European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 11, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                June 2007 stars and 5tripes pages Safe played big role in Bush visit by Scott Schonauer stars and stripes Ramstein air Germany As president Bush made his historic visit to Albania on air Force commanders worked in relative obscurity from an under ground thinker to help protect the skies above from inside the command Ien Ter at this military and secret service agents oversaw a mis Sion that included 43 War a Navy amphibious ship loaded with several thousand marines and More than 800 airmen from bases across the operation was a huge under taking by air forces in Europe on relatively Short notice but went largely unnoticed compared to the ceremonial pomp that greeted the president in Alba Nias it was the first time a president visited the the poorest in Bush travelled to Italy to meet with Pope Benedict Xvi and prime minister Romano Prodi be fore arriving in Tirana and later stopping in High Security on the ground and in the air has followed his every Tom who com mands the nearly airmen stationed in directed efforts to protect the skies with Alba Nian Shpetim Spahia at his they sat at the Center of a room packed with computer Termi nals operated by airmen keeping a watchful Eye for anything flying within an imaginary Box that moved with the presidents every if a hostile plane were to get too both commanders have the option of shooting it Down if they in consultation with their respective defense secretaries feel it is although the Bunker is no secret on it is rare for anyone from the Public to get inside to take a commanders with the air forces 3rd Force open the command Post for major missions like this past week the 603rd air and space operations Center at Ramstein is one of five such facilities in the air visitors pass through a automatic Metal sliding door to enter the com Mand where Fla screen television screens line the Walls and display everything from can Broad casts to the latest flight info one screen flashed an image tracking every Craft flying in a Box mat encompassed the area surrounding Alba that s my said air Force master Jesse refer ring to the screen displaying the latest radar his Job is to take radar images generated from airborne warning control system the uss Bataan and military units on the ground into a consolidated Pic Ture for the getting that information was particularly challenging because the military has no fixed radar Sites in that part of the Conti nent and the air Force had less than a month to nearly 400 airmen from bases in Europe deployed to help guard the a lot of people worked a lot of Long hours to make it Marc of the air Force and albanian military commanders oversee air defense operations from an underground Bunker at Ramstein air base in Germany during president Bush visit to Albania on Crandall f16 pilots from Aviano air base in f15c fighters from Raf Lakenheath in Tanker aircraft from the 100th air Refu Hall in from tinker air Force base in Oklahoma were among those help ing patrol the they helped provide the Type of punch and deterrent that the impoverished Albania cannot pro the country grounded its fixed Wing aircraft two years during the presidents visit on the albanian air Force search Andrescu helicopters remained on it turned out they we rent need the operation went without a which is what the commander had email Scott Schonauer at  love graduation Teddy bears tall j fast worldwide shipping say Ilove you in a big Way made in Broklyn rising tide of naval officers taking top Pentagon positions by Peter Spiegel los Angeles times Washington in choosing to recommend an Admiral As the next chairman of the joint chiefs of defense Secretary Rob Ert Gates has for the second time Given a High profile Job to someone from the Navy a ser vice that for the most worked Only on the fringes of the wars in Iraq and the Choice of Michael Mullen comes just five months after Gates surprised Many in the including some Mem Bers of the joint chiefs of by picking an Admiral to become the new head of Central com William fallen is the first Navy officer to head the Pentagon Headquarters responsible for the Middle which now oversees the two major Pentagon watchers said the Choice of the so called sea services including the Marine which has seen James Cartwright chosen As the joint chiefs new vice chair Man the military most difficult assignments is a testimony to the navys growing reputation As the most intellectually rigor Ous of the no obvious reason a Navy Guy would be put in charge of or Why we would have two sea service people replacing two other sea service people at the top of the joint said Loren Thomp an analyst at the Lexington a Virginia based Mili tary think but the reality is that they seem to be Able to work with big ideas and big political leaders better than the other ser the decision has caused some consternation within the other ser particularly the which is doing the bulk of the fighting in both Iraq and Afghani there have also been grumblings within the air whose Only current regional com Mand is in North one command coveted by the air Force was the Headquarters of what is generally regarded As the second most difficult regional the for that to Gates once again turned to the tapping Timothy some army advocates say that the service has been unfairly shortchanged because it was disparaged by former defense Secre tary Donald Rumsfeld As a hidebound organization unable to adjust to expeditionary retired army Barry Mccaffrey credited Rumsfeld Bias for the Lack of army officers in High profile or it strikes me As extremely unusual that the principal Load bearing institution of National defense is the army and Rumsfeld thought it was irrelevant at Mccaffrey the Rise of naval officers under some analysts is also a reflection of the growing administrative Power of the pentagons 2 Deputy de sense Secretary Gordon in who spent two years As Navy Secretary Early in the Bush because Gates has focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in his Brief ten England has been left to Han dle Many of the departments internal Navy officers insist their world View is uniquely fitted for the cur rent where threats Are global and understanding for eign cultures is because Navy officers must constantly patrol the worlds seas and regularly interact with International governments in ports they the Navy has developed a culture that is More open to a broader View of american Gates cited that vision at a news conference Friday where he announced Mullens he recounted a round of phone Calls made to the service chiefs by his top military who had just returned to Washington after a tour in he asked Mullen what was the thing he was most concerned and the chief of naval operations said the Gates he has a Broad View of what the needs and requirements of the services and of the and i think he brings also a tremendous Strate Gic hotel Forsth aus by 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