WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON, Aug. 31, 2001 - The new relationship the United States would like with Russia will be furthered by eliminating the Anti-ballistic Missile Treaty, said a DoD policy official Aug. 28.

WASHINGTON - (This is a summary of the top American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending Aug. 31, 2001)

WASHINGTON - For years, defense officials have been saying that the department would reap substantial savings by adopting private industries' "best-business practices."

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

WASHINGTON - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Henry H. Shelton reflected on change and present and future challenges facing the military during an Aug. 22 interview with American Forces Information Service.

WASHINGTON - DoD continues to monitor its fortified computer systems for the so-called Code Red "worm" virus and its variants, the Pentagon's chief information officer said Aug. 24.

FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - The U.S. military Taekwondo team captured five medals and finished ninth in a field of 19 at the 13th Conseil International du Sport Militaire World Taekwondo Championship Aug. 8-16 at Woensdrecht Air Base, the Netherlands.

WASHINGTON - President Bush announced today his nomination of Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, 59, to become the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

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

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is asking the military services to better balance the risks of today and tomorrow.

WASHINGTON - (This is a summary of the top American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending Aug. 24, 2001.)

FORT HOOD, Texas - It was a tough battle, but the All-Army men's softball team never let up on its quest for gold during the Armed Forces Softball Tournament here Aug. 15-17.

WASHINGTON - About four years ago, a group of people in Killeen, Texas, got together to seek ways to solve the plight of transitioning military schoolchildren.

WASHINGTON - Will the United States and its coalition partners patrolling the no-fly zones continue to play aerial "cat-and-mouse" with Iraqi anti-aircraft missiles and guns in the months ahead?

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Department of Defense Education Activity is going beyond its charter in an effort to help military kids.

WASHINGTON - The term "military brat" is derogatory to some people, but not to Mary Edwards Wertsch and thousands of her closest "brat" friends and acquaintances around the world.

WASHINGTON - Service members starting Oct. 9 can choose to contribute a percentage of their pay to the military's thrift savings and investment program as part of building a nest egg for retirement.

WASHINGTON - An Army-created program called the Secondary Education Transition Study, or SETS, isn't just about the Army, it's about mobile children.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is mulling a new force strategy that could be likened to a fighter who can totally stomp one enemy while neutralizing a second with a punch in the nose.

WASHINGTON - The United States is ready to spend billions on ballistic missile defense. The question many critics have is whether the threat warrants the investment.

WASHINGTON - The British called them "Bob Hopes" -- meaning you bobbed down and hoped for the best.

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2001 - U.S. Savings Bonds coordinators and canvassers from Office of the Secretary of Defense organizations picked up information and literature at an Aug. 17 kickoff ceremony at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - The services have received guidance from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld that sets budget priorities as they shape the fiscal 2003 DoD Budget Request.

WASHINGTON - Sixteen Air National Guard and Air Force reserve aircraft and 250 Guardsmen have now been called up to help fight wildfires burning in 10 western states, DoD officials said.

WASHINGTON - (This is a summary of the top American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending August 17, 2001.)

WASHINGTON - Within the next five years, 50 percent of DoD's acquisition workforce will be eligible for retirement, department officials said.

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

WASHINGTON - The Defense Acquisition Board has approved the F-22 air superiority fighter to enter low-rate initial production, officials announced Aug. 15.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Air Force F-16 jets attacked an Iraqi missile site Aug. 14, said a DoD official.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov in Moscow Aug. 13 and discussed a range of security, political and economic issues.

WASHINGTON - DoD's senior personnel official says modifying current "up-or-out" retention rules and establishing longer tours of duty might better serve members and their families.

WASHINGTON - Recruit attrition rates are dropping across the services thanks to programs that try to prepare enlistees for the rigors of basic training before they ship out and revamped training policies.

MOSCOW - The first time Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was in Russia was in 1974. He accompanied then-President Gerald R. Ford to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.

WASHINGTON - More than 400 people fired off e-mail and faxes with questions for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at his Aug. 9 town hall meeting in the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov is just part of a Bush administration effort to put U.S.-Russian relations on a whole new plane, said a senior defense official Aug. 10.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and British warplanes struck Iraqi military sites Aug. 10 in response to recent hostile actions by Baghdad against coalition aircraft patrolling the no-fly zones, defense officials said. No coalition aircraft were damaged or lost.

WASHINGTON - (This is a summary of the top American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending August 10, 2001.)

WASHINGTON - The test of the ground-based ballistic missile defense system July 14 was almost a complete success, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization officials said Aug. 9.

WASHINGTON - The audience was told that anything was fair game when they asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld questions during a 45-minute Pentagon town hall meeting on Aug. 9.

WASHINGTON - DoD believes stepped up recruiting efforts will make up for a narrowed blood donor pool caused by restrictions that begin next month because of "mad cow" disease concerns.

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

WASHINGTON - DoD officials involved with the Quadrennial Defense Review process say they have given Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld a range of options for force size.

WASHINGTON - President's Proclamation for National Airborne Day, Aug. 16

WASHINGTON - They are a threat and there's no good defense against them.

WASHINGTON - The size of the U.S. military might not change much, but the way it is configured and the missions it addresses will change, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Aug. 6.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will host a town hall meeting at 11 a.m. Aug. 9 in the Pentagon auditorium.

WASHINGTON - Families of Guard and Reserve members will soon be able to obtain quality-of-life support information over the Internet to resolve issues while sponsors are away.

WASHINGTON - Though DoD is not ready to jettison the two major regional contingency force structure model, the department is looking at an alternative, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Aug. 3.

WASHINGTON - (This is a summary of the top American Forces Press Service news stories for the week ending August 3, 2001.)

WASHINGTON - DoD has made changes to the base closure and realignment legislation and will send it to Congress shortly, DoD officials said Aug. 2. DoD would like the legislation passed in fiscal 2002.

WASHINGTON - DoD efforts to protect military computers against the so-called Code Red 'worm' virus seem successful, so far.

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

WASHINGTON - "Ecstasy" is the fastest growing abused drug in the United States, and the military is taking steps to ensure it doesn't endanger service members.