The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James H. Couch. Couch was born in Murrayville, Georgia 4 January 1923. He quit school in December 1941 and joined the Marine Corps. Upon completing boot camp at Parris Island, he went to Camp Lejeune for combat training with the Browning automatic rifle. Assigned to Company G, Second Battalion, 1st Marine Division, he boarded the USS George F. Elliott (AP-105) and sailed to Wellington, New Zealand. Leaving there, the division went to Fiji where they made practice landings. On 7 August 1942, he was in the third wave during the invasion of Guadalcanal. He recalls advancing to the Tenaru River and describes the Japanese night attack on 21 August 1942, led by Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki, which resulted in hand to hand combat. His company had twenty-three men killed during the attack while the Japanese lost heavily. Couch also recalls the Japanese naval forces attacking the Marine positions and airfield on 14 September. During December he was sent to the 4th General Hospital in Melbourne due to a severe attack of malaria. He returned to the United States and entered the hospital at Balboa Park, California. Once he recovered, …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Under Section 655 of the Foreign Assistance Act, as amended, the Department of State reports annually to Congress on the aggregate dollar value and quantity of all defense articles and services that State licensed for direct commercial sale to each country. State's report is intended to be an accurate record to ensure that Congress and the public are informed regarding foreign arms sales by U.S. industry. In the course of a previous GAO review on the proliferation of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS),we found that State reported to Congress that it had approved licenses for the commercial sale of Stinger missiles to foreign countries in five instances during fiscal years 2000 and 2002. However, U.S. government policy precludes the commercial sale of Stinger missiles, and State had not approved licenses for the commercial sale of Stinger missiles. State officials stated in May 2004 that the information the department had reported in its fiscal years 2000 and 2002 reports was incorrect. In response to our ongoing review, State submitted an amended 2002 report to Congress in September 2004 and posted corrected 2000 and 2002 reports to its Web site. …

Correspondence issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Combined, the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provide health care services to about 16.8 million beneficiaries at an estimated cost of $58 billion for fiscal year 2005--$30.4 billion for DOD and $27.7 billion for VA. In 1982, the Congress passed the Veterans' Administration and Department of Defense Health Resources Sharing and Emergency Operations Act (Sharing Act) to promote more cost-effective use of health care resources and more efficient delivery of care. Specifically, the Congress authorized DOD and VA to enter into sharing agreements with each other to buy, sell, and barter medical and support services. To further encourage ongoing collaboration, the Congress passed the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2003, which directed the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish a joint incentives program to identify and provide incentives to implement, fund, and evaluate creative health care coordination and sharing initiatives between DOD and VA. Under the program, DOD and VA are to solicit proposals from their program offices, DOD military treatment facilities, or VA medical facilities for project initiatives at least annually. …

Reconciliation summary and detail with an ending balance of $1,661.33 for the period ending on February 28, 2005.

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "To ensure that essential government services are available in emergencies, federal agencies are required to develop continuity of operations plans. According to guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is responsible for providing guidance for and assessing agency continuity plans, a key element of a viable capability is the proper identification of essential functions. GAO previously reported on agency continuity plan compliance, and determined that a number of agencies and their components did not have continuity plans in place on October 1, 2002, and those that were in place did not generally comply with FEMA's guidance. GAO was asked to testify on its most recent work in continuity planning, which is discussed in a separate report, being released today (GAO-05-577). In this report, GAO reviewed to what extent (1) major federal agencies used sound practices to identify and validate their essential functions, (2) agencies had made progress since 2002 in improving compliance with FEMA guidance, and (3) agency continuity of operations plans addressed the use of telework arrangements (in which work is performed at an employee's home or at a work location other than a traditional …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "In addition to external security threats, our nation is threatened from within by growing fiscal imbalances. The combination of additional demands for national and homeland security resources, the long-term rate of growth of entitlement programs, and rising health care costs create the need to make difficult choices about the affordability and sustainability of the recent growth in defense spending. At a time when the Department of Defense (DOD) is challenged to maintain a high level of military operations while competing for resources in an increasingly fiscally constrained environment, DOD's business management weaknesses continue to result in billions in annual waste, as well as reduced efficiencies and effectiveness. Congress asked GAO to provide its views on (1) the fiscal trends that prompt real questions about the affordability and sustainability of the rate of growth of defense spending, (2) business management challenges that DOD needs to address to successfully transform its business operations, and (3) key elements for achievement of reforms. One key element would be to establish a full-time chief management official (CMO) to take the lead in DOD for the overall business transformation effort. In this regard, we …

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Ralph S. Long. Long joined the Navy in June, 1944. After basic training, he was assigned to ACORN 29 and went overseas from Port Hueneme and arrived in time for the invasion of Okinawa. He landed with a Navy construction battalion and assisted in establishing a small airfield for close air support. Long was discharged from the Navy in 1946. He entered the Air Force in 1951 with a commission and served as a psychologist. He retired in 1971.

Collection of BRAC related articles and news clippings. Produced for Commission staff review.

Executive Correspondence - Copies of Resolution 05-63 - A Resolution Supporting the "Keep Cannon" Initiative

Executive Correspondence - Copy of Resolution 19-2005 as adopted by the Council of the City of Highland Heights on June 21, 2005

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Threats to national security--such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and high-profile espionage cases--underscore the need for timely, high-quality determinations of who is eligible for a personnel security clearance which allows an individual to access classified information. The Department of Defense (DOD) needs an effective and efficient clearance program because it is responsible for about 2 million active clearances and provides clearances to more than 20 other executive agencies as well as the legislative branch. Despite these imperatives, DOD has for more than a decade experienced delays in completing hundreds of thousands of clearance requests and impediments to accurately estimating and eliminating its clearance backlog. In January 2005, GAO designated DOD's personnel security clearance program as a high-risk area. In February 2005, DOD transferred its personnel security investigative functions and about 1,800 positions to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), after 2 years of negotiation between the agencies. This testimony provides an update on the challenges that led to GAO's high-risk designation. It identifies both the positive steps that have been taken to address previously identified challenges and some of the remaining hurdles. GAO will continue to …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Since it was established in 1982, GAO has consistently reported on the success of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program in benefiting small, innovative companies, strengthening their role in federal research and development (R&D), and helping federal agencies achieve their R&D goals. However, through these reviews GAO has also identified areas where action by participating agencies or the Congress could build on the program's successes and improve its operations. This statement for the record summarizes the program's successes and improvements over time, as well as the continuing challenge of assessing the long term results of the program."

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Today's hearing addresses fraud and abuse control in Medicaid, a program that provides health care coverage for eligible low-income individuals and is jointly financed by the federal government and the states. In fiscal year 2003, Medicaid covered nearly 54 million people and the program's benefit payments totaled roughly $261 billion, of which the federal share was about $153 billion. States are primarily responsible for ensuring appropriate payments to Medicaid providers through provider enrollment screening, claims review, overpayment recoveries, and case referrals. At the federal level, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is responsible for supporting and overseeing state fraud and abuse control activities. Last year, GAO reported that CMS had initiatives to assist states, but the dollar and staff resources allocated to oversight suggested that CMS's level of effort was disproportionately small relative to the risk of federal financial loss. Concerned about the stewardship of federal Medicaid funds, Congress has raised questions about CMS's commitment to Medicaid fraud and abuse control. This statement focuses on (1) the level of resources CMS currently applies to helping states prevent and detect fraud and abuse in the Medicaid program …

Testimony issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicaid--the federal-state health care financing program covering almost 54 million low-income people at a cost of $276 billion in fiscal year 2003--is by its size and structure at significant risk of waste and exploitation. Because of challenges inherent in overseeing the program, which is administered federally by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), GAO added Medicaid to its list of high-risk federal programs in 2003. Over the years, states have found various ways to maximize federal Medicaid reimbursements, sometimes using consultants paid a contingency fee to help them do so. From earlier work and a report issued today (GAO-05-748), GAO's testimony addresses (1) how some states have inappropriately increased federal reimbursements; (2) some ways states have increased federal reimbursements for school-based Medicaid services and administrative costs; and (3) how states are using contingency-fee consultants to maximize federal Medicaid reimbursements and how CMS is overseeing states' efforts."

Memorandum of meeting with Battle Creek Air National Guard representatives regarding the closure of W.K. Kellogg Air National Guard Base.

Memorandum of meeting with China Lake, CA community representatives to gather information regarding the proposed realignments for Naval facilities at China Lake.

Memorandum of meeting with congressional and community representatives regarding Ellington AFB, TX.

Memorandum of meeting with Great Falls Air National Guard representatives regarding the recommendation to realign the Great Falls Air National Guard Station to Malstrom Air Force Base. Document includes a letter from Senator Max Baucus inviting BRAC Chairman Anthony Principi to a meeting with the Montana Congressional delegation and local Montana officials at the senator's Washington, D.C. office, as well as topics for discussion at the proposed meeting.

Memorandum of meeting with Mississippi Senator Trent Lott regarding the BRAC 2005 recommendations for bases in Mississippi.

Memorandum of Meeting with New London, CT Congressional Delegation staff and representatives from the Connecticut Sub Realignment Coalition and General Dynamics-Electric Boat to gather input regarding the recommendation to close Submarine Base New London. Document includes a BRAC PowerPoint briefing that analyzes the costs/savings associated with closing the base.

Executive Correspondence - Resolution 2005-21 passed by the Council of the Village of Walton Hills on June 21, 2005

Executive Correspondence - Resolution in Support of the Otis Air National Guard Base Massachusetts Military Reservation, Cape Code, Massachusetts from Barnstable County Commissioners

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether a justice of the peace may establish a standing proof of qualified volunteers to serve for jury duty (RQ-0306-GA)

Base Input - Army - Anniston Army Depot- Alabama. BRAC commission - FY 2005, Presented to Ms. Elizabeth Bieri and Mr. George Delgado June 23, 2005