WASHINGTON - NATO’s top military commander expressed confidence that the critical pieces are being put into place to make 2010 a turning point for Afghanistan’s future.

WASHINGTON - More than 30 nations sent representatives to the U.S. Central Command-hosted exercise, Leading Edge, to share ideas on combating weapons of mass destruction held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

WASHINGTON - Army wives whose husbands deploy seek mental health services at a higher rate than others, and the longer the deployment, the greater the impact, according to a new study.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials are hailing the International Conference on Afghanistan in London as a major step toward integrating the governance and developmental goals they say must go hand in hand with security efforts being advanced through the troop surge.

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. Northern Command discussed Northcom’s support for the earthquake relief effort in Haiti and the upcoming Winter Olympics in Canada during a recent interview.

WASHINGTON - Afghan security forces reacted quickly to contain an insurgent attack on the Afghan National Army's Sharwali Barracks in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, military officials said.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. - A retired Army captain and Iraq-war veteran uses Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program-provided technology-based assistance aids that have enabled him to embark on a successful post-military life.

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany - Military and civilian security executives met to discuss the challenge of countering narcotics trafficking during an eight-day seminar held at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Germany.

COMBAT OUTPOST HAMIYAH, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers are improving at a rapid pace every time they train, U.S. instructors said.

WASHINGTON - An international team of naval officers and associated partners aboard the USS Gunston Hall from Norfolk, Va., is helping the Haitian people in the aftermath of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - An Air Force team of military entomologists and physicians recently went to Kenya for a rare and practical study in infectious diseases.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Kentucky National Guard members have set up an airfield in Barahona, the Dominican Republic, to provide an alternative for air traffic bound for Haiti’s overwhelmed Port-au-Prince airport.

WASHINGTON - Officials in Iraq have positively identified a terrorist killed Jan. 22 after he attacked a security-team member acting on a warrant against him.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military personnel have opened a seaport in Haiti that is bringing in about 200 containers a day, and that capacity is expected to more than double in the weeks ahead, said the chief of U.S. Southern Command.

WASHINGTON - Military families now have free access to an online network of quality caregivers who can assist with everything from babysitting to dog walking.

WASHINGTON - Calling the threat of nuclear weapons “perhaps the greatest danger to the American people,” President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address stressed the importance of nonproliferation initiatives to keep terrorists and rogue nations from acquiring them.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - U.S. servicemembers assigned to Joint Task Force Port Opening have been responsible for ramp operations at Toussaint L’Overture International Airport at Port-au-Prince since an earthquake hit Haiti Jan. 12.

WASHINGTON - International Security Assistance Force officials expressed regret for the death of a religious leader who was killed when an ISAF convoy fired on what appeared to be a threatening vehicle.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama announced a three-year discretionary federal spending freeze during his State of the Union message but said it won’t apply to defense spending.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. - Iraq war veteran Air Force Lt. Col. Mary Carlisle, a military nurse, found healing after battling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The recent arrival of Air National Guard air traffic controllers in Haiti has greatly increased the number of flights that are safely entering and leaving the country’s air space.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Marines provided security as about 800 Afghan residents attended a community meeting called a “shura," to discuss allegations that a Quran had been desecrated.

BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers joined U.S. Agriculture Department representatives to witness the reopening of a poultry processing plant, rejuvenating industry southwest of Baghdad.

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - A NORAD component will lead an overnight exercise over Miami to allow for interagency practice in enforcing flight restrictions around the upcoming Super Bowl.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama stressed during his State of the Union address the importance of confronting terrorists who threaten the United States and of succeeding in Afghanistan while continuing a responsible military drawdown in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama announced during his State of the Union address that he intends to work with Congress and the military during the year ahead to repeal the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials want servicemembers to be aware that the overseas cost-of-living allowance can fluctuate rapidly and without warning.

WASHINGTON - A joint task force in Afghanistan is working hard to make sure detention operations are in order, the officer in charge of that effort said.

WASHINGTON - An astronaut who has logged more than 950 hours in the space shuttles Discovery and Atlantis visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center's Warrior Transition Brigade.

WASHINGTON - Air Force Capt. Karoline Scott is the sole blue uniform in her family's sea of Army green. This is the last in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Army 1st Lt. Kerney Scott became a helicopter pilot to help combat soldiers on the ground. This is the fourth in a series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government still is figuring out the details of American assistance in Haiti, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said, noting that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and President Barack Obama discussed the issue.

WASHINGTON - Army Capt. Andy Scott started out as an Army engineer, but an interest in the law led him down a different path. This is the fifth in a series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Alec Scott felt a higher calling as a teen that put him on two paths: military and religious. This is the sixth in a series on the Scott Family.

WASHINGTON - A student at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Adam Scott is following in the footsteps of his siblings. This is the third in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

Elaine Wilson - As the eldest, Army Capt. Kate Gowel always felt a desire to lead. She led the way into the military -- a path all five of her siblings soon followed . This is the second in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - Military service frequently runs in families, but the family of retired Army Maj. Gen. Bruce Scott and his wife, Mary, take that service to a new level - all six children are military officers. This is the first in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - Navy Rear Adm. Ted N. Branch, commander of Carrier Strike Group One aboard the USS Carl Vinson, outlined the Navy's continuing role in Haiti during a “DoDLive” blogger’s roundtable.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Missouri National Guard members, along with guardsmen from several other states, are sniffing out improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and rendering them harmless.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - U.S. soldiers of the 121st Brigade Support Battalion are training Iraqi soldiers to operate new fuel tankers.

MADISON, Wis. - A Wisconsin Army National Guard wife and lead volunteer for a family group has been invited to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama for the State of the Union address.

KABUL - Two insurgents, including a senior explosives operator, were killed near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during an operation conducted by a combined Afghanistan and international security force, military officials reported.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio - A three-person military medical team from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is providing aeromedical evacuation support for victims of the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates outlines the department’s most significant milestones last year in a new White House video. He focuses on the war effort in Afghanistan, the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq and the budget request.

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan - Marines from 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment practice their shooting skills at a makeshift range on Camp Dwyer.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - A U.S. Transportation Command Web site provides instructions for nongovernmental or nonprofit organizations seeking airlift or sealift for humanitarian supplies and relief personnel.

LONDON - A longtime military journalist provides her perspective on the evolution of threats from the Cold War to today and the military's efforts to step up to the new challenges it faces.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has launched a free, online tutoring service for servicemembers and their families.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will request increased funding for military pay, housing allowances, family support programs and care for wounded warriors, White House officials said.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and international relief workers in Haiti are developing a 5,000-bed hospital in the capital of Port-au-Prince to increase medical capacity as the country struggles to recover two weeks after a devastating earthquake struck.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's fiscal 2011 budget request calls for a record $8.8 billion for military family support programs, First Lady Michelle Obama told military spouses at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and international forces captured multiple insurgents, including a Taliban cell leader, in operations across five Afghan provinces.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard responded to severe weather in the Dakotas and Arizona where high winds, snow and freezing rain downed power lines and made roads impassable.

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Czech Republic-led provincial reconstruction team and the Logar, Afghanistan, agriculture department completed two dairy centers that will help the local people who used to collect milk in fuel canisters.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq - Members of the 17th Fires Brigade and the provincial reconstruction team in Basra, Iraq, celebrated with residents as reliable electricity became available throughout the province.

LONDON - The United States and the United Kingdom have a special relationship based on history, shared values and a shared future, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said in London.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan - Moved by the death of an explosive ordnance disposal soldier in 2008, Mike Woodgerd has dedicated the last 19 months of his life to the development of a warfighting concept and tool that, if successful, could save countless lives lost looking for these "dragons."

WASHINGTON - The U.S. commitment to Central and South Asia is long-term and enduring, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told chiefs of defense from the region.

LONDON - Three international issues that showcase common values held by the United States and the United Kingdom also highlight the benefits of a common approach to dealing with them, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III told members of Parliament in London.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - U.S. Division Center AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots flew a second joint mission with UH-1 Huey helicopter pilots from the Iraqi air force.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - A 19-year-old Marine and his bomb-sniffing dog work together to detect explosives in Afghanistan's Helmand province.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. - The Defense Department’s Military Health System has never played a clearer or more important role in the security of the nation, said Ellen P. Embrey, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi special operations forces with U.S. advisors arrested four suspected terrorists wanted on warrants southeast of Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - Combined Afghan and international security forces detained two Taliban operators and numerous suspected insurgents in Afghanistan.

LONDON - Developing new capabilities to deal with new and future threats requires defense cooperation and collaboration beteween the U.S. and U.K. militaries and defense industries, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said in London.

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY, Md. - Defense Department officials must work quickly to surmount a stigma that’s preventing servicemembers from seeking help for the signature wounds of the current wars, said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

ARLINGTON, Va. - As humanitarian relief operations continue in Haiti, the Army National Guard stands ready to provide personnel and equipment to support the mission.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has dispatched a guided missile destroyer and a patrol aircraft to assist the search-and-rescue effort after an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department is beginning the process of recovering advance payments made available during the fall 2009 semester to veterans and servicemembers who applied for education benefits.

WASHINGTON - Research by the Office of Naval Research indicates that video games can help adults process information faster and improve their fundamental abilities to reason and solve problems in novel contexts.

RAMADI, Iraq - The 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force transferred authority of Iraq’s largest province to the Army’s 1st Armored Division in a ceremony that marked the end of the Marine Corps’ mission in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - As the eldest, Army Capt. Kate Gowel always felt a desire to lead. She led the way into the military -- a path all five of her siblings soon followed . This is the second in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - A student at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Adam Scott is following in the footsteps of his siblings. This is the third in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - Army Reserve 2nd Lt. Alec Scott felt a higher calling at a young age that led him not only down a military path, but down a religious one as well.

WASHINGTON - Army Capt. Andy Scott started out as an Army engineer, but an interest in the law led him down a different path.

WASHINGTON - Army 1st Lt. Kerney Scott, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, didn’t grow up dreaming of flight. It wasn’t until she learned about the lifesaving impact of flight on soldiers that she shifted gears.

WASHINGTON - Air Force Capt. Karoline Scott is the sole blue uniform in her family's sea of Army green as only airman in her family, which can trace its active-duty Army service back more than 130 years

WASHINGTON - Military service frequently runs in families, but the family of retired Army Maj. Gen. Bruce Scott and his wife, Mary, take that service to a new level - all six children are military officers. This is the first in a seven-part series on the Scott family.

WASHINGTON - The Norfolk-based guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy is supporting relief efforts in the air, at sea and ashore for victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.

WASHINGTON - A newly established joint logistics hub at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba is helping save lives by making sure that food, water, supplies, equipment and personnel are delivered to bring relief to survivors of the disastrous Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti.

WASHINGTON, DC - Sailors aboard the USS Carl Vinson are playing a pivotal role in providing medical services and humanitarian support during Operation Unified Response in Haiti.

LONDON - U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is in London today, where he is slated to address attendees at the European Security and Defense Conference and members of Great Britain’s Parliament at the House of Commons.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Terminal Varreux in Port-au-Prince's seaport area serves as a triage location where Haitians with serious injuries and illnesses are evaluated for potential medical evacuation to U.S. Navy ships.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - A country-club-turned-military-headquarters has become the go-to spot both for those needing relief and for those wanting to help in Port-au-Prince, Haiti..

WASHINGTON - With the number of U.S. forces in Haiti expected to rise to more than 18,000 in coming days, a top military reserve official reflected on reservists’ role in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Though they work behind the scenes, the officers and corpsmen who staff the lab aboard the hospital ship USNS Comfort are as crucial to their patients in Haiti as anyone aboard the ship.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military officials are working across organizational boundaries in a concerted effort to keep supplies and people flowing into Haiti's main airport at Port-au-Prince.

WASHINGTON - The Army will conduct a review to determine if leaders were negligent in their supervision of accused Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, Defense Department officials announced.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Known as one of the "defenders" in the Air Force community, Staff Sgt. LeTari Myles is ready to take action at a moment's notice.

WASHINGTON - Combined Afghan and international security forces seized multiple weapons, explosive materials, fake IDs and cell phones when detaining suspects throughout Afghanistan.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE HUNTER, Iraq - Iraqi students received soccer balls as part of an effort by Iraqi border police to reach out to residents to help solve crimes, instill good relations, and prepare for the future.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden is in Iraq to meet with key leaders and visit U.S. troops, White House officials announced.

WASHINGTON - Nearly all of the U.S. combat troops slated to deploy to Afghanistan to take part in the military buildup there should arrive by the end of August, said the commander of U.S. Central Command.

MOSUL, Iraq - Iraqi Security Forces arrested nine suspected terrorists during two joint operations targeting suspected al-Qaida members in northern Iraq.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - A company of Marines with the 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, and the Afghan soldiers attached to them, are driving out the Taliban in southern Helmand province.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force must be able to operate across a spectrum of conflicts, while keeping up with advancing technologies, said the service’s top officer at a national security conference.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates took his message of shared challenge and commitment to Pakistan’s rising military leaders at Pakistan National Defense University.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The United States plans to provide Pakistan RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles to support their fight on extremists, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates confirmed during a roundtable session with Pakistani reporters.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The USNS Comfort lived up to its name as the crew of the hospital ship provided around-the-clock medical aid to earthquake-stricken Haitians.

WASHINGTON - Defense Logistics Agency employees are working around the clock to provide critical supplies for earthquake victims in Haiti and materials for U.S. troops.

WASHINGTON - Current and potential U.S. adversaries seek to employ asymmetrical weapons, such as improvised explosive devices and cyber warfare, as a means to confront U.S. military superiority in conventional conflict, said Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III.

WASHINGTON - A Federal Trade Commission consumer expert warned in an interview for the American Forces Press Service weekly news podcast about being careful when donating to charities.

WASHINGTON - Roughly 20,000 U.S. troops will be supporting relief efforts in Haiti by Jan. 24, military officials said, adding to the 13,000-strong American force currently there.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The most pressing threat to Pakistan and India -- and the region, as well as the United States -- is violent extremism, not each other, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a visit to Pakistan.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces arrested two men affiliated with al-Qaida and detained two suspects in operations.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan-led security force killed four insurgents during an operation in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, while protecting more than two dozen women and children.

NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. servicewomen with a reconstruction team in Afghanistan's Nuristan province provided medical care and hygiene classes to children.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military and other assistance provided to earthquake-stricken Haiti “are helping to make a desperate situation a little less desperate each day,” said Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III.

WASHINGTON - The crew of the USS Bataan is adding language capabilities and medical care for earthquake victims as part of Operation Unified Response Haiti.

BAGHDAD - Iraqi instructors are now exclusively teaching a four-phase Iraqi Federal Police training course at Contingency Operating Station Cashe South.

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Born in Haiti, Army Spc. Franck Joseph is focusing on the mission in Afghanistan as he awaits news about the status of his family in the devastated nation.

SAN JUAN, P.R. - Military members are using an Internet chat room to share information and coordinate relief in earthquake-stricken Haiti.

ISLAMABAD - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in the Pakistani capital to personally deliver assurances of the United States’ long-term commitment to Pakistan, with what he expects to be frank, open talks about violent extremism and other shared security concerns.

NEW DELHI - An al-Qaida-backed terror syndicate is focused on destabilizing South Asia and stoking tensions between India and Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

WASHINGTON - The arrival of the USNS Comfort, a military hospital ship, adds some 600 medical personnel to the humanitarian effort in Haiti, roughly tripling the number of American medical workers tending to the devastated country.

WASHINGTON - Seven current and former members of the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program have earned spots on Team USA for the XXI Olympic Winter Games, scheduled for Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Jim Garamone of American Forces Press Service is reporting and blogging about relief operations in Haiti from aboard the USNS Comfort. In this blog, he writes about how the Comfort medics are saving lives and the support they are receiving from a dedicated crew.

WASHINGTON - The Office of Military Community and Family Policy has expanded its Military and Family Life Consultant program to assist military youth attending non-Defense Department schools.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Army Sgt. Matthew West said he didn’t know what to think when a rock came flying at him while guarding his Black Hawk helicopter in Afghanistan. But the rock bore a message that West found he couldn't ignore.

WASHINGTON - Limited runway space at the Port-au-Prince airport is hampering humanitarian relief operations in Haiti, said the chief of U.S. Central Command.

BAGHDAD - A soldier saved Army Staff Sgt. James Rivera's life in Afghanistan in 2004. Nearly five years later, in Iraq, it was Rivera's turn to save the life of another.

WASHINGTON - Leaders must take action when servicemembers display indicators of committing violence against their comrades, said the co-chairs of a review panel appointed to assess the causes of the Fort Hood shootings.

WASHINGTON - Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida is playing a vital role in moving essential medical supplies, equipment and military support to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Haitian patients began arriving on the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort even as the ship approached its anchorage at Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Afghan soldiers confiscated heroin and opium from a vehicle trying to bypass a checkpoint in Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

RICHMOND, Va. - The Defense Logistics Agency’s map facility in Richmond, Va., has been working quickly to supply military and federal agencies with maps essential to the humanitarian relief effort in Haiti since the Jan. 12 earthquake there.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment are working to safely distribute food and water as massive crowds gather at a U.S. military relief point in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

WASHINGTON - The USS Bataan is in Haiti to render aid and take supplies ashore. "We want to do the greatest good for the greatest amount of people," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Seon Jones, Fleet Surgical Team 8 surgeon.

NEW DELHI - Both India and Pakistan have a big stake in what happens in Afghanistan, and are playing significant roles to support the effort there, said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

NEW DELHI - Just hours before another earthquake hit Haiti yesterday morning, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the Defense Department is sending a port-clearing ship to assist the disaster relief effort.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - An aftershock, magnitude 6.1, struck Haiti early this morning. According to reports it was centered about 35 miles northwest of the capital city of Port-au-Prince. U.S. soldiers stationed there reported there was no apparent damage from the quake that only lasted a few seconds.

ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT - In a life-saving move, a Navy helicopter transported two severely injured Haitians to receive treatment aboard the USNS Comfort while the ship was still steaming toward Haiti.

ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT - The hospital ship USNS Comfort, with 1,000 desperately needed hospital beds, is approaching Haiti, and should arrive a day earlier than originally expected.

WASHINGTON - Military officials characterized the security situation in Haiti as “relatively calm” amid the country’s struggle to recover in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.

WASHINGTON - As thousands of people and billions of dollars come flowing into Haiti from around the world, the Navy could be supplying one of the most vital pieces of the relief effort: the hospital ship USNS Comfort.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - In a blog entry from Haiti, Fred W. Baker III, of American Forces Press Service compares his desire for a hot cup of coffee with the plight of the Haitian people.

WASHINGTON - Security forces in Afghanistan detained several suspects, including a Taliban commander and terrorist bombing cell leader, during operations over the past several days, military officials reported.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Even as thousands more show up daily for free food and water, the 82nd Airborne Division troops at their makeshift forward operating base in Haiti have begun to move out beyond its barriers to see how else they can help those still suffering from last week’s earthquake.

NEW DELHI - On a visit to New Delhi, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates emphasized the opportunity and the need for closer defense cooperation between the United States and India in a broad range of areas, including the maritime, cyberspace and space domains.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Marine and Afghan army noncommissioned officers live together and train their troops as they prepare to fight alongside one another in Helmand province Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - As some 200 daily flights transit through the congested and sole functioning Haitian airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. military is looking to open a second runway in the city of Jacmel within a day.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces arrested more than 20 suspects during multiple combined security operations targeting suspected al-Qaida in Iraq members around Baghdad and Mosul.

PHILADELPHIA - Defense Supply Center Philadelphia's logisticians filled requisitions for food, water, and medical supplies aboard the USNS Comfort that's now en route to Haiti to aid the humanitarian relief effort there.

BASRA, Iraq - The wife of a soldier serving in southern Iraq helped to raise money to buy school supplies and toys for Iraqi children living in the southern part of the country.

FORT HOOD, Texas - Army Spc. Jonathan Emard, 20, killed June 4, 2008, in Tikrit, Iraq, is one of 97 fallen servicemembers enshrined in the survivor outreach services program’s Hall of Remembrance at Fort Hood, Texas.

KABUL - Army Sgt. Maj. Jean Chouloute, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, has been serving in Afghanistan. He is now headed to Haiti to assist in humanitarian efforts.

AT SEA ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT - Mill Etienne was 5 years old when his family fled Haiti in 1981 to escape the violence of the Duvalier regime. Now, Navy Lt. Cmdr. (Dr.) Mill Etienne is returning to the island nation to help Haiti in its hour of need.

WASHINGTON - Humanitarian assistance efforts in Haiti are improving every day despite enormous challenges, said the commander of Joint Task Force Haiti.

WASHINGTON - The survivor outreach services center at Fort Hood, Texas, officially opened its Hall of Remembrance Jan. 11 to honor all those affiliated with Fort Hood and surrounding communities who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the nation.

ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT - The staff and crew aboard the USNS Comfort hospital ship are preparing for all eventualities when they land in Haiti.

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates cited progress in areas of southern Afghanistan as evidence that the new U.S. strategy is making an impact.

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT - The U.S. military is demonstrating in Haiti its unparalleled capability in dealing with humanitarian disasters, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he sees his visit to India as another step toward expanding the two countries’ solid defense relationship, particularly in light of the common threats they face.

WASHINGTON - Although the violence is declining, security incidents in Port-au-Prince in recent days impeded efforts to deliver humanitarian assistance to Haiti following the Jan. 12 earthquake there, the top U.S. commander in Haiti said.

ABOARD THE USS BATAAN AT SEA - As the USS Bataan begins a journey to take aid to Haiti, one sailor, born in Haiti, is focusing on the mission, even though he has lost three family members in the disaster and does not know the status of other relatives.

KABUL - Afghan National Security Forces countered an insurgent attack in Afghanistan's capital city, and with help from international forces, secured the area where several explosions and small arms fire were reported Monday morning.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. - The Florida Air National Guard's 101st Air and Space Operations Group is paving the way for air operations in the emergency response to Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., welcomed and provided resources for more than 500 evacuees from Haiti at an evacuation center created on base.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is slated to leave today for India to discuss the comprehensive, strategic partnership between the United States and India, and ways to expand it to provide broader regional security.

AT SEA ABOARD USNS COMFORT - As the hospital ship USNS Comfort continues its race south to Haiti, sailors aboard the vessel race to get the facilities ready for the expected patients.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama signed an order allowing the Defense Department to call certain military reservists to active duty as a result of humanitarian operations in Haiti

WASHINGTON - Six hundred flights carrying humanitarian personnel, relief provisions and evacuees have transited through the Port-au-Prince, Haiti, airport since the U.S. Air Force began operating there a day after a magnitude 7 earthquake rocked Haiti.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - As the sun rises over the sweeping palms here, not much is certain about Army Lt. Col. Mike Foster’s day. But one thing that is certain is that a hundred yards or so away, down a slope lined by a narrow, worn footpath, are thousands of earthquake survivors who will look to him and his troops for the basics of their survival.

WASHINGTON - The security side of U.S. humanitarian relief operations in Haiti will take on a larger role as violence increases in the aftermath of the 7-magnitude earthquake, the top U.S. commander in Haiti said.

WASHINGTON - The chief of medical readiness for the Air Force surgeon general discussed the Air Force Medical Service’s deployable capabilities and how they can be used to help the people of Haiti in a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable.

AT SEA ABOARD USNS COMFORT - Jim Garamone of American Forces Press Service is reporting and blogging from USNS Comfort during its humanitarian deployment to Haiti. In this blog entry, he notes the contrast between carefully planned routine deployments by the hospital ship and this short-notice humanitarian mission.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s two immediate predecessors joined him in soliciting help on behalf of Haiti, the target of a massive international humanitarian relief operation following a magnitude 7 earthquake.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has authorized up to $20 million in immediate aid to Haiti as part of an international push to bring relief to the country in the wake of the 7-magnitude earthquake that struck Jan. 12.

ABOARD THE USNS COMFORT - The USNS Comfort cast off lines this morning in Baltimore to begin the race to aid the people of Haiti. The hospital ship is loaded with medical expertise and supplies. Sailors from medical facilities all over the United States are planning how to best deliver medical care.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Hundreds of 82nd Airborne Division troops from Fort Bragg, N.C., arrived here overnight in the first wave of putting a substantial U.S. military relief effort in place in the wake of this week’s devastating earthquake.

WASHINGTON - Officials at U.S. Southern Command headquarters in Miami provided a recap of developments in the Haiti relief effort.

BALTIMORE - The chief of Navy medicine told the crew of the USNS Comfort to prepare for a long deployment. Navy Vice Adm. (Dr.) Adam M. Robinson Jr. visited the crew of the Comfort as they prepared to leave Baltimore harbor for Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Due to advances in modern medicine, many wounded servicemembers are returning to the fight or transitioning their experience to civilian employment. Naval Sea Systems Command wants them on board.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pennsylvania National Guard is sending a uniquely equipped plane to Haiti to provide radio and television broadcasts to keep the people of the earthquake-stricken nation informed as rescue and humanitarian missions continue.

WASHINGTON - Two minutes and 40 seconds after a 911 call reporting a shooting on Fort Hood, Texas, initial responders arrived on the scene, the first in a series of prompt reactions that spared additional casualties, said defense officials who reviewed the events.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has ordered delivery of an initial supply of 500 units of frozen red blood cells to earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - Airmen with the West Virginia Air National Guard's 167th Airlift Wing are working around the clock in an effort to get critical life-saving supplies to Haiti's earthquake victims.

WASHINGTON - As U.S. military forces work to provide initial relief to Haiti in the wake of a massive Jan. 12 earthquake there, it’s difficult to say how long that support will last, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

BALTIMORE - Navy Capt. James Ware spent the day preparing his 800-person crew aboard the USNS Comfort in Baltimore to embark on a life-saving mission to Haiti.

ARLINGTON, Va. - An Ohio Air National Guard pilot who flew into Haiti the day after the earthquake said he was surprised how quickly runway conditions had been improved to allow for quick landings and offloading.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department, other U.S. agencies and international partners are teaming up in a major humanitarian relief operation for the people of Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi forces working with U.S. advisors detained 16 terrorism suspects in recent days, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force is working with U.S. Southern Command and the Haitian government to determine what’s needed to bring damaged airports up to par to accept more humanitarian relief supplies.

WASHINGTON - Guard and Reserve members are encouraged to acknowledge their civilian employers’ exceptional support by nominating them for a top Defense Department award by Jan. 18.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama pledged America’s continued commitment to the government and people of Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

WASHINGTON - The voluntary surrender of nine insurgents and two significant drug finds highlight recent activity in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - About 2,000 North Carolina-based Marines are making final preparations today to embark to earthquake-ravaged Haiti tomorrow morning to provide disaster-relief efforts.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq - Female soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team found support in a town hall meeting that let them share their concerns.

WASHINGTON - A high-tech, unmanned Air Force aircraft is flying over Haiti to collect imagery of vital infrastructure in the wake of the Jan. 12 earthquake that struck the island.

WASHINGTON - The shooting spree allegedly perpetrated by a self-radicalized soldier of Muslim faith has revealed shortcomings in the Defense Department’s ability to counter dangerous outside influences on the military, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - More than 100 coalition forces worked with Afghan soldiers in southeast Afghanistan's Ghazni province recently to counteract insurgent harrassment of local people.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers struggling with the emotional wounds of war are finding solace in a series of plays, based on the work of Sophocles, and sponsored by the Defense Department.

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - Marine Corps Maj. Chris Messineo brought much of the classroom with him after leaving teaching for a logistics job, including a lasting relationship with students.

WASHINGTON - All Defense Department resources in the Western Hemisphere are available for assisting Haiti, said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, as he and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefed reporters.

WASHINGTON - More than 300 U.S. soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Haiti and the Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is off-shore, dispatching aircraft to aid in relief efforts.

ABOARD USS CARL VINSON IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA - The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson arrived off the coast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, to begin humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

WASHINGTON - With the United States committing all available military resources to the Haiti relief effort, U.S. Southern Command is “working feverishly and aggressively ” to get them there as quickly as possible.

WASHINGTON - Air Force special operations forces in Haiti have rescued seven survivors of the massive Jan. 12 earthquake that continues to wreak havoc in its wake.

WASHINGTON - Army officials want to boost the resilience of soldiers by increasing their physical, emotional, social, spiritual and family strengths.

WASHINGTON - Defense Logistics Agency’s aviation demand and supply chain manager in Richmond, Va., is preparing to help with humanitarian relief efforts in Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Haitian and U.S. officials are working together to meet the challenges of the Port-au-Prince earthquake, State Department officials said.

WASHINGTON - The 82nd Airborne Division is sending 900 soldiers to support disaster relief and provide humanitarian assistance.

WASHINGTON - The military needs to step up efforts to head off compassion fatigue -- the emotional strain of working with patients recovering from traumatic events -- among its caregivers, a National Guard official said at an annual conference.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTI, Afghanistan - Soldiers with two Army National Guard companies charged with critical route-clearance missions in Afghanistan find that public relations with locals also is important.

WASHINGTON - Trainers at the joint U.S. military command that coordinates troop deployments are wrapping up an exercise to prepare forces for duty in the Horn of Africa.

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. - Airmen and C-130s from the Air Force Special Operations Command are continuing to provide disaster relief to the people of Haiti.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates challenged the Defense Department and all Americans to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and work toward his dreams.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio Air National Guard has furnished two C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft to provide immediate assistance to earthquake-ravished Haiti.

WASHINGTON - About 2,000 Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, N.C., are preparing for what initially is expected to be about a 90-day deployment providing disaster-relief support in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said he’s made helping Haiti in the wake of a crippling earthquake the top priority of every U.S. government agency. “This is one of those moments that call out for American leadership,” he said.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Logistics Agency is preparing to provide humanitarian relief in response to the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti.

BAGHDAD - Soldiers from 317th Engineer Company and 808th Engineer Company are wiring up new quarters for U.S. forces as they prepare to turn over their current housing to the Iraqi army.

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Army Spc. Robert Sumner seems like any other American soldier until he speaks. He not only has a thick accent, but a habit of referring to his fellow soldiers as "blokes."

WASHINGTON - The United States seeks to maintain a positive, cooperative and comprehensive military relationship with China, senior Defense Department officials told the House Armed Services Committee.

ARLINGTON, Va. - National Guardsmen in four states are providing drinking water to communities with broken or damaged water systems caused by recent freezing temperatures.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department rang out 2009 as a successful recruiting year with solid recruiting successes in all four active components in December, Pentagon officials announced.

WASHINGTON - The international community is taking focused, collaborative action to make the waters around Africa more secure, said the deputy commander of U.S. Naval Forces Africa.

WASHINGTON - The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson is headed toward earthquake-devastated Haiti and is scheduled to arrive today to provide airlift support for the disaster-response mission, said the commander of U.S. Southern Command.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Army and Air National Guard are prepared to help in the humanitarian relief effort in Haiti, said the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

WASHINGTON - NATO’s top military commander expects significant progress in Afghanistan before the scheduled departure of U.S. troops begins in July 2011, a timeline that he said lends focus to the mission.

WASHINGTON - Suicide is a growing problem in the military community, and its leaders must be committed to reversing that trend, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at an annual conference to address the issue.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi forces, with U.S. advisors, arrested 20 people suspected of terrorist activities in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The complexity of the situation in northern Iraq means that more U.S. troops will remain in that region after the March 7 elections, said the region's commander of U.S. forces.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and international forces seized a large explosives cache, captured two insurgents and confiscated their weapons in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials are coordinating with their State Department counterparts to provide life-saving assistance in Haiti as quickly as possible after a devastating earthquake struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince.

FALLUJAH, Iraq - More than 22 miles of roadway in and around Fallujah, Iraq, are now fully lighted with 1,200 solar powered street lights, thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District.

HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan - A Marine combat engineer battalion hopes to decrease the threat of roadside bombs along the road known as "Route Cowboys" by building observation posts.

WASHINGTON - The head of the Army Reserve wants reservists to continue supporting the total force and to keep their combat-hardened capabilities sharp after the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan end.

WASHINGTON - Retired Army Maj. Ed Pulido spent the past five years going over the events that took him to the darkest emotional place of his life. This week, he shared his story at an annual suicide-prevention conference for military and veterans health-care professionals.

WASHINGTON - Training Afghan forces to assume security responsibility is a key component of President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan strategy, and American paratroopers are working with Afghan units to speed that day.

WASHINGTON - International Security Assistance Force Joint Command officials have denied reports from a Chinese wire service that claim forces opened fire on civilians during a protest in the Garmsir district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi soldiers arrested a suspected terrorist cell member and two suspected criminal accomplices during a combined security operation in northeastern Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - International forces on patrol in Afghanistan’s Helmand province have killed 16 insurgents and uncovered a stash of bomb-making material during multiple operations over the past several days.

WASHINGTON - The 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Combat Aviation Brigade will deploy to Afghanistan this summer as part of the surge of American troops to the country, Defense Department officials said.

GHAZNI PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The provincial reconstruction team in Ghazni, Afghanistan, took part in a meeting with local residents to improve security and relations with police.

WASHINGTON - Optimism is on the rise in Afghanistan, with 90 percent of Afghans reporting in a new survey that they believe their country is headed in the right direction and support the Afghan national government.

BAGHDAD - Six soldiers recently added finishing touches, including security cages for evidence, to the new Joint Expeditionary Forensics Facility on Victory Base Complex in Baghdad.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Just six months out of the Military Academy, Army 2nd Lt. Sophie Hilaire earned world recognition for running a marathon in full battle gear in less than five hours.

CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. - Officials from the 18th Air Force have activated the 628th Air Base Wing, marking the latest step toward the scheduled stand-up of Joint Base Charleston.

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii - Cobra Gold, the largest multinational military exercise in the world, begins its 29th year with six countries, including South Korea for the first time, in the Asia-Pacific theater in Thailand on Feb.1.

WASHINGTON - Iraq veteran Army Staff Sgt. Megan Krause has received help for her post-traumatic stress disorder through the Real Warriors Campaign. “I discovered there was no shame in admitting that I was in trouble and needed help,” she said.

WASHINGTON - No clear-cut answers to suicide prevention exist, but collaboration and team work from federal and private institutions can help the nation better address the challenge, Defense and Veteran Affairs department officials said.

WASHINGTON - Suicide prevention involves building strong community and individual support, the Army's top psychiatrist and director of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury said.

WASHINGTON - U.S. forces have taken part in several noncombat missions in Afghanistan in recent days, including local meetings, humanitarian outreach and construction training.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. team is seeing its work pay off in ensuring that a court system created to police Iraqi law enforcement follows the law in procedures like due process.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. counterterrorism approach to Yemen likely will entail doubling the amount of aid there to about $150 million or more, but does not include deploying American troops, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said.

WASHINGTON - Troops and their families can get help with post-deployment stress through a new podcast series airing stories of people who have coped with it.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - Thanks to the U.S. Army, some southern Iraqi provinces are closer to using an electronic funds transfer system to cap the mounting costs of dealing with cash.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and international security forces have uncovered numerous weapons caches and large amounts of narcotics during operations in Afghanistan over the past few days.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces arrested several suspected terrorists during operations in Baghdad and northern Iraq, military officials said.

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - When Airman Christopher Platte decided to join the Air Force last year, he didn't know he would be following in famous footsteps of his great uncle, retired Air Force Capt. Claude Platte, an original Tuskegee Airman.

WASHINGTON - Executing the president’s strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan presents his biggest challenge, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. But he also said he sees progress in both countries.

NEWPORT, R.I. - Knowing about and engaging with people of other cultures, other beliefs and other ethnicities may be as important to American security as battle plans, said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

NEWPORT, R.I. - Yemen has posed a concern as a potential terrorist safe haven for some time, and the United States will continue to work with its government to prevent that from happening, said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - Scientists who have been studying wreckage from Japanese mini-submarines that were part of an advance strike force on Pearl Harbor say a new television show is informative, but could leave viewers with misunderstandings.

BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers assigned to the 16th Engineer Brigade’s survey and design team offer Iraqi contractors quality-control and assurance measures.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Defense Logistics Agency officials have made shopping for construction materials easier for warfighters in Afghanistan by establishing a "virtual storefront."

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - For the second straight day, fighter jets under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command launched in response to trouble with a passenger aboard a commercial airliner.

WASHINGTON - Army veteran John Register, whose left leg was amputated after a track hurdle training accident, now directs U.S. Olympic military programs for disabled veterans.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and international forces killed or detained suspected militants and found bomb-making materials, narcotics and weapons in recent operations, military officials reported.

KABUL - Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Rick D. West are in Afghanistan to meet sailors and senior leaders.

WASHINGTON - An Air Force study at Wilford Hall Medical Center in San Antonio hopes to determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy shows promise in treating patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries.

WASHINGTON - Federal Voting Assistance Program officials are working to ensure that military and overseas voters get their ballots in a timely fashion following new laws requiring more paperwork.

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff thanked soldiers of the Vermont National Guard as they said goodbye to family and friends and prepared to trade the snows of New England for the snows of Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - USO officials plan to build family centers at the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., and Fort Belvoir, Va., to continue the USO’s tradition of bringing troops a piece of home.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Army Command Sgt. Maj. David Roman, described as someone who has "a lasting effect on everyone he touches," is retiring after 34 years in the Army.

WASHINGTON - The wife of a Army doctor describes the challenges her family faced when her husband returned after a year in Iraq, and offers tips for other families.

WASHINGTON - The Army's unmanned aircraft systems, operated at the tactical level by troops on the ground, are bringing warfighters unprecedented intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will stay in office for at least another year, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell confirmed. He said Gates met with President Barack Obama before Christmas and committed to another year on the job.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen outlined the progress and challenges of U.S. interests in Yemen, Iran, Pakistan and other nations to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

WASHINGTON - Counterterrorism in Africa has come into greater focus since the United States cited five African countries on a list of nations deserving more scrutiny amid heightened airport security following a botched terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight.

WASHINGTON - Some 200 wounded active duty members and military veterans will compete in the inaugural Warrior Games May 10-14 in Colorado Springs, Colo., Defense Department officials announced.

WASHINGTON - The commander of day-to-day military operations in Afghanistan condemned a bombing attack on Gardez Bazaar in Afghanistan’s Paktia province that killed at least four civilians and wounded several others.

WASHINGTON - In the wake of a Dec. 31 suicide bombing attack that killed seven CIA operatives in eastern Afghanistan, the military’s highest-ranking officer underscored the close ties between American armed forces and the U.S. intelligence community.

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan - Jan. 1 marked a new day in Afghanistan where a full company of Afghan soldiers, fresh from boot camp, started to integrate into a U.S. Marine Corps unit.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - With help from provincial reconstruction teams, modern-day Iraq is in the process of reawakening its judicial system after years of oppression, war and neglect.

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. - Air Force officials dedicated the new Center for Families of the Fallen at the Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Center at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - A Pennsylvania National Guard soldier is deployed with his citizen-soldier son in Iraq, while his other son followed in his civilian career back home in law enforcement.

SALEM, Ore. - Two Oregon Air National Guard F-15 fighters, under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command, intercepted Hawaiian Airlines Flight 39 after a passenger caused a disturbance on the plane.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Army Africa remains on guard against potential threats to U.S. security that may emanate from the African continent.

WASHINGTON - The United States must remain vigilant in evaluating detainees to ensure releasing them is in the United States’ security interest, said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.

WASHINGTON - The United States will pursue “any and all means possible” to support the Yemeni government as it confronts the terrorist threat within its borders that threatened the United States directly in a failed Dec. 25 attack, said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department soon will join a Veterans Affairs Department and Kaiser Permanente partnership designed to improve the way military veterans receive health care.

WASHINGTON - A report from a top U.S. military intelligence official criticizing the state of intelligence in Afghanistan is a “candid self-assessment” that enriches debate on U.S. strategy, the Pentagon press secretary said.

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - More than 40 Afghan National Police officers are learning skills to save the lives of those wounded in the line of duty.

WASHINGTON - The broader Middle East, taking care of troops and their families and managing risk remain the military’s top priorities, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told college students from around the country.

WASHINGTON - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced a new state initiative to better-assist returning combat veterans to land jobs and get whatever help they need in securing housing, health care and other veterans’ services.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Troops in Afghanistan seized nearly 8,000 pounds of opium during recent operations.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ECHO, Iraq - With the help of a U.S. advisory team, an Iraqi border protection academy graduated its largest noncommissioned officer class, turning out 99 patrolmen.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Two U.S. airmen in Iraq created a device to recharge fire suppression bottles for a Russian-made helicopter to save the Iraqi air force tens of thousands of dollars.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Afghan and international forces have removed nearly two dozen key insurgents from the fight in Afghanistan since mid November, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama called the intelligence failure associated with the attempted bombing of a U.S. civilian airplane on Christmas Day one of analysis and not collection. Obama's comments followed a meeting at the White House with his national defense team.

WASHINGTON - Kosovo Force will transition from about 14,000 to 10,000 NATO forces by Jan. 31, due to improvements in security, and will shift to a deterrent presence, said the U.S. Army commander in charge of Multinational Task Force - East.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers who received bonuses for voluntarily extending their service cannot also receive Stop Loss payments for involuntary service under a new Defense Department policy. Troops affected by the new policy who already received Stop Loss payments will not be required to repay them.

ABOARD USS NIMITZ IN THE NORTH ARABIAN SEA - The Navy's Carrier Air Wing 11, aboard the USS Nimitz in the North Arabian Sea, supports troops on the ground in Afghanistan while minimizing the potential for civilian casualties.

NEAR THE AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN BORDER - In the second of a two-part series, Army Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty describes how Missouri Army National Guard engineers face enemy fire and harsh conditions in their daily hunt for roadside bombs along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

BAGHDAD - Soldiers of the 1st Armored Division’s 501st Military Police Company completed a live-fire exercise to defend convoys.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Navy Lt. David M. Bartles has shifted gears from serving as an engineer on a nuclear submarine to a night-shift battle captain in Afghanistan.

CHAGCHARAN, Afghanistan - A provincial reconstruction team representing eight nations is working to improve the education of hundreds of children in western Afghanistan’s Ghowr province.

WASHINGTON - Combined Afghan and international security forces uncovered an estimated 800 cubic meters of marijuana in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province today and turned the drugs over to the Afghan National Police for destruction.

NEAR FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan - In the first of a two-part series, Army Sgt. Jon E. Dougherty describes a battalion of Missouri Army National Guard engineers who find that clearing roadside bombs in Afghanistan is no simple mission.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi forces, working with U.S. advisors, searched a home for a suspected terrorist network leader who may have coordinated numerous attacks on both soldiers and civilians.

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan - Marines with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, are practicing how to identify targets and hit them in battle without causing civilian casualties.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - For Army Sgt. Nicanor Garcia, a crew chief with the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, the 20 years it took to return to his home country was worth the wait.

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq - Five severely wounded veterans returned to Iraq as part of the third installment of an evolving program to help wounded warriors heal from traumatic combat injuries.

BAGHDAD - A New Year's Day ceremony in Baghdad marked another evolution of Operation Iraqi Freedom, as five major command groups merged into a single headquarters command, U.S. Forces Iraq.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama condemned the Dec. 25 terrorist attempt on the United States in his first 2010 weekly radio address, vowing to bring those involved to justice and outlining steps the administration is taking to protect the American people.

WASHINGTON - Progress in Iraq will continue as American forces draw down in the next year, U.S. commanders in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Forces Iraq stood up to replace Multinational Forces Iraq, which furled its colors in a New Year's Day ceremony in Baghdad that marked an important milestone in the drawdown of U.S. forces in the country.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Central Command chief put the Al-Qaida threat in Yemen in perspective during a New Year's Day news conference in Baghdad, praising the Yemeni government for taking on the al-Qaida threat in the country.