DOD Helps Afghans Develop Mineral Enterprise

"We just signed another interagency agreement to continue working...

By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2011 - A Defense Department task force working with the U.S. Geological Survey is modernizing Afghanistan's geological enterprise so the war-torn nation can stimulate international investment in its rich deposits of minerals, fossil fuels and rare-earth elements. The U.S. Geological Survey began geophysical surveys in support of Afghanistan's reconstruction in 2004. In 2006, with funding from the government of Afghanistan, USGS partnered with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to conduct airborne magnetic, gravity and photographic surveys of the country between 2006 and 2008. Courtesy photo  The DOD Task Force for Business and Stability Operations is providing state-of-the-art equipment and, with USGS, training for geophysicists at the Afghanistan Geological Survey so the government eventually can use modern tools to conduct and oversee mineral exploration there."We've been working with the USGS on this program since September 2009," Emily Scott, task force director of natural resource development, told American Forces Press Service. "We just signed another interagency agreement to continue working with the USGS on geophysics capacity training for the next fiscal year," she added. The fiscal year ends Sept. 30, 2012. After several months of mainly classroom training for five Afghan scientists at the USGS in Denver, Colo., Scott said, "this year we will focus on [getting the scientists] out in the field in Afghanistan and collecting ground geophysics data with the equipment we purchased." Geophysics is the study of Earth's shape, gravitation, magnetism, internal structure, composition and other features. For the purpose of mining, geophysicists can figure out what's in the ground by measuring characteristics of the surface material and the subsurface rocks. These include the chemical composition of the surface material and, for subsurface rocks, electrical conductivity, tiny variations in the earth's magnetic and gravity fields, and how different rocks absorb light, called infrared spectral reflectance. "Each rock has its own characteristic density," Dr. Victor F. Labson, director of the USGS Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center in Denver, told American Forces Press Service. "By understanding the density distribution and understanding which rocks have what density -- and we [know] that from a hundred years of laboratory measurements -- we can then discern what sort of rocks are in the subsurface from the gravity variations." The same thing is true for magnetics, conductivity and light absorption, he added -- each kind of rock responds differently to each measuring instrument. These properties can be measured on the ground and, since 1943 when magnetic anomaly detectors were used on planes over the ocean to hunt for enemy submarines during World War II, from the air. The Afghan geophysicists are being trained in ground geophysics but the real need is to enable them to work with companies that invest in exploring Afghan mineral deposits and bring in their own contractors to do the flights and data collection. "There's a huge commercial industry that supports airborne geophysics," Labson said, "So we hope they'll have the understanding and the ability to write [specifications for and to monitor] contracts, and then interpret the data resulting from airborne surveys." The USGS has just completed and published on its website more than 20 highly prospective area reports for deposits in Afghanistan that seem to have particular potential, he said. "The idea is to help create a stable economy, that's really the underlying mission of the task force," Labson said. "Developing the resources would be an economic boost," he added, "but there are a lot of jobs associated with it as well." Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines, supported by the task force, made progress on its goals yesterday in London at an international conference called Mines and Money. There, the ministry opened tender processes, or auctions, for exploration and later exploitation of four project areas with deposits containing gold and copper. "Afghanistan is a geologically rich country," Minister of Mines Wahidullah Shahrani said yesterday in a statement. "Assessments of only a fraction of the country's land area indicate the potential for considerable mineral resources." What this means, Scott explained, "is that international investors will compete for each deposit for the next year." The companies will have until March, she added, "to submit what we call their expressions of interest, at which time we'll begin qualifying the companies and determining who's qualified to bid. Then they'll be invited to put bids together for each deposit." The four copper and gold tenders will be marketed in parallel, Scott said. A lithium deposit in the Herat province will be marketed separately. Of the first four deposits, one is a copper deposit in Herat province called Shaida, Zarkashan is a copper and gold deposit in Ghazni province, Badakhshan is a gold deposit in the country's north, and Balkhab is a copper deposit in Sar-I-Pul and Balkh provinces. "These are exploration deposits,," Scott said, "so at this point the companies will have to come in and do ground geophysics, airborne geophysics and drilling in order for them to come to a value on the deposit at that level." She added: "Copper and gold deposits of this size tend to be worth billions of dollars."

Related Sites: U.S. Geological Survey

It's not too late

Be there by writing a letter

	The nightmare faced by two teachers in Bahrain. It's why we Write for Rights.
	The terrifying threats. "We can do anything to you.Anything." Mocked, tortured, threatened. Forced to sign a confession, without even being allowed to read it. Civilians subject to an unjust military trial. This is the story of two former leaders of the Bahrain Teachers' Association, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb, who were arrested and ill-treated during this spring's protests in Bahrain. Jalila and Mahdi are among the 15 cases featured in Amnesty's Write for Rights Global Write-a-thon this year. Write a letter for Jalila and Mahdi, and other urgent human rights cases -- join thousands of others worldwide to Write for Rights this December. Your letters are urgently needed. Next week marks a key milestone in Jalila and Mahdi's case. One day after International Human Rights Day on December 10th, Jalila al-Salman and Mahdi 'Issa Mahdi Abu Dheeb face an appeal hearing. Why are these two teachers considered so "dangerous"? Because their trade union called for a teachers strike during Bahraini protests this spring -- protests seeking reform of a government that has used torture and excessive force against its own citizens. Jalila and Mahdi have seen the horrific behavior of Bahrain's government firsthand. Mahdi spent 64 days in solitary confinement, where he says he was tortured. And when Jalila demanded a lawyer after her arrest, she says the authorities rebuffed her with the chilling words: "Who said you would have a lawyer in here? It's us, only us. And we have the permission to do anything to you to [get] the testimony we want." After unfair trials before a military court, Jalila was sentenced to three years in prison, and Mahdi was sentenced to ten years. It's clear that Bahrain's authorities have no regard for human rights. Don't let Jalila and Mahdi face their appeal hearing alone. Be there by writing a letter. It's not too late -- join us to Write for Rights. Thank You, Michael O’Reilly Senior Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign Amnesty International USA		Send hope to Bahraini teachers Jalila al-Salman Your letters could make the difference for two teachers in Bahrain who are facing an appeal next week. Help us sway the Bahraini authorities.Will you write letters that can save lives?

"BACHCHAN'S HANDS ARE BLOOD STAINED"

1984 VICTIMS TO AKAL TAKHATNov 28, 2011
 WITNESSES CHALLENGE "BACHCHAN'S" PLEA OF INNOCENCE IN 1984 SIKH GENOCIDE

Punjab Screen photo by Gajinder Singh King

Close on the heels of Amitabh Bachchan's pleading innocence for his role in 1984 Sikh Genocide before Sri Akal Takhat Sahib, All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and "National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society" presented witnesses who saw Bachchan on Doordarshan raising slogan "khoon ka badla khoon" after the death of Ms. Indira Gandhi. The witnesses' testimony on how Bachchan instigated the killing of Sikhs in November 1984 refutes Bachchan's claims of innocence and substantiates claims of victims that it was Bachchan who raised the slogan "Blood for Blood" which was aired on Doordarshan and All India Radio causing the killing of thousands of Sikhs across India.

Amitabh Bachchan

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammad stated that instead of demanding the filing of murder charges against Amitabh Bachchan for instigating the killing of Sikhs, it is unfortunate that SAD (Badal) controlled SGPC member is pleading the case of Amitabh Bachchan before Sri Akal Takhat Sahib while there is a criminal complaint pending against Bachchan. AISSF will present witnesses regarding Bachchan's involvement in 1984 massacre of Sikhs at the upcoming meeting of Five High Priests who are planning to take up this issue after the receipt of Bachchan's letter which is supported by SGPC and SAD (Badal).

Babu Singh Dhukhiya President National 1984 Victims Justice and Welfare Society, and witness to Bachchan's raising slogan "Blood for Blood", stated that since Bachchan openly used to call Ms. Indira Gandhi as "mother", and after her death Bachchan used his super star status and influence to instigate the killing of Sikhs. Due to his continued proximity with Congress, Bachchan's role in 1984 Genocide was never investigated and now when victims have filed criminal complaint in Australia, Bachchan for the first time in 27 years is forced to take plea of innocence, added Dukhiya.

Bibi Jagdish Kaur a prime witness in November 1984 case who lost her husband, son and three brothers in the massacre, stated that "I watched live relay on Doordarshan and saw Amitabh Bachchan raising his arm and shouting the slogan, 'khoon ka badla khoon sae laengae' (Blood for blood) two times." Bibi Jagdish Kaur stated that she will attend the meeting of High Priests on December 5^th to remind Akal Takhat that Bachchan's hands are soaked with the blood of Sikhs.

AISSF President Karnail Singh Peermohammad demanded that "murder charges should be filed against Amitabh Bachchan for inciting, participating, conspiring, aiding, abetting and carrying out organized attacks on Sikh population of India in November 1984. Criminal case against Bachchan should be filed under sections section 505 of the IPC for inciting violence against Sikh community and under section 302 for resulting deaths of thousands of Sikhs.

In a statement issued from New York by human rights lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the Criminal complaint filed by SFJ against Bachchan with Australia's Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions has been forwarded to Australian Federal Police (AFP) for investigation and issuance of warrants for instigating killing of Sikhs in November 1984 under Australia's Criminal Code Act of 1995 which provides for prosecution of crimes against humanity even when such crimes are committed outside Australia.

Nation Remembers Pearl Harbor Dead

Salutes attack survivors  By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2011 - Pearl Harbor survivors represent the best of America and serve as role models for the current generation that responded to another deadly surprise attack, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a message issued today to Pearl Harbor veterans. Tomorrow, Panetta will place a wreath at the Navy Memorial here to remember the more than 3,500 Americans killed or wounded in the Japanese attack 70 years ago. President Barack Obama signed a proclamation today naming tomorrow National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and urged all Americans to fly their flags at half staff in memory of those killed that day. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor galvanized an American public that had been leaning toward isolationism. "Our enemies thought that by this sudden and deliberate raid, they could weaken America," Panetta said in his message. "Instead, they only strengthened it. That day truly awoke a sleeping giant." President Franklin D. Roosevelt said Dec. 7, 1941 was "a day that will live in infamy" in asking Congress to declare war on the Empire of Japan. On Dec. 11, 1941, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy declared war on the United States. The United States mobilized for the global conflict. "In the memories of that day, we continue to draw determination and conviction to protect our freedoms, to sacrifice for our fellow citizens, and to serve a purpose larger than self," Panetta said. "You, the survivors of Pearl Harbor and of the war that followed, embody this conviction, this determination to raise high the torch of freedom and sacrifice." The stories and records of the World War II generation are entering legend, and with around 3,000 living Pearl Harbor survivors, this anniversary is poignant. "You have lived full lives and witnessed years of great prosperity because of the freedom you helped to secure for America and her allies," the secretary continued. "I know you take great pride, as I do, that your legacy lives on in today's men and women in uniform, who have borne the burden of a decade of war, and who are truly this nation's next greatest generation." Like the Pearl Harbor survivors, the young men and women of the 9/11 generation stepped forward for military duty after another sudden and terrible attack on American shores. Today's service members emulate the spirit of the generation that placed the American flag at the Elbe River in Germany, and raised it atop Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific. "We treasure you," Panetta said in his message to Pearl Harbor veterans. "You have brought everlasting credit to your fallen comrades. Your example inspires those in uniform today, strengthens our nation's moral fiber, and proves that with united resolve our country can surmount any challenge." Panetta thanked the veterans -- most now in their late '80s and '90s -- for their sacrifices "and for your endless zeal to see to it that our children and grandchildren can pass along a better life to the next generation. "This has always been the American dream, a dream we can realize because of the determination of our citizens to defend it," Panetta said.

Biographies: Leon E. Panetta Related Sites: Presidential Proclamation Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta's Message

Airman Saves Musical Treasur

A tale straight from an adventure book By Air Force Capt. Amy Hansen Air Force News Service WAKE ISLAND AIRFIELD, Wake Island, Dec. 6, 2011 - In a tale straight from an adventure book, contractors on this tiny Pacific island recently stumbled upon a vinyl record collection with an estimated value between $90,000 and $250,000. Air Force Master Sgt. John Solane, a 611th Air Support Group Detachment 1 contracting quality assurance specialist, looks at a Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers Band album at Wake Island Airfield. The yellow sleeves in the storage areas around Solane contain AFRTS-distributed records, which are copyrighted to protect the artists who gave the military authorization to use their recordings for overseas broadcast for free. U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Amy Hansen  The 611th Air Support Group's Detachment 1 is making a comprehensive effort to preserve the nearly 9,000 vintage vinyl records and ship them to their rightful owner, the American Forces Radio and Television Service in Alexandria, Va., according to Master Sgt. Jean-Guy Fleury, the detachment's infrastructure superintendent, who took over the project from the former Detachment 1 commander, Maj. Aaron Wilt.No digging was required to access this treasure, as the records were cataloged and neatly organized on shelves in a small room on the second floor of the airfield's base operations building. The door was conspicuously stenciled with the name of a radio station, KEAD, and a "Restricted Area Warning" sign, which kept most people out. "That's a locked room, normally, but people in my department have known the records were there for years," said Colin Bradley, the communications superintendent with Chugach Federal Solutions Inc. CFSI is the contractor that manages operations on Wake Island with the oversight of Air Force quality assurance personnel. "Because of the completeness of the collection, I assumed it was quite valuable," Bradley said. "I have not run across a collection that well preserved or that intact in my career. It's a little time capsule." The collection includes a variety of vinyl albums and records specially made for military audiences, as well as some commercially available records. "In 1942, the American Forces Radio Service was starting to get American music out to the troops overseas," said Larry Sichter, the American Forces Network Broadcast Center's affiliate relations division chief. "Some of the radio productions were original, like GI Jill and Command Performance, and have significant value." The exact operational dates of the low-powered AM station on Wake Island remain unclear, but Bradley shared his estimate. "I would guess that [KEAD] started in the '60s, due to the dates on the records," he said. According to a 2007 Internet entry by Patrick Minoughan, who was stationed on Wake Island from 1963 to 1964, KEAD was operating in 1963. "On the second floor of the then-new terminal building was a very small AFRTS radio station," Minoughan wrote. "AFRTS had no personnel there, but sent in monthly shipments of music. While I was there, one of the communications guys named Steve Navarro would do a daily show for a couple of hours. When it was unattended, anyone could go in and play the records, which were broadcast on the island." AFRTS was able to get permission to use the work of many artists, and later actors, for free, Sichter said. Therefore, the records were copyrighted and only to be used for their official purpose of entertaining the troops overseas, and then returned to AFRTS. Since Wake Island Airfield is on a 1,821-acre atoll located about 2,000 miles west of Hawaii and 2,000 miles east of Japan, it is possible that the cost and logistics of returning the records to the mainland were prohibitive when the radio station was shut down, officials said. So now, about 30 years after the last record was spun on KEAD, Fleury is spearheading the operation to ship the records back to AFRTS. He has estimated that it will take about 75 16-inch-by-16-inch boxes, and about $10,000 worth of specialized material to properly pack up the records. AFRTS is providing the materials and Detachment 1 will do the packing, he said. The records will be used to fill any gaps in the American Forces Network's local museum, Sichter said, and the rest of the collection will be entered into either the Library of Congress or the National Archives to become a permanent piece of U.S. history, accessible to all. �

Related Sites: American Forces Radio and Television Service

Senior Leaders Condemn Insurgent Suicide Attacks

Compiled from International Security Assistance Force and ISAF Joint Command  News Releases WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2011 - WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2011 � Afghan President Hamid Karzai and senior U.S. military and diplomatic leaders in Afghanistan jointly condemned today's terrorist attacks in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif that reportedly killed and wounded dozens of innocent Afghan civilians observing the Ashura religious festival, military officials reported. "An attack against Ashura pilgrims on one of the holiest of days in the Islamic calendar is an attack against Islam itself, and we denounce and condemn these atrocities in the strongest of terms," said Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force. "Our prayers and deepest sympathies are with the families and loved ones of those innocent civilians killed or injured in today's horrific attacks." NATO's senior civilian representative in Afghanistan, Ambassador Simon Gass, said, "The attacks today in Afghanistan, on such an important religious day, are horrifying and to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. "That men, women and children are killed and injured on Ashura is particularly tragic," Gass continued. "Our prayers and condolences are with them all and their family and friends." "Just a few days ago," Allen said, "20 scholars from prestigious Islamic religious centers around the world condemned violence under the name of Islam in Afghanistan and other countries. "This insurgency, which wraps itself in a false veil of Islam, must know that killing innocent pilgrims will spell their own demise," the general said. "Once again, I call on Mullah Omar to condemn this grotesque act of terrorism." In Afghanistan operations yesterday: -- A Haqqani network leader responsible for a recent car bomb attack was captured by a combined Afghan and coalition security force in the Pul-e 'Alam district of Logar province. The leader was responsible for the Dec. 2 car bomb attack in the Muhammad Aghah district, which killed a civilian and wounded nine others. One suspected insurgent also was detained. -- A combined force captured a Taliban leader and a suspected insurgent in the Dehdadi district of Balkh province. The leader conducted attacks against Afghan forces. -- A Taliban leader was captured by a combined Afghan and coalition security force in the Nawah-ye Barakzai district of Helmand province. The leader manufactured roadside bombs. -- A combined force captured a Taliban insurgent and detained several suspects in the Qalat district of Zabul province. -- In the Ghorak district of Kandahar province, a combined force detained several suspects during a search for a Taliban facilitator who distributes narcotics and roadside bomb-making materials. -- A combined force seized bomb-making materials and detained several suspects while searching for a Taliban leader in the Khogyani district of Ghazni province. The leader directs insurgent operations in the district. In Dec. 4 Afghanistan operations: -- A combined force confiscated a weapons cache containing 31 pressure plates, 15 30mm rounds, nine recoilless rifle rounds, 15 pounds of explosives and electronic detonation devices in Helmand's Kajaki district. -- In Helmand's Musa Qal' ah district, a combined force seized a weapons cache containing 14 mines and one 105 mm casing with nine pounds of explosive material and metal fragments.

Related Sites: NATO International Security Assistance Force

NORAD Gears Up to Track Santa Claus

on Christmas Eve the children of the world look to NORAD  By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2011 – For the 56th year running, the North American Aerospace Defense Command will add the job of tracking the global flight of Santa on Christmas Eve to its mission of North American aerospace warning and control. The North American Aerospace Defense Command based at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., will again track Santa Claus on his annual Christmas Eve flight to deliver presents to children around the globe. Courtesy graphic   "NORAD stands the watch protecting the skies of North America 365 days a year, but on Christmas Eve the children of the world look to NORAD and our trusted partners to make sure that Santa is able to complete his mission safely," said Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. Jacoby commands NORAD, as well as U.S. Northern Command, both based at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. The NORAD Tracks Santa mission “is a duty to the children of the world,” he added, “and a privilege we've enjoyed for 56 consecutive years.” From a NORAD video of the 2010 Santa flight, a military specialist looks up from a bank of computer screens: “Sir,” he says, turning to look at the camera, “we’ve picked up ‘Big Red’ on the radar. He’s entering from the northeast. “Recommend fighter escort as he transitions over North America,” the specialist adds, as the video shows an F-16 moving down the runway. This year, the NORAD Tracks Santa website went live Dec. 1 and features a Countdown Calendar, a Kid’s Countdown Village with holiday games and activities that change daily, and video messages from students and troops from around the world. The website is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese and Chinese. For the first time, using free apps in the Apple iTunes Store and in the Android market, parents and children can use their smart phones to count down the days until Santa and his reindeer take off from the North Pole to deliver presents to kids everywhere. Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Twitter also offer tracking opportunities. Santa followers can type “@noradsanta” into each search engine to get started. And that’s not the only technology that goes into the Santa tracking mission. To track the big man in red, NORAD uses radar, satellites, Santa cams and fighter jets. A NORAD radar system called the North Warning System consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America. On Dec. 24, NORAD monitors the radar systems continuously for indications that Santa Claus has left the North Pole. The moment radar indicates a lift-off, satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors, which enable them to detect heat. Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature that allows the satellites to detect Santa’s sleigh. NORAD starting using the Santa cam network in 1998. Santa cams, according to NORAD, are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras prepositioned at many locations around the world. They use the cameras once a year to capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer. In the air, Canadian NORAD pilots flying the CF-18 fighter will intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in F-15s, F-16s or F-22 Raptors will fly alongside Santa’s airborne sleigh pulled by his famous reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph. Once data is collected on Dec. 24, it is pushed into Google Maps and Google Earth so families all over the world can follow Santa. Thanks to these systems and technologies, starting at midnight Mountain Standard Time on Dec. 24, visitors to the NORAD Santa website can watch Santa’s progress around the globe. It all started in 1955 when a Sears media advertisement directed kids to call Santa Claus but printed a telephone number that rang through to the crew commander on duty at the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center. The colonel on duty told his staff to give all children who called in a "current location" for Santa Claus. The tradition continued when NORAD replaced CONAD in 1958. “The [NORAD Tracks Santa] effort,” Jacoby said, “could not be carried out without the superb assistance of numerous government and nongovernment contributors.” Sponsors of this year’s program include Acuity Scheduling, Big Fish Worldwide, Carousel Industries, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council, General Electric, the National Tree Lighting Ceremony, RadiantBlue Technologies Inc., thunderbaby studios, the U.S. Coast Guard Band, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Band, Visionbox, and the West Point Band. Returning sponsors include the Air Force Academy Band, Analytical Graphics Inc., Air Canada, Avaya, Booz Allen Hamilton, Colorado Springs School District 11, the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System, the Federal Aviation Administration, First Choice Awards & Gifts, Globelink Foreign Language Center, Google, the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, Meshbox, the Naden Band of the Maritime Forces Pacific, Naturally Santa’s Inc., the Newseum, OnStar, PCI Broadband, the Space Foundation, tw telecom, Verizon and UGroup Media. “It is the generosity of these contributors, the hard work of the more than 1,200 volunteers who man the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations Center, and vigilance of the Canadian and U.S. forces who work at NORAD that guarantees the program's success each and every year,” Jacoby said.

Biographies: Army Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. Related Sites: NORAD Santa