The U.S. chose not to join the ICC and the court is not accountable to the U.S. Constitution or American voters. What’s more, the rules under which the ICC was established make clear that it is only to investigate crimes committed by nations whose justice systems are “unwilling or unable” to conduct their own investigations.

The US has one of the most credible justice systems in the world and has thoroughly investigated the circumstances in question. The ICC is exceeding its jurisdiction and authority, demanding that Americans surrender sovereignty. This could lead to American military personnel and veterans being arrested, prosecuted, and detained in foreign countries – including in countries that Americans have fought and died to protect, countries that American military personnel defend to this day.

The US government provides no funding to the ICC.  However, more than half of the ICC’s annual budget is contributed by a handful of our closest allies – Japan, Germany, the UK, France, Italy, Canada, and Spain.  These countries are thus contributing to an ICC investigation of the very same American military that defends them.

To learn more about these disturbing developments and what you can do, you may want to dial into this conference call on Wednesday, April 29 at 1:00pm Eastern Time. If you would like to join, please RSVP by Monday, April 27 by visiting https://fdd.wufoo.com/forms/rxmdv30ucrozj/. FDD will follow-up with those who register with the information to dial-in.

The briefing will be presented by:

• Cliff May, the Founder and President of FDD. He recently published an article on the ICC’s efforts, entitled “Globalists Gone Wild.”
• Orde Kittrie, a senior fellow at FDD and a tenured professor of law and Washington, DC program director for Arizona State University.  Orde previously served for ten years as a U.S. State Department attorney and policy official.  Orde is the author of Lawfare: Law as a Weapon of War (Oxford University Press, 2016), which describes how America’s adversaries are increasingly using law as a weapon to undermine the United States and our allies.
• Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power, Afghanistan veteran, and winner of The Military Coalition’s Freedom Award. He is a former Army officer, Blackhawk pilot, and Senate staffer who worked with TMC to successfully overturn cost of living allowance cuts for veterans, including those injured in combat.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
THE SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY

SUBJECT:       Providing Continued Federal Support for
Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19 and to Facilitate Economic Recovery

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. 5121-5207 (the “Stafford Act”), and section 502 of title 32, United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1.  Policy.  It is the policy of the United States to take measures to assist State and territorial Governors under the Stafford Act in their responses to all threats and hazards to the American people in their respective States and territories.  On March 13, 2020, I declared a national emergency recognizing the threat that COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel (new) coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 (“the virus”), and the virus poses to the Nation’s healthcare systems.  I also determined that same day that the COVID-19 outbreak constituted an emergency, of nationwide scope, pursuant to section 501(b) of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)).  Considering the profound and unique public health risks posed by the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, the need for close cooperation and mutual assistance between the Federal Government and the States and territories is greater than at any time in recent history.  This need remains as the United States continues to battle the public health threat posed by the virus, while transitioning to a period of increased economic activity and recovery in those areas of the Nation where the threat posed by the virus has been sufficiently mitigated.  To provide maximum support to the States and territories as they make decisions about the responses required to address local conditions in their respective jurisdictions with respect to combatting the threat posed by the virus and, where appropriate, facilitating their economic recovery, I am taking the actions set forth in sections 2, 3, and 4 of this memorandum:

Sec. 2.  One Hundred Percent Federal Cost Share.  To maximize assistance to the Governors of the States of Alabama, Alaska, and Delaware to facilitate Federal support with respect to the use of National Guard units under State control, I am directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security to fund 100 percent of the emergency assistance activities associated with preventing, mitigating, and responding to the threat to public health and safety posed by the virus that these States undertake using their National Guard forces, as authorized by sections 403 (42 U.S.C. 5170b) and 503 (42 U.S.C. 5193) of the Stafford Act.

Sec. 3.  Support of Operations or Missions to Prevent and Respond to the Spread of COVID-19.  I am directing the Secretary of Defense, to the maximum extent feasible and consistent with mission requirements (including geographic proximity), to request pursuant to 32 U.S.C. 502(f) that the Governors of the States of Alabama, Alaska, and Delaware order National Guard forces to perform duty to fulfill mission assignments, on a fully reimbursable basis, that FEMA issues to the Department of Defense for the purpose of supporting their respective State and local emergency assistance efforts under the Stafford Act.

Sec. 4.  Termination and Extension.  The 100 percent Federal cost share for the States’ and territories’ use of National Guard forces authorized pursuant to this memorandum, and my prior memoranda dated March 22, 28, and 30, 2020, and April 2, 7, and 13, 2020, each titled “Providing Federal Support for Governors’ Use of the National Guard to Respond to COVID-19,” shall extend to, and shall be available for orders of any length authorizing duty through, May 31, 2020.

Sec. 5.  General Provisions.

(a)  Nothing in this memorandum shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b)  This memorandum shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c)  This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d)  The Secretary of Defense is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

DONALD J. TRUMP

But there are some positive trends. The number of e-commerce jobs has skyrocketed, rising 228% between the week of Feb. 17 and the week of March 16. Post office jobs are up 68%, warehousing jobs are up 13%, and forklift operator jobs are up 18% over the same period.  We also see rapid job posting growth in health care, transportation and tutoring to meet the demand generated by the coronavirus crisis. Top titles with increased job postings over the past four weeks, as of March 25:

Health care

1. Registered nurse, ambulatory: 47.56%
2. LPN home health: 38.56%
3. Intensive care nurse: 34.96%
4. Associate medical director: 18.07%
5. Registered nurse, emergency: 9.53%

Transportation

1. CDL flatbed truck driver: 976.24%
2. Class A CDL truck driver: 50.54%
3. Truck driver: 13.70%
4. Regional owner operator truck driver: 12.53%
5. CDL A owner operator: 12.46%

Warehousing

1. Warehouse handler: 1,677.33%
2. Warehouse attendant: 569.40%
3. Warehouse team member: 452.71%
4. Warehouse laborer: 373.28%
5. Warehouse sorter: 365.60%

Tutoring

1. Online tutor: 233.49%
2. Chemistry tutor: 10.14%
3. Foreign language instructor: 9.12%

• You can record conversations on your phone or through the browser on the website using your laptop mic.
• You get real-time streaming transcripts and within minutes, it produces searchable notes with text, audio, images, speaker ID, etc.
• You can save and share these notes as a transcript and/or mp3 recording, and you can save it to the cloud, like google drive, etc.

It picks up voices from across the room, so even if you don’t set your phone right next to the speaker, it still does a great job of picking up what is said.  Of course, folks need to talk one at a time, but when 1 speaker stops talking and another starts, it does a decent job of recognizing 1 speaker from another and puts their comments into their own paragraph on the transcript.

If you are interested in using the program, click here.

The above link is to an advisory from the National Guard Bureau, sharing information about a job seeking website that will install malicious software onto a visitor’s device.

National Guard members looking for job placement assistance should visit our Corporate Partner (who specifically helps National Guard members with job search, resume writing, LinkedIn profiles, and Interview Skills) at Corporate America Supports You – CASY.us and Military Spouses can use Military Spouse Corporate Career Network – MSCCN.us

CASY

MSCCN

A total of 325 active-duty service members died by their hand in 2018, surpassing the previously recorded number of 321 in 2012. Combating the problem of suicide has been a challenge throughout the department, and as we reported last week, the CSAF took the unprecedented step of ordering Air Force units to stand down for a day to address the rising problem of suicides.  Click Here to view CMSAF Wright’s video on resiliency and the importance of taking care of each other.

If you are in crisis, or you know someone who is, there are immediate resources available to support you or your loved ones.  The Military Crisis Line connects those in need of a trained counselor with a single phone call or click of a mouse.

This confidential, immediate help is available 24/7 at no cost to active duty, Guard and reserve members, their families, and friends.  Contact the Military Crisis Line at 800-273-8255, then press 1, or access online chat by texting 838255.

The Senate today confirmed former Army Secretary Mark Esper to be the next secretary of defense. He is the first non-acting defense secretary since Jim Mattis resigned at the end of 2018.

He is also the first former Guardsman to hold the post. Esper served in the Army for 21 years, serving 10 years in the active component and 11 years in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve.

A retired lieutenant colonel, he served with Virginia and the District of Columbia during his Guard career. A 1986 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, he is also a veteran of the Gulf War and a former senior executive at the Raytheon Company.

Esper served as Army Secretary since late 2017. He is to be sworn in as defense secretary late Tuesday.

In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, Esper answered several questions related to the Guard and the role of the Guard in future defense efforts.

He spoke out in support of the Army and Air Guard having a role in a future Space Force and said the DoD has a plan to leverage National Guard cyber resources and capabilities to expand partnerships in critical sectors where the DoD and private sector have shared interests.

In a conversation with NATIONAL GUARD that was published in the magazine’s May edition, Esper also spoke of the importance of fielding new equipment based on deployment timelines, not based on component. Esper is a former member of NGAUS.

Esper is set to become the 27th defense secretary. Four other men, and Esper himself, have held the post on an acting basis.

Of those men, seven served in the Navy, seven served in the Army, two served in the Marine Corps, one each served in the Army Air Corps, Army Reserve and Air Force and 10 had no military experience.