FALLS CHURCH, Va. - After years of struggling to fix a "broken, unpatchable," decades-old household goods shipment system, DoD is testing three new concepts aimed at improving quality of life and incorporating corporate business practice.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - A new policy aimed at guiding DoD's interaction with American Indians and Alaska Natives was presented here Oct. 21 to tribal elders, leaders and delegates at the annual meeting of the National Congress of American Indians.

WASHINGTON - Assistant Chief of Police Mary J. Wamsley of Commerce City, Colo., has been named the 1999 chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.

WASHINGTON - You are far from home and expecting your first baby. Who do you turn to for help?

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William Cohen makes his third visit of the year to Asia when he arrives in Hong Kong Nov. 1.

WASHINGTON - Silver Star recipient Marine Corps Col. Felipe Torres is not only a war hero, he's a hero in the Hispanic community and a role model for the youth of America.

WASHINGTON - Ever wonder:

WASHINGTON - At the end of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Armistice Day to honor the memory of all who served in the "war to end all wars."

DHAHRAN, Saudi Arabia - Although they hadnt previously met, an Air Force captain here and Defense Secretary William S. Cohen share the same concern: Both agree the military must change its ways to keep quality people.

WASHINGTON - DoD will work to close the gap between civilian and military pay and make the military retirement system more attractive, Defense Secretary William Cohen and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry Shelton said Oct. 22 in an interview with Armed Forces Radio and Television.

BILOXI, Miss. - Defense Secretary William Cohen and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott joined here Oct. 19 in demanding bigger defense budgets for the year 2000 and beyond.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Military might is the sword diplomats are wielding to end the crisis in Kosovo, according to Defense Secretary William S. Cohen.

PRINCE SULTAN AIR BASE, Saudi Arabia - Service members play a vital role maintaining peace and stability in the Persian Gulf, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen told a military audience here in mid-October.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Kimberlee Fowler of Fort Benning, Ga., is the elementary school-age winner of the Armed Services YMCA's 1998 poster contest for National Family Week, this year Nov. 22-29.

WASHINGTON - A 3.6 percent military pay raise, a TRICARE demonstration project, revamping of the military pharmacy system and changes in reserve component benefits are just a few of the programs in the 1999 Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act.

WASHINGTON - If you saw your child playing on a busy street, you probably would tell him it isn't safe to play there. Then, you'd take him by the hand and lead him to safety.

WASHINGTON - Changes to homeland defense, the stand-up of new reserve teams to combat weapons of mass destruction and the continuance of reserve component integration with the active force are in the cards for reservists in the next year.

WASHINGTON - Two new TRICARE options give people more choices and improved access to military health care.

WASHINGTON - More than 28 million Americans use computers each day and, according to officials at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, many risk coming down with a painful, debilitating condition, carpal tunnel syndrome.

ABOARD THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN - Seaman Jeff Hammond and Petty Officer 2nd Class Jamie Malesich may spend their duty days in the dark, but they're definitely in the know when it comes to what's happening in the Arabian Gulf.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - NATO has extended to Oct. 27 its deadline for Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre expects Year 2000 computer problems to be "nuisances, not crises," he said Oct. 14 at a Pentagon press meeting.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Five American Korean War combat pilots faced six Russians here Sept. 24 during an unprecedented meeting geared toward helping the Russians account for missing fliers.

WASHINGTON - The Federal Employees Health Benefits Program will be opened to military retirees on a test basis if President Clinton approves the fiscal 1999 National Defense Authorization Act.

WASHINGTON - Service members and their families enjoy the opportunity to travel, serve and reside all over the world. But along with exposure to new cultures and experiences, they also must confront the real possibility of terrorist threats against them.

UDAIRI RANGE, Kuwait - At first, the troops were hesitant. No one in the group dared to raise a hand.

DOHA, Qatar - When Congress held hearings on military readiness, Capt. Greg Sears was watching and he didn't like what he saw. He wasn't alone.

WASHINGTON - NATO will deploy ground teams and reconnaissance aircraft in and over Kosovo to ensure Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic keeps promises he made Oct. 12 in negotiations with U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - NATO voted to take military action Oct. 12 and gave Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic 96 hours to comply with a U.N. Security Council resolution on Kosovo.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Pay and retirement. These are the top two issues service members raise whenever Defense Secretary William S. Cohen asks, “What questions do you have for me?”

MANAMA, Bahrain - It’s hot; real hot. The forecast calls for a cool front in the next few days; the temperature may drop to below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

WASHINGTON - Modernization and readiness are two areas of concern to DoD, and the president has directed the department to "fix" those areas in the fiscal 2000 budget, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen told the Senate Armed Services Committee Oct. 6.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Reform Initiative is not just about saving money, but "building an agile support organization for the future," said John Hamre, deputy secretary of defense, and with one exception, DoD has done well.

WASHINGTON - Military health care beneficiaries will have limited access to the widely publicized impotence drug Viagra through their service health care providers.

WASHINGTON - Two military medical centers in San Antonio, Texas, opened their doors for the first time Oct. 1 to military retirees over age 65 enrolled in the new TRICARE Senior Prime health plan.

WASHINGTON - Nearly 260 U.S. planes will be among the 430 allied aircraft NATO may soon send into action, according to U.S. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen.

WASHINGTON - Low pay, spare part shortages, less-than-attractive retirement and health benefits. Hello! Is anyone listening to what service members are saying about these issues?

SAN DIEGO - Publicity was the last thing Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melynn Reid and Navy Petty Officer First Class Marsha Craten were thinking of when they were diagnosed with breast cancer. Following their recovery, though, they've found themselves in the limelight of DoD's breast cancer prevention, diagnosis and education program.

SKOPJE, FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA - More than a thousand multinational troops, including about 350 Americans, now man observation posts along this nation's borders with Bosnia -- where peace prevails -- and Kosovo, where violence reigns.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. contingent in Bosnia will soon shrink by about 600, but it's too early to say what NATO will do now that Bosnian elections are over, U.S. Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said during his recent trip to Europe.

WASHINGTON - U.S. defense officials are developing initiatives to help the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meet the challenges of the 21st century.

WASHINGTON - The United States has always played a major role in NATO, a bulwark of international defense cooperation for nearly half a century.

WASHINGTON - Actions speak louder than words. That's Defense Secretary William S. Cohen's message to Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

WASHINGTON - Zachary Fisher, a philanthropist who, with his wife, Elizabeth, established Fisher Houses near military hospitals, recently received the Medal of Freedom in New York.

WASHINGTON - A breast cancer initiative launched in the early 1990s is delivering improved health care and education to the 1.3 million female beneficiaries of military health care, according to the senior defense medical officer.

RABAT, Morocco - Morocco was the first nation to recognize the United States, in 1787, and it has been a steadfast friend and security partner, Defense Secretary William Cohen said here during a recent visit.

WASHINGTON - Federal civilian employees probably will get a 3.6 percent average pay raise in January, but combined national and locality raises won't be finalized before Nov. 30, according to FEDweek, an on-line newsletter covering the federal work force.

WASHINGTON - Operations tempo, delayed replacements and recruiting and retention problems are all affecting military readiness, the service chiefs told the Senate Armed Service Committee Sept. 29.

WASHINGTON - DoD is cracking down on insurers it believes are preying on service members.

WASHINGTON - Jerome "Jerry" F. Smith Jr. was sworn in Oct. 2 as DoD's first chancellor for education and professional development, with a mandate to provide world-class educational programs for civilian employees.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said he doesn't think NATO will be satisfied if Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic stops aggression against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo but doesn't meet other conditions of U.N. resolutions.

DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Va. - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen presided here Oct. 1 over the establishment of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

WASHINGTON - Calling it an important step in combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre opened the doors Oct. 1 to a new agency specifically structured to meet the growing threat.

WASHINGTON - The members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress Sept. 29 the U.S. military could return to the "hollow force" of the 1970s unless readiness and modernization concerns are addressed.