Monday, December 08, 2008

National Security Archive Update, December 8, 2008

Reagan, Gorbachev and Bush at Governor's Island

Previously Secret Documents from Soviet and U.S. Files On the 1988 Summit in New York, 20 Years Later

Edited by Dr. Svetlana Savranskaya and Thomas Blanton

Washington, DC, December 8, 2008 - Previously secret Soviet documentation shows that Mikhail Gorbachev was prepared for rapid arms control progress leading towards nuclear abolition at the time of his last official meeting with President Reagan, at Governor's Island, New York in December 1988; but President-elect George H. W. Bush, who also attended the meeting, said "he would need a little time to review the issues" and lost at least a year of dramatic arms reductions that were possible had there been a more forthcoming U.S. position.

The new documentation posted today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University (www.nsarchive.org) includes highest-level memos from Gorbachev advisors leading up to Gorbachev's famous speech at the United Nations during the New York visit, notes of Politburo discussions before and after the speech and the Reagan-Bush meeting, CIA estimates before and after the speech showing how surprised American officials had been and how reluctant the new Bush administration was to meet Gorbachev even half-way, and the declassified U.S. transcript of the private meeting between Reagan, Bush and Gorbachev on December 7.

Visit the Web site of the National Security Archive for more information.

http://www.nsarchive.org

Retailer Brings Holiday Cheer to Fisher Houses

By Sharon Foster
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 8, 2008 - More than 50 local Wal-Mart associates donated their time and tinsel Dec. 4 to bring holiday cheer to servicemembers recovering from wounds at Fisher Houses at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center here and Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Wal-Mart associates "decked the halls" for the two Fisher Houses and also presented a check for $280,000 at the Walter Reed location.

"Decorating the Fisher Houses was important for a number of reasons," said E.R. Anderson, Wal-Mart regional media director. "First, Wal-Mart is committed to giving back to the communities where we operate. Second, we want to say 'thank you' to our servicemen and women for all they do for us. We also want to appreciate their families."

Nationally, Wal-Mart Stores is donating $250,000 to the Fisher House Foundation -- $100,000 to support the purchase of gifts cards for unmet needs of families spending the holidays in a Fisher House, $95,000 in direct support to the houses, and $55,000 for fees associated with
Hero Miles tickets to unite families during the holidays.

In the Washington area, Wal-Mart Foundation's State Giving Program is donating an additional $30,000 to area Fisher Houses.

Fisher Houses are built on the grounds of major military and Veterans Affairs medical centers. They provide free lodging for military families to be close to loved ones during hospitalization.

James D. Weiskopf, executive vice president of communications at the Fisher House Foundation, said he is proud of the partnership with the world's largest retailer.

"Community involvement and support is essential to the program," Weiskopf said. "Supporting America's servicemen and women, and most especially those wounded or injured, is a duty for all Americans. Wal-Mart is a very patriotic, community-spirited corporation, and we are proud of our association."

Obama Taps Shinseki as Next Veterans Affairs Chief

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

, Dec. 8, 2008 - President-elect Barack Obama has selected retired
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki as his nominee to be secretary of veterans affairs. "As we seek a new national security strategy that uses all elements of American power, we must also remember those who run the greatest risks and make the greatest sacrifices to implement that strategy – the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America," the president-elect said in announcing his choice yesterday.

Obama echoed the words of Abraham Lincoln when he said the nation has a sacred trust to serve those who have borne the cost of battle.

"We must show them and their families the same devotion that they have shown this country," he said.

If confirmed by the Senate, Shinseki will succeed retired
Army Lt. Gen. (Dr.) James B. Peake in leading the second-largest federal department, with 240,000 employees. Some 23.4 million veterans are alive today, and the department is their point of contact for compensation and pensions, medical care, education and training, home loans and other benefits. Last year, the VA had a budget of $93.4 billion.

The government must do everything it can to help those veterans who suffer "from the signature injuries of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury," Obama said in
Chicago.

Obama also promised to help those who leave the service to find work.

The United States needs to modernize the VA, cut red tape there and eliminate shortfalls, the president-elect said.

"That is the kind of VA that will serve our veterans as well as they have served us," he said. "And there is no one more distinguished, more determined, or more qualified to build this VA than the
leader I am announcing as our next secretary of veterans affairs -- General Eric Shinseki.

"No one will ever doubt that this former
Army chief of staff has the courage to stand up for our troops and our veterans," he continued. "No one will ever question whether he will fight hard enough to make sure they have the support they need."

Shinseki retired as chief of staff in 2003 after a four-year term. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., and served two combat tours in Vietnam as a young officer. He lost part of his foot in Vietnam, was awarded three Bronze Star awards and two Purple Hearts.

Shinseki said today's veterans "are a part of an unbroken line of heroes that stretches back to the American Revolution." Still, there are veterans worried about keeping their health care or homes, he said.

"Veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, in particular, are confronting serious, severe wounds - some seen, some unseen – making it difficult for them to get on with their lives in this struggling economy," he said. "They deserve a smooth, error-free, no-fail, benefits-assured transition into our ranks as veterans, and that is our responsibility, not theirs.

"A word to my fellow veterans: If confirmed, I will work each and every day to ensure that we are serving you as well as you have served us," Shinseki continued. "We will pursue a 21st-century VA that serves your needs. We will open ... new doors of opportunity so you can find a good job, support your families when you return to civilian life. And ... we will always honor the sacrifices of those who have worn the uniform, and their loved ones."

Severely Wounded Soldiers Have Support for 'As Long as it Takes'

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

Dec. 8, 2008 - The
Army's Wounded Warrior Program will support those it was created to serve for as long as it is needed and for the rest of their lives, the sergeant major of the program told listeners of a blog talk radio show Dec. 4. Army Sgt. Maj. Brent Jurgersen reflected on the importance of the Defense Department's designation of November as Warrior Care Month, which he said allowed the program to inform soldiers and their families about programs and services available to wounded warriors.

The program uses the motto "As long as it takes" to show its support of wounded soldiers from the date of the injury for the rest of their lives, he told "Dot Mil Docs" listeners.

"Even when a soldier or family may be out there after several years and they say, 'We got it. We don't need your services any more. We are doing good," ... we are still there with that soldier and family," Jurgersen said. "So, if they ever need any assistance at any point, they know that they can reach out to us and that we will help them."

Jurgersen added that the motto is especially reassuring to seriously wounded soldiers because 75 percent of them are medically retired. "The real transition" begins at the time of their retirement, he said.

"For the first time, their military support structure is gone, and they are another veteran," he said. "To me, as a wounded warrior myself, it's about their 'new normal.' It's about getting their life back together. It's not about being in the hospital, ... but it's about establishing their life and strengthening their lives ... and ensuring they have received their full benefits."

Jurgersen said he identifies with other wounded warriors because he is one of them. He said his fellow soldiers call him "The Rock" because he survived severe combat injuries in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 that included a gunshot wound to the face, a traumatic brain injury, amputation of his left leg, severe damage to his right knee and a compound fracture to his right hand.

"I try to present the image and try to lead with the fact that their first sergeant was always there for them -- that regardless of what happened, he was going to be there to back them up and pick them up and personally bring them home," he said.

In an effort to aid more wounded, ill and injured soldiers, Jurgersen added, program
leaders announced in October expanded criteria to better serve the needs of soldiers and their families.

"Originally, support was to the most severely wounded soldiers from the global war on terrorism who have or are expected to receive an
Army disability rating of 30 percent or greater in one or more specific categories," Jurgersen said. "Under the expanded criteria, the Army Wounded Warrior Program supports soldiers who have received a combined disability rating of 50 percent or greater for conditions that are the result of combat or are combat-related."

For other combat-related conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, Jurgersen said, he believes the
Army has done a lot to treat soldiers, but must continue to press forward to make changes.

"For the first time this year, the number of soldiers with severe PTSD exceeded the number of amputations, making that population of soldiers the largest group" in the program, Jurgersen said. "[What] we take out of this [is] that PTSD is real, and we have all seen the effects of this in our soldiers and the effects it can have on [them] and their families. I am really excited about the way ahead as far as what we are doing and what our country and our military is doing to address PTSD."

Jurgersen encouraged people to continue to support not only those soldiers who are severely injured, but also all soldiers who continue to serve around the world, as well as their families.

(
Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg serves in the New Media directorate of the Defense Media Activity.)

Military Books

Military-Writers.com is pleased to announce the addition of these servicemembers to the website:

Colonel Thomas X. Hammes, USMC (ret.)
Colonel Linda R. Herbert, USA
Colonel John T. Carney, Jr., USAF (ret.)
Colonel William H. Wheeler, USAF (ret.)
Colonel H. Avery Chenoweth, USMC (ret.)
Colonel Peter W. Cuthbert, USA (ret.)
Captain Carl. W. Swickley, USCG (ret.)
Commander Tex Atkinson, USN (ret.)
Lieutenant Colonel William F. Haenn, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant Colonel Wayne “Randy” Cribbs, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant Colonel Peter S. Kindsvatter, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Bender, USA (ret.)
Major Hilery H. Battle, USA (ret.)
Lieutenant Commander Robert V. Ricard, USCG (ret.)
Lieutenant Commander James A. Vernon, USN (ret.)
Lieutenant Commander Joseph T. Stanik, USN (ret.)

MORE INFORMATION
Military Books

Known Unknowns: Unconventional "Strategic Shocks" in Defense Strategy Development

The author provides the defense policy team a clear warning against excessive adherence to past defense and national security convention. Including the insights of a number of noted scholars on the subjects of “wild cards” and “strategic surprise,” he argues that future disruptive, unconventional shocks are inevitable. Through strategic impact and potential for disruption and violence, such shocks, in spite of their nonmilitary character, will demand the focused attention of defense leadership, as well as the decisive employment of defense capabilities in response. As a consequence, the author makes a solid case for continued commitment by the Department of Defense to prudent strategic hedging against their potential occurrence.

READ ON
http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=890

Retiring General Hands Over Army's Training Command

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 8, 2008 -
Army Gen. William S. Wallace today relinquished the colors of the U.S. Army command responsible for developing soldiers' skills and doctrine. In a ceremony at the U.S. Army Training and doctrine Command headquarters at Fort Monroe, Va., Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised Wallace's leadership, saying TRADOC became the Army's institutional and intellectual epicenter during the general's three-year tenure as commander.

"Spurred by the demands of fighting brutal and adaptive insurgencies in two theaters, the Army has seen a dramatic and historic shift in the way it is organized, equipped, and, above all, trained," Gates said.

TRADOC is responsible for the Army's architecture and
doctrine -- from recruiting and training soldiers to establishing the branch's standards and building a future Army. The command conducts more than 3,000 courses at 32 schools on 16 Army installations.

In addition to the command change, today's ceremony doubled as a farewell for Wallace, who is leaving the Army after a 37-year career that included a post commanding U.S. ground forces during the March 2003 invasion of Iraq.

As commander of 5th Corps in the opening phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Wallace saw firsthand the modern operational environment, Gates said, describing it as "a toxic admixture of the conventional and irregular, the high-tech and the low, the Internet and the IED," or improvised explosive device.

"During General Wallace's tenure, the best brains inside and outside the
Army were brought together to publish new doctrine on counterinsurgency and stability operations – bolstered by a substantial increase in the amount of instruction devoted to irregular and asymmetric conflict in the Army's staff colleges," Gates said.

In an interview with TRADOC News Service, Wallace said the changes to Army field manuals that occurred under his command represented "a doctrinal rebirth."

"We think that it's a recognition that the operational environment has changed, and therefore we've got to reflect the changes in the operational environment and how we intellectualize how we do our business within the
Army," he said.

During Wallace's time as TRADOC chief, the Army met its annual recruiting goals, basic training was retooled to better teach survival skills, and national training centers became more grueling and realistic, the secretary said.

"Because of [Wallace's] efforts," Gates said, "new soldiers arrive at their units today far more ready to deploy and fight than in years past."

Taking over the reins of TRADOC is
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, who received his fourth star today. Most recently, Dempsey was acting commander of U.S. Central Command following the departure of Navy Adm. William "Fox" Fallon.

Gates expressed confidence in TRADOC's incoming leader.

"General Marty Dempsey – with his experience commanding U.S. troops in Baghdad, overseeing the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces, and his
leadership of Centcom – is uniquely suited to take the helm of this organization at this critical time," he said.

Face of Defense: Wounded Airman Lives for Son, Hopes to Stay on Active Duty

By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 8, 2008 -
Air Force Tech. Sgt. Israel Del Toro has made remarkable strides in his recovery in the three years and 102 surgeries since he and his team were ambushed by the Taliban in the mountains near Qalat, Afghanistan. His fight to survive started on that mountain, where he refused to leave his 3-year-old son fatherless. He'd lost his father early in life and vowed his son wouldn't know what that was like.

The fight intensified when he woke up in the intensive care unit at Brooke
Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

"They told me I was going to be in the hospital for another year, that I may or may not walk again, [and] that I was going to be stuck on a respirator for the rest of my life," Del Toro said. "I sat there for a few seconds and came back with, 'You can kiss my ass,'" he said.

Del Toro was part of Tactical Air Command and Control, Detachment 1, 4th Air Support Operation Squadron, when he was deployed in December 2005 to Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan, in support of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He was part of a scout team sent to investigate intelligence that the Taliban, including a high-value target, was using a supply route in the mountains near the southeastern city of Qalat.

A couple of days into the mission, an interpreter picked up chatter indicating that the Taliban were observing the unit's every move.

"The Taliban were talking about ... that they could see us when we leave out of the compound, that they see us when we come back in," Del Toro said. "They saw us if we left with the motorcycles, if we were leaving with the trucks."

Del Toro's lieutenant decided to take half a scout team and try to catch the Taliban at their own game. Five members of the 10-man team would head up the mountain after dark and try to catch the Taliban members as they returned the following morning. The rest, including Del Toro and the lieutenant, would provide overwatch from another vantage point.

When a couple of days passed with no action, the lieutenant decided his team would head into the town at the foot of the mountain. There wasn't much in the town, but a suspicious man going up the mountain drew their attention and the five-man team began to follow.

Del Toro told his lieutenant that he could take the shot, but the officer wanted to capture the suspect.

"I told him, 'Sir, these guys are like goats here in Afghanistan. They can be in flip-flops. They can be barefoot. [But] they run up these mountains like gods.'"

The lieutenant still wanted to capture the man, however, but as Del Toro had predicted, the man escaped, leaving the team to traverse the one road that led up and down the mountain.


Del Toro's group was on its way to pick the rest of their team on top of the mountain when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb just after passing a creek.

"They always say your life flashes in front of you. I never believed it, but it's kind of true," he said. "I just thought of my family, my son; what we were supposed to do. We were living in Italy at the time. We were going to Greece. I was going to teach my boy how to play ball."

When Del Toro got out of the vehicle, he was on fire from head to toe.

"I knew that creek was behind me," he said. "But the flames overtook me, and I collapsed. I did think I was going to die there."

His comrades weren't about to let that happen, though. The lieutenant helped him up, and they both jumped in the creek.

Both the primary and secondary radios had been destroyed in the blast, making it impossible to call in air support for the team on top of the mountain that was caught in crossfire.

An
Army private with a radio became Del Toro's mouthpiece.

"He's repeating everything I'm telling him," said Del Toro, who, as a joint terminal attack controller, normally would have made the call. "He eventually gets a hold of Lagman, and they say, 'Hey, tell Gunslinger [Del Toro's call sign] he has A-10s and British airs coming in."

That was the last action Del Toro took that day. After the trauma of the blast, the third-degree burns covering 80 percent of his body, and the frigid dip in the creek, his body began to shut down. His brothers in arms knew how to keep him going, though.

"They knew that I had lost my dad when I was young, and how I said I would never let that happen to my son," he said. "They used that to keep me [awake]."

Del Toro remembers being loaded onto the helicopter that arrived after about 20 minutes. He remembers getting to the field hospital, where the doctor cut off his watch and told him he'd be OK. And that's all he remembers about that day.

That was December 2005. He woke up in March 2006. Losing four months of his life was surreal, he said.

"Sometimes I'll try and concentrate and see if I can remember anything," he said. "But I'm not even sure if they're memories, or hallucinations or dreams."

Del Toro did not get much time to dwell on his lost time. He had bigger demons to slay in recovering.

First, there was the news that he may not walk again and that he'd be on a respirator the rest of his life. In an act of defiance, Del Toro left the ICU at the end of April. A month later, he walked out of the hospital, breathing on his own.

Despite all he'd gone through, Del Toro said, he never once wished that he'd died. Still, his biggest personal fear later made that thought race through his mind in what he described as a "real dark hour."

"When you're as badly burned as I was, they ease you into seeing your face," he said. "There was one day where my wife and my therapist - he was my guardian angel – were helping me to the bathroom.

"I don't know if it was my wife or my therapist ... [who] slipped and fell and pulled the towel off the mirror, [but] I saw my face in there and I broke down," he said. "I just wished I died at that point."

It had nothing to do with being vain, and everything to do with his son and how he would react to his father's appearance, he said.

"I was like, 'My God, if I think I'm a monster, what's my 3-year-old son going to think?'" he said.

Just as his therapist had assured him, however, Israel Del Toro Jr., after a brief hesitation, gave his dad a big hug when he heard his voice.

Del Toro, who hopes to remain on active duty, has had several speaking engagements since becoming an outpatient.

"I'm still an NCO in the
Air Force. I've still got a job to do," he said. "Just because I got hurt, if I use that as an excuse not to go my job, I think that's a copout."

Del Toro has accepted that when he's finished with his recovery - he estimates he's got another 10 to 15 surgeries remaining - he won't be able to return to the field as an operator. Instead, he said, he would like to become an instructor.

It's the attitude one would expect from someone who, until questioned about their whereabouts, didn't know where his medals were. His Purple Heart and
Army Commendation Medal, which he received in a June 24, 2006, ceremony, along with the Bronze Star he received for actions in Iraq, were in a box in a closet.

"For me, my medals aren't a big thing," the 12-year
Air Force veteran said. "I went there to do my job. I saved some guys. I came back. I didn't expect to be rewarded for it."

Del Toro, a
Chicago native, and his wife, Carmen, live near Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

Procurement Initiative Secures DoD Computers, Saves Money

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Dec. 8, 2008 - The Pentagon is among dozens of departments and organizations that have improved security for their laptop computers and saved taxpayers more than $92 million by using a new procurement initiative, a senior Defense Department official said here. The Defense Department and the General Services Administration are among the many federal agencies that participated in the Data At Rest Tiger Team initiative that resulted in the purchase of about $112 million worth of information security products for interagency users at an actual cost of about $19 million, David Hollis, the team's program manager for the Pentagon, said.

The DARTT involved 20 defense agencies, 18 other federal or civil agencies, as well as state and local and NATO participation, Hollis said.

Data at rest refers to digital information stored on computers, personal digital assistants and thumb and flash drives.

"The DARTT has been very successful in improving the government's mobile data security posture while offering deep product and service discounts across the government," Hollis said.

Publicized accounts of lost government laptops and other computer devices in recent years prompted U.S. agencies to seek ways to better safeguard sensitive information, Hollis said.

The government requested proposals from private industry in December 2006. About six months later, the Defense Department's Enterprise Software Initiative purchase program, in partnership with the GSA's SmartBUY program, awarded 12 blanket purchase agreements for various computer-security-related products and services, he said.

For example, the use of encrypted software and other security products with mobile computer devices prevents sensitive information from being accessed by unauthorized users, Hollis said.

The initiative also helps the federal government meet an Office of Management and Budget directive that requires the encryption of all data on mobile computers and associated storage devices that carry sensitive information, Hollis said.

The U.S. government saved $93 million through the program because of its business-pricing and competitive-bidding processes, Hollis said. Pentagon participation in the initiative falls under the purview of Chief Information Officer John G. Grimes, the assistant secretary of defense for networks and information integration.

The DARTT program was among three finalists for "Government Information Security Program of the Year" honors for North America, sponsored by the Executive Alliance, a worldwide group that recognizes outstanding business and
leadership achievements, according to a recent DoD news release.

Robert Lentz, deputy assistant secretary of defense for information and identity assurance, reinforced DoD's need to encrypt its mobile information systems to protect against potential intrusions.

"
technology changes constantly," Lentz said. "We need to make sure we are keeping up with the advances in encryption product technology so as our adversaries improve their attack methods, we are equipped to defend" sensitive unclassified and personal information.

F-18 Crashes in California Neighborhood

American Forces Press Service

Dec. 8, 2008 - An F/A-18D Hornet jet based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., crashed today into a civilian neighborhood about two miles northwest of the airfield, Marine Corps officials announced. The aircraft, assigned to Vertical Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 101 from Marine Aircraft Group 11, went down at 11 a.m. PST, officials said.

Initial reports indicate the pilot ejected from the aircraft.

The incident is under investigation, officials said.

MILITARY CONTRACTS December 8, 2008

NAVY

Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $55,605,664 modification to a previously awarded fixed price incentive fee contract (N00019-07-C-0066) to incorporate Engineering Change Proposal #708R2. Tasking under this effort includes the production of kits, recurring engineering, and installations for nine Lot 5 MV-22 aircraft to be converted from a Block A to a Block B configuration. Work will be performed in Cherry Point, N.C., (65 percent); Amarillo, Texas, (20 percent); Philadelphia, Pa., (10 percent); Oklahoma City, Okla., (3 percent); and
Mesa, Ariz., (2 percent) and is expected to be completed in May 2009. Contract funds in the amount of $47,910,772 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Belonger/Blinderman Joint Venture LLC*, Chicago, Ill., is being awarded a $9,142,101 modification under a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N40083-08-C-0055) to exercise option 0002, which provides for various repairs in Building 3, RTC Great Lakes. The work to be performed under this option provides for design, construction, repair and renovation within Building three west wing basement, west wing gymnasium, third floor attic space, and central second floor. The work shall include mechanical HVAC, plumbing,
fire suppression, fire alarm, mass notification, electrical, telecommunication and furniture. Exercise of Option 0002 brings the total contract amount to $16,360,101. Work will be performed in Great Lakes, Ill., and is expected to be completed by Apr. 2010. Contract funds will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Midwest, Great Lakes, Ill., is the contracting activity.

Power Dynamics LLC,* Stennis Space Center, Miss., is being awarded a $5,666,580 modification under a previously awarded firm fixed price contract (N00025-04-C-0003) to exercise option 0005 which provides for the refurbishment of 10 Lighter, Amphibious, Re-Supply, Cargo (LARC) amphibious landing craft. The work to be performed provides for complete disassembly and removal of most LARC components followed by restoration to include installation of a hydraulic drive system. Contract N00025-04-C-0003 calls for Service Life Extension Program rebuild of LARCs to be ordered through FY 2009. The total contract amount after exercise of this option will be $23,270,388. Work will be performed at Stennis Space Center, Miss., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 2010. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Headquarters, Washington
Navy Yard, D.C., is the contracting activity.

ARMY

Alliant Techsystems, Inc, Independence, M.O., was awarded on Dec. 4, 2008 a $86,727,031 firm fixed price contract. This is a Foreign Military Sales Requirement. This award will result in a firm fixed price contract for $94,614,670 rounds of various nonstandard ammunition for the Afghanistan national
Army and Afghanistan National Police. Work will be performed in Independence, M.O., with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2009. Bids solicited were via the Web and fourteen bids were received. Army Research Sustainment Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52P1J-09-C-0007).

Sundt Construction, Tempe, Ariz., was awarded on May18, 2008, a $43,498,326 firm fixed price contract. This project is required by the
Army's Military Construction Transformation initiatives and will provide single solider housing similar to apartment-type housing in the private sector. Rooms shall include but not be limited to private sleeping areas, walk-in closets, shared bathroom and kitchenette. Work to be determined with each task order with an estimated completion date of May 18, 2010. Bids solicited were via the Phase 2-6 Offerors and bids were received via the Phase 2-6 Offerors. US Army Engineer District, Forth Worth, Texas, is the contracting activity (W9126G-09-D-0011).