General William "Kip" Ward, commander, U.S. Africa Command, held an "all hands" meeting with hundreds command and staff members December 2, 2010, at the Kelley Barracks fitness center. He discussed hot topics such as the command's headquarters location and the recent Wikileaks publishing of classified documents, as well as welcomed newcomers and highlighted recent command accomplishments such as November's Theater Security Cooperation Conference to coordinate how the U.S. military supports other U.S. government agencies in Africa. Ward assembles the staff approximately every three months for an "all hands call" to provide updates and recognize the achievements of command members. Awards and thanks were given at the start of the all-hands meeting to honor civilian, inter-agency partner and military quarterly award winners. He also welcomed the command's newest team members, including U.S. AFRICOM's new senior development advisor, Mark A. White, of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). "We are a people business," Ward explained. Initial impressions are lasting impressions, he said, especially "when someone comes in and they are made to feel like they are welcome; we want them here and we are going to do our best to take care of them." Ward discussed several topics of interest to the staff, including:The recent illegal distribution of thousands of classified documents via the private Wikileaks group, which has been strongly condemned by U.S. officials. Ward stated procedures are being put in place to prevent future security lapses. He also said that he hopes that the aftermath of the recent leaks would not interfere with the close atmosphere of collaboration and cooperation the command has built with other U.S. government agencies. Ward emphasized that the documents remain classified even though they have been made available by news organizations for public viewing. He stressed that the leaked documents may not be opened on unclassified government computers, and he strongly advised staff members not to open the documents on their personal computers at home.Ward also highlighted the significant work accomplished at the Theater Security Cooperation Conference held November 15-19 at Ramstein Air Base. More than 600 security cooperation stakeholders from U.S. embassies in Africa, other U.S. government agencies and departments, Africa Command headquarters, AFRICOM component commands, and international partners were brought together to discuss future programs of engagement and how the work of the U.S. military will support larger U.S. government efforts. The command attempts to plan its programs several years in advance, he explained, "and then we coordinate that, we synchronize that, we harmonize that with our partners."Ward noted that Army General Carter Ham's confirmation testimony November 18 before the Senate Armed Services Committee revisited the topic of the location of U.S. AFRICOM headquarters, currently in Stuttgart. Ward recommended that staff members steer clear from the politics of basing locations and concentrate on performing their duties. "Leave it alone," he said. "Don't worry about it. Leave it alone. Nobody knows [what decisions will be made]. "The general left his team with a bit of advice. He said everyone should do a push-up every day. It symbolizes a "physical," "moral" and "spiritual" fitness even if it’s what he called a "Kip Ward push-up." Ward explained his style of push-ups. “I don’t go all the way down. I don’t lock my elbows. And I don’t care!"