WASHINGTON - Iraqi National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie cautiously predicted today that a large number of U.S. and multinational forces will be able to leave some of Iraq's provinces, regions and large cities by the year's end during an appearance on CNN's "Late Edition" talk show with Wolf Blitzer.

WASHINGTON - What started out as a simple family project for an Arizona teenager has blossomed - make that snowballed - into a huge operation that's about to send the 50,000th Beanie Baby doll to troops in Iraq to distribute to local children.

WASHINGTON - Five Task Force Baghdad soldiers were killed July 30 during two separate bomb attacks while they were conducting during patrols in Baghdad neighborhoods, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced.

WASHINGTON - Earlier this year, President Bush asked Congress to pass critical legislation to give U.S. troops the resources they need to fight and win the war on terror. That was one of the key victories accomplished during the congressional session that broke for summer recess this week, the president said during his weekly radio address this morning.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi Army soldiers showed continued progress in demonstrating their capabilities, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. servicemembers and an Afghan interpreter were wounded early today when their patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device north of Deh Rahwod in Oruzgan province, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials reported.

WASHINGTON - When Charles "Charlie" J. Chibitty, the last World War II Comanche code talker, was buried July 26, a friend wrote in the eulogy, "Charlie's life has no foreshadowing or ending. As long as wind blows, his life and legacy will continue to twist and turn along courses only wild horses know."

WASHINGTON - The U.S. secretary of state wants people to stop making excuses for terrorists. In an interview aired July 28 on PBS's "Jim Lehrer NewsHour," Condoleezza Rice fairly bristled at the suggestion that the United States was creating terrorists with its policies.

BALAD, Iraq - Bernd and Virginia Zoller are two full-time Army Reserve officers with a lot in common, pulling military duty in an uncommon place.

WASHINGTON - Despite the overcast skies, the stars shone brightly on the red carpet at the Washington premiere of Miramax's film "The Great Raid" July 28.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi Police Service graduated 238 police officers from advanced and specialty courses at the Adnan Training Facility July 28, as part of the Iraqi government's ongoing effort to train its security forces.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi police located a large cache of munitions eight kilometers southeast of Tikrit near Owja July 28, military officials in Iraq reported today.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Providing security for distinguished U.S. visitors in Baghdad is necessary, Army Cpl. Fred Senethavilay pointed out, because the Iraqi capital city "is not a safe place."

WASHINGTON - Disrupting financial support for the insurgency is a key element in the overall strategy to defeat terrorists in Iraq, and the U.S. government is pursuing several initiatives to track and limit the flow of funds, Defense Department officials told two congressional subcommittees here July 28.

WASHINGTON - Two crewmembers were injured today when a U.S. military AH-64 Apache helicopter crashed today during a training mission on a range near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Combined Forces Command Afghanistan officials reported.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Six enemy combatants were killed, one was wounded and 10 suspected enemy combatants were captured today after they attacked Afghan and U.S. forces near the city of Shinkay in Afghanistan's Zabul province, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. troops captured al Qaeda terror cell leader Ammar Abu Bara, alias Amar Hussein Hasan, during a July 27 cordon-and-search operation in Mosul, Iraq's third largest city, U.S military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - About 6,100 soldiers will be affected by the United States returning 11 bases to Germany in fiscal 2006, Defense Department officials said today.

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan - Twenty-three servicemembers serving in Afghanistan became U.S. citizens July 28 at a naturalization ceremony at the Enduring Freedom Chapel here.

SAN ANTONIO - A viable Guard and Reserve force - a critical weapon in the struggle against violent extremism - depends on having viable employer support, according to Gary Walston, newly appointed program specialist for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in Texas.

WASHINGTON - For the fourth straight year, the Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the Defense Department as a leader in pest management strategies.

WASHINGTON - Recognizing the link between combat and mental health symptoms, the Defense Department is working to improve the way it prevents, identifies and treats mental illness among troops who are serving or have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Army officials told Congress July 27.

WASHINGTON - Two Task Force Baghdad soldiers were killed July 27 when their patrol struck an improvised explosive device in northern Baghdad, military officials in Baghdad announced today.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and U.S. forces killed three insurgents and captured 15 others in combat west of Tarin Kowt in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province today, U.S. military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - A coalition CH-47 Chinook helicopter made a "hard landing" due to "brown-out conditions" as the crew was attempting to insert forces southwest of the city of Spin Buldak on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan late on July 27, military officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - The aroma of fresh-baked cookies filling the entryway of the small apartment brings a reminiscent feeling of home for many visitors. It does not, however, give an idea of the magnitude of the efforts of the one-woman cookie factory within these walls.

WASHINGTON - The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq will be based strictly on security conditions in the country and the readiness of Iraqi forces to conduct independent operations, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman in Baghdad said today.

WASHINGTON - Saying he has the "ability to work hand in hand" with the U.S. military in the country, the new U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan took his oath of office from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice here today.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Fifteen military children took a giant leap for 'kidkind' this summer, attending Space Camp courtesy of the Military Child Education Coalition.

WASHINGTON - The Army announced its plans today for repositioning its forces to accommodate a new modular structure, which includes transferring more than 50,000 soldiers to the United States by the decade's end.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - U.S. Air Force aeromedical evacuation teams coordinated airlift of blood platelets for two patients in Iraq and Afghanistan recently.

WASHINGTON - Deterring, preventing and defeating attacks against the homeland is an around-the-clock job, the commander of U.S. Northern Command told the Pentagon Channel here July 26.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi army and coalition soldiers failed to find a known terrorist responsible for mortar attacks against Iraqi police stations during a July 26 combined cordon-and-search mission, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials said today.

WASHINGTON - With the blazing temperature dominating the headlines throughout the United States, troops in Baghdad, where temperatures typically hit 120 to 130 degrees, say they're getting a new perspective on what "hot" really means.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is again sending letters to thousands of Gulf War veterans exposed to low levels of chemical agents contained in munitions destroyed at a weapons depot in Khamisiyah, Iraq, in March 1991.

WASHINGTON - Separate attacks in Iraq over the last few days have left five U.S. soldiers dead and five others wounded, military officials in Baghdad reported.

BALAD, Iraq - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld saluted soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen serving in Iraq and around the world during a town meeting here today.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A "fairly substantial" withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq could take place next spring or summer if the insurgency doesn't grow and the country's political process continues as scheduled, the commander of coalition forces said here today.

EN ROUTE TO BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq needs "to be aggressively communicating" with its neighbors to stop the infiltration of foreign terrorists across its borders, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Change is good. But in the case of the all-Navy basketball team, change couldn't be any better.

WASHINGTON - Taliban members who face off against coalition forces or the Afghan National Army are facing heavy losses, so they've resorted to recruiting young teens to join the fight, the Joint Staff's operations director told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - A new report on training of police forces in Iraq shows steady progress but identifies areas that need improvement, including the process used to vet members into the force, Larry Di Rita, the Defense Department's top spokesman, told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Navy and acting Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England honored the president and chief operating officer of McDonald's during a July 25 Pentagon ceremony for providing "super-sized" support for America's men and women in uniform.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan police and U.S. military leaders were scheduled to meet with local leaders today to address the concerns of several hundred Afghans who gathered outside the gate of the U.S. base at Bagram Airfield to protest a July 25 military operation by Afghan and U.S. forces.

WASHINGTON - Coalition military and Iraqi security forces continue to crack down on anti-government forces in Iraq, hoping to suppress attacks against U.S. and coalition forces and Iraqi citizens, according to military officials Baghdad.

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today lauded the Republic of Tajikistan for its efforts in assisting the U.S.-led coalition in the fight against terrorism.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - The United States is welcome to continue using Manas Air Force Base, Kyrgyzstan's defense minister said here today during a news conference.

WASHINGTON - Military leaders will resist any temptation to assume the force needed for the future will be a cookie-cutter version of today's needs, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers told reporters at the National Press Club here today.

WASHINGTON - The war against violent extremism is a battle of wills, and if the American people give up, they'll end up living in a world ruled by violence and fear, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters at the National Press Club here today.

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - One hundred forty-three U.S. servicemembers from 42 different countries held up their right hands and became U.S. citizens today in the Al-Faw Palace rotunda here.

WASHINGTON - President Bush condemned the deadly July 23 attacks on Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh resort area today, pointing to them as another example of the need for the international community to unify in the global war on terror.

WASHINGTON - Two soldiers - one U.S., the other Afghan - were killed today during what the military said was heavy fighting in a small village west of Deh Rawod in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province.

WASHINGTON - Suicide attacks in Iraq today killed a U.S. soldier and several Iraqis, including two Iraqi commandos and 10 civilians, military officials in Baghdad reported.

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyzstan's recent election has received kudos from a European poll-watching organization, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said July 24 en route to this former Soviet republic.

WASHINGTON - A group based here at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here has stepped forward to help families of wounded servicemembers with expenses to stay in the area while their loved ones recover in this high-cost area.

WASHINGTON - A Task Force Liberty soldier was killed and two others were wounded during an indirect fire attack on a coalition forces base near Balad, Iraq, today, military officials in Baghdad reported. A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in action near Fallujah, Iraq, July 23 when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi police say at least 40 Iraqi civilians were killed and more than two dozen others were wounded today when a car bomb exploded at a market area near the front gate of the Al-Rashid police station here, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - U.S. soldiers captured nine terrorists July 22 after they were seen placing an improvised explosive device, military officials in Baghdad reported today.

WASHINGTON - The Army has made significant inroads in improving the behavioral health of soldiers deployed to Iraq, according to a report released this week.

WASHINGTON - The Army Guard's 330,000 citizen-soldiers can help reduce the organization's current 19,000-person recruiting shortfall, Lt. Gen. Clyde A. Vaughn said today.

WASHINGTON - The United States offers the most extensive services and benefits for veterans of any other nation in the world, and will maintain that standard even with the recent surge in clientele due to the war on terror, according to the Veterans Affairs secretary.

WASHINGTON - The effort to reconstruct Iraq is "immense and unprecedented in many ways," a top engineer involved with the project said today.

WASHINGTON - Mike Jackson and Tara Dixon-Engel, co-authors of "Naked in Da Nang," a humorous account of Jackson's experience during the Vietnam conflict came to the Pentagon July 21 for a book signing and to promote "Operation Welcome Home."

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Fighting the war on terror demands extraordinary capabilities and focus, and today's military leaders are setting the example for the young men and women in uniform following in their footsteps.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Defense Department's top civilian leaders challenged the new chief of naval operations to continue the sweeping transformation under way to prepare the Navy for the challenges ahead.

WASHINGTON - A strong partnership with coalition forces is improving the capability of Iraqi security forces and encouraging political development in Iraq's Anbar province, the area's top commander said today.

WASHINGTON - A Marine assigned to Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was killed in action July 21 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Zaidon, Iraq, military officials in Baghdad reported today.

WASHINGTON - Airlift operations continue at a steady clip as the members of the 86th Aerospace Expeditionary Group work to rotate the first of two brigades of Rwandan troops into the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan, the group commander told the American Forces Press Service today.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists in Iraq have been unable to derail the political process, a new Defense Department report on Iraqi stability and security states. Still, the report contends, insurgents "remain capable, adaptable, and intent on carrying out attacks."

WASHINGTON - The European Union lifting its arms embargo against China would bring "serious and numerous" consequences, according to a Defense Department report released this week.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Richard B. Cheney joined Secretary of Veterans Affairs R. James Nicholson here today to kick off a yearlong celebration of the VA Department' 75th anniversary.

WASHINGTON - A Pentagon report detailing the readiness of Iraqi security forces should not be interpreted to mean that Iraqis aren't meeting expectations, a military official in Baghdad said today.

WASHINGTON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Australian Prime Minister John Howard condemned today's terrorist incidents in London during a joint news conference and insisted that the extremists won't succeed in derailing their countries' support for the global war on terror.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation met here July 20 to hear presentations about the current state of military compensation programs and recommendations to improve those programs.

WASHINGTON - A sailor assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), died today of wounds suffered in a July 15 improvised explosive device attack in Hit, Iraq, military officials in Baghdad reported.

WASHINGTON - The General Services Administration certified its commitment to GSA employees serving in the nation's reserve component forces July 20, as the federal agency's chief signed a "5-Star" statement of support here.

Washington - The solution to boosting recruiting within the military "is not about money and benefits," the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Pentagon reporters today. It's "about message."

WASHINGTON - China appears to be taking a page from U.S. doctrine and working to improve its information warfare capabilities, according to a comprehensive DoD report on Chinese military power released July 19.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today condemned the July 19 assassination of two Sunni Arab members of the commission drafting Iraq's new constitution as a "terrible act of violence" that demonstrates the insurgents' brutality and their low regard for the Iraqi people.

WASHINGTON - World Wrestling Entertainment will offer its July 24 Pay-Per-View special, "SmackDown! The Great American Bash," free for broadcast on American Forces Network as a way of thanking servicemembers and their families for their service to America.

WASHINGTON - Military members from the area and patients from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., got a sneak peek at the summer blockbuster "Stealth" July 19 at a downtown theater here.

DUBLIN, Ireland - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff visited with his counterpart here today and learned about the capabilities of the Irish military and its worldwide operations.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department's head of Reserve affairs told the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel that the reserve component will need help from Congress, as well as "Mom and Dad," to meet its recruiting shortfalls in testimony here July 19.

WASHINGTON - The 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission voted to add several military installations to a list for closure consideration during July 19 hearings at the Dirksen Senate Building here.

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany - Speakers and participants alike focused on challenges at the opening of the NATO and European Union "Strategies Against Terrorism" conference here July 19.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department's annual report on Chinese military power, released late July 19, is "deliberately non-alarmist," a senior official said. However, some findings are "worrisome," the official added.

WASHINGTON - Response to a survey about the new National Security Personnel System has been "enthusiastic," so defense officials have extended the survey period through July 27 so civil service employees get more opportunity to participate.

WASHINGTON - A terrorist bomber killed himself and five others today during an attack outside an airfield in Iraq, military officials in Baghdad reported.

WASHINGTON - Although the Army is experiencing recruiting challenges, overall retention and recruiting in the armed forces remain solid, a top defense official said today.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today met with Australia Prime Minister John Howard, a man he called an "old friend" and whose country has become an important U.S. ally in the war on terror.

WASHINGTON - A Defense Department report expected to go to Congress soon will address stability and security in Iraq, but won't deliver force-level projections, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Pentagon reporters today.

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - The United States will help the Slovakian military as it transitions to an all-volunteer force, Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers said here today.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld thanked Polish Minister of Defense Jerzy Szmajdzinski today for his country's support and leadership in the global war on terror.

WASHINGTON - A senior officer involved with military commissions this morning gave an overview of the military commissions hearings likely to resume soon in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

WASHINGTON - American dreams of a free and sovereign nation were at rock bottom at Valley Forge, Pa., in February 1778 when Baron Von Steuben, a battle-tested former Prussian Army officer who had served on the General Staff of Frederick the Great, arrived in camp to bring organization and professionalism to the Continental Army.

WASHINGTON - While some people may worry that overseas deployments are detracting from the National Guard's missions at home, the chief of the National Guard Bureau vowed he won't leave state governors short of assets to carry out their state missions.

WASHINGTON - Joint raids by Iraqi and coalition forces have rounded up dozens of suspected terrorists and uncovered thousands of weapons and ammunition, according to military reports.

BERLIN - One of Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers' last stops in a 40-year military career is right where it began - Germany.

WASHINGTON - Australia remains committed to "military operations that are pert of the democratization process in both Afghanistan and Iraq," the country's prime minister said in the Pentagon today.

WASHINGTON - Military commissions proceedings "will resume as soon as possible" against two enemy-combatant detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - "The Iraqi people cannot achieve their liberty and democracy by themselves alone. They need the support of the United States," the inspector general of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said during an interview here.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department leaders appeared today before the Base Realignment and Closure Commission to explain why certain military facilities were not included among Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's May 13 recommendations.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. and India are completing the next steps in their strategic partnership, strengthening cooperation in the areas of defense, civil nuclear, civil space and high technology commerce, President Bush said after meeting with the Indian prime minister today.

WASHINGTON - Families of deployed National Guard and Reserve members face challenges beyond those of active-duty families, and a strong family support network stands behind them to help through those difficult days, the National Guard Bureau chief said.

WASHINGTON - Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein will soon go to trial, a senior Iraqi judge said during a July 17 news conference in Baghdad, Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and U.S. forces established a joint/combined operations center to develop intelligence and track operations during a series of missions July 15, military officials in Baghdad, Iraq, said.

WASHINGTON - One Task Force Liberty soldier was killed by an improvised explosive device at about 10 a.m. July 17 near Balad, Iraq, military officials in Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - Two American soldiers in Iraq were killed by improvised explosive devices July 16. Another two soldiers were wounded.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Thanks to the initiative of a hometown hero, Kissimmee, Fla., is close to formalizing a "Sister City" agreement with Zafaraniya, Iraq.

BAGHDAD - In what military officials are calling "a new level of barbarity," terrorists tortured and killed two innocent Iraqi civilians and laid their bodies in the road as bait for curious Iraqi civilians and investigating Iraqi security forces before detonating a car bomb at 8 a.m. this morning.

WASHINGTON - A federal appeals court decision July 15 has cleared the way to allow enemy-combatant detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be tried by military commissions.

WASHINGTON - Task Force Liberty and Iraqi army soldiers stopped a potential terrorist attack when they confiscated a mortar system in a vehicle during a joint operation near Balad, Iraq, on July 15 at about 5:00 p.m.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military officials in Baghdad, Iraq, announced today they have charged 11 soldiers with assaulting suspected terrorists. The soldiers were charged July 13, Multinational Force Iraq officials said in a statement.

STUTTGART-VAIHINGEN, Germany - U.S. European Command began the deployment of airmen and equipment to Kigali, Rwanda, July 14 to provide logistical and airlift support of Rwandan forces as part of the African Union's expanded mission in the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan.

WASHINGTON - Twenty more detainees were released from coalition detention facilities today as part of the Afghan government's "Takhim-e-Solh" or "Strengthening Peace" program.

WASHINGTON - When Marine Gen. Peter Pace visited Afghanistan July 11 to 13, the gratitude of the people was proof to him that progress is being made in the country.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi forces are shouldering more of the security burden in north-central Iraq, the coalition forces commander there said today.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Southern Afghanistan hasn't seen rain in months, yet U.S. soldiers based at Forward Operating Base Langman, Provincial Reconstruction Team Lashkar Gah and Kandahar Airfield have all been "ThundHerStruck."

WASHINGTON - The National Guard Bureau chief vowed to work closely with Air Force leadership to ensure that proposed base closures and realignments don't adversely affect the Air National Guard or its members.

PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro - Since Vietnam helicopters have proven how invaluable they are in day-to-day operations in a combat zone because of their flexibility. Today's helicopter crews must be "jacks of all trades" ready to fly whatever mission they're assigned to. One airman assigned to the German contingent in support of Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo continues to master these skills.

WASHINGTON - Three suicide-car-bomb attacks today in Baghdad, Iraq, claimed the lives of 15 Iraqi civilians and five Iraqi soldiers. Six Iraqi soldiers and 17 civilians were wounded.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - They can be seen parachuting into various areas around Baghdad -- specially trained individuals recruited during Operation Iraqi Freedom 3, whose primary mission is to bring smiles to the faces of Iraqi children.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi forces are taking control of their own country, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today at the Foreign Press Center here.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - As military officials continue to investigate a thwarted suicide-bomb attack today, new details are emerging about how the events unfolded.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The process of servicemembers moving their household goods - virtually unchanged for many years - is about transform.

WASHINGTON - The capture of two key al Qaeda operatives in Iraq this week is expected to yield valuable intelligence but won't stop the insurgency, the Defense Department's top spokesman told Pentagon reporters today.

WASHINGTON - Following an internal review into operations, policies and structures, the nation's homeland security chief has laid out an agenda to more effectively achieve that department's mission.

WASHINGTON - A sworn supporter of Osama bin Laden being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has provided valuable intelligence into al Qaeda operations and the planning before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, a top U.S. general told members of Congress July 13.

WASHINGTON - Civilian employers are standing solidly behind their National Guard employees as they make a vital contribution to the global war on terror, according to the chief of the National Guard Bureau.

KIRKUSH, Iraq - A new crop of Iraqi soldiers and leaders completed their training at Kirkush Military Training Base here on July 13.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces continue to show their progress toward independence with their prevention of two terrorist attacks this week and their ongoing involvement in successful operations throughout the country, a military official in Baghdad said today.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi and Task Force Baghdad forces wounded and captured a suicide bomber today before he could blow himself up near a coalition checkpoint in central Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - Multinational forces in Iraq have captured two high-ranking al Qaeda operatives with ties to wanted terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, military officials announced today.

KABUL, Afghanistan - The Office of Military Cooperation Afghanistan was focused on the task of rebuilding the Afghan National Army for its three years of existence. In a ceremony at Camp Eggers on July 12, that focus was expanded as that office changed its name to the Office of Security Cooperation Afghanistan and officially assumed responsibility for the U.S. role in reforming the Afghan National Police force.

WASHINGTON - A close look at allegations of detainee abuse in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has found a small number of instances in which DoD policies were violated during interrogations.

WASHINGTON - The chief of the National Guard Bureau praised the Defense Department's new Strategy for Homeland Defense and Civil Support today.

CAMP TIGERLAND, Iraq - When Army Sgt. Kip Allen Cochran, a gunner, went online to research a commercially available sling, he had no idea how his curiosity would ultimately benefit his fellow soldiers.

WASHINGTON - Iraq is poised at a crossroads, the new U.S. ambassador to Iraq told journalists at the Foreign Press Center here today.

WASHINGTON - A new language test scheduled to roll out beginning in October will better measure language professionals' fluency in real-world situations, the Defense Department's senior language official said today.

CAMP JUSTICE, Iraq - The Australian army presented awards to Iraqi soldiers who rescued Douglas Wood, the Australian contractor held captive by terrorists for six weeks, in a ceremony at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense in Baghdad July 11.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi soldiers stopped three terrorist attacks against a water plant, a military recruiting drive, and a hospital July 11, all around Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - Political progress in Iraq and Afghanistan will end the insurgencies in those countries, but American and coalition troops will be needed to provide the security and stability for that progress to take place, said the nation's highest-ranking military official July 12.

WASHINGTON - Seventeen enemy combatants were killed and six captured during joint operations today near Deh Chopan in the northern Zabul province, military officials in Afghanistan reported.

WASHINGTON - A Task Force Baghdad soldier and several Iraq children were killed today during a car-bomb attack in east Baghdad, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - As Discovery gets set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., today, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command are on duty, prepared to support the "Return to Flight" mission

WASHINGTON - Terrorists will not terrorize Italy, Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said during a press conference with Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today.

BALTIMORE - A 4,200-mile bike ride would be challenging for anyone. For someone missing a limb, it would seem impossible. But Army veterans Heath Calhoun and Ryan Kelly are proving just how possible it is.

WASHINGTON - Singapore and the United States strengthened their bilateral relationship when President Bush and Prime Minister Leong Hsien Lee signed a Strategic Framework Agreement today.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will be well represented when Discovery launches into space July 13, with three of the seven crewmembers from the military, including the commander, retired Air Force Col. Eileen Collins.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Students at Lamashaheed School here attend classes in conditions that make learning difficult and can even endanger their health. But still, the teachers continue to instruct, and the children eagerly attend class.

WASHINGTON - A Task Force Baghdad soldier died of injuries sustained July 11 when his patrol west of Baghdad hit a land mine, officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials have announced that 15 organizations have won the 2005 Secretary of Defense Freedom Award for supporting employees who serve in the Reserves and National Guard.

WASHINGTON - Recruiting and retention rates were up in June for all the services in both the active and reserve components, Defense Department officials announced today.

WASHINGTON - The Quadrennial Defense Review, due to Congress in February, is a long-term look to ensure DoD has the tools needed to do the missions of the future, a senior DoD policy official said.

WASHINGTON - The nation's greatest mission is to prevent terrorists from launching more deadly attacks like those of Sept. 11, 2001, and the July 7 bombings in London, President Bush said at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., today.

WASHINGTON - Because of the high number of National Guardsmen and Reservists fighting the global war on terrorism, the Military Child Education Coalition has created a program to teach educators and others how to help "suddenly military" students of deployed citizen-soldiers.

WASHINGTON - Representatives of the five armed services were the focus of the Evening Parade July 8 at the Marine Barracks here. Marine Gen. Pace, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted the parade. The guests of honor - a soldier, Marine, sailor, airman and Coast Guardsman - represented all of those fighting against terror.

WASHINGTON - One of the "most vigorous and intense" investigations in British history is under way to get to the bottom of who planned and carried out the July 7 terrorist attacks in London and to bring them to justice, Prime Minister Tony Blair told the British House of Commons today.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials joined Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush in welcoming North Korea's announcement that it plans to rejoin talks focused on eliminating nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula.

WASHINGTON - Two Marines assigned to Regimental Combat Team 2, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), were killed in action July 10 by indirect fire while conducting combat operations in Hit, Iraq.

WASHINGTON - An Army airborne infantry battalion is preparing to deploy to Afghanistan to provide more flexibility in the fight against terrorism and to support the National Assembly and Provincial Council elections, U.S. officials in Afghanistan said.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have found the body of the final member of a Navy SEAL counterterrorism team who had been missing since June 28, military officials in Afghanistan said today.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Senior members of the Afghan National Army's Logistics Command will travel to the United States this week to visit Army Materiel Command headquarters at Fort Belvoir, Va., and other military logistics depots and supply centers.

WASHINGTON - Top U.S. homeland security officials said today that while security is never an absolute, the U.S. is doing all it can to ensure the safety of those using passenger rail and transit.

WASHINGTON - Plans are under way for the second annual Tribute to the Troops Motorcycle Ride, to be held Sept. 9 to 11 in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa to honor the families of fallen servicemembers and raise funds for wounded troops and their families.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces released Cyrus Kar, an Iranian-born U.S. citizen today, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced.

WASHINGTON - Five Task Force Baghdad soldiers were wounded when their patrol of six Humvees struck an improvised explosive device in the Baghdad's Rashid district today, officials reported.

YUSUFIYAH, Iraq - The 48th Brigade Combat Team civil affairs soldiers visited Yusufiyah Pumping Station No. 1 on July 4 to follow up on the progress of military engineering efforts to give the people of that region their own independence.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today again condemned terrorists' July 7 "barbaric attacks" in London.

WASHINGTON - Task Force Baghdad soldiers secured a site about 15 kilometers north of Baghdad after a terrorist detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device July 8.

WASHINGTON - Elizabeth Verity, a.k.a. Double Dutch Girl, is jumping rope around America to raise money for charities that aid servicemembers and veterans.

WASHINGTON - While more than 77,000 National Guard members are deployed in support of the global war on terror, their comrades at home are demonstrating that they're still fully capable of carrying out their state missions.

WASHINGTON - With his family in tow, Phil Randazzo came here over the Fourth of July weekend to pay respect to wounded servicemembers and to hand out a few tokens of his appreciation.

ATLANTA - The Military Child Education Coalition is sending 15 children from military families to the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., this year.

WASHINGTON - Hurricane Dennis is bearing down on the United States, and the military -- like others in the path of this Category 4 storm -- is taking precautions.

ATLANTA - When Army Gen. B.B. Bell flew here from Germany to speak at the recent Military Child Education Coalition 7th annual conference, he brought a teenager with him to help get his point across.

WASHINGTON - Veterans with service-related disabilities looking for business opportunities need look no farther than the U.S. government -- and more specifically, the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - Seventy enemy combatants have been through the Pentagon's annual review process at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Of these, 29 have been designated for release or transfer to their home country, a senior official said today.

WASHINGTON - It's a daunting and scary experience when school-age children wake up one morning realizing that they're in a strange new place, and, except for their family, they don't know anyone at all.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces in and around Baghdad are making progress in their training and will be ready to assume responsibility for security measures for the October elections, the area's top U.S. commander said today.

ATLANTA - The U.S. Virgin Islands don't have any active duty military installations, but Army and Air National Guardsmen and their families can boast of living in America's Caribbean paradise with breathtaking beaches, secluded coves, pristine coral reefs and untouched rainforests.

WASHINGTON - Military medics saw few signs of detainee abuse in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and when they did see such signs they generally reported them, according to a recently completed Army Medical Department review.

WASHINGTON - A 29th Brigade Combat Team soldier was killed and three were wounded today when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle near Balad, Multinational Force Iraq reported.

WASHINGTON - Two recent sad cases highlight the need for servicemembers to designate who should receive their remains if they are killed in action.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials are eliminating the "geographic rate protection" clause that ensures servicemembers moving to a new area receive the same housing allowance as those already living there.

WASHINGTON - America is not losing the war on terror, nor is the U.S. military stuck in a quagmire in Iraq as media reports have suggested, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said this week, speaking on two Midwestern radio talk shows.

WASHINGTON - Soldiers serving in the sands of Iraq but dreaming of fairways on a golf course back home may soon get their wish, thanks to a new program called "The Long Drive Home."

WASHINGTON - A little more than a year ago, the 2nd Battalion of the Iraqi Intervention Force made its way through the streets of Baghdad, Iraq, hunting insurgents. It was the fledgling army's first operational military patrol, backed up by a team of coalition military advisers.

WASHINGTON - If terrorists thought they could intimidate the people of a great nation during today's attacks in London, "they picked the wrong people and the wrong nation," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a statement released today.

WASHINGTON - A recent attack on a medical assistance team in Afghanistan highlights the enemy's desperation, officials in the country said.

WASHINGTON - Compensation for the survivors of servicemembers who die in combat zones and insurance coverage for servicemembers will both increase significantly this year, a military pay official said today.

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - All leaders should be involved in retention if they believe in the volunteer Army, an Army career counselor stationed in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry Division said.

ATLANTA - Less than 12 hours after Army 2nd Lt. Stephen Lucas arrived back from Iraq, he and three fellow Georgia-based soldiers were sitting down to dinner with Deidre Downs, better known as Miss America 2005.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Homeland Security Department today raised the terrorism alert level for mass-transit systems to code "orange" in response to President Bush's call for increased vigilance against terrorism in the wake of today's bombings in London.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of an Iraqi man allegedly shot by U.S. Marines June 23, a senior military official announced in Baghdad, Iraq, today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Iraqi soldiers conducted a cordon-and-search mission in the early-morning hours of July 6 to search for terrorist cells in western Baghdad.

WASHINGTON - President Bush condemned today's coordinated terrorist attacks in London and instructed U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials to encourage local and state officials to be "extra vigilant" to prevent similar attacks in the United States.

TALLIL, Iraq - With its mortality rate for children under 5 a staggering 14.2 percent and 12.8 percent for children under 12 months old, Iraq needs much more than a temporary solution to its crippling dilemma. Now, 150 new primary health care facilities of three different types are being built, with 60 of them planned for southern Iraq.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Task Force Baghdad soldiers said they have been overwhelmed and overjoyed by donations Americans have been sending to a program designed to provide school supplies, clothes and toys to Iraqi children.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - So you think you've got what it takes to be the next Carrie Underwood or Bo Bice? Perhaps you fancy yourself more along the lines of Fantasia or Ruben Studdard. "Military Idol" will give military members a chance to sing their songs like their American Idol predecessors on 34 Army installations around the world this summer.

WASHINGTON - Civil service employees who will soon come under the new National Security Personnel System have another opportunity to help shape the program.

WASHINGTON - David Kelso's trip to Iraq started out as an experiment to figure out how to broadcast radio live from the Middle East. But it turned into much more after the Oklahoma City disk jockey was introduced to a group of Marines from his area.

NEW YORK - It was an exciting afternoon at the Times Plaza Recruiting Station here in downtown Brooklyn, as three newly recruited soldiers stopped by the station one last time before shipping off for training.

WASHINGTON - The Quadrennial Defense Review looks to make sure DoD is "arranged in the way that makes the most sense for the current situation," a senior Pentagon spokesman said here July 5.

WASHINGTON - President Bush today thanked Denmark for providing hundreds of its troops to augment U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the global war on terrorism.

WASHINGTON - Military officials in Baghdad, Iraq, today said U.S. and Iraqi forces will remain in the Iraqi city of Hit indefinitely to provide a security presence by manning outposts and conducting joint patrols and stabilization operations.

WASHINGTON - Pfc. Jamie A. Goldstein so touched Kristin Johnson with his poem about the eagerness of soldiers in training to fight for their country that she dedicated a Web site to sharing his poems and the stories of other poet warriors.

WASHINGTON - Insurgents in Iraq attack any sign of progress because "progress is their enemy," said DoD officials today.

WASHINGTON - The state of Arizona broke the mold in May by becoming the first state to join "America Supports You," the Defense Department's program that highlights Americans' efforts to support the troops. Now Arizona is again making news, this time by broadcasting the Pentagon Channel, a military news and information TV channel, over the public airwaves.

WASHINGTON - The former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center located just outside Denver in Aurora, Colo., was once a military medicine showplace where then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower recovered from his heart attack in 1955.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have located the bodies of two U.S. servicemembers who had been missing in Afghanistan's Kunar region since June 28, military officials in Kabul announced today.

WASHINGTON - Concern for deployed guardsmen and reservists from North Carolina and compassion for their loved ones left behind prompted a retired general to spearhead the creation of a program to help the combatants' families, particularly those in remote areas.

WASHINGTON - The Washington Nationals, currently in first place in the National League's East Division, became the first major league baseball team to join the Defense Department's "America Supports You" program July 4 at their game against the New York Mets at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium here.

WASHINGTON - One man was killed and three others detained after they were caught trying to plant improvised explosive devices in northern Iraq July 4, military officials in Baghdad reported today.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces have located a second U.S. servicemember whose whereabouts had been unknown since June 28, military officials here reported today.

WASHINGTON - Terrorists may continue to kill innocent people, but they can't stop the advance of freedom, President Bush told an Independence Day audience in Morgantown, W.Va., today.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military forces spent the Fourth of July holiday weekend hunting down insurgents and stopping deadly bombs attacks throughout Iraq, military officials Baghdad reported.

WASHINGTON - The coalition's military command in Afghanistan today released a statement expressing regret over civilian casualties resulting from a July 1 air strike on a terrorist compound in the country's Kunar province.

GARDEZ, Afghanistan - Eighteen of Gulbiddin Hekmatyar's Hezb-e Islami militia commanders turned themselves over to Paktia province's Gov. Hakim Taniwal last month.

WASHINGTON - Actor Gary Sinise has been a busy man over the past few years, and not just with acting gigs. Sinise has set a blistering pace in another venture: supporting American servicemembers.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Daily accomplishments, both large and small - in governance, security and reconstruction - marked progress toward Iraqi self-reliance as the country marked a year of sovereignty June 28. Multinational Force Iraq officials here have compiled a list of notable accomplishments during June.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - To passersby, a $150,000 custom-built motorcycle might not have much to do with the Air Force, but recruiters beg to differ. The motorcycle may not have a military function, but it has a social one - it is a bridge, an icebreaker, something that drew NASCAR Pepsi 400 racegoers to the Air Force display here at grounds of Daytona International Speedway on July 2.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Despite heavy rain that delayed the race for more than two hours, 180,000 NASCAR fans, as well as drivers and crews, paid tribute to the nation's men and women in uniform at the Pepsi 400 here July 2.

WASHINGTON - An Iraqi doctor who helped plan and carry out terrorist attacks and cared for al Qaeda members wounded in fighting has been captured, military officials in Baghdad announced today.

WASHINGTON - The Fourth of July should be a time for all Americans to reflect on our freedoms and remember the men and women who have preserved those freedoms, President Bush said in his weekly radio address today.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and U.S. troops patrolling northeast of Kandahar killed two enemies, wounded another and captured two after being attacked with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades today, military officials said.

WASHINGTON - At least 12 Iraqis were killed by a suicide bomber shortly after 9 a.m. today in central Baghdad, military officials in Iraq said.

WASHINGTON - Task Force Baghdad soldiers in Iraq seized three weapons caches on an island along the Tigris River near the city's Al Rashid district July 1, according to military officials.

WASHINGTON - President Bush visited about 40 recovering war-wounded service members and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today to thank them for their service and sacrifices and to wish them a happy Fourth of July weekend.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - The PGA Tour and its network of Tournament Players Clubs have teamed up to help raise awareness for "America Supports You," a nationwide Defense Department program that recognizes citizens' support for military men and women and communicates that support to members of the armed forces at home and abroad.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi security forces in the northwest region of Iraq, around the city of Mosul, are making steady progress and starting operations on their own, the area's top commander said today.

ATLANTA - The general nominated to be the next Air Force chief of staff praised the work of the Military Child Education Coalition here June 29 during the group's annual conference.

WASHINGTON - Multinational forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), detained 12 suspected terrorists and seized weapons in Mosul, Iraq, June 30.

NEW YORK - Citigroup, an industry leader in the financial world, made an official declaration of support for the National Guard and Reserve and their role in the nation's defense during a ceremony here June 30.

NEW YORK - The National Guard and Reserve are performing a critical contribution to national defense, so it's critical that their civilian employers stand behind them as they serve, the executive director of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve said here June 30.

KABUL, Afghanistan - NATO's top military officer met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace here June 30.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Keeping the relative peace here in the Afghan capital is a full-time job for the servicemembers of NATO's International Security Assistance Force. The soldiers of France's 35th Mechanized Infantry Regiment do their part willingly.