A Press Roundtable on Ft. Hood Shootings
Sponsored by the National Institute of Military Justice, Military Reporters & Editors, and the Medill National  Security Journalism Initiative

Date: Friday, November 20, 2009

Time: 9AM – 11AM

Place:  Zenger Room at the National Press Club, 529 14^th Street NW, Washington, DC  20045

Contact / RSVP: Irina Vayner at 202-274-4322 or ivayner@wcl.american.edu

 Refreshments will be provided.

See attachment flyer: http://militaryreporters.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Press-Roundtable-Invitation.pdf

Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Sorenson, chief information officer/G-6, will present “Army Modernization and The Network” at the Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Crystal City, Va.

Advance registration using the weblink below may be completed through Tuesday, Nov. 10. Otherwise, you may register on site. Please indicate if you are press. Questions regarding registration may be directed to Christine Goedkoop at (703) 907-2687.

 For more information, visit http://www3.ausa.org/forms/ia_forms.nsf/ilwbreakfast/nov09np?opendocument

By MissionReadiness.org

**MEDIA ADVISORY** New Report Reveals That 75 Percent Of Young Americans Are Unfit For Military Service

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Oct. 30, 2009
Media Contact: Ted Eismeier
Cell: 315-335-9222, E-mail: ted@missionreadiness.org     Education Secretary Duncan, former NATO Supreme Commander General Wesley Clark, Retired military leaders say early learning key to reversing national security threat

WASHINGTON, D.C. — According to an alarming new report, 75 percent of young people ages 17 to 24 are unable to enlist in the military because they fail to graduate high school, have a criminal record, or are physically unfit. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and some of America’s top retired military brass will hold a news conference at the National Press Club Thursday to call for immediate action to address this national security threat.
 
The retired military leaders and Secretary Duncan will call for greater investment in high-quality early learning programs to ensure that more young people graduate, obey the law, and have the option of military service if they choose that path. They will also release state-specific data on the number of young Americans unable to serve in each state.
 
WHO:                         
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan - U.S. Department of Education
General Wesley K. Clark, U.S. Army (Ret.) - Former Supreme Allied Commander – NATO
Major General James A. Kelley, U.S. Army (Ret.) – Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense
Brigadier General John W. Douglass, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) - Former Assistant Secretary of the Navy   
Rear Admiral James Barnett U.S. Navy (Ret.) - Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Federal Communications Commission                   
 
WHAT:                     
News Conference   
 
WHEN:               
Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009
2:30 p.m. EDT
 
WHERE:                     
National Press Club, The Lisagor Room
529 14th St NW, Washington, D.C.
202-662-7500
 
LOGISTICS:               
Secretary Duncan will join retired military leaders for a news conference beginning at 2:30 p.m. Media packets with background information and research reports with state-specific data will be available.
 
VISUAL:                     
Retired generals with education secretary; chart depicting ratio of young people unable to enlist

###

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Ted Eismeier
Communications Associate
Mission: Readiness — Military Leaders for Kids

Cell: 315.335.9222
Direct: 202.464.5350

1212 New York Ave NW, Suite 300
Washington, D.C. 20005

Mission: Readiness is the nonprofit, bi-partisan organization of senior retired military leaders ensuring continued American  security and prosperity into the 21st century by calling for smart investments in the next generation of American children.

The Medill National Security Journalism Initiative at Northwestern University is pleased to invite applications for three research fellowships.
The goal of the six-month fellowships is to produce actionable research on topics of national security, defense and civil liberties that will inform journalistic practice and help increase public engagement in these important topics. The fellowship program is made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation in conjunction with the Medill School of Journalism’s McCormick Foundation-sponsored national security initiative.

The fellowships and the Initiative are aimed at raising the level of knowledge and expanding resources available to journalists, policy makers and the public concerning issues of national security. The type of research considered, for example, could be a project to raise awareness of civil liberties by examining possible reactions to a future terrorist attack; it could be a program to give the public tools to track “real” costs of the fight against terrorism especially in the new Department of Homeland Security; a study to expose less familiar vulnerabilities in national security; creation of a forum for journalists and the public to share information on the nexus of regional security issues around the world and their impact on national security; or research to help anticipate and track the military’s eventual disengagement from Iraq and Afghanistan. The research is not meant to produce a series of articles, nor a memoir, but a body of knowledge that illuminates and is useful to those interested in examining national security.

Fellows will be selected on the quality of their proposals; a demonstrated interest in print, broadcast or online journalism; and a proven ability to complete detailed projects. However, we welcome applicants who have worked in other fields, including academic, non-governmental, technological and military service. We prefer Initiative fellows to be in residence for most of their fellowship. The three fellows will participate in the life of the university and engage with other professionals and scholars in the wide field of national security. The fellows also will mentor students and interact with educators and journalists through classes, Web-based learning and professional conferences.
The fellowships each include a $45,000 stipend plus benefits for the six months.
Some travel allowance and research costs are available.

Office space, computer, printer and telephone are also provided.

The first fellowship will begin in the first half of 2010 and the other two start in 2011.

Applicants must submit the following postmarked by October 31, 2009.

A complete application includes:

1. A one-page summary of the proposed project and brief explanation of the need it would fill

2. Your resume/curriculum vitae

You will receive a follow-up contact confirming receipt of your application.

In a two-step process, invitations will be sent to selected candidates by December 1 asking for a more detailed proposal and letters of recommendation.

Please mail the required material to:

Timothy J. McNulty
Co-director, National Security Journalism Initiative
Medill School of Journalism
Northwestern University
1845 Sheridan Road
Evanston IL 60208
timothy-mcnulty@northwestern.edu

A reminder to please RSVP for the Afghanistan Panel if you have not done so already – seats are limited. RSVP to l-mccollough@northwestern.edu. There are some exciting additions to the panel: Jamie McIntyre will be moderating and there will be two additional expert panelists, Conrad Crane and John Wood. Ali Jilali is no longer able to join the panel.

The updated invitation is below, with the bios of the new participants.

Military Reporters and Editors, in conjunction with National Defense University and the Medill School of Journalism’s National Security Initiative, will host a symposium on Afghanistan Oct. 9 in Washington, D.C.

Titled “Afghanistan: What Journalists Need to Know Now,” the symposium will feature several top policy makers and journalists in a wide-ranging discussion about the country that has re-emerged as a significant military, political, and foreign policy issue for the United States and its allies.

Panelists will discuss current issues and the history that produced them in addition to offering possible solutions to a war that is now eight years old.

Panelists will include Joseph Collins, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations; Dan Goure, vice president of the Lexington Institute; and Ann Scott Tyson of The Washington Post, who recently returned from an extended reporting trip to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: What Journalists Need to Know Now
A Panel Discussion – October 9, 2009

Hosted by the Medill National Security Journalism Initiative, Military Reporters and Editors and National Defense University

Noon to 2 p.m. at the Medill School of Journalism in Washington, 1325 G St. N.W., Suite 730; lunch will be provided.

Anticipating the announcement of increased troops in Afghanistan, a panel of experts will address the many questions about the current landscape in Afghanistan and what to expect in the future. Journalists will gain new insights to enhance their reporting as they cover this complex story. The panel, hosted by Medill’s National Security Journalism Initiative, Military Reporters and Editors and National Defense University, will feature experts on Afghanistan to both share their insight and answer questions.

Please RSVP to l-mccollough@northwestern.edu by October 6. If you cannot attend, please feel free to nominate a colleague to attend in your place.

Panelists:

Joseph Collins: Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations

Conrad Crane: Director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute at the Army War College.

Dan Gouré: Vice President of the Lexington Institute

Ann Scott Tyson: reporter, The Washington Post

John Wood: Director for Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination at the Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies.

Moderator:

Jamie McIntyre: former Senior Pentagon Correspondent for CNN, who now blogs on the military and the media at thelineofdeparture.com

Joseph Collins is a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College. Prior to this assignment, he served for 3 years as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Stability Operations. In1998, he retired from the U.S. Army as a colonel. His many publications include books and articles on war in Afghanistan, Operation Desert Storm, military culture, defense transformation, homeland defense, and the way ahead in Iraq.

Conrad Crane is the Director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute at the Army War College. A retired Army officer, he has written and lectured extensively on airpower and landpower issues. In 2006 he was the lead author for the new Army/Marine Corps counterinsurgency manual for then-Lieutenant Generals David Petraeus and James Mattis, and he has traveled widely to explain the doctrine and evaluate it in action.

Dan Gouré is the Vice President of the Lexington Institute and an analyst on national security and military issues for NBC. He has worked as an Adjunct Professor in the National Defense University’s Homeland Security program under the SNSEE since 2003.

He served as the director of the Office of Strategic Competitiveness in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for two years and then served as the Deputy Director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He worked as a member of the 2001 Department of Defense Transition.

Ann Scott Tyson is a Pentagon and military correspondent for The Washington Post. On that beat for the Post and The Christian Science Monitor since 2001, she has covered many Army and Marine units across Iraq and Afghanistan and won prizes for her coverage of those conflicts. She was embedded with the Army’s Third Infantry Division during major combat in Iraq and won a “distinguished reporting” prize from Military Reporters and Editors for her coverage of the march to Baghdad in 2003.

John Wood is the Director for Pakistan-Afghanistan Coordination at the Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. Prior to joining the NESA Center he served as the Senior Director for Afghanistan, The National Security Council, Washington, D.C. from 2007 to 2009 under both the Bush and Obama Administrations. John served 28 years in the United States Army as an Armor officer, retiring as a Colonel. Prior to his time at the National Security Council, he served in the Pentagon as the Assistant Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs – Asia, The Joint Staff.

This bronze sculpture depicts a patient from the 44th Field Hospital wearing a blue robe, freshly pinned with a purple heart. Close to 15,000 men in the U.S. Army, including Army Air forces underwent amputations during World War II.

Adm. Mike Mullen, Sen. John McCain R-Arizona and Assistant Veterans Affairs Secretary Tammy Duckworth (herself a wounded warrior) will speak, and three panels will explore what’s been done to help those “Coping with Unseen Injuries.”

In addition to the keynote speakers, three discussion panels of military and civilian experts will address topics including:

Where: Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, Alexandria
When: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Media Contact: Scot Christenson, schristenson@usni.org or (703) 203-3180.
Click here to see the complete agenda.

We’re anticipating 600-plus attendees – and candid, not-always-comfortable dialogue. It’d be great if you could join us.

Journalists are welcome to apply to attend the Media and the Military workshop, a week-long program designed to help reporters, editors, producers, and bloggers learn more about covering the military.

The workshop, which will be held Sept. 20-25, 2009 in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., provides an opportunity for journalists to learn about military training and strategy by embedding for a week with enlisted soldiers and officers.

The program pays for all journalists’ expenses, including lodging, meals, and airfare. Funded by the McCormick Foundation, the workshop is coordinated by the University of Kansas journalism school and the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth.

To apply, please contact Justin Hilley at: jhilley@ku.edu.