WASHINGTON - A group of South Korean pastors made a pilgrimage to the Pentagon today to show their support for the U.S. military.

WASHINGTON - How to pay for a child’s college education shouldn’t be a consideration for those who lose a loved one in battle, and one troop-support group is working to ensure it isn’t.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army forces conducted a raid today to search for a missing U.S. soldier in Baghdad, and Iraqi police and coalition forces detained five terrorists in operations Oct. 27 and 28, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers could expect stricter consequences for engaging in unsafe behavior behind the wheel if changes suggested by a Defense Department safety task force are implemented.

WASHINGTON - A planned increase in Iraqi security forces is a result of ongoing assessments of the situation in Iraq and will allow coalition forces to shift to more of a supporting role in that country, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today after meeting with Estonian Defense Minister Jurgen Ligi.

WASHINGTON - President Bush expressed optimism over North Korea’s announcement today that it will return to the Six-Party Talks aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions.

WASHINGTON - Three U.S. soldiers and a Marine are among the latest casualties in Iraq, military officials reported, and the Defense Department has identified three earlier casualties.

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - After 25 years of storied service, the F-117 Nighthawk, the Air Force's first stealth fighter, is about to retire.

WASHINGTON - The Taliban’s habit of using human shields during attacks on coalition forces may have caused the deaths of a number of Afghan civilians during a recent incident in Kandahar province, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe said in the Afghan capital Oct. 28.

WASHINGTON - Before Marine Staff Sgt. Reina Barnett could begin getting nervous about attempting her first marathon, the Pentagon Channel reporter had to complete a work assignment.

WASHINGTON - One hundred military families are sleeping easier this year thanks to USA Cares and the Homeownership Preservation Fund.

WASHINGTON - NATO’s security and reconstruction achievements in Afghanistan are the result of years of planning and incremental implementation, the organization’s supreme allied commander in Europe said in the Afghan capital Oct. 28.

WASHINGTON - The Urban Resolve 2015 experiment, which ended Oct. 26, focused on how military operations can bring about stability in cities without destroying them.

WASHINGTON - The Afghan Command and General Staff College held a ceremony Oct. 28 marking the start of the first class to attend the school, which teaches generals in the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police and soldiers captured members of a bomb-making cell and several weapons caches over the weekend.

FORT POLK, La. - Members of the Afghan National Army have conducted training on American military equipment to prepare for upcoming missions at the Joint Readiness Training Center here.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is anxious to take more responsibility for his country’s security, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - Members of the Afghan National Army and Police arrived at the Joint Readiness Training Center, at Fort Polk, La., Oct. 23.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. Marine and a soldier were killed in Iraq, and DoD officials have identified several previous casualties.

WASHINGTON - A coalition helicopter made an emergency landing yesterday, and the search for a missing U.S. soldier continues, military officials said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush lauded “Team Charleston” during a visit to Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are committed to the security and prosperity of a democratic Iraq and the global fight against terrorism, according to a joint statement the two leaders issued today.

WASHINGTON - The United States will win the war against global terrorism, Vice President Dick Cheney said at a Missouri military air base today, calling the conflict a test of American character.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has agreed to benchmarks with timetables, according to a joint statement with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.

WASHINGTON - Children of servicemembers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11 are invited to jump aboard the Snowball Express -- destination Disneyland, with a couple of fun stops along the way.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today called NATO’s chief “a very strong leader” who has ably led the organization in confronting the 21st-century challenge of global terrorism.

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - The Joint Military Mail Terminal Kuwait is gearing up for, by far, its busiest two months of the year -- the time when servicemembers are sending and receiving packages for the holiday season.

WASHINGTON - The nation’s “drug czar” today recognized U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command for their efforts in counternarcotics operations.

WASHINGTON - Benchmarks being developed with the Iraqis toward making them increasingly responsible for their own national affairs aren’t hard-and-fast timelines, but rather a basic plan for working toward that goal over the next two years, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - Lost amid all the discussion over North Korea’s Oct. 9 nuclear test is an issue that Defense Department officials who specialize in that region have studied for decades and continue to study now: the possibility that, as it has before, North Korea could launch a conventional “bolt from the blue” attack on South Korea.

WASHINGTON - The Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and the city of San Antonio are teaming up to host Celebrate America’s Military Week Nov. 2-12.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police forces captured members of a murder and kidnapping cell and the leadership of an illegal armed group in separate operations yesterday, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military continues to adapt to changing circumstances on the ground as it works with coalition partners and the Iraqis to confront terrorists, help build up the Iraqi government and pave the way for Iraq’s security forces to become self-reliant, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told reporters today.

WASHINGTON - A sailor assigned to 3rd Naval Construction Regiment, two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5, and two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 died yesterday from injuries suffered due to enemy action in Iraq’s Anbar province.

WASHINGTON - The “center of gravity” in the Iraq war is in America with the American people, not on the battlefield, and the media is a powerful tool that influences the people’s will, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Oct. 24 in various radio interviews.

WASHINGTON - The same globalization that’s created vast opportunities for economic growth and information sharing among freedom-loving people has become a favorite tool of terrorists trying to destroy their way of life, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told industry representatives here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Iraqi forces are continuing operations to search for a U.S. servicemember reported missing Oct. 23, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces are increasingly shifting from a lead role to a supporting role in Iraq as Iraqi forces take responsibility for more territory and security operations throughout the country, a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said today.

BAGHDAD - Special Iraqi army forces, aided by coalition advisors, captured a death squad leader and three people believed to have been involved in the kidnapping of a U.S. soldier in separate raids in the Iraqi capital’s Sadr City neighborhood, military officials reported.

ERBIL, Iraq - Law enforcement is one of most urgently needed careers in Iraq, a country rife with insurgent, sectarian and criminal violence. The rush to recruit, train and equip the new Iraqi police forces has gone hand in hand with renovating facilities for offices, headquarters, and training centers, U.S. officials here said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush praised Iraqi Prime Minister Mouri al-Maliki’s leadership today and said he reminds Maliki regularly that “we’re with him so long as he continues to make tough decisions” for Iraq to succeed.

CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - Hoping to reduce casualties suffered in Humvee rollover accidents, Army officials are fielding a new simulator they hope will prevent deaths and injuries in such accidents.

WASHINGTON - The international community remains united in achieving a diplomatic solution to North Korea’s nuclear testing, President Bush said here today.

WASHINGTON - Winning the war on terror in Iraq is critical to American defense, President Bush said today in a White House news conference.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. and coalition are “about 75 percent of the way there in terms of getting an Iraqi force that’s able to provide for their own security,” Vice President Richard B. Cheney said yesterday during an interview with National Public Radio.

WASHINGTON - While donations have been arriving at Operation Gratitude’s headquarters for some time, the group’s Holiday Drive 2006 officially kicks off on Veterans Day weekend, the group’s founder said.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - A new, self-steering airdrop system that’s being field tested in Afghanistan represents a revolutionary step beyond traditional delivery methods, the commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces told a group visiting the command headquarters here during the past weekend.

WASHINGTON - Defining “winning” is important to the war on terror, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a news conference today.

WASHINGTON - The American people will make the right decisions in Iraq if they understand what’s at stake in the war on terror, the top U.S. military general said here today.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff today expressed confidence that the American people will unite to defeat the terrorist threat once they see it for what it is.

WASHINGTON - Four U.S. servicemembers were killed in Iraq over the last two days, and Defense Department officials have identified four other servicemembers who died in previous action.

WASHINGTON - Time is running out to get the stockings of troops stationed in Iraq stuffed through Operation Christmas Stocking. The deadline to get needed items to the program’s warehouse is Nov. 1.

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government has plans to demobilize all illegal militias, including radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s so-called “Mahdi Army,” the senior U.S. diplomat in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - The road has been rough in Iraq's journey toward becoming a responsible member of the world community, but the country will reach its destination, the senior U.S. diplomat to Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - The idea that progress and violence co-exist in Iraq is fast becoming a mantra for officials both in Baghdad and here.

WASHINGTON - NATO will not be defeated militarily in Afghanistan, but the key to long-term stability in that country rests on reconstruction and reform, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe said here today.

WASHINGTON - Military officials in Afghanistan reported several new examples of ongoing progress: resumption of a road project in Paktika province, a new well for a school in Panjshir province, and the training of Afghan soldiers and police in the United States.

WASHINGTON - Iraq continues to make meaningful progress despite a recent spike of violence in Baghdad and some other parts of the country, the senior U.S. troop commander in Iraq said today.

WASHINGTON - Building a nation is tough business, and people tend to lose their frames of reference about the process, a Pentagon spokesman said here today.

BAGHDAD - Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers are searching for a U.S. soldier missing since yesterday evening. Officials have not released the soldier’s name.

WASHINGTON - The senior U.S. troop commander in Iraq today expressed his belief that the country can be stabilized, while noting the “difficult and complex” situation there.

WASHINGTON - Success can be achieved in Iraq, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq said today, as the U.S. and its allies adapt tactics while continuing to work with the new Iraqi government to suppress violence and rebuild the country.

WASHINGTON - Ask any member of the Young Marines and they’ll tell you their organization instructs young people how to be responsible, drug-free, citizens.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces killed six insurgents, wounded four and netted five sniper rifles yesterday in the Euphrates River city of Hit, Iraq, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - A Multinational Division Baghdad soldier was listed as “duty status-whereabouts unknown" today in Baghdad, military officials reported, and military officials have announced recent casualties from the war in Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The United States is not looking to place any timetable on the Iraqi government's process of assuming responsibility for the country's security, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - The United States and Spain have an important bilateral relationship, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today after a meeting with his Spanish counterpart.

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. - Another American hero will benefit from the generosity of a group that builds or adapts houses for servicemembers to accommodate their individual disabilities.

WASHINGTON - The White House’s “drug czar” recognized the Defense Department for its anti-drug efforts at a Pentagon awards ceremony today.

WASHINGTON - Coalition officials are working with the Iraqi government to set economic and political goals, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

KABUL, Afghanistan - The United States has awarded $94 million to seven Afghan firms to build or improve road and water distribution systems in six Afghan provinces.

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - When asked how it feels to return from a yearlong deployment to Iraq, soldiers of the 655th Transportation Company have a unified response: big smiles.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi soldiers and police chalked up a series of victories in recent anti-terrorist operations conducted across the country, according to U.S. military officials.

WASHINGTON - Five Marines and two U.S. soldiers were killed in Iraq as the result of enemy action over the past few days, military officials reported.

CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti - Doing good here in the Horn of Africa is a key to ensuring that terrorism doesn’t gain a foothold in the region, the commander of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa told visiting civilian leaders yesterday.

INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey - A senior defense leader encouraged civilian leaders stopping here after a whirlwind visit to military sites in the Middle East to consider what more they can do to support the troops during the global war on terror.

WASHINGTON - The United States will hold North Korea responsible if it attempts to transfer nuclear bombs or other weapons of mass destruction to America’s enemies, President Bush said on a national television news show.

WASHINGTON - The United States won’t withdraw its troops from Iraq in the face of recent increased insurgent-led violence in some parts of that country, President Bush said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Hoosier families of the Indiana Army and Air National Guard from Fort Wayne to Evansville rallied in the early dark morning here today waiting to hear words of support and gratitude from Vice President Dick Cheney.

WASHINGTON - The plan to bring security to Baghdad has not been a failure, but coalition and Iraqi officials are going to refine it, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said during an interview today.

WASHINGTON - Americans should not be surprised if tactics in Iraq change, since the situation in Iraq has evolved, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today during a Pentagon news conference.

WASHINGTON - National Guard members perform vital stateside and overseas duties as America stays on the offense to defeat global terrorism, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said at Camp Atterbury, Ind., today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush called his meeting today with representatives of 10 troop-support organizations groups at the White House, “an uplifting and heart-warming conversation.”

WASHINGTON - The U.S. commitment to regard any attack on the Republic of Korea as an attack on itself was one of the topics raised at the 38th annual U.S.- Republic of Korea Security Consultative Meeting in the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - Before a White House meeting with President Bush this afternoon, grassroots troop-support groups learned what their work means to servicemembers during a luncheon here hosted by America Supports You, a Defense Department program highlighting America’s support of the nation’s servicemembers.

WASHINGTON - Two of the founding members of a high school mock national security program met here today with the Defense Department’s top homeland defense official, discussing the findings of their program and what they learned.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - U.S. civilian leaders visiting here today got a taste of how U.S. military air power supports troops on the ground — from delivering troops, beans and bullets to the battle to providing life-saving intelligence to taking out targets that threaten U.S. and coalition forces.

MIAMI - On his first full day as a combatant commander, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis today thanked his new “shipmates” for an “absolutely superb” change of command and told them what he expects of them.

KLEVE, Germany - “Decision superiority” attained with the help of unmanned aircraft will play a key role in future air, space and cyberspace missions for the Air Force and NATO, the commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe said here Oct. 18.

WASHINGTON - With the 2.2 percent across-the-board pay raise that is part of the Fiscal 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, the Defense Department will reach its goal to bring military basic pay to the 70th percentile when compared to civilians with comparable education and training, a top DoD compensation official said here today.

KIEV, Ukraine - U.S. Army, Europe’s top noncommissioned officer says he is a man on a mission: promoting the growth of a professional NCO corps in the militaries of coalition nations.

WASHINGTON - A brother-and-sister team that has raised more than $1 million to provide pre-paid calling cards for deployed servicemembers shared the spotlight in Baltimore Oct. 17 with fellow recipients of the 2006 National Caring Awards, sponsored by the Caring Institute.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met with his French counterpart today and discussed NATO, Afghanistan and other areas where American and French soldiers serve side by side.

WASHINGTON - Military commissions are a proper way to try certain people suspected of committing terrorist acts against America, in part because U.S. law prior to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks didn’t even address such a situation, a U.S. State Department legal advisor told reporters here today.

MIAMI - They may not start calling the walls “bulkheads” or the floors “decks” at U.S. Southern Command headquarters just yet, but for the first time, a sailor has taken command of U.S. military operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Joint Forces Command is in the midst of the most important and complex experiment the command has conducted since Millennium Challenge in 2002, officials said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in Iraq, military officials reported.

MIAMI - Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis today took over U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in 30 countries over 15.6 million square miles -- roughly one sixth of the surface of the world.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SWORD, Kuwait - U.S. soldiers here preparing to move into some of the most restive areas of Iraq gave visiting civilian leaders an appreciation today of the quick reflexes and decision-making deployed troops apply every day.

WASHINGTON - Iraq’s governmental leaders are rising to confront “an array of complicated issues” amid a spike in insurgent violence, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and South Korean defense leaders will meet here tomorrow for the 38th U.S.-Korean Security Consultative Meeting, discussing the current security situation in the region, North Korea’s nuclear test, realignment of U.S. forces in Korea, the evolution of the alliance, and expanded security cooperation, a senior defense official said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. servicemembers can use the SINCGARS radio system with confidence, officials with the Army’s Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth, N.J., said today.

MIAMI - Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis became the first naval officer at the helm of U.S. Southern Command this morning. Before assuming command, he said he’s looking forward to the challenges and opportunities in this varied region and to strengthening relationships throughout Latin America.

NORTH ARABIAN GULF - The USS Iwo Jima can unleash tremendous military force by air, land and sea, but the crew takes pride in offering something the ship’s captain says is equally important: the ability to reduce suffering and save lives.

WASHINGTON - The innovative spirit is helping America win the war on terror, but it will remain a long, hard battle against a deadly, thinking foe, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told students at the Air University today.

WASHINGTON - CNN is putting an overhauled Humvee that saw action during the war in Iraq on the auction block and will donate the proceeds to the Fisher House Foundation.

WASHINGTON - Leaders of major veterans organizations joined Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson here today in launching an effort to “kindle a new spark of patriotism” by asking men and women who have served in the military to wear their medals on Veterans Day.

WASHINGTON - Steady progress is being made to provide new roads, electric power and water distribution systems to the Afghan people, the U.S. Army’s top engineer said today.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers and their families need to learn the importance of financial management and smart saving practices, so the Defense Department is focusing its efforts to make sure troops are prepared for the future, a senior DoD official said here yesterday.

MIAMI - Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock -- John to his friends -- has been at the helm of U.S. Southern Command for two years. As he prepared to relinquish command of this South Florida headquarters in a ceremony tomorrow morning, he looked back on positive trends, and a few disappointments, in the political and security situation in Latin America.

WASHINGTON - Servicemembers and U.S. citizens living overseas still have time to register, request a ballot, and vote in November’s mid-term elections, the Defense Department official in charge of the absentee voting program said here today.

WASHINGTON - Nine soldiers and a Marine were killed yesterday in various incidents throughout Iraq, military officials reported, and the Defense Department released the identities of seven soldiers who were killed recently supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday reaffirmed U.S. resolve to use “the full range of our commitments, including our deterrent commitments,” to defend Japan and South Korea.

WASHINGTON - NATO had a tough summer in Afghanistan, but the troops came through and have proven they are tough and in for the long haul, the NATO International Security Assistance Force commander said today.

WORCESTER, Mass. - Paul Brunell of Oxford, Mass., was a Marine lance corporal when he served under then-Marine 2nd Lt. Peter Pace during the Vietnam War.

WASHINGTON - President Bush signed the fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill during a small ceremony in the Oval Office this morning.

WASHINGTON - Dale Kissinger, a retired Air Force colonel, and his family made 18 moves that included 14 states and three countries. All of that moving added up to 19 different schools for his son. Those experiences prompted him to launch MilitaryAvenue.com, a free Web site, yesterday.

MANAMA, Bahrain - The U.S. Coast Guard here is playing a vital role supporting the Iraqi government as it protects Iraq’s offshore oil terminals and maintains waterway security in the region, Coast Guardsmen here told visiting civilian leaders today.

WASHINGTON - The principal of a Defense Department middle school in Germany, selected as the National Association of Secondary School Principals 2007 middle school principal of the year, met here today with DoD leaders, who congratulated her on the achievement.

WASHINGTON - Special Iraqi army forces, working with coalition advisors, captured the alleged leader of a murder and kidnapping cell in an early-morning raid yesterday in eastern Baghdad, military officials reported.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - On a typical day at the medical clinic in Tarmiya, Iraq, patients and clinic workers witnessed a not-so-typical grand opening last week of a new surgical and pregnancy wing hosted by Ministry of Health personnel, local council members and soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

WASHINGTON - Several construction projects in Afghanistan have recently been completed, and many more are close to completion, military officials in the Afghan capital of Kabul reported.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today signed into law an act he said will bring justice to terrorists who attacked America.

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq - Coalition forces defeated a complex insurgent small-arms-fire attack in Ramadi, Iraq, yesterday, killing three insurgents, military officials reported today.

TIKRIT, Iraq - U.S. soldiers are helping Iraqi security forces here to quell a surge in sectarian violence, military officials reported today.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Iraq is the central front in the global war on terror, and America’s only option is to take the fight directly to the enemy and accept no outcome except the victory of freedom, Vice President Dick Cheney said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Montenegro will begin charting its course toward NATO and European Union membership later this month during the first George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies conference in that nation since it declared independence in June.

WASHINGTON - The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff called on civilian academic, business and community leaders yesterday to use their influence to encourage young men and women in their communities to consider military service.

WASHINGTON - The United States can’t lose militarily to the terrorist threat it faces, but victory will require more than just military might, defense and military leaders told participants in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference as they prepared to visit the Middle East to witness military operations under way there.

WASHINGTON - The latest in a series of congressionally mandated reports on the long-term health effects of troop deployments to Southwest Asia from the 1991 Gulf War to present was released today.

WASHINGTON - Two Marines and five soldiers were killed in Iraq yesterday, military officials in Iraq reported, and Defense Department officials have identified four earlier casualties.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will resume mandatory anthrax inoculations for servicemembers and civilians deploying to U.S. Central Command and Korea, DoD officials said today.

WORCESTER, Mass. - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the commonwealth’s senior U.S. senator offered a heartfelt “thank you” to the military community during a tribute concert awash in patriotism and pageantry here last night.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PROSPERITY, Iraq - In the early morning hours, a soldier awakens as a stern voice blaring over his internal communications radio instructs the leader to rally his men and be ready to move into southern Baghdad in less than 30 minutes.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition force destroyed a roadside-bomb-making cell today at a compound in Ghazni province, killing three terrorists and destroying the compound with precision air strikes, military officials here reported.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and coalition forces freed a kidnap victim and detained two terrorists in Muqdadiya, Iraq, and combined operations yielded more than 35 suspected insurgents and seven weapons caches last week in Anbar province, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - Settling for less than victory in Iraq would embolden terrorists and invite more attacks on the American people, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told civilian business, academic and local government leaders today at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces teamed up with American GIs to defeat two nearly simultaneously launched enemy attacks in the Mosul area Oct. 12.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers worked together to kill three terrorists and detain 14 suspected terrorists over two days this week.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers detained 15 suspected insurgents, discovered two vehicles being fitted as suicide bombs, and found a big weapons cache Oct. 12 as part of “Operation Dealer” conducted in the Tameen area in western Ramadi, Iraq.

BAGHDAD - U.S. soldiers continue to find multiple weapons caches, some with improvised explosive devices, for a seventh day as part of Operation Commando Hunter.

WASHINGTON - Special Iraqi security forces and U.S. soldiers captured several terrorists involved in murders and bomb attacks, as well as contraband weapons, during recent raids in Baghdad and Taji.

WASHINGTON - Five soldiers, a Marine and an airman were killed in various operations in Iraq Oct. 12 through yesterday, and the Defense Department released the identities of 10 soldiers and 10 Marines killed recently supporting Operation Iraq Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

WASHINGTON - New U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea in response to its claim of a recent nuclear weapons test “says that we are united in our determination to see to it that the Korean peninsula is nuclear weapons free,” President Bush said at the White House after the sanctions were announced yesterday.

WASHINGTON - President Bush accepted the Air Force Memorial here today in a dedication ceremony attended by military leaders of the past and present, political and business representatives and thousands of ordinary citizens and airmen.

WASHINGTON - The New York governor has called up members of the New York Army and Air National Guard for state active duty in western New York following record-breaking, lake-effect snowfall in the region.

WASHINGTON - The Iraqi government has been operational for about 150 days and is working to confront problems facing the country.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Operation Homefront and the Department of Defense formally agreed to cooperate on their joint mission to support military members and their families during a reception here yesterday evening.

WASHINGTON - The most solemn responsibility of the federal government is to protect the American people, and the U.S. government has taken many steps to better protect its people since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Bush said here today.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military’s health care community is transforming its approach to capturing, archiving and accessing servicemembers’ medical records, a senior Defense Department official said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - The Hillah, Iraq, special weapons and tactics police chief and his deputy were killed today in an explosion at the Hillah Iraqi police headquarters in southern Babil province around 10 a.m.

WASHINGTON - The new Iraqi government has taken several steps in recent days and weeks to move the country toward peace and prosperity, a senior U.S. military officer said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England this morning praised a group that’s working to make life easier for military members and their families.

WASHINGTON - South Korean servicemembers deployed in Iraq the past two years have accomplished “some absolutely remarkable work” in the city of Erbil, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

WASHINGTON - The nation’s youngest military service will kick off its 60th anniversary observance this weekend with the official dedication of the U.S. Air Force Memorial here.

WASHINGTON - A recent spike in Baghdad violence is the insurgents’ response to Iraqi, U.S. and coalition efforts to rein in sectarian murder squads and gangs that operate in some sectors of the city, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

WASHINGTON - Irregular, unconventional conflicts like those under way in Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to dominate U.S. military operations for the foreseeable future,

WASHINGTON - When Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating first heard that a plane had hit a high-rise building in New York yesterday, his first thought was: “Let us get busy as quickly as we know how to make sure it’s not another 9-11,” the admiral said in a news conference later that day.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., commander of Multinational Force Iraq, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld briefed media in the Pentagon yesterday. Following is Casey’s opening statement:

WASHINGTON - Army officials have a plan to maintain the current number of troops in Iraq through 2010, but it is only a plan and has off-ramps for troop reductions along the way, Army officials said today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Iraqi officials today discounted an article in a British medical journal that estimates 650,000 Iraqis have died since the war began three years ago.

WASHINGTON - The real danger of North Korea having nuclear arms is the danger that the regime will sell those weapons to non-state actors, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

WASHINGTON - American soldiers in Iraq accomplish wonders during their tours in Iraq, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq said here today.

WASHINGTON - The coalition military leader in Iraq disagrees with critics who say Iraq is in a civil war.

WASHINGTON - Fighter planes from North American Aerospace Defense Command are airborne over numerous U.S. cities in response to a small plane crashing into an apartment building in New York City today, NORAD officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Women have served in the Air Force for years, making valuable contributions, but gender and race differences have never been an important factor in accomplishing the Air Force mission, the first woman pilot on the Air Force Thunderbirds said here today.

WASHINGTON - “Winning hearts and minds” is more than a cliche; it’s the critical factor that ultimately will determine victory or defeat in the global war on terror, Army leaders said yesterday at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual convention here.

WASHINGTON - The United States is working with regional powers to find a diplomatic solution to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program, President Bush told reporters at a White House news conference today.

WASHINGTON - Defeat in Iraq would embolden the enemy and force Americans to confront the terror threat at home rather than overseas, President Bush said in a broad-ranging White House news conference today.

WASHINGTON - Winning the global war on terror requires a national consensus, with support demonstrated in actions as well as words, the Army’s chief of staff told hundreds of soldiers and defense industry representatives here yesterday.

CROMWELL, Conn. - Yesterday ended with a wave of gratitude for golfers who participated in the Pratt & Whitney America Supports You Tournament at River Highlands TPC golf club here.

CROMWELL, Conn. - Nearly 150 golfers hit the links at River Highlands TPC golf club here yesterday to support wounded servicemembers.

WASHINGTON - Two soldiers and six Marines were killed in various operations in Iraq Oct. 8 and 9, and the Defense Department released the identities of seven soldiers killed recently supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police and coalition forces captured two insurgents Oct. 9 in Samarra, Iraq, and Iraqi police shut down an insurgent financial operation Oct. 9 in Tikrit, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - An 82mm mortar round fired by militia forces from a nearby residential area caused yesterday’s fire at a Baghdad ammunition holding area around 10:40 p.m., officials with Multinational Division Baghdad announced today.

BAGHDAD - An ammunition holding area caught fire today at a Multinational Division Baghdad forward operating base in the central Rasheed district of Baghdad, igniting tank and artillery ordnance as well as small-arms ammunition, military officials here reported.

WASHINGTON - Violence and progress co-exist in Iraq, and those who focus exclusively on the violence miss the larger picture, the coalition commander in Iraq said in an interview today.

WASHINGTON - All U.S. armed forces made their active-duty recruiting goals for fiscal 2006, David S.C. Chu, the Defense Department’s top personnel officer, said here today.

WASHINGTON - North Korea’s record as a proliferator of weapons underscores the need for nations to band together and for the United States to have a robust missile defense program, a Defense Department spokesman said here today.

WASHINGTON - All four services met their active-duty recruiting goals for the past fiscal year, but to keep the momentum going, the military needs to do a better job of communicating the “nobility of service” and of reaching out to adults who influence young people’s decisions.

WASHINGTON - Iraq’s elected leaders are taking measures to address the sectarian strife that has gripped Baghdad and other parts of that country in recent weeks, a senior U.S. military officer said yesterday.

SAN ANTONIO - Fifteen years after conception of the Air Force Memorial, construction is nearing completion this week in preparation for the memorial’s dedication Oct. 14 in Arlington, Va.

WASHINGTON - A CH-47 Chinook helicopter can fly with one engine. It can fly without its advanced flight-control system. But it doesn’t get off the ground without fuel.

WASHINGTON - Thanks to a new program, children of deployed servicemembers will know they are heroes, too.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi soldiers, with coalition assistance, captured suspected terrorists in two separate operations near Baghdad yesterday.

NEW YORK - U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received the cheers of New Yorkers as he and his wife Lynne led the Columbus Day Parade down New York’s most famous avenue.

WASHINGTON - North Korea’s claim that it conducted its first-ever nuclear test today constitutes a threat to international peace and security, President Bush said this morning at the White House.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces captured a suspected terrorist today after searching a compound in Farah, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from Multinational Division Baghdad’s 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, seized a total of 30 weapons caches last week in the southern Baghdad area, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Three Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 7 were killed yesterday in Iraq, and three Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 5 died Oct. 6 in Iraq. All died from enemy action while operating in the country’s Anbar province, U.S. military officials reported.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A trio of U.S. Army CH-47 Chinook helicopters and their crews began delivering rebuilding supplies yesterday to people living in the northwestern part of the country, which was ravaged by a 7.6 earthquake last year.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and U.S. soldiers killed about 30 terrorists and detained a high-value target after an attack in Diwaniyah today, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Three U.S. soldiers were killed over the past two days in Iraq, U.S. military officials reported.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - A senior Defense Department official was feted with the “Role Model of the Year” award at the 18th Annual Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference here Oct. 6.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - The U.S. Fleet Forces Band caught the mood of the people attending the christening of the USS George H.W. Bush today when it played Richard Rodger’s music for the World War II documentary “Victory at Sea.”

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Officials from the Defense Department and military services converged on the 18th Annual Hispanic Engineer National Achievement Awards Conference here yesterday to help spread the word about the multitude of civilian career opportunities they offer in the sciences.

WASHINGTON - Two Army combat veterans who both lost something dear in the war against terrorism say they are determined to keep on battling, and proving it as they prepare to run the Army 10-Miler race tomorrow.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reflected today, the fifth anniversary of the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, on successes already achieved in Afghanistan and those under way, noting that “the trajectory is a hopeful and promising one.”

WASHINGTON - Jeff Klare put his bicycle where his heart is Oct. 1, and set out on a 300-mile trip to raise awareness of the need for more corporations to hire workers with disabilities.

WASHINGTON - Yesterday’s transfer of authority for the final section of Afghanistan to NATO control does not diminish the U.S. commitment to the country one iota.

WASHINGTON - An Iraqi police chief survived an insurgent ambush Oct. 3, urging his troops to continue the mission, and Iraqi and U.S. soldiers captured three high-value terrorists and 25 others in Baghdad Oct. 3, military officials in Iraq reported today.

WASHINGTON - The decision to pull an Iraqi police brigade off the streets for intensive retraining is part of the Iraqi government’s reform plan and will improve the professionalism and confidence within the national police.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A joint team of airmen and soldiers is in Pakistan preparing for Operation Promise Keeping, a follow-up mission to aid the people in remote northern parts of the country devastated by an earthquake last year.

WASHINGTON - Five years ago tomorrow, America was still stinging from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as it began striking back in the global war on terror.

WASHINGTON - North Korea is a known weapon proliferator, and there is a danger that the rogue state may sell nuclear technology to non-state entities, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Jennifer Rochester doesn’t really see herself as a heroine. The lending assistant at First Citizens Bank in Conway, S.C., was just looking for a way to clean out some old books in her home when she came up with a project to support the military.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff got his audience’s attention here yesterday at the Kirtland Partnership Committee luncheon.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Baghdad today to discuss progress being made and challenges ahead and to reaffirm that the United States remains “a committed friend for Iraq.”

WASHINGTON - The National Guard and Reserve play a vital role in supporting the U.S. European Command mission, filling critical roles in the command’s headquarters and in operations around the world, EUCOM’s commander said here today.

WASHINGTON - Powerful drug lords constitute a growing threat to security and stability efforts in Afghanistan, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe said here yesterday.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - U.S. Northern Command’s planning for catastrophic scenarios eventually may be used by other commands and agencies, a senior Defense Department official said here earlier this week.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - At each stop during a visit here yesterday, people asked Marine Gen. Peter Pace what stories are not getting out to the American people about the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - As NATO forces assumed security, stability and reconstruction duties across all of Afghanistan today, they also brought about “a renewed sense of commitment” in securing that country against terrorism, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe said here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Four Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers died at about 9 a.m. yesterday when terrorists attacked their patrol with indirect and small-arms fire northwest of Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers confiscated illegal munitions in Baghdad Oct. 3, and Iraqi police and coalition forces apprehended three suspected insurgents and seized a sizable cache the same day in a combined operation south of Baqubah, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department issued a statement calling today’s transfer of command for international military security operations in eastern Afghanistan to the NATO Security Assistance an important milestone in the progress of improving security and stability in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - NATO took the lead for international military operations throughout Afghanistan today, assuming authority from the coalition for 14 eastern provinces at a ceremony in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - Tour lengths are the biggest obstacle to U.S. troop morale in Iraq, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a visit here yesterday.

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - Although military transformation has no single definition, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here yesterday, he can describe it.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is exploring ways to make its weapon systems and facilities more fuel-efficient and less vulnerable to market fluctuations and controls.

WASHINGTON - More than half of the U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan will become part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force during a transfer-of-authority ceremony tomorrow in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush will deliver the principal address at the christening ceremony of the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, named for his father, former President George H. W. Bush, Oct. 7, in Newport News, Va.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists are destined to lose if the U.S. keeps its nerve and refuses to abandon its overseas commitments, Vice President Richard B. Cheney said today at Fort Hood, Texas.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Travel System continues to evolve as it efficiently serves military and civilian travelers on official department business, a senior military officer said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a plan Oct. 2 that enables Iraqi citizens from all political groups to take responsibility for creating peace and tolerance within their own neighborhoods.

WASHINGTON - A group from Massachusetts worked diligently on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to keep the nation’s servicemembers warm.

WASHINGTON - A Task Force Lightning soldier assigned to 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, was struck by enemy fire yesterday near Kirkuk, Iraq, and later died of wounds.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, prevented a large-scale sectarian attack in Iraq’s Obiedi region, south of Baghdad Sept. 30 after receiving reports that local residents had been driven out of their homes.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force is embracing an energy strategy that uses alternative sources of power and conservation, a top Air Force official said here recently.

MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. - Over the past 20 years, the Air Force has reduced facility energy usage by 30 percent by incorporating energy conservation into operations -- without impacting the mission. – And the Air Force is pushing to cut usage another 20 percent by 2015.

CORONADO, Calif. - Naval Base Coronado’s energy conservation efforts reached a major milestone Sept. 29 when the “solar photovoltaic carport” registered more than 5 million kilowatt-hours produced.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - People who value freedom must stand up and defend it, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Twenty-six sailors who worked for Navy Adm. Timothy Keating in the Pentagon died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the building. Now Keating is responsible for protecting the U.S. homeland -- and he said the memory of those 26 sailors motivates him to be as effective as possible in that role.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - More countries in Latin America are accepting the concept of civilian control of the military and committing themselves to supporting democratic institutions.

WASHINGTON - The Washington Nationals met here today with Defense Department officials to discuss future cooperation as the team prepares to build a new stadium next to the Washington Navy Yard.

WASHINGTON - When Army met Texas A&M on the Aggie’s home turf Sept. 16, 100 servicemembers and their guests were in the stands, thanks to the Bank of America Military Bank in San Antonio.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - It’s “perfectly understandable” that North Korea’s neighbors are concerned over that country’s announcement earlier today that it will test a nuclear weapon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Nations in this region are concerned over recent arms sales by Venezuela, several officials attending a security conference here said yesterday.

WASHINGTON - A North Korean announcement that the rogue nation will conduct nuclear weapons tests is “troubling,” a senior Defense Department official said here today.

WASHINGTON - Eleven U.S. servicemembers were killed and three were wounded in multiple incidents throughout Iraq and Afghanistan in the last three days, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Senior U.S. officials in Iraq are calling a four-point plan released yesterday by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to halt sectarian violence “a significant step in the right direction.”

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army and coalition forces detained two suspected insurgents and captured a sizable cache Sept. 29 in a combined operation in Khan Bani Saad, Iraq, south of Baqubah, military officials reported.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Despite having the smallest armed forces in the region, Nicaragua has scored strong successes against mines in this country. Now the nation’s leaders want to share that expertise with others.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Twenty years ago, Central America was riddled with fighting among its countries. Today, progress and growing prosperity define the region, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here yesterday at a Defense Ministers of the Americas conference.

FORT MYER, Va. - It seemed as if it was a typical Washington picnic: Cabinet secretaries, military generals and admirals and ambassadors were all present at the home of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, here yesterday.

WASHINGTON - Two soldiers and three Marines died in Iraq in incidents yesterday and today, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Specially trained Iraqi security forces captured a terrorist suspected of attacks against Iraqi and coalition forces during an early-morning raid yesterday near Taji, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense officials expect an agreement at the upcoming U.S.-Korean Security Consultative Meeting on the process of turning over operational control of Korean forces in wartime to South Korea.

WASHINGTON - About 200 military and family members received money management tips from a famous financial expert during a Defense Department-sponsored seminar held here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center Sept. 30.

WASHINGTON - Speaking and gesturing like a fired-up preacher selling salvation, Kelvin Boston is known for telling television audiences how they can realize their dreams of financial stability – or even become rich.

WASHINGTON - In just a few short months, the Phoenix-based Packages From Home organization has found a new home and a new sponsor, the group’s director of marketing and media relations said.

WASHINGTON - President Bush continued to shore up coalition support in the war on terror, meeting here today with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the two leaders reaffirmed their cooperation in overcoming extremism that threatens the Middle East.

WASHINGTON - Iraq’s future success depends on the ability of its provinces to assume control of their governance, their security and their prosperity, the spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said today in the southern Iraqi city of Hillah.

WASHINGTON - As he leads the Defense Department through challenging times, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said over the weekend that he and his senior military leaders have the utmost confidence in the men and women in uniform waging the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - Families of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, are not happy about the unit’s 46-day extension in Iraq, but they are accepting it well and the Army has many systems in place to support them while their loved ones are deployed, the unit’s rear detachment commander said today.

WASHINGTON - Iraq’s army took a leap toward greater independent responsibility yesterday when the 1st Iraqi Army Division assumed operational control of another brigade.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived here today for two days of talks with his counterparts from more than 30 Western Hemisphere nations.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday during fighting in Anbar province, Iraq, while another soldier died yesterday from injuries suffered in a vehicle accident near Mosul, U.S. military officials said.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi soldiers today captured a person suspected of complicity in recent murders and kidnappings during a raid in northeastern Baghdad, while another Iraqi operation conducted yesterday near Mahmudiyah netted two suspected terrorists, according to Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.

WASHINGTON - More than 140 Afghan laborers are currently working to complete local dam and building construction projects worth a total of nearly half a million dollars, according to Combined Forces Command Afghanistan news releases.

WASHINGTON - Achieving victory over terrorists in Iraq is crucial to the U.S. campaign to defeat global terrorism and that conflict isn’t making America less secure, President Bush told the nation here yesterday.

BOSTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff turned an honor to him into a tribute to the families of American servicemembers during the Patriot Dinner of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society here yesterday.