Ed. Note: Watch President Obama speak on the critical role the manufacturing sector plays in the American economy from Alcoa Davenport Works in Bettendorf, Iowa live at 2:05 PM EDT on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Today, the President will travel to Iowa to the Alcoa Davenport Works Factory -- a state-of-the-art aluminum rolling mill that serves as the manufacturing hub for Alcoa’s $3 billion aerospace business. While at the Alcoa Factory, President Obama will be joined by local leaders from across the region. Before the President’s visit, we heard from these leaders about how advanced manufacturing plants like the Alcoa Factory impact the regional economy in the Quad Cities.

Michael Freemire, the Mayor of Bettendorf, Iowa gives us background on the local economy:
 “The Quad Cities area has long been known for its primary manufacturing, advanced technology, and highly educated, motivated workforce.  That’s one of the hallmarks of our local economy and why this region has remained stable in what has otherwise been an economic downturn for many.”

Don Welvaert, the Mayor of Moline, Illinois enlightens us on why the Quad Cities are attracting businesses:
“Manufacturing is a significant part of the Quad Cities economy. Whether manufacturing farm implements at John Deere & Company, military guns, armor and ammunition at the Rock Island Arsenal, or the many aluminum aircraft parts and assemblies at Alcoa, we manufacture products sold worldwide. The strong work ethic and quality craftsmanship are two of the primary reasons companies choose to locate in the Quad Cities.”

Dennis Pauley, the Mayor of Rock Island, Illinois tells us a little about the area’s leading companies:
“For many years companies like Alcoa, John Deere and the Rock Island Arsenal have been leaders in advanced manufacturing. Alcoa has been and continues to be a leader in developing new uses and processes in the manufacturing of Aluminum. The technicians on the Arsenal always step up to the needs of our military personnel from developing armor plating for the humvee vehicles to discovering new ways to use titanium. John Deere personnel are leaders in developing equipment and processes to feed the world. The Quad Cities economy depends on the expertise of the people working to develop new and improved ways to manufacture products.”

John Thodos, the Mayor of East Moline, Illinois fills us in on how Alcoa is working with the Department of Defense to produce critical resources for the country:
“Recently Alcoa partnered with the Joint Manufacturing & Technology Center (JMTC) which is the only vertically integrated metal manufacturing facility in the Department of Defense located at the Rock Island Arsenal as well as the area’s largest employer. JMTC and Alcoa provided prototype vehicles to address new methods to combat IEDs through advanced manufacturing.”

Bill Gluba, the Mayor of Davenport, Iowa explains how advanced manufacturing, and the President’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) will continue to help the local and national economies:
“Cutting edge manufacturing techniques such as innovations at Alcoa will continue to lead the way towards more job creation in this competitive global economy.  President Obama’s initiative in promoting advanced manufacturing is moving our country’s economy in the right direction.  The advanced manufacturing sector is and will continue to be vital to future job growth in the economy of Davenport and the Quad Cities.”

Jeffrey Grindle, the Mayor of Riverdale, Iowa sums up what the President’s visit means to the local residents and workers:
“By President Obama visiting Alcoa Davenport Works he recognizes Alcoa is a world class leader in advanced manufacturing along with the workforce being second to none.”

 David Agnew is the Deputy Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

Last week Dr. Biden traveled to Greece to lead the Presidential delegation to the Special Olympics World Summer Games. On her first day in Greece, she had the opportunity to join Navy Secretary Mabus for a visit with deployed sailors on board the USS RAMAGE off the coast of Athens.

While on board, Dr. Biden and Secretary Mabus visited with all 300 sailors on the flight deck.  Following a reenlistment ceremony for 4 sailors on board who have committed to another tour in the Navy, they met sailors from all over the country – including those from their home states of Delaware and Mississippi.  They shook hands and took photos until the very last Sailor departed the flight deck.

(Photo by MC1 Kevin O’Brien)

After leaving the flight deck, Dr. Biden and the Secretary had lunch with Sailors on the mess deck. They talked with several of them about their families back home, including a sailor who became a new dad just days before the visit. It can be a struggle to miss out on those special family moments while deployed. But the Sailors never complained.  

RAMAGE sailors are unique. They have deployed multiple times in the past 5 years, and they have endured long and frequent separations from their families. But they are resilient, and they are proud of what they do. Each and every one of them has the same dedication to our country as those that we have had the honor of visiting at military bases across the country and throughout the world. 

Today, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, and I had the honor of announcing the winners of the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign’s Public Service Announcement (PSA) Challenge at the White House.  The event was streamed live on WhiteHouse.gov and you can view it here starting this evening.   

I had the pleasure of launching the PSA Challenge in November 2010 as part of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) – I asked Americans to create and submit short video PSAs encouraging their fellow citizens to be safe and secure online.  I was struck by the many impressive video entries submitted by PSA Challenge participants across the country.  The winning videos were the most successful at advancing the Stop.Think.Connect. message through their creativity and originality.  They target a variety of age groups and promote awareness about important cybersecurity issues critical to America’s national and economic security, as well as the safety and security of individuals and communities.  These PSAs superbly demonstrate the important responsibility all Americans share to protect cyberspace.  Congratulations to the winners!

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt, and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke watch the winning videos of the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign’s Public Service Announcement Challenge at South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. June 27, 2011. (by Thomas Miller)

The winning PSAs are featured on the Department of Homeland Security’s Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign website and YouTube channel. The PSAs will be used to promote the Stop.Think.Connect. Campaign and will help spread the word about safe and secure practices to protect Americans from online threats.

Today’s event highlights the importance of government, the private sector, non-profit organizations, academia, and the American public coming together to realize the vision set out by President Obama when he called on us to “begin a national campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness and digital literacy from our boardrooms to our classrooms, and to build a digital workforce for the 21st century.”  I commend the PSA Challenge winners for their creativity and enthusiasm, and thank all who participated in the Challenge for helping to remind Americans that cybersecurity starts with them.

Watch the winning PSAs below:

Note: Today President Obama issued a statement on National HIV Testing Day

Thirty years ago, at the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, there was no test for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. For many, there was only the long and worrisome wait for the signs of infection. Once those signs appeared, no treatment for the virus was available. I personally cared for many, many patients in this era, and I am thankful that those days are over. Today, HIV testing is accurate, widely available, and often free—and treatment can help people living with HIV enjoy long, healthy lives, especially when they get diagnosed early.
 
The good news is that more people are being tested for HIV than ever before. It is estimated that almost 83 million American adults between 18 and 64 have been tested for HIV, as of 2009. That’s an increase of more than 11 million from 2006 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) recommended that HIV testing become a routine part of medical care for adults and adolescents.

Speaking from Carnegie Mellon University, President Obama discusses the vital role advanced manufacturing will have in strengthening our economy and creating good, middle-class jobs.

Transcript | Download mp4 | Download mp3

A quick look at the week of June 20th, on WhiteHouse.gov and beyond:

Way Forward in Afghanistan: On Wednesday, the President addressed the nation about his plan to begin a drawdown of troops, including bring home 10,000 American troops by the end of this year.

Weekly Address: Earlier this week, the President delivered your weekly address in which he reflects on his experiences as a parent and the necessity of being a good father.

#YoungAfrica: The First Lady's trip to Africa is in full swing as she traveled through Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa. Follow her trip, see photos and videos all right here.

Yesterday, President Obama placed calls to Armenian President Serzh Sargsian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.  In each conversation, he encouraged his counterparts to take concrete steps toward a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that has undermined peace and development in the South Caucasus for over 20 years.

Reaffirming the statement he issued with French President Sarkozy and Russian President Medvedev in Deauville last month, the President called upon both sides to engage constructively at the summit that President Medvedev convened today at Kazan, Russia.

While the two leaders made progress today, they have more work to do to reach agreement on the Basic Principles that would form the basis of a final peace agreement.  Armenia and Azerbaijan announced that “mutual understanding [was] achieved on a number of issues whose resolution contributes to the creation of the conditions for the approval of the Basic Principles.”

The President told both leaders yesterday that if Armenia and Azerbaijan demonstrate the leadership and courage to seize the opportunity created by the recent momentum in the talks, the United States will stand by them.  Now is the time, he said, to offer the people of the region a better future for themselves and for their children.

Liz Sherwood-Randall is Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for European Affairs.

Crossposted from the NASA blog.

NASA has always been on the cutting edge of innovation, investing time, energy and resources into the technologies of tomorrow. Technologies that can be spun-off into the private sector to help create jobs and improve the quality of life of all Americans.

With funding from NASA's Aeronautics division, engineers at NASA¹s Langley Research Center have developed a manufacturing process that has turned science fiction into science fact. The Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, or EBF3, is a process that uses an electron beam gun, a dual wire feed and computer controls to manufacture metallic structures for building parts or tools in hours, rather than days or weeks.

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and Karen Taminger, the lead engineer on the Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication, or EBF3 project visiting a NASA field center holding an aircraft part made by the EBF3 during a demonstration. (Photo by NASA/Sean Smith)

The EBF3 is being used to manufacture titanium spars for vertical tails of the F-35 Joint Fight Striker. Less wasted titanium and reduced machining times result in a savings for Lockheed Martin, and ultimately the American taxpayer.

In September 2009, the President announced that – for the first time in history – the White House would routinely release visitor records. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in March 2011. Today’s release also includes several visitor records generated prior to September 16, 2009 that were requested by members of the public in May 2011 pursuant to the White House voluntary disclosure policy. This release brings the grand total of records that this White House has released to nearly 1.4 million records. You can view them all in our Disclosures section.

Ed. Note: For more information, check out Ethics.gov.