WASHINGTON - The FBI is freeing field agents to "swiftly and vigorously" counter potential terrorist threats without waiting for headquarters approval or hassling with bureaucratic red tape, according to U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

SINGAPORE - Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said while support from Asian countries for the war on terrorism has been outstanding, the people of these countries don't seem to feel the threat of terrorism as keenly as they should.

WASHINGTON - Two students from the Army Command and General Staff College recently presented the Joint Staff with a lithograph honoring the military's response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

SINGAPORE - Preventing a war on the Indian subcontinent is the Bush administration's "highest priority," Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here today.

WASHINGTON - CNN anchor Paula Zahn signed a virtual 'Thank You Note' to America's service members this afternoon during a Pentagon visit.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - As veteran civil affairs specialists, it's up to Army Reserve Capt. Steven McAlpin and Sgt. 1st Class Juan Morales to bridge the gap between U.S. and coalition forces here and their Afghan hosts.

WASHINGTON - As the war against global terrorism continues, DoD is putting added emphasis on service members' health and medical needs before, during and after deployments.

WASHINGTON - A mayor, a newspaper editor, a businesswoman and 55 other civic, business and industry leaders got an inside look at the military recently, and like all veterans, they've got "war stories" to tell.

WASHINGTON - The reserve components' fiscal 2003 budget request for $30.8 billion for personnel, operations, equipment procurement and facilities is 12 percent more than last year's funding, according to Jennifer Buck, the reserve components' top resource manager.

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced today that he plans to send Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to India and Pakistan "early next week."

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Afghanistan National Army's first regular army battalion has developed a unit insignia patch that underscores the latest chapter of Afghanistan's military history.

WASHINGTON - Improving the Georgian military will ultimately aid the American war on global terrorism, the Georgia Train and Equip Program commander said today in a telephone interview.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz will travel to Singapore and stress to defense leaders that the war on terrorism is a conflict between two visions of the world.

WASHINGTON - Bob Mueller, a former U.S. Marine Corps officer and Vietnam veteran, is overhauling the Federal Bureau of Investigation to adapt to its new counterterrorism mission.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today told Air Force Academy graduates that they begin their careers during wartime and with the military embarked upon unprecedented transformation.

WASHINGTON - If he were alive today, Kinzo Wakayama would be proud of the Soldier's Medal on his son's Army uniform. Though the elder Wakayama suffered years of injustice and indignities in internment camps during World War II, he never let his boys forget they had a duty to serve their country.

WASHINGTON - Nine countries are lined up seeking admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in November.

WASHINGTON - Denmark became the third country today to sign on for the development and demonstration phase of the U.S. Joint Strike Fighter program.

WASHINGTON - "Two former foes are now joined as partners, overcoming 50 years of division and a decade of uncertainty," President Bush said today at the opening session of the NATO-Russia Council meeting in Rome.

WASHINGTON - U.S. defense officials are concerned that, because of growing tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, authorities in Pakistan may divert troops from the tribal border area with Afghanistan, where al Qaeda and Taliban forces may be hiding.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. - When Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Tracy Thomas started singing "America the Beautiful," a few people in the Memorial Amphitheater here began waving small American flags. By the time the chief had finished everyone was standing and waving the Stars and Stripes.

WASHINGTON, May 26 - Their pony tails and beards are now mostly gray. Their faces are worn and grizzled. Yet, the Vietnam veterans who gather here each year on Memorial Day weekend remain determined. They will not let America forget that some of their brothers in arms never came home.

WASHINGTON - Military benefits programs are good, but important areas need improvement, such as compensation, spousal employment and children's education, the Defense Department's top personnel official said recently.

WASHINGTON - More than 600 people crowded into the ballroom of the Omni Shoreham Hotel here, May 22 for the Defense Department's first official Asian Pacific American Heritage Month observance in 21 years.

WASHINGTON - "Calling Home: What You Should Know" is the title of a new Federal Communications Commission brochure that tells service members overseas and stateside how to save money when keeping in touch with families and friends via telephones.

WASHINGTON - Within the next five to 10 years, troops will be able to sit in their combat vehicles, make water by burning diesel fuel and use that water to reconstitute their food.

WASHINGTON - The fog and friction of war ruled the day when seven American special operations forces died March 3 and 4 on an isolated mountaintop in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Tommy Franks said today.

WASHINGTON - The battle on an Afghan mountaintop called Takur Ghar is a story of American courage and bravery. It is a story of a small band of highly trained professionals overcoming the fog and friction of war. It is also at heart, a story of Americans service members' unwillingness to leave one of their own behind.

WASHINGTON - "Terrorism must be vigorously opposed and soundly defeated wherever it exists," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney said the United States "will not allow" terrorists to threaten the civilized world.

WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin today signed a treaty to substantially reduce both countries' strategic nuclear warhead arsenals.

Ever since Memorial Day was established in 1868, Americans across the land have gathered together - Ever since Memorial Day was established in 1868, Americans across the land have gathered together to remember, in ceremony and sacred observance, all those who, in the words of one soldier-poet, "tasted death in youth, that Liberty might grow old."

WASHINGTON - DoD engineers are developing the 2010-era Objective Force Warrior even before the next- generation Land Warrior is fielded in 2004.

WASHINGTON - Even while the United States combats global terrorism, the nation must also work with other nations to enhance security and stability, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - The coalition against global terrorism continues to be robust, DoD officials said today.

WASHINGTON - Over the last few days, Vice President Dick Cheney, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and New York City authorities have warned that terrorists will most likely strike again.

WASHINGTON - Be vigilant. Heed security alerts, Vice President Dick Cheney warned the American public Wednesday night on CNN.

WASHINGTON - Just because the changes in the Unified Command Plan will be "transparent" to most service members doesn't mean they're not important.

WASHINGTON - There's one touch of home that American GIs can find almost anywhere in the world. Whether they're in South Korea, the Philippines or the Balkans, there's a McDonald's somewhere nearby.

WASHINGTON - Jean Campbell's son, Navy Petty Officer Steven Stefanowicz, is on active duty with the Navy in the Middle East. She is championing his service by uniting service members' mothers in her home state. Campbell, of Telford, Pa., joined the Blue Star Mothers and set up a

WASHINGTON - An upcoming joint military experiment seeks to use technology to link the services' individual information, command, communications and operations elements as part of ongoing force transformation efforts.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today praised the contributions of military and veterans groups nationwide.

ARLINGTON, Va. - As America prepares to commemorate Memorial Day this weekend, several congresswomen and military leaders gathered at Arlington National Cemetery to honor women who have died serving their country.

WASHINGTON - American soldiers training members of the Afghan national army will likely contribute to the future stability of Afghanistan, the general commanding operations in the region said today.

WASHINGTON - American children are sending more than $4 million to help pay for food, shelter, clothing, health care and toys for Afghan children, first lady Laura Bush said today.

WASHINGTON - While the lethal threat terrorism casts on the world is not new, "the world's resolve to defeat it has never been greater," said Secretary of State Colin Powell May 21.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists who attacked America Sept. 11 are fanatics who've declared war on international values of freedom, democracy and free enterprise, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush's fiscal 2003 defense budget request funds the war on terrorism and transformation in both the near and long term, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told members of Congress today.

WASHINGTON - The people of America are committed to the people of Afghanistan, first lady Laura Bush said today.

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON, May 21, 2002 – The nation's Homeland Defense chief today praised his organization's partnership with the Department of Defense to protect America against terrorist attack.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said the United States is a lucky nation to have such a high caliber of men and women willing to serve in its military.

WASHINGTON - Another terrorist attack on the United States is "almost certain," Vice President Dick Cheney warned Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press.

WASHINGTON - The al Qaeda terrorist network definitely has the will, the numbers of trained people and the resources to conduct another attack on the United States, Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Gregory Newbold said at a Pentagon news conference this morning.

WASHINGTON - Across our great land, thousands of American flags, proudly waving, mark the final resting place of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and merchant mariners

WASHINGTON - Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard Myers called this year's Armed Forces Day "a bit special" because America's freedoms came under attack since last year's observance of the annual event.

WASHINGTON - Killing the Crusader artillery system is the correct choice for the U.S. military to be prepared for the wars of the future, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said May 17.

WASHINGTON - The United States is in the midst of a war against a determined and fierce enemy, President Bush said today at the White House.

WASHINGTON - British forces today launched Operation Condor to support an Australian Special Air Service patrol engaged in combat with al Qaeda and Taliban forces in the mountains of southeast Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - President Bush is determined to hunt down terrorists wherever they hide. So is Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

WASHINGTON - Pointing to U.S. combined-arms success against terrorists in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today said joint operations would be the major element of America's 21st century military.

WASHINGTON - Military officers and DoD civilians can now earn a defense-focused masters of business administration degree through the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OHIO - Air Force Maj. Gen. Mike Wiedemer has been named to become the director of the Defense Commissary Agency, Fort Lee, Va.

WASHINGTON - NATO is as relevant today as it has been in the past, but the alliance needs to develop its capabilities to combat global terrorism and other new threats, Secretary of State Colin Powell told NATO foreign ministers gathered in Iceland May 14 and 15.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Senate Armed Services Committee members today that the Crusader is a good artillery system that doesn't fit DoD's vision of future forces.

WASHINGTON - The United States and Russia are forging "a strong friendship and partnership," according to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military campaign against terrorists in Afghanistan has achieved many of its objectives, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here today.

WASHINGTON - The successful use of precision munitions in Afghanistan reinforced DoD's decision to scratch the Army's Crusader artillery system, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here today.

WASHINGTON - The Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains may seem a world away from New York City and Washington, D.C., but when terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, the people of Georgia responded as neighbors.

WASHINGTON - There were only a few Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders serving in the armed forces when Chinese American David S.C. Chu, 58, joined the Army Reserve in the 1960s.

WASHINGTON - With the cancellation of the Army's Crusader artillery system, the Defense Department is looking at promising technologies that could give the service even more accurate artillery capabilities -- and faster.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs has made its comprehensive benefits guide available for free on the Internet.

WASHINGTON - It's a long way from Baltimore, to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Yet, that's where the military's taken Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Michael Buckley over the last 19 years.

WASHINGTON - The hard case, dressed in olive drab, sat sullenly on the floor. The nickname, "mini," seems a misnomer; there are stories about chains being whipped about to explosive effect.

WASHINGTON - A flight from Los Angeles to San Diego at night is a graphic example of the problems facing the military as it trains for war.

WASHINGTON - U.S. special operations forces killed five suspected Taliban or al Qaeda terrorists and captured 32 others during a raid on a compound 50 miles north of Kandahar.

WASHINGTON - U.S. forces operating in Afghanistan confiscated five Soviet-made tanks in what might be the largest cache of weapons found to date in the country.

NATICK, Mass. - Pepperoni and barbecue chicken pocket sandwiches have been approved for the Meal, Ready-to-Eat.

WASHINGTON - NATO will reduce the number of troops in Bosnia and Kosovo, alliance officials said May 9.

WASHINGTON - An Army three-star general will assume command of a new joint task force that will consolidate operations in Afghanistan under one umbrella.

WASHINGTON - It is time for the U.S. military to engage with its Indonesian counterpart, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said May 13.

WASHINGTON - The British-led Operation Snipe is over, but not operations designed to root out al Qaeda and Taliban forces in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said May 13.

WASHINGTON - People attending the free Joint Service Open House May 17-18 at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., will see tighter security necessitated by the war against terrorism.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Defense Department's unconventional war against terrorism has spawned an unconventional Web site to report news about that war: DefendAmerica.mil.

WASHINGTON - On Armed Forces Day 1962, President John F. Kennedy advised the people of the United States to "guard zealously (the) right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard."

WASHINGTON - Since 1950, our Nation has celebrated the third Saturday in May as Armed Forces Day, an occasion to reflect upon and recognize the devotion to duty and service of our men and women in uniform.

WASHINGTON - The argument over the cancellation of the Army's Crusader artillery system has highlighted a little-known, but important, Pentagon process: the Defense Planning Guidance.

WASHINGTON - The Army's new multi-wheeled, armored vehicle, the Stryker, may be lean compared to an Abrams tank, but it's no lightweight.

WASHINGTON - "Where did you get that bird," a preschooler excitedly asked Air Force Academy Cadet 3rd Class Joe Fixemer as she pointed to the falcon sitting on the cadet's hand.

WASHINGTON - After pulling almost eight month's of security duty at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, a detachment of Virginia citizen-soldiers is preparing to go home.

WASHINGTON - It was "Students' Day" during the Public Service Recognition Week celebration here on the National Mall. Students from across the country stopped by to see what was happening.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition forces continue to unearth weapons and ammunition during patrols in Eastern Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - George Grant, of Thornwood, N.Y., came close to being a widower on Sept. 11, 2001, when his wife Shelley left their home that day as usual, headed for her job as an attorney in Tower One of the World Trade Center.

WASHINGTON - America's civil service employees represent a "formidable weapon of democracy" in the war against global terrorism, the government's top personnel official said here today.

WASHINGTON - The commander of the U.S. military's space and continental air defense assets has been chosen to lead the nation's premier military homeland defense organization.

WASHINGTON - Given the nature of Afghanistan's porous borders and the fact some al Qaeda and Taliban forces are on the loose, U.S. and coalition forces still have work to do, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - In tribute to the great men and women who have served their country in uniform, May marks National Military Appreciation Month. We are very grateful to our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen for their commitment to preserving freedom and democracy in our Nation and throughout the world.

WASHINGTON - For those who witnessed the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the Pentagon last year, the sounds of chaos that filled the building's center courtyard this morning may have been a vivid reminder of that tragic day.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced today that he has decided to terminate the Crusader artillery system.

WASHINGTON - Bush administration officials notified U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan May 6 that the United States is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court Treaty.

WASHINGTON - Unlike the Cold War which chiefly presented exterior threats to America, today's war against global terrorism provides an interior threat, as well, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today supported Army Secretary Thomas White amid controversy surrounding the fate of the Crusader artillery system.

WASHINGTON - Hundreds of Defense Department employees are getting ready to man their displays later this week for Public Service Recognition Week festivities on the National Mall here.

WASHINGTON - U.S., coalition and friendly Afghan forces found and confiscated a cache of weapons in eastern Afghanistan over the weekend, DoD officials said.

WASHINGTON - America and the West must encourage moderate Muslims who believe in a vision of Islam that embraces free thought, free speech and tolerance, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said May 3 during a speech in Monterey, Calif.

WASHINGTON, May 6, 2002 -- The military and civilian victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attac - are silver-etched into inch- thick, black acrylic plastic panels, Tabone noted.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials today presented The Commander in Chief's Award for Installation Excellence to representatives of five military posts from around the globe.

WASHINGTON - Army Secretary Thomas White has asked the Army inspector general to look into possible inappropriate behavior by service officials in connection with the Crusader artillery system program, Pentagon spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said this morning at a briefing.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and coalition forces taking part in Operation Mountain Lion in Afghanistan are searching along the border with Pakistan for al Qaeda and former Taliban forces, Air Force Gen. John W. Rosa said today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has certified six acquisition projects to Congress under the Nunn-McCurdy Law.

WASHINGTON - Something is wrong and all Charlie Helfrich knows is that people are getting bum information about shipping their privately owned vehicles overseas.

WASHINGTON - Middle school children are of the right age to discuss patriotism and freedom, said Air Force 1st Lt. Kathryn "Kate" M. Gries, a panelist on an April 30 Web cast aimed at middle schools across the nation.

WASHINGTON - NATO Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft deployed here in the wake of last year's Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be heading home May 16, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld announced April 30 at the Pentagon.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Women's Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery here is featuring a first-of- its-kind exhibit called "Clandestine Women: Untold Stories of Women in Espionage" that honors the work of women spies throughout the nation's history.

WASHINGTON - Undersecretary of Defense Pete Aldridge is satisfied with flight-testing proposed for the Marines' V-22 Osprey, although he remains a skeptic about the aircraft.

WASHINGTON - The United Service Organizations is teaming up with Wal-Mart and AT&T to provide free 60- minute phone cards to overseas troops so they can say "Hi" to mom on Mother's Day.

WASHINGTON - Proving heroism has no deadline, President Bush awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously May 1 to a World War II Army dentist who died while single- handedly fighting off a horde of enemy troops and to an Army pilot who died marking enemy targets to save friendly soldiers during the Vietnam War.

WASHINGTON - All service members, including Coast Guardsmen, who were on active duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001, are eligible to wear the National Defense Service Medal, defense officials announced May 1.

WASHINGTON - A DoD "think tank" of military and private-sector members will be established to develop solutions to present and future environmental challenges, a senior DoD official announced May 1 at a Pentagon environmental awards ceremony.

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON, May 2, 2002 - Making and keeping military-to- military ties with foreign nations is important to U.S. national security, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said at the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - The military situation in Afghanistan is calm for the moment, but that could change, senior DoD officials said today.

WASHINGTON - May is National Military Appreciation Month each year. In 2002, with Americans in combat in Afghanistan and positioned to face terrorists around the world, it is even more apt to recognize the sacrifices American service members make for freedom.