WASHINGTON - The United States is committed to the Asia-Pacific region and will remain engaged in helping solve the region's problems, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen told Pacific allies during his recent nine-day trip to the region.

WASHINGTON - “We cannot mortgage future readiness,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Henry Shelton told the Senate Armed Services Committee Sept. 27.

WASHINGTON - Hispanic Americans -- traditional supporters of defense and valued contributors to the nation’s cultural heritage -- are poised for an expanded role on the national stage in the 21st century.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen will be interviewed on the Defense Reform Initiative as part of an interactive broadcast Oct. 4.

WASHINGTON - "We cannot mortgage future readiness," Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Henry Shelton told the Senate Armed Services Committee Sept. 27.

FORT BLISS, Texas - More than 40 percent of Army personnel didn't take the time to vote during the 1996 presidential election. During this year's election, at least one soldier will be in line waiting for the doors to open.

WASHINGTON - TRICARE officials want people to know they have an Internet home page that can be a great first stop for beneficiaries to get information on the program.

WASHINGTON - TRICARE officials are working to improve their program's image by giving a high-profile pat on the back to those who go "above and beyond" to make TRICARE a success.

SYDNEY, Australia - Army Sgt. 1st Class James Todd Graves had a slew of good-luck charms working for him Sept. 23 as he became the first U.S. men's skeet shooter since 1984 to win an Olympic medal.

WASHINGTON - A government-sponsored supplemental food and health education program available to stateside military families will soon become available to families overseas as well.

TOKYO - North Korea must reciprocate by lessening tensions if it wishes the continuation of South Korean economic aid, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said here.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Army spouse Nancy Johnson of Fort Benning, Ga., was the first U.S. athlete to strike gold in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.

WASHINGTON - Anyone who thinks it's OK to slap, punch, bite, kick, head butt, choke or throw their spouse up against a wall needs to think again.

WASHINGTON - Maj. Gen. Craig B. Whelden no longer heads the Army's Community and Family Support Center, but he's as busy as ever working to support military families.

SEOUL, South Korea - The Korea-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting held here is starting to address changes in the region resulting from the engagement between South and North Korea.

KUNSAN AIR BASE, South Korea - The Wolfpack was howling here as Defense Secretary William S. Cohen addressed members of the 8th Fighter Wing and Army troops from local Patriot batteries.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - DoD leaders weren't reluctant to investigate former Deputy Secretary John Deutch, but rather saw no need to duplicate the CIA's efforts.

SEOUL - The historic meeting in June between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Chong-il carries much promise for the people of both Koreas.

CAMP WY WUH, Alaska - A joint task force of Army and National Guard engineers, Navy Seabees and Marines is taking on a literally mountainous task here on remote Annette Island.

WASHINGTON - The United States immediately launched several sea and air craft to assist in the search for an allegedly hijacked Cuban plane that crashed early Sept. 19 into the Caribbean south of the Florida Keys.

SYDNEY, Australia - Now that he's a resident of the Olympic Village, Staff Sgt. Olanda Anderson says the pressure has been lifted from his Olympic boxing mission.

BANGKOK - In what is becoming a theme of his trip to Asia, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen spoke with Thai officials Sept. 19 about the need for multilateral peacekeeping exercises.

WASHINGTON - The late Roy P. Benavidez, who received the Medal of Honor in 1981 for valor in Vietnam, is the latest soldier whose name will be borne on a Navy ship.

MILWAUKEE - Enlisted representatives from the five armed services received the American Legion's new Spirit of Service award at the group's 82nd National Convention here Sept. 5-7.

USS GERMANTOWN IN SINGAPORE - A group of sailors waited on the flight deck of this ship for Defense Secretary William S. Cohen to speak. They griped about missing liberty in this beautiful city.

SINGAPORE - U.S. military presence is crucial to stability in the Southeast Asian region, said U.S. Ambassador to Singapore Steven Green.

MANILA - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen said the main theme of his trip to Asia is to solidify relationships, and he spent the weekend doing exactly that.

SYDNEY, Australia - A United States Army spouse was the first athlete to strike gold Down Under in the 2000 Summer Olympic Games.

JAKARTA, Indonesia - During a long day of meetings, Defense Secretary William S. Cohen told Indonesian leaders Sept. 18 that they must disband and disarm the "killer militias" on the island of Timor.

WASHINGTON - As America becomes more diverse, the military services are working hard to keep pace and offer opportunities for everyone.

WASHINGTON - There's no telling what you'll find yourself doing once you join the armed forces.

GULFPORT, Miss. - As a young man, Frank Dillard, 75, was sweltering in the Alabama sun laying roadbed and railroad tracks while most of his friends escaped to the armed forces.

WASHINGTON - Even when you're sure you can't afford to, you can save money, according to financial planner and best-selling author Ric Edelman.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen will take "a strong message to the leaders of Indonesia" as part of his nine-day trip to Asia.

WASHINGTON - Time is running out to register to vote absentee in the Nov. 7 presidential election.

WASHINGTON - People wanting to know if U.S. forces are ready "should ask Saddam Hussein," said Defense Secretary William S. Cohen Sept. 7.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - It used to be service members who shipped privately owned vehicles to Europe never knew where their wheels were until the freighter arrived at Bremerhaven, Germany. And that could take several weeks.

WASHINGTON - Former American prisoners of war may be eligible to receive the Purple Heart medal due to a little-publicized four-year-old change in the award rules.

WASHINGTON - Even when you're sure you can't afford to, you can save money, according to financial planner and best-selling author Ric Edelman.

WASHINGTON - "How's it going?" Bernard Rostker recently asked a soldier during a room inspection at Fort Carson, Colo.

WASHINGTON - He was an aviation pioneer, an organizer of Allied victory during World War II and a Hispanic American.

MIAMI - Marine Gen. Peter Pace took command of the U.S. Southern Command here Sept. 8, pledging to cooperate with partner nations to ensure that democracy, prosperity and freedom continue to grow strong roots in the hemisphere.

GULFPORT, Miss. - David Spiro is amazing! He will be 102 on Nov. 8. His memory and hearing are slowly ebbing, but he can still muster the lung power to blow his favorite bugle, which he does once in a while just to show he still can.

WASHINGTON - "AFIS On Assignment" is a weekly publication of the American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department civilian personnel specialists and managers starting next year will be able to perform employee actions, gather information and assemble reports with the click of a computer mouse.

WASHINGTON - What drug comes in tablets, makes "painful" realities go away and is popular among hedonistic young people today -- including some service members?

WASHINGTON - Drugs, alcohol, sex, gangs, puberty, peer pressure, school violence -- it's not easy being a teen.

WASHINGTON - Life is simpler for military exchange customers: Now there’s just one charge card instead of two.

WASHINGTON - The borderless world of cyberspace promises DoD unprecedented capabilities -- and vulnerability, according to one of the department's senior command, control, communications and intelligence expert.

WASHINGTON - Transforming America’s armed forces is a complex proposition that involves far more than purchasing new weapons systems, said the new commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO's Allied Forces Command, Atlantic.

WASHINGTON - Sometime next year Defense Department civilian personnel specialists and managers will be able to perform employee actions, gather information and assemble reports with the click of a mouse.

WASHINGTON - Military readiness is on an upswing due to increased funding in the fiscal 1999 and 2000 defense budgets, senior defense officials say, but more resources are needed to address commanders' concerns.

WASHINGTON - President Bill Clinton said that while the United States may eventually need a national missile defense system, he will leave it up to his successor to decide whether or not to proceed with plans to develop that system.