Critical Releases in Homeland Security: February 23, 2011

"The purpose of the 2010 National Vaccine Plan is to provide strategic direction for the coordination of the vaccine and immunization enterprise for the NVP. The Program's goals are to prevent infectious diseases and their sequelae and reduce adverse reactions to vaccines in the U.S. The Plan will achieve this through coordinated implementation of a strategic vision implemented by vaccine and immunization stakeholders across and outside of the federal government."

"When President Obama created the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling he instructed the Commission to "examine the relevant facts and circumstances concerning the root causes of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster." This Chief Counsel's Report is the result of an extraordinary effort to carry out that mission. It is essential reading for anyone looking to extract the lessons of Macondo and avoid a repeat of that terrible tragedy. Notwithstanding demanding time constraints, the Commission's Chief Counsel Fred Bartlit and his investigative team have provided the most comprehensive, coherent, and detailed account of the events leading up to the blowout and explosion. The wealth of material presented here offers new details and documentation in support of the Commission's final report, Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling, released on January 11, 2011."

"This strategy is derived from a thorough assessment of the strategic environment and how to advance our national interests within it. It describes how the Joint Force will redefine America's military leadership by enabling whole-of-nation approaches to address national security challenges. It calls for a broad portfolio of leadership approaches -- facilitator, enabler, convener, and guarantor - to address problems that are truly international in nature. Our leadership approaches magnify the capabilities we possess, making them just as important to assuring favorable outcomes. Our ability to lead will determine how well we advance America's interests through this strategic inflection point. This strategy also sets a vector toward transition from a force that has been engaged in sustained combat operations to a Joint Force that is shaped for the future. As the challenges we face require a Joint Force that is flexible, agile, and adaptive, it emphasizes people as much as platforms. It recognizes that the unique character of our Service members, working hand-in-hand with other government agencies and in support of public-private partnerships, is a formidable advantage. We must continue to care for Service members and their families, and set conditions for their continued success -- in and out of uniform. This will require significant support from Congress, the American people, and a thoughtful, reflective military leadership. By successfully contributing to America's security and prosperity, we will continue to advance our Nation's enduring interests well into the 21st Century."