NEWSPAGE 21 August
2009

(Photo: New Zealand Defence Force)

NEW ZEALAND: Calling home easy for former Pukekohe student

(Photos: New Zealand Defence Force)

SAMOA: Students learn about helicopters during Exercise TROPIC ASTRA 09
Source: New Zealand Defence Force Press Release

Year 4 students from Peace Chapel Christian Primary School visited the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) contingent on Exercise TROPIC ASTRA 09 at Faleolo Airfield in Apia, Samoa.

The 26 students have been learning about transport and thought a visit to see helicopters would an excellent way to enhance their learning.

The visit consisted of a brief tour of the camp where students got to look at some military transport including refuelling trucks, forklifts and 4x4s.

The camp Warrant Officer, Brian Looker, highlighted to the students that to fly aircraft in support of missions like TROPIC ASTRA 09 the RNZAF requires a large team and support equipment.

The tour also included a close-up view of the Iroquois helicopter. Helicopter Crewman Corporal Luke Miller said the students were very interested in the helicopter and asked loads of questions.

“You never know one of these students may end up being a ‘crewy’ or a pilot one day,” he said.

Charlotte Letcher, the head teacher said it was a good opportunity to see different types of transport in action.

“We were quite surprised to see all the different modes of transport required for this deployment, not just the helicopters and we are very grateful to the RNZAF for showing us around.”

The Iroquois helicopters from No. 3 Squadron, RNZAF are taking part in Exercise TROPIC ASTRA 09. It is being conducted from 29 July to 1 September 2009 and is an annual RNZAF exercise designed to provide readiness training in tropical flying operations, including civil tasking and aircrew survival training for selected aircrew personnel.

The RNZAF will also be conducting flying tasks in support of the Samoan Government as directed through the New Zealand High Commission. All of the activities being conducted will simulate what will happen in real time air operations whether it is disaster relief, humanitarian aid or search and rescue and aid to local Governments.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - CPL Luke Miller and pupils from Peace Chapel Christian Primary School, Apia, Samoa.

Photo 2 - CPL Luke Miller (left), FLTLT Craig Thornley (centre) and SGT Glenn Blay take questions from the students.

Photo 3 - Group photo with Warrant Officer Brian Looker (left), CPL Luke Miller (centre) and FLTLT Craig Thornley (right).
 

(Photo: SAADA - Tualauta II Coalition)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Tualauta II Coalition receives $125,000 grant award
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega announced today (August 19, 2009) that the Tualauta II Coalition has been awarded a grant of $125,000 for the period of September 30, 2009 to September 29, 2010. Awarded by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under its Drug-Free Communities Support Program (DFC), the Continuation Award is for each fiscal year over a five-year period.

“I want to thank the Director of the Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy, Mr. Gil Kerlikowske, for recognizing the needs for local solutions to help reduce youth alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drug use in our local communities,” Faleomavaega said.

“Moreover, I want to congratulate the President of the Tualauta II Coalition, Reverend Eleasaro Fa’ata’a of the Congregational Christian Church in American Samoa (CCAS) - Petesa Tai, and all the churches, organizations and individuals involved in this worthy cause. I thank you all for your dedication and advocacy on such an important issue for our local community,” Faleomavaega said.

Under the DFC program, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in partnership with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides matching grants of up to $625,000 over five years to community coalitions that foster participation and involvement in local drug prevention campaigns. Community coalitions could be made up of community leaders, parents, youth, teachers, religious and fraternal organizations, health care and business professionals, law enforcement, and the media, all coming together for the purpose of combating drug use.

With the grant award, the Tualauta II Coalition plans to carry out several drug intervention and drug prevention campaigns including billboards, radio and television advertisements, to raise awareness about the effects of illegal drug use. In addition, strengthening Samoan families within the community will be emphasized. Building and nurturing relationships between parents and their children through evening prayer is key to the coalition.

“According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, research demonstrates that DFC-funded communities not only have lower rates of youth alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use; they reduce use rates at a faster pace than other communities without DFC grants. The underline theme suggests that community ownership and involvement are critical components in the fight to save our kids from illegal drug use,” Faleomavaega explained.

“This award exemplifies the commitment and dedication by our people in local communities. Moreover, it demonstrates that when we put our minds and hearts together for a single purpose, the end result is usually success. Once again, I congratulate Reverend Faata’a and every member of the Tualauta II Coalition and I wish them success in their efforts on this worthy cause,” Faleomavaega concluded.

Photo Caption: The Tualauta II Coalition is one of 12 Community Coalitions formed last year in March under the Dept. of Human and Social Services’ “Prevention FaaSamoa Project”, also known as SPF SIG, where prevention programs are formed by and for the territory’s villages under government supervision.

FIJI: Hibiscus to brighten up economy says Bhika
Source: Fijilive

Organisers of this year’s Vodafone Hibiscus Festival expect to make around $250,000 from the week-long festival beginning this weekend despite the damp economy.

Organising committee chairman Dhansuk Lal Bhika said the committee was optimistic of at least 250,000 people turning up for the festival, which begins Friday night with the introduction and interview of the contestants on stage at Albert Park.

“The preparation for the festival is well under control and we are inviting people to come and enjoy the entertainment that the Hibiscus festival has to offer,” Bhika told FijiLive.

All the activities will be held at Albert Park for the convenience of people, he said.

The Fiji Arts Council has arranged a variety of entertainment programs this year such as performances by the Natokatoka dance group and Dance Fiji, the revival of the Adi Senikau pageant after a lapse of four years and a Chinese acrobatic team show.

“I am very thankful to the Fiji Arts Council for providing professional and quality programs,” said Bhika.

A medical team will be at Albert Park to check for HIV/AIDS, H1N1, blood pressure and other illnesses.

Bhika said all the stalls were sold out; there will be 15 flea market stalls and 49 amusement stalls.

“Some new machines have been brought in for the enjoyment of children and we will have the previous sizzlers, ferries wheel and other rides for adults as well,” he said.

“Despite the bad times, this is the first time in the history of the festival that the Hibiscus committee has got on board 82 contestants in this mother of all festivals.”

Tickets for shows will range from $3 to $5 while the Miss Senikau Pageant tickets are priced at $25.

The Hibiscus Festival starts this Friday, August 21, with a march on Saturday to mark its official launch.

It ends on Saturday the 29th of this month with the crowning of the Hibiscus Queen, King, Lady, Teen and Hibiscus Princess among other categories.
 

NEW CALEDONIA: Tramond takes command in New Caledonia
Source: Oceania Flash via Pacific Islands Report

New Caledonia-based French armed forces (FANC) have a new commander. He is two-star brigadier General Olivier Tramond, 59.

Tramond, who took office on Monday (August 10, 2009) during his first public appearance when he laid a wreath on the capital Nouméa’s war memorial, takes over brigadier general Martial de Braquilanges, who has been at the helm of the FANC for the past two years.

General Tramond’s recent postings include the head of military cabinet at the French Prime minister’s office.

He also took an active part in the recent new French defence White Paper.

The strategic paper, for the French armed forces in the Pacific region, describes New Caledonia as the new "entry point", with most of the staff and equipment based there.

The armed forces in New Caledonia are about two-thousand strong, including about half of this in the land forces.

Under the review, New Caledonia is poised to a fifteen percent cut within its current staff, about three hundred personnel, by 2011.

Upon taking up office this week, General Tramond said one particular focus of his mission would be to further already growing exchanges with neighbouring defences forces, especially those in Australia and New Zealand.

France, Australia and New Zealand, since the early 1990s, are signatories to a so-called "FRANZ" pact which was originally designed to pool and coordinate resources in situations such as relief to populations hit by natural disaster in neighbouring Pacific island countries.

Over the past few years, however, it is also envisaged to extend the "FRANZ" alliance to a coordinated effort to better monitor the South Pacific Ocean, especially in the face of growing unreported and illegal fishing activities.

"Our relations with Australia and New Zealand are very positive … We are aware of the fact that the Australians and the New Zealanders want to develop relations with the French army, under the framework of NATO when it comes to forces in Afghanistan, but also in the (Pacific) region.

France, Australia and New Zealand, but also armies and defence forces from the Southwest Pacific region (Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Tonga) have in recent years taken part in joint exercises with, typically, a real-life scenario combining natural disasters and civil and political unrest affecting a fictitious island country.

One of such exercises, codenamed "Southern Cross", takes places in New Caledonia every second year.

General Tramond, who arrived in New Caledonia on Friday last week, was officially appointed to the position of Commander of the FANC at a French cabinet meeting on July 13, 2009.

French-Australian mutual logistic defence support

In September 2008, as part of an official visit to Australia and talks with then Australian Defence minister Joel Fitzgibbon, French Defence minister Hervé Morin announced France was to grant logistic support to Australian naval forces through what is to become its main defence base in the Pacific: New Caledonia.

"We are very keen to do all we can to promote peace, stability and prosperity amongst our near neighbours and this agreement gives us additional flexibility and a better capacity to deal with any contingencies that might arise in that part of the region," Fitzgibbon said.

The closer links are set to materialise through a reciprocal agreement allowing soldiers from Australia to benefit from "logistic support" in New Caledonia, which has been designated as France's new military "regional pole" for the whole of the Pacific Ocean.

"Australia has a longstanding Defence relationship with France and … (we) discussed … progress of negotiations on a Mutual Logistics Support Arrangement (MLSA) to be signed as soon as possible after ratification of the 2006 Australia-France Defence Cooperation Agreement, which is anticipated to occur before the end of the year. The MLSA will facilitate enhanced cooperation in the provision of logistic support to each other regionally and globally, in situations such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the South Pacific", Fitzgibbon said in a statement after his meeting with Morin.

Security in the Pacific region

The French Defence minister also hailed the good relationship between Paris and Canberra, on several fronts including engagement in Afghanistan, but also in combined efforts for a more secure Pacific region.

Morin said French military cooperation with Australia was "extremely important".

Building on an increasing number of joint exercises in the past ten years, Paris and Canberra now want to further strengthen their defence links, for the sake of regional stability in the Pacific region, where France has three dependencies (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna).

Some of the focuses in French-Australian growing defence links are perceived to be a form of response to the need for regional forces to work on their "inter-operability", in such diverse situations as disaster relief for Pacific Islands or the evacuation of foreign nationals in a regional state, should the need arise.

In the Pacific Ocean, and in terms of interaction with regional forces, New Caledonia (where about 1,700 defence personnel are currently based) is perceived to be France's focal point, in the heart of Melanesia (a sub-region dubbed by Australia the "Melanesian arc of instability").

"What we are doing in New Caledonia and in the Pacific, we're doing everywhere else where we have military establishments. We have decided to create what we call 'defence bases'. In essence, they are support facilities that rely on shared, inter-army resources. So instead of having support facilities for each army, we are now going to share all this so we can gain in effectiveness and save on the operating costs, which is now absolutely necessary for equipment and modernising our forces", Morin explained.

"So New Caledonia is going to become our Pacific Defence base, a regional focal point. It will concentrate most of our resources, including those deployed if assistance is required in French Polynesia, in case of natural disaster, in case of need. There will still be forces in French Polynesia, but much less, we will only retain aerial capacity and others to protect the Exclusive Economic Zone there. But most of the resources, including support and command, will be based in New Caledonia", he said.

The White Paper recommended across the board cuts to the tune of some 50,000 men in the French army.

But New Caledonia does not seem to be affected by the cuts, since it is now regarded by Paris, in its new defence system, as the regional platform for the French army in the Pacific Ocean.

Those reforms are scheduled to be gradually implemented from 2011 onwards and New Caledonia was chosen also because it was the closest French Pacific territory to Australia.
 

(Photos: MAJ Tauapai Laupola)

WORLDWIDE: Second Lieutenant Philip Yandall commissioned into U.S. Army
Source: MAJ Tauapai Laupola

Second Lieutenant (2LT) Philip G. Yandall was amongst the 8 newly commissioned officers from the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Army ROTC Summer Commissioning program 12 August 2009. The purpose of the ceremony was to give the newly commissioned officer their oath to become officers in the US Army, pin their 2LT ranks and render their first salute.

2LT Yandall receives his oath from his father, Chief Warrant Officer 5 (CW5) Robert Totolua Yandall, while his mother Gwen and sister Christina Yandall pin on his 2LT ranks. He receives his first salute from Marine, Lance Corporal Patrick Nolan. After he returns the salute, 2LT Yandall presents a silver dollar to Lance Corporal Nolan. It’s an Army tradition that newly commissioned 2LT presents a silver dollar to the first enlisted Soldier who salutes them. The coin symbolically acknowledges the receipt of respect due the new rank and position.

2LT Philip Yandall is the son of CW5 Robert Totolua & Mrs Gwen Yandall. The newly graduate of NCSU also receives a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and an active duty commission. 2LT Yandall is Branch Infantry and is planning to follow his dad as a member of the US Army Special Operations Command.

Families and friends of the Yandalls were present to witness the commissioning ceremony. Each officer was given an opportunity to be commissioned individually as the master of ceremony read out the name of the person that will administer the oath, pin-on the ranks and the service member that will renders the first salute.

Each individual officer was given an opportunity to address the audience during the program. 2LT Yandall thanks the instructors for their hard work and acknowledge all of his uncles and aunties (SgtMaj Joseph Yandall (RET,) Philip Yandall, Thomas Yandall, Tagilima Yandall, Saitaa Yandall and aunty Gail)that traveled for the ceremony and especially his parents and his sister for their love and support through out his ROTC years; “I know its hard to follow dad’s footsteps, serving faithfully and honorably to the US Army over 37 years with 5 more years to go before he retires, but I’ll strive to do the best I can.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Photo Ops of the commissioning ceremony of 2LT Philip G Yandall at North Carolina State University 12 August 2009 while his mother Gwen (left) and sister Christina pin-on 2LT Yandall's ranks.

Photo 2 - Photo Ops taken after 2LT Philip Yandall commissioning ceremony at the North Carolina State University 12 August 2009. L-R: Philip Yandall, W5 Robert Yandall, Saitaa Yandall, 2LT Philip G Yandall, Tagiilima Yandall, SgtMaj Joseph Yandall & Thomas Yandall.

Photo 3 - Photo taken at CW5 Robert & Gwen Yandalls residence when everybody was in Fayetteville, NC for 2LT Philip G. Yandall's North Carolina State University Army ROTC Commissioning Ceremony that was held on August 12, 2009.