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MILITARY MATTERS
Newsletter #45
2/24/00
Howdy all, and welcome to the 45th edition of Military Matters, the newsletter for About.com's U.S. Military Information Page. If you need information about anything concerning the Military, please try http://usmilitary.about.com. If you know anyone who is interested in military matters, please feel free to email them a copy of this newsletter.
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Last Poll: Should Tax Money be used to Construct and Maintain Veteran Memorials? 79 Percent of you said, "Yes."
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This Issue's Poll: Should the Military Delay its Anthrax Vaccination program for More Testing?
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NEWS AND COMMENTARY:
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Good Grades Count: DALLAS -- Students with good grades and a little luck can win prizes of up to $5,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds in the Army and Air Force Exchange Service's new "You Made the Grade!" program.
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Guard Goes Psychedelic: COLUMBIA, SC - Harking back to a post-Vietnam era of go-go dancers and Army-sponsored drag racers, the S.C. National Guard has unveiled its newest recruiting tool - a psychedelic Humvee. Looking a bit like the pastel school bus in the 1970s sitcom ``The Partridge Family,'' the customized Humvee was introduced to a crowd of curious onlookers Tuesday at Guard headquarters in Columbia. The vehicle, which features mag wheels, a 12-speaker stereo system and turquoise-colored vinyl seats, will be used to woo young recruits at parades, festivals and malls.
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Silent on North Korea: THE EFFORT TO negotiate the disarmament of Stalinist North Korea is a key element of Clinton administration foreign policy. The administration claims real, if slow, progress: a halt in North Korea's nuclear weapons development program after the manufacture of enough plutonium for perhaps a few bombs and the prospect of further talks on stopping the North's ballistic missile program. A recent review of the policy by former defense secretary William Perry concluded that, despite some signs of North Korean backsliding, "engagement" remains the preferred policy, especially given the risk of war involving at least the 37,000 U.S. troops currently stationed in South Korea.
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AEFs - The "In Thing": Support troops flying off to overseas deployments may not feel like they are breaking new ground, but they are part of a major step in the Air Force's transition into aerospace expeditionary units. For the first time, a majority of airmen in support jobs are being deployed as teams rather than as individuals, said Lt. Col. David Aldrich, chief of the Expeditionary Aerospace Force Outreach Branch at Air Force headquarters at the Pentagon.
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Less Time at Sea: Sea-shore rotation has become a tool for improving sailors' quality of life, with the latest overhaul of tour lengths bringing good news to thousands of sailors. Personnel planners said Feb. 17 that sea tour lengths will be reduced for 101 rates -- the combination of rating and paygrade -- or more specialized skills identified by a separate code called a Naval Enlisted Classification.
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Navy Tour Length Plan Studied: Navy officials are studying a plan that could force sailors to finish their sea tours aboard a different ship. Worried that too many first-term sailors aren't being counseled sufficiently about career possibilities, some officials want to re-establish a policy that would align a sailor's tour completion date with the date he or she is scheduled to leave the Navy.
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Police work: Long lumped into the broad category of "peacekeeping," police work is becoming commonplace for units frequently tasked with operating in urban environments. Just as humanitarian missions have moved to the forefront during the past 20 years, policing is poised to become a significant portion of future assignments. The Marine Corps is getting a head start on the problem, looking at ways to make the MEU's response more effective. The question is, will it work?
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MP Captains to Join Marine MEUs: Beginning this fall, each Marine expeditionary unit staff will get an extra captain. Those military police-trained Marines will serve as the antiterrorism/force protection officer. The captains will replace the chief warrant officers -- criminal investigators given specialized training in antiterrorism and counter-terrorism -- dedicated to that job for the past five years.
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Serbs Threaten More Unrest: KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia -- Serbs in this ethnically divided city are threatening protests and more unrest in response to plans by NATO-led peacekeepers to begin resettling ethnic Albanians on the Serb-controlled north bank of the Ibar River.
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Milosevic Responsible for Kosovo Violence: BRUSSELS, Belgium - Intelligence reports have reinforced NATO's belief that Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's government is behind the rising violence in a divided city in northern Kosovo.
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China Defiant After US Warning: BEIJING - China on Thursday bluntly rejected U.S. criticism of its latest military threat to Taiwan as ``crude interference,'' and said the issue should not be linked to its efforts to join the World Trade Organization.
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Navy Helps with New Movie: The Navy has agreed to allow producers of the $135 million World War II epic, "Pearl Harbor," to use four mothballed destroyer-type vessels to simulate battleships that were sunk during the Japanese attack 59 years ago. In addition, filming at three other military bases will begin in April, as producers reenact the Dec. 7, 1941 attack.
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Finally Laid to Rest: WASHINGTON - They were among the last U.S. combat casualties in the last battle of America's war in Southeast Asia, and soon their remains will be able to be laid to rest. As the 25th anniversary of their deaths nears, the fate of seven Marines, a sailor and an airman who perished in a misguided mission to rescue the crew of the SS Mayaguez in Cambodia, is about to be officially changed from "missing in action" to "killed in combat," according to the Pentagon's POW-MIA office.
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China Trade Deal in Jeopardy: WASHINGTON - China's escalation of threats against Taiwan could jeopardize Beijing's battle for market-opening trade agreements, members of Congress cautioned Wednesday. Lawmakers from both parties said a U.S.-China accord is also being hurt by Vice President Al Gore's political agenda.
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Our Freinds, the Columbians: The Colombian army, which the Clinton administration proposes to supply with up to $1 billion in training, equipment and other assistance over the next two years, maintains close operational ties to Colombian right-wing paramilitary groups responsible for extensive human rights abuses and escalating involvement in drug trafficking, according to a report released yesterday.
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Venezuela May Allow U.S. Anti-Drug Flights: CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuela is reconsidering a request by the United States to use its airspace for anti-narcotics flights, Venezuela's vice president said Wednesday. Gen. Charles Wilhelm, head of the U.S. Southern Command, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee on Tuesday that since last May Venezuela has rejected 34 out of 37 requests by the United States to use its airspace for the anti-drug flights.
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Time to Beat Feet in Retreat?: Hackworth's Comments: The Pentagon frequently has trouble knowing when to retreat. It has a record of defending the indefensible, whether a flawed weapon system, a wrongheaded personnel policy or a no-win war. Now the Pentagon is engaged in another lose-lose situation: forcing members of our armed forces to roll up their sleeves and submit to a series of untested anthrax shots, supposedly to protect them from a lethal biological agent.
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Corps Trying to Drum Up New Business: The military commanders of the Army Corps of Engineers have launched a behind-the-scenes campaign to boost the agency's $4 billion civil works budget by more than 50 percent, at a time when the Clinton administration is publicly questioning the agency's traditional agenda of major water projects.
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More Money for Guard and Reserve: President Clinton's proposed fiscal 2001 defense budget presents different spending plans for the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard, though both would get roughly the same increases. If approved, the Reserve will receive $4 billion in funding next year, a $500 million boost compared to 2000. The Guard will receive $7 billion, a $600 million increase.
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Russia at odds with US over Radar: WASHINGTON -- Russia and the United States are in a drawn-out dispute over a powerful American-made radar in Norway that can track missile launchings in western Russia, according to American and Russian officials. The radar began operating last summer as a joint United States-Norwegian intelligence project at Vardo, 40 miles from the Russian border. It has been the subject of talks between Washington and Moscow ever since its assembly began a year and a half ago, officials said.
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Wen Ho Lee: "Secrets" were Public: ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Former Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Wen Ho Lee expects to show during his trial that the nuclear weapons secrets he allegedly mishandled were available to the public.
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The Telephone Wars: Call it the Quantico telephone wars. A dispute over arcane telephone billing procedures at the Quantico Marine Corps Base has boiled over into allegations of wrongdoing against the base, and the Marine warrant officer who brought the allegations forward has been charged with disrespect.
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Navy Tests Missile Defense System: A converted floating drydock will undergo a crucial sea trial off Barbers Point, Hawaii, today as part of the Navy's theater ballistic missile defense testing program. The Navy maintains that the defense system will be able to provide protection to ports, airfields and other shore facilities from the sea without having to rely on a host nation.
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Computers on the Frontlines: If the United States and an adversary such as China were to go to war, the security of the nation's computer systems would be vital, but so would the loyalty of the people who run those systems. Those were the messages presented Wednesday to some 400 military and civilian people attending a national conference on space-supported communications and information systems. SpaceComm 200 continues through Friday at the Sheraton Colorado Springs Hotel.
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Cyber War: WASHINGTON - The Central Intelligence Agency said on Wednesday it was picking up growing signs that countries such as Russia and China were developing tools to attack commercial computer networks at the heart of U.S. might. ``We are detecting with increasing frequency the appearance of doctrines and dedicated offensive cyber warfare programs in other countries,'' John Serabian, the CIA's ``information operations issue manager,'' told Congress.
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More Apache Problems: There is yet another problem with the prime anti-tank weapon of the U.S. military. The Army this week ordered all 743 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to be inspected before they fly again for faulty rotor blade pins. This is the third significant equipment problem with the Apaches in the last four months. The attack helicopters have not been available for the last several months - and there is a lot of uncertainty about their immediate reliability.
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JSF to have Voice Control System: NEW YORK - Boeing Co. and BAE Systems PLC have selected ITT Industries Inc.'s Voxware voice-recognition system for use in Boeing's joint strike force fighter cockpit. The voice-recognition system allows some cockpit controls to be operated solely with voice commands. Boeing (BA) successfully demonstrated the voice-recognition capability last year during a full-mission simulation of its joint strike force fighter for the U.S. and U.K. governments.
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C-17 - Compromise, or Golden Child?: Is the C-17 Globemaster III the golden child of airlift or a compromised plane that cannot do what its early advocates claimed when its acquisition still was an open question?
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The Battle for New Tanks: FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.-- The gloves are coming off in the fight to supply the Army with a medium-weight combat vehicle for its new rapid deployment brigades. The competition will not reach its climax until May or June, when the Army will hold a "drive-off, shoot-off" event, most likely at Fort Knox, Ky. By August, the Army will announce the winning vehicle to be fielded to as many as eight "Interim Brigade Combat Teams," a contract potentially worth billions of dollars.
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McCain's Vietnam Rescuer Recalls Event: HANOI--The U.S. presidential race would have been much different if Mai Van On had listened to his angry neighbors 32 years ago. Instead, even as others cursed him, he rescued a shot-down American pilot from drowning in Hanoi's Truc Bach lake. And while On isn't happy about some of John McCain's recent comments, he said Wednesday that a November victory for the senator from Arizona would still be good news. "I wish him good luck and prosperity," On said.
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Bush Running out of Money: He may have lost Michigan and his campaign treasury may be a mere shadow of what it once was, but George W. Bush still sees himself as the front runner for the GOP presidential nomination. However, he's down to $10 Million from his original operating fund of over $70 Million.
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Who Wants to Divorce a Millionaire?: LOS ANGELES - The woman who married a total stranger on national television said Wednesday she participated in "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire" on a lark and will seek an annulment. "I don't think I was thinking clearly," nurse and Gulf War Vet Darva Conger told "Good Morning America" Wednesday. "I committed an error in judgment."
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That Others May Live: PORTLAND, Ore. -- Chris Bernard flew thousands of miles from home, parachuted 4,000 feet into chilly ocean waters in ominous darkness, and spent sleepless nights on an austere freighter caring for horribly burnt sailors. "It's the best job in the world," Bernard said Wednesday. "I wouldn't want to do anything else." Bernard was one of four pararescue specialists with the Air Force Reserve's Portland-based 939th Rescue Wing who were given the assignment of parachuting into the Pacific Ocean Sunday night and boarding a German-registered freighter carrying the injured sailors.
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Breaking Down Barriers at Sea: Of all the reactions she gets when she walks into a room wearing her U.S. Navy Commander's uniform, there is still one that cracks up Michelle Howard every time. It's not the one about women driving gunboats. She's heard that one often enough, usually from Saudi military hotshots not used to seeing women out of a veil let alone commanding a combat ship. And it's not the response she gets for being African-American in the relatively white Navy elite, commanding a combat boat with a crew of 285 and a passenger list of 350 war-ready Marines. She believes the men and women on her USS Rushmore care far more about the number of her gold stripes than the color of her skin. So, what cracks her up the most? Read on.
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GIs Best Friend: MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. - They were Bingo, Rex, Ken, Max, Duke and a thousand other names - best buddies of soldiers who read them letters and shared cookies and cakes from home while serving on the front lines in Vietnam. Those memories of specially trained war dogs evoked tearful responses Monday from more than 100 Vietnam War combat veterans who lined up and lovingly patted the bronze replica of a German shepherd depicted in the War Dog Memorial at March Field Air Museum.
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Pilot for a Day: The young pilot in the flight suit grinned as Col. Mike Gould, commander of the 97th Air Mobility Wing, pinned wings on his chest in front of a crowd at Altus Air Force Base, Okla. DelRay Simmons could have been taken for a real pilot if it weren't for his athletic shoes. DelRay, an 11-year-old from Lawton, Okla., and his parents, Emma and Gerald Simmons, were the first participants in Altus' Pilot for a Day program, which allows chronically ill or disabled children to experience a day in the life of an Air Force pilot. The program began this month at Altus, but similar programs operate at other bases.
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The Lootenant's Boat Comes In: Lt. David Legler is certainly glad he paid attention while watching the final episode of "Cheers" a few years ago. You never know when those little bits of supposedly useless information might come in handy. Legler's recollection of that show's closing line, "Sorry, we're closed," won him a cool $1.76 million while he was a contestant on the NBC prime-time game show "Twenty One."
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BAH Change: WASHINGTON -- DoD will begin paying certain service members higher basic housing allowances starting March 1. Officials plan to ask Congress to authorize a retroactive hike to Jan. 1. Pentagon officials announced Feb. 22 that service members moving into areas where 2000 housing allowance rates were set lower than 1999 rates would be paid at the higher 1999 rate. Members already living in such areas were grandfathered, but newcomers received 2000 rates.
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Top NCOs Push Quality of Life Issues to Congress: WASHINGTON -- Family housing, adequate child care, medical care and fitness centers were among the quality of life initiatives the senior enlisted members of the armed forces want Congress to address in the fiscal 2001 defense budget.
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New Army E-5/E-6 Promotion Rules: The draft version of a new regulation for sergeant and staff sergeant promotions is in the final stages of staffing, clearing the way for a June 1 launch of a new promotion-point worksheet. According to Army personnel officials, Chapter 3 of Army Regulation 600-8-19 will not only introduce the new worksheet, but also require changes in the way promotion points are calculated. The new system will retain the same 800-point, six category formula as the current worksheet (DA Form 3355), but increase points for soldiers who strive for excellence and self-improvement in military education, awards and decorations and military training.
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Best Odds in Years for Navy E-9 Promotions: The Navy continues to rise out of the drawdown with improved advancement opportunities, as the pool of candidates for the next round of E-9 selections will enjoy the best odds in eight years.
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U.S. Warships to Sail Past Taiwan: Officials of Taiwan's National Defense Ministry declined comment Thursday on reports that a U.S. Navy carrier left Japan for a "test cruise" and routine training near the Philippines, a trip that would take the group past Taiwan. However, military analysts interpreted that the U.S. carrier's timely cruise in the waters near Taiwan and the Philippines will definitely help ease military unrests in the area, following China's white paper statement Monday, warning Taiwan not to delay discussions on peaceful reunification with China, or the mainland may use force to take Taiwan.
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Nowhere to Hide: MESKER-YURT, Russia -- Rebels dug in around the last major Chechen command post fiercely battled federal troops trying to surround them, downing a Russian helicopter and damaging three others, the military said Wednesday. Nevertheless, Russian forces managed to close the circle around some 2,700 militants concentrated in the mountainous southern region of Shatoi, said Col. Gen. Gennady Troshev, the deputy military commander in Chechnya.
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Paratroopers Surprise Serbs: KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Yugoslavia - U.S. paratroopers swooped down on the Serb part of a divided Kosovo city at dawn Wednesday, arresting eight people and seizing weapons in a surprise raid only three days after Serbs drove them away in a hail of stones.
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Blowing Smoke in Japan: AYASE, Japan-The U.S. Navy is stymied. The world's two mightiest economic powers are bickering. The U.S. president carps about it, and the prime minister of Japan is frustrated. All of this is about garbage, and an unyielding man with ties to the Japanese mafia who runs a trash incineration plant and blows smoke in the face of the U.S. military--literally.
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DO YOU HAVE A MILITARY WEB SITE? If so, and you would like to make a little money, plus give your viewers access to the latest and greatest in military information, About.com will pay you for traffic you drive to the About.com U.S. Military Web Site. Details are at:
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LINK OF THE WEEK: Primer on Military Justice: Learn the Basics of the Military Justice System.
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CHAT: Dennis Fauchier (DennisHOST) will be hosting General Military Chats every Saturday from 6:00 PM (EST) to 7:00 PM (EST) and every Wednesday from 12:00 PM (EST) to 1:00 PM (EST). Edward Hanrahan (AssassinHOST) will host every Saturday night from 9:00 PM (EST) to 1:00 AM (EST).
http://usmilitary.about.com/mpchat.htm
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MILITARY HUMOR: A newly married sailor was informed by the navy that he was going to be stationed a long way from home on a remote island in the Pacific for a year. A few weeks after he got there he began to miss his new wife, so he wrote her a letter.
"My love," he wrote "we are going to be apart for a very long time. Already I'm starting to miss you and there's really not much to do here in the evenings. Besides that we're constantly surrounded by young attractive native girls. Do you think if I had a hobby of some kind I would not tempted? "
So his wife sent him back a harmonica saying, "why don't you learn to play this?"
Eventually his tour of duty came to an end and he rushed back to his wife. "Darling" he said, "I can't wait to get you into bed so that we make passionate love!"
She kissed him and said, "First let's see you play that harmonica."
For more military humor, check out the Military Humor Netlink on the About.com U.S. Military Site at
http://usmilitary.about.com/msubmenujokes.htm
A HREF="http://usmilitary.about.com/msubmenujokes.htm">(AOL Link)</A>
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With those words of wisdom, I once again leave you.,
Rod Powers
About.com's U.S. Military Information Site
