Counternarcotics Engagement with Oceania · The Paciﬁc Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) conference...

Above, JIATF West members sit with AmbassadorDoria Rosen (right corner of table) as PresidentEmanuel "Manny" Mori of the Federated States ofMicronesia speaks to law enforcement members ofFSM’s National Police during the closing ceremonyof JIATF West organized maritime law enforcementtraining. -10 August 2013, Palikir, Pohnpei. Photo byJIATF West.

During the months of July and August, 2013, several Joint InteragencyTask Force West events took place in the Oceania region. There has

been a long history of cooperation between JIATF West and the manyisland nations of Oceania as JIATF West seeks to improve partner nationcounterdrug capabilities with specialized law enforcement training andinfrastructure projects. The smaller populations of Oceania nations meana closer working relationship between host nation governments andmembers of JIATF West. It is not uncommon for Ministers of Justice,Ambassadors, and even Presidents of nations to welcome trainers fromJIATF West or speak at closing ceremonies.

The first event this summer was a Transnational Crime Workshop held inJuly on the island nation of Palau attended by the Vice President of Palau,Antonio Bells, and the Attorney General, Minister Johnny Gibbons. Thiswas followed by two weeks of training with the Small Craft MaintenanceTraining Team (SCMTT) in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) inearly August. Members of JIATF West were welcomed by PresidentManny Mori, as well as U. S. Ambassador, Honorable Dorothea-Maria(Doria) Rosen, along with the Secretary of Justice, Ms. April Skilling.

This IssueCN Engagements in Oceania p. 1

TCO Workshop in Palau p. 3Cook Islands PICP Conference p. 5

IMS Training in Micronesia p. 7Meeting with Ambassador Rosen p. 11

Meth Seizure in Thailand p. 13Ambassador Brownfield Visit p. 14

Samoa’s new Chargé d'affaires p. 15ADM. Locklear visits JIATF West p. 16

New Deputy Director, Mr. Hamptonp. 17DASD for South and SE Asia Visit p. 18

Promotion Ceremony to LCDR p. 19Recipe of the Month p. 22

Maj Schramm Promotes to Lt Col. p. 23

A l l S t a f f N e w s l e t t e rVo l um e 2 I s s u e 5A u g u s t / S e p t em b e r 2 0 1 3

Counternarcotics Engagement with Oceania

U N C L A S S I F I E D


JIATF West Newsletter Vol 2 n.5 p. 1

Republic of Palau

Federated States of Micronesia

Cook Islands

In August, both Ambassador Rosen, and Secretary ofJustice, Ms. Skilling met with JIATF West Director,RDML James Rendon for an office call at the AsiaPacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.

Samoa’s newly appointed chargé d'affaires, Mr. PeterJ. Ganser, a diplomat with the U. S. Foreign Service(State Department) also visited JIATF West for anoffice call with RDML Rendon.

JIATF West's Task Force Representative to Oceania,LCDR Aja Kirksey, USCG attended the annual PacificIslands Chiefs of Police Conference (PICP) in theCook Islands. Participatoin in the conference helpsJIATF West maintain good relations with islandnations . LCDR Kirksey’s work has also helped JIATFWest asses the counterdrug needs of law enforcementin the region. --

Arial view of the Islands of Micronesia




Counternarcotics Engagement with Oceania

Members of Palauan law enforcement practice using narcotics identification kits and the second TransnationalCrime Workshop organized by JIATF West in the Oceania region. – 21 July 2013, photo by JIATF West.

JIATF West recently held a 2-week transnationalcrime workshop on the island of Palau. The

workshop took place between the 15th and the 26thof July, 2013 and was attended by various Palaulaw enforcement agencies including the PalauNational Police, Airport Police, ImmigrationPolice, Customs Police, and PostalInspectors.

Topics presented in the workshopincluded interviewing techniques,crime scene administration, crimescene photography, evidencehandling interdiction, precursorchemicals, and operations planning.Instructors for the course consisted offive members of the U. S. Federal Bureau ofInvestigations, three Drug Enforcement Agencyagents, one Naval Criminal InvestigativeServices agent, and one U. S. Postal Inspectorfrom Guam. The first week of training was presentedby the FBI and the second week by the DEA.

Counternarcotics training efforts by JIATFWest are well recognized by the PalauanGovernment. The Vice President, AntonioBells, and the Attorney General, MinisterJohnny Gibbons attended the closingceremony. In Palau, the Vice President is

also the acting Minister of Justice. U. S.Ambassador, The Honorable HelenReed-Rowe, was also in attendance(Ambassador Reed-Rowe is Palau’sfirst ever U. S. Ambassador).

The workshop was enthusiasticallyreceived by all of the participants.

Thirty one Palauanlaw

enforcementmemberscompletedthe twoweek longworkshop.




Transnational Crime Workshop in Palau

According to training liaisonLT Franz Federschmidt, USN,“Some of the feedback providedby Palauan law enforcementindicates they wish the trainingwas more than two weeks andheld semi-annually.” This wasthe third time JIATF West rana transnational crime workshopofthis type in Oceania. The twoprevious events attended byPalauan Law Enforcement tookplace in Micronesia in Augustof 2011 and in Palau in May of2010.

The Republic of Palau is anisland nation made up of achain of 250 islands east of thePhilippines.

According to a 2011population census, the islandnation has over 21,000people. Palau was part of theUnited States governed trustterritory since 1947, but hassince gained full sovereigntyin 1994 under a Compact ofFree Association with the U. S.Today, Palau uses the U. S.dollar as currency and isprotected by the U. S. (underthe compact, the U. S. Militaryis responsible for Palua’sdefense for 50 years) --

Above right, JIATF West NCIS Liaison, Mr. BillKurokawa, holds up a “Narcotics Identification Kit”used to perform pre-cursory tests to identifyunknown drugs seized by law enforcement duringcounternarcotics training at the transnationalcrime workshop in Palau. Below, A U. S. PostalInspector gives a presentation on inspectingparcels to Palauan law enforcement members. – 21 July 2013, photo by JIATF West.




Transnational Crime Workshop in Palau

The Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) conference opened with a traditional Cook Island welcoming ceremony. For the ceremony, allChiefs arrived via the "vaka" or double hulled canoe "Marumaruatua", or the Cook Islands Police Patrol Boat "Te Kukupa". Upon eachlanding, the Chiefs were challenged by a warrior, presented with garland or flower "leis", and then carried on the "pa'ata", or ceremonialchair, to the stage. Pictured is Vanuatu Police Commissioner Arthur Edmanley. -28 August 2013, photo by JIATF West.

JIATF West Task Force Representative toOceania, LCDR Aja Kirksey, USCG, recently

attended the 42nd Pacific Islands Chiefs ofPolice Conference (PICP) in the Cook Islands.The conference took place on August 26, 2013on the southern island of Rarotonga, locatedabout 1800 miles northeast of New Zealandbetween America Samoa and French Polynesia.The goal of the PICP is to improve policing in thePacific by providing a forum to share ideas andinformation on crime and policing, andcoordinating training and development activitiesfor its members. Attended by the Oceania TFRfor many years, the PICP Conference is a rareopportunity to network with numerous keyPacific island law enforcement officials while

observing the unique cultural challenges of theregion in a concentrated setting.

The theme of the conference, “Preventing crimethrough information management” set the tonefor the three-day conference. In conjunctionwith this gathering, the Pacific TransnationalCrime Network Board of Management held theirannual meeting, where they further discussedthe challenge of secure information sharingbetween countries. The incoming PICP Chairhistorically hosts the conference on their homeisland. During the conference, Cook IslandsCommissioner of Police, Maara Tetava, assumedthe Chair duties from Solomon Islands ActingCommissioner of Police Juanita Matanga.

Cook Island’s 42nd Pacific Islands Chiefs ofPolice Conference (PICP) - By LCDR Aja Kirksey,USCG




The PICP currently has 20members, represented bythe Chief or Commissionerof Police of their nationalpolice service. Theconference was alsoattended by presenters andobservers from the DrugEnforcementAdministration, theAustralian Federal Police,the New Zealand Police, theand Pacific TransnationalCrime Coordination Center,the Pacific Island Forum, thePacific Immigration DirectorsConference, the PacificPrevention of DomesticViolence Programme, thePacific Islands Law Officers’Network, and the Women’sAdvisory Network.

Rarotonga is the largest of theCook Islands, surrounded by acoral reef and a beautifullagoon of clear, calm, turquoisewater. Rarotonga’s main roadcircles the island, followingthe coastline for 20 miles.The Cook Islands and NewZealand have a freeassociation relationship,but the Cook Islands arestill an independent andsovereign state. Over110,000 tourists visit theCook Islands per year,primarily from New Zealand,Australia, Europe, and theUnited States. --

Cook Island’s 42nd Pacific Islands Chiefs ofPolice Conference (PICP)




The PICP Secretariat overcame language barriers and encouraged open dialogue and participation throughoutthe conference through a relaxed but close circular seating arrangement with all Chiefs facing one anotherand observers seated just outside of the circle. -26 August 2013, photo by JIATF West.

Police chiefs and commissioners were in attendance from the Commonwealth of Australia, the Cook Islands,French Polynesia, Guam, the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, the Republic ofPalau, the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, andthe Republic of Vanuatu, pictured here with PICP Secretariat Don Allen.

R a r o t o n g a I s l a n d

Wing is a very operational unit,most police officers have had

limited maritime lawenforcement training

due to theremoteness oftheir island

nation. FSMNational Policemembers were

very appreciative for thetraining. According to Officer in

Charge, LCDR Stephen Bower, USN,“FSM law enforcement members

Left, FSM National Police members board a vessel to train with JIATFWest SCMTT instructors during Integrated Maritime Skills Training. – 7Aug 2013, Photo by JIATF West.

JIATF West’s Small Craft MaintenanceTraining Team (SCMTT) conducted a two

week long training mission with theFederated States of Micronesia’s NationalPolice (FSM-NP) in August. Thetraining took place at twodifferent locations withthe first part atFSM-NP’sMaritimeWingheadquarters inthe city of Kolonialocated on theisland ofPohnpei. Pohnpei island is part of theState of Pohnpei (FSM is made up of fourStates that are each made up of a group ofislands). The second part of training was athree day culmination exercise conducted offislands located in the state of Chuuk.


The training was designed to providefundamental maritime law enforcement tosupport FSM National Police counterdrugefforts. Although the National Police Maritime

demonstrated significant enthusiasm whiletraining full days and on weekends.” AlthoughJIATF West has previously organized lawenforcement training in the FSM, this was thefirst ever SCMTT led training.

Below, Chuuk, Micronesia - JIATF West’s Small Craft MaintenanceTraining Team instructors, US Navy Petty Officers MA2 Keith Pona andCM1 Steve Miller (white shirts), rehearse as assailants during underwayboarding training with FSM National Maritime Police. - 10 August 2013,Photo by JIATF West.


Integrated Maritime Skills Training inthe Federated States of Micronesia




Above, JIATF West instructor, ENC Jeffrey Guiso, USN, observes FSM National Police members practice handcuffing techniques duringlaw enforcement maritime skills training in Pohnpei. – 6 Aug 2013, Photo by JIATF West. Below, FSM Police practice defense drills withJIATF West Instructors during two weeks of law enforcement training in Pohnpei. – 2 Aug 2013, photo by JIATF West.




The opening ceremony, taking place at theCollege of Micronesia’s Pohnpei Campus in the

town of Kolonia, was attended bythe U. S. Ambassador DoriaRosen; Secretary of Justice, Ms.April Skilling; and FSM NationalPolice Chief, Colonel JohnnySantos, and Maritime WingCommander, CDR Steward Peter.The closing ceremony was not onlyattended by the aforementioned, butalso by the President of FSM.President Manny Mori addressedFSM law enforcement and JIATFWest SCMTT members in thePresidential Conference Room inPalikir, Pohnpei. A pressrelease prepared by thepresident’s public affairs officecan be found at www.fsmpio.fm.

Since 2007, JIATF West hasconducted four training missionsand four infrastructure projects inFSM. JIATF West looks forward to

future partner law enforcement efforts with FSM tohelp promote stability in the Asia-Pacific. --

During the training in Pohnpei and Chuuk,SCMTT instructors covered a variety of law

enforcement topics including, maritime safety,officer awareness, interview

techniques, evidence collectionand reporting, handcuffing, vessel

boarding procedures,communications skills, basicdefensive techniques, human

trafficking, and first aid. Trainingincluded practical demonstrations

by SCMTT members as well asopen ocean drills in Pacific Class

Patrol Boats.

Instruction usually took place inthe morning followed by

hands-on instruction thatallowed FSM law enforcement

an opportunity to get instructorfeed back while practicing. Law

enforcement techniques werepracticed in a variety of

scenarios including cover andconcealment, movement as a

team, space clearing, and initial ship boarding.

Left to right, CM1 Steve Miller, USN, and LCDR Stephen Bower, USNpresent a certificate of completion to a FSM National Maritime Policemember (center). - 8 August 2013, Photo by JIATF West.

Center, an illustration of a traditionalMicronesian pattern.

U N C L A S S I F I E D JIATF West Newsletter Vol 2 n.5 p. 9

Members of FSM’s National Maritime Police approach a Pacific Class Patrolboat to rehearse underway boarding with JIATF West instructors in thewaters of Chuuk. – 9 Aug 2013, photo by JIATF West.




Above, standing in the Office of the President’s conference room in Palikir, Pohnpei, from left to right, MK2 Sean Cahill, USCG; CM1Steve Miller, USN; Hon. Doria Rosen, U. S. Ambassador to FSM; President Manny Mori; LCDR Stephen Bower, USN; ENC Jeffrey Guiso,USN; MA1 Keith Pona, USN; and FSM National Police Maritime Wing Commander, CDR Steward Peter. Below, Graduation photo ofFSM National Police members after having completed over two weeks of law enforcement training with JIATF West’s Small CraftMaintenance Training Team. – 8 Aug 2013, photos by JIATF West.

Above, the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) building in Honolulu, Hawaii. The APCSS is a U.S. Department of Defense institutethat officially opened Sept. 4, 1995 to addresses regional and global security issues with military and civilian representatives of the UnitedStates and Asia-Pacific nations.

The United States Ambassador to the FederatedStates of Micronesia (FSM), The Honorable

Dorothea-Maria (Doria) Rosen, along with theFSM Secretary of Justice, Ms. April Skilling, metwith the Director of Joint Interagency Task ForceWest, RDML James Rendon, USCG on the 20August 2013. AMB Rosen and Secretary of JusticeApril Skilling travelled to Hawaii to attend ameeting with the Joint Economic ManagementCommittee (JEMCO) and also requested an officecall with JIATF West. The meeting took place atthe Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies(APCSS) in Waikiki Hawaii. During the meeting,RDML Rendon and AMB Rosen discussed the useof Biometrics and counterdrug training efforts.AMB Rosen is a career member of the SeniorForeign Service. Sworn in as U.S. Ambassador tothe Federated States of Micronesia in August of2012, she is the eighth person to hold that post. --

Meeting with AMB Rosen at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies


RDML James Rendon, USCG, greets U.S. Ambassador to the FederatedStates of Micronesia, The Honorable Doria Rosen at the Asia Pacific Centerfor Security Studies in Waikiki, Hawaii. - 20 Aug 2013


Above, April Skilling, Secretary of Justice, Federated States of Micronesia, greets LCDR Aja Kirksey, USCG, JIATF West's Task ForceRepresentative to Oceania at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies. Lower left, Ambassador Doria Rosen, U.S. Ambassador to theFederated States of Micronesia. Lower right, Secretary of Justice Skilling, shows off photos of a recent training mission to JIATF West Director,RDML James Rendon during a meeting at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii - 20 Aug 2013, photos by JIATF West

Meeting with AMB Rosen at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies



Chiang Rai Thailand, 16 August 2013 –Royal Thai Police officers seized 970,000

pills of methamphetamine hidden in a secretcompartment of a vehicle attempting to passthrough Chiang Rai’s Tham Pla checkpoint.The seizure took place just hours after policecompleted special highway checkpoint narcoticstraining organized by Joint Interagency TaskForce West. The pills, referred to as “yaba” inThai, had a street value worth 6 million USdollars.

The checkpointtraining was a jointinitiative from JIATFWest’s new“NarcoticsEnforcementTraining Team”(NETT) along withexperts from NavalCriminalInvestigative Servicesand the DrugEnforcement Agency.The NETT was formed in 2012 to providespecial counterdrug training to lawenforcement agencies such as the Royal ThaiPolice Narcotics Suppression Unit.

According to U. S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. JamesRendon, “This drug seizure is a testament to theeffectiveness of JIATF West’s efforts toenhance the counterdrug capabilities of ourpartner nations in the Asia-Pacific.”

According to U. S. Coast Guard Rear Adm.James Rendon, Director of JIATF West, “Thisdrug seizure is a testament to the effectivenessof JIATF West’s efforts to enhance thecounterdrug capabilities of our partner nationsin the Asia-Pacific.”

This recent counternarcotics training byJIATF West’s NETT was a two day seminaron how to properly search commercial andnon-commercial vehicles. The training was

presented toRoyal Thai Policeofficers at fourdifferent highwaycheckpointslocatedthroughoutChiang Raiprovince.

JIATF West isU. S. PacificCommand’sexecutive agent forDepartment of

Defense counternarcotics support to lawenforcement agencies. Since 1989, JIATFWest has been applying DoD capabilities toconduct and support interagency operationsdesigned to identify, disrupt, and dismantledrug-related threats in the Asia-Pacific. --

Royal Thai Police authorities are successfully interrupting the flow of illicitnarcotics by means of vehicle inspection points such as the one above inChumpun, Thailand, built by JIATF West. - Photo courtesy of the Royal Thai Police.

A stock photo of bags of methamphetamine pills similar to those seized inAugust at the Tham Pla checkpoint. - Photo courtesy of the Royal Thai Police.


Royal Thai Police Seize 6 Million USDof Meth after JIATF West Training



Camp H. M. Smith, 9 Aug 2013 - Ambassador WilliamR. Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of

International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairsvisits Joint Interagency Task Force West at U. S. PacificCommand Headquarters. This was AmbassadorBrownfield’s first visit to JIATF West. AMB Brownfieldhas had an extensive career in the field of InternationalNarcotics and Law Enforcement and met with RDMLRendon and JIATF West staff for an office call and roundtable discussion. The meeting was held in the JIATFWest conference room with presentations by LtColDuncan Buchanan, USMC, and Mr. Bill Treadway. Afterthe presentations, a luncheon was held in honor of AMBBrownfield at the USPACOM Flag Mess.

Ambassador Brownfield was sworn in as AssistantSecretary for International Narcotics and LawEnforcement Affairs (INL) on January of 2011. Hon.Brownfield is responsible for State Departmentprograms combating illicit drugs and organized crimeand currently manages over 5000 employees in over 80countries with a portfolio of over 4 billion dollars.

Some of Ambassador Brownfield’s previous work inWashington included the Deputy Assistant Secretaryfor Western Hemisphere Affairs, Deputy AssistantSecretary for International Narcotics and LawEnforcement, Director for Policy and Coordination inINL, Executive Assistant to the Bureau of Inter-American Affairs, Member of the Secretary’s PolicyPlanning Staff, and Special Assistant to the UnderSecretary for Political Affairs.

Ambassador Brownfield holds the personal rank ofCareer Ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S.Foreign Service. He has received the Secretary ofState’s Distinguished Service Award and thePresidential Performance Award three times.Ambassador Brownfield is a graduate of CornellUniversity (1974) and the National War College(1993). He attended the University Of Texas SchoolOf Law (1976-78). He speaks Spanish and French. Heis a native of the State of Texas.

Ambassador Brownfield visits withJoint Interagency Task Force West

Ambassador William R. Brownfield, Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (left) walks with Directorof Joint Interagency Task Force West, RDML James Rendon, USCG, at U. S. Pacific Command Headquarters. – 9 Aug 2013, Photo by Shawn Parrish


Mr. Peter J. Ganser, a diplomatwith the U. S. Foreign Service

and former Commander in the U. S.Coast Guard paid a visit to JointInteragency Task Force West priorto assuming duties as the newchargé d'affaires to Samoa inSeptember of 2013. On the 21st ofAugust, Mr. Ganser had an officecall with U. S. Coast Guard RearAdmiral James Rendon, and viewedpresentations by staff membersregarding JIATF West’s counterdrugefforts in Oceania.

The diplomatic title, “chargé d'affaires”, a Frenchphrase meaning, “in charge of matters” is adiplomat who heads a diplomatic mission such asan Embassy in the absence of an Ambassador. Achargé d'affaires is usually a person who is alreadyworking as a diplomatic Secretary, Counselor, orMinister.

Mr. Ganser represents Samoa as the chargéd'affaires whenever the current Ambassador toNew Zealand and Samoa, Ambassador DavidHuebner, is not in Samoa. A chargé d'affaires hasthe same privileges and immunities of a regularAmbassador.

Prior to serving as the chargé d'affairesto Samoa, Mr. Ganser has served in five

geographic regions in threedifferent zones during his sixoverseas tours. According toMr. Ganser’s official Biography,he has represented the UnitedStates overseas on assignmentsin Brasilia-Brazil, Baghdad-Iraq,Holy See-Vatican City, andLilongwe-Malawi. His mostrecent assignments have been asDeputy Consul General,Islamabad, Pakistan and asChief, Consular Section, Harare,Zimbabwe. --


Samoa’s new Chargé d'affaires


Director of JIATF West, RDML James Rendon, USCG, and newly appointed U. S. Chargéd'affaires to Samoa, Mr. Peter J. Ganser meet for an office call at JIATF West’sheadquarters at Camp H. M. Smith in Hawaii. -21 Aug 2013, Photo by JIATF West


On the 5th of September, 2013,Commander U. S. Pacific

Command, U. S. Navy Admiral SamuelLocklear met with Coast Guard RearAdmiral, James Rendon, DirectorJoint Interagency Task Force Westfor an office call and presentation onrecent counterdrug efforts in thePacific. During the meeting, RDMLRendon also introduced ADMLLocklear to JIATF West’s newDeputy Director, Mr. Earl Hampton.After the meeting, ADML Lockleartook a moment to present a coin to outgoingDeputy, Mr. William Roig for his service toJIATF West and to the Department ofDefense as Mr. Roig is retiring.


Office Call with Admiral Locklear


Left to right, outgoing JIATF West Deputy Director, Mr.William Roig; Director RDML James Rendon; and U. S. PacificCommand, Commanding Officer, ADML Samuel Locklear,USN during an office call on September 5, 2013. Below,ADML Locklear, bids Mr. William Roig, farewell as he plans toretire from over thirty years of service to the Department ofDefense.– Photo by JIATF West



Mr. Earl Hampton tookover duties as Deputy

Director of Joint InteragencyTask Force West inSeptember, 2013, fromincumbent William Roig whoretired in August. Prior tobecoming the new DeputyDirector, Mr. Hamptonserved as the JIATF Westrepresentative to Indonesiaand Malaysia.

Aside from his recent work asa Task Force Representativeto Indonesia and Malaysia,Mr. Hampton brings with

JIATF West Welcomes a NewDeputy Director

Newly appointed Deputy Director of JIATF West, Mr. Earl Hampton, address staff members atan all hands meeting on the 26th of September, 2013. - Photo by JIATF West

Mr. Hampton’s educationalqualifications include anundergraduate degree fromthe U.S. Naval Academy, aMaster of Arts inInternational Relations fromthe Fletcher School of Lawand Diplomacy at TuftsUniversity, and a Master’s ofScience in National ResourceStrategy from the IndustrialCollege of the Armed Forces(ICAF) at The NationalDefense University inWashington, DC.

Mr. Hampton is no strangerto Hawaii having served atMarine Corps Base KaneoheBay as the CommandingOfficer for Patrol SquadronNINE and several posts atU.S. Pacific Command. Hiswork at USPACOM includesworking as the Chief ofStrategy and Assessments,Director to the JointInteragency CoordinationGroup (JIACG), and as theDirector of the JointOperations Center.

Earl Hampton was born inOlongapo City, Philippineswhere he enlisted in the U. S.Navy after graduating highschool. He can speakTagalog, Spanish, and a littleMandarin. He is married andresides on Oahu with his wifeand two children.

him his experience as a USNavy Captain with over 30years of service. In the Navy,he was a Naval Flight Officerand served as theCommanding Officer toseveral Air Patrol groups inJapan, Spain, and Hawaii.The numerous missionsserved by Mr. Hampton ledhim to work throughout thePacific, the Indian Ocean, andthe Middle East includingAfghanistan and thePhilippines in support ofOperation EnduringFreedom.


Mr. Vikram Singh, Deputy Assistant Secretary ofDefense for South and Southeast Asia met with

various U. S. Pacific Command staffs and Joint InteragencyTask Force West while visiting Hawaii. Mr. Singh was intown for a US and New Zealand bilateral meetings duringthe last week of September. On the 25th of September,2013, Mr. Singh had an office callwith JIATF West Director, RDMLJames Rendon, USCG.

Mr. Singh serves as the principaladvisor to senior DoD leadership onpolicy matters pertaining to defensestrategies and plans for South andSoutheast Asia. Some of hisresponsibilities include bilateral security relations with Indiaand South Asian countries (except Afghanistan andPakistan). He also advises on matters regarding Australia,Timor Leste, New Zealand, and Pacific Island States. Priorto his current appoint as DASD for South and Southeast Asia


DASD for South and SoutheastAsia visits JIATF West

in April of 2012, Mr. Singh served as Senior Advisor to theUnder Secretary of Defense for Policy on Asian and PacificSecurity Affairs. Previous posts held by Mr. Singh includebeing the Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistanand Pakistan at the Department of State, DoD SeniorAdvisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and various roles in

the DoD pertaining includingprograms to train and equip foreignmilitary forces; American counter-insurgency and irregular warfarecapabilities; stability operations;disaster response andhumanitarian assistance; and the2005 Quadrennial Defense Review.

Mr. Singh has also worked in Sri Lanka, where he ran a FordFoundation program on minority rights and conflict inBangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan. Mr. Singh holds degreesfrom the University of California at Berkeley and ColumbiaUniversity.

JIATF West Director, RDML James Rendon, USCG, with Mr. Vikram Singh, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for South andSoutheast Asia, during a meeting in the JIATF West conference room. - 25 September 2013, photo by JIATF West.

JIATF West Newsletter Vol 2 n.4 p. 18U N C L A S S I F I E D

On September 3rd,2013, a promotion

ceremony was held inhonor of U. S. NavyLieutenants SeanThompson and MitchellBoltz for their promotionto LieutenantCommander. BothLCDR Boltz andThompson haveextensive achievementsin their naval careersincluding both havingbeen forward deployedoverseas as well ashaving experienceserving on an aircraftcarrier. Both LCDR Boltzand Thompson are activeduty and have beenworking at JIATF Westsince April of 2013 andJuly of 2012 respectively.

The promotionceremony, held in theJIATF West conferenceroom, was presided byRDML James Rendon,USCG and was attendedby family and staffmembers.

Guests at the promotionceremony includedLCDR Thompson’s wife,Jill and three children;daughter, Grayson, andtwo sons, Brogan andWestley. LCDR Boltz’swife, Yuri was also inattendance (their twodaughters, Kristina andChelsy could not attenddue to school).

LCDR Thompson servesas JIATF West’s StaffJudge Advocate andLCDR Boltz as the Plansand Implementationofficer.

LCDR Mitchell Boltz hasover 25 years experiencein the Navy having served15 years as enlisted. Afterserving as a Chief for 3years, he was selected forcommissioning as aLimited Duty Officer inNovember of 2002,specializing as an electronicsmaterial officer. Prior toworking at JIATF West,LCDR Boltz served on theUSS George WashingtonCVN-73 in Yokosuka Japan.

Throughout his 25 yearcareer, LCDR Boltz hasbeen stationed in Japanfor 17 years and inHawaii for 6. Needless tosay, LCDR Boltz andfamily love living inHawaii. Aside fromperforming duties as aPlans and ImplementationOfficer for JIATF West’sC4I Systems Department,LCDR Boltz alsovolunteers his time to theJuvenile DiabetesResearch Foundation(JDRF).

LT Sean Thompson and Mitchell BoltzPromote to LCDR

RDML James Rendon, USCG congratulates newly promoted LCDR Sean Thompson(left) and LCDR Mitchell Boltz after reciting the Commissioned Officer Oath of Officeon the 3rd of September 2013. – Photo by JIATF West

LCDR Sean Thompsonhas worked as aProsecutor in a variety ofassignments including,being a prosecutor forboth the Navy and theUS Attorney’s office inNorfolk; seniorprosecutor for II MEF inAl Anbar Province insupport of OperationIraqi Freedom,Assistance CommandJudge Advocate on boardUSS George H. W. Bush(CVN 77); and as the Flagaide to VADM NanetteDeRenzi (currently theJudge Advocate Generalof the Navy). In additionto serving as JIATFWest’s Staff JudgeAdvocate, LCDRThompson is also theVotingAssistanceOfficer.Outside ofwork,LCDRThompsonis pursuinga MastersDegree inNationalSecurityandStrategicStudiesfrom theNaval WarCollege.


Newly promoted LCDR Mitchell Boltz has new gold oak leaf insignias pinned on hisuniform by his wife, Yuri during a promotion ceremony on the 3rd of September2013. – Photo by JIATF West

LCDR SeanThompson’s wife,Jill, pins on his newrank insignia on hisuniform collarduring a promotionceremony on the3rd of September2013. – Photo byJIATF West


Above, LCDR Sean Thompson and family after the promotion ceremony held in the JIATF West conference room on the3rd of September 2013. From left to right, daughter, Grayson; wife, Jill and two sons, Westley and Brogan. Below, LCDRMitchell Boltz with his wife, Yuri. – Photo by JIATF West

Recipe of the Month - Butternut Squash Soupwith Fontina Cheese Crostini- By Chief Food Specialist Chief Andrew Donahue, USCG

Its fall now and one of my favorite fall foodsis butternut squash. Here is a simplebutternut squash soup recipe from FoodNetwork. To step it up a notch, a nice fontinacheese crostini to go with it is also included.It tastes awesome and its good for you!!!

Directions:In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil andmelt together over medium-high heat. Add the onionand carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until theonion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic andcook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

Ingredients Soup2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded,and cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 7 to 8 cups)6 cups low-sodium chicken stock 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crostini:1/2 baguette, sliced diagonally into 1/2-inch thickslices Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves 1 cup (2 ounces) grated fontina cheese Kosher salt

Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring themixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boiluntil the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender,blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Seasonwith salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warmover low heat.

For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center ofthe oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzlewith olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle thecheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bakeuntil the cheese has melted and the bread is lightgolden, about 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnishwith the cheese crostini.

Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture canalso be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes)by ladling, in batches, into a food processor orblender and blended until smooth.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/butternut-squash-soup-with-fontina-cheese-crostini-recipe/index.htmlJIATF West Newsletter Vol 2 n.5 p. 22

Apromotion ceremony was held on the 27th ofSeptember in honor of U. S. Airforce Major

Jason Schramm’s advancement to LieutenantColonel. Attendees at the ceremony includedDirector of JIATFWest, RDML JamesRendon, AssistantChief of Staff forOperations, CDRJeffrey Scudder, USNand staff members.Jason’s wife, Tara, twochildren (Skyler andBrady), two parents(Joe and Kathy) werealso present. CDRScudder was thepromoting officer.

After completing his previous tour of duty inSingapore, Lt Col Schramm reported to JIATF Westin December of 2012. His current role at JIATF


West is the Chief of Current Operations andoversees the work of all of the training liaisonofficers downrange.

Lt Col Schramm has over 15 years of service inthe U. S. Air Force andhas a background inAir Force SpaceOperations.

Lt Col Schramm is nostranger to Hawaii ashe is here on hissecond tour of duty onOahu. Other places hehas served includeSingapore, ColoradoSprings, Las Vegas,Cheyenne, andSouthern California.

When not working, Lt Col Schramm enjoysspending time with his family and playing theguitar. --

JIATF West Newsletter Vol 2 n.4 p. 23U N C L A S S I F I E D

JIATF West Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, CDR Jeffrey Scudder, USN, administers the Officers Oath of Office to newlypromoted Lt Col Jason Schramm, USAF during his promotion ceremony. Below, from left to right, parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joeand Kathy Schramm; son, Brady; daughter, Skylar; and spouse, Tara. - 27 September 2013, photo by JIATF West.

Lt Col Jason Schramm’sPromotion Ceremony

Photo by LCDR Aja Kirksey, USCG - 28 Aug 2013, Cook Islands

This e-newsletter was produced by J5 Strategic Communications.For questions, comments, or story ideas, please contact Mr. Shawn [email protected]

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