
"Scott always helped other people and was a very generous person," Marian Vallely, Scott's mother, said in a statement on the fund's Web site. "The Memorial Fund has been established to assist and provide monetary support to members of the armed forces and/or their families in (their) time of need.
"The fund will also serve to provide scholarship assistance to those young men and women who will be serving in the armed forces," she added.
Each spring the Soldiers Memorial Fund presents cash leadership awards to graduates entering military service. More than 15 such awards were presented to ROTC and high school students in 2006 alone, according to the Web site.
In addition to the leadership awards and the care package program, the group is working to ensure fallen heroes are never forgotten.
The goal of the fund is "to honor, memorialize and pay tribute to those men and women who have fallen in combat and training -- either giving their lives or being wounded in the global war on terror," Scott's father, retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Vallely, said.
The Scott Vallely Soldiers Memorial Fund also supports the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which works to connect citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.
By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
July 6, 2007 – America's security has always rested on the backs of men and women willing to sacrifice whatever necessary to defend it. An old Japanese quote states, "A samurai should always be prepared for death - whether his own or someone else's." Like the samurai, U.S. servicemembers freely give their lives, faithfully serving as America's avenger, wielding her mighty sword, in conflicts of the past and present.
In every battle the nation has seen, heroes have shone as a beacon for others to follow.
Below are the stories of four American heroes. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Duane Hackney, Marine Lt. Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class James E. Williams and Army Maj. Audie Murphy are beacons of leadership for their fellow servicemembers to follow.
Each man is the most combat-decorated member of his service. All are heroes, America's version of the samurai, faithful to their country regardless of the cost.
Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Duane Hackney
While at basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, during the Vietnam era, Chief Master Sgt. Duane Hackney chose to pursue a career in pararescue, a choice that continually put him in harm's way and earned him more than 70 individual awards, including the Air Force Cross.
Hackney graduated from pararescue training as an honor graduate in every phase of the course. For this, he earned the right to pick his first assignment. Instead of choosing a lush assignment stateside or in Europe, far away from the sweltering jungle, he volunteered for Detachment 7, 38th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Three days after reporting for duty, he flew on his first combat mission. During the mission, he was struck in the leg by a .30-caliber slug. To avoid being grounded, he had a fellow pararescueman remove the bullet on the spot. This selfless act set the tone for his career, and he participated in more than 200 combat missions in three and a half years of Vietnam duty.
On his 10th mission, while pulling a wounded Marine pilot aboard his HH-3E "Jolly Green Giant" helicopter, Hackney was hit by enemy fire.
His helicopter was shot down five times over the following months, during which he earned four Distinguished Flying Crosses and 18 Air Medals for single acts of heroism.
He received his Air Force Cross while on a mission Feb. 6, 1967. He was the first living enlisted airman to receive the second-highest award for heroism given by the U.S. Air Force.
The dawn of the Feb. 6 mission started like any other. Hackney descended from his Jolly Green Giant to look for a downed pilot near Mu Gia pass, in North Vietnam. He searched for two hours, but inclement weather set in, and he was forced to return to base.
A few hours later, radio contact with the pilot was re-established and the chief went out again to attempt another rescue. This time, he found the severely wounded pilot. Hackney safely carried the pilot back to the helicopter to egress the jungle. However, before they could clear enemy air space, the chopper was struck by anti-aircraft artillery, and the compartment filled with smoke and fire. The chief strapped his parachute on the pilot's back and shuffled the pilot out the door.
He then searched the craft for a spare parachute, finding one just prior to a second anti-aircraft shell ripping into the helicopter. Before he could finish buckling the chute, the Jolly Green Giant's fuel line exploded, blasting him out the door without the chute on his back. With the parachute clenched in his arms, he managed to pull the cord before plummeting into the jungle 250 feet below. Though the chute slowed his fall, he still plunged more than 80 feet onto a rocky ledge below.
Despite being severely burned and wounded by shrapnel, Hackney managed to evade the enemy and thwart capture. The heroic rescuer was rescued by a fellow pararescueman and was returned to Da Nang Air Base. When he got back, he learned that he was the only survivor from the mission. Four other crewmembers and the pilot he rescued were lost in the operation.
For giving up his parachute and risking his own life, he received the Air Force Cross. He was the youngest airman and the second enlisted member to receive the medal. The first was Airman 1st Class William Pitzenbarger, also a pararescueman, who received the award posthumously.
After Vietnam, the chief continued his distinguished Air Force career and retired in 1991. Two years later he died of a heart attack in his Pennsylvania home. He was 46 years old.
Marine Lt. Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller
Lt. Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller, the most decorated Marine in U.S. history, is one of only two people to receive a Navy Cross, the Navy's second-highest decoration, five times.
Puller earned 52 separate, subsequent and foreign awards in his 37-year career with the Marine Corps.
With five Navy Crosses and a Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest decoration, Puller received the nation's second highest military decoration six times.
Prior to his involvement in World War I, Puller, then an Army sergeant, was accepted into the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, Va., to pursue a commissioned career in the Army.
As America's involvement in World War I intensified, the sergeant, who was nicknamed "Chesty" for his barrel chest, resigned from the college and enlisted as a private in the Marine Corps. His reasons were summed up in his quote, "I want to go where the guns are."
After his 1919 re-enlistment, he saw action in Haiti. There, he participated in more than 40 combat engagements over the course of five years.
In 1924, he returned stateside and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He spent four years at various stateside assignments before returning overseas in 1928, where he earned his first Navy Cross in Nicaragua. He spent a second tour in Nicaragua in 1933, when he earned a second Navy Cross for leading five successive actions against superior numbers of outlaw forces.
Puller earned three Navy Crosses in World War II: in Guam, Guadalcanal, and finally in Japan.
On Guadalcanal, for action that is now known as the Battle for Henderson Field, Puller's battalion was the only American unit defending an airfield against a regiment-strength Japanese force. In a three-hour firefight, his unit suffered 70 casualties while the Japanese lost more than 1,400 troops, and the American's held the airfield.
Puller was quoted as saying, "All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us. ... They can't get away this time," about the battle.
He earned his fifth Navy Cross in November 1950 during the intense Battle of Chosin Reservoir. During the firefight, then-Col. Puller was quoted as saying, "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."
In 1966, he requested to be reinstated in the Corps in order to see action in the Vietnam War, but the request was denied on the basis of his age.
Navy Petty Officer 1st Class James E. Williams
Born and raised in South Carolina, Petty Officer 1st Class James E. Williams was the most-decorated enlisted man in Navy history. He received a Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, Silver Star, Navy and Marine Corps Medal, Bronze Star, Purple Heart and a Navy Commendation Medal with combat distinguishing device.
The petty officer received the Medal of Honor for his service on the Mekong River in Vietnam on Oct. 31, 1966, while serving as a boat captain and patrol officer. His vessel and another river-patrol boat were searching for contraband when crewmembers spotted two speedboats. Williams pursued and sunk one of the boats, then turned and went after the second, which was hiding in an 8-foot-wide canal in front of a rice paddy.
He knew his boat wouldn't fit in the canal, but after checking a map realized he could pass through a wider canal and intercept the enemy's vessel.
He proceeded with his plan. However, after exiting the canal, he found himself and his crew in a hostile staging area where they came under heavy fire from more enemy boats and North Vietnamese troops on the shore.
U.S. helicopter support eventually arrived, so Williams moved his vessel to another enemy boat staging area down river, where another fierce battle was under way.
After more than three hours of fighting, his patrol had accounted for the destruction or loss of 65 enemy boats and more than 1,000 enemy troops.
"You gotta stop and think about your shipmates," he said during a 1998 interview with the Navy's All Hands Magazine. "That's what makes you a great person and a great leader -- taking care of each other."
Williams passed away in 1999.
Maj. Audie Murphy
Immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, Audie Murphy, a 17-year-old son of poor, rural sharecroppers, tried to enlist in the military, but the services rejected him because he had not yet reached the required age of 18.
Shortly after his 18th birthday, Murphy tried to enlist in the Marine Corps but was turned down for being too short. Finally, the 5-foot-5-inch man was accepted into the Army and sent to Camp Wolters, Texas, for basic training.
During a close-order-drill session, he passed out. Fearing his apparent weaknesses, his company commander tried to have him transferred to a cook and bakers school, but the private insisted on becoming a combat soldier.
His thirst for combat was finally quenched when he was ordered to help liberate Sicily on July 10, 1943. Shortly after arriving, he experienced his first combat encounter and defeated two enemy officers. For this action, his captain promoted him to corporal.
Murphy distinguished himself in combat on many occasions while in Italy earning several promotions and decorations.
Following the Italian campaign, Murphy's unit was ordered to invade southern France. Shortly thereafter, Murphy's best friend was killed while approaching a German soldier feigning surrender. His friend's death sent him into a rage, and he single-handedly wiped out the German machine gun crew responsible. He then used the German machine gun and grenades to destroy several nearby enemy positions. For this act, he received a Distinguished Service Cross.
He was awarded a battlefield commission and given a platoon. Twelve days after the promotion, he was shot by a sniper and spent 10 weeks recuperating.
When he returned to his unit, Murphy became the company commander and was wounded by mortar rounds that killed two soldiers near him.
The next day, despite the bitter-cold temperature and more than 24 inches of snow on the ground, his unit entered the battle at Holtzwihr, France. With only 19 of his 128 soldiers engaged, his men seemed doomed. Subsequently, he sent all of his men to the rear while he continued to engage the Germans until he ran out of ammunition.
Without the means to return fire, Murphy looked to an abandoned, burning tank nearby. He secured its .50-caliber machine gun and used it to saw down German infantry at a distance. During the engagement, he destroyed a full squad of German infantry that had crawled in a ditch to within 100 feet of his position. Murphy suffered several leg wounds yet released his fury on the enemy for almost an hour.
Eventually, his telephone line to the artillery fire-direction center was cut by enemy fire. Without the ability to call on artillery, he summoned his remaining men and organized them to conduct a counter attack, which ultimately drove the enemy away from Holtzwihr. These actions earned Murphy the Medal of Honor.
During World War II, Murphy was credited with destroying six tanks, killing more than 240 German soldiers, and wounding and capturing many others. By the end of World War II, he was a legend within 3rd Infantry Division as a result of his heroism and battlefield leadership.
During his career, Murphy received 33 U.S. medals, five French medals and one from Belgium.
Despite suffering from insomnia, bouts of depression and nightmares as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder, he raised his hand and volunteered for duty when the Korean conflict broke out in 1950. However, he was never called up for combat duty. By the time he retired in 1966, he had attained the rank of major.
(Air Force Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace is assigned to the 436th Airlift Wing.)
By Tim Kilbride
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 18, 2007 – Individual roles, actions and operations are essential components of the Iraq war effort, but it is the sum of those parts that defines success in the war, the top enlisted leader in theater said last week. To determine whether the coalition is winning or losing in Iraq, it is necessary to consider three points, said Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, senior enlisted leader of Multinational Force Iraq, during a June 15 call with online journalists.
The first target, he said, is "a government that (is) able to take care of its people and be self-sustaining" while generating economic growth.
For the second measure, Hill said, "you can define winning by improving the life of the Iraqi people and bringing some form of normalcy back" to them.
The last element, he explained, is building, training and equipping "an Iraqi security force that's capable of providing security for its people."
Progress against those three measures is best measured through "atmospherics," Hill said, taking the pulse of the environment within a certain area to get a sense of normalcy and functionality. Without such context, he noted, numbers and other specifics can sometimes lose meaning.
"I don't think it's about what we do for ourselves while we're over here," Hill said. "I don't think it's about how many hours an aviation unit has flown, or how many missions an infantry unit has done, and how much fuel a petroleum unit has pumped."
Rather, he explained, the usefulness and efficacy of those actions is measured in how they support the mission of assisting the Iraqi people.
"If you're playing a role in that and if you can see progress in that, I think you can say that you are winning," Hill said. "But through your efforts, if you don't see a change in the atmospherics -- if you see the government moving so slow that it appears that they're going backwards, and if you see an Iraqi security force that exists just to exist and not exist to take care of its people, protect its people -- then we are not winning."
That type of contextual balance is often missing from the descriptions of Iraq provided to the American public, Hill said; there is typically a missing link as to how individual actions or events relate back to the central strategy or reality on the ground.
"From the soldier perspective, probably from some of our leaders, I think we just speak in a language that the American people don't understand," he said. "If you were a ... servicemember you understand, 'Okay, I flew more flight hours than such-and-such.' Okay? They're saying that's pretty good, but still, that's whoop-dee-doo, you know. Well, what did the flight hours ... enable? And once we can say that, then people say, 'Oh, I get it.'"
Unlike the relationship with the U.S. public, communicating with the Iraqi public involves more direct interaction, Hill said. Rather than words, U.S. and coalition soldiers communicate with the Iraqis through actions, he explained.
He described the notion of the "strategic corporal" - a young service member, "mid-grade or junior grade, who's out there on point, whose actions ... would have strategic implications, whether it be positive or negative."
Coalition troops are such critical messengers with the Iraqi public, he said, because of their regular engagement with that public. Generic messages regarding normalizing the security situation and improving Iraqis' quality of life are directly communicated through the coalition's day-to-day activities, Hill said.
"They can tell them that through flyers, they can tell them that through interpreters, or they can tell them that through action," Hill said.
The action piece, he noted, is "assisting in cleaning up neighborhoods, assisting in getting schools open, assisting in getting playgrounds built, assisting in securing the market areas."
They are assisted in that mission by the Iraqi security forces, Hill said. The addition of the Iraqi police and army to the fight are, in fact, one of the biggest developments in the war in the past three years, he noted.
"Now we are partnered with someone, someone who has a vested interest in the Baghdad security plan working, and ... our fight and our cause over here actually working," Hill said.
But it is not an easy mission, especially for the Iraqi police, he said. Because of the severity of the security situation, reports of their performance must be evaluated in context, he explained.
"They are constantly under threat. And they're trying to cure a local population and have law and order, but they are constantly under threat themselves," Hill said.
Understanding that point, Hill said, also makes it possible to understand the U.S. mission of helping stabilize the security situation to a point where the Iraqi police are able to function independently.
Thus, establishing context is once again a central goal and challenge of communication on Iraq, Hill said.
In the case of U.S. soldiers fighting in Iraq, Hill explained, that challenge entails maintaining their faith in their leadership. For the troops to effectively execute a mission, he said, they must have absolute confidence in their chain of command and their fellow servicemembers.
Hill noted that anytime he is around a soldier's reenlistment ceremony he raises his hand and recites the oath of enlistment. "It just gives you a feeling of being something much, much larger than yourself," he observed.
"I think that serves as a reminder to our young servicemembers that we're enlisting; it serves as a reminder that, 'Hey, as a leader I've got your back and I got your best interest at heart because I need you to blindly obey my orders,' Hill said. "And so in order for you to do that, you've got to know that I've got your back."
(Tim Kilbride is assigned to New Media, American Forces Information Service.)
By Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Votroubek
Special to American Forces Press Service
June 13, 2007 – Senior enlisted leaders from the Afghan National Army and coalition forces met in May for the first ANA Sergeant Major of the Army Combat Leadership Training Seminar. Command sergeants major and other senior enlisted leaders attended the two-day seminar to associate and train with their peers.
U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert E. Durbin, commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan, made opening statements on the first day. He recalled his experiences with senior enlisted leaders earlier in his career and challenged the attendees to put themselves in their soldiers' places.
He concluded by telling them, "Now you need to get blisters on your hands and get your hands dirty, because that's what great leaders do."
Durbin was followed by the combined command's top enlisted member, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ruben Espinoza, who reminded the noncommissioned officers of their duty to enforce standards and train subordinates.
"Success on the battlefield is not an accident; it is the result of training by senior NCOs," he said.
The seminar's featured speaker was retired Command Sgt. Maj. Of the Army Jack Tilley, who served in the U.S. Army's top enlisted position from June 23, 2000, to Jan. 15, 2004. He reminded the enlisted leaders that they are role models, and stressed the importance of their relationship with commanding officers and of their duty to mentor all soldiers.
"Don't just talk about being a good soldier; be a good soldier every day of your life" he said.
The seminar also featured concurrent training sessions. The attendees were divided into small groups to participate in group discussions on "Escalation of Force," "Risk Management" and "Command Sergeant Major Duties and Responsibilities." The discussion on risk management was particularly important to Afghanistan's sergeant major of the army, Safi Roshan.
"There should be many changes because of this," he said while watching the safety videos.
The first day concluded with a presentation and discussion on re-enlistment and promotion policies by Afghan National Army Col. Mohd Amin, who sought input from the enlisted leaders.
Training and taking time to develop relationships were both benefits of the seminar. The ANA's medical command sergeant major, Shaker Noori, said both aspects were of equal value.
"It has been good, because we lack this experience," he said.
Similar seminars will be held twice a year to continue providing opportunities for the ANA and the coalition to network and mentor each other, officials said.
(Navy Petty Officer 1st Class David Votroubek is assigned to Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan Public Affairs.)
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League today issued the following statement regarding ways in which the LAPD might improve training and command and control in the wake of the incident in MacArthur Park on May 1st.
"Training is the backbone of good police work. Constant, updated training ensures that officers know not only what to do, but can implement the Department's policies, procedures and expectations for any given incident. The May 1 incident revealed the downside of the Department's cost-based decision over the past several years to abandon introductory training for new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers, and to not train all officers for large tactical situations. Moving forward, the LAPD leadership also needs to evaluate the training of command staff to respond to large demonstrations."
The LAPPL recommends that any command, control and training changes in the wake of theMacArthur Park incident should include the following:
All new Metropolitan Division (Metro) officers attend "new person school" in their first deployment period assigned to Metro. Class size should be limited to 18 officers, the maximum number that can effectively be trained at one time.
All Bureau-dedicated officers assigned to the Mobile Field Force (MFF) citywide should attend a Metro-coordinated MFF training class on a quarterly basis. Thereafter, Metro training cadre should conduct random realistic readiness audits of each Bureau MFF.
A clear use-of-force policy regarding the use of batons in crowd control procedures needs to be reiterated as part of on-the-job training and disseminated to MFF officers during pre-event briefings.
All Command officers should be required to attend a full day of crowd control management classes on a yearly basis.
All LAPD officers deployed to a major crowd event should be allowed to carry on their person appropriate safety equipment, including helmet with face shield, batons and protective masks.
Anytime LAPD officers are deployed to a major incident, undercover officers should be deployed into the crowd-however, only for intelligence gathering purposes.
Anytime undercover officers are deployed into the crowd for intelligence gathering purposes, an adequate number of high-ground officers should be utilized.
Media procedures (consistent with the Crespo settlement) should be communicated to all officers assigned to an event during pre-event briefings.
In order for media to be credentialed, members of the media should be required to attend a yearly LAPD media training where they will be informed of proper procedures concerning safe areas. The continued goal of the LAPD should be to provide full and safe access to events in the city.
Officers authorized to use 37 millimeter (less lethal munitions) should receive quarterly or semi-annual training.
Metro officers should continue to test and evaluate modernized protective equipment for crowd control purposes, to ensure that the Department is using the most effective equipment at all times.
Officers assigned to reserve resources at a standby staging area during an event should not be re-assigned to non-event duties until after the event has concluded peacefully and the crowd has cleared.
Endorsing and implementing these measures will help to prevent the repetition of the kind of missteps that were made on May 1.
About the LAPPL
Formed in 1922, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,000 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.LAPD.com.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 25, 2007 – As an operations manager for Proctor and Gamble, Army Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz strived to recruit the best new workers, get them trained for their jobs, then retain them so they didn't take their skills and experience elsewhere. That's similar to the challenge Stultz faces now, serving as the Army Reserve chief during a four-year leave of absence from his civilian job.
"I come from the business world, and there are a whole lot of similarities," Stultz told American Forces Press Service during an interview marking his one-year anniversary leading the Army Reserve.
So when Stultz assesses the Army Reserve and its requirements, he tends to think as much like a businessman as a three-star general.
When it comes down to the product, Stultz said the Army Reserve is the best it's ever been in his entire 33 years of service. "It's the most professional, best-quality, best-trained force I've seen," he said.
Visiting deployed Army Reserve soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, Kosovo, and just last week in Panama and Belize, Stultz said, he's struck by what they bring to their mission.
"It's just inspiring to see the quality, the dedication and the professionalism of the soldiers we've got," he said. "When you talk about the quality of the force, these are top-notch individuals that we have in our force."
Stultz knows firsthand what these soldiers have left behind to deploy; since leaving active duty to join the Army Reserve in 1979, he was deployed for Operation Desert Storm in 1990 and 1991, for Operation Joint Endeavor in 1997 and for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2002 to 2004.
"Wherever I go, I see soldiers who, over and over again, have put their civilian careers on hold," he said. "They are well educated, have got a very bright future ahead of them, but they joined our ranks in the Army Reserve so they can serve their country."
The soldier in Stultz understands that most joined the Army Reserve out of patriotism. But the businessman in him knows that to keep them in the force, the Army Reserve will need to keep giving them fulfilling training and missions, a fair benefits package and more balance in their lives.
With more than 170,000 Army Reservists mobilized since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, the force is more experienced than ever before, Stultz said.
Troops feel good about what they've accomplished and proven about the Army Reserve, but simply can't keep up the current operational pace, he said. They need more time at home with their families and civilian employers between deployments, and they need predictability about when they will deploy.
"We have got to put some predictability and some dwell time back in their life, because they can't keep going at this tempo," he said. "They have got to be able to get back home, back to their civilian jobs, back to the family life that they want."
In short, Stultz said, the Army Reserve needs to give its citizen-soldiers a bit more time to be "citizens."
He expressed optimism that the new Army Force Generation model will go a long way toward that goal. The model will set a cycle for reservists to deploy, return home, then get time at home and the opportunity to prepare for another deployment.
As he considers ways to bring balance to the "soldier-citizen" equation, Stultz also spends a lot of time trying to come up with better ways to keep troops in the force and to compensate them for their service.
After all, he said, it doesn't matter how strong the force is if you don't have soldiers who want to be a part of it.
Twenty-five years at Proctor and Gamble taught Stultz a lot about what motivates employers, and he'd like to see some of the same practices that work so well in the private sector applied in the military.
New employees, like new troops, are typically more interested in hearing about up-front cash payments than long-term benefits, he said. Mid-level workers, like mid-career soldiers, commonly want to know more about other benefits, particularly health care. Those toward the end of their careers, whether in the private sector or military, begin to think a lot about retirement benefits.
"At Proctor and Gamble, when you talked to an employee you were trying to retain, you looked at where they were in their life," he said. "And the same thing really does apply when you think about retaining a soldier."
Stultz said he'd like to see compensation packages better tailored to fit a particular soldier's interest.
For example, rather than automatically offering an up-front $15,000 re-enlistment bonus, the Army Reserve might give the soldier the option of applying that money somewhere else, he said. It could go toward pre-paying health insurance premiums, put into a retirement 401 plan or even pay off a child's college tuition costs through a program negotiated with the state.
Similarly, he said he'd like to see health-care programs better tailored to troops' particular needs. He's a big fan of a "continuity of care" concept that would prevent reserve troops from having to flip back and forth between their employers' and the military's systems when they deploy and return home.
"If we are truly going to have an operational force in the reserve components, if we are truly going to say to expect to be mobilized on a repeated basis on a regular frequency, we can't keep requiring the soldier to change medical plans every five years," he said. "We just can't keep doing that."
Stultz noted that changing medical plans affects entire families. "That is too much turmoil and stress on the family," he said.
He's considered ways to prevent this, possibly by having the military work with employers to share the cost of continuing corporate health-care benefits while a soldier is mobilized. Another option might be for the military to extend Tricare benefits for reservists to reservists who don't have health insurance elsewhere or at a lower cost than they can get it from their employers.
That could be a big enticement for civilian employers, particularly those in small business, to want to hire reservists, he said.
Stultz said he's "trying to explore all avenues right now" to come up with the best recommendation for providing health care to Army reservists on an ongoing basis.
He also likes the concept of a "continuum of service" that would enable soldiers to move between the active and reserve component during their military careers. This would enable soldiers to continuing serving as their life situation changes.
As a result, he said, the military would be able to retain their skills and experience, and they'd have the flexibility to continue serving and, if they choose to, to continue working toward a military retirement. Stultz noted that it could take them 35 years to acquire 20 active-duty years, but that they'd have that opportunity if they chose to pursue it.
As he considers incentives that have proven successful in corporate America and considers how they might work in the Army Reserve, Stultz is also eyeing the military retirement plan.
The current plan provides a retirement for reserve troops with 20 years of service, but they have to reach age 60 before collecting it. Stultz said he favors the idea of lowering the age, but only if it's tied into serving beyond 20 years.
He's intrigued by the concept of allowing reservists to draw retirement six months early for every year they serve beyond 20. Based on this formula, troops who served 22 years could draw it at age 59. Those with 26 years of service could draw it at 57. Those who stay 30 years - which Stultz recommends as the cap - could draw their retirement at age 55.
"So I would get 10 more years of service out of that individual, for five years of early retirement," he said.
One year into the job, Stultz said he recognizes he's got a lot on his plate, and that the concepts he's exploring are somewhat revolutionary to the military. But he said he's convinced that the corporate sector has some important lessons to offer. Much of it, he said, boils down to attracting, training and retaining the best people possible.
After all, he said, people are the bottom line in a successful Army.
"Training and equipping isn't important if you don't have any soldiers to train and equip," he said. "To me, manning the force and sustaining that is really the first priority."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
May 24, 2007 – As "ruffles and flourishes" rings through the three U.S. military academies over the next few days, several thousand new graduates will accept their commissions and join the military ranks. These young second lieutenants and ensigns all enrolled in their respective schools -- the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.; the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo. -- recognizing they'd graduate into a wartime force.
Most were sophomores in high school when they watched televised images of the Twin Towers falling and the Pentagon burning, then the U.S. going to war in Afghanistan. Most hadn't yet been to their senior proms when the country entered Iraq. This week they'll leave their schoolhouses behind to join their fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines serving around the world in the war on terror.
To get a better picture of how their schools have prepared them for this calling, American Forces Press Service spoke with their academic deans and alumni who have risen to the senior military ranks.
Here's what they had to say about what has changed at their institutions and what remains fundamental, and how they're helping ensure their graduates are ready for the challenges they'll confront as military officers.
The Basics
Although they're four-year schools like thousands of others that dot the United States, the U.S. service academies stand uniquely apart. All were founded with the specific goal of educating military leaders -- people who understand not just the art and science of war, but also the fundamentals of leadership.
That's a principle the academies have held at their core as they strive to develop what Army Col. Dan Ragsdale, vice dean at West Point and a 1981 graduate, calls "critical thinkers" armed with the education and training they need to think on their feet.
"Our expectations are that these future leaders are going to have to draw on a relatively broad set of skills, backgrounds and experiences to help solve the problems that they are going to confront in ... a greatly ambiguous world in which they are going to have to operate," he said.
To develop those skills, the academies offer curricula that recently retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, a 1973 West Point graduate who went on to lead U.S. Central Command, described as "some of the most challenging in the nation today."
The coursework is steeped in science, math and engineering so graduates are prepared to enter a highly technical military, whether they'll be flying aircraft, serving on nuclear-powered submarines or calling in air strikes as they lead ground forces in combat, explained William Miller, academic dean and provost at the Naval Academy and a 1962 graduate.
"We want to ensure all our graduates have a good, solid technical foundation for serving as an officer in a very, very technically demanding environment," he said.
Equally important, officials agree, is an understanding of the world in which they'll operate. All three academies have expanded their curricula to increasingly focus on regional studies and language skills.
"The kinds of problems that our ... graduates will face are across a broad spectrum, so we have to give them a technological foundation," Ragsdale said. "But we also have to give them a social and cultural perspective around which to address and solve problems. We have to help them understand and appreciate the political aspects of any problem they are trying to address."
More Than Academics
There may be no pat formula for preparing new officers to serve in wartime, but officials agreed it requires more than mastery of academics.
"Our graduates are not going to be historians and mechanical engineers," Miller said. "They are going to be leaders and problem solvers in a very demanding environment."
There's no possible way to train students for every possible situation they'll encounter when they enter military service, the officials agreed.
"That's a given," Ragsdale said. "But because we know that, we have worked to create an environment where they can develop as the adaptable, agile, critical thinkers they need to be to lead the soldiers who will be entrusted to their care."
The academies strive to prepare cadets and midshipmen to look at problems from multiple dimensions and to juggle priorities.
Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that's one of the biggest lessons he took away from his Naval Academy experience.
"At school, there was always too much to do, and in the Marine Corps, there has always been too much to do," Pace said. "Therefore, you really have to take the important and set it aside to do the critical."
Pace said being bombarded with myriad demands as a midshipman reinforced the importance of teamwork, another principle he said he's carried throughout his career. "In combat, there is nothing you do as an individual," he said. "It's all based on teamwork."
Developing Leaders
While developing their cadets and midshipmen intellectually, the academies also focus on developing them as leaders.
Abizaid said the most important lesson the academies need to instill is "the ability to lead people in a positive, inspirational way."
From their first days at their respective schools, cadets and midshipmen get exposed to valuable lessons in leadership. Initially they observe upperclassmen serving in various leadership positions -- some successfully, some less so. Later, students try their own hand at leadership posts. Through this process, they begin to understand what leadership style works for them, what doesn't, and how they can improve their leadership skills.
Gen. John Corley, Air Force vice chief of staff and a 1973 graduate of the Air Force Academy, described his alma mater as a "leadership laboratory" where cadets exposed him and his fellow cadets to "a set of experiences that you just don't find in other places."
"They also provided challenges," Corley said. "It was a test ... in terms of your development (and) ... your ability to grow and become a leader of character."
"I learned a lot from observing good leadership, and from observing bad leadership, and through experimentation on my own part, trying things that worked or didn't work for me," Pace said of his time at the Naval Academy.
That's the single biggest difference between the military academies and traditional civilian colleges and universities, the deans and alumni agreed.
"Our first and foremost overarching outcome is to commission ... leaders of character who embody our ... core values of integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do," said Brig. Gen. Dana Born, dean of faculty for the Air Force Academy and a 1983 graduate. "It stands at the very foundation of what we do."
Miller said leadership lessons learned at the academies have a long-lasting impact on how graduates confront problems.
"No matter what (military) community our graduates enter, ... they are going to be leaders, and we want to ensure they have a good ethical foundation for the decisions they are going to make," he said.
Educating for the Future
While preparing their cadets and midshipmen for the immediate requirements they'll face as graduates, academy officials say they recognize the need to keep their eyes focused on the horizon.
"We try to stay balanced and not hyper-reactive," Ragsdale said. "We recognize that we're providing a foundation upon which they can develop as successful officers."
"We can't just focus on the fact that we are currently engaged in a shooting war ... and think only about what (midshipmen) are going to need right after graduation," agreed Miller. "We need to look at what (future officers) are going to need for the longer term and recognize that we're preparing them for a career of service."
By approaching education as a "strategic investment," Miller said, the academies are helping students recognize that their education will be just beginning as they accept their commissions.
"We are trying to lay a foundation on which they can build over their career and continue to learn," he said. "That's important, because being in the armed services demands lifetime learning."
Change
The biggest misconception about the academies is that they're so embedded in tradition that they can't or won't change with the times, officials said.
"That is about as far from the truth as you can get," Ragsdale said. "On the contrary, we understand ... that our graduates have to be prepared for a changing world. So while we hold on to our firm foundations upon which the institution was built, we have embraced change to ensure we are providing the kinds of experiences our cadets need to be successful in the world they are going to face when they graduate."
Born described sweeping changes in the Air Force Academy's core curriculum so courses build on previous lessons and broaden students' exposure to new concepts and approaches. The other academies have instituted similar changes.
These changes are helping ensure students have a foundation from which to draw when they graduate into a wartime environment. "We need students to learn and be able to build upon prior learning, as opposed to just teaching and hoping that they remember it when they need it when they are in downtown Baghdad making decisions," Born said.
Intraservice Cooperation
An intensive system of sharing and cooperation is helping the academies evolve to better serve their students' and services' needs. Staffs meet in person and share e-mails regularly to keep each other informed about new initiatives they're trying and what they've learned along the way.
"We are trying to learn from each other in a leap-frog fashion rather than all of us learning linearly and stumbling over the same obstacles," Miller said.
"We have very common goals and a common set of outcomes that we would like all our graduates to achieve," Ragsdale agreed. "So we share those things that have worked, and on the flip side, those initiatives that have not been successful so they can learn from our mistakes."
Born said the academies recognize their similarities and build on each others' strengths. "We ... team together to share lessons learned and best practices. We learn from each other and are able to progress more quickly by sharing our lessons learned," she said.
So despite infamous interservice rivalry in the sports arena, Born said, there's a healthy respect and common understanding among academy students, graduates and staffs.
"When it comes to the football field, there is all kinds of talk and all kinds of competition," she said. "But when it comes right down to it, we are all working toward commissioning officers and leaders of character for our nation."
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
CEDAP Application Period Extended!
Application Deadline: June 29, 2007, 23:59EDT
The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program (CEDAP) is an important component of the Administration's larger, coordinated effort to strengthen the Nation's overall level of preparedness. CEDAP transfers specialized commercial equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance directly to smaller jurisdictions and eligible metropolitan areas.
TThe FY 2007 CEDAP will provide equipment, equipment training, and equipment technical assistance valued at approximately $33.7 million to first responder organizations across the Nation. This competitive program is a direct assistance program, not a grant program, and FEMA will provide the equipment and technical assistance directly to the selected jurisdictions.
CEDAP's equipment offerings include:
Personal Protective Equipment
Thermal Imaging, Night Vision, and Video Surveillance
Chemical and Biological Detection
Information Technology and Risk Management Tools
Interoperable Communications Equipment/Technology
Eligible Agencies
Eligible applicants include law enforcement agencies, fire, and other emergency responders who demonstrate that the equipment will be used to improve their ability and capacity to respond to a major critical incident or work with other first responders. Awardees must not have received equipment/funding under the Urban Areas Security Initiative or the Assistance to Firefighters Grants program for which the Award Date is October 1, 2005 or later. Awardees that have received grant assistance from FEMA under FEMA's Interoperable Communications Equipment (ICE) program are not eligible for interoperable communications equipment under CEDAP. Organizations must submit applications through the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at www.rkb.mipt.org.
Agencies and departments are allowed to submit only one application per year under CEDAP. Receipt of multiple applications from different divisions or units of the same agency or department will automatically disqualify the applicant from consideration for all CEDAP applications submitted. Applicants should select items from the CEDAP Equipment Catalog that they have been unable to acquire through other DHS programs.
Apply Online
The CEDAP application is online at the Responder Knowledge Base (RKB) website at http://www.rkb.mipt.org/.
You must register as an RKB user before you can access the application form.
For More Information
Prospective applicants should direct any questions regarding CEDAP, the application process, or the awards process to the Centralized Scheduling and Information Desk (CSID) at 1-800-368-6498 or via e-mail at askcsid@dhs.gov.
Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.
By Carmen L. Gleason
American Forces Press Service
May 20, 2007 – In a commencement speech at his alma mater today, Defense Secretary Robert Gates challenged the graduates of the College of William and Mary to serve the greater good of the nation by voting, volunteering and participating in public service.
"When talking about American democracy, we hear a great deal about freedoms and rights, and more recently, about the entitlements of citizenship," Gates said to the more than 1,700 graduates gathered in the university's William and Mary Hall. "We hear a good deal less about the duties and responsibilities of being an American."
The secretary shared that when attending the university more than 40 years ago, he was instilled with a sense of duty and calling to serve the community and the country. It is a calling rooted in the history and traditions of the 300-year-old institution, he said.
Citing his experience as president of Texas A&M University, followed by his tenure as defense secretary, Gates said that young Americans "are as decent, generous and compassionate as we've ever seen in this country."
Despite this impression, Gates said he found it puzzling that so many young people who are public-minded within their schools and communities are uninterested, and possibly distrustful, of the nation's political processes.
"This country will only progress as a democracy if its citizens - young and old alike - take an active role in its political life as well," Gates said. He told the graduates that if they are unhappy with leaders, then they should go out and elect different ones or run for office themselves.
"But you must participate, or else the decisions that affect your life and the future of our country will be made for you -- and without you," he said, filling the hall with applause.
Gates went on to describe how the world has changed since Sept. 11, 2001, and how serving the nation has taken on a whole new meaning and required a whole new level of risk and sacrifice.
"It is precisely during these trying times that America most needs its best and brightest young people, from all walks of life, to step forward and commit to public service," he said. "Because, while the obligations of citizenship in any democracy are considerable, they are even more profound and more demanding, as citizens of a nation with America's global challenges and responsibilities -- and America's values and aspirations."
Gates praised the hundreds of thousands of young Americans in uniform who have stepped forward to put their lives on the line for their country, such as the ones he has met when traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan.
"Seeing what they do every day, and the spirit and good humor with which they do it is an inspiration," he said. "The dangers they face, and the dangers our country faces, make it all the more important that this kind of service be honored, supported and encouraged."
In a pre-commencement ceremony at the university's historic Wren building, Gates thanked Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets for choosing to serve their nation. He reaffirmed the oath of the six graduates from both William and Mary and Christopher Newport University.
"You could've chosen a different path -- something easier or safer or better compensated," he said. "But you chose to serve. You have my deepest admiration and respect -- as secretary of defense, but mostly as a fellow American."
Gates later acknowledged the cadets' commitment during the commencement ceremony, describing them are part of the voluntary military service reaching back to George Washington's Continental Army. He listed other William and Mary alumni who have also answered the nation's call to duty.
"If America is to exercise global leadership consistent with our better angels, then the most able and most idealistic of your generation must step forward and accept the burden and the duty of public service," he said. "I promise that you will also find joy and satisfaction and fulfillment."
Article sponsored by Criminal Justice online leadership; and, law enforcement personnel who have written books.
By Director Connie Patrick, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
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