Blog Posts tagged with "conference"

As I mentioned in my vlog last week I was in Bergen, Norway during my official co-hosting duties with the Norwegian Chief of Defense, General Harald Sunde, for the Northern European Chief of Defense (CHOD) Conference. As "The Fjord Capital of Norway", Bergen is often described as "a city with its feet in the sea, its head in the skies, and its heart in the right place." What I didn't mention in the vlog is I found myself in a situation that affected my head and heart before the conference had even begun.

Here I am meeting The Shellman for the first time.

The night before the conference, our Norwegian host invited us to join him for dinner at a restaurant isolated on one of the beautiful fjord islands along the waterways in Bergen. Cornelius at the Island sits among the fjords, and they are proud to serve some of the best seafood in the world. The owner of the restaurant is a third generation shell farmer, having been in the business since 1975. He is known by his famous nickname, "The Shellman," and had several varieties of live seafood on display that he had caught himself in the local waters just prior to our dinner.

At the start of the dinner, the Shellman was describing the seafood from the region and he picked up a raw crab from a bowl that was next to him and said that one of the most flavorful ways to eat the crab was eating him right away…uncooked, shell and all. He demonstrated after his next breath and ate about half of the very fresh crab. It was quite a surprise to everyone at the dinner and we watched in amazement as he chewed through his raw, shelled crab. Then he turned to me and offered the same deal. The famous saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" applies also to Bergen and the Bergensers, so I jumped at the chance to experience this wonderful delicacy that I now think of as "the ultimate sushi".

After the great Norwegian dinner that doubled as a culinary lesson, General Sunde addressed our international group by highlighting a point that I have always held high: the importance of culture for greater understanding. After enjoying the beauty of Bergen and their seafood, the general surprised us next by adding the sense of sound to our experience by introducing Norway's famous cello player, Johan Sebastian Blum, who played a collection of some of Norway's most famous melodies. It was truly a moving experience, and while I listened to the music, I was inspired by the general's effect to magnify his point on the importance of culture through several examples.

I have often talked about the power that comes from understanding a country's culture. At EUCOM, I've tried to find ways to increase our understanding of European culture throughout our organization as we continue our important work on building and strengthening our relationships with partner nations. A few examples are:

- Our Next Generation Advisory Panel (NGAP) of young European civilian leaders from several European countries that I meet with on a regular basis;

- The Notable Author series, that brings important historical context in an open forum for discussion with our staff;

- Our Academic Outreach division, which recently brought an expert on Russian and Central European security issues as a part of the EUCOM Forum for International Affairs Speaker Series;

- The EUCOM Strategic Languages Program has joined our headquarters with the Defense Language Institute for foreign language training to staff members.

The Shellman gives me the thumbs up as I try the raw crab.

I encourage all of you to help build bridges by looking for your own opportunities to understand as much as you can about another country's culture. And if you ever get to Bergen, Norway - try the crab….it's great!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

As promised in February, welcome to another edition of LOGEX 10. This month’s events find me at the National Support Element (NSE) & Logistics Functional Area Services (LOGFAS) workshop in the Czech Republic, which is the second in a series of five workshops designed for each participating nation in this year’s exercise.

Warrant Officer Martin Turner (RAF), Allied Command Transformation, provides instruction on LOGFAS.

The first workshop was in Poland last month, so Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania will follow in the coming weeks/months. The purpose of the workshop is to develop NATO national Detailed Deployment Plans (DDPs) for use at the Final Reception, Staging and Onward Movement (RSOM) Workshop in July. These workshops familiarize the participants with roles and responsibilities that they will encounter as members of a deployed NATO staff such as Deployment Contracting, RSOM, and the overall LOGFAS system; which is a term for a suite of NATO supply and transportation systems, and used as common planning tools during NATO-led operations. Make sense…?

These workshops are efficiently ran by Mr. Pete Venoit, USJFCOM J7 Exercise Director, who has a small team of subject matter experts from Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany who provide instruction that prepares students to produce the products required for execution. The DDP produced here will be consolidated with the other four participating nations and refined during the final workshop in July. The final product will be agreed upon and utilized during the exercise execution in September of this year.

Czech Republic NSE/LOGFAS Workshop Attendees, April 12-16, 2010.

Workshops are typically designed to be a bi-lateral effort between the U.S. and the participating nation, but it is also a great opportunity for our friends in NATO and Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations to observe these events to see how they are designed and benefit MOD General Staff and Joint Staff functions. We are fortunate to have with us this week MAJ Velimir Obradovic from Montenegro, LTC Damir “Dado” Radocaj from Croatia, and LTC Pete Williams from the United Kingdom. The goals of observer nations are to either learn more about how the training program is designed so they may one day participate or host, or observe the finer details of the course so that they may develop their own exercise. For example, Montenegro is currently scheduled to host LOGEX 12, Croatia is looking to eventually establish a similar LOGEX –type event, and the UK is showing great interest in becoming a mentor nation within the LOGEX series. So there’s lots of goodness here and many more opportunities ahead.

I must admit that the historic and majestic landscape of Prague frequently lures me to the window, and the fact that five of the “1,000 places to see before you die” are in Prague, makes me even more intrigued, but I digress. I would be remiss if I did not say how pleased we are with our colleagues and gracious host from the Czech Republic MOD. LTC Karel Zapletal is doing a marvelous job at orchestrating these events, so our hats are off to him and his team.

That just about does it for the Czech Republic workshop. I will be in Bulgaria the week of April 19-23 for another workshop, and as all workshops are designed the same; this will be my last update until July for the Final Workshop in Romania. Until then…

Nazdravi!
MAJ Matt Williams
U.S. European Command Logistics Directorate (ECJ4)

From strategic to sensitive, the military chaplaincy prepares its clergy to advise commanders and provide spiritual counsel in time of contingency operations.

As the Command Chaplain for the U.S. European Command, I oversee several chaplaincy programs designed to educate, integrate, and build partnerships with Ministry of Defense chaplains in the European Command Area of Responsibility.

International Military Chiefs of Chaplains (IMCCC) 2010 delegates in front of the Centro Superior de Estudios de la Defensa Nacional (CESEDEN).

This past February, 125 chaplains from 40 countries gathered in Madrid for the annual International Military Chief of Chaplain’s Conference. The conference theme was: “The Religious Fact and Armed Forces: Liberty and Diversity.” Intellectuals from Spain’s Ministry of Defense and civilian academia lectured on topics from Religion, Civil Society and Culture to the Military Chaplain and International Humanitarian Rights. The conference was closed with an inspirational message on the relationship between the operational commander and his chaplain by Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez, Jr., U.S. European Command Deputy Director for Plans and Policy.

Yet to come: Operational commanders have a variety of unique missions, as do their chaplains. However, one thing we all have in common is the need to respect one another’s religious beliefs. The NATO/Partnership for Peace Chaplains Operation Course, designed to train ordained military clergy how to complement and support one another on the battlefield, was built from a need expressed by members of the 2001 International Chief of Chaplains Conference.

The objective of this program is to educate NATO and Partner military Chaplains on issues affecting their ability to perform cooperative ministry and religious advisory duties in a combined joint theatre of operations. This will include an examination of ethics and reconciliatory techniques to enable Chaplains to support the commander and the mission.

I am having discussions with Ukranian Chaplains.

The five day training offers 12 lecture style topics that provides an insight into the Chaplains’ role as an advisor to the Command and will teach techniques required when working with Non-Government Organizations and in Peace Support Operations. ‘Chaplains in a Muslim Country’ and ‘Laws of Land Warfare’ are new additions to this year’s curriculum. CAPT James R. Sharrett, USNR, Deputy Command Chaplain, U.S. European Command is the liaison and course manager at the NATO School, located in Oberammergau, Germany.

NATO School information about this event has been distributed to all EUCOM partner military chiefs of chaplains. Registration is in process for the May 17-21, 2010 course. The history of the NATO chaplain course can be traced back to the 2001 International Chief of Chaplains Conference.

These annual conferences offer excellent opportunities to build on existing relationships with traditional allies as well as establishing new friendships with other partner nations in order to build their capacity for chaplaincies that can be voices for good governance, human rights, justice, and religious freedom.

Chaplain (Colonel) Brian Van Sickle, USAF
U.S. European Command Chaplain

When I was selected to participate in the Quality of Life Conference, I can honestly say I had no idea what to expect. After arriving here at the conference, I was very surprised at the relaxing, yet passionate atmosphere I experienced. I was placed in the Community Services I Group. My group was very energetic, enthusiastic and full of really great ideas. There were times of strong disagreements, but we were always able to come to a conclusion that was beneficial to all of EUCOM.

Voices from this conference will be heard! I was not aware of all of the ideas for changes that generate from conferences such as the Post 9-11 G.I. Bill transferability. I really feel that the ideas we brought to the attention of leadership at this year’s conference will help make a great and much needed change within EUCOM. Being at this conference and being part of something that may help generations to come is truly a great feeling.

Overall, it would be my honor and privilege to return to this conference in the future to help be the voice for our service members.

Conferences such as these show that our military is not complacent on its procedures, but rather open and accepting to change to help create a better Quality of Life for our service members and their family members.

Air Force Senior Airman Krystal L. Kidnocker
Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany

Army Sgt. Rebecca J. Tauber, Health of the Force focus group member, works on her blog during her break at the QoL conference.

What should have been a pretty smooth morning, only turned upside down. My focus group, Health of the Force received shocking news that one of our top two topics to be address this afternoon, needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. It was back to the butcher board. Despite some remaining conflicting points of view, it was thanks to our groups amazing negotiating and team skills that we were able to revitalize the topic we felt most passionate about presenting. That is the beauty of being a part of this process. Despite the difference of views and opinion, the bottom line is we are here for the benefit of our community.

Part of the agenda for the day was also to help prepare their representing speaker for this afternoon’s Q&A. Our representing speaker, Brian Hardy was grilled amongst our group to help him prepare for this afternoon as well as for the closing briefing tomorrow. This will be our group’s opportunity for our issues to be address, so the voices of the military community can be heard.

Even though there is still this evening’s Banquet event, I will say good bye for now. Thank you to everyone who has participated this week. Unit next time.

Army Sergeant Rebecca J. Tauber
12TH Combat Aviation Brigade
Ansbach, Germany

This is my first time attending a Quality of Life (QoL) Conference, but what an opportunity it has been for me. This conference has enabled me to express so many morale issues that affect my location. As a secondary effect, I was able to interact with members of other services and align my issues with these sister services to create a joint or “purple” problem.

I want to express how excited I am that one of our focus group’s top two issues has been addressed which currently affects me, my family and so many others across the force. Attention has been brought to the poor medical screening process for family members with special needs prior to a PCS. All too often families with special needs are going to locations where medical treatment facilities are not capable of supporting them.

This is a service wide problem where families are slipping through the cracks. This issue being addressed has given me, personally, a ray of hope for an improvement process where families will be adequately cared for based on the capabilities provided from each location.

Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Cole
Volkel Air Base, Netherlands

The life that a man or woman experiences while serving in the military is often one of sacrifice, hardship and honor. A normal day is often long and stressful. Families aren't perfect outside the military and they are no different inside except the normal stressors on a military family are extraordinary. Families break all the time. Some breaks are permanent, some temporary, some caused by the stressors of a military life. Now throw in deployments to overseas locations where families cope with strong cultural challenges, language barriers, and being a thousand miles from their own homeland. Now we have to throw 9 years of combat operations into the mix. Deployments mean more sacrifice, hardship and places fragile families in danger of breaking and solid families endure loneliness, depression and loss of intimacy.

How do we do it? How do families survive intact? How does a service member come home after long separations under harsh conditions and perhaps with battle fatigue, now called post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), thrown into the mix? How does a father come home and hold his daughter again or listen quietly to his wife talking about her day; how does a mom come home and retake her role as mom. How do the children cope at home, at school on the playground? How lonely might it be for the single soldier coming home to a barracks room? All the while the future appears to hold fast to an appetite for even more deployments and combat operations.

Do we just ignore it and hope for the best? Do we create check the block programs that make might make some leaders sleep better knowing that they put money into a program that seems to address the issue of the day ... Or do we listen and think and work and develop a plan that addresses these issues, tenaciously follows the flight of each one until we conclusively and satisfactorily bring these issues into the light of day, and work them at all levels and with all military departments and if necessary through OSD and into the halls of Congress.

Well that's what's happening in Garmisch this week as delegates from around the European theater push through the fog of war and bureaucracy and emerge with tangible deliverable issues and recommendations for the EUCOM and Service Component Leadership to take on in the months and years ahead. It is the EUCOM annual Quality of Life Conference and it developed issues raised by the grass root delegates.

This precious conference is unique to Department of Defense; no other COCOM has a comparable program. It has had many past victories that support the health and welfare of our forces, and our families and many yet to come.

Army COL Michael Godfrey
Director, ECJ1 (Manpower, Personnel and Administration)

Capt. Kathryn Maitrejean, Lt. Jada E. Johnson and Maj. Jena Silva (left to right), part of the QoL staff, worked hard to put out fires during the conference.

This is it …. the big day, after the delegate outbriefs with the senior leaders the “Top 10” will be revealed in order of priority. The priority was determined by the Executive Steering Committee (ECS) who voted on the order of precedence on the issues presented yesterday.

Ok, for those of you who were paying attention and can count are probably thinking … if there were only 4 focus groups, how can there be a “Top 10." One can say a lot about the Texas educational system, but it did teach me that 4 times 2 does not equal 10. So the additional 2 issues came from The European Strategy Conference, which focuses on remote Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) areas, held last week in Ramstein, Germany.

Before I reveal the “Top 10” I want to say that everyone did a wonderful job at this conference. The facilitators and the delegates worked hard to produce their top 2 issues, the Subject Matter Experts provided valued information to the focus groups and the senior leaders provided their knowledge and years of experience to the delegates by listening and providing feedback on the issues.

I would also like to acknowledge the individuals who without their dedication and focus, this year’s QoL conference would not have been a success. Individuals from QoL, Information Technology, Graphics, Plans and Policy, Protocol, and Action Officers from each component made this happen.

I was there when the chaos was happening; last minute changes; computers going down; miscommunication; reprints of various items, and unhappy individuals complaining about something or another. I know they wanted to pull their hair out numerous times, but you know what ... they kept their composure, stayed professional, kept it moving and made it happen. Kudos to them !!!!!!!

Now for the “Top 10”
1. Establish a joint medical Permanent Change of Station (PCS) review process for exception family members.
2. Establish a joint campaign of change to educate the community and influence healthy eating options.
3. Establish a joint policy that closes that benefit gap between Continental United States (CONUS) and overseas (OCONUS) surviving spouces.
4. Increase awareness of DoDDS transfer policies regarding credits and diplomas.
5. Establish a joint EUCOM teen panel.
6. Fund a second privately owned vehicle shipment for those who execute a PCS overseas.
7. Expand the vision services element of the TRICARE contract overseas.
8. Provide personal interactive spouse language training for ODC.
9. Develop a joint Causality Assistance Program.
10. Procure annual gym memberships for family members and Department of Defense civilians assigned to ODC postings.

You know I almost forgot to mention ... last night was the QoL banquet which was very entertaining. The Air Force Band, Direct Hit, performed hits from the 60’s to today. I didn’t get the 60’s songs, but I knew the 70’s songs ... hey it was disco and no matter your age, who doesn’t know K.C. and the Sunshine band hit Get Down Tonight and I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor.

Then the IPods came out. All I have to say about that is ... who says senior leaders don’t know how to “Get Low."

Well that’s it for this year’s QoL conference … see you next year.

Army Capt. Elizabeth M. Griffith
U.S. European Command Public Affairs

As a social worker, who has worked for so many years in the civilian sector, I am always amazed at how well the military tries to take care of its soldiers and families. If only the rest of the people in the U.S. had access to some of the wonderful programs designed to support and enhance families and their quality of life. I have been at the Quality of Life Conference here in Garmisch since Monday, and have been impressed and moved by the enthusiasm, true caring, and willingness to help that the military has for the people who dedicate their lives to our country.

Today, I sat in on a brain-storming session for the POWER program, Providing Outreach While Enhancing Readiness. As a POWER trainer, it was wonderful to hear both the problems that people are having trying to use this wonderful tool, and the agreement about the need for the program. The military recognizes how much all the caregivers need help to prevent burnout. What is less clear for our military leaders may be who these caregivers are. It includes spouses, FRG leaders, and providers, but it also includes the service members themselves.

I think this program could be used for everyone, and could help a very broad spectrum of both civilians and military personnel. The other issue is how to keep the program going forward in a time when there are fewer resources and even less time available to us all. I hope we can find a way to use this tool, and carry it out to the people who need it.

I am grateful for this forum, and grateful for the time I have been given to participate in this conference.

Priscilla Fleischer, Ph.D., LCSW
Family Advocacy Program Manager, ACS
Hohenfels, Germany

Members of the Community Services II Focus Group working together in efforts to narrow their top 10 list down to two topics.

We walked in this morning and discovered the two issues that we were to work (out of the original 10). The morning started off passionately, with many of us referring to the current practices of our own branches. Our first issue of the day was a purple training school to standardize casualty assistance officers and how to care for the joint military community overseas.

As we worked through the descriptions of the mentioned problem, the active duty members and spouses in our group stepped into situations that none of us want to face. The curtain that is always present was pulled away as we thought about and discussed what our service members and their families (spouses, next of kin, etc) go through, emotionally and mentally, during times of great loss.

We all stepped out of our comfort zones to find ways in which we can further train and provide a more consistent and compassionate net to catch our families when the death of a loved one sends them into an inevitable free fall.

It is our hope to better serve those who serve alongside us.

Laura McVay
Community Service II Delegate

Teen Delegation group members engage in discussions on major issues dealing with teenagers in Europe.

Today was a very productive day for the ‘Distractonators;’ we were very busy focusing on our focus papers issues. Our main product became Young Adults (High School Students) being able to put out their voices and getting an echo back, rather than what the adult supervisors deciding what they will do. We defined the young adult opinions as a whisper rather than a voice.

As a group we collectively created a program to eliminate the adult ‘middle man’ process resulting in what we are interested in being expressed. This program, if allotted the five year requested trial program, is expected by the young adult delegates to directly reduce the amount of at-risk behavior.

The second discussion issue was about DoDEA accepting credits, when we were then informed that there was already a process for transferring students’ credit acceptance. Hopefully our outcome will be able to reduce many different levels within the high school setting on the ultimate road to graduation.

Personally we had a great accomplishment within our group today on a special case. One of the delegates in our focus group, a few years ago as a senior in Louisiana, became very sick. Her family then had to move to a new school system where the DODDEA system did not identify the policy of transferring credits. She had to retake classes, setting her back on getting a diploma, and today she turned 20. Mr. Toth, a DoDEA representative, heard her situation, was astounded, got a copy of her transcript and now she is going to be taken out of her access classes and possibly be allowed to graduate at the end of this year.

Together we feel very accomplished and believe that we will be able to convey the issues and improve in our areas now. I’m excited about the accomplishments ahead.

Brannon Niblock
MARFOREUR Teen Delegate

Priscilla Fleischer, Manuel Mak, Nichol Heller and Kim Vehige, members of the P.O.W.E.R. organization, attend the Quality of Life Conference in Garmisch.

I am sitting here surrounded by the beautiful mountains in Garmisch and am in complete awe of everything around me. Not just the scenery, but of all the amazing folks that have come together for this Quality of Life Conference to effect change across the military. I mean, really – who can say they get this opportunity to let their voice be heard at this level? And not only be heard, but actually make suggestions to affect real change. The things I’ve seen on the agenda are astounding.

I am here not as a delegate, not as an observer or even as a Subject Matter Expert, aka the SME… but here because I belong to the P.O.W.E.R. Group – a program that was put into place based on the needs expressed from attendees at conferences just like this!

Providing Outreach While Enhancing Readiness is a program based on compassion fatigue, or caring for the caregiver – and to be invited to see Quality of Life issues being discussed, and talked about so passionately by service members, family members, teens and leaders all together working for common goals, really helps me see just how much EUCOM is really trying to improve and encourage our QOL issues to be addressed and resolved.

I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing the high school students here – they are energetic and excited about what they are doing! They are fully engaged and very much verbally enthusiastic about their role here … then again, that’s teens! It also reminds me of my days as a military dependent teen and how far they have come from the early ninety’s when I was in their shoes. (Did I really just tell you how old I am?)

I am also encouraged as a military spouse, married to a Combat Arms Soldier, by what I’ve been hearing since arriving two days ago. The changes that were talked about by some of our key note speakers – such as non-chargeable R&R leave, the reworking of the possibilities of cashing out use or lose leave options, and the one that caught my attention the most – the possibility of FRGs being allowed to fundraise off-installation – are real things, things that will be felt across the board at the grass-root level by all service members, all family members across the “purple” communities.

I also learned quite a bit in a session today about the options Military One Source/Home Front offers. As an Army Community Service employee, I know the basics – they offer counseling and education and help for deployments. But the scope in which they provide services is truly phenomenal! There is so much there that I can take back to my installation and show off – and I love to show off what the military is doing for their Family.

And, as a side note, I must say that this is one of the most well-organized conferences I’ve been to in a while. My job allows me to go and play … I mean work … at conferences on occasion and I have to say this one has been outstanding so far. Everything is moving quite smoothly and everyone knows exactly what they are doing! Imagine that! And, you know, it doesn’t hurt to be here at Edelweiss to experience the beauty of the area, the beauty of the passion I see here in everyone and the beauty of what will certainly be accomplished by this week’s events.

Nicole Heller
Army Community Services, Mobilization & Deployment Specialist
P.O.W.E.R. Facilitator
USAG Grafenwoehr, Germany

The four focus groups, Health of the Force, Community Service I and II, and the Youth/Teen Dependent Education, have worked hard for the last four days. It has been an interesting experience for me. I have had an opportunity to sit in on a couple of the focus groups and on every occasion everyone was highly engaged in the discussions and very passionate about every issue.

Today was the rehearsal before the real test tomorrow which will be presenting their issues to the EUCOM Component Commanders. Representatives from each focus group presented their two issues to the executive steering committee (ECS). The ECS was made up of representatives from manpower, personnel and administrations from each component, and the senior enlisted leaders from each component. Army Col. Michael Godfrey and Navy Fleet Master Chief Roy Maddocks co-chaired the ECS.

It was evident how hard each group worked to come up with their top two issues. With no surprise, each issue presented ensued questions from members of the ECS, but each representative stood strong and gave passionate and factual responses to the ECS members’ questions.

All of the issues presented were important but Shawn Conderman, from the Youth/Teen Dependent Education group, captured everyone’s attention. He talked about a 20 year old, who due to the lack of awareness of the credit transfer policy or incompetence, is classified as a junior in high school. When I first heard that, I was shocked and a little disturbed by the fact that this young woman, through no fault of her own, was a junior in high school.

Thankfully, she attended this conference which allowed her to connect with a Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DoDDS) representative who, from what I hear, will be able to work with her to resolve her issue. There definitely needs to be some type of changes made, I’m not sure what, but something needs change. Brining this type of issue to light is exactly what the conference is all about.

Tomorrow is the big day for the focus groups; they deal with the “big wigs” tomorrow. Based on their showing today, I’m sure they will represent their groups well.

Well tomorrow will mark the official presentation of the QoL “top 10” and will officially end the QoL’s 2010 conference. It’s been an eye opening experience and I’m glad I was able to share this experience with everyone.

Army Capt. Elizabeth M. Griffith
U.S. European Command Public Affairs

Army Maj. Gen. John Morgan, EUCOM Chief of Staff, and other representatives from various agencies attend the Quality of Life Conference in Garmsich, Germany.

The Quality of Life Conference kicked off bright and early today with a video from the European Command Commander (EUCOM), Adm. James Stravridis. In the video he apologized for not being here but said he was currently in Washington D.C. testifying before congress on our behalf, but he knew everyone there was going to do a great job.

After the video, the Chief of Staff for EUCOM, Army Maj. Gen. John Morgan provided the opening remarks welcoming everyone to the conference…and so it began.

I got a chance to sit in on the opening remarks from several of the guest speakers. Mr. William Carr, Deputy Under Secretary Of Defense Military Personnel Policy, Mr. Thomas Lamont, Assistant Secretary of the Army Manpower & Reserve Affairs, and Ms. Carolyn Stevens, Office of Military Community & Family Police Office of Children & Youth were among the first guest speakers to speak at the conference.

First up was Mr. Carr and he hit on a subject that is near and dear to everyone’s heart overseas….cost of living allowances (COLA). He pretty much summed it up by saying “The number one purpose for COLA is to ensure that your purchasing power is the same as your counterparts stateside, and it’s where it should be”.

Mr. Lamont was up next and what I found interesting about his remarkes was when he said among family members education topped health care and housing. I pulled Mr. Lamont over to the side and asked him about his comment and he said that family members are worried about their children, which is a constant thing, and their education is important to them. Health care, not that it’s not important to family members but unlike education it is an "as you need it" type of thing.

He spoke about the program that allows military members to transfer their G.I. Bill entitlements to their dependents. I personally think this is a great program for several reasons; it addresses their concerns on education and it’s available to reservists as well. For years programs or entitlements were only for active duty personnel but now several programs are becoming available for reservists, who in my opinion, can no longer be considered as just "weekend warriors" and should be entitled to some benefits.

Ms. Carolyn Stevens was last to speak today and she also touched on education as well, reiterating that it was the top concern for family members. She also spoke about the complaints for the need for more childcare facilities overseas. She said those complaints were heard and stressed and since 2008 there have been 15 projects in Europe dedicated to expanding child care centers.

Well in a nut shell, that pretty much sums up the first day of the conference. After the opening remarks everyone was given a break to go to their designated rooms. Now the focus groups will do their thing for the next couple of days and on Thursday we will see the final fruits of their hard labor.

Make sure to keep watch because there will be bloggers from the focus groups posting for the next couple of days. You will get to get a firsthand look at what they are doing in those focus groups.

Army CPT Elizabeth M. Griffith
U.S. European Command Public Affairs

Hi I’m Brannon Niblock and I am a first timer at the QoL Conference in Garmish. As a Teen Representative from MARFOREUR I am a part of the Youth Delegate Crew.

We have nicknamed ourselves the “Distractonators” because of our enthusiastic natures. When I first entered the conference room we had fun little trinkets setting the scene for the “youth” role and our views on school and teen activities Europe wide.

We kicked off the conference with some icebreakers to get to know one another with some random facts, one of which delegates were given a coin and stated something that happened to themselves that year. This morning we started with a mass conference to inform the attendees of certain policies and what key leaders would like to move towards.

In our focus groups we placed our topics on post-its and organized them under categories including DoDDEA, Youth Programs, Sports, and added the subject of transportation. After completing our top ten topics today our group will be enjoying a night at Edelweiss’s Zuggys and meeting the United States Ski team.

Brannon Niblock
Delegate MarForEur Teens

Well, I have to say “Welcome" to everyone attending this year’s Quality of Life Conference. I have been in Germany for all of four months and thrilled to be here in the beautiful city of Garmisch. As a new Delegate for the Ansbach community, being a part of EUCOM’s mission for Quality of Life has turned out to be quite an experience.

The Conference officially began on March 7, 2010, beginning with the kick off Ice Breaker. Walking into a room filled with complete strangers can be quite unnerving. However, after making a sample plate, the only thing to do was to pick a table and say “hello.” After all, one of the good things about attending this conference has been the opportunity to meet new people from all the different branches that make up European Command.

Following this morning briefings that began at 8:00 am, I finally met my focus group, “Health of the Force.” During our focus session, we would discuss issues ranging from: Non Medical Issues to Family Readiness Support to the Wounded Warrior Program. After much discussion, a little debate, and the many stickies on the wall, our group consensus was finally ready to produce our top ten issues. These issues will be narrowed down to two issues which will be presented on Thursday to all of the attending EUCOM Senior Leadership.

The outcome of our great debate will have to come on a later date, since there are a few more finishing touches that need to be made before our group representative makes his presentation. Until tomorrow.

Army Sgt. Rebecca J. Tauber
12TH Combat Aviation Brigade
Ansbach, Germany

Grüss Gott from Edelweiss Lodge in the picturesque Bavarian town of Garmisch, Germany. My name is Thomas and I have the wonderful and unique privilege to represent my fellow Airmen and service members at the EUCOM Quality of Life conference. The overarching mission of the conference is to identify “purple” issues, or those who affect the entire European theater for all service members and their families. All delegates have converged here after soliciting and compiling inputs from our local environments in order to elevate the most pertinent concerns.

The diverse combination of personnel here is truly a wonder to behold. This is my first conference of this type and I’m absolutely impressed after just one day! All levels of the chain-of-command are represented here for the entire European theater. My grass-roots voice has the potential to carry to the upper most echelons of leadership. After hearing the opening remarks from last night’s icebreaker social to this morning’s senior leader briefings, I know that I will be heard.

My focus group is focused on Community Services to include entitlements, benefits, legal services, financial services, PCS moves, and much more. We a committed to engaging with each other to prioritize our hardest-hitting issues in a professional and meaningful environment. Already this morning we covered the walls with yellow sticky notes in order to help us get the “big picture.” I can’t wait to get back to the action and engage with the spouses, dependents, active duty, and civilians that comprise my group. Last night we were strangers, but now, we are a “purple” team.

Air Force 1st Lieutenant Thomas G. Lanigan
USAFE, 86 Airlift Wing, Ramstein Air Base, Germany

I was at EUCOM for about two months when I heard of a section within EUCOM called Quality of Life (QoL). Now I have to admit, when I first heard of the QoL section, I had no idea what they did let alone what their mission at EUCOM was. In my many years of being in the Army, I have never heard of a section within a command whose main function was improving the quality of life for its military and family members.

Obviously, I had a few questions…what do they do and more importantly, what happens at these conferences? Quite frankly, what is Quality of Life?

After attending various meetings on the preparation for this conference, I still didn’t get it…until I was given the Quality of Life report from 2009. Then I gained an understanding of the importance of this section and the importance of its yearly conference.
On Monday, March 8th, the U.S. European Command will kick off their annual Quality of Life (QoL) Conference. It will concentrate on developing new ideas and solutions to improve the quality of life for EUCOM’s military and family members.

Some of the issues that came out of last year’s conference dealt with access to behavioral/mental health counselors, mental/health care for wounded warriors, teens at risk, behavior awareness and prevention, remote location for OB/GYN travel for family members of uniformed members assigned overseas and cost of living allowances. These are only a few issues that the QoL team is continuously working on to find solutions.

One issue discussed last year brought to light the need to deal with the stigma in dealing with mental health care. No matter how you slice it, everyone knows there is a stigma associated with seeing a mental health specialist. From this issue the Behavioral Health Care Bill of Rights was born, which was a major accomplishment.

This document was developed to help combat that “mental health” stigma and it addresses various other issues associated with seeking mental health care. Admiral James Stavridis, the European Command Commander, and each service component commanders showed their support by signing the document.

Bringing together representatives from each component, various government agencies, and family members, to include teenagers…yes teenagers, is what makes this conference unique. Through their collaboration, what they call a “Top 10” was developed and revealed on the last day of the conference. The Top 10 are the major theater wide QoL issues that they came up with simply by rolling up their sleeves, sitting down and getting to it. I am very interested to see what the top 10 will be for this year.

Well, I am leaving today to get set up for the conference. I, as well as others, will be blogging throughout the conference. Make sure you check out the QoL conference web page on the EUCOM website to get the most up to date information and the latest blog entries.

Army CPT Elizabeth M. Griffith
U.S. European Command Public Affairs

It is no secret that EUCOM remains committed to enduring partnerships and increased interoperability with NATO.... look at any Directors calendar and you'll probably notice how busy we all are towards that commitment.  This year marks the third EUCOM-led logistics exercise, which is a Command Post Exercise (CPX) that is based on NATO doctrine which uses a multinational approach in supporting deployed forces in NATO-led out of area operations, and easily follows EUCOM's them of "Stronger Together."   

Anticipation and excitement are growing as efforts are in full swing now for LOGEX 10 that will be conducted September 6-17, 2010, at Mihail Kogalniceanu (MK) Air Base, Romania.  I am pleasantly surprised to see that this year's exercise has grown from three nations last year to five nations this year, and include participants from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.  In fact, interest is also peaking for observer nations who also recognize the importance and strategic value of conducting multinational operations.  Since the Initial Planning Conference in September 2009, we have doubled our list of observer nations and I receive calls every so often from other Nations asking how they can become involved or contribute.  I'm already looking forward to the partnership opportunities in LOGEX 11 with Ukraine and Georgia.   

Participants at the LOGEX 2010 Mid Planning Conference in Sophia, Bulgaria.

As part of the LOGEX 10 Series, our good friends in Bulgaria hosted the Mid Planning Conference (MPC) in Sofia February 22-26 with a small contingent of representatives from the five nations above.  Attendees discussed the details of execution in September and came to new agreements that were codified in a newly signed Exercise Specification  (EXSPEC) Document. I've quickly learned that if a single detail or requirement is not captured in the EXSPEC, it won't happen without a lot of extra coordination.  As an added feature, the MPC also included the Main Event List / Main Incident List (MEL/MIL) Development Workshop.  For the non LOGEX-series enthusiasts, this is equates to Master Event Scenario List (MESL) development/scripting as used in U.S. exercise planning control groups.  The next series of events will consists of independent country workshops designed to develop the logistics and transportation annexes of the NATO Operational Plan (OPLAN) that will be used to conduct the exercise. 

By all accounts, the MPC was a great success and everyone worked hard to include each and every detail possible....but time will tell, however there is much, much more to accomplish because we have eight more events to conduct prior to execution.  My special thanks to LTC Chavdar Ivanov and his team from the Bulgarian MOD for hosting the MPC, and coordinating the multitude of events that took place during the week.  As we move forward in the LOGEX series and continue to share ideas and experiences, it will become evident that the more we work together... the stronger together we become.  

See you at the workshops.

MAJ Matt Williams
U.S. European Command Logistics

The family photograph of delegates at Lancaster House attending the Afghanistan, The London Conference in London, UK Jan. 28, 2010. (Photo by: Geoff Caddick/newsteam.co.uk/Crown Copyright - For editorial purposes only - For further inquiries please contact News Team International)

I'm in California this week to give a couple of talks on NATO, Europe, and cyberspace – all of which have a lot in common. I'll be speaking up north in Monterey, and down south in San Diego. It is always pleasant to return to the west coast where I spent so much of my seagoing career – well over a decade in four assignments at sea. Both of my daughters were born here, as well. California is full of memories.

Yet, at the moment, I am thinking about a superb international event that happened last week: the International London Conference on Afghanistan. Last week, I wrote about my last trip to Afghanistan as we prepared for it. The media has thoroughly covered the conference (here’s a sample of recent coverage, based on an interview with me), and you can watch key presentations online, like this one from Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s review of the conference on his video blog. So rather than reiterating what's already been said, I thought I'd share with you some personal thoughts and impressions, and my interpretations of the atmospherics.

First of all, it was held in the historic Lancaster House, literally around the corner from Buckingham Palace. Given the seniority of the delegations, the crush of black SUVs pulling up to the front door was staggering. As I walked into the ornate Victorian building, I felt a real sense of luck to be part of the NATO team led by our Secretary General. As I saw 80 delegations from around the world gather to reaffirm their support for Afghanistan, I was amazed, excited and -- above all else -- honored to play a small part in this essential effort, working with so many smart, dedicated professionals, both in and out of uniform from so many countries.

I was struck by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's sense of resolve. The British, of course, have a long history in Afghanistan and understand it well in all of its challenges and opportunities. The Prime Minister clearly believes in the mission, and was particularly welcoming to who spoke after him.

His Excellency Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, at Lancaster House speaking the Afghanistan, The London Conference in London, UK Jan. 28, 2010. (Photo: newsteam.co.uk/Crown Copyright - For editorial purposes only - For further inquiries please contact News Team International)

President Karzai spoke very passionately about his plans for his nation in his second term. While he addressed all aspects of the challenges ahead – governance, corruption, security, economics – I was particularly impressed with his thoughts on reconciliation. I do believe some level of political reintegration of parts of the Taliban will be helpful in resolving the situation in Afghanistan, and it clearly must be led by the Afghans. The President seemed prepared to open that dialogue.

One of my very close friends in Afghanistan is their superb Minister of Defense Abdul Rahim Wardak. He was singularly convincing and moving in his speech about Afghan security forces – including an honest assessment of the challenges in building up to the right level of forces and fully integrating them with the coalition security team. I believe that process is underway and going reasonably well at this point.

In both my remarks and those of General Stan McChrystal who followed me, we spoke of the courage and tenacity of the Afghan security forces, who are sustaining 75% of the casualties in the conflict. They are clearly "in the fight,” and their capabilities are growing. I pointed out the good job they had done repelling attacks in Kabul last week without coalition assistance, as well as the increasingly complex missions they are undertaking, like the special forces raid conducted on January 4th from Afghan-piloted MI-17 helicopters.

We were followed by superb interventions (which is NATO for "presentations”) from a wide variety of nations that properly focused on governance and development, including an address by UN Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon. Secretary General Rasmussen also spoke very directly and clearly about the commitment of the alliance to this vital undertaking.

Overall, it seemed to me that there was a tangible sense of resolve and unity amongst the participants. Our strategy is clear, and while it will be difficult, there is renewed determination and momentum behind it.

After California, I'll be passing through Belgium en route to Istanbul for the NATO Defense Ministerial and then close out the week in Germany for the Munich Security Conference. The Munich Security Conference is to the international security community what the Oscars is to Hollywood … minus the red carpet, the awards, the movie stars, and the fashion. Everyone will be there, and the conversations will be fascinating. I'll fill you in next week on the details!

Adm. James Stavridis
Commander, U.S. European Command and
Supreme Allied Commander, Europe

About a year ago, EUCOM’s Logistics directorate worked with the Czech Republic at the 2008 Senior NATO Logisticians’ Conference. The goal was to develop a Multinational Logistics Coordination Center where nations could collectively develop bilateral and multilateral support agreements to facilitate the operational employment and sustainment of forces for national or Alliance missions. As the year progressed, nations began to see a host of possibilities this center could offer.

For starters, the coordination center could reduce the amount of redundancy in operational planning efforts, and improve synchronization of multinational approaches to logistics issues. It would also improve the visibility of national requirements and identify existing logistics capabilities and shortfalls.

Navy Rear Adm. William Brown, Director EUCOM\'s Logistics Directorate, signs Letter of Intent with the Senior NATO Logisticians\' Coference General, Oct. 29, 2009.

At this year’s Senior NATO Logisticians’ Conference, which was held in October at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the attendees agreed to sign a Letter of Intent demonstrating their determination and commitment to address critical logistics issues and improve nation-to-nation visibility and understanding of NATO and national support elements.

Rear Admiral William Brown, director of European Command Logistics, along with the assistance of Mr. Kalvin Huynh, Senior Web Application Developer at Computer Sciences Corporation, are working to develop a logistics collaboration tool that will facilitate attendance and participation at the coordination through HARMONIEWeb.

HARMONIEWeb was initiated in June 2006, as a joint venture between the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Networks and Information Integration and the U.S. Joint Forces Command. USJFCOM was directed to develop the platform for the exchange of unclassified information across the civil-military boundary associated with Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction or Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations.

In the short time that HARMONIEWeb has been up and running, it has already improved the military’s ability to exchange timely and relevant information with our partner nations, particularly in the critical early stages of an operation. We’re now able to synchronize efforts and accelerate successful mission completion. The true test came during the EUCOM humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations during Operation Assured Delivery in Georgia in 2008. During that operation, HARMONIEWeb allowed for all participants to have a common environment to meet and exchange ideas and information.

Multinational Logistics Coordination Center\'s virtual collaboration concept.

HARMONIEWeb provides many tools including a full MOSS 2007 portal ; real-time meeting software with voice, video and file sharing; virtual mapping with satellite overlays and custom icons; and text chat that can be translated into 15 languages. These tools allow all participants in an IW , SSTR, or HADR effort to communicate and coordinate activities regardless of nationality or organizational affiliation.
As innovation and creativity continue here in European Command through competent and capable staffs, one can only expect to see improvement in the logistics arena for NATO, NATO’s allies and regional partners for years to come.

Matt Williams
MAJ, US Army
ECJ4 Engagements Officer

Over 100 senior military and civilian attorneys from 33 nations joined together in Garmisch, Germany last week for the EUCOM / Marshall Center International Legal Conference. Participants built bridges between the diverse cultures and legal structures in our area of focus through panel discussions, plenary addresses from US and international experts, and lively Q&A.

Dean Michael Schmitt of The Marshall Center speaks at the International Legal Conference

The focus of the conference was simple – what legal issues are ‘hot’ in Europe for military legal advisers? For example, should the NATO SOFA be re-written? When do contractors on the battlefield cross the line and become illegal combatants? Why should military attorneys pay attention to climate changes in the Arctic? When is cyber attack an act of war?

The exchange of ideas was invaluable. With the strong feelings that these sensitive legal questions engender and the political ramifications of differing interpretations of the law, the opportunity to compare opinions and find common ground yields long term benefits. EUCOM and the Marshall Center are proud to provide a forum for these discussions through the International Legal Conference, and we look forward to next year, with even more international collaboration from our partners in Europe and Eurasia.

Kirk H. Samson
EUCOM Attorney Advisor

It is autumn, harvest time here in southern Germany. People are celebrating what has been planted in the spring with fests in Munich, Stuttgart and even in smaller towns like Garmisch-Partenkirchen where I have been for the last three days.

Our EUCOM Interagency Group has also this week “harvested” something we “planted” in the spring. Then we conceived of an international, interagency partnering conference to be held at the George C Marshall Center in beautiful Garmisch. We wanted the conference to focus on the “3Ds” (Defense, Diplomacy and Development) collaborating and cooperating better together. You can see from the photo below that that idea bore fruit.

VADM Gallagher, EUCOM Deputy Commander, exchanges plaques with LTG Glatz, German Army, Commander of the Bundeswehr’s Operations.

George C. Marshall Center for European Studies, Garmisch, Germany –EUCOM’s International Interagency Symposium participants from 18 nations, EU and NATO.

We had the chance to listen to how select “example” nations do “whole of government” efforts, namely, Switzerland, Germany and the US. Their examples and offers of continued assistance were helpful in building “whole of government” capacity among participating nations from the Black Sea region (Turkey, Ukraine, Armenia, Moldova, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania, Azerbaijan) and the western Balkans (Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Croatia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina).

“There is no Development without Security. There is no Security without Development”. This phrase captured the complexity of ensuring coordination among all “3Ds” in a crisis area. I found the benefit of the symposium, as one participant noted, was that we were “talking to the other D’s, not about them”.

What were some of the key best practices that were “harvested”?

1. Conduct Joint civil-military training and exercising

2. Push for personnel exchanges between Departments

3. Create civilian stand –by expeditionary capacity

4. Strive for common strategies and shared goals

I think this partnering event produced a most important additional “D” – necessary “Dialogue”. Balkan and Black Sea states, the focus of the conference, admitted that they had a ways to go in terms of building up civilian capacities. They acknowledged that their focus for the past decade has been their militaries. They now want to answer NATO’s call for implementing a “Comprehensive Approach” and we may be able to help them with a civilian-oriented IMET–type program.

Harvest time in southern Germany gave us a chance this week to reap fruit for further collaboration and dialogue. Considering our security and stability challenges our conference participants believe there is no viable alternative to a “Comprehensive Approach”. We agreed that whole of government solutions are essential. As VADM Gallagher noted, by using them we are all “stronger together”.

Mr. Mike Anderson
GS-15, Deputy Director
Commander’s Interagency Engagement Group

Senior legal experts from over 30 European nations are meeting at the EUCOM International Legal Conference beginning Sep. 22, 2009,  in Garmisch, Germany.  Co-sponsored by the George C. Marshall Center, this week-long event will encourage discussion on such emerging legal questions as:  what is the military role for ensuring energy security in Europe?  What are the legal and military challenges facing the future of the Arctic/High North in the decades to come? A multinational panel will also discuss trends in Status of Forces Agreements (SOFAs).

Admiral Jim Stavridis and the DoD's Principal Deputy General Counsel, Mr. Robert  Taylor, will make keynote presentations on the critical roles that military and civilian attorneys play in military planning and operations. Dutch Brigadier General Jos van Duurling, Danish Commodore Per Christensen, and other senior European legal experts will also present on avariety of legal issues that impact EUCOM's partner nations, including European involvement in ISAF and combined international efforts at combating piracy.

Were you aware of the multinational involvement in these military operations far outside of the traditional geographic borders of Europe?  These military and legal experts will discuss the reality of taking European military forces to international operations.

Would you like to know more?  Please send us your questions and we'll present them to the experts for their comments and thoughts.

Kirk H. Samson
Attorney Advisor, YA-03
EUCOM Judge Advocate

Rear Adm. Steve Romano, EUCOM Director of Logistics, speaks at the NATO conference.

We had a superb turn-out at the EUCOM-hosted 2009 NATO Security Investment Program (NSIP) Conference held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen March 16 to 19.  This event, held in cooperation with the NATO Strategic Allied Transformation Command,   brought together over 170 representatives from 24 NATO nations, each of the NATO Headquarters and several of the NATO Agencies to discuss the status and future of this important Alliance program in transforming and sustaining NATO missions and operations.

Chaired by Rear Admiral Panagiotis Raditsas, Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) Resources and Logistics, the event focused attendees discussions on ways to improve the visibility in resourcing alliance capabilities.  Through a program of presentations and a series of working groups, national delegates were able to present ideas and concepts to increase the transparency of this important investment program, while decreasing the time it will take to deliver capabilities to the field for the warfighter.

This is the first time that U.S. European Command has provided support of this magnitude for the annual NSIP Conference.  Rear Admiral Steve Romano, Director of Logistics, shared his insight on the significance of the event and impact the NSIP has on Alliance capabilities.  "This conference is an important event, in that it brings together the leaders and subject matter experts on NSIP to discuss the health of the program.  Why is this important?  One looks no further than to our continuing operations and transformation efforts across the Alliance, whether with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, operations in Kosovo or the enhancement of fixed infrastructure within the NATO territory.  It is our combined and collaborative planning, programming, procurement and implementation of the NSIP, together with national means, that enables the Alliance to successfully accomplish the mission"

The NSIP finances the building of facilities and communication and information systems needed to support major NATO commands and on-going NATO military operations.  Our meeting last week ensured the continued vitality of this program.

Lt Col Chris Knutson
Chief, NATO Programs
USEUCOM J4

I want to acknowledge all the delegates and invited guests who participated in last week’s Quality of Life Conference and thank you for the work you did making a difference in quality of life for Families.

When General Craddock hired me as EUCOM Senior Enlisted Leader three years ago, he laid out four priorities for me. One of them was quality of life for Service members and their Families. A couple years ago at the December 2006 QoL conference, I spoke to the delegates and laid out what I foresaw to be our greatest quality of life challenges. A lot has happened since 2006. As co-chairman of the EUCOM Quality of Life Executive Steering Committee, I’ve seen tremendous diligence as we address issues brought to us from the conferences and resolve them through the QoL Action Plan.

This year’s conference was my third and last. I’m planning to retire in a couple months. As I prepare to leave, there are some concerns I have that I hope my successor and fellow senior enlisted leaders will fight to improve. Some of my primary concerns deal with infrastructure, especially with housing and schools. We also cannot overlook quality of life and services at emerging locations within our theater. Compensation and entitlements is always a big issue with me – every one of us should be paid for the level of work we perform on behalf of this nation. In a joint environment, we must address joint basing policies and standards. We must take care of our Families, but also ensure we have the backs of our single service members, who are about 40% of our force, and minimize distinctions between single and married QoL services.

Likewise, I look to EUCOM leaders and their spouses to continue their hands-on level of involvement in fighting the QoL fight. The conference provides a great forum with diverse participation. Let’s keep this forum going, and keep the grassroots voice and the interaction with senior DoD officials alive. Deployment support is absolutely critical and we must look holistically at the process from start to finish, especially when we look at mental health care and counseling services. Finally, and probably most important – we must challenge the “status quo.” We must never settle for “this is what we’ve always done,” if we know we can do things better. We need to stand up for our people at the highest levels of government. It’s what the good men and women of EUCOM deserve.

Senior leaders must understand the dynamics of the current contemporary operating environment and push for policy changes and resources for quality of life services – it’s important to the Service member and the Family members. We are about our people; they will always be our most precious resource.

The issues we fight for aren’t easy. The solutions may be even harder. But we will fight the good fight on your behalf. Thanks for allowing Kim and me to be quality of life champions on your behalf.

God Speed,
CSM Mark Farley
Senior Enlisted Leader, US European Command

On Tuesday, members of the EUCOM Quality of Life Executive Steering Committee (ESC) met with senior Department of Defense officials.  The QoL ESC is a body of leaders that govern the Quality of Life Action Plan.  Members include the Directors of Personnel and the Senior Enlisted Leaders from EUCOM and each of the service component commands in Europe.  The QoL Conference give members of the ESC the unique opportunity to engage with senior DoD officials and carry the command's QoL message to the Pentagon. 

At Tuesday's meeting, EUCOM updated leaders on the status of active issues in the QoL Action Plan to include future steps toward successfully resolving the issues.  Each component command that provides quality of life services (US Army Europe, US Air Forces Europe and Naval Forces Europe), presented their QoL challenges and successes from the past year. 

Ed Patrick, Acting Director, Readiness Division, EUCOM Directorate of Personnel

European Command continued the Quality of Life  Conference Monday, March 9.  Speakers included Dr. Shirley Miles, Director, Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA);  Mr. Sam Retherford, representative from Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy and Jacey Eckhart, a motivational speaker,  syndicated militarycolumnist, and author of "The Homefront Club." 

The sixty four delegates, who represent a cross-section of each service component, are divided into five focus groups discussing military and family deployment support; youth, teen and dependent education; Wounded Warrior and mental and physical healthcare; single service members; and relocation and housing issues.  Delegates spent Monday morning in focus groups brainstorming ideas and sharing a myriad of quality of life concerns.  By the end of they day, each group narrowed down their issues from several to their top 10.

A reception Monday evening featured an array of hor d'eouves, socializing, and networking. During his welcome remarks, EUCOM Chief of Staff, Army Maj. Gen. Ken Keen thanked the delegates for dedicating their time to be here and said he looked forward to working with them over the next few days. 

The goal of the conference is to build on the accomplishments of the past and to cultivate new ideas for the future. The conference began in 1997 and is the only joint conference of its kind.

After months of planning we are off to a great start in Garmisch, Germany as delegates and senior leaders arrive for this year's EUCOM QoL Conference.  Excitement is high, as the only worldwide joint event of its kind lifts off.  Stayed tuned to the QoL Conference website for updates, photos and news from Garmisch.  As we say here, the voice of one can have a worldwide impact in improving quality of life for the warfighter and family.

Wayne Boswell, Chief EUCOM Quality of Life Branch

(Mr. Boswell has been the Chief of the EUCOM QoL Branch since 2004.  This is the fifth QoL conference under his leadership).

The U.S. European Command is gearing up for its fifth annual Quality of Life Conference March 8-12, 2009, in Garmisch, Germany. Grassroots representatives from throughout the command will gather to share their concerns about subjects such as housing childcare deployment support services Wounded Warrior Care issues facing teenagers and much more. During the conference the 60 delegates will have opportunities to interact with senior EUCOM leaders Component Command leadership and Department of Defense officials.

This year's conference will feature regular web updates with news articles photographs and blog posts. Stay tuned to www.eucom.mil/english/QoL_Conference.asp for the most current information or to share your thoughts about quality of life. You may also track conference discussions on Twitter by following EUCOM QoL and using the eucom 'hashtag'.

Lt. Col. Cecily Christian
ECJ1

ECJ4 sent the contracting section to the "Operational Contract Support (OCS) Planning Conference" hosted by the Joint Staff/J4 and Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Program Support). The purpose of this conference was to get a vector from senior leadership on OCS, share initiatives from Combatant Commands, update key planning documents and obtain an update on DoD OCS initiatives.

This conference took place from 18-19 February in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Attendees consisted of representatives from the Combatant Commands, Services and Combat Support Agencies (e.g. Defense Contract Management Agency, Defense Logistics Agency). Also, the Defense Acquisition University and the Joint Planning and Execution Community (J3, J4, J5) sent representatives.

Our senior leaders in OCS noted the increased reliance on contractor support in joint operations and need to integrate into planning at every level. Failure to plan our contract support integration and contractor management strategy will degrade our ability to support global missions. For instance, the contractor to military ratio in Iraq is approximately equal - highlighting the need to properly manage and account for this support.

As the conference focus shifted to the OCS Community of Interest, each Combatant Command briefed their initiatives and integrating OCS into the Joint Operational Planning Process. We presented our initiatives to enhance visibility and communication with the contracting components in EUCOM: Combatant Commander Logistic Procurement Support Board (CLPSB), Contracting Component Working Group and Assets and Capabilities Mapping. Next, we discussed the integration of OCS into our exercises and planning process. Due to the outstanding team effort within EUCOM, we are staying at the forefront of efforts to deliver OCS.

To ensure awareness of specific polices in a Combatant Command, OSD/DoD is directing the establishment of a OCS-Web portal. At the conference, a prototype version of the OCS-web portal was presented for discussion. The intent of this initiative is to inform contracting officers and requiring activities (outside the AOR) of EUCOM specific contracting policies, prior to awarding a contract for performance in the EUCOM AOR. Currently, the OCS-Web portal is projected for Initial Operating Capability at the end of March 2009.

Finally, an update on a major OCS initiative, JCASO was delivered. The
JCASO was established to provide a program management approach to
contingency acquisition requirements in response to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2007, Section 854. This purpose of this organization is to advance OCS for planning, exercises and training and, when requested by a Combatant Commander (CCDR), deploy as an enabling joint staff organization to augment the CCDR staff for OCS support during joint ops/exercises. EUCOM will likely employ JCASO in upcoming exercises--these are exciting opportunities to be on the cutting edge of OCS!

Overall, the OCS Planning Conference served as a great opportunity to focus our efforts and get the "latest and greatest" information. The level of awareness related to OCS needs to remain high - this is an area that crosses into every functional area/J-staff/career field. While ECJ4 is the focal point for OCS planning and execution, proper integration is a collaborative effort across EUCOM. As the saying goes, "if we fail to plan, we plan to fail" - this clearly applies to OCS.

We invite you to join this discussion, and to provide additional suggestions or comments on these ideas. All of us have a shared interest in enhancing OCS, and we at EUCOM look forward to further engaging with our partners and stakeholders on this subject.

Lt. Col. Raymond Barben
ECJ4