Secretary Thanks Congress, Seeks End to Sequestration
DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta expressed his gratitude to U.S. lawmakers for delaying sequestration, Jan. 2, 2013. Panetta also voiced optimism for finding a permanent way to avoid an additional $500 billion in budget cuts.
Panetta Praises Afghan Security Transition
DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s announcement, Dec. 31, 2012, that Afghanistan has entered the second to last stage of the transition of security responsibility from NATO’s International Security Assistance Force to Afghan security forces.
'Year in Photos' Shows Top Pictures of U.S. Troops
U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ed Galo
Each year, American Forces Press Service features the best images by U.S. military photographers in an annual review. "Year in Photos 2012" shows troops as they conduct operations around the world as well as compete in athletic events like the Olympics, root for home teams and reunite with family. The dramatic image of U.S. Marines leaving a compound at night in Afghanistan's Helmand province is one of dozens of pictures included in the review.
DOD Photographers Recall 2012 Imagery Milestones
DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Defense Department photographers Glenn Fawcett, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley, and Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo spent 2012 capturing important events through their lenses. Among the year's top photos: Kirk-Cuomo's image of U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta receiving a commemorative plate from Chinese National Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie, during a September 2012 visit to Beijing.
U.S. Troops Unload School Supplies, Meet With Leaders
U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Josh Ives
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Martin, right, shook hands with Mawlawi Guhlam M. Ruhaani, director of Hajj and Endowment, after delivering boxes of school supplies during a meeting with key leaders in Farah City, Afghanistan, Dec. 29, 2012. Martin is civil affairs team lead for Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah, which trains, advises and assists Afghan government leaders in Farah province.