Read the full BTOWN Banter story here

IU Army ROTC

In addition to providing top notch academic instruction to soldiers and airmen, Indiana University supports the Indiana National Guard through research and service. The goal is to assure Camp Atterbury and the Muscatatuck Center continue to be vital to our national security while supporting the Indiana economy. Go Hoosiers and Guardsmen!

Read the full article about IU’s new study revealing that Indiana military installations boost state and local economy.

The new Partnership Intermediary Agreement officially allows Crane and IU to exchange technology-related assistance and include private-sector partners, which Crane cannot do alone. By identifying IU as a partnership intermediary — a not-for-profit owned or funded in whole or part by state or local government that assists with small business firms or education institutions that need or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related assistance from a federal laboratory –Crane can then provide information on shareable research and development capabilities, resources and support partners’ programs.

IU and IURTC will now be able to help companies submit technical proposals to funding programs, showcase lab inventions for licensing and collaboration, and then help companies take the next steps to product development. IU will also be able to act as an intermediary to showcase clients’ technologies and capabilities that are of interest to Crane.

Read the full story here

John Dement, technology transfer manager from NSWC Crane, presenting to the group.

To connect local business with university and other public and private technology transfer opportunities, Indiana University hosts technology showcases around the state.  On March 27^th, I was pleased to co-host the most recent showcase at the Bloomington campus with Ron Walker, President of the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation.

The showcase featured patent presentations from Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division engineers and was sponsored by the Bloomington Technology Partnership and IU.

Participants at the March 27 showcase in Bloomington.

Keep an eye on the Innovate Indiana website for future regional showcases.

Colonel Alan Pratt, new Commander of Naval Surface Warfare Center-Crane Division meets IU Vice President for Engagement, Bill Stephan, at a community welcoming reception for Colonel Pratt held on January 19th in Bloomington

On January 19^th, community leaders from Bloomington welcomed Colonel and Mrs. Alan Pratt at a reception in their honor at the Monroe County Convention Center. Indiana University was pleased to co-host the reception with partner organizations: Ivy Tech-Bloomington, The Greater Bloomington Chamber, the Bloomington Economic Development Corporation and Mr. Lee Marchant, chair of the Growing Crane Committee.  The event was a great opportunity to demonstrate Bloomington’s support for Crane’s national security mission.

As I prepared my outline for my duties as emcee for the program, I was again reminded of the vast economic development engine that Crane continues to operate in southeastern Indiana.  Most Hoosiers have no idea of the scale of the Crane operations.  Think about these numbers:

1. It’s the 3^rd largest navy installation in the world by acres;
2. Critical concentration of 2,229 scientists, engineers and technicians;
3. $2.0 billion receipted in FY 11;
4. 87 patents issued, 123 in-Process which is seen as “the metric of innovation”
5. 3,105 Government Employees, $232M Payroll
6. 1,200+ Contractor Employees, $96M Payroll
7. And, thousands more jobs outside the gate that support the above

I list these statistics not just as a reminder of the huge number of Hoosiers that have good jobs related to Crane activities, but to remind us that we can’t take it for granted.  Someday, another round of defense base closures may come and Crane has darkened that list before. Indiana business, higher education and government leaders must continue to be innovative in the ways we support Crane.

Mrs. Cathy Pratt (left) and Colonel Pratt meeting Former Monroe County Commissioner Joyce Poling and Growing Crane Committee Chairman Lee Marchant.

Businesses can continue to be inventive suppliers, and governments can continue to provide infrastructure like I-69 and the Westgate at Crane technology park.  Indiana University will continue to connect with Crane on a daily basis providing faculty experts, interns, and access to our massive research collections.  In addition to building the Indiana economy we will contribute to national security.

Michelle Obama tours to announce the Joining Forces Initiative.

Recently, I was happy to see the IU School of Medicine re-affirming its commitment to Indiana veterans. When Dean Craig Brater signed on to the Joining Forces Initiative, he pledged to prepare Indiana University doctors and researchers to treat and study the particular problems vets face, such as brain injuries and post-traumatic stress syndrome .

As a lieutenant colonel in the Indiana National Guard who’s served two tours of duty, I am very glad to see the world recognizing post 9/11 veterans as a new class of patients, with a new set of health problems. Indiana has a huge class of National Guardsmen and women, the fourth largest in the U.S.,  and in the coming decades physicians in Indiana will meet with many of them.

So, while I applaud the Joining Forces Initiative, I will be even more thrilled when the IU medical school adopts a block in the curriculum for teaching students how to deal with the veterans they inevitably will meet.  Let’s be honest, most veterans will not get their medical care from the federal government but from their family doctor.

I recently posted two lessons learned applicable to any complex organization.  Here is the final in the series of posts.

 Finally, the 3rd lesson; embrace change and be agile.  When I joined the National Guard only twenty years ago, our wartime mission was focused on defeating the Warsaw Pact in Europe.  Today, we operate in a complex counterinsurgency environment where success requires that we adapt tactics faster than the exceedingly agile terrorist groups.  In 2005, my commander in Afghanisatn did not allow us to engage in social or political problems in the provinces where we were operating.  By contrast, in 2010 my commander required that I blog weekly to communicate our progress to the world.  Changing the culture of an organization is difficult but essential as the landscape and requirements evolve.  For example, currently at Indiana University we have a culture built on educational excellence.  However, our challenge is how to maintain excellence during very challenging economic constraints.

 After several years of discouraging news from Afghanistan, I am convinced that we are again making the advancements that will allow the coalition to reach the successful end state of denying terrorists a safe platform and building the Afghan security forces to allow the elected leadership the ability to maintain a safe and secure environment.  The lesson we have learned is that with any counterinsurgency, international leadership and perseverance will be essential to reaching the goal.

Recently I blogged about the first lesson learned in Afghanistan during my recent deployment. Here is part two  of three with another point that I think is important for any organization: Second, it is vital to understand the culture and languages of your area of operations.  Many Americans do not understand their own culture, which is essential before appreciating another.  In May, 2005, quite a firestorm erupted in Afghanistan following a Newsweek story describing the desecration of the Qur’an at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.  The story was later retracted as untrue, but it played right into the hands of the insurgents’ claims. Cultural lesson: Afghanistan is an Islamic state; Muslims believe the Qur’an  provides divine guidance and direction; in a country with a 30% literacy rate, the spoken words of the local Mullah carry great weight in public opinion.  I was alerted that a local Mullah in our area of operations had called for demonstrations and even Jihad against the U.S. as a response to the desecration rumors.  This could have resulted in needless civilian and military casualties. Knowing that military leaders also carry great influence in Afghanistan, I worked with the State Department political advisor in our area who arranged for the Afghan battalion commander that I was mentoring to meet with the Mullah and town elders. 

The Afghan commander stood at the Shura (meeting) and passionately explained that he had worked with Americans for the past three years and we were constantly respectful of his religious practices and he could not believe the rumors to be true. 

The meeting ended with the group deciding that further demonstrations or worse were not needed.  Success depends on cultural understanding, no

U. S. officers discuss a Kabul building project with Afghan engineers and city leaders

 matter where you are operating.  I am pleased to report that the Departments of Defense and State are taking advantage of our vast Central Asian culture and language resources at Indiana University to train personnel headed for Afghanistan.

Kirk White in Afghanistan

By Kirk White

This summer I completed a second one year tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as an Indiana Army National Guard officer.  During my first tour, 2004-05, I was chief of an embedded training team advising a battalion of the new Afghan National Army.  As we departed in 2005, there was a sense of great accomplishment, anticipation and hope in Afghanistan.  President Karzai had just been elected in the first free election in the country’s history, dates were set for parliamentary elections and though combat continued with insurgents in the east and south, the north and west were relatively secure and stable.  During this past year I commanded a provisional task force responsible for base operations and force protection at two large U.S. Kabul bases.  After returning, I am most often asked, “how have conditions changed since your first tour,” and “when will we be done in Afghanistan?”  It is easier to answer the former than the latter.  Following nine years in Afghanistan our soldiers, military and country have taken some significant lessons in leadership that are transferrable to any organization and should not be lost as we move forward. Over the next few days I will blog about my “Top 3″ leadership lessons.

  First, know the final goal, or in the army we call it the ‘end state’

Success will not be achieved unless the team is clear on the desired outcome.  In Afghanistan there is a big difference between denying insurgents the ability to use the country as a platform for attacks verses full spectrum nation building. The complexity in counterinsurgency is that the two are often connected so that one depends on the other.  Additionally, the Afghanistan team is made of over 40 nation partners who have different views of the end state which are often influenced by historic perspective and limited by national caveats. For the coalition, our definition of the end state has changed over time.  We are seeing a higher level of success because we have a better idea of the final goals.