Tuesday 13 August 2013
WISCONSIN GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER TO VISIT SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
Posted on 20:44 by Unknown
WISCONSIN GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER TO VISIT SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
By Shelby Sebens, Northwest Watchdog, August 13, 2013
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, known for his landmark legislation Act 10 that stripped collective bargaining for most of the state’s public unions, will be taking his message to Seattle.
Walker will be in Seattle on Sept. 5 to speak at the Washington Policy Center’s awards dinner, according to a press release from the conservative, free-market think tank. He will be touting his new book, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge,” which chronicles his push against unions in the state.
Scott Walker ‘writing’ his ticket to 2016? - Kevin Cirilli - POLITICO.com
While the dinner is sold out, not everyone will be welcoming Walker with open arms.
The Stand, a newsletter for the Washington State Labor Council, quotes Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, as calling Act 10 “reckless policy” and saying it “cripples workers’ rights on the job.”
Washington Policy Center officials said they are not surprised.
Their concern is understandable. Wisconsin unions suffered dramatic declines when Walker’s worker rights policy removed the fear of being fired for employees who declined to give part of their paychecks to one of the state’s 'Soviet Unionized Extortionist' mob bosses. Naturally, Russian communist money launderers don’t want Washington state workers to get the same idea.
Union membership has been on the decline since Act 10 passed and the unions have felt the sting, according to Wisconsin Reporter.
The awards dinner will be at the Sheraton ballroom in Seattle and tickets are still available for the Eastern Washington dinner.
Contact Shelby Sebens at Shelby@NorthwestWatchdog.org
By Shelby Sebens, Northwest Watchdog, August 13, 2013
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, known for his landmark legislation Act 10 that stripped collective bargaining for most of the state’s public unions, will be taking his message to Seattle.
Walker will be in Seattle on Sept. 5 to speak at the Washington Policy Center’s awards dinner, according to a press release from the conservative, free-market think tank. He will be touting his new book, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge,” which chronicles his push against unions in the state.
Scott Walker ‘writing’ his ticket to 2016? - Kevin Cirilli - POLITICO.com
While the dinner is sold out, not everyone will be welcoming Walker with open arms.
The Stand, a newsletter for the Washington State Labor Council, quotes Phil Neuenfeldt, president of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO, as calling Act 10 “reckless policy” and saying it “cripples workers’ rights on the job.”
Washington Policy Center officials said they are not surprised.
Their concern is understandable. Wisconsin unions suffered dramatic declines when Walker’s worker rights policy removed the fear of being fired for employees who declined to give part of their paychecks to one of the state’s 'Soviet Unionized Extortionist' mob bosses. Naturally, Russian communist money launderers don’t want Washington state workers to get the same idea.
Union membership has been on the decline since Act 10 passed and the unions have felt the sting, according to Wisconsin Reporter.
The awards dinner will be at the Sheraton ballroom in Seattle and tickets are still available for the Eastern Washington dinner.
Contact Shelby Sebens at Shelby@NorthwestWatchdog.org
U.S.A. ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MICHAEL ROGERS (R-AL) - U.S.A. MISSILE DEFENSE MODERNIZATION NEEDED
Posted on 20:21 by Unknown
U.S.A. ARMED SERVICES SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMAN MICHAEL ROGERS (R-AL) - U.S.A. MISSILE DEFENSE MODERNIZATION NEEDED
By Bill Gertz, August 13, 2013, Washington Free Beacon
Armed Services Subcommittee Chair: Missile Defense Modernization Needed
The Obama administration has cut $6 billion from U.S. missile defense programs at a time when missile threats are growing, chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces said Tuesday.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.) also said in a speech that missile defense shortfalls likely contributed to the recent test failure of a long-range missile interceptor. He called for stepping up investment in strategic defenses.
“We must move out on aggressive development of next-generation missile defense capabilities, like space and directed energy,” Rogers said in a speech before the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville.
The Washington Free Beacon obtained a copy of his prepared remarks.
Rogers warned that missile threats are increasing as the U.S. defense budget is facing severe challenges.
Currently, the continental United States and overseas allies are protected against missile attack by 30 deployed long-range Ground Based Interceptors, 32 Navy ships armed with over 100 SM-3 IA interceptors, and two dozen advanced SM-3 IB interceptors, dozens of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, and eight X-band missile defense radars deployed abroad.
“But this is not the time to stand still or regress as we have done in some respects lately: We continue to be challenged by increasing threats, budget scarcity, and the resulting test failures,” Rogers said.
Critics of missile defense who argue that the technology does not work or that it costs too much have been proven wrong by foreign nations that are buying U.S. missile defenses, Rogers said.
Israel also deployed its Iron Dome defense, developed with U.S. assistance, that countered numerous missile and rocket attacks on the Jewish state.
On budget cuts, Rogers noted that $487 billion was cut by the administration before the sequester cuts totaling $55 billion last year and another $55 billion in cuts set for fiscal 2014, which begins Oct. 1.
According to Rogers, Obama cut $1.16 billion from missile defense—a 10 percent reduction—in his first budget as president and continued the reductions.
“Over four fiscal years, this underfunding adds up to almost $6 billion less than President Bush planned for missile defense; this represents a 16 percent reduction,” Rogers said.
“With regard to the nation’s only national missile defense program, it’s been cut in half in almost ten years.”
A missile defense interceptor test failure July 5 was the first time the system had been tested in five years. The delay and failure appear to have been the result of the spending cuts, Rogers said.
“Has anyone in this room ever kept a car in the garage for five years and then pulled it out one day and expected to go for a cross-country drive?” he said. “Of course not. Unfortunately, that’s what we’ve done with our only homeland defense system.”
Rogers called Iran’s missiles a “rising threat” based on recent advances by Tehran in space launch and longer-range ballistic missile developments.
Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, commander of the Colorado-based U.S. Northern Command, recently stated that “we should consider that Iran has a capability within the next few years of flight testing ICBM capable technologies” and that “the Iranians are intent on developing an ICBM.”
“Therefore, it’s not a question of if we recommit ourselves to missile defense. We must,” Rogers said.
To solve the problems, homeland missile defenses must be fixed by adding more resources and conducting another flight test this year of the Ground Based Interceptor, he said.
Other programs canceled by the Obama administration include a missile defense space sensor system, a next generation Aegis missile, the Airborne Laser, an airborne sensor system, and a next generation missile defense interceptor kill vehicle.
Rogers said he recently wrote to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, along with two Republican senators, to express concerns that “a decision, or a gamble if you like, had been made to cut off and slowly strangle our homeland missile defense system.”
The administration “lost this gamble” and now realizes that homeland defenses are needed, Rogers said
“But, between 2009 and 2013, we lost time while our adversaries continued their threatening work,” Rogers said. “As a consequence, we have lost time, and in missile defense, time is defense.”
Rogers called for immediately beginning work on a next-generation Ground Based Interceptor and moving ahead in building an East Coast Missile Defense base in addition to current bases in Alaska and California.
The East Coast site will provide “an added layer of missile defense coverage to the Eastern Third of the United States, just as the Poland-based Third Site would have done and the Poland-based Aegis Ashore battery would have done with the block IIB missile,” Rogers said.
Additionally, space sensors and directed energy weapons are needed to meet the challenges posed by decoy warheads designed to thwart missile defense sensors, he said, including the Airborne Laser that was killed in 2009. The laser, onboard a Boeing 747, successfully knocked out two test missiles in a demonstration.
“We must move out on aggressive development of next-generation missile defense capabilities, like space and directed energy,” Rogers said.
While cutting missile defenses, the Obama administration launched a new plan called the European Phased Adaptive Approach, designed to protect the United States and Europe from an Iranian missile attack.
A recent military intelligence report said Iran will have a missile capable of hitting the United States by 2015.
Still, the administration has yet to provide Congress with a budget estimate for the European missile defense plan that includes bases in Poland and Romania.
And in March, the Pentagon canceled the final phase of the program that included a new interceptor that is the only element of the system capable of defending the U.S. homeland.
Rogers says he is worried that cuts and program delays will make the European missile defense system unaffordable.
Without the fourth phase that was canceled in March, “I fear there is now a choice between defending ourselves and defending our allies.”
Rogers predicted that unless funding levels are increased in the next two years, the administration would be forced to tell the Europeans for the third time since 2009 that the United States is changing its missile defense plans there.
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want the administration to pull the rug out from under the Poles and Romanians yet again,” he said. “But I don’t see how we avoid it without a significant infusion of resources into our missile defense system.”
Rogers noted that President George W. Bush paved the way for missile defenses by abandoning the 1974 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Moscow. The pact limited strategic defenses of both the United States and the then-Soviet Union.
Quoting a former defense secretary, Rogers said the problem with treaties with Russia is that “we build, they build. We stop, they build.”
“It’s one of those historical ironies that the Russians, who scream the loudest about our missile defenses, like to ignore, and like us to ignore, that they keep on building them,” he said, noting Moscow’s expansion and modernization of its missile defenses that included nuclear-armed interceptors around Moscow.
China also opposes U.S. missile defenses but recently conducted a test of its missile defense system, he said.
By Bill Gertz, August 13, 2013, Washington Free Beacon
Armed Services Subcommittee Chair: Missile Defense Modernization Needed
The Obama administration has cut $6 billion from U.S. missile defense programs at a time when missile threats are growing, chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on strategic forces said Tuesday.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.) also said in a speech that missile defense shortfalls likely contributed to the recent test failure of a long-range missile interceptor. He called for stepping up investment in strategic defenses.
“We must move out on aggressive development of next-generation missile defense capabilities, like space and directed energy,” Rogers said in a speech before the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville.
The Washington Free Beacon obtained a copy of his prepared remarks.
Rogers warned that missile threats are increasing as the U.S. defense budget is facing severe challenges.
Currently, the continental United States and overseas allies are protected against missile attack by 30 deployed long-range Ground Based Interceptors, 32 Navy ships armed with over 100 SM-3 IA interceptors, and two dozen advanced SM-3 IB interceptors, dozens of Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, and eight X-band missile defense radars deployed abroad.
“But this is not the time to stand still or regress as we have done in some respects lately: We continue to be challenged by increasing threats, budget scarcity, and the resulting test failures,” Rogers said.
Critics of missile defense who argue that the technology does not work or that it costs too much have been proven wrong by foreign nations that are buying U.S. missile defenses, Rogers said.
Israel also deployed its Iron Dome defense, developed with U.S. assistance, that countered numerous missile and rocket attacks on the Jewish state.
On budget cuts, Rogers noted that $487 billion was cut by the administration before the sequester cuts totaling $55 billion last year and another $55 billion in cuts set for fiscal 2014, which begins Oct. 1.
According to Rogers, Obama cut $1.16 billion from missile defense—a 10 percent reduction—in his first budget as president and continued the reductions.
“Over four fiscal years, this underfunding adds up to almost $6 billion less than President Bush planned for missile defense; this represents a 16 percent reduction,” Rogers said.
“With regard to the nation’s only national missile defense program, it’s been cut in half in almost ten years.”
A missile defense interceptor test failure July 5 was the first time the system had been tested in five years. The delay and failure appear to have been the result of the spending cuts, Rogers said.
“Has anyone in this room ever kept a car in the garage for five years and then pulled it out one day and expected to go for a cross-country drive?” he said. “Of course not. Unfortunately, that’s what we’ve done with our only homeland defense system.”
Rogers called Iran’s missiles a “rising threat” based on recent advances by Tehran in space launch and longer-range ballistic missile developments.
Gen. Charles H. Jacoby, commander of the Colorado-based U.S. Northern Command, recently stated that “we should consider that Iran has a capability within the next few years of flight testing ICBM capable technologies” and that “the Iranians are intent on developing an ICBM.”
“Therefore, it’s not a question of if we recommit ourselves to missile defense. We must,” Rogers said.
To solve the problems, homeland missile defenses must be fixed by adding more resources and conducting another flight test this year of the Ground Based Interceptor, he said.
Other programs canceled by the Obama administration include a missile defense space sensor system, a next generation Aegis missile, the Airborne Laser, an airborne sensor system, and a next generation missile defense interceptor kill vehicle.
Rogers said he recently wrote to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, along with two Republican senators, to express concerns that “a decision, or a gamble if you like, had been made to cut off and slowly strangle our homeland missile defense system.”
The administration “lost this gamble” and now realizes that homeland defenses are needed, Rogers said
“But, between 2009 and 2013, we lost time while our adversaries continued their threatening work,” Rogers said. “As a consequence, we have lost time, and in missile defense, time is defense.”
Rogers called for immediately beginning work on a next-generation Ground Based Interceptor and moving ahead in building an East Coast Missile Defense base in addition to current bases in Alaska and California.
The East Coast site will provide “an added layer of missile defense coverage to the Eastern Third of the United States, just as the Poland-based Third Site would have done and the Poland-based Aegis Ashore battery would have done with the block IIB missile,” Rogers said.
Additionally, space sensors and directed energy weapons are needed to meet the challenges posed by decoy warheads designed to thwart missile defense sensors, he said, including the Airborne Laser that was killed in 2009. The laser, onboard a Boeing 747, successfully knocked out two test missiles in a demonstration.
“We must move out on aggressive development of next-generation missile defense capabilities, like space and directed energy,” Rogers said.
While cutting missile defenses, the Obama administration launched a new plan called the European Phased Adaptive Approach, designed to protect the United States and Europe from an Iranian missile attack.
A recent military intelligence report said Iran will have a missile capable of hitting the United States by 2015.
Still, the administration has yet to provide Congress with a budget estimate for the European missile defense plan that includes bases in Poland and Romania.
And in March, the Pentagon canceled the final phase of the program that included a new interceptor that is the only element of the system capable of defending the U.S. homeland.
Rogers says he is worried that cuts and program delays will make the European missile defense system unaffordable.
Without the fourth phase that was canceled in March, “I fear there is now a choice between defending ourselves and defending our allies.”
Rogers predicted that unless funding levels are increased in the next two years, the administration would be forced to tell the Europeans for the third time since 2009 that the United States is changing its missile defense plans there.
“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want the administration to pull the rug out from under the Poles and Romanians yet again,” he said. “But I don’t see how we avoid it without a significant infusion of resources into our missile defense system.”
Rogers noted that President George W. Bush paved the way for missile defenses by abandoning the 1974 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty with Moscow. The pact limited strategic defenses of both the United States and the then-Soviet Union.
Quoting a former defense secretary, Rogers said the problem with treaties with Russia is that “we build, they build. We stop, they build.”
“It’s one of those historical ironies that the Russians, who scream the loudest about our missile defenses, like to ignore, and like us to ignore, that they keep on building them,” he said, noting Moscow’s expansion and modernization of its missile defenses that included nuclear-armed interceptors around Moscow.
China also opposes U.S. missile defenses but recently conducted a test of its missile defense system, he said.
U.S.S. RONALD REAGAN CONDUCTS CHANGE-OF-COMMAND CEREMONY - U.S.A. CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER E. BOLT REPLACING U.S.A. CAPTAIN THOMAS W. BURKE
Posted on 19:54 by Unknown
U.S.S. RONALD REAGAN CONDUCTS CHANGE-OF-COMMAND CEREMONY - U.S.A. CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER E. BOLT REPLACING U.S.A. CAPTAIN THOMAS W. BURKE
By eCoronado.com, August 13, 2013
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PHOTO:
http://api.ning.com/files/TRVQsruyIfMXSr8G6dBdkcVOS9*-e4zrxyT5FTycHYfnXf3RvuCo5VRXd1TCC6201n9uU-rReBbQSTStbLyu7JDXqmns-LlO/130813NHT107082.jpg?width=750
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SAN DIEGO (August 13, 2013) Official party members salute during the change of command ceremony for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Capt. Christopher Bolt relieved Capt. Thom Burke as the ship’s commanding officer. Ronald Reagan is currently moored and homeported at Naval Base Coronado. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Terry Godette/Released)
USS Ronald Reagan Conducts Change of Command
By MC3 Terry Godette, USS RONALD REAGAN Public Affairs
San Diego – Capt. Christopher E. Bolt relieved Capt. Thom W. Burke as commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) during a change of command ceremony Aug. 13.
Burke assumed command of Reagan in July 2010. While on deployment in 2011, he successfully led the ship and her crew as they performed humanitarian relief efforts following a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan.
During Reagan’s Docked Planned Incremental Availability in 2012, Burke led the ship through more than 600,000 man-days of work by Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility employees, ship's force Sailors and contractors.
Burke will be reporting to Commander, Naval Air Forces to await further assignment.
“What this ship and crew have been able to achieve over the last three years has been amazing. I am humbled and blessed to have been a part of this team, and it’s been, hands down, the defining tour of my naval career,” Burke said. “There are more challenges ahead for this ship, but I know of no more qualified officer than Chris Bolt to take the helm. He takes over a proud ship with a great reputation, and the future is bright.”
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PHOTO:
http://api.ning.com/files/TRVQsruyIfMvMxC4f1pFG3QBG0ZwjUZhe1hHZbmDGd6pWWkitmEQhz0wmshz6bF5ZzO3qI9q3OCUpu2jgqMDnhkuV6nNKY4Y/130813NHT107118.jpg?width=750
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SAN DIEGO (August 13, 2013) Rear Adm. Patrick Hall, commander of Carrier Strike Group Nine, presents Capt. Thom Burke with the Legion of Merit award during the change of command ceremony for the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Burke was relieved by Capt. Christopher Bolt as the ship’s commanding officer. Ronald Reagan is currently moored and homeported at Naval Base Coronado. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Terry Godette/Released)
The Commander of Carrier Strike Group 9, Rear Adm. Patrick Hall, served as the guest speaker for the ceremony. Hall spoke about Burke’s strong leadership and impact upon the crew.
“If you ask Capt. Burke why the USS Ronald Reagan has been so successful, he would immediately tell you that it is because of its Sailors. While that statement is true, it does not capture the contribution that Thom made to that effort. His strong and decisive leadership gave vision and direction to his Sailor's actions, and there should be no underestimation of that
impact,” said Hall. “Thom is a phenomenal ship's captain, aviator, and shipmate, and I have no doubt that success will follow him in his ensuing tours. Chris, you have an outstanding reputation as an aviator and ship's captain yourself, and Ronald Reagan is lucky to have you taking over the watch. I know you will do both her and her crew proud."
Under Burke’s command, Reagan earned the 2011 Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations Afloat Safety awards, which were both major firsts for the ship. He also led the crew to the best Maintenance and Material Management inspection for a nuclear powered aircraft carrier in five years.
Bolt assumes command of Reagan after serving as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration/ Department of Defense Chief Information Officer since May 2011.
"I am honored to be taking over the helm of USS Ronald Reagan. The ship and her crew have had considerable success under Capt. Burke's command; I hope to continue that tradition and keep improving the team that he has already created,” Bolt said. “It will be difficult to live up to our reputation as ‘America’s Flagship’. This phrase means we have to be the best – and that can only be achieved through dedication and a steady strain of deliberate training. In today’s Navy, with the wide array of possible missions, we have to work harder and smarter.
“Every ship in the Navy, but especially the aircraft carrier, has two strategic responsibilities: 1) maintain this national asset so that it remains fully combat ready for the full 50-year lifespan, and 2) develop this crew as the future generation of the U.S. Navy. The most junior Sailors within our crew today are tomorrow’s leadership. We have to train them to be the senior officers and Chief Petty Officers of the future. At a more tactical level, my goal is for this crew to be the best in operating the complex systems of this great warship. We must be perfect in the basics, the blocking and tackling, of operations, and with reduced steaming time, we will need to work even harder to develop those very perishable skills.”
Ronald Reagan was commissioned in July 2003, making it the ninth nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. The ship is named for the 40th U.S. president, and its motto, “Peace through Strength” was a recurring theme during the Reagan presidency.
For more news from USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and the Ronald Reagan Strike Group, visit the ship’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ussronaldreagan.
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Captain Thom W. Burke
CAPT Burke was born in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1961. He received a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1984, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard University in 1996.
Commissioned through Aviation Officer Candidate School in 1985, he began his fleet career as a pilot flying SH-3H Sea Kings in Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron FOUR (HS-4) aboard USS CARL VINSON. HS-4 completed two deployments to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans during his tour, which was highlighted by his participation in two open ocean rescues. In 1993 CAPT Burke transitioned to the SH-60F and HH-60H model aircraft while assigned to HS-6 aboard USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN. HS-6 completed two deployments including operations in Somalia and the Arabian Gulf. In 1997 he was assigned to HS-8 aboard USS NIMITZ in Carrier Air Wing NINE as Operations Officer and Squadron Weapons and Tactics Instructor. During their Arabian Gulf deployment, HS-8 provided helicopter support to Joint Special Operations Forces in theater as part of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. In September 2002 CAPT Burke reported to HS-8 as Executive Officer and assumed command on June 15th 2003. During this tour HS-8 completed an eight month deployment to the Western Pacific in support of the Global War on Terrorism.
Shore tours include assignment as an intern at the Joint Staff serving in the Persian Gulf Branch of J-5 during Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM, and Aide to Commander Naval Base San Francisco and Commander Logistics Group ONE. Additionally, he served on the Joint Staff as the J-5 desk officer for Central Asia and Afghanistan prior to and during Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.
He completed Nuclear Power training in June 2006 and then served as the first Executive Officer of USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH from August 2006 to April 2008. In July 2008, he took command of USS BLUE RIDGE moored in Yokosuka, Japan, and served as CO until Nov 2009, earning the Battle “E” during his tour.
CAPT Burke’s personal awards include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Commendation Medals, Navy Commendation Medals, Joint Achievement Medal, and Navy Achievement Medals. Additionally, he was selected as the Naval Helicopter Association “Aircrew of the Year” in 1994 for an open ocean rescue of a Canadian teenager 500 miles off the coast of Oregon.
Captain Christopher E. Bolt
A native of Springfield, Virginia, Captain Bolt graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1987 earning a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. His initial flight training in Pensacola, Florida, included carrier qualification aboard USS LEXINGTON, CV-16, in 1988.
As an aircraft commander and instructor pilot in the E-2C Hawkeye and C-2A Greyhound, CAPT Bolt has flown with multiple VAW and VRC squadrons on both coasts and Japan and completed 9 deployments. He has accumulated more than 5500 flight hours in multiple aircraft types including the E-2, C-2, and F-14. He has successfully piloted more than 600 arrested landings on a combined total of fourteen aircraft carriers. He participated in Operations DESERT SHIELD and DESERT STORM aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt and was also forward deployed to Manama, Bahrain.
In addition to being a fleet E-2C pilot, Captain Bolt was a Landing Signals Officer (CAG LSO) where he regularly flew the F-14A on deployment. He later became the Officer in Charge of the U.S. Navy’s Landing Signals Officer School at NAS Oceana, Virginia. He earned a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island and graduated with distinction in June 2002. After graduation, he reported to VAW-120 in Norfolk as the Executive Officer.
Captain Bolt served as the XO and then commanded the Liberty Bells of VAW-115 flying from the deck of USS Kitty Hawk, home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan, from October 2003 to April 2006. While in command, CAPT Bolt was selected for the Navy’s Nuclear Propulsion Training pipeline in Charleston, S.C. He completed Naval Nuclear Officer training at the Office of Naval Reactors in Washington, D.C. in September 2007. CAPT Bolt served as Executive Officer, USS Nimitz CVN-68, from December 2007 to November 2009.
Captain Bolt commanded USS Dubuque, LPD-8, from February 2010 to April 2011 where he deployed to the 5th Fleet AOR. As part of CTF-151, his crew and embarked Marines captured nine Somali pirates aboard the Motor Vessel Magellan Star whereby freeing the international crew of eleven sailors.
He served as the Senior Military Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Networks and Information Integration (ASD NII)/DoD Chief Information Officer from May 2011 to March 2013.
Captain Bolt’s personal awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medals, Strike Flight Air Medals, Navy Commendation Medals (one with combat “V”), and Navy Achievement Medal.
TIM DONNELLY FOR GOVERNOR - CALIFORNIA 2014: FIGHTING TO SAVE CALIFORNIA * YES, THERE IS HOPE!
Posted on 19:47 by Unknown
TIM DONNELLY FOR GOVERNOR - CALIFORNIA 2014: FIGHTING TO SAVE CALIFORNIA * YES, THERE IS HOPE!
“I believe the Constitution was meant to serve as a set of handcuffs for the government. We ought to throw the government up against a wall and cuff ‘em. That’s what they need.” California Assemblyman and Gubernatorial Candidate Tim Donnelly
This month California Assemblyman and candidate for the office of Governor of California, Tim Donnelly, spoke to the Tri-City Tea Party in Vista, CA. Donnelly fired up the group with his hopeful, heartfelt, honest and insightful message. He spoke of overzealous, out of control Child Protective Services (CPS) workers that raided a family’s home for simply seeking a second medical opinion for their baby. Contrast that with the travesty of the death of young Gabriel Fernandez who CPS had documentation was abused and yet didn’t intercede before little Gabriel was killed at the hand of his abuser. Donnelly is keying in on and doing something about fixing the problems in California that resonate with its citizens.
Assemblyman Donnelly spoke of the problem of putting up insincere candidates that don’t address what matters to citizens: “Too often, the party that’s supposed to represent our values and our principles puts up candidates that don’t.”
Tim’s words reminded me of hearing Pat Caddell speak of consultants that run campaigns primarily for the purpose of making money, not for the goal of winning and not for, as Tim points out, standing on principle. On this issue Assemblyman Donnelly said, “I believe that we can win this and I don’t believe that we ought to go out with any other intention than to win the election, but the WAY that we win it matters. And when we involve a huge number of people, when we do a grassroots campaign, when we stand up and organize on issues and principles, then all of a sudden everybody knows what you’re going to do when you’re in office. You communicate that to them. You telegraph that to them. You make them promises, but you have to follow through.”
“I believe the Constitution was meant to serve as a set of handcuffs for the government. We ought to throw the government up against a wall and cuff ‘em. That’s what they need.” California Assemblyman and Gubernatorial Candidate Tim Donnelly
This month California Assemblyman and candidate for the office of Governor of California, Tim Donnelly, spoke to the Tri-City Tea Party in Vista, CA. Donnelly fired up the group with his hopeful, heartfelt, honest and insightful message. He spoke of overzealous, out of control Child Protective Services (CPS) workers that raided a family’s home for simply seeking a second medical opinion for their baby. Contrast that with the travesty of the death of young Gabriel Fernandez who CPS had documentation was abused and yet didn’t intercede before little Gabriel was killed at the hand of his abuser. Donnelly is keying in on and doing something about fixing the problems in California that resonate with its citizens.
Assemblyman Donnelly spoke of the problem of putting up insincere candidates that don’t address what matters to citizens: “Too often, the party that’s supposed to represent our values and our principles puts up candidates that don’t.”
Tim’s words reminded me of hearing Pat Caddell speak of consultants that run campaigns primarily for the purpose of making money, not for the goal of winning and not for, as Tim points out, standing on principle. On this issue Assemblyman Donnelly said, “I believe that we can win this and I don’t believe that we ought to go out with any other intention than to win the election, but the WAY that we win it matters. And when we involve a huge number of people, when we do a grassroots campaign, when we stand up and organize on issues and principles, then all of a sudden everybody knows what you’re going to do when you’re in office. You communicate that to them. You telegraph that to them. You make them promises, but you have to follow through.”
MOODY'S DOWNGRADES DEBT RATINGS FOR 7 ILLINOIS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
Posted on 18:47 by Unknown
MOODY'S DOWNGRADES DEBT RATINGS FOR 7 ILLINOIS PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES
BY SANDRA GUY, Technology/Higher Education Reporter, Aug 13, 2013
Bond-rating agency Moody’s has downgraded debt ratings for seven of Illinois’ eight public universities. And Moody’s said the state’s fiscal and pension woes may cause further declines in the next 12 to 24 months.
The universities rely heavily on funding from Illinois, which in June slid to Moody’s lowest bond rating in the nation and the lowest in Illinois’ history because of its underfunded pensions and record of slow payments of appropriated funds, Moody’s spokesman David Jacobson said Tuesday.
The universities involved in the downgrade, which Moody’s issued on Friday, are the University of Illinois; Eastern Illinois University; Governors State University; Illinois State University; Northeastern Illinois University; Southern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. Moody’s issued no change in Northern Illinois’ A3 rating.
None of the universities’ ratings is in junk-bond territory, so for now, the impact is limited and none is at risk of default. Indeed, the University of Illinois’ Aa3 rating is three notches higher than the state’s rating, and it boasts strong student demand and a growing balance sheet, Jacobson said.
But Jacobson said the state’s lack of a pension fix and continued slow payments keep the ratings under pressure because the state itself may suffer another downgrade.
The universities’ ratings, their Moody’s-rated debt totals, and their dependence on state funds are as follows:
◆ University of Illinois: Downgrade to Aa3 from Aa2; $1.56 billion of debt; more than 30 percent of fiscal year 2012 operating revenues came from the state.
◆ Eastern Illinois: Downgraded to Baa1 from A3; $121 million of debt; 41 percent of fiscal year 2012 operating revenues came from the state.
◆ Governors State: Downgraded to Baa1 from A3; $23 million in debt; 46 percent of fiscal year 2012 operating revenues came from the state.
◆ Illinois State: Downgraded to A3 from A2; $132 million of debt; 38 percent of operating revenues from the state.
◆ Northeastern Illinois: Downgraded to Baa1 from A3; $63 million of debt; 46 percent from the state.
◆ Southern Illinois: Downgraded to A3 from A2; $318 million of debt; 40.8 percent from the state.
◆ Western Illinois: Downgraded to Baa1 from A2; $27 million of debt; 41 percent from the state.
University representatives said Tuesday they are disappointed but remain hopeful the state will resolve its fiscal woes.
“The immediate impact from the downgrade on our finances is limited because the majority of the institution’s debt is a fixed-interest rate that will not be affected,” the University of Illinois said in a statement. “The impact of the change will be measured when the U of I sells bonds in the future, such as for the hospital and Assembly Hall, depending on market conditions at the time of each sale.”
Email: sguy@suntimes.com
Twitter: @sandraguy
BY SANDRA GUY, Technology/Higher Education Reporter, Aug 13, 2013
Bond-rating agency Moody’s has downgraded debt ratings for seven of Illinois’ eight public universities. And Moody’s said the state’s fiscal and pension woes may cause further declines in the next 12 to 24 months.
The universities rely heavily on funding from Illinois, which in June slid to Moody’s lowest bond rating in the nation and the lowest in Illinois’ history because of its underfunded pensions and record of slow payments of appropriated funds, Moody’s spokesman David Jacobson said Tuesday.
The universities involved in the downgrade, which Moody’s issued on Friday, are the University of Illinois; Eastern Illinois University; Governors State University; Illinois State University; Northeastern Illinois University; Southern Illinois University, and Western Illinois University. Moody’s issued no change in Northern Illinois’ A3 rating.
None of the universities’ ratings is in junk-bond territory, so for now, the impact is limited and none is at risk of default. Indeed, the University of Illinois’ Aa3 rating is three notches higher than the state’s rating, and it boasts strong student demand and a growing balance sheet, Jacobson said.
But Jacobson said the state’s lack of a pension fix and continued slow payments keep the ratings under pressure because the state itself may suffer another downgrade.
The universities’ ratings, their Moody’s-rated debt totals, and their dependence on state funds are as follows:
◆ University of Illinois: Downgrade to Aa3 from Aa2; $1.56 billion of debt; more than 30 percent of fiscal year 2012 operating revenues came from the state.
◆ Eastern Illinois: Downgraded to Baa1 from A3; $121 million of debt; 41 percent of fiscal year 2012 operating revenues came from the state.
◆ Governors State: Downgraded to Baa1 from A3; $23 million in debt; 46 percent of fiscal year 2012 operating revenues came from the state.
◆ Illinois State: Downgraded to A3 from A2; $132 million of debt; 38 percent of operating revenues from the state.
◆ Northeastern Illinois: Downgraded to Baa1 from A3; $63 million of debt; 46 percent from the state.
◆ Southern Illinois: Downgraded to A3 from A2; $318 million of debt; 40.8 percent from the state.
◆ Western Illinois: Downgraded to Baa1 from A2; $27 million of debt; 41 percent from the state.
University representatives said Tuesday they are disappointed but remain hopeful the state will resolve its fiscal woes.
“The immediate impact from the downgrade on our finances is limited because the majority of the institution’s debt is a fixed-interest rate that will not be affected,” the University of Illinois said in a statement. “The impact of the change will be measured when the U of I sells bonds in the future, such as for the hospital and Assembly Hall, depending on market conditions at the time of each sale.”
Email: sguy@suntimes.com
Twitter: @sandraguy
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