In accordance with the Military Commissions Act of 2006, the Convening Authority has the sole discretion to determine what charges will be referred to trial. In exercising her independent judgment, the Convening Authority, Ms. Susan Crawford, has referred to trial charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. The five accused will be tried jointly, and the cases are referred as capital for each defendant, meaning they face the possibility of being sentenced to death.

The Convening Authority has dismissed without prejudice the sworn charges against Mohamed al Kahtani. Because the charges were dismissed without prejudice, the government has the option of charging Kahtani separately, but he will not be tried with the other accused in this case.

The charges allege a long-term, highly-sophisticated, organized plan by al Qaeda to attack the United States. Each of the accused is charged with conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, terrorism and providing material support for terrorism.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali are also charged with hijacking aircraft.

The charges allege that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks by proposing the operational concept to Usama bin Laden as early as 1996, obtaining approval and funding from Usama bin Laden for the attacks, overseeing the entire operation, and training the hijackers in all aspects of the operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash is alleged to have administered an al Qaeda training camp in Logar, Afghanistan where two of the September 11th hijackers were trained. He is also alleged to have traveled to Malaysia in 1999 to observe airport security by US air carriers in order to assist in formulating the hijacking plan.

Ramzi Binalshibh is alleged to have lived with the Hamburg, Germany al Qaeda cell where three of the 9/11 hijackers resided. It is alleged that Binalshibh was originally selected by Usama bin Laden to be one of the 9/11 hijackers and that he made a “martyr video” in preparation for the operation. He was unable to obtain a US visa and, therefore, could not enter the United States as the other hijackers did. In light of this, it is alleged that Binalshibh assisted in finding flight schools for the hijackers in the United States, and continued to assist the conspiracy by engaging in numerous financial transactions in support of the 9/11 operation.

Ali Abdul Aziz Ali’s role is alleged to have included sending approximately $120,000 to the hijackers for their expenses and flight training, and facilitating travel to the United States for nine of the hijackers.

Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi is alleged to have assisted and prepared the hijackers with money, western clothing, traveler’s checks and credit cards. He is also alleged to have facilitated the transfer of thousands of dollars between the accounts of alleged 9/11 hijackers and himself on September 11, 2001.

The military commissions provide the following protections for the accused: to elect not to testify at trial and to have no adverse inference drawn from it; to be represented by detailed military counsel, as well as civilian counsel of his own selection and at no expense to the government; to examine all evidence presented to a jury by the prosecution; to obtain evidence and to call witnesses on his own behalf including expert witnesses; to confront and cross-examine every witness called by the prosecution; to be present during the presentation of evidence; to have no statements obtained by torture admitted; to have a military commission panel (jury) of at least five military members (12 in a capital case) determine guilt or innocence by a two-thirds majority, or in the case of a capital offense, at least 12 members must unanimously decide to impose a sentence of death; and the right to an appeal to the Court of Military Commission Review, then through the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to the U. S. Supreme Court.

These protections are guaranteed to the defendant under the Military Commissions Act, and are specifically designed to ensure that every defendant receives a fair trial, consistent with American and international standards of justice and the rule of law.

The charges are only allegations that each accused has committed a war crime under the Military Commissions Act. The accused are presumed innocent of any criminal charges unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt at a military commission.

The military must balance “today’s demands versus tomorrow’s contingencies; irregular and assymetric threats versus conventional threats,” Gates said in a keynote speech before a Heritage Foundation-sponsored seminar titled, “The Military Beyond Iraq,” held at the Broadmoor resort here.

“As the world’s remaining superpower, we have to be able to dissuade, deter, and if necessary, respond to challenges across the spectrum.” he said.

Gates noted that “there is a good deal of debate” about whether the military is overemphasizing current demands, particularly in Iraq, to the deteriment of preparing for other potential risks.

Some people believe the resources expended and attention paid to operations in Iraq adversely affect U.S. military planning for potential different threats, compromises the ability to confront a contingency elsewhere in the world, and over-stresses U.S. ground troops, particularly the Army’s, Gates said.

The defense secretary described the concern as “Next-War-itis.”

It is difficult to predict future threats, Gates said. But he acknowledged, without naming countries, that today some “rising and resurgent powers with new wealth and ambition are pursuing military modernization programs. They must be watched closely and hedged against.”

Yet, finite knowledge and limited resources compel the United States to make choices and set priorities for its national security planning, Gates said.

“It is hard to conceive of any country confronting the United States directly in conventional terms — ship to ship, fighter to fighter, tank to tank — for some time to come,” he said.

But he added that “asymmetrical” warfare has confronted the United States and other nations for a quarter of a century now, and it likely will continue to be a pressing security issue in coming years. Guerilla fighters confronted the then-Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the late 1970s through the 1980s, and the United States fought guerrillas in Somalia in 1993, Gates noted.

Today, the Israelis are fighting guerillas in Lebanon, he said, while the United States is engaged in asymmetric battles against terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Smaller, irregular forces — insurgents, guerillas, terrorists — will find ways, as they always have, to frustrate and neutralize the advantages of larger, regular militaries,” Gates told the audience. “And even nation-states will try to exploit our perceived vulnerabilities in an asymmetric way, rather than play to our inherent strengths.”

Consequently, the United States probably will be fighting irregular, terrorist forces across the globe for some time to come, Gates predicted. Therefore, the capabilities the U.S. military will require in the years ahead, he said, “will often resemble the kinds of capabilities we need today.”

That’s why it is imperative that the U.S. military institutionalize the counterinsurgency capabilities it has gained from its experience in Afghanistan and Iraq, Gates said.

“What we must guard against is the kind of backsliding that has occurred in the past, where if nature takes its course, these kinds of capacities, that is, counterinsurgency, tend to wither on the vine,” Gates explained.

Today’s procurement programs should be able to support conventional warfare missions as well as operations in the asymmetrical realm, Gates said, noting he’s pleased with the performance of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles used in overseas theaters of operation. The MRAP casualty rate is one-third that of armored Humvees, he noted.

“These vehicles are saving lives,” Gates emphasized. Extremists in Afghanistan and Iraq have increasingly employed powerful improvised explosive devices and suicide-bomb attacks as their chief weapons, he said.

“There is a strong case to be made that IEDs and suicide bombings have become the weapons of choice for America’s most dangerous and likely adversaries, and the need to have a vehicle of this kind won’t go away,” Gates pointed out.

Gates acknowledged that U.S. ground forces are stretched tight with current deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq, but he questioned critics who say the United States military needs the capability to launch another major ground operation elsewhere in the world.

The U.S. military has ample, untapped air and sea power “with the capacity to defeat any — repeat any — adversary who committed an act of aggression, whether in the Persian Gulf, on the Korean Peninsula, or in the Straits of Taiwan,” Gates said.

Meanwhile, the Army is in the process of adding 65,000 additional soldiers, while the Marines are signing up another 27,000 troops, Gates noted. Morale is good across the armed services, he said, and the services’ recruiting and retention missions are exceeding goals.

Gates rejected claims that the Army is broken.

“Soldier for soldier, unit for unit, the Army is the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped it has ever been — skilled and experienced in the arduous complexities of irregular warfare,” he pointed out.

The additional soldiers and Marines will produce shorter overseas tours, and improved programs will improve quality of life for soldiers and their families, Gates said.

“U.S. force levels in Iraq will decline over time; the debate taking place is mostly over the pacing,” Gates said.

The risk of overextending the Army is real, Gates said, noting that senior defense officials are closely monitoring statistics that indicate the stress soldiers are experiencing.

“But, I believe the risk is far greater -– to that institution, as well as to our country — if we were to fail in Iraq,” the defense secretary emphasized.

“That is the war we are in; that is the war we must win,” Gates said.

Taking care of those serving in the military today is key to ensuring the
nation has the quality of force it needs in the future, he noted.

“America’s key asymmetric advantage is our people. And getting the present
right when it comes to taking care of our men and women in uniform will go
along way toward making sure we have the kind of force we need in the
future,” Gates said.

The secretary said he has spent much of this year focusing on the current
needs and conflicts, to ensure that “all parts of the Defense Department is
at war.”

Gates cited correcting recent problems with some living conditions in Army
barracks at Fort Bragg, N.C., fixing neglected outpatient facilities at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and spending $20 billion dollars on
mine-resistance, ambush-protected vehicles to help save lives in Iraq.

“Young men and women who step forward and join this country’s armed forces
must have confidence that they and their families will be taken care of if
something happens on the battlefield,” Gates said.

Taking care of those serving in the military today is key to ensuring the
nation has the quality of force it needs in the future, he said.

“America’s key asymmetric advantage is our people. And getting the present
right when it comes to taking care of our men and women in uniform will go
along way toward making sure we have the kind of force we need in the
future,” Gates said.

The secretary said he has spent much of this year focusing on the current
needs and conflicts, to ensure that “all parts of the Defense Department is
at war.”

Gates cited correcting recent problems with some living conditions in Army
barracks at Fort Bragg, N.C., fixing neglected outpatient facilities at
Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and spending $20 billion dollars on
mine-resistance, ambush-protected vehicles to help save lives in Iraq.

“Young men and women who step forward and join this country’s armed forces
must have confidence that they and their families will be taken care of if
something happens on the battlefield,” Gates said.

After his Heritage Foundation speech, Gates traveled to nearby Peterson Air Force Base to join Canadian Defense Minister Peter Gordon MacKay and Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that opened NORAD’s new command center.

“It results from six years of analysis and testing,” said Col. Steve Lucky, chief of the Air Force Strategic Plans & Policy Division at the Pentagon.

“Although these new procedures significantly improve our ability to operate in a biological warfare environment, there is still a significant amount of work to be done to fully prepare the Air Force to meet the threat,” Colonel Lucky said. “Air Force major commands are working together to ensure the CONOPS reaches full operational capability by April 2009 and is successfully institutionalized across the service.”

Simply put, the CONOPS for counter-biological warfare outlines the Air Force approach to countering biological warfare and terrorism, as well as naturally occurring disease outbreaks. It prescribes the actions to be taken before, during and after a biological event to limit casualties and sustain mission capability at Air Force installations. Base commanders use operational risk management to evaluate possible courses of action, identify risks and benefits, and determine the best course of action for installation response.

Several additions have been made to various Air Force instructions regarding biological warfare. An example includes AFI 10-2604, Disease Containment Planning Guidance. This document provides policy and guidance for disease containment planning, outlines roles and responsibilities and identifies planning considerations.

There are also several online courses devoted to the CONOPS, including the (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) Awareness Course, the CBRN Key Leaders Course and the CBRN Survival Skills Course.

“Now the Air Force will actively implement and integrate this CONOPS to reach full operational capability and to support its long-term institutionalization,” said Colonel Lucky. “We are embedding these procedures across the service to effectively prepare Air Force installations for potential biological warfare attacks.”

NORAD, a U.S.-Canadian military organization, was established May 12, 1958, to defend North America from air and space threats.

“Both of our nations are dedicated to protecting North Americans from air attacks, and this institution remains a vital part of the defense of the continent,” Gates said during his address at NORAD’s Golden Jubilee Ball at the Broadmoor resort.

Canada has long been a valued friend of the United States, Gates said, noting he shared the podium with Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter Gordon MacKay.

Gates thanked Canada for its partnership in the war on terror. Some 3,000 Canadian troops are serving in NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. “I also thank you for your ongoing commitment to NORAD,” Gates told MacKay.

The then-Soviet Union’s launch of its Sputnik satellite in 1957 “accelerated the space race and raised the specter of attack on our homeland by intercontinental ballistic missiles,” Gates recalled. The United States and Canada set up an extensive radar network to protect North American air space, Gates said, and NORAD operations began on Sept. 12, 1957, eight months before the command’s formal establishment.

NORAD’s mission is no less important today, Gates observed, especially with the advent of transnational terrorism. Operation Noble Eagle airspace-protection missions have been flown over the homeland since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he said. Noble Eagle supplies a ready alert force, air patrols, and surveillance to the United States and Canada, Gates said. Its pilots have flown 45,000 sorties since the terror attacks, he noted.

NORAD always is on guard for enemy threats emanating from the skies or space, Gates said. In 2006, NORAD added maritime surveillance to its mission list.

Starting even before its formal establishment, NORAD has tracked Santa Claus each year as he flies around the world in his reindeer-drawn sleigh bringing Christmas gifts and cheer to children worldwide, Gates said.

“Looking back at all the years, and all the Christmases spent tracking Santa, we take for granted the advances that have been made –– like satellites in space and the ability to communicate across the globe in an instant,” Gates observed.

NORAD has steadfastly performed its important missions with creativity and innovation for the past half-century, Gates said.

“It is, in the final analysis, still one of our first and last defenses of that which we cherish most: our loved ones, our liberties, our countries,” Gates said.

“To all the men and women who have dedicated their lives to defending this continent, I thank you,” the secretary said. “As we look back on all that has been accomplished, let us also look forward to new challenges and new triumphs.”

MacKay echoed Gates’ feelings about NORAD.

“Looking back over five decades, we can be proud of everything that NORAD has accomplished and everything NORAD stands for,” MacKay said. In the future, he said, NORAD “must continue to adapt, innovate and cooperate, because our mutual security depends upon it.”

NORAD and U.S. Northern Command are based at Peterson Air Force Bbase here and are commanded by U.S. Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr., whose deputy at NORAD is a Canadian flag officer, Lt. Gen. Charlie Bouchard. Established on Oct. 1, 2002, U.S. Northern Command conducts homeland defense and civil support missions.

U.S. and Canadian military officials at NORAD are now “fusing together their mutual interests, their great planning capabilities” to improve the organization so it can successfully confront future challenges, Renuart said.

“So, we’ll continue to guard what you all value most: our families, our friends and our communities,” Renuart promised.

“That really is the legacy of NORAD,” he said.

The new program is the brainchild of clinical psychologist John E. Fortunato, who uses a holistic approach to treating PTSD at the new Fort Bliss Restoration and Resilience Center.

Fortunato conceded that his proposal “wasn’t an easy sell” initially, particularly because it wove yoga, massage therapy and other nontraditional approaches into its treatment program. But driven by the frustration of seeing soldiers with PTSD forced to leave the Army against their wishes, Fortunato pressed forward and won approval for his prototype program.

With $2.2 million in initial funding and a 1940s barracks building to rehab, he set out to launch the Restoration and Resilience Center in June 2006. The center opened last summer.

Fortunato was convinced traditional PTSD treatments weren’t long enough, intense enough or comprehensive enough. “So we set out to create a program to address all aspects of PTSD and treat the whole soldier,” he said.

The participants, all volunteers, take about one-half the doses of medications they’d typically get through community mental-health programs. “That’s because we’re doing a bunch of other things,” Fortunato said.

Many PTSD-afflicted soldiers experience “hyper-arousal,” which the center staff treats with techniques like medical massage and “Reiki,” a Japanese stress-reduction technique. Acupuncture has proven to be “extremely effective” in treating the anxiety, panic, and tension-induced physical pain many experience, Fortunato said.

There’s a big physical component to the program, too. The soldiers must walk at least 10,000 steps a day, including a daily 45-minute “power walk.” They play water polo three times a week, forcing interaction that Fortunato said many would rather avoid.

“That’s another piece of PTSD. They want to socially isolate. They don’t like to interact with other people,” he said. “So we have them interact with the people they feel most comfortable with: other soldiers with PTSD.”

Field trips during the program take the soldiers to the local mall and Wal-mart, “two hells” to many of them because they’re too big, too crowded and too noisy, Fortunato said. “We teach them ways to regulate their stress level so they can handle those kinds of environments.”

Many afflicted soldiers have trouble with concentration and memory, Fortunato said. For them, the program’s mix of physical activity and calming techniques appears to help. They do yoga; tai chi, a Chinese martial art; “Quigong,” a centuries-old Chinese self-healing method; and biofeedback, which uses the mind to heal the body. “We have a meditation room that looks like it came out of a Zen monastery,” Fortunato said.

The program aims to repair the physical damage to the “learning center” in many PTSD sufferers’ brains. That’s caused, Fortunato explained, when the body’s stress hormone is elevated too high and for too long — as it commonly is among combat troops.

“The good news is, [the learning center] is one of only two parts of the brain that can grow new cells,” he said. So his program requires participants to sit at a computer several times a day, doing mental exercises to help them regain their cognitive functioning.

While confronting the physical aspects of PTSD, the program addresses the emotional and spiritual aspects, too.

“Few soldiers come back from war without terrible images and events in their head,” Fortunato said. Many “suck it up and soldier on” in the combat theater because they have no choice. But when they return home, these issues can percolate to the surface as nightmares, flashbacks and other problems.

Fortunato’s program uses “rehearsal therapy” to help participants confront their most painful memories and experiences. “The soldier tells the story, as painful as it is, over and over until you’ve emptied it of its emotional punch,” he said. “They are never going to forget the story, but it doesn’t have to have the grip on their guts that it did before.”

Meanwhile, many soldiers with PTSD find that their combat experience has shaken their core beliefs and values, Fortunato said. A chaplain helps them review “the big organizing things in their life” as they address the spiritual piece of their PTSD struggle. “We weren’t doing much to address this before,” but it’s critical to a soldier’s healing, he said.

Fortunato said there’s nothing monumental about the Recovery and Resilience Center’s approach to treating PTSD. “If you put all of that together, it isn’t magic,” he said. “None of it is magic. And do you know what? None of it is new. All we did is, we looked at the whole soldier and tried to treat all of him.”

The “whole soldier” approach appears to be paying off. Twelve of the 37 soldiers who volunteered for the program have graduated and returned to their units. Among the recent graduates is a soldier who was in a catatonic state in August, but now is free of all signs of PTSD.

“Little miracles are what we are watching happen,” Fortunato said.

So far, only two participants have washed out of the program, both taking medical discharges from the Army.

Fortunato is the first to say his program isn’t for everyone. “This is a hard program,” he said. “[Participants are] in treatment 35 hours a week [with] daily psychotherapy, daily group therapy [and] integrative medicine. They go from 8:30 in the morning until 4:30 every afternoon. You have to be highly motivated to put up with that much treatment.”

There’s no set timetable for completing the program, but Fortunato said he’s finding six months to be optimal for most soldiers. “As long as they are working hard, we are going to hang in with them,” he said.

The soldiers formed their own platoon, which they dubbed, “the Wolf Pack.” It’s a testament, Fortunato said, to the way they take care of each other and the strength they’ve shown in admitting they have PTSD and seeking treatment.

As the soldiers work to overcome their combat stress and return to their units, Fortunato said he’s convinced the program is in the Army’s best interest as well.

The cost alone of treating a soldier — somewhere between $14,000 and $20,000 — is a bargain to the force, he said. By comparison, he said it would cost about $400,000 to recruit and train a new soldier and provide lifetime disability payments and medical care to the discharged soldier.

“So why wouldn’t you do this?” Fortunato said. “I think the numbers are all in our favor.”

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates appears to agree. He toured the Restoration and Resilience Center on May 1, calling the visit an “extraordinary experience.”

“They are doing some amazing things here in terms of helping soldiers who want to remain soldiers but who have been wounded with post-traumatic stress disorder,” he said. “It is a multi-month effort by a lot of caring people, and they are showing some real success in restoring these soldiers.”

Gates called the center an example of new approaches the military is taking to care for these troops. “This center here is illustrative of what can be done,” he said.

Gates said he’ll consider the idea of possibly replicating Fort Bliss’ prototype program to other posts.

Fortunato said he’s all for duplicating his effort, but emphasized that his program’s small size is a key to its success. The soldiers and staff all know each other, have nicknames for each other, and feel a personal commitment to each other. “We all love these guys,” he said.

Since May 7, the National Weather Service has confirmed at least 42 tornados in the southern Plains and the southeastern and middle Atlantic regions of the nation with the strongest tornado recorded May 10 as an F-4. It developed from a super cell storm that tracked through three states.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Carolina were all affected by severe weather during the weekend with at least 22 confirmed deaths, many homes destroyed and thousands of people without power. The Guard is also responding to flooded areas in Delaware after heavy rains on Mother’s Day.

In Oklahoma, Gov. Brad Henry called out the National Guard to assist emergency responders after five confirmed tornados touched down in the state. At least 25 Army Guard members are providing security support in the town of Picher after a F-4 tornado churned up a 63-mile swath of damage from Oklahoma to Missouri.

Soldiers are reportedly assisting local law enforcement in securing the area, which includes routes in and out of the town four miles south of the state’s border with Kansas. An Army Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crew is also flying aerial assessment missions for the governor.

In Arkansas, where at least two tornados touched down and tracked through the central part of the state Saturday evening, homes were destroyed in the town of Stuttgart.

“We’ve deployed 50 Guardsmen from the Guard’s 875th Engineer Battalion,” said Maj. Keith Moore, a National Guard spokesman. Moore said the Soldiers traveled from their station in Jonesboro and are providing security support at traffic control points and conducting patrols to prevent looting. The Soldiers are working two shifts during a round-the-clock operation and are expected to be on station through May 14.

The Army Guard is flying Gov. Michael Beebe and emergency management agency personnel on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter out of Camp Robinson to assess damaged areas.

“This is one of the key roles of the Guard, being a dual mission force, that we are here to support our local communities, respond to the governor,” said Moore.

After severe storms and tornados swept through southwest Missouri, nearly 20 Army Guard Soldiers deployed on state active duty to support Gov. Matt Blunt in his emergency response efforts for the towns of Newtonia and Grany. The Soldiers are assisting local law enforcement agencies with security. Eight Soldiers and two military vehicles deployed to each town.

In Delaware, tidal flooding and heavy rains led to Guardmembers deploying in six light medium tactical vehicles, know as LMTVs, and one 2.5-ton truck to assist in flood evacuations at South Bowers Beach, Kitts Hummock Beach, Woodland Beach and Slaughter Beach.

“The LMTVs can carry up to 15 people and have a high ground clearance, which allows them operate in up to four feet of water,” said Lt. Col. Len Gratteri, Delaware National Guard spokesman. Gratteri said the state’s Guardmembers are deployed from the 262nd Maintenance Company, the 261st Signal Brigade and the 72nd Troop Command.

The Delaware Guard is coordinating emergency assistance through the state’s emergency management agency with its Joint Operations and Emergency Operations Centers. A shelter area is also setup in Kent County.

The Army reached 101 percent of its goal, and the Navy and Air Force met their goals.

In the re-enlistment arena, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps met or exceeded their active-duty retention objectives. “The Air Force still faces challenges, but they still seem able to meet their year-end strength goals,” Whitman said.

All the reserve components also met or exceeded their recruiting goals, with the Air National Guard at 130 percent and the Army Reserve at 120 percent.

April “was another strong month for recruiting and retention,” Whitman said.

The Army brought in 5,681 recruits and had a goal of 5,650. The Navy enlisted 2,905 new sailors, and the Air Force brought in 2,435 airmen — both meeting their goals on the button.

The Marine Corps enlisted 2,233 recruits and had a goal of 1,577. One reporter on the Pentagon beat likened the Marine numbers as “recruiting on steroids.” Whitman said it is an indication that the recruiting environment is strong.

“The Marine Corps, if they continue to achieve the kind of success they have had, could meet their growth figures more than a year early,” he said.

On the reserve-component side, the Army National Guard brought in 6,201 soldiers on a goal of 5,538 for 112 percent. The Army Reserve enlisted 3,520 soldiers on a goal of 2,937 for 120 percent.

The Navy Reserve hit its enlistment goal of 831, and the Marine Corps Reserve hit its mark of 459.

The Air National Guard enlisted 875 airmen and had a goal of 672 for 130 percent, and the Air Force Reserve went one over on its goal of enlisting 680 airmen.

While a slower U.S. economy may account for some of the success, it only tells part of the story, a DoD personnel and readiness official said. “We had recruiting success when the economy was going at virtually full throttle,” the official said, though he acknowledged that, when unemployment rates go up, the interest in enlisting also rises.

Still, the greatest single reason for the improvement in recruiting is the availability of recruiters, the official said. “The principal thing is the growth in recruiters and the increase in benefits — money, education, mortgages and so on,” the official said.

The Army and Marine Corps have increased the number of recruiters on the street. The services also have increased enlistment bonuses and the money spent on advertising.

“Overall, the services have doubled the amount of money spent per recruit,” the official said. “When you turn up the volume on a resource, people listen.”

A C-130 Hercules transport aircraft loaded with emergency relief supplies arrived yesterday at Rangoon International Airport in Burma, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. After delivering its load — 8,300 bottles of water, two pallets of mosquito nets and a pallet of blankets — to Burmese military officials for distribution, the plane returned to Utapao Thai Royal Navy air base in Thailand.

Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating, the U.S. Pacific Command chief, accompanied the C-130 shipment to Rangoon. “He was greeted by a Burmese naval officer who thanked him for the assistance,” Whitman said. Keating returned to Thailand with the flight crew.

The delivery was the first of three planned flights in support of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Relief, approved by the military junta that has ruled Burma for 19 years.

Tomorrow’s flights will carry food and water, the two greatest needs, into the cyclone-ravaged Irrawaddy River delta. Those deliveries, like today’s, will be turned over to the Burmese officials for distribution, Whitman said.

Marine Lt. Gen. John F. Goodman, commander of Marine Forces Pacific, is coordinating the U.S. military response as commander of Joint Task Force Caring Response.

U.S. State Department officials are working with the Burmese government to allow more aid into the country, Whitman said. State Department officials said today that their personnel in Burma and Thailand are working with other nations to find ways to get more aid into Burma quickly.

“The goal of the United States government is to try to get as much assistance as we can to the Burmese people,” Whitman said.

The USS Essex Expeditionary Strike Group will arrive in international waters off Burma tomorrow and be ready to lend a hand if allowed by Burmese authorities. The group includes USS Essex, USS Juneau and USS Harpers Ferry, and is equipped with 23 helicopters, three landing craft air cushions, two landing craft units, and 1,800 Marines.

Additional U.S. military assets are on standby, ready to respond if the Burmese junta permits. The Marine Corps has four KC-130J aircraft in Bangkok, and the Air Force has six C-130s in Utapao and Korat, Thailand. In addition, the 36th Contingency Support Group, based in Guam, is preparing to provide a water purification unit and two airfield opening and operating teams to the region.

These assets already were in the region for Cobra Gold 2008, a U.S.-Thai humanitarian- and civil-assistance exercise, when Cyclone Nargis hit May 2. This year’s Cobra Gold, the 27th annual exercise, was slated to run May 8 to 21, officials said.

Nine days after the cyclone, Burmese officials estimate the death toll at 31,938, with another 29,770 missing. United Nations officials put the toll between 62,000 and 100,000. The U.N. also said about 2 million people may be refugees.

Published reports indicate more than 100,000 people were killed after a cyclone caused massive flooding in southern Burma May 3. Units from all branches of the U.S. military are being pre-positioned to respond to an official request from the Burma government to render aid.

The 36th CRG brought with them equipment needed to open, maintain and run an airfield, as well as set up and maintain communications with headquarters, and a water purification kit to provide potable water, according to Maj. Troy Roberts, mission commander for Air Force postured forces.

“Once we receive a humanitarian aid request, our team will work with U.S. government agencies in conjunction with the Burma government to get the relief supplies to those people in need,” said Major Roberts.

At this early stage, Airmen just want to do their mission and make a difference in the lives of the affected people of Burma.

“This is a very important mission, and it feels good to be able to lend a hand when it’s needed,” said Tech. Sgt. Andre Curlee, 36th Mobility Response Squadron. “With our extensive humanitarian capabilities, we can make a difference in helping out countries like Burma.

“We have a lot of compassion for the folks we hope to help. You think about what this would be like if your family was in a disaster like this, and that just builds up the compassion you feel for the people you’re trying to help,” he said.

“The Airmen will fall back on the experience they gained in past deployments, like Cyclone Sitter in Bangladesh, although this one will be on a much bigger scale,” Major Roberts added.

In addition to experience, the 36th CRG members will put into practice training they engage in on a continual basis.

“We train constantly. We don’t have a mission in garrison other than training,” Major Roberts said. “We have monthly exercises with all our squadrons and smaller exercises where we may practice bringing in a communications package to support a joint task force, such as the one that may be formed to support the relief efforts in Burma. I think this is the most capable CRG we have in the Air Force.”

In the meantime, Air Force officials remain postured to execute a hub-and-spoke type operation to help in the recovery efforts.

The Essex Amphibious Ready Group, along with 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is steaming to support potential humanitarian-assistance operations in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, which struck Burma May 1 and 2. Some estimates have put the death toll at more than 100,000. So far, the Burmese military government has allowed only one U.S. shipment of relief supplies.

“This is what we are here for,” Navy Chief Petty Officer Andres Carillo, of the USS Essex, said. “It’s our mission to help those in need.”

The amphibious readiness group includes the forward-deployed amphibious ships USS Essex, USS Juneau, USS Harpers Ferry and USS Mustin. The servicemembers are working to fill more than 14,000 5-gallon plastic water bladders with fresh water. In the event of humanitarian operations, the water could be loaded onto landing craft and helicopters to be distributed to those affected by the cyclone.

“We are capitalizing on the excess water the ship has to support the victims who need it,” said Marine Capt. Ray Howard, embark officer for 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. “We want to be able have the water distributed by the quickest means possible and be on call for help so that when within reach we can send the water via helicopter and boat to the disaster areas.”

The process of filling up the bladders requires a great deal of manpower and hard work, Carillo said.

Marines and sailors set up shop before filling the water bladders. The Essex’s Repair Division manufactured a fresh water distribution system that mirrored a miniature farming irrigation system. Afterward, both Marines and sailors prepared large boxes to store the water bladders for transport. During the filling process, they check the pipes of the water distribution system to ensure no leakage occurs.

After each bag is filled, Marines and sailors pack the clear plastic water bladders into the boxes.

“It’s great to see the Marines and sailors working together to accomplish the mission,” Howard said. “It’s a great show of joint-service camaraderie.”