You can check out the feature here: http://www.parade.com/news/veterans/index.html.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Feature on Veterans
You can check out the feature here: http://www.parade.com/news/veterans/index.html.
Asst. Vice Chief of Staff to Speak at November Session of Air Force Breakfast Series
And the next speaker for AFA’s Air Force Breakfast Program is ... Lt. Gen. Dick Newton, Assistant Vice Chief of Staff and Director of Air Staff, Headquarters, U.S. Air Force!
Lt. Gen. Newton will be the speaker for the November session, which will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., at the Key Bridge Marriott, located at 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA.
Gen. Newton oversees the administration and organization of the Air Staff, which develops policies, plans and programs; establishes requirements; and provides resources to support the Air Force's mission. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and is the Air Force accreditation official for the international Corps of Air Attachés.
He served at Headquarters U.S. Air Force as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, and later as Deputy Director for Strategic Plans and Future Systems for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. His joint assignments include serving as Deputy Director for Information Operations and the Director, Plans and Policy (J5), U.S. Strategic Command.
Most recently Gen. Newton served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He is a command pilot with over 2,900 flying hours in a variety of aircraft, including the B-2, B-1B, B-52 and T-38.
To register, go to http://afanovemberbreakfast.eventbrite.com/.
Also, take not that there will be no December Air Force Breakfast Session, but the program will resume in January 2012.
Lt. Gen. Newton will be the speaker for the November session, which will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2011, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., at the Key Bridge Marriott, located at 1401 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA.
Gen. Newton oversees the administration and organization of the Air Staff, which develops policies, plans and programs; establishes requirements; and provides resources to support the Air Force's mission. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the Air Force Council, and is the Air Force accreditation official for the international Corps of Air Attachés.
He served at Headquarters U.S. Air Force as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations, and later as Deputy Director for Strategic Plans and Future Systems for the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. His joint assignments include serving as Deputy Director for Information Operations and the Director, Plans and Policy (J5), U.S. Strategic Command.
Most recently Gen. Newton served as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Requirements, Headquarters U.S. Air Force. He is a command pilot with over 2,900 flying hours in a variety of aircraft, including the B-2, B-1B, B-52 and T-38.
To register, go to http://afanovemberbreakfast.eventbrite.com/.
Also, take not that there will be no December Air Force Breakfast Session, but the program will resume in January 2012.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Washington Perspective -- Hill testimony, Ad
AFA members, on Wednesday I attended a round-table discussion on Veteran’s benefits in the House of Representatives. The meeting was chaired by Minority Leader Pelosi and was well attended by members of Congress – more than one dozen were present. I sat next to two Members who are on the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction [Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD.) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)]. The focus of discussion was wide-ranging. We brought the following issues to their attention:
Military Retirement system changes [no changes for those serving, much study for the future force to see what the impact might be on morale, readiness, recruiting, and retention]
TRICARE and TRICARE-for-life fees [you cannot compare civilian medical plans with those who endured low-pay, wars, deployments, frequent moves, lack of careers for spouses, etc; the benefits were earned benefits that, many times, were promised to veterans]
Joblessness for Vets [higher than the national average – we need programs to address]
Suicide rates for military and vets [one vet dies every 80 minutes from suicide; need VA to fund programs to support]
SBP/DIC offset [there are 54,000 widows that give up some or all of their SBP payments – that they paid for – to receive DIC]
Disabled Vets [need access to training]
And a number of other issues.
[Thank you to Woody Hogle and the AFA Veterans and Retirees Committee for helping me get ready for meetings like this one.]
Here’s what I heard back:
- VA funding will be protected from cuts in the Super Committee.
- While everything is “on the table” the members of the Super Committee understand the differences between support for the military and the Pentagon budget. All of them believe there needs to be more work before fundamental changes are made in Military retirement and TRICARE.
- The “Doc fix for Medicare” – the Super Committee is looking at a permanent fix … but they need to find $300B to do that.
- The Super Committee should go after much larger cuts than $1.5T – more like $4T.
- Both the House and Senate passed a 3.6% COLA for retirees.
Secondly, AFA placed an ad in Politico and The Hill this past week [displayed below or click here].
For your consideration.
Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
Thursday, November 3, 2011
AFA & AFMF Announce Veterans Day Ceremony at Air Force Memorial
The Air Force Association and the Air Force Memorial Foundation will host an 11 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony Friday, November 11, 2011, at the Air Force Memorial. A two-minute moment of silence at 11 a.m. will be observed to commemorate those members of the U.S. armed forces who were killed during war. Also, during this ceremony, a wreath will be placed at the Memorial in memory and in honor of the veterans of the United States Air Force and its heritage organizations!
This ceremony is open to the public, so please join us as we pay tribute to the heroic men and women of our United States Air Force.
Call or e-mail the Air Force Memorial Office at 703.979.0674 or afmf@airforcememorial.org for more information.
 |
| Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Air Force Memorial, September 2011 |
AFA Congratulates CyberPatriot Teams for ‘Spirited’ Competition
The CyberPatriot IV competition officially began Friday, October 28, 2011, with more than 600 All Service teams registered to aggressively defend virtualized networks of computers, racing against the clock to fortify their simulated systems.
Established by AFA, CyberPatriot is the nation’s largest high school cyber security challenge. This unique competition was designed to give students a hands-on learning experience in cybersecurity and inspire students to consider science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields in their studies.
After six hours of competition this past weekend, the All Service teams have now jumped their first hurdle as they fight their way to the finals. The composite score of the first and second preliminary rounds will determine which teams advance to Round 3 (the Round of 36 teams). Following that, the top 12 qualifying teams then receive all-expenses-paid trips to the CyberPatriot National Championship Competition held in the Washington, DC area, in March 2012.
Preliminary rounds for the competition are conducted online from the teams’ home locations. The next round for the All Service teams will start on December 2, while the Open Division begins competing on November 4.
Established by AFA, CyberPatriot is the nation’s largest high school cyber security challenge. This unique competition was designed to give students a hands-on learning experience in cybersecurity and inspire students to consider science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields in their studies.
After six hours of competition this past weekend, the All Service teams have now jumped their first hurdle as they fight their way to the finals. The composite score of the first and second preliminary rounds will determine which teams advance to Round 3 (the Round of 36 teams). Following that, the top 12 qualifying teams then receive all-expenses-paid trips to the CyberPatriot National Championship Competition held in the Washington, DC area, in March 2012.
“It was a spirited first round of competition, where students overcame technical glitches and displayed exceptional performance,” said Bernie Skoch, CyberPatriot Commissioner. “We congratulate all of them on a job well done! This round saw the most students competing at one time than we’ve ever had. We hope the competitors had a great time and will be ready to compete again in round two.”
 |
Washington Perspective -- AFA
AFA members, as I meet with many of you, I am constantly amazed how many of you don’t know the great work the Air Force Association is doing for its membership. But … it’s not really your fault … as we haven’t done a good job in informing you of our many activities in the Washington arena [yes … the metaphor harkening back to the gladiator days is intentional].
For example – did you know that the Air Force Association created the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year Program? It occurred in the mid-1950s to recognize those Airmen who the country could not “afford” to adequately compensate for their service to our nation.
Did you know it was the Air Force Association which came up with the idea to build the Air Force Memorial (AFM)? And it was the Air Force Association which created the Air Force Memorial Foundation – which raised the private funds to build the Memorial.
Did you know it was the Air Force Association which came up with the idea to create the Community College of the Air Force?
It is the Air Force Association which funds scholarships and grants for spouses and other family members of our great force.
It is the Air Force Association which fights for your pay and benefits on Capitol Hill – not a trivial issue in these budget cutting times.
And it is the Air Force Association which fights for Airpower – keeping Airmen and their families in the forefront of the national debate.
So, about once per week, I will send you an email with the intention of bringing to your attention issues, op-eds, think-tank reports, and AFA activities on the Hill. As always, you can opt out of this communication. The only difference between Washington Perspective pieces and my notes is that while I will read your responses to Perspective, I will not answer you as I do with your responses to my Notes from the President. I just don’t have time to do so.
We will place all of the Washington Perspective emails and a number of other materials on the web … so if you misplace the note or are away from your computer, you can find past notes and other material at your convenience. More on that in a later Perspective.
For your consideration. Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
For example – did you know that the Air Force Association created the 12 Outstanding Airmen of the Year Program? It occurred in the mid-1950s to recognize those Airmen who the country could not “afford” to adequately compensate for their service to our nation.
Did you know it was the Air Force Association which came up with the idea to build the Air Force Memorial (AFM)? And it was the Air Force Association which created the Air Force Memorial Foundation – which raised the private funds to build the Memorial.
Did you know it was the Air Force Association which came up with the idea to create the Community College of the Air Force?
It is the Air Force Association which funds scholarships and grants for spouses and other family members of our great force.
It is the Air Force Association which fights for your pay and benefits on Capitol Hill – not a trivial issue in these budget cutting times.
And it is the Air Force Association which fights for Airpower – keeping Airmen and their families in the forefront of the national debate.
So, about once per week, I will send you an email with the intention of bringing to your attention issues, op-eds, think-tank reports, and AFA activities on the Hill. As always, you can opt out of this communication. The only difference between Washington Perspective pieces and my notes is that while I will read your responses to Perspective, I will not answer you as I do with your responses to my Notes from the President. I just don’t have time to do so.
We will place all of the Washington Perspective emails and a number of other materials on the web … so if you misplace the note or are away from your computer, you can find past notes and other material at your convenience. More on that in a later Perspective.
For your consideration. Mike
Michael M. Dunn
President/CEO
Air Force Association
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Registration Now Live for AFA’s Annual Air Warfare Symposium
Registration for the Air Force Association’s (AFA) 28th Annual Air Warfare Symposium is now live! This unique two-day symposium, themed “Maintaining Air Dominance into the Future,” will be from February 23 to February 24, 2012, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida.
The Air Warfare Symposium will provide coverage of the latest developments in airpower whilst also discussing the wide array of platforms, capabilities and systems that are vital to air warfare and the Air Force mission. Also, during the Symposium exhibits highlighting aerospace technology and education, sponsored by leading aerospace companies, will be on display.
Expect to hear timely presentations from Air Force leadership representing U.S. major commands. Invited speakers to the Symposium will include Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley, Chief of Staff of the Air Force General Norton A. Schwartz, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force James A. Roy and other top Air Force leaders.
Also, in support of the Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition, AFA’s Central Florida Chapter will again sponsor its annual Air Force Gala and other activities.
Be a part of AFA’s national forum on air warfare. Registration details can be found at http://registration.afa.org/events/orlando2012reghome.aspx. Over the next few weeks, look for additional speakers and other information updates at www.AFA.org.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
