DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jon Talbot, Chief Aerial Reconnaissance Weather Officer, will speak from experience on what it’s like to perform a “hurricane hunting” mission.

Col. Battaglia, Commander of 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Long Knife Brigade, will provide an overview of the 4/1 mission in Iraq since deploying in mid-June 2008 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He will also provide an initial assessment of the 4/1 AOR (area of operations).

Capt. Wagner will discuss Dallas' arrival, Aug. 27 to the Georgian port of Batumi. Dallas offloaded 80 pallets with more than 76,000 pounds of humanitarian assistance supplies. The goods include hygiene items, food, milk and juices. Dallas is deployed to the U.S. 6th Fleet area of operations, and is part of the larger maritime force offering humanitarian assistance

Brig. Gen. Buchanan will discuss the professionalization and development of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and his initial impressions at the start of his third tour in Iraq, such as the growth in both the quantity and quality of the ISF. Additionally, Brig. Gen. Buchanan will discuss the MND-C's current overwatch areas, which include Southern Baghdad, Babil, Wassit, Karbala, Najaf, Muthana, Dhi Kar, and Maysan; as well as their additional overwatch area of Qaddasiyah, which will start in early October.

Lt. Col. Hall, who last provided an update on 27 June, will provide another update on the 2/7's mission in Afghanistan.

Mr. Ritchie will discuss how the CIEG has been working with our Army, Navy, and Air Force components, Joint Task Force in country as well as State and all of the agencies including five NGOs in delivering humanitarian aid to the Republic of Georgia during "Operation Assured Delivery". To date, the U.S. military has flown 51 missions to Tbilisi, totaling 864 Short Tons, or 1,728,000 pounds, of humanitarian aid supplies.

Col. Powell will discuss his experiences working with Iraqi counterparts on improving medical capacity and building capabilities (i.e, facilities, training, etc.) of the Iraqi security forces. In addition, some of the subjects will include health progress in Iraq, collaboration with Iraqi health assistance and advancements in health.

Mr. Ciccolella will discuss the Department of Labor's new Web site, which is aimed at employers seeking to hire traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) veterans called "America's Heroes at Work."

Brig. Gen. Holmes will also discuss the importance of understanding the nature of the asymmetric conflict we face inside the counterterrorism battlespace, the current situation along the Afg/PAK border, give an update on the status of operations in CENTCOM's area of responsibility, and take questions on all aspects of military operations within the CENTCOM area of operations.

The DoD released the 2008 National Defense Strategy (NDS), which outlines the national approach to the defense of this nation and its interests. The NDS is issued periodically and the last one was published in March 2005. It outlines how the Department supports the President’s National Security Strategy and informs the National Military Strategy and other subordinate strategy documents. The strategy builds on lessons learned and insights from previous operations and strategic reviews such as the 2006 QDR

Recently the Coast Guard signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Special Operations Command that will allow Coast Guard personnel to train and serve in the U.S. Navy, Naval Special Warfare community, specifically as U.S. Navy SEALS. This MOU will allow selected Coast Guard personnel to be assigned to training and duty as a Navy SEAL to supplement U.S. Naval Special Warfare Forces. In addition to providing capability to the Navy and the Special Operations Command, this program will provide Coast Guard personnel the opportunity to gain experience in the planning, training, and execution of special operations

James will discuss: * The increased capacity of Iraqi Security Forces and how that has led to enabling positive growth in governance and economic systems; * Past and current existing threats and what has been done to mitigate them and what is to be done in the future to maintain a positive security situation and continue to improve security; * Key factors leading to improved security including the professional and greatly improved Iraqi Security Force and the “Sons of Iraq” program; * The integration of ISF and Coalition Forces living among the population in patrol bases and joint security stations; * BG Abdul Amir and the 31st Iraqi Army Brigade and the success of their intelligence-based operations.

Navy CTI1 Casey Tibbs, the first active-duty military person to compete for the U.S. Paralympics Team at the Paralympic Games in 2004, and who will be participating again this year the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

Col. Johnson will discuss the J6 mission to embed transformational Joint Command, Control, Computer and Communications (C4) capabilities within the Iraqi Ministries of Defense & Interior (MoD / MoI), and provide support to the Counter Terrorism Bureau, which can be leveraged to achieve GoI security self-management.

Capt. McKenna will discuss the mission of the MCAG, as well as the MCAG Symposium that was held from August 5-7 in Norfolk, Va.