Early Bird summary
Monday’s Early Bird leads with reports from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Times stating that the United States now believes that Iran has amassed enough uranium that with further purification could be used to build an atomic bomb.The statement by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, went further than previous, official judgments of the Iranian nuclear threat, and it essentially confirmed a new report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, which found that Iran had enough nuclear material for a bomb.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the U.S. military is in an improved position to provide Mexico's military with training, resources, and intelligence as its southern neighbor battles deadly drug cartels, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.More than 1,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence this year. In 2008, the toll doubled from the previous year to 6,290. Both the United States and Canada have warned that murders related to drug activity in certain parts of Mexico, particularly along the border with the United States, raised the level of risk in visiting the country.
The Associated Press reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he isn't sure at all what the future holds for Russia.Gates says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems to want to assert Russia's role on the world stage by blocking what it doesn't like and by insisting the U.S. consult with Russia if the U.S. wants Moscow's cooperation.
The Wall Street Journal reports that President Hamid Karzai's move to advance elections to early spring from summer drew a sharp response from the U.S. and outcries from potential political challengers, who said an early vote would undermine the poll's credibility amid Afghanistan's struggle with a resurgent Taliban.Mr. Karzai, who has declared his intention to run for re-election, proposed no new date in a statement Saturday, saying only that the country's election commission should respect the Afghan constitution, which calls for national elections 30 to 60 days before the end of his five-year term on May 21.
Washington Times reports that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday that the insurgency in Afghanistan cannot be defeated and Canada would not provide more troops without a clear exit strategy.Mr. Harper said in a CNN interview that Afghanistan needs an indigenous government that can manage the insurgency and is not perceived as foreign-installed.
Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, likes to tell people he's on his third cup of tea with Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who heads Pakistan's Army, according to Newsweek. During their nine meetings in the past year, the two men have differed over strategies for fighting insurgents, made nice after U.S. airstrikes on targets in Pakistan—and forged what people from both sides describe as the most important relationship in the fraught dynamic between the two countries. How fraught? During a visit last week to the United States, according to Pakistani sources, Kayani and Pakistani ministers pressed Washington to halt unmanned Predator attacks, which in recent months have killed about a dozen top Qaeda and Taliban operatives. The administration's response: no.
A suspected separatist group that has been holding an American U.N. worker in Pakistan for a month said Sunday it would kill him in four days if the government does not release more than 1,000 prisoners, according to the Houston Chronicle.The threat on the life of John Solecki was made in a letter sent Sunday to local news agency Online International News Network that was also read by an Associated Press reporter. The group said Feb. 13 that it would kill Solecki within three days unless similar demands were met, but apparently did not follow through.
The U.S. military map in Iraq in early 2010: Marines are leaving the western desert, Army units are in the former British zone in the south and the overall mission is coalescing around air and logistics hubs in central and northern Iraq, according to the Seattle Times.Meanwhile, commanders shift attention to helping Iraqi forces take full control of their own security.The Pentagon has not released full details of President Obama's plan to end the U.S. combat role in Iraq by Aug. 31 of next year, but the broad contours are taking shape.Between 35,000 and 50,000 soldiers are expected to remain in a transition period before all troops must leave by the end of 2011 under a joint pact. The bulk of the current 138,000 U.S. troops are expected to remain until Iraq's national elections, scheduled for late this year. Maintaining security for the balloting is considered a top priority by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, and other high-ranking Pentagon officials.
The Washington Post reports that More than a quarter of this year's U.S. Naval Academy graduates will be commissioned as officers in the Marine Corps, the highest number in a decade and a reflection of the need for ground commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.The number of graduates sought by the Marine Corps has grown steadily since the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks sent Marines into combat in the two countries. The academy had no trouble finding 273 graduating midshipmen eager to meet the Corps' request.
NBC carried a report about the new Marine One helicopter, reporting that the new armored 64-foot long helicopter is supposed to fly farther and faster, fend off missiles, and resist some effects of a nuclear blast – all while carrying 14 passengers and thousands of pounds of secure communications gear. The latest Pentagon review says perceived urgency led to unrealistic timelines and underestimated costs. Lockheed declined comment, but in the past complained of continuing additions to requirements.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times and Washington Post lead, while the Wall Street Journal goes high, with word that the federal government will provide American International Group with access to an additional $30 billion as part of yet another attempt to save the ailing insurance giant. (Slate Magazine)
2. Marine Corps hoping to stem rising tide of suicide in ranks: After seeing a sharp rise in suicides last year, the Marine Corps will ramp up its prevention efforts starting in March with classes for all personnel at bases such as Camp Pendleton, a new video for commanders and other programs designed to more aggressively spot and defuse fatalistic behavior. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
3. Corps’ artillery rocket system poised to strike in Afghanistan: The first platoon of Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, test-fired its first rocket in-country from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at Camp Barber, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Feb. 15. (Digital Video and Imaging Distribution System)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times and Washington Post lead, while the Wall Street Journal goes high, with word that the federal government will provide American International Group with access to an additional $30 billion as part of yet another attempt to save the ailing insurance giant. It marks the fourth time that the government has stepped in to rescue AIG and "represents a nearly complete reversal from the one first laid out in mid-September," notes the WSJ. At first, the government seemed intent on making sure AIG paid high interest rates for the taxpayer funds, but now those dreams seem to be over, and officials have concluded the insurance company is so intertwined with other parts of the financial sector that its collapse would be much more expensive in the long run.
The WSJ leads its world-wide newsbox, and the NYT off-leads, with European Union leaders rejecting a call by Hungary for a large bailout of Eastern European countries. The global economic crisis "poses the most significant challenge in decades" to the European Union's "ideals of solidarity and common interest," declares the WSJ. The Los Angeles Times leads with supermarkets accusing some of the largest food manufacturers of continually increasing prices despite the sharp drop in the prices of commodities. Grocery stores say these rising prices are leading customers to discount stores such as Wal-Mart. The manufacturers reject the idea that they're overcharging for their products and contend that just looking at the dropping prices of raw goods simplifies a complicated and volatile situation. USA Today leads with word that the Environmental Protection Agency will begin to investigate air pollution outside schools across the country. In December, USAT analyzed government data to examine the effect of industrial pollution and identified 435 schools that appeared to have dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in the air around them.
AIG is widely expected to report that it lost somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008, the biggest quarterly loss in corporate history. Faced with a loss of that magnitude, credit-rating agencies probably would have downgraded AIG, which would have forced the insurance giant to default on its debt. AIG is not expected to access the $30 billion right away, but credit-rating agencies said they wouldn't downgrade the company if it had access to the government cash. AIG now has access to $70 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, making it by far the biggest beneficiary of federal largesse. And no one expects the fourth time to be the charm. Federal officials are largely expected to continue working with AIG to help the company get rid of some of its assets.
In addition to the extra money, AIG would essentially be allowed to stop paying dividends to the government, and the interest rate on all remaining debt would be cut to help the company reduce its losses. Also, instead of paying back $38 billion to the Federal Reserve, AIG will convert that debt into equity stakes in two of the company's units that sell life insurance abroad and are doing relatively well. In an effort to reduce its debt further, AIG will package $5 billion to $10 billion of its domestic life-insurance business into new securities that would be given to the government, which could either hold them or sell them to investors.
If you're still confused about what AIG did and why federal officials are doing everything possible to avoid its collapse, the NYT's Joe Nocera did an impressive job of breaking it all down into an easy-to-understand narrative in a piece published Saturday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the opposition to Hungary's call for a large bailout of the European Union's newest members, which have been particularly hard-hit by the crisis. "Saying that the situation is the same for all Central and Eastern European states, I don't see that," Merkel said. Hungary's prime minister had asked for a package worth up to $241 billion and warned that without it there could soon be a "new Iron Curtain" that would once again divide East from West. Several Eastern European leaders also want it to be easier to adopt the euro, but members of the old order aren't too keen on the idea. Leaders left the Brussels summit without any concrete decisions and several Western officials insist the Eastern countries that are in deep trouble should look for help from the likes of the International Monetary Fund. "The European Union will now have to prove whether it is just a fair-weather union or has a real joint political destiny," a German journalist tells the NYT.
In a front-page dispatch from Ukraine, the NYT all but declares that a country "once considered a worldwide symbol of an emerging, free-market democracy that had cast off authoritarianism" is ready to explode. The country's economy has been steadily collapsing, there are rumors of a government default, and violent protests seem inevitable. World leaders are worried that an economic catastrophe in the country of 46 million people would be felt across Europe and might destroy a delicate balance of power if neighboring Russia tries to insert itself into Ukraine's affairs. "A small country like Latvia or Iceland is one thing," explains the NYT, "but a collapse in Ukraine could wreck what little investor confidence is left in Eastern Europe."
Top of Page
Marine Corps hoping to stem rising tide of suicides in ranks
By Rick Rogers (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. February 28, 2009
CAMP PENDLETON — After seeing a sharp rise in suicides last year, the Marine Corps will ramp up its prevention efforts starting in March with classes for all personnel at bases such as Camp Pendleton, a new video for commanders and other programs designed to more aggressively spot and defuse fatalistic behavior.
Junior officers and sergeants, the people in closest contact with rank-and-file Marines, will lead the revamped campaign. They'll be asked to focus particularly on young service members, who make up the majority of suicide cases in the Corps.
“We don't leave any Marine behind. That's part of our ethos,” said Maj. Gen. Mike Lehnert, head of Marine Corps Installations West, which comprises seven bases in California and Arizona. “Not taking care of a Marine suffering from depression or relationship troubles is just the same as leaving a Marine behind.”
In November, Lehnert was one of 15 senior leaders who met in Quantico, Va., to tackle the growing problems of suicide and motorcycle deaths. They brought along about 30 young service members selected as “Marines of the Year” in their respective units.
“They asked for better training in how to spot suicide and what to do when a Marine is depressed and hopeless,” Lehnert said.
His intervention includes making a suicide-prevention video that will be shown to thousands of Marines at the bases he oversees.
Until now, the Marine Corps' anti-suicide efforts amounted to little more than one hour of training per year.
The new additions include the videos, a half-day session for noncommissioned officers that emphasizes the need to reduce stigma, a suicide-prevention component for the Corps' martial-arts program and a wider range of resources – including multimedia presentations – that promote professional help for relationship problems, the top cause of Marine suicides.
“(All) this demonstrates the importance of the issue,” said Navy Cmdr. Aaron Werbel, behavioral health affairs officer for the Corps.
Last year, 41 Marines committed suicide and 146 tried to kill themselves. There were 33 suicides and 103 attempted suicides the year before.
The 2008 death count is the highest annual total since 1993. It also translates to 19 suicides per 100,000 Marines, about equal to the civilian rate for men ages 20 to 24. Thirty of the Marines who committed suicide last year were in that age bracket.
The Corps is the youngest military service demographically, with 62 percent of its members under age 25, according to a recent Marine report.
There were two suicides in January, Werbel said.
Bases don't keep their own suicide statistics, said Marine officials at the headquarters level.
Like the Army, which saw its suicide count rocket to a record 143 last year, the Marine Corps said it's unclear whether higher suicide rates are tied to a greater number of service members who have done combat duty.
The underlying issues that prompt Marines to take their own lives are failed romances or marriages, legal or financial troubles, health problems and job dissatisfaction, Werbel said.
But, he added: “It is possible that the overall stress on the forces is contributing. ... What we are not seeing is a difference in rates based on deployments per se. It could be that the high operational stress tempo could be increasing the other stresses.”
RESOURCES
Service members and their families can find suicide-prevention help on most bases.
They also can contact Military OneSource, which offers counseling and a variety of other support services. The Defense Department pays for the program, but its users are promised confidentiality.
Military OneSource operates year-round, 24 hours a day. Call toll-free at (800) 342-9647 or visit militaryonesource.com.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Things that suggest thoughts or plans of suicide include:
Acquiring a method for suicide, such as buying a handgun
Rehearsing suicidal acts
Giving away possessions
Obsessing about death or fixating on sense of hopelessness
Making amends abruptly
Challenging people in an aggressive manner
Engaging in uncharacteristic behaviors, such as reckless driving, excessive drinking, stealing and unauthorized absences
Displaying significant mood changes
Appearing overwhelmed by recent life events
Source: Leaders Guide for Managing Marines in Distress
Top of Page
Corps’ Artillery Rocket System Poised to Strike in Afghanistan
Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan Story by Lance Cpl. Ronald Stauffer
CAMP BARBER, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – The first platoon of Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, test-fired its first rocket in-country from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at Camp Barber, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Feb. 15. The El Paso, Texas-based Marine Corps Reserve battery conducted a full-scale fire mission scenario, proving it’s fully capable of firing and hitting its target within minutes and with deadly accuracy.“I thought it went extremely well, and it was good to see the Marines receive the fruits of their labor,” said Maj. Frankie P. Delgado, the battery commander. “They did great and were on target.” Within minutes, the battery was able to reach its firing point, set its rocket pod, receive coordinates and deliver a global positioning system-aided rocket into a predetermined grid. The battery’s mission is to support Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan as a fire support asset.According to Delgado, the three-man crewed weapons system cradles six 200-pound rockets capable of destroying targets more than 70 kilometers away, striking with an accuracy up to an impressive eight meters. Delgado said the battery is at Camp Barber to hit “higher value” targets, and the system can be used as an alternative to air strikes. “We’re a great asset when you say you want to engage a particular target and not put innocent people in danger,” Delgado said. “We’re ready to take the fight to the enemy.”Delgado said he sees the unit being a critical asset to SPMAGTF-A, and in comparison to most air strikes, the enemy will never see the system’s rocket until it’s too late. Although the Army has previously used the HIMARS in Afghanistan, the battery’s recent test-fire marked the first time the Marine Corps fired a HIMARS in Afghanistan, creating a page in the history books for the 150-Marine battery. “We’ve been training for a long time, and we all wanted to do our job,” said Cpl. Luis A. Cardenas, a launcher chief with first platoon.The Marine Corps designated 2/14 as a HIMARS unit in 2006, transitioning what was formerly an artillery-oriented battery from its howitzer cannons to the more advanced HIMARS.“There’s no adjusting,” Delgado said. “You give us a grid, we’re going to hit that grid.” The battery conducted three years of training in order to prepare for its receipt and use of the HIMARS and was called to active duty in October 2008. In November, the battery received notice to shift its focus toward Afghanistan.“The weapons systems are 180 degrees apart from each other,” Delgado said, comparing the HIMARS to traditional howitzers. “It’s a new weapons system with GPS tracking. It’s like a scalpel versus a butcher knife.” Delgado said just one of the HIMARS’ six rocket tubes can inflict the same amount of battle damage as one artillery cannon, but HIMARS has greater accuracy, mobility and less chance of being outside its target area. Delgado also said some of the advantages of the systems are that they are transportable via C-130 cargo transport aircraft, lightweight and can get onto a road, drive to a point, fire and drive back before being detected. “It’s [exciting] and it feels good,” Akin said. “For a reserve unit, I think it’s a good thing for the HIMARS to be in Afghanistan. Our Marines are always motivated and there’s a lot of pride.”Akin said the battery has been at the camp for more than three weeks and was excited because they got to fire the system for the first time during the deployment. “This is the tightest and most professional battery I’ve been with thus far, and it couldn’t have happened to a better group of guys,” Delgado said. “We are the fire support for SPMAGTF-A.”Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan’s mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations, with a focus on training and mentoring the Afghan national police.
Top of Page
Monday’s Early Bird leads with reports from the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Times stating that the United States now believes that Iran has amassed enough uranium that with further purification could be used to build an atomic bomb.The statement by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, went further than previous, official judgments of the Iranian nuclear threat, and it essentially confirmed a new report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, which found that Iran had enough nuclear material for a bomb.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the U.S. military is in an improved position to provide Mexico's military with training, resources, and intelligence as its southern neighbor battles deadly drug cartels, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.More than 1,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence this year. In 2008, the toll doubled from the previous year to 6,290. Both the United States and Canada have warned that murders related to drug activity in certain parts of Mexico, particularly along the border with the United States, raised the level of risk in visiting the country.
The Associated Press reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he isn't sure at all what the future holds for Russia.Gates says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin seems to want to assert Russia's role on the world stage by blocking what it doesn't like and by insisting the U.S. consult with Russia if the U.S. wants Moscow's cooperation.
The Wall Street Journal reports that President Hamid Karzai's move to advance elections to early spring from summer drew a sharp response from the U.S. and outcries from potential political challengers, who said an early vote would undermine the poll's credibility amid Afghanistan's struggle with a resurgent Taliban.Mr. Karzai, who has declared his intention to run for re-election, proposed no new date in a statement Saturday, saying only that the country's election commission should respect the Afghan constitution, which calls for national elections 30 to 60 days before the end of his five-year term on May 21.
Washington Times reports that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Sunday that the insurgency in Afghanistan cannot be defeated and Canada would not provide more troops without a clear exit strategy.Mr. Harper said in a CNN interview that Afghanistan needs an indigenous government that can manage the insurgency and is not perceived as foreign-installed.
Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, likes to tell people he's on his third cup of tea with Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who heads Pakistan's Army, according to Newsweek. During their nine meetings in the past year, the two men have differed over strategies for fighting insurgents, made nice after U.S. airstrikes on targets in Pakistan—and forged what people from both sides describe as the most important relationship in the fraught dynamic between the two countries. How fraught? During a visit last week to the United States, according to Pakistani sources, Kayani and Pakistani ministers pressed Washington to halt unmanned Predator attacks, which in recent months have killed about a dozen top Qaeda and Taliban operatives. The administration's response: no.
A suspected separatist group that has been holding an American U.N. worker in Pakistan for a month said Sunday it would kill him in four days if the government does not release more than 1,000 prisoners, according to the Houston Chronicle.The threat on the life of John Solecki was made in a letter sent Sunday to local news agency Online International News Network that was also read by an Associated Press reporter. The group said Feb. 13 that it would kill Solecki within three days unless similar demands were met, but apparently did not follow through.
The U.S. military map in Iraq in early 2010: Marines are leaving the western desert, Army units are in the former British zone in the south and the overall mission is coalescing around air and logistics hubs in central and northern Iraq, according to the Seattle Times.Meanwhile, commanders shift attention to helping Iraqi forces take full control of their own security.The Pentagon has not released full details of President Obama's plan to end the U.S. combat role in Iraq by Aug. 31 of next year, but the broad contours are taking shape.Between 35,000 and 50,000 soldiers are expected to remain in a transition period before all troops must leave by the end of 2011 under a joint pact. The bulk of the current 138,000 U.S. troops are expected to remain until Iraq's national elections, scheduled for late this year. Maintaining security for the balloting is considered a top priority by the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. Ray Odierno, and other high-ranking Pentagon officials.
The Washington Post reports that More than a quarter of this year's U.S. Naval Academy graduates will be commissioned as officers in the Marine Corps, the highest number in a decade and a reflection of the need for ground commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.The number of graduates sought by the Marine Corps has grown steadily since the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attacks sent Marines into combat in the two countries. The academy had no trouble finding 273 graduating midshipmen eager to meet the Corps' request.
NBC carried a report about the new Marine One helicopter, reporting that the new armored 64-foot long helicopter is supposed to fly farther and faster, fend off missiles, and resist some effects of a nuclear blast – all while carrying 14 passengers and thousands of pounds of secure communications gear. The latest Pentagon review says perceived urgency led to unrealistic timelines and underestimated costs. Lockheed declined comment, but in the past complained of continuing additions to requirements.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times and Washington Post lead, while the Wall Street Journal goes high, with word that the federal government will provide American International Group with access to an additional $30 billion as part of yet another attempt to save the ailing insurance giant. (Slate Magazine)
2. Marine Corps hoping to stem rising tide of suicide in ranks: After seeing a sharp rise in suicides last year, the Marine Corps will ramp up its prevention efforts starting in March with classes for all personnel at bases such as Camp Pendleton, a new video for commanders and other programs designed to more aggressively spot and defuse fatalistic behavior. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
3. Corps’ artillery rocket system poised to strike in Afghanistan: The first platoon of Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, test-fired its first rocket in-country from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at Camp Barber, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Feb. 15. (Digital Video and Imaging Distribution System)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times and Washington Post lead, while the Wall Street Journal goes high, with word that the federal government will provide American International Group with access to an additional $30 billion as part of yet another attempt to save the ailing insurance giant. It marks the fourth time that the government has stepped in to rescue AIG and "represents a nearly complete reversal from the one first laid out in mid-September," notes the WSJ. At first, the government seemed intent on making sure AIG paid high interest rates for the taxpayer funds, but now those dreams seem to be over, and officials have concluded the insurance company is so intertwined with other parts of the financial sector that its collapse would be much more expensive in the long run.
The WSJ leads its world-wide newsbox, and the NYT off-leads, with European Union leaders rejecting a call by Hungary for a large bailout of Eastern European countries. The global economic crisis "poses the most significant challenge in decades" to the European Union's "ideals of solidarity and common interest," declares the WSJ. The Los Angeles Times leads with supermarkets accusing some of the largest food manufacturers of continually increasing prices despite the sharp drop in the prices of commodities. Grocery stores say these rising prices are leading customers to discount stores such as Wal-Mart. The manufacturers reject the idea that they're overcharging for their products and contend that just looking at the dropping prices of raw goods simplifies a complicated and volatile situation. USA Today leads with word that the Environmental Protection Agency will begin to investigate air pollution outside schools across the country. In December, USAT analyzed government data to examine the effect of industrial pollution and identified 435 schools that appeared to have dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in the air around them.
AIG is widely expected to report that it lost somewhere in the neighborhood of $60 billion in the fourth quarter of 2008, the biggest quarterly loss in corporate history. Faced with a loss of that magnitude, credit-rating agencies probably would have downgraded AIG, which would have forced the insurance giant to default on its debt. AIG is not expected to access the $30 billion right away, but credit-rating agencies said they wouldn't downgrade the company if it had access to the government cash. AIG now has access to $70 billion from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, making it by far the biggest beneficiary of federal largesse. And no one expects the fourth time to be the charm. Federal officials are largely expected to continue working with AIG to help the company get rid of some of its assets.
In addition to the extra money, AIG would essentially be allowed to stop paying dividends to the government, and the interest rate on all remaining debt would be cut to help the company reduce its losses. Also, instead of paying back $38 billion to the Federal Reserve, AIG will convert that debt into equity stakes in two of the company's units that sell life insurance abroad and are doing relatively well. In an effort to reduce its debt further, AIG will package $5 billion to $10 billion of its domestic life-insurance business into new securities that would be given to the government, which could either hold them or sell them to investors.
If you're still confused about what AIG did and why federal officials are doing everything possible to avoid its collapse, the NYT's Joe Nocera did an impressive job of breaking it all down into an easy-to-understand narrative in a piece published Saturday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel led the opposition to Hungary's call for a large bailout of the European Union's newest members, which have been particularly hard-hit by the crisis. "Saying that the situation is the same for all Central and Eastern European states, I don't see that," Merkel said. Hungary's prime minister had asked for a package worth up to $241 billion and warned that without it there could soon be a "new Iron Curtain" that would once again divide East from West. Several Eastern European leaders also want it to be easier to adopt the euro, but members of the old order aren't too keen on the idea. Leaders left the Brussels summit without any concrete decisions and several Western officials insist the Eastern countries that are in deep trouble should look for help from the likes of the International Monetary Fund. "The European Union will now have to prove whether it is just a fair-weather union or has a real joint political destiny," a German journalist tells the NYT.
In a front-page dispatch from Ukraine, the NYT all but declares that a country "once considered a worldwide symbol of an emerging, free-market democracy that had cast off authoritarianism" is ready to explode. The country's economy has been steadily collapsing, there are rumors of a government default, and violent protests seem inevitable. World leaders are worried that an economic catastrophe in the country of 46 million people would be felt across Europe and might destroy a delicate balance of power if neighboring Russia tries to insert itself into Ukraine's affairs. "A small country like Latvia or Iceland is one thing," explains the NYT, "but a collapse in Ukraine could wreck what little investor confidence is left in Eastern Europe."
Top of Page
Marine Corps hoping to stem rising tide of suicides in ranks
By Rick Rogers (Contact) Union-Tribune Staff Writer
2:00 a.m. February 28, 2009
CAMP PENDLETON — After seeing a sharp rise in suicides last year, the Marine Corps will ramp up its prevention efforts starting in March with classes for all personnel at bases such as Camp Pendleton, a new video for commanders and other programs designed to more aggressively spot and defuse fatalistic behavior.
Junior officers and sergeants, the people in closest contact with rank-and-file Marines, will lead the revamped campaign. They'll be asked to focus particularly on young service members, who make up the majority of suicide cases in the Corps.
“We don't leave any Marine behind. That's part of our ethos,” said Maj. Gen. Mike Lehnert, head of Marine Corps Installations West, which comprises seven bases in California and Arizona. “Not taking care of a Marine suffering from depression or relationship troubles is just the same as leaving a Marine behind.”
In November, Lehnert was one of 15 senior leaders who met in Quantico, Va., to tackle the growing problems of suicide and motorcycle deaths. They brought along about 30 young service members selected as “Marines of the Year” in their respective units.
“They asked for better training in how to spot suicide and what to do when a Marine is depressed and hopeless,” Lehnert said.
His intervention includes making a suicide-prevention video that will be shown to thousands of Marines at the bases he oversees.
Until now, the Marine Corps' anti-suicide efforts amounted to little more than one hour of training per year.
The new additions include the videos, a half-day session for noncommissioned officers that emphasizes the need to reduce stigma, a suicide-prevention component for the Corps' martial-arts program and a wider range of resources – including multimedia presentations – that promote professional help for relationship problems, the top cause of Marine suicides.
“(All) this demonstrates the importance of the issue,” said Navy Cmdr. Aaron Werbel, behavioral health affairs officer for the Corps.
Last year, 41 Marines committed suicide and 146 tried to kill themselves. There were 33 suicides and 103 attempted suicides the year before.
The 2008 death count is the highest annual total since 1993. It also translates to 19 suicides per 100,000 Marines, about equal to the civilian rate for men ages 20 to 24. Thirty of the Marines who committed suicide last year were in that age bracket.
The Corps is the youngest military service demographically, with 62 percent of its members under age 25, according to a recent Marine report.
There were two suicides in January, Werbel said.
Bases don't keep their own suicide statistics, said Marine officials at the headquarters level.
Like the Army, which saw its suicide count rocket to a record 143 last year, the Marine Corps said it's unclear whether higher suicide rates are tied to a greater number of service members who have done combat duty.
The underlying issues that prompt Marines to take their own lives are failed romances or marriages, legal or financial troubles, health problems and job dissatisfaction, Werbel said.
But, he added: “It is possible that the overall stress on the forces is contributing. ... What we are not seeing is a difference in rates based on deployments per se. It could be that the high operational stress tempo could be increasing the other stresses.”
RESOURCES
Service members and their families can find suicide-prevention help on most bases.
They also can contact Military OneSource, which offers counseling and a variety of other support services. The Defense Department pays for the program, but its users are promised confidentiality.
Military OneSource operates year-round, 24 hours a day. Call toll-free at (800) 342-9647 or visit militaryonesource.com.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Things that suggest thoughts or plans of suicide include:
Acquiring a method for suicide, such as buying a handgun
Rehearsing suicidal acts
Giving away possessions
Obsessing about death or fixating on sense of hopelessness
Making amends abruptly
Challenging people in an aggressive manner
Engaging in uncharacteristic behaviors, such as reckless driving, excessive drinking, stealing and unauthorized absences
Displaying significant mood changes
Appearing overwhelmed by recent life events
Source: Leaders Guide for Managing Marines in Distress
Top of Page
Corps’ Artillery Rocket System Poised to Strike in Afghanistan
Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force - Afghanistan Story by Lance Cpl. Ronald Stauffer
CAMP BARBER, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – The first platoon of Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, test-fired its first rocket in-country from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System at Camp Barber, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Feb. 15. The El Paso, Texas-based Marine Corps Reserve battery conducted a full-scale fire mission scenario, proving it’s fully capable of firing and hitting its target within minutes and with deadly accuracy.“I thought it went extremely well, and it was good to see the Marines receive the fruits of their labor,” said Maj. Frankie P. Delgado, the battery commander. “They did great and were on target.” Within minutes, the battery was able to reach its firing point, set its rocket pod, receive coordinates and deliver a global positioning system-aided rocket into a predetermined grid. The battery’s mission is to support Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan as a fire support asset.According to Delgado, the three-man crewed weapons system cradles six 200-pound rockets capable of destroying targets more than 70 kilometers away, striking with an accuracy up to an impressive eight meters. Delgado said the battery is at Camp Barber to hit “higher value” targets, and the system can be used as an alternative to air strikes. “We’re a great asset when you say you want to engage a particular target and not put innocent people in danger,” Delgado said. “We’re ready to take the fight to the enemy.”Delgado said he sees the unit being a critical asset to SPMAGTF-A, and in comparison to most air strikes, the enemy will never see the system’s rocket until it’s too late. Although the Army has previously used the HIMARS in Afghanistan, the battery’s recent test-fire marked the first time the Marine Corps fired a HIMARS in Afghanistan, creating a page in the history books for the 150-Marine battery. “We’ve been training for a long time, and we all wanted to do our job,” said Cpl. Luis A. Cardenas, a launcher chief with first platoon.The Marine Corps designated 2/14 as a HIMARS unit in 2006, transitioning what was formerly an artillery-oriented battery from its howitzer cannons to the more advanced HIMARS.“There’s no adjusting,” Delgado said. “You give us a grid, we’re going to hit that grid.” The battery conducted three years of training in order to prepare for its receipt and use of the HIMARS and was called to active duty in October 2008. In November, the battery received notice to shift its focus toward Afghanistan.“The weapons systems are 180 degrees apart from each other,” Delgado said, comparing the HIMARS to traditional howitzers. “It’s a new weapons system with GPS tracking. It’s like a scalpel versus a butcher knife.” Delgado said just one of the HIMARS’ six rocket tubes can inflict the same amount of battle damage as one artillery cannon, but HIMARS has greater accuracy, mobility and less chance of being outside its target area. Delgado also said some of the advantages of the systems are that they are transportable via C-130 cargo transport aircraft, lightweight and can get onto a road, drive to a point, fire and drive back before being detected. “It’s [exciting] and it feels good,” Akin said. “For a reserve unit, I think it’s a good thing for the HIMARS to be in Afghanistan. Our Marines are always motivated and there’s a lot of pride.”Akin said the battery has been at the camp for more than three weeks and was excited because they got to fire the system for the first time during the deployment. “This is the tightest and most professional battery I’ve been with thus far, and it couldn’t have happened to a better group of guys,” Delgado said. “We are the fire support for SPMAGTF-A.”Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Afghanistan’s mission is to conduct counterinsurgency operations, with a focus on training and mentoring the Afghan national police.
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