05/28/2014 Kerry tells Snowden to 'man up' and come home Associated Press 4 hours ago

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday called National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden a fugitive and challenged him to "man up and come back to the United States."

Asked about this, Kerry replied on NBC's "Today" show: "Well, for a supposedly smart guy, that's a pretty dumb answer, after all."Kerry was asked about Snowden in a nationally broadcast interview in the wake of an interview in which Snowden said he never intended to be holed up in Russia but was forced to go there because Washington decided to "revoke my passport."

Snowden, a former NSA contract analyst, leaked a massive volume of NSA documents to the media.

"If Mr. Snowden wants to come back to the United States," Kerry said, "we'll have him on a flight today." Kerry said Snowden should "stand up in the United States and make his case to the American people."

In his interview with NBC anchor Brian Williams, a portion of which was broadcast Tuesday, Snowden said he was "trained as a spy" and argued that he had a much larger role in U.S. intelligence than the government has acknowledged.

"I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word, in that I lived and worked undercover overseas," he said.

Kerry said, "A patriot would not run away. ... He can come home but he's a fugitive from justice."

"Let him come back and make his case," the secretary added. "If he cares so much about America and he believes in America, he should trust the American system of justice."

"I think he's confused," Kerry added. "I think it's very sad. But this is a man who has done great damage to his country."

http://news.yahoo.com/kerry-tells-snowden-man-come-home-115623320--politics.html

Joint Vision Statement for the U.S.-Mongolia Security Relationship

The United States and Mongolia have a common strategic interest in sustaining a stable international
security environment and regional order based on peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic governance,
political freedom, economic openness, and a universal respect for human rights.. For the entire article visit http://www.defense.gov/pubs/FINAL-US-Mongolia-Joint-Vision-Statement-V7.pdf

05/27/2014 Troop Levels Allow Support for Afghan Transitions, Dempsey Says

Troop Levels Allow Support for Afghan Transitions, Dempsey Says American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 27, 2014 – Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, issued a statement today following President Barack Obama's announcement of the post-2014 U.S. troop commitment to Afghanistan:   Here is the text of the chairman's statement: Looking ahead to 2015, it's clear that Afghanistan will be challenged with the multiple tasks of seating a new government, confronting persistent threats from those among the Taliban intent on denying Afghans basic human freedoms, and continuing the development of Afghan National Security Forces. These are significant transitions for a new government. Today's decision positions us to support these transitions. Militarily it aligns our objectives with the resources necessary to accomplish them. It builds on 12 years of effort and provides certainty so that we can continue to focus on the important work at hand in 2014 while planning for 2015 and 2016. It provides a blueprint for working regional issues with regional partners. Importantly, we expect that this decision will encourage the continued commitment of our NATO allies and partners. With the decision made, the men and women of our Armed Forces will "move out" to execute the missions assigned to us.

Contact Author Biographies: Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey Related Articles: Dempsey: President’s Troop Decision Aligns Tasks, Resources Hagel Expresses Support for Afghanistan Troop Decision Ohttp://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122343bama: U.S. to Keep Nearly 10,000 Troops in Afghanistan in 2015

05/27/2014 Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Review of Military Health System

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Release No: NR-266-14
May 27, 2014

Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby on Review of Military Health System

Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby provided the following statement:

Today, Secretary Hagel ordered a comprehensive review of the military health system to begin immediately.

Dr. Jonathan Woodson, the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), will lead the review which will focus on access to care and an assessment of the safety and quality of health care, both in the military treatment facilities and healthcare that the department purchases from civilian healthcare providers.

The review, which is expected to last for 90 days, will examine whether current access to care meets the department's standards. It will also examine the safety and quality of the care provided to all DoD beneficiaries.

Following the review, the secretary will receive recommendations on areas for improvement with a specific focus on those areas where we are not meeting a nationally defined standard or a DoD policy directed standard.

Secretary Hagel will be meeting tomorrow morning with Deputy Secretary Work and the service secretaries to discuss the parameters of this review and his expectations for it.

The military health system provides healthcare for more than 9.6 million beneficiaries, including active duty service members, retirees and eligible family members.

http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=16722

05/28/2014 Dempsey Meets With Emirati Leaders in Military Dialogue By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, May 28, 2014 – This rich emirate looks like the very model of stability and prosperity, but it is in a dangerous neighborhood and the U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is visiting to improve the partnership between the two countries.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey took part in the Joint Strategic Military Dialogue today with his Emirati counterpart, Army Lt. Gen. Hamad Thani al-Rumaithi. He also met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the deputy supreme commander of the UAE’s armed forces.

The dialogue is an effort to better integrate American capabilities with the United Arab Emirates, the chairman said during an interview following the meeting.

The two countries work together on security cooperation, integrated air and missile defense and command and control. The dialogue helps both countries improve capabilities, “so that the sum is greater than the parts, [and] also so we can make it clear to other actors in the region that our partnership is intended to produce greater stability,” Dempsey said.

The better the United States and the United Arab Emirates are able to cooperate, he added, the more secure this volatile region can be.

Iran is across the Persian Gulf from the UAE. At the narrowest point of the Strait of Hormuz, the distance is only a couple of miles. Through that strait flows much of the world’s oil supply.

The UAE is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- along with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman -- and cooperation with the UAE benefits that organization as well, the chairman said. “It’s not about the U.S. helping the GCC or the GCC helping the United States of America,” Dempsey said. “It’s building a better partnership.”

The United States has a long partnership with the United Arab Emirates and with the rest of the nations of the GCC. “To the extent that we can refresh our partnership, refresh our understanding of threats, refresh our capabilities, [and] to not take each other for granted,” the chairman said, “I think we will stronger bilaterally and cooperatively.”

(Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @garamoneAFPS)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122349

05/28/2014 Dempsey Discusses Iran’s Influence on Region By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, May 28, 2014 – A diplomatic solution to the problems caused by Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons technology is infinitely preferable to a military operation, but the military option remains available, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said in an interview that the United States maintains a “credible and capable amount of military force in the region so that if the diplomatic track fails, it is available to my leaders.”

President Barack Obama has stated many times that the United States will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. “If [Iran] takes the opportunity and comes to that conclusion diplomatically, everyone will be better off,” he said.

But ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions won’t solve the problem the country poses to the region, the chairman said.

“They exert malign influence in others ways, to include surrogates and proxies [such as] Lebanese Hezbollah [and] the IRGC Quds Force. They are the region’s biggest trafficker in weapons. They are very active in a malign way in cyber,” he said. “There are many things that cause me concern about Iran, both regionally and globally, that will not be solved even if the nuclear issue is solved.”

Unless they change their behavior, Dempsey said, Iranian leaders will be held accountable for other things, adding that the United States would like Iran to change its behavior and be a constructive influence in the world.

“But we’re not naive,” he said. “There’s a pretty significant distance to where we are today with Iran and where we might like to be.”

With its rich history and a culture that has influenced the world, Dempsey said, Iran can take a constructive turn. “We certainly would hope Iran would take advantage of those things and stop its malign activities,” he added.

(Follow Jim Garamone on Twitter: @GaramoneAFPS)

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=122350

Must Read! Is Public Safety Mobility Enabled?

A new research report questions law enforcement and first responders’ adoption of mobile technologies, their mobility challenges and what they hope to gain from current and future devices. You can download at http://www.govtech.com/

Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Smartphone Apps Help Citizens Weather the Storms By: Katie Humphrey, McClatchy News on May 22, 2014

The snow is gone, but now folks are on alert for other kinds of nasty weather. Already, it’s been everything from torrential rain and hail to high winds and reports of tornadoes.

Ah, springtime.

While an umbrella might by the most useful accessory, a smartphone is also helpful to keep up on whatever Mother Nature decides to throw our way.

The Weather Channel app might be the most obvious choice. But the free Yahoo Weather app(available for Android and iOS) has scored stellar reviews for being straightforward and attractive.

In the emergency preparedness category, the American Red Cross this spring launched a Flood App (Android and iOS). It has one-touch “I’m safe” messaging to alert family and friends, plus information about what to do during a flood.

The Flood App joins an already robust stable of emergency preparedness apps from the Red Cross that provide tips for coping with natural disasters: tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and more. The Red Cross says its apps have been downloaded on nearly 4 million mobile devices.

For those who want to help boost the accuracy of forecasts, the National Weather Service offers themPING app. It collects crowd-sourced weather conditions on the ground, giving meteorologists a glimpse below the radar.

©2014 Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Smartphone-Apps-Help-Citizens.html

Disaster Preparedness & Recovery Pennsylvania Commission Issues Response Recommendations to Electric Utilities By: Candy Woodall, McClatchy News on May 27, 2014

Jan Carroll understands power outages are part of a storm, but that knowledge doesn't make it any less frustrating when she can't turn on the lights for a week.

"What really ticks you off is when they say it will be on at a certain time and it's not," the 68-year-old Lower Windsor Township resident said.

She was one of the 62,000 York County, Pa., residents who lost power when a February ice storm knocked down trees and utility lines.

"First we were told our power would be back in two days. Then we waited and waited for about a week before Met-Ed got it back on," Carroll said.

It took Met-Ed about five days to restore power to its customer base in York County, while it took PPL about four days and Peco eight days, according to a report issued this week by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

Overall, the report applauded the utilities' response to the storm. Met-Ed, Peco and PPL were tasked with restoring power to nearly 1 million people across Pennsylvania. Each company hired extra employees who worked around the clock on numerous repairs: 747 poles, 483 transformers, 160 miles of wire, more than 3,000 crossarms and 15,000 fuses/cutouts, the combination of a fuse and a switch that protects transformers from surges and overloads.

Complaints: The utilities did a good job working amid road closures and hazardous conditions, but they could have improved their communication efforts with customers and with county and state officials, according to the PUC report.

During and after the ice storm, the PUC received many complaints like Carroll's.

"Many customers expressed frustration with inaccurate or changed restoration estimates, specifically when the (utilities) have indicated a customer was restored when it was not the case. It is an ongoing problem within the industry," said PUC Chairman Robert Powelson.

Company representatives for Met-Ed, PPL and Peco did not return multiple calls seeking comment about the PUC report.

Recommendations: The PUC offered several recommendations in its report:

• Electric companies should use social media to share information with customers, and their websites should have a clear indicator of where outage information can be accessed.
• Liaisons for the companies should continue to cooperate and communicate with county 911 centers and emergency management agencies during large-scale events. The companies should meet with each county at least yearly to discuss expectations of the liaison program.
• The companies should consider opening customer care centers in hard-hit areas.
• Companies should identify areas where trees and vegetation need to be removed and work to clear those areas.

"Many things went well as utilities worked to restore power to more than 950,000 people who lost service during the February ice storms. However, we also know that some areas need to be improved as we prepare for the next event that results in a large number of customers experiencing power outages," Powelson said.

Met-Ed, PPL and Peco are expected to take the recommendations and issue a follow-up report to the commission in September.

"We look forward to receiving the follow-up reports from the utilities in September that will highlight the progress being made toward implementing these recommendations," he said.

©2014 The York Dispatch (York, Pa.)
 

You may use or reference this story with attribution and a link to
http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Pennsylvania-Commission-Recommendations-Electric-Utilities.html

What is the difference between a "Type One" and a "Type Two" inspection?- Department of State

The New START Treaty provides for 18 on-site inspections per year. There are two basic types of inspections. Type One inspections focus on sites with deployed and non-deployed strategic systems; Type Two inspections focus on sites with only non-deployed strategic systems. Permitted inspection activities include confirming the number of reentry vehicles on deployed Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and deployed Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs), confirming numbers related to non-deployed launcher limits, counting nuclear weapons onboard or attached to deployed heavy bombers, confirming weapon system conversions or eliminations, and confirming facility eliminations. Each side is allowed to conduct ten Type One inspections and eight Type Two inspections annually.
www.state.gov

New START Treaty-Department of State

The New START Treaty responsibly reduces the number of nuclear weapons and launchers that the United States and Russia deploy, while fully maintaining America’s nuclear deterrent.” – President Barack Obama

---

Treaty Structure: The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms also known as the New START Treaty.

Strategic Offensive Reductions: The Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, also known as the New START Treaty, entered into force on February 5, 2011.  Under the Treaty, the United States and Russia must meet the Treaty’s central limits on strategic arms by February 5, 2018; seven years from the date the Treaty entered into force.  Each Party has the flexibility to determine for itself the structure of its strategic forces within the aggregate limits of the Treaty.  These limits are based on the rigorous analysis conducted by Department of Defense planners in support of the 2010 Nuclear Posture Review.

Aggregate limits:

• 700 deployed intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), deployed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments;
   
• 1,550 nuclear warheads on deployed ICBMs, deployed SLBMs, and deployed heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments (each such heavy bomber is counted as one warhead toward this limit);
   
• 800 deployed and non-deployed ICBM launchers, SLBM launchers, and heavy bombers equipped for nuclear armaments.

Verification and Transparency: The Treaty has a verification regime that combines appropriate elements of the 1991 START Treaty with new elements tailored to the limitations and structure of this Treaty.  Verification measures under the Treaty include on-site inspections and exhibitions, data exchanges and notifications related to strategic offensive arms and facilities covered by the Treaty, and provisions to facilitate the use of national technical means for treaty monitoring.  To increase confidence and transparency, the Treaty also provides for an annual exchange of telemetry on an agreed number of ICBM and SLBM launches.

Treaty Duration: The Treaty’s duration is ten years, unless superseded by a subsequent agreement.  The Parties may agree to extend the Treaty for a period of no more than five years.  The Treaty includes a withdrawal clause that is standard in arms control agreements.  The 2002 Moscow Treaty terminated when the New START Treaty entered into force.

No Constraints on Missile Defense and Conventional Strike: The Treaty does not constrain testing, development, or deployment of current or planned U.S. missile defense programs or long-range conventional strike capabilities.

What is the difference between a “Type One” and a “Type Two” inspection?

The New START Treaty provides for 18 on-site inspections per year.  There are two basic types of inspections.  Type One inspections focus on sites with deployed and non-deployed strategic systems; Type Two inspections focus on sites with only non-deployed strategic systems.  Permitted inspection activities include confirming the number of reentry vehicles on deployed ICBMs and deployed SLBMs, confirming numbers related to non-deployed launcher limits, counting nuclear weapons onboard or attached to deployed heavy bombers, confirming weapon system conversions or eliminations, and confirming facility eliminations.  Each side is allowed to conduct ten Type One inspections and eight Type Two inspections annually.

For more information, visit www.state.gov/newstart

Country Reports on Terrorism 2013-U.S Department of State

Country Reports on Terrorism 2013 is submitted in compliance with Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f (the "Act"), which requires the Department of State to provide to Congress a full and complete annual report on terrorism for those countries and groups meeting the criteria of the Act. The report was published April 2014.

Beginning with the report for 2004, it replaced the previously published Patterns of Global Terrorism. For the pdf version of  this document visit: http://www.state.gov/

05/28/2014 Betanews reports that a new study issued by security data specialists BitSight shows that retail and healthcare sectors are falling behind in security

By Ann Longmore-Etheridge

Betanews reports that a new study issued by security data specialists BitSight shows that retail and healthcare sectors are falling behind in security. "The report looks at S&P 500 companies in the finance, utilities, retail, and healthcare sectors from April 2013 to March 2014. It includes data on the average number of security incidents, the most prevalent types of malware, and how long they take to fix," states Betanews. "Partly thanks to last year's large scale data breaches at Target and elsewhere, the retail industry does less well. The number of security events in this sector increased by almost 200 percent over the survey period....  Bringing up the rear comes the healthcare and pharmaceuticals industry.... This sector saw the largest percentage increase in security incidents over the survey period. Unlike the finance and utility companies healthcare businesses don't view cybersecurity as a strategic business issue. The sector has also had a number of problems with theft and physical loss of laptops, servers, and other devices that hold patient and personal data."

www.securitymanagement.com

05/28/2014 Computerworld reports on more weaknesses in eBay's information security.

By Ann Longmore-Etheridge

Computerworld reports on more weaknesses in eBay's information security. Interviewed is Yassar Ali, an ethical hacker, who says he has found vulnerabilities and disclosed them to eBay. Unlike other online giants, eBay does not remunerate white hat hackers for finding potentially cripplng weaknesses that could be exploited by black hat hackers."Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and others pay independent researchers rewards up to thousands of dollars for security information. The payments are an incentive for security enthusiasts, who spend long hours on their own time to look for flaws," notes Computerworld. "The crowd-sourced approach is more efficient for companies, since they benefit from having many pairs of eyes on their operations."

www.securitymanagement.com 

05/28/2014 Edward Snowden has told NBC Nightly News during an interview that he was more than a low-level analyst

 By Ann Longmore-Etheridge

Edward Snowden has told NBC Nightly News during an interview that he was more than a low-level analyst--he was a spy who had worked undercover overseas for U.S. government agencies. During the interview, Snowden said, "I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word in that I lived and worked undercover overseas--pretending to work in a job that I'm not--and even being assigned a name that was not mine," he said during the interview. "I don't work with people. I don't recruit agents. What I do is I put systems to work for the United States. And I've done that at all levels--from the bottom on the ground all the way to the top.... So when they [critics] say I'm a low-level systems administrator, that I don't know what I'm talking about, I'd say it's somewhat misleading." Reuters reports that Snowden "said he worked undercover overseas for both the CIA and NSA and lectured at the Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy 'where I developed sources and methods for keeping our information and people secure in the most hostile and dangerous environments around the world.'"

www.securitymanagement.com

Boko Haram kills at least 25 Nigerian security personnel

DAMATURU/MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) - Boko Haram gunmen attacked a Nigerian military base and adjacent police barracks simultaneously in the northeastern town of Buni Yadi, killing at least 25 security personnel, security sources and a witness said.

The militants, whose violent struggle for an Islamic state in northern Nigeria has killed thousands and made them the biggest threat to security in Africa's top oil-producing state, are still holding more than 200 girls kidnapped on April 14, an act which provoked a storm of international outrage.The attack late on Monday in Yobe state occurred not far from where the Islamist insurgents shot or burned to death 59 pupils at a boarding school in February.

A witness and resident of Buni Yadi, who identified himself only as Mustafa for fear of retribution, said the militants arrived in an armoured personnel carrier and six Toyota Hilux pickup trucks before dismounting and firing into the air.

They fired rocket propelled grenades at both bases.

The witness and two security sources, one in Yobe state and another at the army's northeast headquarters in Maiduguri, said at least 11 soldiers and 14 police officers, including a female officer, were killed. The security source in Yobe state said 17 soldiers may have actually died.

In what has become rare for a movement that has killed thousands of civilians in the past year, Boko Harm called out to people on the street not to run away as they had only come for the security forces, Mustafa and the Yobe police source said.The spokesman for defence headquarters was not immediately available for comment. Yobe police spokesman Nansak Chegwam said he knew of the attack but that the details were sketchy.

The insurgents also razed the police barracks, the army base, the high court and residence of district head Abba Hassan.

"One was shouting in English to the others: 'Let's go, let's go. Finish this and let's go'," a policeman who escaped the attack and fled to the state capital Damturu said.

HUNT FOR GIRLS

Nigerian military says it knows where kidnapped gi …Play Video

From being a clerical movement opposed to Western culture - Boko Haram means "Western education is a sin" in the northern Hausa language - the sect has emerged as well armed, fully fledged armed insurrection.

A military offensive launched a year ago to try to flush Boko Haram out, which initially seemed to be working, appears to have left them stronger than ever. The insurgents occupy a vast, hilly terrain along the Cameroon border, from where they have repeatedly launched devastating hit and run strikes.

Cameroon has deployed some 1,000 troops and armoured vehicles to its border region with Nigeria as it steps up its military presence to counter the rising threat. (Full Story)

Nigeria and its neighbours say Boko Haram now threatens the security of the whole region.

Chief of Defence Staff Air Marshal Alex Badeh said on Tuesday the military knew where the abducted girls were but ruled out using force to rescue them for fear of endangering their lives. (Full Story)

Since the girls were captured, according to a Reuters count, at least 470 civilians have been killed in various locations at the hands of Boko Haram, which has said it wants to reinstate a medieval Islamic caliphate in Africa's most populous nation.

Nigeria accepted help from the United States, Britain, France and China last week and around 80 U.S. troops have started arriving in neighbouring Chad to start a mission to try to free the girls. Surveillance drones are scanning the Sambisa forest, where parents say the girls were last sighted.

(Reporting by Joe Hemba and Lanre Ola; Writing by Tim Cocks; Editing by Alison Williams)

http://news.yahoo.com/boko-haram-attack-kills-least-24-nigerian-security-155701435.html

U.S. court rules for Secret Service agents in protest case

By Lawrence Hurley
May 27th, 2014

By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that two U.S. Secret Service agents cannot be sued for allegedly treating protesters gathered in support of former President George W. Bush more favorably than protesters critical of him.

The court ruled on a 9-0 vote in favor of agents Tim Wood and Rob Savage, who were backed by the administration of President Barack Obama. The agents appealed a lower court ruling that allowed the lawsuit against them to move forward.

The case concerns an incident that took place on Oct 14, 2004, when Bush, then president, was staying at the Jacksonville Inn in Jacksonville, Oregon.

When the president decided to eat on an outdoor patio, the Secret Service agents decided to move anti-Bush protesters that had gathered outside the inn. After the move, the anti-Bush protesters were further from the president than some pro-Bush demonstrators also gathered near the inn.

Seven of the anti-Bush protesters filed a lawsuit in 2009 claiming that the agents violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s ban on viewpoint discrimination by treating the two groups differently and effectively suppressing their free speech rights.

A federal judge in Oregon refused to dismiss the case in a decision that was upheld by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote in Tuesday's ruling that there is no court precedent requiring the Secret Service to constantly ensure that all groups with different views are placed in comparable locations.

"In short, the security perimeter established by the agents to meet an unanticipated situation violated no clearly established First Amendment command," Ginsburg said in a statement she read in the courtroom.

The case is Wood v. Moss, U.S. Supreme Court, No. 13-115.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Howard Goller and Andrew Hay)

http://news.yahoo.com/u-court-rules-secret-agents-protest-case-150927003.html

Obama to warn against ‘overreaching’ foreign policy in West Point address

By Olivier Knox

May 2th, 2014 

President Barack Obama will use his commencement speech at West Point this week to defend his handling of an ever-widening array of foreign policy crises and to outline top national security goals for his fast-shrinking time in office, officials say.

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Under fire from Republicans who accuse him of being a weak president overseeing a dramatic and dangerous American retreat from the world stage, the president who ordered the death of Osama bin Laden but has been powerless to stop the bloodbath in Syria will argue that he has struck the right balance — and will continue to do so.

“You will hear the president discuss how the United States will use all the tools in our arsenal without overreaching,” a White House official said on condition of anonymity.

“He will lay out why the right policy is one that is both interventionist and internationalist, but not isolationist or unilateral,” the official said.

It’s a familiar theme for a president who won his first term in large part on his vow to pull U.S. forces out of Iraq and promised voters who wondered whether to give him a second term that he would end the American war in Afghanistan.

Aides say Obama found his previous West Point commencement speech, in 2010, a moving experience because of the knowledge that many of the graduates would soon head off to fight the Taliban in America’s longest war.

It’s not clear how much Obama can still change public perceptions — his foreign policy, once a bright spot in public opinion polls, now rates below 50 percent approval. But aides argue that there are many works-in-progress that require the president’s voice — the withdrawal of most troops from Afghanistan and the debates over drones and spying, to name just a few. And there are crises out of his control, as well: Ukraine, dangerously escalating tensions between China and U.S. allies in Asia, North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs. And then there’s the legacy-defining bet Obama has placed on talks with Iran, potentially the last shot at negotiating an end to Tehran’s suspect nuclear program.

“The United States and I don’t have the luxury of choosing just one problem at a time,” he said during a recent swing through Asia.

On that same trip, Obama hit back at the “weak president” charges, accusing Republicans who hurl that epithet at him of seeing “the use of force as the definitive answer” to many problems.

“You would think, given that we’ve just gone through a decade of war, that that assumption would be subject to some questioning,” the president said.

Obama’s address on Wednesday at the United States Military Academy touches off a busy 10-day stretch, and aides underline that the West Point address won’t be his “one bite at the apple” on foreign policy.

Days after the speech, he heads to Europe for a trip heavily defined by his standoff with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. Obama will reaffirm America’s ties to the continent in a speech in Warsaw, then attend a rich-nation summit in Brussels from which Putin has been banned.

Following those events, Obama will head to Normandy, France, for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion — a reminder of a pivotal era in which Washington and Moscow battled the same enemy.

“The president’s engagements will explain how we move out of a period of war in Iraq and Afghanistan to a new stage in our engagement with the world, what we expect to accomplish over the next 2.5 years of the administration, and how our approach in hot spots like Ukraine, Iran and Syria fit into that construct,” the White House official said.

Obama will also tackle one of the sharpest criticisms of his strategy: that he has neglected the rise of al-Qaida offshoots and other extremist groups that have found havens in places like Iraq, Libya and Syria.

“The president will talk about how the threat has changed and how an effective U.S. strategy will adapt to combat al-Qaida and the decentralized groups that pose a threat from South Asia to the Sahel,” the official said.

Obama laid out many of his ideas one year ago at the National Defense University. But his promise to get America off a "permanent war footing" by repealing the law that underpins much of the war on terrorism has fallen short. This past week, top aides told incredulous senators that they could not say whether or how the White House aimed to proceed on that front. One senior lawmaker described a foreign policy discussion at the White House as "one of the most bizarre I've attended."

Obama’s top foreign policy and national security aides will amplify the message over the summer. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and top counter-terrorism aide Lisa Monaco will “take on pieces of the agenda and engage the debate over foreign policy with an affirmative U.S. case,” the official said.

http://news.yahoo.com/at-west-point--obama-to-warn-against--over-reaching--foreign-policy-210854002.html

May 27, 2014 Preliminary Flood Maps in Otero County, New Mexico Ready for Public View-FEMA

Knowing flood risks allows for more informed decisions

DENTON, Texas –Homeowners, renters, and business owners in Otero County, New Mexico are encouraged to look over newly released preliminary flood maps in order to determine their flood risks and make informed decisions.

Local officials from Otero County, the state of New Mexico, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are presenting the preliminary maps to communities in order to help leaders and residents identify known flood risks and use that information to make decisions about buying flood insurance. The data also helps the community move forward with any future development.

“As we work together with our state and local partners to bring this critical information to the county, we ask that everyone review the maps to understand what flood risks are involved,” said R6 Regional Administrator Tony Robinson. “The role of the community as an active partner in the flood mapping process is very important.”

To view the new flood maps, please contact your local floodplain administrator (FPA) or follow the links below:

• To view the preliminary maps online visit: http://maps.riskmap6.com/NM/Otero/

• To use a live chat service visit go.usa.gov/r6C.  Click on the “Live Chat” icon.
• To contact a FEMA Map Specialist call 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627) or send an email to FEMAMapSpecialist@riskmapcds.com.

Once a flood risk is identified, the next step is to consider the purchase of a flood policy from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  The NFIP is currently undergoing a thorough modernization.  Meanwhile, contacting a local insurance agent is the first step to gather information about insurance.  Folks can visit www.floodsmart.gov or call 1-888-379-9531 to locate an agent in their area.

www.fema.gov

May 24, 2014 FEMA Rebuilding Experts to Provide Advice in Tupelo

JACKSON, Miss. – Residents in the Tupelo area can learn how to build or rebuild to reduce the likelihood of damage the next time severe storms, tornadoes or floods hit. Federal Emergency Management Agency’s mitigation experts know how and they are sharing their knowledge.

FEMA mitigation specialists will be at Lowe’s in Tupelo for five days next week to discuss specific methods with anyone who stops by. They will have free booklets and pamphlets with additional details.

Tuesday, May 27, through Saturday, May 31

Lowe’s

3354 N. Gloster St.

Tupelo, Miss. 38804

8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Disaster survivors in Itawamba, Jones, Leake, Lee, Lowndes, Madison, Montgomery, Rankin, Simpson, Warren, Wayne and Winstoncounties may be eligible for FEMA’s Individual Assistance program.

Individuals and households in those counties can online at DisasterAssistance.gov, via smartphone or tablet at m.FEMA.gov or by calling the FEMA helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362). People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY should call 800-462-7585. Lines are open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (central time) and assistance is available in multiple languages.

For more information on Mississippi disaster recovery, go to FEMA.gov/Disaster/4175. Visit the MEMA site at msema.org or on Facebook atfacebook.com/msemaorg.

www.fema.gov

May 23, 2014 Federal Aid for Alabama Disaster Tops $12 Million-FEMA

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- More than $12 million has been approved through FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program. The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved more than $3 million through its low-interest disaster loan program.

The following numbers, compiled May 23, provide a snapshot of the Alabama/FEMA disaster recovery to date:

Funds approved

• $10.3 million for Housing Assistance grants to help with recovery rental expenses and home repair costs.
• $2 million for Other Needs Assistance to cover essential disaster-related needs, such as medical expenses and lost personal possessions.
• $3.4 million approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration for low-interest loans to eligible homeowners, renters or business owners.

Survivor recovery

• 6,882 of the 7,899 damaged homes and property have been inspected (87 percent of requests).
• 2,990 visits have been made to the nine disaster recovery centers located in designated counties.
• 9 counties designated for Individual Assistance.

www.fema.gov