U.S. Army Reserve in Sustaining Civil Society and in Post-Conflict Stabilization Mission

January 27-30, 2006, Washington, DC, Ft. Dix, New Jersey
Contacts: FPC DOD Liaison Officer Andrew Strike and Washington Foreign Press Center Program Officer Wendy Lyle
Andrew Strike: Telephone: 202-504-6356, Email: Strikeap2@state.gov
Wendy Lyle: Telephone: 202-504-6362; Email: lylewp@state.gov

Twenty eight print, radio and TV journalists from 14 countries around the world took part in the tour.  The journalists representing such leading media organizations as Al-Jazeera International, ARD, CNN International, Le Figaro, Middle East Broadcasting Center, O Globo, Phoenix Satellite TV, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Televisa News Network, and Tokyo Broadcasting System attended an FPC briefing by U.S. Army Reserve Commander LTG Helmly, engaged international security specialists at CSIS and the Heritage Foundation chaired respectively by Dr. Anthony Cordesman and Dr. James Carafano.

At Ft. Dix, they observed activated Reserve and National Guard soldiers training for deployment to Iraq and filmed several training excercises involving insurgent and IED attacks and Iraqi civilians on the battlefield.  Throughout the tour, the journalists actively engaged presenters and did extensive interviews with Col. Anderson, his senior subordinates, and several soldiers who had recently returned from Iraq.