State Department Spokesman Says Progress Has Been Made Toward Closing Gitmo

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

State department spokesman Phillip Crowley said Friday that International efforts to relocate detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility is progressing.

“We remain committed to close Guantanamo,” Crowley said in a briefing at the Foreign Press Center. “We‘re gratified at the cooperation and support that we have received from a variety of countries over the last couple months.”

Crowley did not specify how many detainees have been moved, but said the State Department is working to find a place for all detainees that are cleared to be removed.

“There are still significant blocks of detainees that we are still trying to determine what we might be able to do with them,” Crowley said.

Closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility has been a priority of the Obama administration since the president took office in January, but Obama has been criticized by progressive Americans for working too slowly to move the prisoners.

“Obviously, it has become more of a challenge than might have been anticipated, but clearly we are committed to the closing of Guantanamo as soon as we can.”

Crowley also commented on last week's Fort Hood shooting, saying that, though the suspected shooter has been identified as a Muslim man, the military will not start to discriminate based on religion, and he does not expect it to affect enlistment.

“I certainly do not think that the fact that the suspect is of a particular faith should in any way effect the willingness of American citizens, regardless of their ethic background or faith, to want to serve in the United States military,” Crowley said.

Obama Aims To Tighten Asian Alliances During Upcoming Visit

By Meagan Wiseley - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

President Obama’s inaugural visit to Asia was postponed due to the his and First Lady Michelle Obama’s participation in the memorial service on Tuesday for those killed in the Fort Hood tragedy.

Still, the President intends to tell Asian countries when he visits later this week that the U.S. is engaged and committed to strengthening alliances with Asia and helping Asian nations achieve prosperity and security, according to Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications.

Jeffrey Bader, Senior Director for East Asian Affairs for the National Security Council, said that the President plans to raise the issue of human rights while in China.

“I think the kinds of issues that are on our minds are the freedom of expression, access to information...and certainly Tibet. I have every reason to believe that the issue of Tibet will come up on the trip,” Bader said.

Bader did not foresee discussions with the Japanese government on the realignment of Futenma Air Base, which houses 47,000 U.S. military personnel on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. The base is set to relocate to a smaller facility in 2014.

“I don’t see the Okinawa base issue being a dominant or essential issue on this visit,” Bader said. “The new Japanese government is reviewing how it wishes to move forward on [the base issue].”

The President is scheduled to leave for Japan on Thursday, followed by visits to Singapore, China and South Korea.

Pentagon Update On Fort Hood Shootings

At 1934 Zulu, there will be a moment of silence to reflect the carnage of the shootings at Ft. Hood. All military personnel will comply even those overseas.

The Army is sending support personnel to Ft. Hood. This includes 13 Ministry Teams, 35 Life Consultants, 13 Behavioral Therapists, 17 Critical Health Specialists and 5 Combat Control Teams. A muslim cleric is part of the Ministry Team.

A general biography on the shooter will be released later today.

The Army CID is currently heading the investigation but the FBI may take over the investigation.

Commanders of all military installations are looking at there Force Protection Procedures.

The shooter was not confirmed dead or alive for 4 hours yesterday. This was due to the fog and friction of the situation.

The Army will be releasing details of the investigation as they see fit to do so.The Army, Pentagon and other investigative bodies will not be releasing any information until they feel ready. Day to day details of the official investigation will not be given.

The shooter had never been deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. He was in a deployment window.

An Army ballistics team is currently at Ft. Hood putting together a timeline of the type of weapons used as well as when and where.