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Show IM S April 10, 2014 Aero Enterprise Dialogue with Industry Air Force seeks small business to help develop new capabilities BY DEREK KAUFMAN 88TH AIR BASE WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio — Air Force researchers and life cycle management experts plan to elevate collaboration with industry to a whole new level during a series of meetings April 16-18. The Aero Enterprise Dialogue with Industry is an opportunity for industry to gain insight into Air Force technology needs and near-term acquisition and sustainment requirements. The event will take place at the Hope Hotel and Conference Center in Fairborn, adjacent to Gate 12A at WrightPatterson AFB. The event is sponsored by DaytonDefense, a not-for-profit industry association that promotes regional economic development and a strong defense industrial base. A unique aspect to this year's dialogue is the ability for those seeking to do business with the Air Force to get detailed information about anticipated government solicitations and other data on weapon system capability gaps with no current solutions. Air Force Program Executive Officers with portfolios managed within the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson AFB nominated these and posted charts on the Defense Innovation Marketplace web site: http://www.defenseinnovationmarketplace.mil/aedi html Air Force programmatic experts will be on hand to meet See AFLCMC I Page 8 Pentagon pushes plan for new BRAC round CHAMPIONS BY MITCH SHAW HILLTOP TIMES STAFF COURTESY PHOTO Team Fearsome Falcons works to wire their networks during the CISCO Challenge. Clearfield High CyberPatriot team wins national championship BY DANA RIMINGTON STANDARD-EXAMINER CORRESPONDENT C LEARFIELD — Clearfield City may be nearly imperceptible on a national map, but last weekend, hundreds of CyberPatriot teams knew just where the city is located when the Clearfield High School CyberPatriot team became the national champions for the CyberPatriot IV 2014 High School, All Service Division. After competing in a grueling day with computer network, cyber de- fense and security challenges, the six students making up the Clearfield High CyberPatriot team came out on top, out of nearly 900 teams from across the noSee CHAMPS I The Department of Defense is continuing with its push for another BRAC round. On Wednesday, John C. Conger, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for installations, told a subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington that a Base Realignment and Closure round is the best way for the DoD to keep pace with the continual slashing of the defense budget. "The budget challenges facing the (defense) department are deep, and they extend for many years," Conger told the subcommittee. "We continue to believe that an important way to ease this pressure is with base closure, allowing us to avoid paying upkeep for unneeded infrastructure and making those funds available for readiness and modernization of our forces." When Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel unveiled details of his proposed five-year Pentagon budget in February, it included a new BRAC round. If the budget were approved, the BRAC would take place three years from now BRAC is a process in which the federal government aims to increase Department of Defense efficiency by closing military installations that are deemed unnecessary. More than 350 installations have been closed in five Page 8 See BRAC I Page 11 DON'T GET RIPPED-OFF A lump-sum pension scam warning issued to veterans BY MITCH SHAW HILLTOP TIMES STAFF OGDEN — If you're a veteran and you're approached with an offer to receive a lumpsum pension advance, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction. That's what veterans groups like the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the U.S. Veterans Administration are saying as they warn of a new scam that, although technically isn't illegal, could still cause financial ruin for many service veterans who qualify for VA pensions. According to the American Legion, the scam involves "pension advance products" that offer to pay military retirees a lump-sum payout instead of receiving their monthly retirement payments. The Legion says the products usually amount to a lumpsum payment that equals only pennies on the dollar, and the advances typically carry interest rates from 27 percent to 106 percent, which can be a real threat to a safe retirement. Terry Schow, an Ogden-area Vietnam veteran and chairman of the VA's Rural Health Advisory Committee, said there are many pension advance companies on the Internet, often with patriotic-sounding names and logos. He also said representatives from the companies often visit senior centers and veterans nursing homes, hoping to target vulnerable, older veterans. "It's a pretty sad deal," Schow said. "They'll go to these senior centers and offer a free breakfast or a lunch, then they'll pitch their deal and then help the veteran fill out the paperwork." If a veteran needs emergency funds from his pension, according to the Legion, he should seek advice from a trusted financial expert and never allow a creditor to access the account where the veteran gets his benefits. Some of the companies use VA's Aid and Attendance pension benefit as a way to sell services, the Legion says. The benefit is available to disabled veterans who require the aid and attendance of another person, or who are housebound. The companies offer to help veterans obtain the Aid and Attendance benefits, but first require customers to sign up for financial services, then move assets into irrevocable trusts for qualification. Schow said the Legion, the VFW and both the Utah and federal VA offer the same pension advance services for free. "The sad thing is, all of these services are available and they're free of charge," he said. "I would tell veterans out there to let the folks who are professionals do this, and let them do it for free. These vets don't have to pay for any of this. They've already paid with their service." A searchable list of VA-acSee SCAM I Page 11 . |