Youth development minister: Agriculture, the way to help young people grow
13 Hrs Ago
Sean McLean, left, and Sean Austin, right, owners of Seans Rabbitry & Aquaponic Produce with Youth Development and National Service Minister Foster Cummings who toured their farm on July 6. - Photo by Marvin Hamilton
FORMER market vendor turned politician, Foster Cummings hopes that at the end of his political career, whenever that is, to have contributed to the eradication of poverty in Trinidad and Tobago.
In an interview consisting of both virtual and in person meetings, Cummings, 48, said he entered politics as a natural progression from being involved in community work and service.
Austin s four nominees to the commission, announced by the Pentagon on Friday, include retired Adm. Michelle Howard, the former vice chief of naval operations and the highest-ranking woman and African American in the Navy s history. She is joined by retired Gen. Robert Neller, former Marine Corps commandant; Dr. Kori Schake, a widely respected military scholar and director of Foreign & Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute; and retired Brig. Gen. Ty Seidule, the professor emeritus of history at the American Enterprise Institute.
Howard, who was previously named to President Joe Biden s defense transition team, served in the Navy from 1982 to 2017 and was commander of United States Naval Forces Europe before becoming VCNO in 2014. Neller, who served as head of Marine Corps Forces Command before becoming commandant in 2015, wrote a lengthy open letter to America urging racial reckoning in the wake of George Floyd s death last June.
Retired Marine general, trailblazing Navy admiral among those to scrutinize bases with Confederate names
Dan Lamothe, The Washington Post
Feb. 12, 2021
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1of3Adm. Michelle Howard, vice chief of naval operations, addresses sailors at Naval Air Station Key West s Boca Chica Field.Mass Communication Spec. 1st Class Brian Morales/U.S. NavyShow MoreShow Less
2of3Gen. Robert Neller speaks during his promotion ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington in the District on Sept. 24, 2015.Sgt. Gabriela Garcia/U.S. Marine CorpsShow MoreShow Less
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WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Friday that he has selected four people, including a former Marine Corps commandant and a retired four-star Navy admiral, to join a congressionally mandated commission that will consider how to rename U.S. military installations that recognize Confederate military officers.
In a memo to senior Pentagon leadership explaining the review, Mr. Austin sought to quickly put his stamp on the Defense Department by ordering a first-of-its-kind restructuring.
“I am aware of and appreciate earlier review efforts to reshape how we use advisory committees and consider the tangible benefits they bring to the department. Nevertheless, I am directing a zero-based review of all DoD advisory committees, to include any advisory committee that is not subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act,” he wrote in the Jan. 30 memo made public Tuesday.
To reform and streamline the board system, Mr. Austin believes it best to essentially start from scratch, Pentagon officials told reporters Tuesday. The operations of all 42 advisory boards will be temporarily suspended as the review process unfolds, and all members with the exception of individuals who were directly appointed by the president must resign by Feb. 16 or face termination.
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