PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Sixteen recently pinned brigadier generals, along with senior ranking civilians, arrived in Haiti as part of a six week Capstone course on May 19. Their visit to Port-au-Prince is part of a two week tour across Latin America.
"Capstone is a U.S. Congressional requirement by law that the newly selected general officers across all services must take at some point," said Col. Andrew Veazie, deputy director for Capstone. "It's a six week course that meets four times a year. The students attend six weeks of school, two of those weeks they travel overseas."
The Capstone course objective is to ensure senior military leaders understand how military forces and other organizations integrate and work together.
"What we're doing during these two weeks is an opportunity for the [students] to examine the issues, challenges and opportunities within a particular region. So that when they get back, [the generals] have a better understanding of the region and how it works."
Capstone classes meet in February, May, August and October. May's class was split into three groups. Two groups are traveling through Europe and the Pacific, while this group continued through the Caribbean.
"We did a touchdown in Puerto Rico," said Tammy Nestuk, senior executive for the Department of Defense [DoD]. "We were in Uruguay for a few days, then Peru and Panama, now we're here in Haiti."
The party would continue their travels to the Dominican Republic and would be in Guantanamo Bay by the end of the week.
"The focus is on joint [forces] and really understanding what it is like to work in a joint environment," Nestuk said. "This part of the class is to really get a feel for an area of operation."
"Typically when we visit a country, we go visit the U.S. Embassy and talk to the ambassador," Veazie said. "[The class] gets [the Ambassador's] perspective on the country, the issues and the challenges. Typically we always include a joint task force, so [Haiti] was ideal for stopping here. We're going to Guantanamo Bay where there is one as well."
The party met with Ken Merten, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, then toured LSA Dragon with Maj. Gen. Simeon Trombitas. They were then taken aboard Blackhawks for an aerial tour of Port-au-Prince before linking up with MINUSTAH forces for a ground tour around the devastated palace grounds.
"It was a unique and enjoyable tour," Brig. Gen. Michael A. Dana, U.S. Marine Corps, said. "It was very different from the other countries we visited. We are very grateful for MINUSTAH's hospitality."
The tour with MINUSTAH allowed the party to travel in the back of United Nations trucks so they could have an up close and personal view.
"[Haiti] was really great to see," Nestuk said. "I was very excited that I was able to be here, to see the devastation and see Haiti up close. I think a lot of us enjoyed being here and being able to see the MINUSTAH effort."
She added that the group really got a feel for how the nongovernmental organizations and militaries have been working together.
"You really got to witness the partnerships that are going on here," Nestuk said.
The goal of the two week travel is to allow the generals and civilians to get a better understanding of regions where U.S. forces are operating, Veazie said.
"We've seen a couple constant themes throughout the countries," Nestuk said. "That is the drugs and thugs, where the money mostly goes to and education, which is one we didn't hear so much about. But in most places, and Haiti is no exception, the solution is having enough education and opportunity to use it."
She added that it is hard to spend 48 hours on the ground and think that they know the solution.
Once the group returns to Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington D.C., they will have another two weeks of traveling and meeting with four-star generals.
"[The class] gets the four-stars' perspective on leadership and how their commands operate," Veazie said. "Then they come back to D.C. and get a chance to examine and better understand the whole of the government."
A focal point for the class is to provide personal interaction with some of the military's most senior ranking commanders because they have the experience and knowledge to share.
"You take the newly pinned generals and help get their mindset out of a colonel's and into a general's," Veazie said.
At the end of the day it's about ensuring continuing relations throughout the military's areas of operations, Veazie added.
| Date Taken: | 05.19.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.20.2010 23:12 |
| Story ID: | 50031 |
| Location: | PORT-AU-PRINCE, HT |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 155 |
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