WASHINGTON - U.S. and Chinese defense leaders agreed Jan. 26 to resume military-to-military relations.

WASHINGTON - Terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction were among the national security concerns President Clinton addressed Jan. 27 in his State of the Union message here. He noted, though, that even with these concerns, the state of our union is the strongest it has ever been.

WASHINGTON - June 30 is the entry deadline for Joint Force Quarterly magazine's essay contest on innovations that can help the U.S. armed forces remain on the cutting edge of warfare in the 21st century.

WASHINGTON - The terms "cheap" and "vacation" don't often go together, but the Armed Forces Vacation Club manages the feat.

WASHINGTON - Max Cleland, 57, used to be a 6-foot-2, 215- pound athletic hunk of a guy whose youthful goal was "to be something great and to do something good with my life." An accidental grenade explosion in Vietnam 31 years ago changed his life forever, but not his mission.

WASHINGTON - The Chinese New Year is a time for mingling, sharing stories, giving wishes of peace and happiness to family and friends and celebrating with plenty of special holiday foods -- a festive time, said Belkis Leong-Hong.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. postage stamp was issued in San Francisco Jan. 6, 2000, honoring the Year of the Dragon in celebration of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which begins Feb. 5.

WASHINGTON - Counting the population of the United States is so important, it is an integral part of the Constitution.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - "The military makes a great hammer in America's foreign policy toolbox, but not every problem that we face is a nail," the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told more than 200 people at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government here, Jan. 19.

WASHINGTON - Afterr more than a year of intense preparation as well as media hype and occasional hysterics for a millennium bug that, in the end, barely took a nibble out of key information systems throughout the world, it might be hard to do little more than yawn as the next Y2K deadline draws near.

WASHINGTON - There's more to the story on depleted uranium than what people saw on the CBS news program "60 Minutes," says Bernard D. Rostker, head of DoD's office on Gulf War Illnesses.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Preliminary data indicates two infrared sensors aboard the exoatmospheric kill vehicle, an experimental DoD missile, caused the failure of a National Missile Defense test Jan. 18.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Clothing allowances help enlisted service members to replace worn-out uniform items and to purchase new items. But, thanks to a 50-year-old law, officers are left cold.

WASHINGTON - Army Undersecretary Bernard D. Rostker is Defense Secretary William S. Cohen's candidate for undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - DoD released two "final reports" Jan. 13 on investigations into the possible detection of chemical or biological warfare agents during the Gulf War.

WASHINGTON - Service members will barely notice congressionally mandated federal budget cuts, Pentagon officials said Jan. 11.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The agency that administers DoD schools on military bases overseas is about to make it easier for spouses of military service members to get teaching jobs.

WASHINGTON - Complaints about TRICARE have not fallen on deaf ears. Defense leaders say they have heard about service members' frustrations, and plans are under way to fix the system.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists have been a fact of life for hundreds of years.

WASHINGTON - Until Timothy McVeigh detonated a 5,000-pound truck bomb in Oklahoma City in 1995, most Americans probably believed terrorist attacks only happened on foreign soil.

WASHINGTON - DoD announced plans Jan. 13 to form 17 more Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams, bringing the total nationwide to 27.

WASHINGTON - Veterans will be entitled to improved long- term care and other benefits thanks to a new law signed by President Clinton in November.

WASHINGTON - DoD has unveiled an online calculator designed to help service members decide which military retirement plan is best for them.

WASHINGTON - Volksmarching clubs at West Point, N.Y., and Colorado Springs, Colo., sponsored year-round walks voted among the nation's best last year by members of the American Volksporting Association.

WASHINGTON - President Clinton has thanked departing Deputy Defense Secretary John J. Hamre for his service to America, calling him a "respected, decisive and forward- leaning leader," and praising him for his work in implementing the 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review and the Defense Reform Initiative.

SPRINGFIELD, Va. - Entry details and deadlines were announced Jan. 4 for the Armed Services YMCA Millennium 2000 art and essay contests for the youth of military communities worldwide.

WASHINGTON - If Y2K was the first major battle of the information age -- and by all accounts it was -- then it may have given the world a glimpse into how war could be waged in the future.

WASHINGTON - African Americans in the Army Reserve have made and continue to make more history than can be confined to Black History Month in February.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary William S. Cohen has recommended the president nominate Rudy de Leon to replace Deputy Defense Secretary John J. Hamre, who will step down from his Pentagon post March 31.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Before 700 Marines here Jan. 6, Defense Secretary William Cohen unveiled plans to put more money in service members' pockets and improve the quality of military housing.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - About 200 Marines returning from a six-month Pacific deployment got more than they expected at their welcome home celebration here Jan. 6. Defense Secretary William Cohen and his wife, Janet Langhart Cohen, crashed their party.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials plan to explore ways today's information technology can improve quality of life for military personnel and their families.

WASHINGTON - America's troops deserve better -- better pay and retirement, better housing and health care. It's that simple. To keep quality people, the military must meet their basic needs.

WASHINGTON - Characterizing the Y2K rollover period as "a remarkably successful weekend," Deputy Secretary of Defense John Hamre announced Jan. 4 that DoD was standing down its Y2K operations center.

WASHINGTON - There comes a time in many "Star Trek" episodes when the captain tells armed crewmen, "Set your phasers on stun." Don't you wish you could do that?

WASHINGTON - Thanks to a recent change, authorized customers can now bring guests in while they shop at most commissaries.

FORT CARSON, Colo. - Army officials signed a 50-year, multi-billion-dollar contract in November to privatize on- post family housing, here.

WASHINGTON - Okay troops, here's how it is. You march. You drill. You train. You also polish boots, scrub

WASHINGTON - The DoD military housing privatization effort made a great step forward with the award of a contract to privatize all housing on Fort Carson, Colo. in November.

WASHINGTON - The Millennium Bug made few appearances on DoD installations around the world.

WASHINGTON - As the clock struck midnight Dec. 31, the USS Topeka, a Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, straddled the equator and the international dateline 400 feet below the Pacific Ocean's surface.