Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College

October 25, 2016

strategic-studies-institute-1

In Carlisle Barracks, PA, one of our nation’s oldest military installations prepares the next generation of senior leaders for a changing world. It’s called the U.S. Army War College—a place where a community of security and military minds convert issues into strategy.

The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is the “geostrategic and national security research and analysis” arm of the U.S. Army War College. They’re a little bit like the U.S. Army’s own think tank. SSI is filled with experienced research staff who develop strategic recommendations. Such independent analysis is often published in booklet form.

GPO makes available a wide range of SSI publications. Let’s take a quick look at two recent additions to the collection.

9781584877332The Pivot to Asia: Can It Serve as the Foundation for American Grand Strategy in the 21st Century?

In 2012, the Obama administration announced a “Pivot to East Asia” strategy designed to prioritize the deepening of bilateral relationships with emerging economies in the region. This SSI work places that policy in historical context and discusses “problems that the Obama team faced in its efforts to solicit the support of regional friends and allies.” It also provides analysis of how U.S. outreach efforts utilized a network of military partners as well as the role U.S.-China relations in the pivot campaign.

From Assistance to Partnership: Morocco and its Foreign Policy in West Africa

9781584877110Morocco lies at a geopolitical and cultural crossroads like no other country in Africa. Sustained economic growth and political stability are reshaping it into a bulwark of peace and counter-extremism in West Africa. This strategic study examines how Morocco is strengthening its position as a regional security provider in the region. It “aspires to…[be] a partner of choice for the United States and other organizations seeking to develop their interests in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s learning how to savvily leverage “security cooperation, economic development, strengthening cultural ties, and capacity building” with partners inside and outside the region.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE MILITARY RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Army War College, Department of Defense, U.S. Army | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

A ‘primer’ on U.S. military force structure

October 20, 2016

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is the world’s largest organization. So, examining the defense budget has got to be pretty daunting. The enormity and complexity of the U.S. military makes it difficult to crunch the numbers needed to organize, train, and equip a ready military.

Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution confers Congress with broad powers over the armed forces. As a part of that authority, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is mandated to provide objective, impartial analysis of government-wide spending, including that of the DoD. To that end, the CBO’s The U.S. Military’s Force Structure: A Primer is now available through GPO.

052-070-07701-8Each year, Congress passes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This report looks at how the DoD allocates nearly $400 billion of that spending bill on day-to-day “operation and support” of military units—pretty much anything that “produces, sustains, and supports combat units.” In other words, the “force structure.”

This primer breaks down “the budgetary effects of altering the force structure.” Because of spending controls and budget cuts, policymakers tasked with trimming the force structure can get a better understanding the trade-offs associated with each choice.

military-force-002CBO factors in the costs and structure of Army brigade combat teams, Navy battle force ships, Marine air-ground task forces, Air Force fixed-wing aircraft squadrons, and defense-wide organizations that provide centralized assistance for each service. It even looks at how major combat units have been utilized in past conflicts.

Every fiscal year, lawmakers decide the appropriate size of the military—for example, what major combat units or weapon systems to add or eliminate. A well-designed defense budget directly affects military readiness. CBO’s The U.S. Military’s Force Structure: A Primer is a timely reference for making those important decisions.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS MILITARY RESOURCE?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of Defense | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

DOT Keeps on Truckin’

October 13, 2016

dot-headquartersTransportation infrastructure is quite literally the foundation of our country. Interstate highway trucks, freight trains, and aircraft get people and products where they need to go. Across bridges, along rail lines, and through ocean lanes, transport is an essential part of life.

It’s so essential that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is charged with “ensuring a fast, safe, efficient, accessible, and convenient transportation system that meets our vital national interests and enhances the quality of life of the American people, today and into the future.”

This year DOT celebrates its 50th anniversary. President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Department of Transportation Act on October 15, 1966. It brought 31 Federal entities together to form the fourth largest Federal agency.

GPO employees printed the original legislation and now it’s available digitally on govinfo. In addition, GPO makes available several DOT publications.

FAA Safety Briefing

750-002-00209-1The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mission is “Keep America Moving”. This magazine provides updates on movements in FAA rulemaking and policy. It also includes information on flight rules, airworthiness maintenance, avionics, and accident analysis. This is an indispensable resource for pilots, air traffic controllers, airplane maintenance personnel and anyone involved in flight safety.

Public Roads

750-005-00166-3DOT’s Federal Highway Administration (FHA) publishes this bimonthly magazine containing articles on highway research, engineering, safety, and surfacing. Public Roads keeps readers up-to-date on developments in Federal highway policies, programs, and technology. Subscriptions are available through GPO.

2016 Emergency Response Guidebook

050-000-00597-6This refreshed FHA publication is targeted to first responders called to clean up transportation-related hazardous material spills. It details procedures for handling such incidents as well as products and technology used in spill management. This guidebook helps incident responders, including transporters and emergency services personnel, to quickly identify spilled material and protect themselves and the public.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of Transportation, Transportation and Navigation | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

U.S. Army Nurse Corps: “Courage to Care”

October 12, 2016

Military and women’s history intersect in many ways. For more than two centuries, thousands of qualified women have served America in the Army Nurse Corps in particular. Each military branch has their own nursing corps. GPO makes available U.S. Army Center of Military History’s “Highlights in the History of the Army Nurses Corps.”

Poster encouraging women to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II. Interested citizens could apply at Red Cross recruiting stations.This booklet chronicles the contributions of women nurses throughout the development of the Army Nurse Corps. Their story begins during the American Revolution when General George Washington asked Congress for nurses “to attend the sick.” In the decades that followed, whenever the military establishment expanded or contracted, medical services followed suit.

The Spanish-American War was a turning point for military nurses. Although not commissioned as a regular part of the Army, more than 1,500 female civilian nurses volunteered to care for the wounded. Shortly thereafter, in 1901, the female Nurse Corps became permanent under the Army Reorganization Act.

Poster encouraging women to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II. Interested citizens could apply at Red Cross recruiting stations.

Poster encouraging women to join the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during World War II. Interested citizens could apply at Red Cross recruiting stations.

If there ever was a time when the Army Nurse Corps was an indispensable part of the American military establishment, it was during WWII. Several pages of the book are devoted to this period. At one point the number of active duty nurses swelled to 57,000. Sixty-six were captured and imprisoned by the Japanese in the Philippines. Many landed in North Africa on the day of 1942 invasion. Others arrived just days after the 1944 Normandy beach landing. Tragically, by the war’s end, 215 Army nurses died while serving.

Be it on base battlefield hospitals in WWII France, in MASH units on the front lines of the Korean War, or among a 6,000 strong crew during Vietnam, Army nurses helped to save tens of thousands of lives. Numbers may have waned in peacetime but standards in training and care never did.

U.S. Army Nurse 1st Lt. Arnelle Lewis takes a Guatemalan boy's temperature during a medical readiness training exercise in Santa Cruz Balanya, Guatemala, on March 10, 2007. Lewis is a registered nurse attached to the U.S. Virgin Islands Army National Guard.

U.S. Army Nurse 1st Lt. Arnelle Lewis takes a Guatemalan boy’s temperature during a medical readiness training exercise in Santa Cruz Balanya, Guatemala, on March 10, 2007. Lewis is a registered nurse attached to the U.S. Virgin Islands Army National Guard.

Today, the Army Nurse Corps is made up entirely of registered nurses. Army nurses are deployed all over the world in support of humanitarian and anti-terrorism missions. According to the Corps’ official creed, members continue to have the “courage to care, courage to connect, and courage to change.”

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Center of Military History, Department of Defense, Military History, U.S. Army | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Don’t Give Fire a Place to Start

October 7, 2016

An unforgettable fire began in Chicago on October 8, 1871. Legend has it that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lamp which set a barn—and the entire city—ablaze. Tragically, the Great Chicago Fire burned for days, killing scores of people, decimating roughly 3.3 square miles, and leaving more than 100,000 Chicagoans homeless.

1871_great_chicago_fire_destroyed_buildingsThe Great Chicago Fire not only changed public thinking about fire safety, it inspired Fire Prevention Week—an annual commemoration of that devastating inferno. Going back over 90 years, Fire Prevention Week is the longest running public safety observance in America. This year it runs from October 9-15.

One theme for Fire Prevention Week has been “Don’t Give Fire a Place to Start.” That’s a message that Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) U.S. Fire Administration wants every American, especially children, to take to heart. FEMA’s popular Sesame Street Fire Safety Program Family Guide is available through GPO.

Family coloring book. Fire literacy primer. A get-it-together-you-grown-ups safety guide. It’s all those things. FEMA and Sesame Street really deliver. Everybody do the Elmo happy dance!

064-000-00067-5However, this guide is not just about Elmo. A proper shout out goes to Cookie Monster, Grover, and Telly Monster. Together, the furry fire brigade educates with catchphrases like “hot, hot, stay away. hot, hot, not for play” and “get outside and stay outside!” The playbook covers how to avoid hot things that burn, make a home escape map, family practice time, and what to do if the smoke alarm sounds. There are kitchen safety tips for parents and caregivers, too.

Start a healthy discussion around a scary thing like a fire emergency. Demonstrate that preparation and prevention are skills that the entire family can work on together. Cultivate lifelong fire safety habits. As the guide says, “fire safety begins at home.’ Simple steps make a big difference in staying safe from fires.

Sometime after the Great Chicago Fire, it was discovered that a journalist fabricated the O’Leary cow rumor. The real cause of the fire has never been confirmed. But it did start a national conversation on the basic but essential elements of fire safety. As Fire Prevention Week reminds us, prevention is a big part. Fires are mostly preventable. It’s on everyone to take charge.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Disasters, Emergency Response, Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

STIR UP YOUR 2016-17 SCHOOL YEAR CLASSROOM CURRICULUM

October 4, 2016

us_government_academic_publications_2016_page_01Order from the new academic catalog now at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

One of the most interesting and thought provoking information and news resources is untapped or underutilized by the teaching community. It’s the 4,000 plus titles researched and presented by some of the most knowledgeable and insightful authors in America: professionals within the federal community.

Consider the extent of publications the government is engaged in: social and economic issues, global politics to climate change, national security and terrorism, infrastructure, transportation– so many opportunities for students seeking a better and clearer understanding of the world they’re about to enter.

The Government Publishing Office has placed online a great resource for college administrators and teachers to locate titles to enthuse and motivate students with insightful information about the many subjects touched by federal programs and legislation.

It’s the U.S. Government Academic Publications catalog, where a variety of titles are described along with the key information on how to obtain these publications; all delivered free.

Go online to http://bookstore.gpo.gov main page and look for the promotional banner containing a link to the catalog.

The US Government Online Bookstore has a myriad of new and interesting information to excite and engage your students with topics totally relevant today, especially during a presidential campaign year. And while there, browse by topic or agency. If you’ve never done so, you’ll be amazed at the insights to be gained from titles published by agencies such as the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, the Department of Health and Human Services, and NASA, who discuss global issues that touch facets of American life that students too often are not aware of nor afforded access to. And that’s only a few examples. Now they’re all accessible.

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Ed Kessler is a Promotions Specialist in GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of Education, Libraries | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

On America’s Trails

September 30, 2016

stelprdbLet’s talk briefly about two American legends celebrated on screen and page. One stretches 2,160 miles from Mount Katahdin, Maine to Springer Mountain, Georgia. The second covers 2,665 miles from America’s southern and northernmost borders along the mountain ranges of Washington, Oregon, and California.

They’re the Appalachian and Pacific Crest Trails, respectively—the first scenic trails designated by the Federal government nearly a half-century ago. On October 2, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Trails System Act into law. It established a network of scenic, historic, and recreation trails. You can read the original act on GPO’s govinfo.

Until 1968, the Federal government simply built and maintained trails on Federal lands. The National Trails System Act expanded that role by providing funding and support for interstate coordination and volunteer partnerships. Today, the National Trails System includes 20 national scenic and historic trails traversing nearly 40,000 miles.

In addition to making the National Trails System Act available on govinfo, GPO makes available these trail-related resources:

024-005-01277-0National Trails System: Map and Guide

This National Park Service full-color map depicts eight national scenic trails and nine national historic trails. The National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management work in concert to keep trails well-marked and well-monitored. Check out the NPS website for the complete list of scenic and historic trails.

The Iditarod National Historic Trail (Poster)

024-011-00198-1_01On one side of this U.S. Forest Service poster is a timeline and map.  On the other side is a photo of a 1913 dog sled mail team. Together, they commemorate a historic 1,500 miles stretch of winter travel tracks connected to form America’s last gold rush trail.

Upon throwing his support behind a national system of trails, President Johnson said, “The forgotten outdoorsmen of today are those who like to walk, hike, ride horseback, or bicycle. For them we must have trails as well as highways…In the back country we need to copy the great Appalachian Trail in all parts of our country…”

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Park Service, Travel and Tourism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

The Government Guide to a World of Exporting

September 28, 2016

If you’re a small or medium-sized business—start-up, mature, or somewhere in between—and you’re looking to expand your international market share and bottom line, there’s a U.S. Government guide that breaks down the basics of exporting.

a-basic-guide-to-exporting-11th-editionGPO makes available the latest edition of A Basic Guide to Exporting. It’s a work of the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) U.S. Commercial Service, a functionary of the U.S. Department of Commerce. This book has been around for 70 years, and it continues to give companies information they need to “gain the confidence to become an international sensation.”

U.S. companies are exporting more than ever before. According to the ITA, “in 2013, more than 300,000 small and medium-sized U.S. companies exported to at least one international market.” That has a lot to do with the fact that 96 percent of the world’s consumers exist outside of the U.S. Now is a great time for U.S. companies to go global.

This U.S. Commercial Service resource provides U.S. companies, especially first-time exporters, with in-depth advice and real-life success stories. It deals with complex issues head-on and “challenges…assumptions about engaging in the world of international business.” In addition to A Basic Guide to Exporting, the U.S. Commercial Service offers trade counseling, market intelligence, commercial diplomacy and help connecting with potential international partners—a sort of business matchmaking service.

dockIn A Basic Guide to Exporting, exporters can find strategic advice on how to:

  • Identify markets for products
  • Create an export plan
  • Finance your export transactions
  • Handle orders and shipments
  • Get free or low-cost government export counseling
  • Sell abroad through e-commerce
  • Finance export transactions
  • Prepare for legal issues

Yes, exporting abroad is tremendously more complicated than selling domestically. But thanks to official U.S. government resources and services, the process is easier than ever before. The world is truly open for U.S. business!

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Business, Department of Commerce | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

The Future of Energy

September 20, 2016

industry-611668_960_720There’s a great deal of interest in energy issues. Energy is in high demand across the globe. The task at hand is to predict just how the world’s total energy consumption will increase. One government report does that. GPO makes available the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency (EIA)’s International Energy Outlook 2016. Not surprisingly, it shows rising levels of demand over the next three decades.

061-003-01167-5This report presents objective, sophisticated, and useful trend projections for world energy markets through 2040. IEO2016 focuses exclusively on marketed energy sources, divided according to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members (OECD) and nonmembers. Projections are “not statements of what will happen, but what might happen…dependent on the data, methodologies, model structures, and assumptions.”

By 2040, energy consumption will have increased by 1.4% per year; consumers are predicted to use roughly 815 quadrillion Btu. China and India will account for more than half of this usage. Renewable energy will be the fastest growing of all energy sources—wind and hydropower will each account for one-third of this increase. Despite the renewables uptick, fossil fuels will continue to be the prevailing energy provider, supplying 3/4 of the world’s energy needs.

Interesting to note is the growth in natural gas production from shale resources. Shale gas production amounted to more than half of U.S. natural gas production in 2015. By 2030, natural gas will surpass coal as the world’s second largest energy source. By 2040, natural gas, coal, and renewables will each generate close to 30% of all electricity.

power-1549118_960_720EIA Administrator Adam Sieminski states that “with existing policies and regulations, worldwide energy-related CO2 emissions will…increase by 1/3 out to the year 2040.” And much of this will depend upon the uncertain factors of economic growth in developing countries, oil production, technology improvements, and nuclear energy generation.

IEO2016 provides an actionable glimpse into both the current status and the future of global energy production and consumption. Because what happens today will influence tomorrow.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Department of Energy, Environment | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

A New Guide for the American Diet

September 15, 2016

001-000-04771-0Americans, your dietary guidepost for the next four years is here! The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Dietary Guidelines for Americans is now available through GPO. It’s designed to help folks “improve their overall eating patterns — the complete combination of foods and drinks in their diet.” Plainly put, it’s a plan for eating better.

In this latest edition of HHS and USDA’s twice-a-decade nutrition publication, you’ll see terms like “nutrient-dense” and “food pattern” over and over again. That isn’t just trendy jargon to impress policymakers and health professionals. The words have real meaning, and they represent a shift in thinking about the way Americans should eat.  That is, “people do not eat food groups and nutrients in isolation but rather in combination”—people eat food in patterns.

eat-carrot-peaDietary Guidelines doesn’t just prescribe what to eat, it reminds us why to eat. Science tells us that healthy eating patterns “can help prevent chronic diseases like obesity, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.” Improved nutrition staves off disease. And when Americans make healthy choices in their daily lives, the long-term benefits support a healthier next generation.

001-000-04771-0_dietary-guidelines-for-americans-2015-2020-003

Click on image to enlarge.

And now, snack on a few science-based recommendations:

  • There’s more than one way to pattern and adapt your eating. Dietary Guidelines provides examples of healthy eating patterns,
  • Nutrient-dense foods are only nutrient dense if they’re made with little or no added solid fats, sugars, refined starches, and sodium. So, cut down on those things,
  • Find new ways to sneak more veggies into dishes you already prepare,
  • Women, limit yourself to one drink per day. Men, your limit is two,
  • Lifelong healthy eating begins with small changes.

If you want a handy takeaway message, it’s this: make small dietary shifts and follow a healthy, lifetime eating pattern that combines a variety of nutrient-dense foods. Or simpler yet, eat for the long run, eat to live.

Update: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, is now available in a variety of convenient digital formats compatible with mobile phones, tablets, and e-readers.

See all the available formats for the Dietary Guidelines.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

 Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

How Naval Intelligence Shaped the Vietnam War

September 12, 2016

During the Vietnam War, U.S. naval intelligence was a very complex affair. Layers of political organization, military strategy, offensive tactics, and logistical operations shaded the struggle to win in South Vietnam. Much of that portion of the Cold War era is now declassified, illuminating the contributions of the naval intelligence establishment.

008-046-00298-3GPO makes available “Knowing the Enemy: Naval Intelligence in Southeast Asia,” part of the U.S. Department of the Navy series of commemorative studies on the Vietnam War.

The U.S. Navy intelligence effort in Vietnam played out in several pivotal events. Intelligence-gathering squadrons informed operations during 1964’s Tonkin Gulf Crisis and 1968’s Tet Offensive. Naval commands closely traced Soviet and Chinese military aid to North Vietnam and surveilled the use of the vital Cambodian port of Sihanoukville. And analysts processed raw data that informed the Linebacker bombing campaigns and pressed North Korea to eventually negotiate terms to end the war.

A SEAL scans the surroundings during his unit's intelligence-gathering mission in a Mekong Delta village.

A SEAL scans the surroundings during his unit’s intelligence-gathering mission in a Mekong Delta village.

Officers and enlisted personnel gathered and analyzed credible intel on the movement of Communist combat units, the location of Viet Cong encampments, and the flow of weapons and ammunition along the Mekong Delta. The communications, electronic, human, and imagery intelligence they collected was “key to the operational and tactical success of naval forces in the Vietnam War.”

Members of the naval intelligence community that routinely “engaged in intelligence collection often did their dangerous but vital work in direct contact with the enemy.” For example, photo reconnaissance pilots flew fast and furiously into oncoming antiaircraft fire for the best pictures—“since anything worth photographing was likely well-defended.” Hardly desk drones, intelligence staffs “fought face-to-face with the enemy” and suffered causalities for it.

Photo intelligence 3rd Class Charles R. Pearson uses his stereoscopic equipment to analyze an aerial image of an enemy site in Vietnam.

Photo intelligence 3rd Class Charles R. Pearson uses his stereoscopic equipment to analyze an aerial image of an enemy site in Vietnam.

U.S. naval intelligence units furnished operational forces “with information that, for the most part, improved their battle performance…and prospects for survival in combat.” More than anything, the cadre of intelligence professionals helped the American military understand the enemy.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

 Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

 

Leave a Comment » | Department of Defense, U.S. Navy, Vietnam | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

NASA Publications Hotter Than the Sun

September 7, 2016

It seems like there’s no end to the number of articles and books written about and by NASA. But then again, there’s no end to the research and technology that NASA puts forth. Of course, it’s not nearly enough to fill the cosmos that the agency so intrepidly explores. Yet, as always, NASA’s pioneering science and technology research endeavors to take humanity to the next achievable frontier.

If you’re ready to sponge up more of NASA’s scientific discoveries, or you’re just interested in all things space-related, check out these publications available through GPO. Countdown to liftoff…3…2…1…

 NASA’s Journey to Mars: Pioneering Next Steps in Space Exploration

033-000-01376-1In this century, NASA may have the answer to the David Bowie song “Life on Mars?” The agency’s goal is to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and then to Mars in the 2030s. This booklet serves as a mission framing document.

Four decades of robotic missions and spaceflight have developed and tested the technologies needed for exploration of deep space. Data gathered by surface scouts show that the Martian environment may be suitable—and sustainable—for a human presence. In response, NASA is leveraging core capabilities to “logically progress from current Earth Reliant operations…to Earth Independent pioneering.”

While much remains to be learned about extending human presence in space, “we are closer to sending humans to Mars than at any point in NASA’s history.” Just in case life is ever found on the Red Planet, or any planet for that matter, NASA has an Office of Planetary Protection. No kidding.

Spinoff, 2016

033-000-01375-2_spinoff-2016According to NASA’s 2016 budget, the Federal Government spends about 0.5% of its purse on the world’s biggest space agency. That means NASA receives $0.005 of every taxpayer dollar. It pours those cents into groundbreaking technologies, many of which have been successfully commercialized through the Technology Transfer Program.

Spinoff, 2016 profiles the novel inventions that have spun off into handy applications for transportation, health and medicine, information technology, and even consumer goods. Here are a few highlights:

  • An astronaut G-suit saves women from post-birth hemorrhaging.
  • A Mars methane detector can identify dangerous gas leaks.
  • A CO2 recovery system allows microbrewers to more efficiently carbonate beer.

As Administrator Charlie Bolden writes in his foreword to book, NASA’s work has resulted in “technology coming down to Earth…[these] spinoffs have made an impact on nearly every facet of American life.”

Reference Guide to the International Space Station

033-000-01373-6The International Space Station (ISS) is both the most complex scientific effort and the most expensive project ever undertaken. This reference guide details the unique research accommodations, support systems, and international partnerships that lend credibility to the ISS’ position as an extremely agile—and awe-inspiring—platform of discovery.

This orbiting laboratory of weightless, extreme conditions has a low-orbit path over 90 percent of the Earth’s population. Tricked-out features enable it to execute research that cannot be done anywhere else. Eighty-three countries that have been involved with its activities. And astronauts use it as a “proving ground” to solve difficult challenges associated with establishing viable human activity beyond Earth. The ISS is truly a symbol of the best of human knowledge and cooperation.

Fun fact: you can sign up to receive text messages from NASA whenever the International Space Station passes over your location!

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE NASA PUBLICATIONS?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

 Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | NASA, Science & Technology, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

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