Federal - Executive Branch
News releases, reports, statements and associated documents from the U.S. Executive Branch, covering all aspects of the Obama administration including cabinet departments, federal agencies, regulatory and independent agencies.
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VA Amplifies Access to Home, Community-Based Services for Eligible Veterans
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care is expanding its Home-Based Primary Care, Medical Foster Home and Veteran-Directed Care programs to make them available at all VA medical centers by the end of fiscal year 2026.
VA will add 58 medical foster homes and 70 Veteran-directed care programs to VAMCs across the nation and add 75 home-based primary care teams to areas with the highest unmet need.
"These evidence-based programs allow Veterans to
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
The Department of Veterans Affairs' Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care is expanding its Home-Based Primary Care, Medical Foster Home and Veteran-Directed Care programs to make them available at all VA medical centers by the end of fiscal year 2026.
VA will add 58 medical foster homes and 70 Veteran-directed care programs to VAMCs across the nation and add 75 home-based primary care teams to areas with the highest unmet need.
"These evidence-based programs allow Veterans toage-in-place, avoid or delay nursing home placement and choose the care environment that aligns most with their care needs, preferences and goals," said Executive Director of VA Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care Scotte Hartronft, M.D. "Veterans using these programs have experienced fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits, reduced hospital and nursing home days and fewer nursing home readmissions and inpatient complications."
According to VA's Policy Analysis and Forecasting Office, the number of Veterans of all ages who are eligible for nursing home care is estimated to expand from approximately 2 million Veterans in 2019 to more than 4 million by 2039. As this population grows, VA remains steadfast in providing the highest levels of care to Veterans in the least-restrictive settings.
These programs provide an in-home or smaller care setting than traditional institutionalized long-term care. This smaller setting of care supports less risk of transmission of COVID and other infectious diseases. Many Veterans have chosen these programs instead of institutionalized care during the pandemic for more flexibility in care preferences and less risk of COVID transmission.
Smithsonian: National Portrait Gallery Announces Teen Portrait Competition Timed With Museum's 'The Outwin 2022 - American Portraiture Today'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has announced its Teen Portrait Competition, which is open to students between the ages of 13 and 17 residing in the U.S and its territories. Teens are invited to submit original portraits in the medium of photography to this national competition hosted by the Portrait Gallery's Teen Museum Council. Artwork by the grand-prize winners for each of the two age groups (13-15 and 16-17 years old) will be displayed in the Portrait Gallery in the summer. The
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The Smithsonian Institution issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery has announced its Teen Portrait Competition, which is open to students between the ages of 13 and 17 residing in the U.S and its territories. Teens are invited to submit original portraits in the medium of photography to this national competition hosted by the Portrait Gallery's Teen Museum Council. Artwork by the grand-prize winners for each of the two age groups (13-15 and 16-17 years old) will be displayed in the Portrait Gallery in the summer. Thegrand-prize winners' artworks will be on view near the special exhibition "The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today," which showcases portraits made by artists ages 18 and older. There is no fee to enter, and submissions are limited to one per person. Works must be submitted via email to NPG-TeenPortraitCompetition@si.edu by March 29.
Winners will be selected by the National Portrait Gallery's Teen Museum Council, a group of 20 high school students from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia who create interactive programs and events inspired by the Portrait Gallery's collection to increase teen engagement with the museum. The winners, along with those awarded honorable mentions, will have their work featured on the Portrait Gallery's website.
"The Portrait Gallery wants to hear what teens have to say," said Irina Rubenstein, education specialist at the museum. "We hope that teens will express themselves through portraiture and participate in this national competition. It's a chance to see their artwork on view in the nation's capital."
In concert with the Portrait Gallery's "The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today," an exhibition of work by finalists of the museum's 2022 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, the Teen Portrait Competition celebrates the art of contemporary portraiture. At the same time, this project "by teens, for teens" widens the lens to include the distinct viewpoints of young people across the U.S. and its territories.
The full list of the competition's rules and requirements is available along with more information about the Teen Museum Council. For more information on the related exhibition, on view April 29 through Feb. 26, 2023, visit "The Outwin 2022: American Portraiture Today": https://portraitcompetition.si.edu/
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency: USS Oklahoma Sailor Accounted for From World War II (Perdue, C.)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Shipfitter 1st Class Charles F. Perdue, 32, of Salisbury, Maryland, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 14, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Perdue was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. The
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced today that Navy Shipfitter 1st Class Charles F. Perdue, 32, of Salisbury, Maryland, killed during World War II, was accounted for on Oct. 14, 2020.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Perdue was assigned to the battleship USS Oklahoma, which was moored at Ford Island, Pearl Harbor, when the ship was attacked by Japanese aircraft. The USS Oklahoma sustained multiple torpedo hits, which caused it to quickly capsize. Theattack on the ship resulted in the deaths of 429 crewmen, including Perdue.
From December 1941 to June 1944, Navy personnel recovered the remains of the deceased crew, which were subsequently interred in the Halawa and Nu'uanu Cemeteries.
In September 1947, tasked with recovering and identifying fallen U.S. personnel in the Pacific Theater, members of the American Graves Registration Service (AGRS) disinterred the remains of U.S. casualties from the two cemeteries and transferred them to the Central Identification Laboratory at Schofield Barracks. The laboratory staff was only able to confirm the identifications of 35 men from the USS Oklahoma at that time. The AGRS subsequently buried the unidentified remains in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (NMCP), known as the Punchbowl, in Honolulu. In October 1949, a military board classified those who could not be identified as non-recoverable, including Perdue.
Between June and November 2015, DPAA personnel exhumed the USS Oklahoma Unknowns from the Punchbowl for analysis.
To identify Perdue's remains, scientists from DPAA dental and anthropological analysis. Additionally, scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used autosomal DNA (auSTR) analysis.
Perdue's name is recorded on the American Battle Monuments Commission's Courts of the Missing at the Punchbowl, along with the others who are missing from WWII. A rosette will be placed next to his name to indicate he has been accounted for.
Perdue will be buried on May 16, 2022, in Lancaster, California.
For family and funeral information, contact the Navy Service Casualty office at (800) 443-9298.
DPAA is grateful to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of the Navy for their partnership in this mission.
For additional information on the Defense Department's mission to account for Americans who went missing while serving our country, visit the DPAA website at http://www.dpaa.mil, find us on social media at http://www.facebook.com/dodpaa or https://www.linkedin.com/company/defense-pow-mia-accounting-agency.
Perdue's personnel profile can be viewed at https://dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaProfile?id=a0Jt0000000XhSGEA0.
DOD: Austin Places 8,500 Troops on Heightened Readiness to Deploy to Europe
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news on Jan. 24, 2022:
By Jim Garamone
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has placed 8,500 U.S. service members to heightened preparedness to deploy given Russia's continuing provocations along its border with Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said today.
Kirby said the order highlights America's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its commitment to the common defense. "As [President Joe Biden] has made clear, the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests
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WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news on Jan. 24, 2022:
By Jim Garamone
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has placed 8,500 U.S. service members to heightened preparedness to deploy given Russia's continuing provocations along its border with Ukraine, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said today.
Kirby said the order highlights America's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and its commitment to the common defense. "As [President Joe Biden] has made clear, the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interestsin response to actions by Russia that harm us, our allies or partners," Kirby said during a news conference.
The 8,500 troops are based in the United States and would be part of the NATO Response Force, if that group is activated. The American forces would be in addition to the significant combat-capable U.S. forces already based in Europe "to deter aggression and enhance the alliance's ability to defend allies and defeat aggression if necessary," Kirby said.
The NATO Response Force is a 40,000 multinational, multidomain construct. NATO has not yet activated the unit. Within the force is the "very high readiness joint task Force." This element of about 20,000 includes a multinational land brigade of around 5,000 troops and air, maritime and special operation forces components.
"Secretary Austin has placed a range of units in the United States on a heightened preparedness to deploy, which increases our readiness to provide forces if NATO should activate the NRF or if other situations develop," the press secretary said.
The personnel in these units are being told of the heightened preparedness to deploy today. What units are affected will be released once personnel and their families are informed, Kirby said.
If the NATO force is activated, Austin's order would allow the United States to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, along with units specializing in logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and more, he said.
"Again, I want to reinforce that as of now the decision has been made to put these units on higher alert and higher alert only," Kirby said. "No decisions have been made to deploy any forces from the United States at this time."
Some of the units were already on a heightened readiness to deploy posture. Austin's decision shortened the tether. "In some cases, units would go from say 10 days to prepare to deploy, to five days," Kirby said.
Austin will continue to consult with President Biden and the United States will maintain close coordination with allies and partners.
These are prudent measures, Kirby said. The United States and its allies have a good "site picture" of the Russian moves to surround Ukraine. "It's very clear that the Russians have no intention, right now, of de-escalating," he said.
There is still time and space for negotiations to defuse the situation, and Kirby urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to do just that.
Passes and leaves for the service members affected are canceled, DOD officials said. Instead of having 10 days to deploy, the units must deploy in half that, if so ordered. "They will have to make whatever preparations they feel they need to make to be able to meet that five-day commitment," Kirby said.
For different units this will mean different things from ensuring vehicles are ready to checking communications systems to ensuring the "beans and bullets" needed are there. "I'm sure there are personnel readiness things that they have to do," Kirby said. "That again, is one of the reasons why I'm not giving [out the names of] units today. The units are getting notified and we want to also give them time to talk about this with their families - this potential deployment order."
Army & Air Force Exchange Service: BP/Amoco Fuel Coming to Fort Stewart Expresses
FORT STEWART, Georgia, Jan. 25 -- The Army and Air Force Exchange Service issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
By Conner Hammett
TOP TIER(TM)-certified branded fuel is rolling out to Fort Stewart's five Army & Air Force Exchange Service Express gas stations.
Drivers can now fill up with BP/Amoco fuel at the 6th Street Express, the first Fort Stewart Express gas station to receive updated signing and canopies identical to those at BP/Amoco's gas stations outside the gate. Pricing for the new, high-quality fuel follows the same process Exchange Expresses have long relied on to ensure
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FORT STEWART, Georgia, Jan. 25 -- The Army and Air Force Exchange Service issued the following news release on Jan. 24, 2022:
By Conner Hammett
TOP TIER(TM)-certified branded fuel is rolling out to Fort Stewart's five Army & Air Force Exchange Service Express gas stations.
Drivers can now fill up with BP/Amoco fuel at the 6th Street Express, the first Fort Stewart Express gas station to receive updated signing and canopies identical to those at BP/Amoco's gas stations outside the gate. Pricing for the new, high-quality fuel follows the same process Exchange Expresses have long relied on to ensurecompetitive pricing for the Fort Stewart community.
"The Exchange is excited to bring branded fuel onto the installation," said Fort Stewart Exchange General Manager Hollie Morales. "Our remaining Express gas stations, including 4th BCT, Harmon, Bryan Village and Marne, will begin dispensing TOP TIER(TM)-certified branded fuel in the coming weeks. And our two fueling stations at Hunter Army Airfield will also offer BP/Amoco branding and fuel."
The Exchange is introducing branded fuel at more than 180 of its gas stations on Army and Air Force installations in CONUS. Branded fuel improves the Exchange's already-secure supply chain, enhancing the Exchange's support of the military communities it serves during emergencies and natural disasters.
The Exchange's fuel pricing policy--matching local competition for each fuel grade where the competition offers a similar service at the same terms and conditions--will remain unchanged.
The 6th Street Express is at 2557 W. 6th St. For more information, call 912-876-2351.
Social media friendly version: Sporting new fuel pumps, signing and canopy, the 6th Street Express is now dispensing TOP TIER(TM)-certified BP/Amoco fuel. Similar upgrades are planned to roll out at Fort Stewart's other Express fueling stations in the coming weeks. Read more: https://wp.me/p9Q7PG-1XB.
Air Force Installation Contracting Center Oversees COVID-19 Relief Efforts as Part of DAF Acquisition COVID Taskforce, Awards Contract for Critical Test Kit Materials
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news on Jan. 24, 2022:
By Steve Warns
The Air Force Installation Contracting Center is overseeing the execution of billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief, with a recent contract award providing critical materials used in the production of rapid point-of-care COVID-19 test kits.
This contract award enables the production of more than 83 million test kits a month, including those now available to the American public.
"The awards and contract vehicles our team has executed
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO, Texas, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center issued the following news on Jan. 24, 2022:
By Steve Warns
The Air Force Installation Contracting Center is overseeing the execution of billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief, with a recent contract award providing critical materials used in the production of rapid point-of-care COVID-19 test kits.
This contract award enables the production of more than 83 million test kits a month, including those now available to the American public.
"The awards and contract vehicles our team has executedensure that DOD is postured expeditiously to support the Department of Health and Human Services and the administration's efforts to defeat this disease and safeguard our nation from future pandemics," said Brig. Gen. Alice Trevino, AFICC commander and director of the Department of the Air Force Acquisition COVID Taskforce, or DAF ACT.
AFICC, a primary subordinate unit of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center, currently leads interagency assisted acquisition support efforts for HHS COVID-19 relief on behalf of the Department of Defense, DAF and Air Force Materiel Command. The DAF ACT, established in March 2020, focuses on supporting the national COVID-19 response through a decentralized framework of acquisition teams operating virtually throughout the United States. The DAF ACT fully transitioned to AFMC and AFICC in October 2021, after being led by the deputy assistant secretary for contracting, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition Technology and Logistics.
The current DAF ACT team awarded a $136.7 million contract in late December 2021, establishing domestic production capacity for the critical materials used in rapid point-of-care COVID test kits. The team also issued a Commercial Solutions Opening, a competitive program authorized by the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act that allows acquisition teams to rapidly obtain innovative commercial solutions to produce more N95 respirators, medical-grade gloves and medical-grade gowns.
The critical materials production increase, provided by that contract, was one part of the process that now allows the American public to order free COVID tests online. The Department of the Army and Defense Logistics Agency acquisition teams awarded the contract to purchase the complete tests.
"The DAF ACT team is integral to national security and the White House's plan to combat the coronavirus outbreak," Trevino said. "We directly support the DOD's Defense Assisted Acquisition and HHS through domestic industrial base expansion, or IBX, and by building production capacity for vital medical items needed to respond to the national crisis."
AFICC is estimated to guide and administer the execution of up to $6 billion in contract awards in the next two years. As part of this effort, AFICC is also expected to play a significant role in continuing to expand domestic industrial production capacity for pharmaceuticals, medical end products, testing and diagnostics capabilities, medical-based raw materials, and other personal protective equipment necessary to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic.
During fiscal year 2021, the DAF ACT executed 29 contracts and obligated $1.33 billion in support of HHS requirements. The effort included $636 million to 13 companies to expand capacity and help companies develop PPE; $69.3 million to develop domestic production capability for active pharmaceutical ingredients and $627 million to 15 companies to expand COVID-19 test kit capability.
As the DAF ACT Line of Effort 1 director, Dawn Pease is responsible for acquisition strategy development, contract award and administration, and financial and program management support. Line of Effort 1 focuses on creating capacity to expand the nation's availability of PPE, pharmaceuticals and testing capabilities.
"When COVID-19 hit, the shortfall of medical supplies necessary to respond was immediately apparent," said Pease, who is the director of contracting for the Air Force Sustainment Center's operating location at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. "In many cases, we were dependent on overseas suppliers for items such as masks, gloves and gowns. With COVID being a global pandemic, these overseas suppliers were no longer able to meet demand outside of their own country. In addition, other necessary items such as COVID-specific testing kits had not yet been developed.
"This effort (led by AFICC) leverages innovative acquisition solutions to provide immediate support to HHS and expand the U.S. medical industrial base for the long term," Pease said.
The DAF ACT has not slowed down since its test kit contract award, and has already awarded another 10 contracts worth approximately $378 million, with another $200 million planned to be awarded in the first half of FY22.
"We inherited a well-oiled machine that was moving very fast, and we continue to move that machine," said James Lawrence, lead acquisition program manager for AFICC and DAF ACT director of staff. "AFICC's role, as part of AFMC's role, is huge. Although we're pretty much steering the ship on behalf of the Secretary of the Air Force and HHS, it's an enterprise-wide effort, and we've established the structure to ensure long-term viability of this interagency effort, if needed."
Trevino attributes AFMC's six-center construct to readily synchronize acquisition efforts, a "change agent" mindset to accelerate DAF ACT execution and the support of Air Force senior leaders such as AFMC Commander Gen. Arnold Bunch Jr. and Darlene Costello, acting Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics.
"We're empowered to take advantage quickly of the power of the headquarters, the functional chain and the command chain," Trevino said. "For the past 22 months, our DAF ACT professionals have made an enormous difference for our nation and are capturing the lessons learned to prepare proactively for future national emergencies."
Trevino also credits her team in balancing her duties as DAF ACT director and AFICC commander.
"Collectively, we work side-by-side with each other to accomplish the COVID-19 pandemic response mission for our nation, HHS and DOD," Trevino said. "Everything we have achieved and will aspire to accomplish in 2022 is because of our team's alignment and because we communicate, trust each other and do it together."
Air Force Heritage Flight Flyover Scheduled to Support Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles
ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news on Jan. 24, 2022:
Five aircraft representing the Air Force's 75 years as a service will conduct a first-of-its-kind flyover during the national anthem performance at Super Bowl LVI, Feb. 13, over SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Air Force Heritage Flight represents the service's ability to innovate, accelerate and thrive since its evolution from the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1947.
The Heritage Flight flyover will feature:
- P-51 Mustang from the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation, Chino, California
- A-10
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ARLINGTON, Virginia, Jan. 25 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news on Jan. 24, 2022:
Five aircraft representing the Air Force's 75 years as a service will conduct a first-of-its-kind flyover during the national anthem performance at Super Bowl LVI, Feb. 13, over SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The Air Force Heritage Flight represents the service's ability to innovate, accelerate and thrive since its evolution from the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1947.
The Heritage Flight flyover will feature:
- P-51 Mustang from the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation, Chino, California
- A-10Thunderbolt from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona
- F-16 Fighting Falcon from Shaw AFB, South Carolina
- F-22 Raptor from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia
- F-35 Lightning from Hill AFB, Utah
There will be a live pre-game stream from the formation while they get into position in the sky and will include special interviews and segments. Viewers can tune in to the Air Force Facebook page at 6 p.m. ET for the broadcast.
The U.S. Air Force performs close to 1,000 flyovers a year, which serve as a way to showcase the capabilities of its aircraft while also inspiring patriotism and future generations of aviation enthusiasts. These flyovers are done at no additional cost to the taxpayer and serve as time-over-target training for Air Force pilots, aircrew and ground control teams.
