| Thursday, November 13, 2008 | | Business Transformation Agency Works to Improve Business Operations at DoD |
 Mr. David M. Fisher, Director, Defense Business Transformation Agency (BTA) |
| The Business Transformation Agency focus is to deliver capability to both the warfighter and the senior leaders who support the warfighter, said Mr. David Fisher, director of the Business Transformation Agency. “Partly, it’s the senior – level decision makers in the department who need good, timely, reliable, accurate information,” he said. “And then the warfighter themselves with logistics support, financial management support, those various business arenas in which those support activities are ultimately essential to the overall mission of the department,” he added.
Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | | Afghan Security Forces Making Positive Strides |
 Col. John Agoglia, Director, Counterinsurgency Training Center – Afghanistan |
| “All in all we are making positive strides in fielding professional security forces that are confident, diverse, and capable of providing security to Afghanistan,” U.S. Army Col. John Agoglia, director of the Counterinsurgency Training Center – Afghanistan, of the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan, said during a DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable. The Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan is responsible for training, developing, fielding, and mentoring the Afghan Security Forces. As for the COIN Center - Afghanistan, “Our focus is to enhance Coalition Forces, Afghan Security Forces, and other Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan agencies capability to reduce the insurgent influence,” Agoglia said. Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | | Army Family Assistance Centers Helping Soldiers and Their Families Transition |
 Maj. Gen. John Macdonald, Commander of the U.S. Army Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command |
| U.S. Army Maj. General John A. MacDonald, commander of Army Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command, spoke to bloggers and online journalists about Warrior Care and Soldier Family Assistance Centers. Soldier Family Assistance Centers specialize in helping soldiers and their family’s transition to the next stage of their life whether that’s as a civilian or back in the service, MacDonald said. “We have realized that we need a specialized family care center,” he said. “I’d characterize this as Army community services on steroids,” he added. Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Wednesday, November 12, 2008 | | USS Boxer, Marine Expeditionary Unit Prepare For Integration Exercise |
 Commodore Peter K. Dallman, Commander Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group/Amphibious Squadron FIVE |
| The USS Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are preparing to deploy in support of operational tasking to unified combatant commanders, Navy Capt. Peter K. Dallman, commander of the Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group said to bloggers and online journalists. “Our ESG and the 13th MEU recently conducted an expeditionary strike group integration exercise back in October,” Dallman said. “We train the Navy and the Marine Corps in scenarios that we may face in our upcoming deployments,” he said. Story | Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Friday, November 07, 2008 | | Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate Achieves Operational Capability Under Reforms |
 Rear Admiral Gary T. Blore, Assistant Commandant for Acquisition & Chief Acquisition Officer |
| “In the last week or so, we’ve reached what we really feel is our full operating capability, as far as new processes and people,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. Gary Blore, assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer, said in a bloggers roundtable to discuss the status of the Coast Guard’s acquisition transformation. In 2006, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Thad W. Allen called for acquisition reforms that have led to organizational consolidation, new policies and processes, and efforts to strengthen the service’s acquisition workforce. Story | Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Friday, November 07, 2008 | | Army Transforming Soldier Rehabilitative Care Programs, General Says |
 Brig Gen Gary H. Cheek, Director of the Warrior Care and Transition Office |
| The Army has put a lot of effort into improving rehabilitative care for soldiers since coming under criticism in February 2007 for conditions at Walter Reed, Army Brig. Gen. Gary H. Creek said in a bloggers roundtable to discuss the Defense Department’s Warrior Care Month. “We have really, in many ways, transformed (outpatient care) in terms of the facilities that we use, the services that we provide, and the leadership that we have dedicated to that effort – which includes the medical management folks who help soldiers through that,” Creek said. “We want to make the soldier very much a part of and responsible for their rehabilitative program, and we want to work hard to measure…how well we’re doing satisfying soldier’s needs, families’ needs…and then listening to them to continue to refine the program.” Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf)
Additional Resources: Warrior Care | Army Warrior Care Month |
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| Monday, November 03, 2008 | | U.S. Army Researching Futuristic Technologies, Official Says |
 Dr. John Parmentola, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, Research and Technology |
| “We’ve decided to showcase a number of very important areas that we believe will give rise to disruptive technology in the future,” Dr. John A. Parmentola, director of research and laboratory management, Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Research and Technology said to bloggers. Parmentola addressed such topics as regenerative medicine, nanotechnology, immersive technology, and molecular electronics when speaking about topics that will be on display at the 26th Army Science Conference. “We’re making Science Fiction into a reality,” Parmentola said. Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Thursday, October 30, 2008 | | Coalition Forces Continue to Develop Iraqi Ministry of Interior |
 U.S. Army Col. Bryan Bequette |
| U.S. Army Col. Bryan Bequette, director of training support for Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, provided an update on the ongoing development of the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and its forces. “We’re continuing to develop big numbers of recruits, but at the same time we’re also starting to add professional training,” Bequette said. “We’re adding investigator courses, follow-on leadership courses, and management courses as we start working on the professionalism of the force along with and in parallel of the size [of the force],” he added. Story | Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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| Thursday, October 30, 2008 | | U.S. Army Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Disestablishment of the Women’s Army Corps |
 U.S. Army Maj. (ret) Meg Kulungowski and 1st Lt. Megan Kelvington |
| U.S. Army Maj. (ret.) Meg Kulungowski and U.S. Army 1st Lt. Megan Kelvington, the first mother and daughter to graduate from West Point spoke to bloggers about their experiences in the Army. In 1978, the Women’s Army Corps was disestablished and women were fully integrated into the U.S. Army. Audio(Mp3) |
Files: Transcript(pdf) | Bio(pdf) |
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