President Obama Announces Presidential Delegation to Australia for Ceremonies Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea

President Barack Obama today announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Canberra and Brisbane, Australia for ceremonies commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea from May 3-5, 2012.  

The Honorable Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security will lead the delegation. 

Members of the Presidential Delegation:

The Honorable Jeff L. Bleich, United States Ambassador to Australia

Vice Admiral Scott H. Swift, Commander, United States 7th Fleet

Fact Sheet: United States-Japan Cooperative Initiatives

President Obama met with Prime Minister Noda in Washington, D.C., on April 30, 2012.  In addition to releasing the “U.S.-Japan Joint Statement: A Shared Vision for the Future,” the two leaders announced the following cooperative initiatives, which are aimed at strengthening and expanding the U.S.-Japan relationship in the areas of security cooperation, economic partnership, and cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

Joint Statement by the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee(2+2):  The leaders welcomed the 2+2 Joint Statement of April 27, and affirmed that the new plan will enhance the implementation of U.S. force posture and realignment goals, leading to strengthened and expanded security and defense cooperation.  The statement represents a key component of the broader U.S. strategic rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific by supporting a U.S. military presence in the region that is geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable.  It marks a major step forward in our bilateral security relationship and opens the way for new Alliance initiatives to enhance our operational cooperation, including dynamic defense cooperation involving timely and effective joint training, joint surveillance and reconnaissance activities, and joint/ shared use of facilities.  It also opens a pathway to new initiatives for regional collaboration to help partners to build their capacity through both governments’ efforts. Additional information and the text of the statement are available here:  http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15220 

Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation:  Building on the close U.S.-Japan cooperation following Japan’s March 2011 nuclear accident, Japan and the United States will establish a high-level Bilateral Commission on Civil Nuclear Cooperation to further strengthen our work in this field.  The Commission will foster comprehensive strategic dialogue and joint activities related to the safe and secure implementation of civil nuclear energy and the response to the accident such as decommissioning and decontamination.  The Commission is to coordinate more robust research and development exchanges in areas which may include nuclear energy, safety, and security, environmental management, and nonproliferation.  It builds upon our March 2012 agreement on cooperation in the field of nuclear energy R&D, and also supports the commitments made by both countries at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit.  It is anticipated that the Commission will hold its first meeting at the earliest mutually convenient date.  Japan and the United States will work for the success of the Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety held by Japan in co-sponsorship with the IAEA in December this year.

New Clean Energy Initiatives:  The leaders launched the following new initiatives in the area of clean energy, to be administered under the U.S.-Japan Clean Energy Policy Dialogue:

• Tohoku Green Communities Alliance: To support the reconstruction and recovery of areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, the United States and Japan are launching the Tohoku Green Communities Alliance.  The United States and Japan are to cooperate to develop and deploy clean energy technologies, to promote the building of green communities in the Tohoku region and, through that experience, in our two countries more broadly.  The United States and Japan will work to increase people-to-people exchanges involving individuals in the Tohoku region to promote local clean energy solutions, in conjunction with the new TOMODACHI exchanges described below.  The United States and Japan will also work to promote joint U.S.-Japan research and development involving institutions in the Tohoku region, and collaborate in government and industry partnerships to develop and deploy community-scale microgrid systems.
• New Cooperation in Clean Energy Innovation:  The United States and Japan will expand our cooperation on clean energy innovation, including through collaborations for information sharing and joint research and development between U.S. national laboratories and universities, and Japanese research institutes and universities in biomass, enhanced geothermal systems, and other areas. In addition, the United States and Japan are to expand joint projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grid technology, and people-to-people exchanges, under the existing cooperation involving the State of Hawaii and Okinawa Prefecture.
• Critical Materials Research and Development:  Building on our existing dialogue on critical materials policy, the United States and Japan are to begin new collaboration on recycling rare earth elements, as well as other areas of research and development.  U.S. and Japanese researchers from U.S. national laboratories, Japanese research institutes, and universities in both countries are to conduct these collaborations.  The United States and Japan will also work to increase information sharing between the research communities of both countries on the production and use of rare earth elements and other critical materials, in order to promote improved understanding of market conditions and technology needs.  These efforts will promote our shared objectives of promoting diversity of supply, development of substitute materials, and improved recycling processes.
• • The 4th Clean Energy Policy Dialogue in Fukushima: Japan and the United States plan to hold the 4th Clean Energy Policy Dialogue in Fukushima Prefecture later this year to formulate action plans to promote the cooperation above.

Joint Statement on Global Supply Chain Security:  The two countries issued the U.S.-Japan Joint Statement on Global Supply Chain Security.  Recognizing the importance of our two economies to supply chains that power the global economy, the United States and Japan have outlined ways to cooperate more closely to strengthen the security and resiliency of the global supply chain and promote the timely, efficient flow of legitimate commerce.  The United States and Japan intend to enhance trade facilitation benefits provided to the members of the U.S. Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism and Japan’s Authorized Economic Operators program; accelerate discussions on an air cargo security mutual recognition arrangement; and, as resources permit, coordinate capacity-building in Asia-Pacific to strengthen regional border, port, maritime, and aviation security.  Together, our two countries seek to ensure that regional and global supply chains are prepared for, and can withstand, evolving threats and hazards, and can recover rapidly from possible disruptions such as terrorism and natural disasters.

Cooperation on Travel Facilitation:  The United States and Japan have decided to work together to establish a reciprocal arrangement, including through Japan’s participation in the U.S. “Global Entry” program, to expedite immigration clearance for trusted travelers from both our countries, and make travel between the United States and Japan easier, faster and more secure.

Cyber Cooperation:  Noting over a decade of extensive partnership on information and communications technology (ICT) policy, Internet issues, and cybersecurity, and welcoming Japan’s intention to join as soon as possible  the Convention on Cybercrime (the United States is already a party), both countries agreed on the need to deepen bilateral coordination on cyber issues, and announced our intention to develop a framework for deepening whole-of-government engagement.  This framework is to be designed to leverage existing dialogues to ensure the involvement of all the relevant Ministries and Agencies on priority issues such as: international norms development, strategies at international fora, common threats and priorities, expansion of public-private partnerships, science and technology collaboration, critical infrastructure and control systems security, incident management and operational cooperation, and cybersecurity awareness.

Space Cooperation:  The United States and Japan consider the sustainability, stability, and free access to and use of space vital to our national interests. Based on this recognition and our 42 years of joint space activities and the bilateral partnership, the United States and Japan will seek greater cooperation in the following areas:

• Civil Space Cooperation:  The United States and Japan have committed to deepen civil space cooperation through early conclusion of the negotiation of a Framework Agreement on the peaceful exploration and use of outer space and by pursuing the following specific activities:
• Cooperation, including with regard to interoperability and improved regional navigation, between GPS and the Japanese Quazi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) for multiple purposes;
• Collaboration on satellite-based earth observation missions such as greenhouse gases observation satellites, including coordination on promoting the utilization of satellite-based remote sensing data for environmental, scientific, and disaster monitoring purposes; and
• Continuation of the International Space Station operations beyond 2016.
• Space Security Cooperation:  Japan and the United States are to deepen our security partnership in space through various cooperative measures, including the pursuit of voluntary and pragmatic transparency and confidence building measures in space, including an International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities, and development of a framework for sharing space situational awareness services and information. 
• Comprehensive Dialogue on Space: The United States and Japan are to enhance our space dialogue with the engagement of all the relevant Ministries and Agencies to ensure a whole-of-government approach to space matters and space cooperation addressing environmental research, scientific discovery, national and international security, and economic growth.

Cooperation on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and the Internet Economy:  Recognizing the power of entrepreneurship to bring new technologies to market, the President and Prime Minister endorsed the work plan of the newly-established U.S.-Japan Innovation and Entrepreneurship Council, comprised of leading experts from both government and the private sector.  The Council is to identify best practices, policy recommendations and cooperative bilateral initiatives to encourage the creation of new businesses that generate growth and jobs in both economies.  The leaders also endorsed the launching of a new Cloud Computing Working Group, in cooperation with the private sector, under the Internet Economy Dialogue, aimed at expanding online business opportunities and shaping global regulatory practices on emerging Internet technologies and cross-border data flows.  The Internet Economy Dialogue focuses on the openness of the Internet and freedom to communicate, commercial network security, expanding e-Government, protection of children’s safety online and the reduction of unwanted and unsolicited “spam” email messages.

Friendship Blossoms:  Applauding the resounding success of events to celebrate the centennial of the historic gift of 3,000 cherry trees by Japan to Washington, D.C., in 1912, the President announced a reciprocal gift of 3,000 dogwood trees to Japan this year.  These dogwood trees are to be planted in Tokyo and throughout Japan, including in areas recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, as an enduring symbol of our friendship.

The leaders welcomed achievements by TOMODACHI, a public-private partnership led by the U.S. Government and the U.S.-Japan Council that is supporting disaster recovery and investing in the next generation while fostering greater engagement between the people of Japan and the United States, especially youth.  President Obama welcomed the Kizuna Project, a new initiative by the Government of Japan that will contribute to reconstruction of disaster-affected areas by funding exchanges for over 2,000 high school students and other young people from the two countries.  These programs promoting people-to-people connections build on a long and rich tradition of exchange, including the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, the Japan-U.S. Training Exchange Program for English Language Teachers (JUSTE), the Japanese Language Education Assistants Program (J-LEAP), the Fulbright Program, the Mansfield Fellowship Program, other inter-university joint programs and the U.S.-Japan Conference on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON).  The goal of these and other efforts is to cultivate a “TOMODACHI Generation” of young people in Japan and the United States who will serve as the foundation for an even stronger bilateral partnership in the future.

Readout of the Vice President's Meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein Shahristani

Vice President Biden met this afternoon with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Hussein Shahristani. The Vice President thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for his participation in this week’s U.S.-Iraqi Joint Coordinating Committee on Energy meeting.  The Vice President reaffirmed our commitment to work with Iraqi leaders from across the spectrum to support the continued development of Iraq’s energy sector. The two leaders discussed a range of regional issues and developments in Iraq.

Background on the President and First Lady’s Visit to Fort Stewart

Today, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Fort Stewart in Georgia where the President will sign an Executive Order to help ensure all of America’s service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed educational decisions and are protected from aggressive and deceptive targeting by educational institutions. Fort Stewart is home to the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, one of the Nation’s premiere military units, which deployed numerous times to Iraq in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn, and currently has elements supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Fort Stewart has been a leader across the military by providing extensive educational counseling in order to protect its service members against aggressive and deceptive recruiting, serving as a model for other bases. In 2011, more than 4,800 soldiers at the Army post took over 15,000 college classes using Department of Defense (DoD) Tuition Assistance.

The following individuals will stand with the President and First Lady as they sign the Executive Order:

Sergeant Johnnie Marshall, Electronic Warfare Specialist & Student (Introducing the President)
Sergeant Johnnie Marshall, an Electronic Warfare Specialist in the 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Ft. Stewart, had a negative experience with a for-profit college.  In 2010, Sergeant Marshall was referred by another student to a for-profit college.  The school contacted him immediately and told him that he could earn his associate degree in one year using his educational benefits.  After enrolling in two online courses, Marshall learned about the school’s accreditation issues and became concerned his credits would not transfer.  After voicing his concern and attending an education fair at the Ft. Stewart Education Center, Sergeant Marshall transferred to Central Texas College.  He is currently third in his class and is able to take classes around his training schedule.  Sgt. Marshall plans to finish his degree with Central Texas College and remain a career Soldier.

Holly Petraeus, Assistant Director Assistant Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)
Holly Petraeus is an Assistant Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), heading up the Office of Servicemember Affairs. Her office’s mission is to partner with the Pentagon to see that military families receive strong financial education; to monitor complaints from military families and responses to those complaints by the CFPB and other agencies; and to see that federal and state agencies coordinate their activities to improve consumer protection measures for military families.  Prior to joining the CFPB, Mrs. Petraeus spent six years as the Director of BBB Military Line, a program of the Council of Better Business Bureaus providing consumer education and advocacy for servicemembers and their families.  A military spouse of 37 years and a former Department of the Army civilian employee, Mrs. Petraeus also has extensive experience as a volunteer leader in military family programs. In that role she has worked with local, state and national legislators on issues affecting Army families, to include testifying at two U.S. Senate hearings on deployment-related issues.

Semaj Grant, Army Veteran
After her medical discharge from the United States Army as a medic with Charlie Company, 703 BSB, 3rd Infantry Division in 2004, Ms. Semaj Grant returned home to Hinesville, Georgia to pursue her college education goals of earning a degree in human services.  Following a stint at a local Hinesville college that eventually closed its doors, Ms. Grant enrolled in a for-profit institution.  She felt that the school was not consistent in providing financial or advising information and was not veteran friendly, especially when it came to educational flexibility surrounding documented PTSD service connected disability.  After taking five classes at a cost of over $10,000, Ms. Grant eventually left the for-profit school.  Following a visit to the Ft. Stewart Education Center she enrolled in Columbia College using her Veteran’s Education Benefits.  She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in General Studies and plans to graduate in the Fall of 2012.

Amy Ivey, Military Spouse & Student
Amy Ivey, the spouse of Specialist Chad Ivey, an active duty Soldier in the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, had a negative experience at a for-profit college.  After she got married, Mrs. Ivey decided to pursue an Associate of Arts degree from a for-profit school.  During the enrollment process, she was continually switched among multiple financial aid and academic advisors and eventually was placed with an “enrollment counselor” who called relentlessly each week until she was signed up for courses.  Throughout the process, Mrs. Ivey was consistently given the impression that financial aid would cover all of her educational expenses and was not told until after she enrolled that financial aid also included student loans.  Despite MYCAA and Federal Pell grant funding, she and her husband eventually had to dip into their savings to pay for the full cost of classes.  Mrs. Ivey ended up leaving the for-profit school after finding the online classes and instructors disappointing.  Today, she is enrolled full-time as a junior at Columbia College in Fort Stewart, Georgia.  She utilizes MYCAA and Pell grant funding for tuition and expenses and has her financial obligation supplemented with a Columbia College Spouse Opportunity Grant.

Specialist Melissa Ann Schulte, Army Reservist & Student
SPC Melissa Ann Schulte joined the Army Reserves in 2001.  SPC Schulte began her college studies at Central Texas College using the Army’s tuition assistance program.   Later, in search of a specific degree, SPC Schulte did an online search for “military friendly schools.”  Shortly afterward, she was inundated with phone calls, primarily from for-profit schools.   SPC Schulte ended up enrolling in one of the for-profit institutions because it offered the degree she wanted.  Once enrolled, SPC Schulte had several problems with the school and ultimately decided to leave for Columbia College.   The for-profit she left has continued to call and try and get her back, even raising the erroneous claim that her current school is not accredited.   SPC Schulte is very happy with the faculty and staff at Columbia College and is looking forward to taking classes at the Ft. Stewart Branch this May.  SPC Schulte is married to Sergeant First Class Daniel Lee Schulte who was recently transferred to the 51st Chemical Company, 83rd Chemical Battalion at Fort Stewart, Georgia. 
 
Tina Hysaw, Education Services Specialist, Ft. Stewart
Tina Hysaw has served the last twenty-five years as an Army Continuing Education Services (ACES) Specialist providing counseling services to Soldiers, family members and Army civilians and veterans.  During her ACES tenure, Ms. Hysaw worked twelve years in Frankfurt Germany, and deployed to Bosnia/Herzegovina in 1996 to provide education services to Soldiers supporting Operation Joint Endeavor.  The last thirteen years of Ms. Hysaw’s ACES career have been at Fort Stewart, Georgia.  Ms. Hysaw hails from Seguin, Texas and graduated from Texas Woman’s University.
 
Dorothy (Dorcee) Taylor, Education Services Specialist, Ft. Stewart
Ms. Dorcee Taylor has worked in the Army Continuing Education Services (ACES) with the 3rd Infantry Division for 34 years serving as a counselor and supervisory education specialist.  During this time she has worked in Karlsruhe and Giessen Germany, Fort Belvoir, the Pentagon and Fort Myer, Virginia.  She has also had two tours at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.  In addition to her counseling duties, Taylor currently serves as the Education Center’s marketing liaison and the primary contact for Veterans Affairs.  Taylor was born in Houston, Texas and grew up in Syracuse, New York and Edison, New Jersey.  She attended Glassboro State Teachers College and earned a Masters in Guidance and Psychological Services with Georgia State University.
              
First Sergeant Keven Elwood, 3rd Battalion 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment & Student
First Sergeant Keven Elwood’s career is a testament to the benefits of the Army’s education programs.  After first enlisting in the Army in 1996, First Sergeant Elwood has had several assignments, most recently serving in the 3rd Battalion 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment where he has been deployed to both Afghanistan and Iraq.    Following a string of successes in military schools, First Sergeant Elwood excelled in college.  In August of 2011 he completed an Associate of Arts in General Studies with Central Texas College through the Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia campus.  With no break in his education, First Sergeant Elwood immediately enrolled in classes with Columbia College seeking to further the management skills he developed through the Army by enrolling in the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration program with a concentration in Management.  After completing nearly a year with Columbia College he maintains a 3.67 Grade Point Average.  First Sergeant Elwood is originally from South Point, North Carolina.