DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable

Mr. Robert Hale, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, will discuss President Obama's DoD fiscal 2010 budget submission to the Congress. Mr. Hale will provide details of FY10 budget submission on the heels of Secretary of Defense Gates' testimony to the SASC (Thursday May 14) and HASC (Wednesday May 13).

Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden announced the Defense Department's plan to temporarily expand its Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP), with $555 million in Recovery Act funds dedicated to helping military families and DoD civilians who recently sold their homes at a loss.

Capt. Lineberry, mission commander for Continuing Promise 2009, will discuss the scope and accomplishments of CP 09 to date, and the strategic importance of U.S. Southern Command's humanitarian mission. He'll also discuss what makes this mission stand apart from previous deployments of its kind.

Lt. Gen. Charles E. Stenner Jr., Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C., and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., will discuss visit to Iraq and Afghanistan where he met with deployed Air Force Reservists. The USAF already recognizes the benefits of using all of its resources from the Reserve, Guard and Regular components and increasingly relies on Reservists to support operational missions throughout the world. Approximately 5,000 Reservists provide global support every day to the operational missions of the Air Force.

The Pentagon Channel's PO1 Liz Murray sits down to discuss military family issues with First Lady Michelle Obama in an exclusive one-on-one interview.

Through the Army Vocational/Technical (AVOTEC) Soldier Program, all active duty Soldiers, National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers on extended active duty, as well as Wounded Warriors, are eligible for up to $4,500 in "free money" to be applied to training in high demand technical and trade career fields. There is no obligation for additional service, you don't have to pay the money back and you can leave the Army before the program is finished. However, a Soldier must enroll prior to leaving active duty. The Army pays the tuition directly to the learning institution. No paying up front and waiting for reimbursement. Soldiers can select a program from the approved schools and programs found on the AVOTEC website.

Col. John P. Maietta, Director of Strategic Operations, Directorate of Interior Affairs, Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq. Col. Maietta, a career public affairs specialist -- both civilian and military -- will be providing a unique perspective on his year-long volunteer assignment to advise and assist the Interior Ministry's Public Relations Directorate. The directorate has, for the most part, a dedicated and technically competent staff. They also benefit from the generally positive perceptions of the police which the Iraqi public holds. However, their effectiveness is constrained by Iraq's ongoing budget crisis (which limits hiring, training, and the purchase of equipment and media space), as well as by a poor understanding of how to focus and coordinate message delivery throughout their half-million-member organization.

Chelle Brewer, 2008 Military Spouse of the Year, will be available to discuss her year in review; her perspective; and to offer advice to the 2009 winner. As a wife of an injured soldier, 2nd Lieut. Steven Brewer, and mother of a child with special needs, Brewer has triumphed over adversity, while continuing to find time to volunteer for the USO, American Red Cross, American Heart Association and March of Dimes.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Air Force Reservist Lt. Col. David Condit, the 302nd Airlift Wing Chief of Safety at Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., who manages the aerial firefighting program for the Air Force Reserve; and U.S. Air Force Reserve Capt. Bo Shelton, maintenance Officer, 302nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

Lt. Gen. George J. Trautman, III, the Deputy Commandant for Aviation, will discuss the three combat deployments of the MV-22s in Iraq and the way ahead for this revolutionary aircraft. If time permits he will also take questions on "Harvest Hawk." Harvest Hawk is a new program designed to add intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, as well as some weapons, to Marine Corps KC-130J aircraft bound for Afghanistan.

DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable with Gen. Karl-Heinz Lather, the Chief of Staff for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). This year, NATO celebrates its 60th anniversary. Gen. Lather, will discuss NATO's continued relevance in a world challenged by new and legacy security concerns.

Col. Peter Newell, Brigade Commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team 1AD, will discuss the role of the brigade completing the Advise and Assist Brigade (AAB) mission.

Col. Johnson, Art of Design Course Author and School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) Advanced Military Studies Program Seminar Leader at Fort Leavenworth, KS, will discuss an approach to critical and creative thinking that enables a commander to understand unique situations, to visualize and describe how to shape positive change across the operational environment.

Lt. Col. Jefferson, and three other Tuskegee Airmen will be accompanied by U.S. Air Force Maj. Andra Higgs, to Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait to visit with U.S. forces, joint and coalition forces to thank them for their service. One of the units that Lt. Col. Jefferson and the other airmen will be meeting with is the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base, Iraq. The 332nd Air Wing shares a piece of history with the Tuskegee Airmen; they fight under the same designator that the airmen used in World War II.

Col. Holdaway, AFCENT/AFFOR Director of Intelligence, will discuss "Getting inside the enemy's head through Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance." He will also discuss new information-gathering capabilities being use to monitor, track, and target the enemy. These capabilities are also used in reducing non-combatant casualties.