WASHINGTON - President Bush praised the sacrifices U.S. servicemembers are making to protect the country and urged the American people to stay the course in the war on terror during his annual State of the Union address tonight at the U.S. Capitol.

WASHINGTON - In this time of testing, the United States can't find security by abandoning its commitments, retreating within its borders and allowing its enemies to have free reign, President Bush said tonight during his annual State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON - Security in Iraq, while important, will not alone win the war against insurgents, a top U.S. commander said here today.

WASHINGTON - Speed and flexibility make a new military high-speed vessel especially valuable for shallow-water operations, a Defense Department official said.

SILVER SPRING, Md. - Caffeine gum now available to U.S. troops is intended to improve performance and alertness in myriad tasks, a sleep researcher at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research here said.

WASHINGTON - Award-winning satirist Garry Trudeau of "Doonesbury" fame visited the Pentagon today to meet with troops wounded in the war on terror and present them autographed copies of his book featuring the healing process of a comic character he said they inspired.

WASHINGTON - For four years, Col. Robert Susac of the Bosnia and Herzegovina army fought a bloody war inside the borders of his own country. Today, those he fought against serve alongside him.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military medics and corpsmen are on the front lines with troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the troops have confidence in their abilities and in the standard of care throughout the entire military medical system, a top U.S. general said here today.

WASHINGTON - An Iraqi unit has taken control of an operational area, and Iraqi and coalition forces have seized more weapons and detained terrorism suspects, military officials in Baghdad reported.

WASHINGTON - The military health system is on the edge of a transformation that will create challenges, but will improve health care for the military and set standards for the entire country, a Defense Department official said here today.

WASHINGTON - Eleven servicemembers featured in a new documentary about opportunities in the military said they were overwhelmed by its message and honored to represent the men and women of the armed forces.

WASHINGTON - A new documentary launched today will help to educate the American public about military service and clear up misconceptions, the Defense Department's top personnel official said.

WASHINGTON - "Jointness" is an inescapable reality for future military operations, and the military health care system will be no different, two Defense Department officials said here today.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force will begin retagging its staff directorates throughout the service this week to bring them more on line with those of the other military services and joint commands so it can operate more effectively with them to support warfighters.

WASHINGTON - The military health system has revolutionized battlefield medical care in the past four years, reducing fatalities and raising the quality of care to all-time high levels, two Defense Department officials said here today.

WASHINGTON - The world cannot allow Iran to gain nuclear weapons, President Bush said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program yesterday. He also discussed coalition efforts in Iraq and the terrorist surveillance program.

WASHINGTON - A bombing near a candy store in Iraq and the capture of suspected terrorists and weapons top news reported today by military officials in Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - To further the development of the Future Combat Systems program, the Army is designating a combat unit to evaluate and test cutting-edge technology.

WASHINGTON - Employees at the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections feel their employer treats them right when they're called to active duty in the National Guard and Reserve.

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Many former foes are now allies, with troops serving in international coalitions fighting terror in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and American soldiers successfully engaged terrorists and other anti-Iraqi forces in a series of recent operations, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Two soldiers were killed yesterday and one Marine was killed Jan. 27 in three separate incidents in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Two members of an ABC news crew embedded with the 4th Infantry Division were injured today when an improvised explosive device struck their armored personnel carrier north of Taji, Iraq, during a combined operation of Iraqi army and coalition forces.

WASHINGTON - Defense leaders took time today to thank civilian leaders who have demonstrated solid support for men and women in uniform.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers and their spouses are flocking to new and beefed-up programs to help them strengthen their marriages, and a dip in divorce rates appears to show it's having a positive effect, Army officials told American Forces Press Service.

WASHINGTON - Plans for transforming the defense structure for the future aren't based on numbers, but rather, capabilities, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told civilian leaders who visited the Pentagon today to hear about the status of the U.S. military and ongoing operations.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi soldiers and police are conducting a house-to-house search for American freelance journalist Jill Carroll, who was taken hostage in the Baghdad area Jan. 7, a senior Iraqi military officer said on U.S. television today.

WASHINGTON - The Quadrennial Defense Review being released Feb. 6 is not some new revelation. Rather it is a snapshot of where the Defense Department is as it transforms to meet new threats, officials said recently.

WASHINGTON - Pirates are not a thing of the past. They are alive and well, and roaming the seas in search of booty. And U.S. Navy and Coast Guard officials are determined to stop them from threatening Americans and American interests.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is taking more steps to address the threat that terrorists are seeking weapons of mass destruction to use against U.S. forces and the homeland, a senior DoD official told reporters here today.

WASHINGTON - The efforts of the U.S. military and Iraqi security forces in Tal Afar, Iraq, have transformed the region from an insurgent hotbed to an area of life and hope with restored security, a U.S. military commander in the area said today.

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Just one day after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, nations around the world mobilized and formed a military coalition. Their goal: to combat global terrorism.This year marks the fifth anniversary of the coalition, which is headquartered at U.S. Central Command headquarters in Tampa, Fla. Today, CENTCOM officials said, 63 nations are supporting the global war on terror.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Iraqi forces captured several weapons caches and suspected terrorists in operations throughout Iraq over the past few days, officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The 8th Iraqi Army Division now has responsibility for military operations across two large provinces, a senior U.S. military officer told reporters in Baghdad yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Operation Family Fund provides grants with no strings attached to the families of servicemembers who have been killed or severely wounded. In the past six months, the eight volunteers of "Operation Family Fund" have given $300,000 in grants to military families in need.

WASHINGTON - The al Qaeda in Iraq network has lost scores of key leaders as the result of anti-terrorist operations and now it's being attacked by Iraqi insurgents, a senior U.S. military officer told reporters at a Baghdad news conference today.

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The international military relationships forged by the 63 nations banded together at U.S. Central Command extend beyond the terror-war battlefield, a coalition official said here today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. servicemembers and federal employees stationed overseas need to act quickly to request absentee ballots for this year's primary and general elections, a Defense Department official said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - About 420 detainees, including five women, were to be released from coalition detention facilities in Iraq today and tomorrow, officials announced.

WASHINGTON - The Marine Corps Special Operations Command, the newest addition to the special operations community, will be a complementary force that will ease the strain on other services' elite units and will contribute to the nation's readiness in the global war on terror, the new unit's commander said here today.

WASHINGTON - The military is transforming to ensure the right number and balance of forces are in place to fight the battles of the 21st century, President Bush said in a White House news conference today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will use a multifaceted approach to boost the availability of child care services for military families, a senior official said here yesterday.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - The agency charged with reducing threats against American forces celebrated the opening of its new headquarters building, the Defense Threat Reduction Center, here today.

QALAT, Afghanistan - Few infrastructure projects inject the Afghan people with as much hope for a stable and healthy life for their families as a new hospital. Along with many of the new roads and bridges built during reconstruction, a new hospital will now bring that hope to the people of southern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Despite general perceptions that National Guard and Reserve troops lose income when called to active duty, most actually earn more in uniform than as civilians, a new Rand Corp. study reveals.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. soldiers were killed in separate incidents in Iraq yesterday.

WASHINGTON - "Silver Star Families of America" has one focus: America's war wounded. "Our main mission is to make sure that the wounded of our armed forces are remembered," the group's founder Steven Newton said.

WASHINGTON - Through challenging the status quo and questioning old assumptions, the Defense Department is becoming a more capable force ready to face changing conflicts, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The Quadrennial Defense Review, to be delivered to Congress Feb. 6, will be dominated by two words: uncertainty and unpredictability, senior defense officials said today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today reiterated the need for a terrorist surveillance program to save American lives and win the war on terrorism.

WASHINGTON - The number of U.S. troops serving in Iraq has decreased to around 138,000, which was the level deployed there last summer, a Defense Department military spokesman said here today.

WASHINGTON - American troops are an "essential stabilizing tool" in Iraq and their presence is needed for "Iraq to emerge as a responsible nation in a tough neighborhood and to keep the terrorists out," the commander of U.S. troops in the Middle East said today.

WASHINGTON - The Army is making revolutionary changes in its transformation process and is becoming a more capable and effective force, not a strained institution in danger of breaking, as recent criticism has suggested, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - Catherine McCarthy, a Navy submariner's wife, has a solution for keeping life normal for her three children despite challenges a military family faces.

WASHINGTON - U.S. involvement with Saddam Hussein's sometimes noisy, protracted trial in Baghdad "is minimal," a senior Defense Department spokesman said here today.

WASHINGTON - An Iraqi soldier participating in operations with coalition forces was wounded during a battle with insurgents near a bridge close to the Euphrates River near Hit, Iraq, in one of several military actions yesterday.

WASHINGTON - After visiting with National Guard, Reserve and active-duty troops from their states deployed to Kuwait and Iraq, four state governors reported yesterday they're impressed by the troops' dedication and commitment to the mission.

WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday called his terrorist surveillance plan a lawful, necessary step in the war against terrorism.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England called on what he called some of the best minds in the country today to help come up with new solutions to the threat improvised explosive devices pose to U.S. troops.

WASHINGTON - A modified version of an Army robot that's used to thwart roadside bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq now packs a punch of its own.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department raised a record-high $15.1 million in the 2005 Combined Federal Campaign, exceeding the department's goal by $2.3 million.

WASHINGTON - A Russian-born, classically-trained pianist with a wide range of performing styles has been entertaining American troops overseas for years. Now she has a special reason to thank the troops who protect the United States.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. Navy ship captured a suspected pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean about 54 miles off the coast of Somalia Jan. 21.

SAN DIEGO - The key to escaping a tedious life is to maintain a positive attitude, the wife of a Navy physician and diver said.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - In a large step toward normalizing military relationships with Indonesia as well as providing much-needed humanitarian assistance, the U.S. ambassador to Indonesia handed over $11 million dollars worth of medical equipment to the country's minister of defense in a ceremony here Jan. 20th.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and coalition troops have teamed up to capture at least five insurgent fighters and several weapons caches in the past two days.

WASHINGTON - In the so-called "Long War," information will be as important as ammunition, a senior military officer said.

WASHINGTON - Roadside bombs claimed the lives of three soldiers, two Marines and two airmen in separate incidents Jan. 22 and 23 in Iraq, officials said today.

NEW ORLEANS - New Orleans faced an uphill battle against mountains of debris after storm surge and levee flooding from hurricanes Katrina and Rita brought city services to a halt in 2005.

WASHINGTON - President Bush said today he will listen to military ground commanders, not polls or focus groups, when making decisions about force levels in Iraq.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq - Eight days of back-breaking searches through villages and fields along the western Euphrates River Valley have yielded thousands of pieces of ordnance as Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines continue Operation Koa Canyon in Iraq's Anbar province.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department became the first federal agency to transfer digital records to the National Archives and Records Administration using newly established Electronic Records Archive "pre-accession" guidelines Jan 20.

WASHINGTON - Wounded servicemembers have an extra helping hand thanks to Operation First Response, a group specializing in providing them supplies and funds during their recuperation.

WASHINGTON - As the United States confronts terrorism, military personnel have to make a cultural shift as they fight what officials now call "the Long War," senior DoD officials said.

WASHINGTON - Military members and their families can now file their taxes for free, thanks to a partnership between a group that helps military people deal with financial issues and a civilian financial services company.

WASHINGTON - Survey forms will go out in the mail this week to 10,000 servicemembers and Department of Defense civilian employees overseas to determine what they're looking for in radio programming provided by American Forces Network.

WASHINGTON - Enemy fighters attacked a Baghdad mosque, and U.S. forces detained a gunman with possible links to an improvised explosive device they were securing in separate incidents yesterday. U.S. troops also discovered a weapons cache Jan. 20.

WASHINGTON - Humanitarian efforts continue in Afghanistan as coalition forces helped remove snow from impassable roads and built "hygiene facilities" at a small school. In addition, international diplomats visited a provincial reconstruction team Jan. 21.

WASHINGTON - When not appearing on the CBS show "CSI: New York" as Detective Mac Taylor, actor Gary Sinise devotes much of his time to raising support for U.S. troops.

WASHINGTON - A Latvian soldier and Iraqi civilians were injured in Iraq in separate incidents and Iraqi security forces found a bomb in Fallujah, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers detained five suspected terrorists and found several weapons caches and improvised explosive devices throughout Iraq this week, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. Marines were killed in Iraq Jan. 20, military officials reported, and the Defense Department released the identities of several soldiers killed recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WASHINGTON - Veterans continued to rate the care they receive through the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system higher than other Americans rate private-sector health care for the sixth consecutive year, a new annual report on customer satisfaction reveals.

WASHINGTON - For over 85 years, Disabled American Veterans has been giving support to wounded heroes. Representatives from the group were on hand to answer questions yesterday at the Washington Capitals' "Salute to the Military Night" at the MCI Center here.

WASHINGTON - U.S., coalition and Iraqi government representatives are reaching out to uneasy Iraqi citizens in efforts to have them participate in the new Iraq's political process, a senior U.S. Defense Department spokesman said here today.

WASHINGTON - Grassroots groups came out in force to show their support for America's servicemembers at the Washington Capitals-St. Louis Blues hockey game last night.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Sunnis who may have partnered with foreign terrorist groups in the past will abandon that practice because it's against their interests, the U.S. officer in charge of operations in northern Iraq predicted today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and U.S. security forces repulsed attacks on military bases in Ramadi, Iraq, today about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad, officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Man's best friend has contributed to U.S. war efforts for many years, so it is only fitting to have an official war dog memorial to honor the service of these canine companions.

WASHINGTON - The United States and the American people are "the prime targets" of terrorists who intend to harm any nation that opposes their aims, Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday in New York City.

WASHINGTON - U.S. helicopters supporting earthquake relief efforts in Pakistan set a new record yesterday, delivering 232 tons of humanitarian aid for earthquake victims in a single day, U.S. embassy officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, reported today.

WASHINGTON - Some 3,000 workers were back in the Pentagon today after a fire yesterday morning displaced them, a Defense Department spokesman said.

WASHINGTON - The National Hockey League showed its support for America's servicemembers with a military appreciation night program at the Washington Capitals-St. Louis Blues hockey game here last night.

TIKRIT, Iraq - As he loaded his Humvee with school supplies donated by people in the United States, Army Capt. Dan Ruecking couldn't hold back his enthusiasm.

WASHINGTON - Tax season has once again arrived, and military personnel should know several things to make their returns easier and more beneficial, a military official said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Military life is full of ups and downs. But for it to be a more positive experience, military spouses have to know themselves, Amberlynde Graham said.

WASHINGTON - The past year showed a significant increase in the number of trained and equipped Iraqi security forces and in the capability of these forces to conduct independent operations, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said today.

WASHINGTON - For the past year and a half, Kathleen Rafiq has been drawing on her personal experiences to teach American school children on both U.S. coasts what it's like to live in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Army re-enlistments in 2005 were the highest they've been in five years, with more than 69,500 soldiers choosing to continue their service, the Secretary of the Army said here yesterday.

BAGHDAD - Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli accepted authority as the commander of Multinational Corps Iraq from Army Lt. Gen. John R. Vines in a transfer-of-authority ceremony at Camp Victory here today.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Coalition forces are installing windmills across southern Afghanistan to provide farmers with water 24 hours a day.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today called the trial of Saddam Hussein an important milestone for Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Mark L. Kniffen, 41, was overwhelmingly thankful for his employer paying his full salary, allowing him to keep his medical benefits and helping solve family crisis for the 15 months he was in Kuwait and Iraq supporting the war on terrorism.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today highlighted the importance of promoting a more cooperative working relationship between American diplomats and the U.S. military in order to achieve global objectives.

WASHINGTON - The American people must remind themselves every day that the United States is at war, a top Army general said today.

WASHINGTON - Soldier protection is one of the Army's highest priorities, and body armor has been continuously improved to meet the changing threat in the war on terror, Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey said here today.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials have scaled back the initial group of civilian employees to fall under the new National Security Personnel System to 11,000 in the first group from a previously scheduled 60,000, officials announced yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Rebalancing the types of brigades being added to the National Guard will make that component more effective in its two-fold mission and will contribute to the overall capability of the Army, the secretary of the Army said here today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. strategy in Iraq is working, and success in the country could mean a transformed Middle East, Peter W. Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said at the American Enterprise Institute here today.

NAVAL AMPHIBIOUS BASE CORONADO, Calif. - Boating around San Diego Bay may sound relaxing, but members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force training with U.S. Marines here have found it to be just the opposite.

WASHINGTON - A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier died yesterday from non-combat related injures, U.S. officials in Baghdad reported today. No further details were available.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HIT, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers and about 1,000 U.S. Marines, sailors and soldiers with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) are conducting counterinsurgency operations in Iraq's Anbar province.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's recently selected top 31 leaders from the Ministry of the Interior and Afghan National Police met Jan. 7 and 8 on how to increase security, fight internal corruption and eradicate poppy production.

MONROVIA, Liberia - The newly elected president of Liberia visited USS Mount Whitney sailors and civilian mariners today while the ship was off the coast of Liberia's capital city, Monrovia.

WASHINGTON - A suicide car bomber killed four Iraqi police officers and one child and wounded 16 civilians and two Iraqi police officers yesterday at an Iraqi police checkpoint near Muqdadiyah, Iraq, officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is seeking answers as to why three U.S. helicopters have crashed in Iraq within the past two weeks, a senior Defense Department official said here today.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - Servicemembers witnessed the transfer of authority between the 18th Airborne Corps Artillery and the 5th Corps Artillery here today.

WASHINGTON - The 16-year-old founder of "A Million Thanks," a nationwide program encouraging students to write thank-you letters to servicemembers, appeared on "Fox and Friends" this morning to speak about her new campaign to send 2.6 million cards and letters to the troops in 2006.

WASHINGTON - Keystone Soldiers, a nonprofit organization, based in Fleetwood, Pa., has partnered with Boscov's department stores in a drive to collect valentines for deployed servicemembers.

WASHINGTON - Two Task Force Ironhorse soldiers were killed today when their AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed, and various operations in Iraq netted terrorism suspects and weapons, military officials in Baghdad reported today.

RAMADI, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers and U.S. Marines with 2nd Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, discovered 11 weapons caches Jan. 14 near Barwanah, Iraq, military officials at Camp Blue Diamond here reported today.

WASHINGTON - One Marine was found dead at Forward Operating Base Haditha Dam in Iraq, and the Defense Department has identified another who died earlier supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Eleven people wounded during a Jan. 14 bombing attacks in Khowst, Afghanistan, were treated by U.S. medical personnel at Forward Operating Base Salerno, military officials in the Afghan capital of Kabul reported today.

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of security detainees were released from prison today, and multiple bombs and weapons caches were discovered in Iraq over the last few days, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Gary Sinise, star of the hit television show "CSI: NY," appeared on the Fox News Channel program Hannity and Colmes yesterday to discuss his continued support for American troops and his charity Operation Iraqi Children.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. Marine was killed in Iraq yesterday, Iraqi police recently thwarted a roadside bomb ambush on coalition forces, and raids yesterday in northern Iraq led to the capture of five terrorist suspects, U.S. military officials in Baghdad reported today.

SAN DIEGO - The United States has to confront uncertainty with agility, a top Defense Department official said here Jan. 11.

RENO, Nev. - The Air Force swept the individual and team efforts in the Armed Forces Bowling Championships at the National Bowling Stadium here Jan. 11.

WASHINGTON - Since his last mission, during Operation Just Cause in Panama, the tiny hallways and rooms in Tom Caldwell's North Carolina house have made simple tasks, like going to the bathroom, a multiperson affair.

AMRAN, Yemen - More than 780 animals received free medical care recently during a veterinary civil action plan event here. Local veterinarians teamed up with civil affairs team members from Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa to treat herds in the villages of Bani Mamoon, Thula and Hababa. Animals were given vitamins and anti-parasitic medication and were checked for any other problems.

WASHINGTON - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Bush pushed for U.N. sanctions against Iran in a news conference today at the White House.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have denounced the Iranian government's resumption of uranium enrichment research and urged that the matter be referred to the U. N. Security Council for more intense and effective diplomatic actions.

WASHINGTON - As progress continues in Iraq, U.S. forces are "going to put a great deal of focus on the police issue," a senior U.S. general in Iraq told reporters here today.

WASHINGTON - Al Qaeda's influence in Iraq is unraveling, a senior U.S. general based in Baghdad told reporters today during a satellite news conference with reporters at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces in Iraq yesterday found and destroyed weapons caches, detained terrorist suspects, and recovered the remains of a terrorist bomber who inadvertently killed himself, U.S. military officials there reported.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. Army pilots died today when their OH-58D Kiowa helicopter went down in Mosul, Iraq, just outside of Forward Operating Base Courage, military officials in Baghdad reported.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - U.S. officials writing the rules for military commissions to try accused war criminals here believe the need for a detainee to have competent legal representation trumps his right to self-representation.

WASHINGTON - A senior Defense Department acquisition specialist is now DoD's senior acquisition sources adviser for business transformation initiatives.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - An extra hearing yesterday in the case of a Canadian teen accused of murdering a U.S. Army medic in Afghanistan dealt with acceptable levels of pre-trial publicity.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military members serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other dangerous locales will soon receive revamped armored vests that provide more side protection, senior officials said here today.

WASHINGTON - Building military capabilities is the heart of countering threats, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during a Pentagon news conference today.

WASHINGTON - When Sgt. Brandon Valdez, a Marine Corps Reservist, was wounded by a roadside bomb during convoy duty in Ramadi, Iraq, in November 2004, his civilian employer, the Los Angeles Police Department, supported him to the fullest.

WASHINGTON - Saddam Hussein's sponsorship of terrorists and terrorism is a matter of open public record, Vice President Dick Cheney said yesterday.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Preliminary hearings in the case of a Canadian teen accused of murdering a U.S. Army medic in a 2002 Afghan firefight began here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department leaders and many guests gathered here today to honor a champion of civil rights at the Pentagon's 21st Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.

WASHINGTON - The horrific attacks against those trying to build a new Iraq and against innocent Iraqis are to create fear and doubt in the people of Iraq, a Multinational Forces Iraq spokesman said in Baghdad today.

SAN DIEGO - Special operations commanders know what is needed to meet the ever-changing challenges facing their forces fighting in the global war on terrorism, a panel of special operations leaders said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Continued acts of brutal violence performed by terrorist groups operating in Iraq depict a desperate and frustrated enemy, President Bush said yesterday in Louisville, Ky.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and U.S. soldiers detained terror suspects and seized weapons caches in operations throughout Iraq yesterday and today, military officials reported today.

SAN DIEGO - Demand for special operations forces capabilities has increased dramatically since Sept. 11, 2001, the deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command said here yesterday.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - A two-and-a-half-hour session yesterday morning raised thorny legal issues in the military commissions proceeding against an accused al Qaeda propagandist held at the U.S. detention facility here.

WASHINGTON - Establishing democracy to replace the tyranny Iraqis endured under Saddam Hussein will assist in defeating terrorists operating there and elsewhere, President Bush said today in Louisville, Ky.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces found dead bodies, killed several insurgents and detained one other, and discovered numerous weapons caches throughout Iraq this week, U.S. military officials in Iraq reported today.

WASHINGTON - The Missile Defense Agency continues to move forward in its efforts to protect the nation against ballistic missile attack.

WASHINGTON - An investigation of alleged improprieties conducted by U.S. military information operations activities in Iraq is nearly complete for presentation to the Multinational Force Iraq commander, a senior Defense Department spokesman told reporters here today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department announced today and yesterday the identities of 10 soldiers and five Marines who were killed recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

AMRAN, Yemen - If 2-year-old Ebtisam Salim could have talked, she would have complained of having had diarrhea and a fever for almost two weeks. But she was nearly unconscious when she arrived at the Sahab Clinic in Bani Momoon here, suffering from extreme dehydration and a temperature of 103.2.

WASHINGTON - "Iraqi soldiers detained four suspected terrorists and discovered two weapons caches today and yesterday, U.S. military officials in Baghdad reported.

SAN DIEGO - Recruiting and retaining servicemembers is not rocket science, but it is hard work, a former defense official told a group gathered here yesterday for the first CinCHouse convention.

SAN DIEGO - Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, said the country has entered the era of an operational reserve force vs. a strategic one.

WASHINGTON - More than 600,000 servicemembers, including Coast Guardsmen, are receiving a special gift this year from the White House Commission on Remembrance: a poster-sized 2006 calendar.

WASHINGTON - The United States will push ongoing efforts to train more capable Iraqi police to provide internal security across the country, President Bush said here today.

MOSUL, Iraq - After years of tyranny and war, the children of Iraq have almost nothing and are very grateful for each gift they receive.

WASHINGTON - A variety of innovative recruiting initiatives, from a program to re-enlist veterans to an increase in the maximum enlistment age for the Army Reserve and National Guard, are being credited with the Army's continued success in reaching its recruiting and retention goals.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A new piece of communications equipment is giving Afghan National Army units the capability to stay connected with each other and their operations centers regardless of the distance between them or the types of radios used.

NEW ORLEANS - If the word "canal" brings to mind images of Suez and Panama, or of singing gondoliers in historic Venice, think again. Hundreds of miles of canals snake through southern Louisiana parishes. Since Hurricane Katrina visited the area Aug. 29, very few of these waterways had been usable.

WASHINGTON - Harsher punishments for Defense Department personnel who participate in human trafficking or support the industry by patronizing prostitutes are part of a bill signed into law today by President Bush.

WASHINGTON - Through the Coalition to Salute America's Heroes and in partnership with Stars for Stripes, EZ Scores is giving U.S. servicemembers 2.5 million prepaid calling cards, Christopher O'Donnell, EZ Scores chief executive officer, said.

WASHINGTON - U.S. efforts to help Iraqis set up an enduring democratic government will key on three critical areas this year, President Bush said here today.

WASHINGTON - The Army will continue to improve body armor issued to soldiers, and will begin manufacturing side-panel inserts to the Interceptor ballistic armor, officials said here today.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Military commissions to try enemy combatants held here for alleged war crimes are intended "to prosecute unlawful conduct, not persecute religious beliefs," a top official with the commissions said here today.

WASHINGTON - The detention of hundreds of terrorist suspects at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is helping to keep Americans and other peace-loving peoples safe, a senior Defense Department official said here today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military helicopter crews are stepping up deliveries of relief supplies to earthquake victims as snowstorms pummel Pakistan's northern Kashmir region.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Nearly 300 members of the Afghan Security Force demobilized in ceremonies last week in Afghanistan's Paktika province, and many of them joined the country's growing army and police force, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Iraqi forces killed and detained suspected terrorists and uncovered various weapons caches yesterday and today, military officials in Baghdad reported.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has announced the identities of two soldiers and three Marines who were killed supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

SAN DIEGO - For the next three days, the military and its families have the opportunity to learn a little more about each other.

U.S. NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Military commissions proceedings resume this week as officials here hold preliminary hearings in the cases of two enemy combatants held here since 2002.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military officials in Iraq say four civilians were killed in a Jan. 7 helicopter crash along with eight U.S. military members aboard, a senior official said here today.

WASHINGTON - For years, Pioneer Financial Services Inc. has served a large pool of military customers. What has not been immediately recognizable, however, is the company's dedication to its employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Afghan National Army met another milestone recently when 19 soldiers graduated from the medium tactical vehicle familiarization course held at the German maintenance facility.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Fighting the war in Iraq has transformed artillerymen into light infantrymen, a job filled with cordon-and-search operations, motorized convoys and dismounted patrols.

WASHINGTON - Senior U.S. military commanders from around the world are in Washington this week for meetings with Pentagon officials to discuss the upcoming Quadrennial Defense Review and other issues, a senior Defense Department spokesman said here today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police pre-empted two suicide bombers today, a French hostage was rescued over the weekend, and an Iraqi citizen led soldiers to a weapons cache yesterday, military officials in Baghdad reported.

WASHINGTON - A 56-year-old detainee died Jan. 7 of complications from an apparent stroke at Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - The 2006 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law Jan. 6 provides a variety of military pays, benefits and incentives designed to boost recruiting and retention in the military, including a new $40,000 ceiling for enlistment bonuses and a $90,000 ceiling for re-enlistment bonuses.

WASHINGTON - The 2006 National Defense Authorization Act signed into law Jan. 6 provides new or enhanced benefits in addition to a 3.1 percent pay raise for National Guard and Reserve members, a senior defense official said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush ushered in an across-the-board 3.1 percent military pay raise, effective Jan. 1, and a variety of other new or enhanced benefits for servicemembers and their families when he signed the 2006 National Defense Authorization Bill into law Jan. 6.

WASHINGTON - A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in a sparsely populated area 12 kilometers east of Tal Afar, Iraq, shortly before midnight yesterday, killing passengers and crew, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police in Mosul discovered an improvised explosive device yesterday, officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - Five American Marines serving in Iraq died during operations against the enemy over the past two days, officials said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military medical personnel treated 22 Afghans injured in a suicide bombing Jan. 5 in the southern Afghanistan city of Tarin Kowt, military officials in Afghanistan reported today.

WASHINGTON - Six Iraqi civilians, including three children, were injured along with four police yesterday when a car bomber attacked an Iraqi police patrol in Mosul.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi soldiers and police seized a bevy of enemy weapons caches during a series of operations conducted across the country yesterday.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Air Force, Navy and coalition planes flew 48 close-air-support missions yesterday for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions included support to ground troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense announced the identities of eight soldiers killed recently in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney today praised U.S. servicemembers and vowed victory in the war against terror, calling the global conflict a struggle between civil societies and barbarism.

NORFOLK, Va. - As the Defense Department continues to transform to meet the threats and challenges of the 21st century, U.S. Joint Forces Command has the pivotal role of determining which forces will do which jobs, whether it's disaster relief, homeland defense or the global war on terrorism.

WASHINGTON - In the age of e-mail, podcasts and blogs, it's easier than ever before for deployed troops to stay in contact with their friends and loved ones at home. But many say none of these high-tech communications can compete with an old-fashioned card or letter they can tuck away in a pocket or backpack and reread anytime, anywhere, until it's faded and dog-eared.

WASHINGTON - Following an initiative that delivered almost 1,000 binders full of encouraging notes to deployed troops overseas for the holidays, the director of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation is declaring the fourth season in a VFW/Wal-Mart partnership a major success.

TIKRIT, Iraq - In a combined effort to reduce insurgent violence in the village of Siniyah in the northern part of Iraq's Salah Ad Din province, community leaders, Iraqi security forces and coalition soldiers began construction yesterday on a berm around the village.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - U.S. forces dropped eight bundles of humanitarian assistance supplies near Bamyan in central Afghanistan to help hundreds of families there survive the harsh winter, military officials here reported.

WASHINGTON - The past year has yielded major growth in Iraqi security forces and significant political progress in Iraq's Anbar province, and 2006 will give the people there a chance to enjoy the benefits of that progress, a top U.S. commander in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - Two Army divisions are preparing for a transfer of responsibility in Baghdad tomorrow, and the search for an unmanned aerial vehicle near Mosul has been suspended, military officials said.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition aircrews flew combat and support missions yesterday in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward officials in Southwest Asia reported today.

WASHINGTON - Three Marines and a soldier assigned to the 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed yesterday in attacks in Fallujah and Ramadi, while another two soldiers were killed in Baghdad the same day, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today kicked off a new national program designed to increase the number of Americans fluent in Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Hindu, Farsi, and other critical-need languages.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called today's escalated violence in Iraq another indication that Dec. 15 elections there were "a major blow to al Qaeda" and a sign of desperation among terrorists hoping to disrupt the Iraq's progress.

WASHINGTON - Military service is "very, very satisfying," and today's servicemembers recognize the critical role they are playing in the country's defense, the top U.S. military officer told Pentagon reporters today.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Engineers from Task Force Pacemaker recently completed the construction of a 66-kilometer major logistical road linking the towns of Shinkay and Qalat in eastern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - President Bush discussed his plan for victory in Iraq with a group of former U.S. State and Defense Department chiefs during a White House meeting here today.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department installations have begun implementing new cell phone restrictions for drivers on military bases.

WASHINGTON - Five Task Force Baghdad soldiers died today when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb during a patrol in the Baghdad area, military officials in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - Undeterred by a suicide bomb attack earlier this morning, Iraqis returned to a recruiting center in Ramadi to continue the screening process to become police officers, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from Task Force Band of Brothers detained 11 terror suspects and seized weapons caches Jan. 4 in the Tikrit area of northern Iraq, military officials in Baghdad said today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced recess appointments yesterday to two key Pentagon positions: deputy defense secretary and assistant secretary of defense for public affairs.

WASHINGTON - Coalition aircraft flew 52 close-air-support missions Jan. 4 supporting coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities in Iraq, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - A tribute program that provided free admission to Anheuser-Busch theme parks to more than 900,000 members of U.S. and coalition armed forces and their families has been extended through 2006, company officials announced.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from the California National Guard helped rescue torrential flood victims last weekend while working in tandem with civilian firefighters and swift-water rescuers.

WASHINGTON - The war on terror has been a fight unlike any the United States ever has experienced, but the country has proven its resolve and will continue to do so as it faces the challenges that lie ahead, Vice President Dick Cheney said today at the Heritage Foundation here.

WASHINGTON - The new year will build on 2005's progress in the war on terror, President Bush said at the Pentagon today after meeting with his national defense team and top military leaders overseeing operations in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Military amputee patients are taking their desire to return to active duty to the mats. Members of the Modern Army Combatives Program from Fort Knox, Ky., have taken their program to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for a two-week stay.

WASHINGTON - National Security Personnel System training for Defense Department managers and rank-and-file employees is being postponed while a component of the new system is being reviewed, an NSPS official said here today.

WASHINGTON - National Guard crews continue to assist Oklahoma and Texas firefighters in dousing wildfires that have now burned more than 600,000 acres in Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, officials said today.

WASHINGTON - The upcoming pay period for Defense Department civilian General Schedule employees will reflect a 2.1 percent across-the-board pay raise, plus a range of locality pays that bring the overall pay hikes between 2.83 and 5.62 percent, an Office of Personnel Management spokesman said.

WASHINGTON - The concept of embedding coalition advisers in Iraqi army units has proven so successful that it will soon be implemented in the Iraqi police units as well, President Bush said following a meeting at the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers killed and captured terrorism suspects in Iraq Jan. 2, and U.S. and Iraqi forces seized weapons caches, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Troop morale across the U.S. Central Command area of operations is high, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at the end of a USO trip to the region.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials announced the identity of four soldiers assigned to Fort Campbell, Ky., who were killed recently supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom:

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition aircrews flew combat and support missions Jan. 3 in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward officials in Southwest Asia reported today.

WASHINGTON - The Joint Chiefs of Staff continue to examine how long servicemembers should serve in Iraq, but for now they are satisfied the tour lengths are about right, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said Jan. 3.

WASHINGTON - Military wives and female servicemembers face many of the same challenges, so it makes perfect sense to create a platform for them to share ideas about how to tackle these issues.

LOS ANGELES - The Defense Department's "America Supports You" program and Shauna Fleming, 16, founder of "A Million Thanks," launched the "2.6 in 2006" letter-writing campaign Jan. 1.

WASHINGTON - Troops conducting urban operations soon will have the capabilities of superheroes, being able to sense through 12 inches of concrete to determine if someone is inside a building.

WASHINGTON - Reserve-component members will have a chance to recommend their employers to be recognized for supporting their military service, as the nomination season for the 2006 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Awards opens next week.

WASHINGTON - Three Iraqi police officers were killed and 14 others were wounded today when a car bomb detonated alongside a bus in Baqubah, Iraq, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition forces detained 15 suspected terrorists and interrupted the emplacement of an improvised explosive device Jan. 2 in Iraq. An Iraqi citizen's tip also led to the recovery of a vehicle-borne IED on New Year's Day.

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti - A Medal of Honor recipient saluted the work servicemembers are doing around the world as part of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's tour of the U.S. Central Command area.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition aircrews flew combat and support missions Jan. 2 in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward officials in Southwest Asia reported today.

NEAR CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing has broken some records in support of American forces in Iraq. The wing at an air base near here is the primary airlift hub for Operation Iraqi Freedom, base commander Air Force Col. Tim Hale said Jan. 2.

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti - Servicemembers on an important front in the global war on terror are fighting hard, but not with weapons. "We're waging peace as hard as we can," the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa told American Forces Press Service Jan. 2 here.

KUWAIT CITY - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told servicemembers here that 2006 will be "a bad year for the enemies of the United States."

WASHINGTON - Faith Jarvis traveled to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, in Tempe, Ariz., to try to do her bit to support the United Service Organizations. Jarvis left with her own prize -- a diamond ring and a surprise reunion with her boyfriend-turned-fianc, Army 1st Lt. Raymond Vera.

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Afghan National Police recently opened a new facility for its protection battalion at the Kabul International Airport.

WASHINGTON - Coalition aircraft flew 50 close-air-support missions Jan. 1 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. These missions included support to coalition troops, infrastructure protection, reconstruction activities, and operations to deter and disrupt terrorist activities.

WASHINGTON - Four U.S. civilian contractors died in Iraq Jan. 1. The same day, Defense Department officials identified a soldier who died earlier this week.

WASHINGTON - Over the past week, U.S. Marines discovered more than 10 tons of munitions hidden in Iraq's Euphrates River Valley. Troops elsewhere found and seized other weapons caches on New Year's Day.

WASHINGTON - President Bush visited Brooke Army Medical Center, at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, today to wish wounded troops undergoing treatment there a happy new year, thank them for their sacrifice, and present nine Purple Heart Medals.

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq - Securing gains made and training local police are keys to victory over terrorists here in Anbar province, the commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force Forward said today.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. armed forces are prepared to handle whatever challenges arise in 2006, the nation's top general vowed today in an interview from Iraq. He also thanked troops and their families for sacrifices in the global war on terrorism.