WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s announcement 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.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and detained one other suspected insurgent during an operation in the Nad ‘Ali district of Helmand province.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Army Capt. Thoeuth Duong, now serving with the California Army National Guard's 49th Military Police Brigade, recalled his journey from war-torn Cambodia decades ago to begin a new life in America.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has leveraged the buying power of more than two million information technology users to award a three-year, $617 million joint enterprise license agreement for Microsoft products.

WASHINGTON - American Forces Press Service's "Year in Photos 2012" offers images of troops as they conduct operations around the world, compete in athletic events such as the Olympics, and reunite with their families.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Frank Baron Jr., 98, recalled his time as a young Marine airplane rigger during a crucial period in the evolution of Marine Corps aviation during the 1930s.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the service and legacy of retired Army Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who passed away Dec. 27, 2012, at age 78.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Up until a few days ago, Air Force Staff Sgt. Derek Allen hadn't seen his brother, Army Cpl. Greg Allen, in more than three years. However, a twist of fate brought them together for the Christmas holidays.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Air Force Senior Airman Keshia Shutts, soon to become a staff sergeant, thought working with Afghan children and volunteering at the hospital were the highlights of her deployment - until she received a phone call from her commander in chief Christmas morning.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department photographers Glenn Fawcett, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley, and Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo spent 2012 recording important events through their images and words.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and detained one other suspected insurgent during an operation in the Now Zad district of Helmand province.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama spent part of Christmas Day with service members and their families at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, according to a White House news release.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - First Lady Michelle Obama personally answered phone calls about Santa's journey as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called four service members deployed to Afghanistan to wish them happy holidays.

WASHINGTON - During the weekly address from the White House, President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, wished service members, veterans and their families a happy holiday season, and called on all Americans to remember those in harm’s way.

WASHINGTON - While deployments can be especially difficult for service members and their families during the holidays, the Joint Hometown News Service helps “bring the troops home” by broadcasting them directly into their loved ones' living rooms.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called for "a strong and immediate response" after a Defense Department report indicated sexual harassment and assault remain persistent problems at the nation’s military academies.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has issued an executive order giving most federal employees Christmas Eve off.

WASHINGTON - The commander of Joint Enabling Capabilities Command sees no downturn in the appetite for the specialized skills and experience his people provide, despite the imperative facing the Defense Department to downsize.

WASHINGTON - The Joint Task Force – National Capital Region has announced military participation for the 57th Presidential Inaugural Parade following President-elect Barack Obama’s second swearing-in ceremony and inaugural address on Jan. 21, 2013.

ARLINGTON, Va. - As the Midwest’s first big winter storm forced road closures and shuttered schools, National Guard soldiers were mobilized to assist in Iowa and Wisconsin.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Sailors with Navy Riverine Squadron 2 braved cold wind and stinging rain as they practiced their counter-drug mission in the marshlands of North Carolina.

WASHINGTON - While many remain hopeful that Congress and the administration will reach a deal that avoids sequestration, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has issued a memo describing the potential implications of going over the fiscal cliff.

BETHESDA, Md. - Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III toured the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Bethesda, Md., to gain perspective on treatment for service members who have traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder.

WASHINGTON - Five-thousand NATO forces continue to preserve the peace in Kosovo, and Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis, the commander of NATO and U.S. European Command, said he hopes to reduce their numbers in 2013 if the situation allows.

MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. - Marine Corps Cpl. Cherisess Paige, 21, is one of the first women assigned to the Marine Corps' last remaining mounted color guard unit at Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow in California.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested 15 insurgents in the Bati Kot district of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province during a search for a Taliban facilitator.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command is preparing to track Santa as he makes his annual worldwide Christmas Eve flight to deliver toys to deserving girls and boys.

WASHINGTON - Asian leaders are beginning to believe that the U.S. military’s rebalancing toward the Asia-Pacific region is real, and they are welcoming the move, a senior defense official said.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department plays a critical role in building security capacity in the central African Democratic Republic of the Congo, officials from the departments of Defense and State told the House Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - The warfighter who carries up to 100 pounds of equipment on his back is expected to get relief from the cumbersome weight, officials at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency say.

WASHINGTON - The world’s longest-running humanitarian mission came to a close as U.S. military members and volunteers delivered more than 39,000 pounds of aid and holiday cheer to Pacific islanders during Operation Christmas Drop.

STUTTGART, Germany - Matt Hendricks, a member of the National Hockey League who plays for the Washington Capitals, said he “met a lot of tremendous men and women” during this year’s USO holiday tour sponsored by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is “deeply disappointed and angry” at lapses at the Fort Myer, Va., child development center, Pentagon spokesman George Little said.

ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan - When Air Force Tech. Sgt. Christopher McDaniel, a vehicle operator deployed from Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., joined the Air Force more than 10 years ago, he said, his career choice was driven by time, not position.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Comedian Iliza Shlesinger, who was among the group of entertainers and other celebrities that accompanied this year's USO holiday tour, called it “humbling” that U.S. service members are willing to risk their lives to protect the nation so she can tell jokes on stage.

STUTTGART, Germany - Shane Hudella, a retired Minnesota Army National Guard first sergeant and Operation Desert Storm veteran, runs the charitable foundation “Defending the Blue Line,” which introduces the sport of ice hockey to the children of military members.

WASHINGTON - Media reports that a Pentagon investigation determined the Defense Department’s top intelligence official leaked restricted information about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden to filmmakers are “unwarranted, unfounded, and unfair,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has ordered a review of hiring practices at Defense Department child development centers.

STUTTGART, Germany - Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted the final stop of this year’s USO holiday tour show in Stuttgart, Germany, on behalf of the chairman, the tour's sponsor.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Africa Command’s ability to adapt to having fewer resources than its commander would like is an example of the thinking the entire military will need in an era of fiscal restraint, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told service members during a town hall meeting in Stuttgart, Germany.

WASHINGTON - The White House opened voting to determine the winner among this year’s four finalists in the President’s Securing Americans Value and Efficiency (SAVE) Award contest.

WASHINGTON - The defense strategy Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta helped put in place last January faces two major risks, he says: stress on the force and a political system “that is depriving the department of the budget certainty we need … to plan for the future.”

COMBAT OUTPOST TAGHAZ, Afghanistan - Lance Cpl. Kody Broderick, a Marine whose hometown is North Pole, Alaska, has heard all the jokes about Santa and elves.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Craig Stammen, a right-handed starting and relief pitcher for Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals, joined the annual USO holiday tour to meet with overseas-posted U.S. troops.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Ross Detwiler, a left-handed starting pitcher with the Washington Nationals, praised service members' sacrifices during the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff's annual USO holiday tour.

WASHINGTON - In a meeting with his Norwegian counterpart at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanked Norway for its support in Afghanistan and its “steadfast commitment” to the NATO alliance.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s top civilian and military officials issued statements paying tribute to U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii, a World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient, who died at age 88 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Country music star Kellie Pickler is among the celebrity entertainers taking part in the annual USO holiday show tour, sponsored by the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which entertained U.S. troops deployed to Afghanistan.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. - As thousands of volunteers fanned out across Arlington National Cemetery placing holiday wreaths at the white headstones as part of the “Wreaths Across America” tribute, Sheila Patton kept vigil at one particular gravesite.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greeted and praised troops at two U.S. bases in Afghanistan during his annual USO holiday show.

USS NEW YORK, Atlantic Ocean - From a police officer in Kingston, Jamaica, to a barber in New York City, Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Steve A. Barnes, a 35-year-old corpsman, has held many jobs.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The Arctic, the northernmost part of the Earth, is one of the last frontiers -- a region so isolated and impenetrable that few humans have ever experienced its unforgiving conditions and austere beauty.

WASHINGTON - On Jan. 1, 2013, service members can expect to see an average increase of about $60 in their 2013 basic allowance for housing, said Cheryl Anne Woehr, the Base Allowance for Housing program manager.

WASHINGTON - Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces-Afghanistan, strongly condemned the explosion in Kabul, which reportedly killed at least one Afghan civilian and injured more than a dozen others.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed North Korea's recent missile launch and the U.S. strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region during an interview with American Forces Press Service.

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised troops for their service and sacrifices and said the first two stops on his annual USO holiday tour served to thank troops on behalf of himself and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, his senior enlisted advisor.

MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - The transit center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, located about 16 miles northwest of Bishkek, the country's capital city, has a rich history of service and plays a crucial role in the fight in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Marc Grossman, a State Department employee who was appointed as the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, described his past interaction with the Taliban during a recent PBS interview with Margaret Warner. Communicating with the Taliban was “very productive and very difficult,” he said, but necessary in saving lives.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Around 6,000 Army and Air National Guard members from 15 states and territories are preparing to take part in and support the 57th Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 21, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with senior enlisted leaders at the Transit Center in Manas, Kyrgyzstan, to emphasize combining basic tenets with innovative thinking to assist service members in transitioning to a slower operational tempo.

MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines received a rare treat as Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his annual USO holiday tour visited the Transit Center in Manas, Kyrgyzstan.

WASHINGTON - The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization has made progress against IEDs, “but it isn’t enough,” Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, JIEDDO's director, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Air Force Staff Sgt. Katherine Lamb has received a full scholarship to Harvard University, which she’ll use to pursue a doctorate in chemistry in the fall after completing a successful six-year enlistment.

MANAMA, Bahrain - The USO's continued support to America's wounded, ill and injured military members tops the list of services troops would like to see from the nonprofit organization, USO President Sloan D. Gibson said in Manama, Bahrain.

MANAMA, Bahrain - The USO’s mission hasn't changed after nearly 72 years of serving U.S. troops and their families and it will continue to adapt to remain relevant, Sloan D. Gibson, the USO's president, said in Manama, Bahrain.

MANAMA, Bahrain - The potential impact of sequestration, if it happens, could significantly degrade the Defense Department's overall readiness for years to come, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, said in Manama, Bahrain.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Members of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. Fifth Fleet, had the opportunity to voice their concerns during a meeting with Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, his senior enlisted advisor, in Manama, Bahrain.

ABOARD THE USS JOHN C. STENNIS - Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greeted deployed sailors and Marines on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis as he kicked off his annual USO holiday tour.

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has signed an order that will deploy 400 U.S. personnel to Turkey to support the deployment that NATO agreed to recently of Patriot missile capability there, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Over two days in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has met with U.S. and Afghan leaders in Kabul and in Kandahar, gathering information he says will help inform the decision President Barack Obama will soon make on troop levels there after 2014.

WASHINGTON - The National Intelligence Council, which supports the Director of National Intelligence by providing long-term strategic analysis, posits four possible worlds in 2030.

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in the Asia-Pacific region credited the close alliance between the United States and the Philippines for paving the way for U.S. forces to quickly provide assistance after Typhoon Pablo struck there last week.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accepted an invitation from President Barack Obama to visit Washington in January, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told reporters in Kabul, Afghanistan.

NORFOLK, Va. - As the cost of militaries increase, NATO allies can benefit from an efficiencies-driven Smart Defense program, Allied Command Transformation officials said in Norfolk, Va.

NORFOLK, Va. - With fiscal challenges affecting the United States and Europe, many NATO member nations are bracing for reductions in military capabilities and forces, a senior official said at a NATO conference in Norfolk, Va.

WASHINGTON - The United States is reducing staff and operations at Lajes Field, Portugal, officials said. The field is on the Portuguese island of Terceira, part of the nine-island Azores archipelago in the mid-Atlantic, 900 miles west of Lisbon and 2,200 miles east of Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Monster.com is collaborating with the Obama Administration's Joining Forces campaign to assist in the hiring or training of an additional 250,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2014.

MANILA, Philippines - The III Marine Expeditionary Force is providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to areas of the Philippines struck by Typhoon Pablo.

WASHINGTON - Insurgents detonated a vehicle bomb near Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan, a place that Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta had visited just hours before. “I have no information at this time that this incident was associated with the visit of the secretary of defense,” Pentagon Press Secretary George Little, who's traveling with Panetta, said in a statement, adding that the attack occurred after Panetta had returned to the Afghan capital of Kabul.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marine Corps Cpl. Joshua T. Shakeshaft, a combat engineer and head instructor for improvised explosive device awareness at Camp Lejeune, N.C., spends much of his off-duty time sharing his love of fishing with wounded veterans.

NORFOLK, Va. - To more coherently realize the alliance’s strategic vision and future interoperability, NATO’s Allied Command Transformation must champion training, capability development and education, the command’s chief of staff said in Norfolk, Va.

NORFOLK, Va. - Partnerships, education and training are indispensable for NATO, the organization’s supreme allied commander for transformation said.

WASHINGTON - Officials from the United States and China met at the Pentagon for the 13th annual Defense Consultative Talks, according to a Defense Department-issued statement.

WASHINGTON - The pace of change in the world has accelerated and Global Trends 2030 -- a publication of the National Intelligence Council -- lists what experts consider game changers that will drive world events over the next 18 years.

WASHINGTON - Military support for presidential inaugurations stretches back 223 years to George Washington’s first inauguration ceremony, when soldiers, militiamen and Revolutionary War veterans escorted him to Federal Hall in New York City.

WASHINGTON - A map the size of half a basketball court covers the floor of the D.C. Armory. On it, hundreds of people are rehearsing what one military official describes as a “ballet” -- the events of the 57th Presidential Inauguration.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Air Force Lt. Gen. Stanley E. “Sid” Clarke III has been nominated by President Barack Obama to be the next director of the Air National Guard.

CAMP SENDAI - Army reservists Spc. Tieka Jones, 311th Sustainment Command and Spc. Jasmine Gomez, 693rd Quartermaster Co., employed their culinary skills during a recent overseas training assignment.

JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING, Washington, D.C. - Carrying a big red bag filled with presents provided by White House staff members, First Lady Michelle Obama arrived at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C., to assist the Marine Corps' annual Toys for Tots program.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader and detained three suspected insurgents during an operation in the Ghazni district of Ghazni province.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is in Afghanistan to thank troops for their exceptional service, especially during the holidays when it’s harder to be far from family and friends.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - North American Aerospace Defense Command officials acknowledged that U.S. missile warning systems detected and tracked the launch of a North Korean missile.

WASHINGTON - The United States and Canada entered into new agreements to expand cooperation in the Arctic and in military training and exercises.

WASHINGTON - The American Century is drawing to a close, and the U.S. Defense Department will have to be more flexible in dealing with a faster-paced multipolar world, according to the National Intelligence Council's Global Trends 2030 report.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials announced five major grants to give millions of dollars to improve transportation access to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., and to several public school districts at military installations.

WASHINGTON - In a meeting with Kuwait’s amir in Kuwait City, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta expressed strong confidence in the longstanding U.S.-Kuwaiti defense relationship and in the ability of the countries to work together to address common challenges.

WASHINGTON - Reserve component members still have time to nominate their civilian employers for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, officials of the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve organization said.

WASHINGTON - All four active-duty services and five of the six reserve components met or exceeded their recruiting goals in the first month of fiscal 2013, Defense Department officials announced.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - The Defense Transportation Tracking System employs high-tech means to monitor all commercial carriers transporting arms, ammunition, explosives or other sensitive material within the United States for the Defense Department.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator and detained two suspected insurgents during an operation in the Nad ‘Ali district of Helmand province.

MUSA QAL’AH DISTRICT CENTER, Afghanistan - Afghanistan-deployed Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Shane Kruse decided as a senior in high school that he wanted to join the Corps.

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - On his first official visit to Kuwait, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said the nation is an important partner with a longstanding U.S. bilateral defense partnership.

WASHINGTON - Overseas and absentee voting assistance programs for last month’s election were the best they have ever been, Federal Voting Assistance Program officials say, but they will keep improving the progam.

WASHINGTON - Two years before U.S. and coalition forces withdraw, Afghans are safer and the country is moving away from the Taliban, said a senior defense official who briefed reporters on the just-released annual report on progress in Afghanistan.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - A system being implemented at U.S. Transportation Command is making permanent-change-of-station moves more convenient, while reducing lost and damaged shipments and saving the government money.

WASHINGTON - Safe havens in Pakistan, corruption and limited Afghan government capabilities are the greatest obstacles to stability in Afghanistan, according to a Pentagon report delivered to Congress.

WASHINGTON - The F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter jet will be a strategic deterrent for the nation because of its "huge leap in capability," a Marine Corps pilot said during a recent Pentagon Channel interview.

WASHINGTON - A combined coalition and Afghan security force arrested a Taliban leader in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province, military officials reported.

SAN DIEGO - Born four minutes apart, Marine Corps Pvts. Shaun and Gabe Vanderwall, Platoon 1035, Company B, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, grew up nearly inseparable.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta paid tribute to the special operations service member killed in the rescue of an American doctor being held by the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, saluted veterans at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., during an observance marking the 71st anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, surprise Japanese air attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in Hawaii.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department is publishing a proposed regulation in the Federal Register that would change its rules to add five diagnosable illnesses which are secondary to service-connected traumatic brain injury.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has briefed President Barack Obama on Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey’s recommendations about general/flag officer ethics, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Haqqani leader during an operation in the Mota Khan district of Paktika province.

KANDAHAR CITY, Afghanistan - Afghanistan-deployed Army Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Currier and Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Anthony McRoberts use teamwork to provide needed personnel services to troops assigned to the Provincial Reconstruction Team based at Camp Nathan Smith in Kandahar City.

WASHINGTON - The assistant secretary of defense for transportation policy and leaders from U.S. Transportation Command and Defense Logistics Agency have lauded combined cost-saving efforts of inter-service, inter-agency and industry partners.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Transportation Command collaborates with industry and other agencies to find innovative, cost-effective solutions to logistics challenges, the unit’s deputy commander said during a presentation at the Defense Logistics 2012 in Arlington, Va.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta repeated the U.S. government’s growing concern that Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar Assad may be preparing to use chemical weapons on their own people.

WASHINGTON - In declaring Dec. 7, 2012, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, President Barack Obama called on Americans to pay tribute to those who died in the attack, remember the loved ones they left behind and show gratitude "to a generation of service members who carried our nation through some of the 20th century's darkest moments."

WASHINGTON - The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments are partnering to build an integrated military and veteran support system, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki said during a joint press conference in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has issued new policy guidelines intended to provide better protection for members of the military and veterans who seek tuition assistance for post-secondary degrees.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Pacific Command has moved ships into place to monitor a possible North Korean rocket launch, Pacom commander Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III told Pentagon reporters.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama intends to nominate Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, currently the vice chief of staff of the Army, to succeed Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis as the next commander of U.S. Central Command, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced.

WASHINGTON - Major changes to the Transition Assistance Program will revolutionize the way the military prepares people to leave the services, with mandatory programs throughout their careers to set them up for a successful transition, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki announced.

WASHINGTON - The United States would like China to be a constructive influence on the world stage, and the U.S. Pacific Command is stressing cooperation and collaboration in the region, Pacom's commander said.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - An accomplished guitarist who also enjoys serving in the military, Marine Corps Cpl. Mark A. Boughton said he gets amped up playing with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

WASHINGTON - American and Iraqi officials signed a memorandum of understanding in Baghdad that will make it easier for the two countries to work together.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader who was responsible for acquiring and distributing weapons and explosives to insurgents during an operation in the Dahanah-ye Ghori district of Baghlan province.

WASHINGTON - As many as 300 National Guardsmen will remain deployed along the U.S.-Mexico border for another year as part of a border security partnership between the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and South Korean defense and diplomatic experts will conduct a tabletop exercise examining nuclear deterrence on the Korean Peninsula, a Pentagon official told reporters.

WASHINGTON - With more than 680,000 mobile devices in use across the Defense Department, they are quickly emerging as a critical component of military communications -- bringing a plethora of new security risks, a defense official said.

WASHINGTON - Northern Mali has become a terrorist haven, and DOD will continue to work with African nations and regional organizations to isolate and degrade the threat emanating from the area, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs told a Senate panel.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has received guidance from the Office of Management and Budget and is now planning for sequestration, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - “The basic problem with Korean War history, as it’s understood in the United States, is that it’s full of Americans, but you don’t find much about the Koreans on either side, and you don’t find out much about the Chinese or the Russians,” historian Allan R. Millett said during a DOD-sponsored History Speaker Series lecture at the Pentagon.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force killed insurgent leader Mohammed Yar Gul and two other insurgents during an operation in the Watahpur district of Kunar province.

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Army Spc. Erin Colburn, an intelligence analyst with the New York Army National Guard’s 27th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, has been selected for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

WASHINGTON - The 32nd Annual Department of Defense Disability Awards Ceremony was hosted by Frederick E. Vollrath, performing the duties of assistant secretary of defense for readiness and force management, in the Pentagon Auditorium.

WASHINGTON - Ten years ago this month, an entry in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2003 created a position in the Defense Department that for the first time harnessed and focused the department’s diverse intelligence assets.

WASHINGTON - Service members of all ranks and experience should know that they are the ones with the institutional knowledge needed to build a bridge between generations and develop the force of the future, said Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - NATO foreign ministers have agreed to Turkey’s request for Patriot anti-missile batteries to defend the country against possible airstrikes from neighboring Syria.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta joined other senior defense officials at National Defense University in Washington, D.C., to honor former U.S. legislators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar, who in 1991 established a program that has become a critical part of the U.S. approach to reducing the worldwide proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

BETHESDA, Md. - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta honored more than 300 health care professionals at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., for their outstanding performance, calling them "miracle workers."

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented six service members from each of the five branches of the armed forces and U.S. Special Operations Command with the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs’ Grateful Nation Award.

KHOWST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Afghaninstan-deployed Army Pfc. Brennon Van Luven has been shot at by insurgents yet remains undeterred as he serves with his military comrades. He also learned a new skill in Afghanistan -- how to drive a vehicle.

FORT HOOD, Texas - Citing the appearance of bias, the highest military appellate court ordered the removal of Army Col. Gregory Gross as trial judge in the court-martial of Maj. Nidal M. Hasan, an Army psychiatrist accused in a November 2009 shooting spree at a deployment center on Fort Hood, Texas.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban leader during a security operation in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama warned Syria’s Bashar Assad regime that the use of chemical and biological weapons would be “unacceptable.”

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta recognized the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program’s founders with the Defense Department’s highest civilian honor, the Distinguished Public Service Award.

WASHINGTON - The assistant secretary of defense for maintenance and policy outlined the issues and challenges facing the maintenance community with consideration to current conflicts and steep costs.

WASHINGTON - A senior Defense Department official underscored the importance of contractors, industry partnerships and allies at a time of fewer federal dollars and amid a transition to a post-war era.

WASHINGTON - Extremist groups collaborating in Africa pose a threat beyond the region that extends to Europe and the United States, U.S. Africa Command’s top military officer said.

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - The partnerships that have enabled U.S. Transportation Command to support wartime operations and other contingencies around the world will remain vital in the post-conflict era, its commander says.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Children of all ages will be able to track Santa Claus on his annual journey, thanks to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

WASHINGTON - The Labor Department, in concert with two other federal agencies, has provided a tool to guide potential employers seeking to hire disabled veterans.

WASHINGTON - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested the senior Taliban leader for eastern Chimtal district in Balkh province.

MCMURDO STATION, Antarctica - As the cool winter air begins to roll into Sioux City, Iowa, Air Force Chaplain (Capt.) William Vit is feeling a much colder breeze.