Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

ASCF News

Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

Spotlight on America: How the U.S. military helps families in need each holiday season

Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Categories: ASCF News Bipartisianship

Comments: 0

It’s the season for giving back, and the U.S. military is doing just that.

Each year, branches of the military band together to help families around the world with traditions that began decades ago.

Here are three military-led initiatives that bring the holiday spirit full circle:

Operation Christmas Drop

Performed annually by the U.S. Air Force — and featured in a recent Netflix original movie — Operation Christmas Drop started as a humanitarian mission in 1952 when an aircrew noticed a group of people waving at them from the island of Kapingamarangi, an atoll in Micronesia. In response, the aircrew dropped a box of supplies attached to a parachute. That tradition has carried on year after year.

Performed by service members at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and Yokota Air Base in Japan, Operation Christmas Drop now includes everything from supplies to toys. It is the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation.

“This is a long-standing humanitarian tradition that allows U.S. and Japanese aircrews to maintain and develop operational readiness while working with our allies and partners in the Southeastern Pacific to deliver food, tools and clothing to remote islands,” Gen. Ken Wilsbach, Pacific Air Forces commander, told TODAY. “I’m thankful for all the donated goods from donors and charitable organizations who are helping make this a bright spot in an otherwise challenging year.”

All American Presents from Paratroopers

All American Presents from Paratroopers is an annual event hosted by the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Individual paratroopers from across the base donate a present and receive a raffle ticket for the opportunity to earn coveted foreign jump wings, which are badges awarded to parachutists jumping from an aircraft under a foreign commanding officer. Only a select number of raffle numbers are called and awarded to participants, creating a friendly competition among soldiers.

The event was created to help the surrounding Fayetteville community with holiday gift donations while enhancing Airborne capability at the same time.

“It is important for us to give back in this way for two reasons,” said Master Sgt. Alex Burnett of the 82nd Airborne. “First, Fayetteville and the surrounding area are our home. This community is our community, and we want to make this holiday season as special as we can for those who are in need. Second, as paratroopers, selfless service is important to each and every one of us. I think many of us volunteered to serve in the hopes that we are making the world a better place.”

Toys for Tots

The U.S. Marine Corps has helped bring the joy of the holiday season to children since 1947 with Toys for Tots thanks to Marine Corps Reserve Maj. Bill Hendricks. Hendricks’ wife, Diane, had a few handcrafted dolls, and she asked him to donate them to an organization that supported children in need. When he told his wife he was unable to locate such an organization, she told him to start one. That year, Hendricks and the Marines in his reserve unit in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys.

In his civilian job, Hendricks worked as an executive at Warner Bros. Studios. When his good friend, Walt Disney, learned of Hendricks’ new philanthropic initiative, Disney drew a poster featuring a three-car miniature train that is still used as the organization’s logo today.

Today, Marine Toys for Tots delivers an estimated 18 million toys to 7 million children around the world each year.

Photo: U.S. Marines collect toys during the annual Toys for Tots drive on Nov. 29, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The items collected will benefit children whose families can't afford toys for Christmas.DAVID SANTIAGO / AP

Link: How the U.S. military helps families in need each holiday season (today.com)

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