FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Army Secretary Pete Geren paid tribute to the children of wounded soldiers at Fort Sam Houston's Warrior Family Support Center in recognition of the Month of the Military Child.

WASHINGTON - There is strong support on Capitol Hill for Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ procurement-reform efforts at the Pentagon, President Barack Obama told reporters at a White House news conference.

WASHINGTON - “On your mark. Get set. Go!” With those words and the wail of an air horn that he held overhead, President Barack Obama kicked off the third annual Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department agencies at all levels have valuable resources at their fingertips for training troops, civilian employees and contractors on prevention of sexual harassment and assault.

WASHINGTON - The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs are working together to address the needs of wounded warriors, defense officials told the House Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - As the Department of Veterans Affairs begins accepting sign-ups for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, officials are asking veterans to do their homework before they switch plans.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she appreciates the partnership that has developed between her department and the Defense Department, and that she looks forward to further collaboration in the months ahead.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is directing servicemembers and government civilians deployed in overseas war zones to refrain from taking aspirin unless under a doctor’s orders.

WASHINGTON - Defense leaders are planning a militarywide survey to assess the effectiveness of morale, welfare and recreation programs.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates asked the Senate to pass the fiscal 2009 supplemental funding request it’s considering by Memorial Day.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, attended a ceremony here last night honoring several giants of military, government, industry and the arts.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed four men and detained two others in operations overnight to disrupt bomb-making networks in Afghanistan’s Lowgar and Helmand provinces.

BABIL PROVINCE, Iraq - Community leaders, media and coalition representatives gathered for a grand opening to showcase the newly renovated $5.4 million Iskandariyah Vocational Technology Center in Iraq's Babil province.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - For Air Force Capt. Sophia Crawford, being deployed means serving in a one-of-a-kind legal position.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama addressed changes in security policy, challenges in Pakistan, torture policy and progress in Iraq, during a wide-ranging White House news conference.

BAGHDAD - Close to a thousand families in the Khandari area west of the Iraqi capital now have clean water for everyday use, as the Khandari Water Treatment Facility opened in the Abu Ghraib district.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Chief Warrant Officer 4 Rodney Freeman credits his great-grandmother and being raised in small-town America for his success in the Marine Corps.

WASHINGTON - With a deteriorating situation in Pakistan, now is the time to strengthen the U.S.-Pakistan military partnership to boost counterinsurgency efforts, the undersecretary of defense for policy said.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces have killed about 42 insurgents during operations in Oruzgan, Helmand and Lowgar provinces.

WASHINGTON - People who are interested in learning more about the Defense Department’s Quadrennial Defense Review process can do so by just accessing the QDR fact sheet that is posted on Defenselink, the Pentagon’s public-internet web page.

WASHINGTON - Taliban and al-Qaida operatives in Afghanistan and Pakistan pose “the single most direct threat” to U.S. national security interests, President Barack Obama said during a town hall meeting at Fox High School in Arnold, Mo.

WASHINGTON - The Marines are working to build an Afghanistan-worthy, off-road version of a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials should center strategy on smarter, more pragmatic engagement and closer cooperation with other U.S. government agencies and foreign allies, a top Pentagon official told a group at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

WASHINGTON - The last of five defendants found guilty in a terror plot to kill soldiers at Fort Dix, N.J., were sentenced, with four to serve the rest of their lives behind bars and one sentenced to 33 years in prison.

WASHINGTON - Any gains in Afghanistan will be tied to the coalition’s ability to tighten control of the Pakistan border.

WASHINGTON - With the Department of Veterans Affairs ready to begin accepting sign-ups for the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Defense Department is working to get word out on its proposed policy regarding the bill’s transferability provisions to help servicemembers decide if the new benefit is right for them.

WASHINGTON - When future astronauts prepare to go to the moon or to a rendezvous with the International Space Station, their craft will look suspiciously familiar.

WASHINGTON - The Marine Corps commandant confirmed a suspected case of H1N1 flu at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif.

WASHINGTON - More than 300 military spouses attended one of two "Field Exercises" recently at Fort Sill, Okla., designed to assist them in dealing with life while their deployed spouses are away.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has nominated a senior research scholar at Stanford University's Center for International Security and Cooperation for a senior civilian position at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Country music megastar Toby Keith has performed for rowdy, appreciative troops more than 130 times over seven straight years in various deployed locations. But during this year’s “America’s Toughest Tour,” he said, “The boys and girls were rockin' and laughin' like never before.”

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s nominees for assistant secretary of defense for legislative affairs and general counsel of the Department of the Army told senators that they look forward to supporting the Defense Department and troops if confirmed.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Troops at Fort Bragg, N.C., are experiencing 'adventure' physical training -- including canoeing -- to learn the benefits of working as a team.

WASHINGTON - Army Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry retired as the deputy chairman of the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, just 24 hours before being sworn in as the new U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - A group of U.S. military organizations are teaming up to develop improved, better-integrated missile defense training.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s nominee for Navy Secretary pledged to address the service’s acquisition process to ensure sailors, Marines, and taxpayers aren’t shortchanged.

WASHINGTON - The United States could be nearing a deal with the Kyrgyzstan government to extend U.S. access to Manas Air Base, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters.

WASHINGTON - U.S. defense leaders are “clearly pleased” to see the Pakistani military take action against increasingly emboldened Taliban forces, and have offered additional support if Pakistan’s government will accept it to promote a sustained effort.

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - Country singer and troop supporter Toby Keith finished a 15-show tour in Afghanistan as he drew near the end of his seventh USO tour.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the author of the military’s counterinsurgency manual, explained the principles that led to success in Iraq and how they apply to the fight in Afghanistan.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - Romanian soldiers are helping train Iraqi commandos near Contingency Operating Base Adder.

WASHINGTON - Afghanistan will be secure only when Afghan police enforce the rule of law in the country and overcome the people's misperceptions.

KONAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - A team of U.S. Army medical personnel at a remote Afghan outpost do their best to save an injured Afghan teenage boy.

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - U.S. Civil Affairs soldiers are helping an Afghan commercial center in the city of Nangalam to continue doing business after dark by installing solar-powered lights in the marketplace.

WASHINGTON - The White House expressed regret over a photo opportunity involving Air Force One that stirred up confusion and fear in New York City.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s worldwide influenza monitoring program and decisive action by the medical staff at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas, is being credited with helping to identify two cases of H1N1 flu early to help prevent a potential spread.

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Forty-two years after Army Maj. Jack T. Stewart, assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group, was listed as missing after a fierce battle in Vietnam, the U.S. Army has honored him with a Distinguished Service Cross.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Army Spc. Carlos Andres Espinosa and Marine Corps Pfc. Ryan Rundle vowed to protect America and "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" long before they became U.S. citizens.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed five militants and detained 16 suspects – including a Taliban commander -- during recent operations in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department directorate that procures warfighters’ weapons systems has achieved much success in recent years, such as fielding MRAPs and aerial drones, its departing chief said.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - A revitalized spirit is among the things the Army’s top officer noted during his third visit to Afghanistan in the past year and his first in four months.

WASHINGTON - As the Defense Department ventures into social media, even the famed Tuskegee Airmen are using popular social media tools to engage others and inform the world about their service.

WASHINGTON - For troops on the battlefield facing enemy projectiles, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency is making progress to respond with life-saving speed and accuracy.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is monitoring the H1N1 flu situation closely, with its primary focus on protecting the military population.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo - The United States military will continue working with the Congolese armed forces in training, advising and capacity building to support security assistance cooperation activities.

WASHINGTON - A Navy-sponsored study on the behavioral response of toothed whales to various sounds in the ocean has provided fresh insights into these little-understood mammals.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Members of the 53rd Movement Control Battalion ensure that mail, equipment, passengers and supplies make it across Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton assured Iraqi leaders during a visit to Baghdad that the troop draw down will not change the United States' commitment to Iraq’s government and people.

BAGHDAD - Army Pfc. Paul Henry was a car salesman and divorced father of two looking for something different in his life. So he enlisted in the Army.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq - Iraqi Army mechanics are improving their generator maintenance skills thanks to training from U.S. troops. It also means the Iraqis can teach the skills to others.

ERBIL, Iraq - Iraqi Kurds and Arabs must compromise to realize the full potential of the country, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said during a visit to Erbil, Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates welcomed a group of recently appointed senior defense civilian officials during a Pentagon ceremony.

BAGHDAD - While al-Qaida is succeeding in launching a few spectacular attacks in Iraq, it cannot succeed in stopping progress.

BOSTON - Two Special Forces soldiers who are single-leg amputees completed the 113th Boston Marathon on hand cycles in less than two hours.

QALAT, Afghanistan - The Taliban’s growing strength in Pakistan is frustrating to the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a trip to Afghanistan. Mullen is on a six-day tour of the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to escort a USO tour, meet with counterparts and visit troops.

WASHINGTON - Before U.S. military troops touch ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, they must first pass through one of a handful of military portals that coordinate movement in and out of the theater.

MINOT, N.D. - The North Dakota National Guard finished pulling out two barrier systems that proved to be useful new tools in the fight against recent flooding in the state.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will release a substantial number of photos associated with concluded past investigations of alleged abuse of detainees.

WASHINGTON - A substantial and sustained commitment is required to disrupt and ultimately defeat al-Qaida and other extremist elements in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the commander of U.S. Central Command told a congressional panel.

WASHINGTON - New commitments need to be made to the nation’s airmen and others who defend North America from threats to its air sovereignty, the Air National Guard’s senior officer told members of Congress.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces killed 14 insurgents in a six-hour battle in the Sangin district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed deep concern that “events continue to move in the wrong direction” in Pakistan and that the situation there may be approaching a tipping point.

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica - The New Mexico National Guard transported several Costa Rican dignitaries via UH-60A Black Hawk helicopter so they could observe the progress of exercise Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2009.

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. - Port Mortuary chaplains at Dover Air Force Base, Del., gain strength from each other as they watch over the remains of the fallen and comfort their families.

KABUL - Special Operations medical forces in Afghanistan completed an unusually difficult, but rewarding mission recently when they saved an Afghan baby.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq - Deputy governors of Iraq’s Salahuddin province and more than 30 members of the provincial council visited a coalition contingency operating base to learn how U.S. soldiers and Iraqis are working together.

WASHINGTON - To recognize nurses' commitment to wounded servicemembers, a Maryland-based wellness center will provide free acupuncture and therapeutic bodywork sessions to nurses at a Veterans Affairs medical center.

BETHESDA, Md. - Golfer Tiger Woods has vowed to dedicate his AT&T National PGA Tour event to the men and women of the U.S. armed forces for the third consecutive year.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials have kicked off the Defense Department’s 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review and Nuclear Posture Review processes to determine what they need to maintain U.S. national security now and in the coming years.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates briefly escaped from Capital Beltway budget discussions to meet with Marines preparing to leave Camp Lejeune, N.C., for southern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - With U.S. military members serving in more than 120 countries and meeting troop requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan, ground forces are stretched thin, senior military officials told Congress.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama highlighted the role American World War II veterans played in bringing about the end of the Holocaust and preserving its memory.

COMBAT OUTPOST DEYSIE, Afghanistan - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited a combat outpost in eastern Afghanistan to hear from troops about what life is like there and the variety of challenges they face in their mission.

WASHINGTON - The USO of Metropolitan Washington unveiled the newest addition to its arsenal of troop support and comforts at a Pentagon ceremony.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed two militants and captured seven others in overnight operations in Afghanistan.

PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Paktia province elders and Paktia Provincial Reconstruction Team members held a bidders’ conference to give local contractors a chance to compete for construction projects.

BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers with the 1st Cavalry Division are patrolling with Iraqi soldiers to ensure that one of Baghdad's former hotspots for violence stays calm.

WASHINGTON - Known around the world by its emblematic orange and blue, the U.S. Coast Guard added “green” to its operations as part of Earth Day celebrations.

BAGHDAD - Sgt. 1st Class Trevino L. Copeland knows a thing or two about deployment. He’s serving the seventh of his Army career and his fifth since 2001.

WASHINGTON - When it comes to strategic leadership, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan boils his philosophy down to four basic tenets.

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. central Command said he believes success in Afghanistan is achievable, but not using the exact strategies that sparked a turnaround in Iraq.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - Thousands of Iraqi detainees require air travel for transfers and court cases, and one captain helps them get where they need to go.

WASHINGTON - The National Military Family Association now offers retreats for families in addition to summer camps for kids to expand its support for military families at no cost to the families.

WASHINGTON - Southern Afghanistan –- the home of the Taliban and host to the country’s opium industry –- is now the focus of the anti-insurgent campaign there.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is building relationships as well as local infrastructure as it participates in Balikatan, a joint, bilateral exercise in the Philippines that helps about 22,000 people in need.

WASHINGTON - The United States cannot afford to ignore the challenges in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and success or failure in one country likely means the same for the other, a senior Defense Department official said.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department provided full cooperation during a U.S. Senate committee investigation that examined detainee-interrogation operations, a senior Pentagon official said.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials are working to reduce vulnerability to cyber-attack attempts that occur regularly and are likely to continue for the foreseeable future, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and coalition forces killed an insurgent and detained six suspects following an operation in eastern Afghanistan’s Konar province.

CAMP EGGERS, Afghanistan - Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, basketball hall of famer David Robinson, and stars of CBS-TV's "The Unit" highlighted the USO tour Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, brought along to Afghanistan.

COMBAT OUTPOST DEYSIE, Afghanistan - Military support “enablers” are Regional Command East’s most important need in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said while touring forward outposts in the country.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Afghan and U.S. troops conducted meetings with villagers in Paktia province to discuss the establishment of Combat Outpost Kalagu.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - The 10th Iraqi Army Division proved itself when it sent troops to conduct its first large-scale, combined-arms live-fire exercise.

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - All 64 major Air Force bases in the United States are participating in a campaign to change out incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs.

WASHINGTON - The Senate has voted to confirm Christopher R. Hill as the next U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

WASHINGTON - An Army daughter in Texas has won the first Military Child Award for her support not only of her own family, but for many military families. She'll receive $5,000, a laptop computer and trip to the nation's capital.

CAIRO - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited a joint-service medical research unit in Cairo and received briefings on how it operates and what threats the doctors, microbiologists and entomologists track each day.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama presented the winning U.S. Naval Academy football team the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy during a White House Rose Garden ceremony.

HOPKINTON, Mass. - Almost 400 Massachusetts National Guardsmen were called up to support the 113th running of the Boston Marathon. One citizen-soldier called it a welcome chance to interact with the public while in uniform.

WASHINGTON - One militant was killed and a suspect was detained during a joint operation today by coalition and Afghan forces in southern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - The Navy’s longest-running annual multilateral exercise got under way off the Florida coast, with 11 participating nations working together to promote maritime security and stability in Latin America.

BAGHDAD - Soldiers of the Army Reserve's 277th Engineer Company are teaching Iraqis how to maintain and operate heavy equipment.

WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The Afghan National Police worked with U.S. soldiers serving in Task Force Spartan to provide 25 women and their families with humanitarian aid packages.

CAMP HANSEN, Japan - Chris Lamson was unemployed when he joined the Marine Corps 25 years ago. Today, he is a colonel who interacts with subordinates at every level.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department has launched its new “Returning Veterans” Web site to welcome home veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts with a site that focuses on their needs and questions.

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military officer called on troops to use Holocaust Remembrance Day observances to reflect on the responsibilities of life.

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi Interior Ministry is making progress toward minimizing corruption and maximizing trust.

WASHINGTON - Thousands of people, young and old, gathered to honor five of the nine surviving Doolittle Raiders at the 67th Reunion.

MANAMA, Bahrain - The British military support ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight and the Combined Maritime Forces thwarted two pirate attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces killed at least four militants and detained four more in recent operations throughout Afghanistan, U.S. military officials reported.

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas - Suicide rates, operational tempo and homeless veterans were some of the topics facing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during a news conference on Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

WASHINGTON - Scientists in the Defense Department’s Modeling and Simulation Coordination Office are doing their part to improve irregular warfare techniques by studying human social and cultural behaviors.

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Joined by local leaders, the provincial reconstruction team in Nangarhar Province celebrated the completion of the Grand Canal repair project in Jalalabad.

BAGHDAD - Soldiers with the 46th Engineer Combat Battalion were the ones called out to help when terrorists created underground tunnels in Iraq.

BAGHDAD - The Iraqi government is on schedule to pay its “Sons of Iraq” civilian security personnel, and is working to pay back wages to group members who are owed money due to a legislative oversight.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - While troops on the ground risk their lives, Air Force Capt. Susan McCormick is a licensed flight nurse who provides emergency care aboard aircraft.

WASHINGTON - Military force is only part of the solution to the recent wave of piracy in the waters off Somalia, the Pentagon’s top military and civilian officials said.

WASHINGTON - A recent agreement among the Defense Department, the Navy and shipbuilders will enable more efficient construction of the next-generation destroyer at one shipyard instead of two.

WASHINGTON - The Navy provides more than 400 sailors who act as U.S. customs agents at the Theater Gateway – the military group in Kuwait charged with getting troops and goods in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

NEWPORT, R.I. - As the U.S. military winds down from Iraq and Afghanistan in the future, leaders must learn the lessons of past drawdowns, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq - The 772nd Military Police Company and an Iraqi police advisor team are starting a new approach to police training in Iraq’s Wasit province that will provide a sustainable training system for when coalition forces leave the country.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - As he played his trumpet for Haitian children during Operation Continuing Promise 2009, Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jeffery Castle remembered why he chose a career with a military band.

WASHINGTON - The federal government’s largest pay-for-performance system, the National Security Personnel System, is under review at the request of the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces killed eight militants and detained five in recent operations throughout Afghanistan, U.S. military officials reported.

ALASAY VALLEY, Afghanistan - U.S., Afghan, and French forces joined together in Afghanistan's Alasay Valley recently to provide medical care to more than 600 Afghans from local villages.

FORT HOOD, Texas - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told soldiers on Fort Hood, Texas, that "getting it right" with servicemembers and their families is his top priority.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton got a first-hand look at the humanitarian assistance provided in Haiti as part of Operation Continuing Promise 2009.

NEWPORT, R.I. - Though the proposed fiscal 2010 defense budget reflects some shifts in emphasis, it is important for the United States to maintain its capabilities for conventional warfare dominance, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

CARLISLE BARRACKS, Pa. - In his two-and-a-half years as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates told students at the Army War College, no decision has compared in difficulty to those involving sending men and women into combat.

WASHINGTON - U.S. servicemembers' combat missions over the years -- in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq -- have earned them the support and thanks of a grateful nation, Vice President Joe Biden told troops on Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

CARLISLE BARRACKS, Pa. - Making sure warfighters have everything they need “to fight, to win and to survive" was the “overriding priority” of the fiscal 2010 Defense Budget request.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said it’s critical for the United States to support Mexico’s efforts to take on drug cartels that have “plagued both sides of the border.”

ARLINGTON, Va. - Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the National Guard is one of the best connections between the armed forces and the public.

WASHINGTON - Though suicide bombings continue to be a threat, the security situation in Iraq continues to improve.

WASHINGTON - TriWest Health Alliance is making it easier for servicemembers and their families to learn about their health-care benefits with streaming videos.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces detained two suspected insurgents and discovered weapons in recent operations throughout Afghanistan, U.S. military officials reported.

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Paratroopers at Forward Operating Base Salerno are busy running fiber-optic cable to keep critical lines of communication open.

WASHINGTON - The Military Order of the Purple Heart, a Virginia-based troop-support group, will join the city of Branson, Mo., in a special “Hand in Hand” weekend honoring Purple Heart veterans across the country.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, Japan - Marine Corps Sgt. Timothy Craig started the Okinawa Youth Football League to give young people on the island the same opportunities and love for the sport that he has had.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - USNS Comfort’s Continuing Promise tour through Central and South America is far more than a military mission, bringing together many civilians from various countries, as well.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces in Iraq increasingly are working to develop the country’s nonmilitary capabilities, such as its forensic science and medical practices.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - USNS Comfort, making the first stop of a four-month humanitarian mission, transported 1.4 million meals, medical supplies, blankets, baby wipes and hygiene supplies to Haiti from the United States.

FORT BELVOIR - During what has become an annual Rehearsal of Concept, or ROC, drill on hurricane relief operations, more than 150 participants from a wide variety of government agencies came together for two days to rehearse the course of action they would take to deal with a hurricane emergency.

BAGHDAD - Two Vietnam War veterans who survived combat and who received the Medal of Honor visited soldiers serving in Multinational Division Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Media Activity’s emerging media directorate and the U.S. Naval Institute are remembering the 67th reunion of the Doolittle Raiders in a unique way this year, hearing from Gen. James H. Doolittle himself.

BISMARCK, N.D., - The number of National Guardsmen fighting rising water levels in North Dakota has more than doubled from last week.

CAMP ECHO, Iraq - Iraq was the last place Army Sgt. Jordane Lovin thought she'd run into any of her family, but her brother, also serving in Iraq, tracked her down.

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany - Rare will be the occasion when the U.S. military will operate by itself. Instead, it will rely on partnerships with other nations going forward, the U.S. Army in Europe’s top officer told students at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces are helping Afghan civilians and soldiers alike with medical outreach that is curing illnesses, preventing diseases and keeping soldiers and security forces on the job.

DIERKS, Ark. - Arkansas Air National Guard airmen restored clean water to a southwestern Arkansas community following a tornado that destroyed the town's water treatment plant.

WASHINGTON - Somali pirates fired on a U.S.-flagged merchant vessel south of the Gulf of Aden, military officials reported.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates made his second stop this week at a service war college, spelling out his thinking behind shifting $13 billion in warfighter programs away from traditional supplemental funding and into his base fiscal 2010 budget proposal.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - Servicemembers aboard the USNS Comfort are finding gratitude has no language barrier as they embarked in Haiti on the first of many stops in a four-month humanitarian tour known as Continuing Promise 2009.

FORT RUCKER, Ala. - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited Fort Rucker, Ala., to find out how fast the home of Army aviation could expand training operations.

PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti - The USNS Comfort is bringing hope – and tangible proof of a continued U.S. commitment -- to the Haitian people. American Forces Press Service writer Donna Miles reports on the crew's efforts from aboard ship.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers could remain in Mosul, Iraq, past June 30, when Iraqi forces are scheduled to assume full security responsibilities for the entire country, if the Iraqi government decides additional support is required.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has given a verbal “high-five” to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ proposal to reform the Pentagon’s procurement system to eliminate wasteful programs and curb spiraling weapons and equipment costs.

QUANTICO, Va. - The United States should focus more resources on recognizing developing problems abroad and assisting foreign governments through nonmilitary means.

WASHINGTON - For military students who can’t squeeze enough learning into the school year, the Department of Defense Education Activity is offering summer "fun" classes.

WASHINGTON - A former Marine sergeant turned country-music artist is using his newfound fame to urge Americans to do more to support the men and women returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - National Guard members from five states and their families participated in the 2009 Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House.

WASHINGTON - The Military Order of the Purple Heart has created a new Web site to give veterans a personal guide to navigate the federal job application process.

KAPISA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. forces teamed up with French and Afghan forces to bring medical treatment and supplies to residents of isolated Afghan villages.

BAGHDAD - The 82nd Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team stays well-supplied and mission ready in Iraq, thanks to the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion.

BAGHDAD - Army Lt. Col. Hailey Clancy and her husband, Maj. Michael Clancy, are serving together in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military will look “broadly and widely and deeply” at the overall strategy to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia following a recent hostage rescue, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told ABC's "Good Morning America."

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has issued a statement recognizing April as the Month of the Military Child. His statement follows:

QUANTICO, Va. - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said troops and military families were his primary concern when formulating the fiscal 2010 defense budget recommendations.

WASHINGTON - U.S. forces are adding agriculture supplies to regular humanitarian outreach efforts. The Task Force Bucca civil affairs team presented agricultural equipment to farmers associations and town councils.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama praised the U.S. military for the Navy’s successful efforts over the weekend to rescue the kidnapped captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship from Somali pirates.

WASHINGTON - A Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences faculty member discussed Autism Awareness Month and the importance of early, proper diagnosis and treatment of children.

WASHINGTON - Twelve militants were killed and a suicide bomber was stopped in Afghanistan during weekend operations.

QUANTICO, Va. - The U.S. military’s rescue of a kidnapped American ship captain was “textbook,” but the issue of piracy is likely to worsen in the absence of a systemic solution.

BAGHDAD - U.S. military officials of the "Dagger Brigade" are strengthening relations with the staff of the 6th Iraqi Army Division’s 24th Brigade.

WARDAK PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Making Afghan roads safe for civilian and military traffic is a daily responsibility for soldiers of the Task Force Catamount's route-clearance team.

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti - Brig. Gen. Roosevelt “Rose” Barfield is at the pinnacle of his career as U.S. Africa Command’s new deputy director of operations and logistics.

WASHINGTON - The Navy’s ability to harness sonar technology has allowed submarines to navigate more safely in the dark depths of the ocean while also allowing other ships to locate and identify them.

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, provided details of the rescue mission that freed Capt. Richard Phillips, master of the cargo ship Maersk-Alabama who was being held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama praised the U.S. military’s rescue of the captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship from pirates who were holding him hostage on the waters off the coast of Somalia.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. is on track to meet the terms of a timeline of withdrawal from Iraq, the top American commander in Iraq said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - NATO’s Urban Warfare Working Group paid a visit last week to Camp Atterbury-Muscatatuck Center for Complex Operations in search of training options for deploying troops.

WASHINGTON - Five collegiate nursing programs have become the newest partners in a Veterans Affairs Department initiative to bring more nurses into the work force and improve the quality of care veterans receive.

WASHINGTON - A networking system in the final stage of development at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency will reduce signal interruptions in battlefield communications.

WASHINGTON - All the support programs in the world won’t do any good if no one knows about them, so the Defense Department’s principal director for military community and family policy started the office’s new “eMagazine.”

WASHINGTON - In his new role, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki says he is mindful of all the servicemembers who served before and after him, as well as those who served alongside him.

ARLINGTON, Va. - With the start of hurricane season only a few months away, the National Guard is busy preparing to respond if such a storm should make landfall.

WASHINGTON - Defense leaders said the safe return of a U.S. maritime captain being held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia is paramount as they explained the decision not to reveal details about the military's involvement at this time.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces killed 32 insurgents today during operations in southern Afghanistan, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi forces detained three suspected terrorists and found weapons during recent operations in and around Baghdad, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - All 10 active-duty and reserve military components met or exceeded their recruiting goals in March, with the Marine Corps adding the highest percentage of active-duty members.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama forwarded the White House’s $83.4-billion war supplemental appropriations request to the U.S. House of Representatives.

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The coalition's reconstruction team for Afghanistan's Nangarhar province has opened six new schools there, marking the first time many children have been educated in a school building.

BAGHDAD - Students and faculty of a school in Baghdad's Abu Ghraib district are celebrating the completed renovation of the nearly 40-year-old building by coalition forces.

KONAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. combat medics at a forward operating base in Afghanistan have treated more than 4,000 Afghans in an aid station that has essentially become an emergency room.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Air Force Staff Sgt. Jeremy Moersch and Army Spc. Brandon Kosky played together at fighting "bad guys" as childhood friends.

WASHINGTON - More than 300 military families, in recognition of Month of the Military Child, were treated to a night under the big top courtesy of The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

WASHINGTON - The safe return of the American maritime captain being held captive by pirates off the coast of Somalia is of primary importance, senior U.S. officials said at the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial in Washington.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, attended the 18th Airborne Corps Welcome Home Ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C. The mother of a soldier serving in Iraq is a champion of military families and troop support groups like Delaware Boots on the Ground.

WASHINGTON - The proposed Department of Veterans Affairs funding request will provide more post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury services to combat veterans, as well as other mental-health care and services for wounded warriors.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has issued a proclamation marking April 9 as Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the purpose of his recent visit to India was to seek counsel on regional solutions to the common problems facing India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - More than 50 kids between the ages of 3 and 17 and about 20 adults spent a day with the USO at Fort Belvoir, Va., putting together care packages for deployed military members.

WASHINGTON - One-hundred twenty-three American heroes from the Vietnam War era will be honored posthumously this month during the annual In Memory Day ceremony, according to Jan C. Scruggs, founder and president of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

WASHINGTON - Back from visiting troops deployed to Iraq, President Barack Obama has vowed to ensure the programs that support troops get proper funding.

WASHINGTON - A 10-year working relationship with the National Guard contributed to Albania and Croatia's accession into the NATO alliance.

WASHINGTON - A pilot program will train doctors and nurses at 20 military hospitals, including one in Germany, to promote early literacy for children.

WASHINGTON - An investigation is under way into a firefight in the Khowst district of Afghanistan’s Khowst province, as U.S. Forces Afghanistan officials acknowledged that the people killed were not enemy fighters.

WASHINGTON - American forces in Iraq continue to transfer more responsibilities to the Iraqi government.

WASHINGTON - Pirates still hold the captain of the Maersk Alabama on the waters off Somalia, but the Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge has arrived on the scene.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama announced plans to create a joint virtual lifetime electronic record that will smooth the flow of medical records between the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments.

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany - A “comprehensive approach” to regional stability and military planning is a prudent approach for a continued peace, the military leader of Italy’s armed forces said during a speech given in Germany.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - A 2-year-old girl from Afghanistan’s Gardez province and her family flew to Cincinnati recently to have reconstructive surgery on the child’s trachea.

BASRA, Iraq - A Basra hospital has discharged sewage into a nearby river for years, but coalition forces and Iraqi officials have helped clean up the situation.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marine Corps Col. Brian T. Oliver, a former high school principal, has been reacquainted with two of his former students.

WASHINGTON - Defending the Defense Department’s global information grid from attacks cost the U.S. military more than $100 million over the past six months.

WASHINGTON - The best way to ensure that troops make a seamless transition from the Defense Department to the Department of Veterans Affairs is to start the process at the swearing-in ceremony, Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki told American Forces Press Service.

WASHINGTON - Maintaining and protecting the U.S. military’s worldwide computer network is a vital component of national security, prompting Defense Secretary Robert N. Gates to call for training more cyber experts.

WASHINGTON - A NATO flag-raising ceremony yesterday punctuated the entrance of Albania and Croatia into the 60-year old alliance.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department schools have earned top grades from parents and students, based on preliminary results of the Department of Defense Education Activity’s customer-satisfaction survey.

BETHESDA, Md. - More than 120 people whose family members never returned from military service gathered for an update from officials of the Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates hosted Lebanese Defense Minister Elias Murr at the Pentagon to discuss the way ahead in the two countries’ military-to-military relationship and U.S. support to the democratically elected Lebanese government.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden welcomed home the 18th Airborne Corps headquarters during a ceremony on Fort Bragg, N.C., after the soldiers spent nearly 15 months deployed in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Air Force airmen work around the clock in Kuwait, supporting the warfighter in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - A ship taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia is now presumed to be under the control of its crew again, Defense Department officials said.

WASHINGTON - Building trust between the United States and Pakistan tops the agenda as the two countries and Afghanistan move forward, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said following meetings in Islamabad.

HEIDELBERG, Germany - The first female commander of the U.S. Army NATO Brigade in Schwetzingen, Germany, reflected on the opportunities she's been given by the military and on other women who have inspired her to excel.

FORT MEADE, Md., - Defense officials drove shovels into the earth at the site of the future Defense Media Activity headquarters during a groundbreaking ceremony at Fort Meade, Md.

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are removing barriers and bastions once necessary to shield against explosions and small-arms fire from a Baghdad neighborhood anxious to move toward post-war normalcy.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - More than 5,000 residents of Afghanistan’s Panjshir province gathered March 30 to celebrate the groundbreaking for a road some say will make the area the best in the country for travel.

WASHINGTON - A California based troop-support group has collected and mailed more than 600 Easter baskets as part of April’s observance of the Month of the Military Child.

WASHINGTON - A comprehensive American outreach effort to the Islamic world will pay dividends, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during an interview on the PBS "News Hour with Jim Lehrer."

WASHINGTON - New capabilities, which are playing a greater role in America's defense, are an integral part of the fiscal 2010 budget request.

WASHINGTON - Recommendations for the fiscal 2010 budget include a 2-percent growth requirement for the Defense Department to help sustain its programs.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Fort Bragg, N.C., to welcome home Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III and his 18th Airborne Corps soldiers during a special ceremony marking the end of their 15-month deployment to Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates says the changes to the budget that he proposed will provide a “home” for warfighters that doesn’t currently exist in the Pentagon’s institutions.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Air National Guard fighter aircraft from two states intercepted a suspicious aircraft as it flew into U.S. airspace.

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Iraqis provided another layer of perimeter security to help protect troops on Joint Base Balad.

WASHINGTON - In a surprise visit to Iraq, President Barack Obama declared to troops in Baghdad that now is the time for Iraqis “to take responsibility for their country.”

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Soldiers from Task Force Catamount are building relationships with central Afghanistan residents where Taliban compete for villagers' support.

BAGHDAD - After years of forced isolation, two Iraqi air force officers have stepped onto the world stage to present their study at a NATO conference in Germany.

WASHINGTON - Army Spc. David Helton maintains a rigorous weight-lifting routine in austere conditions in Afghanistan -- a hobby that keeps him physically and mentally prepared for infantry missions.

WASHINGTON - Personnel needs are at the heart of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' proposal to reshape the priorities of America’s defense establishment.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces have killed at least 52 insurgents and captured 17 others in four days of fighting in Afghanistan, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said the recent NATO summit, in which allies pledged additional support to Afghanistan, exceeded his expectations.

WASHINGTON - The United States and its allies want the U.N. to issue a robust response to North Korea’s April 4 missile launch.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has laid out budget recommendations that he said aim to reshape the priorities of America's defense establishment.

WASHINGTON - The improved security and reduced violence in Iraq today is far different than the situation that existed there just a few years ago.

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. - Airmen assigned to the Mortuary Affairs Operations Center take great pride in providing the utmost dignity and respect to America's fallen military members.

WASHINGTON - Army Brig. Gen. Gary S. Patton is sharing his own mental health issues after returning from Iraq to get troops to seek help.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama addressed Turkey’s Parliament in Ankara, calling America’s partnership with Turkey and the Muslim world critical in “rolling back the violent ideologies” and strengthening “opportunities for all its people.”

WASHINGTON - The Army’s newest resiliency training, Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, is a program designed to improve the emotional and psychological fitness of soldiers and their families.

BAGHDAD - Army Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr. took the reins as Multinational Corps Iraq commanding general in a transfer of authority ceremony at Camp Victory's Al Faw Palace in Baghdad.

PANJSHIR, Afghanistan - In northern Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, progress is not measured only in dollars spent and projects completed, but in moving residents toward self-sufficiency.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE BERNSTEIN, Iraq - The Iraqi army, aided by U.S. soldiers, helped more than 30 people clear their names of criminal charges against them.

BAGHDAD - Army Lt. Richard Warehime is a tough guy -- he holds three martial arts black belts and leads a platoon to clear explosives from the most dangerous roads in Iraq. But that hasn't hurt his good-natured leadership that earned him the nickname "Happy Feet."

WASHINGTON - The North Koreans “have taken a provocative action,” President Obama told reporters in Prague. He said the North Koreans' April 4, three-stage missile launch “creates instability in their region, (and) around the world.”

WASHINGTON - The UN’s top official denounced North Korea's April 4 missile launch stating that the launch is not conducive to efforts to promote dialogue, regional peace or stability.

WASHINGTON - Speaking In Europe, President Barack Obama strongly criticized North Korea's April 4 missile launch. He said the launch was provocative and had violated UN international security rules.

WASHINGTON - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has introduced Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as his successor in the alliance post during an end-of-summit press conference in Strasbourg, France.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama said a pledge by NATO allies to contribute some 5,000 more personnel to Afghanistan represents “a strong down payment” on the mission and in NATO’s future.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and heads of state representing the other 28 NATO member countries honored NATO military personnel who died in service of the alliance’s mission during a ceremony on the banks of the historic Rhine River in Strasbourg, France.

WASHINGTON - NATO marked 60 years of operation by welcoming two new countries – Albania and Croatia – to the alliance during a ceremony in Strasbourg, France.

WASHINGTON - The United States does not want to remain in Afghanistan one day longer than it has to, but the mission will take time, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during an interview with Afghan television.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq - U.S. and Iraqi soldiers joined forces to conduct a census, distribute humanitarian supplies and build relations in two villages.

WASHINGTON - Air combat operations in Afghanistan are “the most precise” ever used, and airmen are doing “an incredible job there,” an Air Force general said.

ARLINGTON, Va. - North Dakota’s adjutant general reached out to civilian and military Internet bloggers to detail the flood response efforts under way in his state.

WASHINGTON - French President Nicolas Sarkozy remembered the Americans “who fought and died for us” at Normandy as he called for greater integration between the United States and Europe under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

WASHINGTON - As the Defense Department kicked off its annual Sexual Assault Awareness Month observance, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff took to the airwaves to tell servicemembers they have a part to play in preventing sexual assault.

WASHINGTON - NATO has pressing issues concerning Afghanistan and the alliance’s future role amid celebrations of its 60th anniversary.

WASHINGTON - All systems are on track for this summer’s rollout of the new Post-9/11 GI Bill, which Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said he expects to have as monumental an impact as the original World War II-era GI Bill of Rights.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed five enemy fighters in operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, now more than ever, must hold together to solve some of the world’s most pressing problems, NATO’s secretary general said on the eve of the alliance’s 60th anniversary and summit.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will make budget decisions this weekend that will indicate a “fundamental shift in direction” for the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - Social software such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter may close information gaps on the battlefield by advancing collaboration and information sharing among warfighters and analysts, according to researchers at the National Defense University.

WASHINGTON - Troop-support groups are taking full advantage of social networking Web sites to reach out and gather support for troops at home and abroad.

WASHINGTON - Young people have a “tremendous responsibility” in determining the way forward, President Barack Obama told about 300 students and young professionals from about 50 countries attending the NATO Youth Summit in Strasbourg, France.

U.S. ARMY GARRISON HUMPHREYS, South Korea - Staff Sgt. Dianne Smith has re-joined the Army after a 15-year break as a way to show her patriotism to her country again during a troubled time.

BAGHDAD - A Multinational Division Baghdad air weapons team engaged four armed men who were spotted planting a roadside bomb north of Taji, Iraq, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has launched a new Web site and campaign focused on preventing sexual assault.

WASHINGTON - A potential North Korean test launch of a three-stage missile would have a negative impact on efforts to lessen tensions in the region.

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo. - Wounded servicemembers like Marine Lance Cpl. Louis Stamatelos are testing their mettle and athletic abilities at the 23rd National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports clinic in Colorado.

WASHINGTON - Afghan soldiers, aided by coalition forces, killed 20 armed insurgents in a firefight in southern Afghanistan, near where they destroyed a bomb-making facility, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Barksdale Air Force Base, La., has been picked as the new home of the Air Force’s Global Strike Command, which will oversee most of the military’s nuclear bomber fleet and strategic ballistic missile operations, the Air Force announced.

WASHINGTON - NATO has added Albania and Croatia as its newest members, bringing the total number of allies in the security alliance to 28.

WASHINGTON - The Military Community and Family Policy office is providing counseling to help troops deal with deployment stresses.

WASHINGTON - NATO leaders are slated to focus on a broad range of issues at the summit in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, against the backdrop of the alliance’s 60th anniversary.

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon working group solicited and obtained input from several military support organizations for a policy change that, under strictly delineated conditions, allows media filming of dignified transfer operations of fallen servicemembers’ remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del., a senior U.S. officer said.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department and communities throughout the world will continue the 23-year tradition of recognizing the importance of military children in the month of April.

BAGHDAD - The “Sons of Iraq” civilian security group marked a major milestone when coalition forces completed the final transfer of the volunteers to Iraqi control.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The resounding boom of cannon fire jump-started the annual Bataan Memorial Death March.

WASHINGTON - A transition team is helping Iraq’s Interior Ministry move toward a secure and democratic state -- one technological hurdle at a time.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Three U.S. military police officers are tasked with mentoring Afghan National Police in an area larger than the state of Delaware.

WASHINGTON - South Korea is a vital ally and firm friend of the United States, President Barack Obama said while attending the Group of 20 international economic conference in London.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - When Sgt. Orlando Serna joined the Army, the only thing he knew how to make was cookies. Now he'll compete in next year's World Culinary Olympics.

WASHINGTON - The global financial crisis is adding a layer of uncertainty that could exacerbate problems in many parts of the world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on NBC-TV’s “Today Show."

WASHINGTON - In the fight against terrorism, it makes strategic sense to consider Afghanistan and Pakistan as one theater, the commander of U.S. Central Command said.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has approved a policy change that, under strictly delineated conditions, allows media filming of dignified transfer operations of fallen servicemembers’ remains at Dover Air Force Base, Del.

WASHINGTON - Last spring’s Iraqi-planned and Iraqi-led military campaign that successfully subdued insurgents in and around Iraq’s southern city of Basra was a turning point in the conflict, a senior U.S. officer said.

WASHINGTON - Defending the homeland by defeating al-Qaida is at the heart of the new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy.

FARGO, N.D. - Shriners in flood-stricken Fargo, N.D., temporarily have shifted their focus from children to National Guard members.

WASHINGTON - The situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan is becoming “increasingly dire,” but President Barack Obama’s strategy for dealing with the threat in the region is the right one.

WASHINGTON - Those in uniform must always remember their fallen comrades and their families, and those families deserve help in enduring their heartache, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

WASHINGTON - The leaders of the world’s two largest nuclear superpowers agreed to start new talks aimed at reducing nuclear arms stockpiles, and to use the platform to “reset” relationships between the United States and Russia.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq - Multinational Division Center absorbed Multinational Division Southeast into its operating area in a ceremony in Basra, Iraq, forming Multinational Division South.

SNOWMASS VILLAGE, Colo. - A wounded Army command sergeant major experienced the “Miracle on the Mountainside” at the National Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic in Colorado.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Troops turned out in big numbers to meet four former World Wrestling Entertainment “divas” at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Ever imagine filling up the fuel tanks on a military aircraft with french fry grease? That’s what the Air Force could do if a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program succeeds.