Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that's happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, President Obama addressed the nation on his plan to withdraw American troops from Afghanistan, delivering on a promise he made to the American people in December of 2009. He also traveled to Fort Drum in New York to meet with soldiers and their families, welcomed young elected officials to the White House, and talked to mayors from across the country about job creation and economic growth.

Find out more about the topics covered in this edition of West Wing Week:

This week, the President announced his plan to responsibly draw down the number of troops in Afghanistan. After a long decade, the men and women of our armed forces – many of whom have served multiple tours of duty overseas – will soon begin to come home for good. They have worked hard, served bravely, and sacrificed much. I know because I was honored to serve alongside them. But we have not endured these challenges alone. Every time our troops are called to action, so too are their families. From day one of this conflict, America’s military families have been steadfast in service and support for their loved ones and their country. We owe it to these families to be just as steadfast now in our service and support for them.

The war in Afghanistan is just beginning to wind down, but the challenges faced by our military families will remain. And whether these challenges are related to employment, education, wellness, or any of a range of other issues, this Administration and this country will stand by our military families and support them. This is not a commitment that can be met solely within the confines of the White House. It will require the efforts of all of us – from every community, every sector of industry, and every walk of life – working together to make sure that the service of these brave families is not forgotten, and they do not face obstacles alone.  At JoiningForces.gov, you'll find lots of ways to get involved. You can find service opportunities in your area, send a message of support to military families, or tell us your own story of service.

Part of bringing our troops home responsibly is standing by those who serve.  We must enlist those who have defended America abroad in the effort to build America at home – by giving our troops and their families the care, benefits, and opportunity that they deserve.

LTC Jason Dempsey is a White House fellow in the Office of the First Lady. He served in Afghanistan from 2009-2010, and will deploy again in 2012.

Tomorrow, the President will speak at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the importance of American manufacturing to grow the economy and create new jobs.

As the President spoke about earlier this month in Toledo, manufacturing is picking up all across the country. For example, Rhett Crooks is the owner of a precision tooling manufacturer in Vandergift, Pennsylvania that recently turned around and is rehiring. The President explained how manufacturers both large and small like Rhett’s are putting more Americans back to work:

And what's most important, all three American automakers are now adding shifts and creating jobs at the strongest rate since the 1990s.  So far the auto industry has added 113,000 jobs over the past two years.  In Detroit, Chrysler added a second shift at its Jefferson North plant.  GM is adding a third shift at its Hamtramck plant for the first time ever.  In Indiana, Chrysler is investing more than $1.3 billion in its Kokomo facilities.  And across the country, GM plans to hire back every single one of its laid-off workers by the end of the year -- every single one.

And that makes a difference for everyone who depends on this industry.  Companies like a small precision tooling manufacturer in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, have brought back many of the employees they had laid off two years ago.  Manufacturers from Michigan to Massachusetts are looking for new engineers to build advanced batteries for American-made electric cars.

So this industry is back on its feet, repaying its debts, gaining ground.  Because of you, we can once again say that the best cars in the world are built right here in the U.S. of A., right here in Ohio, right here in the Midwest.  And each day when you clock in, you’re doing more than earning your pay by churning out cars.  You’re standing up for this company.  You’re sticking up for this way of life.  You’re scoring one for the home team and showing the world that American manufacturing and American industry is back.

As a piece to the bigger picture of the auto industry's turnaround, Rhett's company, Carbi-Tech, makes dies and stamps brass-plated parts used in throttle and brake controls for Ford, Chrysler, suppliers in Canada, and Delphi Automotive LLP. Rhett's company felt the effects of the downturn beginning in the second quarter of 2008 and had to lay off 40% off his workforce. However, since the past year, Carbi-Tech is now back to full capacity at 15-20 employees and is in the position to hire more. To continue the positive trend, Rhett recommends industries to stay competitive and believe in the quality of the American worker. Listen to Rhett share his story:

The White House recently unveiled plans by 30 different federal agencies to make sure that the regulations they enforce are protecting Americans’ health and well-being without imposing unnecessary or excessive costs. 

These agencies will rewrite or remove regulations that have been on the books for decades to achieve their goals at lower costs and abolish regulations that have become obsolete.  Examples of changes now underway include:

• Removing regulations that require outdated technologies, such as film-X-rays instead of digital.
• Eliminating the regulation requiring some gas stations to install vapor recovery systems on their hoses, because vapor recovery is now built into the gas tanks of cars, saving gas station owners about $670 million over the next decade.
• Eliminating 1.9 million annual hours of redundant reporting requirements at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and harmonizing its hazard classifications with other countries to save $585 million or more per year for employers.

The Administration has committed to completing this thorough review and ensuring that the United States has a regulatory system that protects Americans’ health and well-being, while promoting innovation, competition, and economic prosperity – “A 21^st Century Regulatory System.”

Getting rid of outdated regulations and making regulations smarter benefits America.  But abolishing all regulation, even the ones that provide important benefits, is not smart.  Some regulations are critically important for the country and have benefits that far outweigh the costs.

Take the 1990 changes to the Clean Air Act.  The benefits to America have been estimated to outweigh the costs of these rules by a factor of 25.  These rules prevented over 150,000 premature deaths, 86,000 emergency room visits, and 13 million lost work days.  And that’s just for 2010.

Some regulations, by establishing consumer confidence in an industry, can actually make them better off.  It helps the American beef industry thrive, for example, that consumers know that the Department of Agriculture inspects meat for safety.  In fact, American beef producers volunteer for the government’s quality grading system, and pay for the privilege. 

The administration has been smart about regulations.  It conducts a rigorous cost-benefit analysis of individual regulations before they are put into effect and it often opts for lower cost rules when they generate greater net benefits.  If you look at the benefits and costs of major regulations issued by this administration in fiscal years 2009 and 2010, the estimated benefits are over five times larger than the estimated costs.  The net benefits are over ten times those during the first two years of the Bush Administration, and over three times those during the first two years of the Clinton Administration.  

Furthermore, there has been no increase in rulemaking in this Administration.  On the contrary, the number of rules issued in the first two years of this Administration is approximately the same as the number of rules issued in the first two years of the Bush Administration.

Some people are throwing around scary numbers about the costs regulations are imposing on the US economy.  One group is even claiming that the regulations currently on the books cost the U.S. economy $1.75 trillion in 2008.  The Council of Economic Advisers has looked at those claims and the $1.75 trillion figure is utterly erroneous.  In fact, their own data (which come from the World Bank) show that countries with smarter regulations have higher standards of living, and the United States has one of the best regulatory systems in the world.  And beyond that, their number completely ignores the benefits of regulation.

We must do everything we can to streamline regulation and make it smarter.  But we should also not forget that the rules of the road are important for the health, safety and economic growth of the United States.

This week, First Lady Michelle Obama is visiting South Africa and Botswana, focusing on youth leadership, education, health and wellness.  Today, Mrs. Obama met with organizations dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS in South Africa, including groups that use soccer to convene and educate children about HIV/AIDS.  Tomorrow, she will meet with a Teen Club in Botswana that teaches teens about leadership and how to educate others about HIV. 

During her meetings with African youth, Mrs. Obama is highlighting the importance of youth leadership in fighting HIV/AIDS.  These young men and women grew up watching family members and friends taken by this devastating virus.  But today they know there is hope.  They have seen dramatic change in recent years – thanks to strong leadership from their Government with support from the American people – where people who were once dying are now living. These youth can be the generation that ends HIV/AIDS. 

The United States is proud to be supporting South Africa, Botswana and countries around the world in leading their fight against HIV/AIDS.  In South Africa, there are more than one million people on life-saving HIV treatment today, a far cry from the 50,000 people on treatment in all of sub-Saharan Africa in 2003.  And Botswana is now closing in on the goal of eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission.

These successes are being replicated in countries around the world thanks to support from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).  Globally, the United States is supporting more than 3.2 million people on life-saving treatment.  In 2010, PEPFAR directly supported 11 million people on care, including 3.8 million orphans and vulnerable children. And PEPFAR-supported programs reached over 600,000 mothers with services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, leading to more than 114,000 infants being born HIV-free in 2010 alone. For millions of youth around the world, these numbers represent parents, friends and community leaders who are now living with HIV instead of dying from it.  As we focus on results, America is also supporting countries so they can lead their fight in the future and continue to save even more lives. 

The Obama Administration is more committed than ever to build on the successes of the last decadeand to continue to work with other governments and partners as we all work toward our shared goal of a world without HIV/AIDS.  And we hope the millions of lives saved to date will inspire youth in Africa and around the world to continue their fight for an HIV-free future.

Ambassador Eric Goosby is the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator at the U.S. Department of State.

The First Lady and her family spent Wednesday, June 22 in Soweto, Johannesburg -- the sprawling South African township of over a million, once home to such giants as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and scene of so many dramatic events of the struggle against apartheid -- including those that occurred at Regina Mundi church, where the First Lady gave the keynote address at the US-sponsored Young African Womens Leaders Forum. Regina Mundi, like Soweto itself, was the beating heart of the anti-apartheid movement, a place where those involved in the struggle gathered to find faith, build support and makes plans to free their country. On June 16, 1976, 35 years ago this month, as Soweto's youth came together to demonstrate against apartheid laws, police opened fire, killing some, wounding others, and leaving bullet holes in the walls of sacred Regina Mundi, where a group of students sought refuge. That day, now called Youth Day in South Africa, galvanized the anti-apartheid movement and international awareness of the struggle.

Over the past several days, I had the opportunity to take part in two inspiring events that addressed the subject of workplace flexibility. Last week, I spoke to representatives of an organization called Corporate Voices for Working Families, and yesterday, I was interviewed by Niloufar Molavi, the Chief Diversity Officer at PricewaterhouseCoopers, as part of summit for executives from all across the country.

Organizations and businesses such as Corporate Voices and PricewaterhouseCoopers are leading advocates for workplaces that are both models of efficiency, and also responsive to the family lives of their workers. As members of the business community have shown, these goals are not only compatible – they are inextricably linked.

Several studies show that flexible workplaces strengthen businesses, and so do stories from firms around our country.  Take the example of Ryan LLC, a tax services firm based in Dallas. Managers at Ryan noticed talented employees leaving their positions at the company to spend more time with their families, and they decided to do something about it. They created a program called myRyan, which measured employees based on results achieved instead of hours worked. Turnover decreased, and many former employees actually returned to the firm. Ryan LLC and companies like it have demonstrated that supporting a healthy work-life balance can provide a business with a key competitive edge.

Ed. Note: Cross-posted with USDA Blog.

On Friday afternoon, I sat down with business leaders from York County, Pennsylvania to get their input on how the Federal government can work with them to improve economic conditions and create jobs.  Among the participants were members of the York Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as representatives from marketing, computer technology, and renewable energy manufacturing industries.

The session, the most recent in an ongoing series of White House Business Council meetings, was hosted by Alan Shortall, CEO of Unilife Corporation, a manufacturer and supplier of advanced safety medical syringes. Have you heard people talk about companies moving off-shore to China? Well, Alan told the reverse tale, as he kicked off our meeting. His company moved their manufacturing operation from China to the United States because of our high-end engineering expertise, which Alan argued, is an unmatched core competency of the United States. Since it set up shop in Pennsylvania in 2006, Unilife has employed 200 people and this number is expected to double by 2015. Not only are these good jobs and critical to the economy of York, but Alan said he will be spending at least $40 million on US purchases of equipment in the next year. Now, that’s stimulus!

I was glad to hear of the Unilife success story, since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provided an $18 million guaranteed loan for construction of its custom-built, global headquarters completed last year. So top of my mind as we sat around discussing the economy, was identifying other ways in which the Federal government can help.

The United Nations Charter makes a rare appearance at the New York headquarters of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. (Photo by USUN)

For just a few minutes on Tuesday afternoon, the lobby of U.S. Mission headquarters was home to the original United Nations Charter. There, flanked by guards and inscribed with the names of the world’s most notable mid-century diplomats, sat the UN’s original founding document, an open book on the aspirations of the post-war generation.

Later, the Charter survived the trip across New York’s 1st Avenue for the swearing-in of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. In welcoming the Secretary-General’s reappointment, Ambassador Susan Rice said that Ban has “understood that an institution built in the wake of World War II must renew and reform itself to meet the challenges of a very different world.”