WASHINGTON - First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, plan to launch a campaign to rally citizens and other organizations to provide support for service members and their families.

WASHINGTON - Communities, nonprofit organizations and companies are reaching out to support unemployed veterans in their search for work, including Microsoft Corp.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military “is in the planning and preparing mode” regarding Libya, and will be able to provide options for national leaders, said Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition troops detained three insurgents, including a Taliban weapons trafficker, and found several weapon stockpiles throughout the region.

WASHINGTON - Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving American World War I veteran, has died at age 110.

CALLAO, Mo. - Jamie Matheney's recent enlistment in the Missouri Army National Guard has shown her kindergarten class that anyone can do whatever they want to do.

AL-SUBIYA, Kuwait - Kuwaiti soldiers said they have much to celebrate as they commemorate the 20th anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation during Operation Desert Storm

AL-SUBIYA, Kuwait - About 300 U.S. military members of every service participated in an anniversary celebration marking Kuwait’s liberation during Operation Desert Storm.

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined in festivities celebrating the 20th anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation during Operation Desert Storm and the 50th anniversary of its independence.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited a new Marine Corps headquarters element in Bahrain designed to evacuate noncombatants or provide humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

WEST POINT, N.Y. - During what he called his last appearance at West Point as defense secretary, Robert M. Gates told cadets they must continue changing Army culture to ensure the service can handle the challenges facing America.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Lately, Army Capt. Brad Sinkler has been remembering the support his soldiers received during the Gulf War and how they were part of something larger than themselves.

WASHINGTON - This week marks 20 years since the United States, as part of a 34-nation coalition, drove Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi army out of Kuwait, returning that nation to sovereignty and reshaping the U.S. military to the force it is today.

KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is in Kuwait to meet with officials there and to participate in ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of Operation Desert Storm that liberated the nation from Iraqi occupation.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen visited to Bahrain to solicit leaders' views about recent public protests there while also thanking them for how they have handled the changes in their nation.

WASHINGTON - The Boeing Co. has won the contract to produce the Air Force’s KC-46A aerial refueling aircraft, replacing the Eisenhower-era KC-135s and the Reagan-era KC-10s, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III announced.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, will appoint an investigator to determine the facts of issues raised in a recent Rolling Stone magazine article.

WASHINGTON - The Afghan army is growing fast and simultaneously struggling with the need to educate and train its noncommissioned officer corps, officials said.

CAMP LEMONNIER, Djibouti - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stopped in Djibouti to visit with Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa troops, whose full-time focus is on maintaining regional stability and preventing conflict.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Defense officials will provide President Barack Obama with a range of options on how the nation should handle the civil unrest in Libya, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Condemning Somali pirates who killed four Americans aboard a private sailing vessel, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, vowed that the United States and the international community will continue to confront piracy.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition troops captured several insurgents, including a Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin terrorist leader in Khost province’s Sabari district.

HIJUDAI TRAINING AREA, Japan - Marine Corps Cpl. Daniel Rivera, an artillery mechanic, is the man to call to find solutions when howitzers fail to fire on the range at Hijudai Training Area, Japan.

MUSCAT, Oman - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Marine Corps. Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of U.S. Central Command, met with their counterparts in Oman to discuss defense matters of mutual concern.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials are promoting Military Saves Week, part of America Saves Week, to launch a year-round financial readiness campaign, starting with saving money.

WASHINGTON - Supporting the war effort and managing the budget are top jobs in the office of acquisition, technology and logistics, and both have intensified with the Pentagon’s mandate to do "more without more," said Ashton B. Carter, the Defense Department’s acquisition executive.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is at work around the clock to protect American forces and citizens from nuclear, chemical and biological threats, said Kenneth A. Myers III, the agency’s director.

MUSCAT, Oman - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and other leaders to discuss regional security issues and explore new ways to better coordinate military operations.

WASHINGTON - A Defense Department pilot program to add foreign language proficiency to its officer corps is growing dramatically, said the director of the Defense Language Office.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is hosting the first of what officials expect to become regular forums to demonstrate the U.S.-Afghanistan partnership is putting Afghanistan on a path of stability and security.

WASHINGTON - Security forces captured several insurgents, including a Taliban facilitator, while also finding weapons during operations throughout Afghanistan.

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Army Sgt. Tyrone J. Harvey, who is a preliminary match to donate bone marrow, said he's glad to have the opportunity to provide hope for a recipient.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition troops captured several insurgents, including a terrorist network leader.

WASHINGTON - Four pirates are dead and 15 in custody after they killed four Americans in the bloodiest piracy incident in recent history, said the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Riedel's teammates in Afghanistan call him a jack of all trades, in part for keeping them connected to the Internet.

WASHINGTON - Somali pirates killed all four American hostages aboard a sailing vessel in the Indian Ocean, U.S. Central Command officials announced.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Meeting with leaders in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen called upon regional governments to ensure issues involving recent civil unrest are resolved “peacefully, without loss of life.”

BASTOGNE, Belgium - African nurse Augusta Chiwy risked her own life to attend to wounded American GIs in beleagured Bastogne, Begium, during World War II's Battle of the Bulge.

WASHINGTON - The Army Reserve’s 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command has been categorizing and preparing U.S. equipment and supplies for redeployment or transfer as part of the U.S. drawdown in Iraq, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Corson, the unit's commander.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Africa Command has made steady, understated progress with allies, regional organizations and international partners on the continent to promote a stable and secure environment, said Army Gen. William E. “Kip” Ward, Africom's commander.

DOHA, Qatar - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, continues his trip through the Middle East in Qatar after ending what he called frank, reassuring talks with leaders in Saudi Arabia about widespread regional unrest.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Saudi Arabia for the first leg of a sweep through the Middle East to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to regional stability.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - A military commission panel today sentenced detainee Noor Uthman Muhammed to 14 years of confinement at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center, but he will serve only 34 months, provided he fully cooperates with the U.S. government.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Senate panel that the Pentagon has improved health care and family support services for military members and their families.

WASHINGTON - Service members whose military service was involuntarily extended or whose retirements were suspended between Sept. 11- 30, 2009 may file for retroactive payments under the new “Stop Loss” policy.

WASHINGTON - Senior officials hosting a Pentagon award ceremony lauded the top National Guard and Reserve family support programs, citing family support as a vital component of mission readiness.

CAMP DENALI, Alaska - An all-female team will represent the Alaska National Guard in the pro-division of the “Iron Dog” race, the world’s longest and toughest snowmobile race taking place Feb 20.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. military air weapons team killed more than 35 enemy fighters in the Ghaziabad district of Afghanistan’s Khost province.

WASHINGTON - Efforts in Afghanistan’s Helmand River Valley have been substantial, and Marines are making progress in Sangin, a stubborn Taliban stronghold in Helmand province, said Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps.

WASHINGTON - U.S. logisticians have moved into overdrive sharing their expertise with Iraqi security forces in an effort they say will be critical after U.S. forces leave Iraq.

WASHINGTON - Navy leaders recognize actor and comedian Bill Cosby, who also is a former sailor and "constant friend to the Navy," as an honorary chief petty officer.

BAGHDAD - Air Force Tech. Sgt. Fatema Tahan administers English comprehension exams to help Iraqi service members and civilians attend training at U.S.-based schools.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s request for a $553 billion and an additional $117.8 billion to fund overseas operations for fiscal 2012 preserves U.S. fighting strength, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said before a Senate committee.

WASHINGTON - The Asia-Pacific region is the engine of global economic growth now, and the U.S. Pacific Command is a strong force for stability in the area, said Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of U.S. Pacific Command.

WASHINGTON - The United States is at risk of losing its gains in Iraq if Congress doesn’t fully fund the State Department’s mission there, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a Senate committee.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a Senate panel that the Defense Department has requested enough money to build a strong Afghan security force, but the funding isn't sustainable in the longterm.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials are expanding support programs to meet military families’ needs and empower them for the challenges that lie ahead.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Noor Uthman Muhammed, who pleaded guilty to supporting and conspiring with terrorists, claims that despite helping these organizations he never was a member of the Taliban or al-Qaida.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. military airstrike killed a Haqanni terrorist network leader and two other terrorists in the Terayzai district of Afghanistan’s Khost province.

CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Brian K. Steele called getting hit by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan "a life-changing experience," but said he hopes to return to duty.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is fielding questions about Pentagon policies from service members, families, veterans and people from around the world, as part of his “Ask the Chairman: A Virtual Town Hall” series.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - A military commission panel will sentence Noor Uthman Muhammed, who pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy and supporting international terrorist groups, including al-Qaida.

WASHINGTON - The new U.S. National Security Space Strategy underscores the importance of the domain and the need to properly develop it, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates welcomed the full House of Representatives vote to kill the extra engine for the F-35 joint strike fighter, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.

WASHINGTON - To maintain its scientific edge, the U.S. military will research synthetic biology, cognitive neuroscience, and nano-science engineering among other disciplines, a top Defense Department official said.

WASHINGTON - While the incidence of sexual assault has decreased substantially, it is of "grave concern" and the focus is on prevention, the nation's top two defense leaders told Congress.

WASHINGTON - Military programs may take years to recover if the Defense Department’s budget for fiscal 2011 isn’t passed immediately, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is tapping information technology organizations like Google, Intel and Microsoft to learn about the latest cyberdefense practices that DOD can apply to its computer and communications systems.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department must operate on a budget of at least $540 billion for fiscal 2011 so the military can “properly carry out its mission, maintain and prepare for the future,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a House committee.

WASHINGTON - Reductions in end strength for the Army and Marine Corps will be conditions-based, and can be tailored when the time comes to implement them, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Congress.

WASHINGTON - Ashton B. Carter, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, urged Congress to allow the Defense Department to move forward with its plans, initiatives and missions by passing the appropriations bill for fiscal 2011.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition security forces killed four insurgents in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - India-born Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Jacob Gill has received a combat meritorious promotion to his current grade due to his exemplary service in Afghanistan.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Defense Department’s joint strike fighter program is on track to field the F-35 Lightning II in fiscal 2016, said Navy Vice Adm. David J. Venlet, the program’s director.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s top financial official warned of a disruption in war funding and other negative effects if Congress continues to force the military to operate on continuing resolutions instead of fully funded budgets for fiscal 2011 and 2012.

SAN FRANCISCO - Government and industry must work closely together to fight the growing threat to the nation’s cyber networks, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said at a conference in San Francisco.

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Accused terrorist training camp instructor Noor Uthman Muhammed has pleaded guilty to charges of supporting and conspiring with international terrorist organizations against the United States.

WASHINGTON - Fiscal 2011 recruitment and retention remained high throughout the services through January, with all active and reserve-component services meeting their recruiting goals.

WASHINGTON - While the existing state of Egypt needs work, the positives from its recent turmoil are reflected in reaffirmed treaties with allies such as Israel and in the opposition’s belief that elections will be fair and free, President Barack Obama said.

WASHINGTON - Two of President Barack Obama’s nominees for key Defense Department posts appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee as part of their confirmation process.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces detained a Taliban attack leader along with several other suspected insurgents in Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

WASHINGTON - A ground-based system for homeland defense and interceptors for regional defense highlight the Missile Defense Agency’s portion of the Defense Department’s fiscal 2012 budget request.

SAN FRANCISCO - Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is meeting with industry leaders to discuss best practices in cyberdefense while also calling on them to develop new technologies to help in safeguarding the nation's cyber domain.

WASHINGTON - Army Warrant Officer Johnathan Holsey often logs two to three miles a day to keep fit for military duty -- not bad for a soldier with a prosthetic leg.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s $671 billion fiscal 2012 budget is a responsible funding request that balances the needs of the military with efforts to control federal spending, the department’s comptroller said.

WASHINGTON - Training will begin shortly for experts in certain specialties and leaders as part of the plan for finalizing repeal of the law that bars gay men, lesbians and bisexuals from serving openly in the military, the chief of staff for the Defense Department’s repeal implementation team said.

WASHINGTON - Congress must not only look at fiscal 2012 but also approve the fiscal 2011 budget for the entire $540 billion so the Defense Department can operate, said Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama’s $671 billion fiscal 2012 defense budget request continues the department’s reform agenda, but protects personnel and family programs while also funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - An online discussion board allows military spouses to air their state licensing issues and concerns as part of an effort to boost education and job opportunities.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces detained several suspected insurgents in the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province.

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Army Spc. Joseph Sirovy uses his signal transmission skills to help his comrades communicate despite Afghanistan's rugged, mountainous terrain.

WASHINGTON - The service of African American troops in the Korean War, sometimes called "The Forgotten Victory," is no longer forgotten, said the Defense Department's top equal opportunity official.

WASHINGTON - A special presentation of “The Great Game,” a nine-hour play about the British-Russian 19th century conflict in Afghanistan, aims to give today's policy makers, veterans, troops and others connected to the current war there another view of the country.

WASHINGTON - In an article first published in "Foreign Policy" magazine, Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Space Policy Gregory L. Schulte outlines the "rules of the road" needed for this new security frontier.

WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence information collection must improve to predict uprisings and treat cybersecurity as the next battlefield, CIA Director Leon E. Panetta told a congressional committee.

WASHINGTON - Counterterrism is the intelligence community's top priority because "Job One" is to keep Americans safe and the homeland secure, James R. Clapper Jr., the director of national intelligence, told legislators on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON - Former Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ned E. Seath has been awarded the Navy Cross nearly 45 years after he saved almost an entire company of fellow Marines in Vietnam.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials have sent the military service secretaries the Defense Department's action plan for implementing the repeal of the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law and given them until March 1 to provide their first progress reports.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces found two weapons stockpiles during operations in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - A unique unit of 2,300 Navy and Marine Corps personnel has completed a wide range of missions from fighting piracy to providing flood relief in Pakistan.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Crystal Hoel began 2011 with a gift from home: her son. Marine Corps Cpl. Adam Hoel joined her at the same base in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - The Joint Trauma Analysis and Prevention of Injury in Combat Program collects and analyzes the personal protective gear of fallen and wounded warriors in order to improve the protective equipment of tomorrow.

WASHINGTON - There is a "sea of goodwill" to support American men and women in uniform, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a town hall meeting in Chambersburg, Pa.

WASHINGTON - If the military takes care of its people and their families, then the future will be assured -- no matter what it brings, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told students at the Army War College in Pennsylvania.

WASHINGTON - Afghans must have confidence in their government’s ability to deliver justice and resolve civil disputes of a “rule of law” force there, said Army Brig. Gen. Mark Martins.

WASHINGTON - Nuclear proliferation, climate change, global pandemics, transnational criminal organizations and terrorism comprise national security challenges more complex than ever before, said Dr. Janine Davidson, deputy assistant secretary of defense for plans.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - U.S. Northern Command depends heavily on the National Guard and is looking for more opportunities to expand that partnership, said Army Lt. Gen. Frank J. Grass, Northcom’s deputy commander.

WASHINGTON - The nature of today's conflicts has helped special operations evolve into a force that can meet the need for timely and accurate intelligence to pursue an elusive and embedded adversary, said Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, Air Force chief of staff.

WASHINGTON - Special Operations forces' missions have increasingly shifted over the past decade from the developed to the undeveloped regions of the globe, said Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, Socom's commander.

WASHINGTON - Members of the Defense Department’s financial management work force have a new website as a source for information one-stop shopping.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Employers of National Guard and Reserve spouses are now eligible for the Patriot Award, the first ever of its kind for military spouses, as part of an expansion of the Defense Department’s Employer Support Freedom Award Program.

WASHINGTON - The Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs departments have published what officials say is the most authoritative analysis yet of the extent and nature of homelessness among veterans.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - The TRICARE military health system is urging military personnel to kiss their smokeless tobacco goodbye through the Great American Spit Out on Feb. 24.

WASHINGTON - NATO officials have joined Afghan President Hamid Karzai in condemning a suicide attack, which killed and wounded several civilians, including the Chahar Darha district governor.

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Navy veteran Dave Roever, an inspirational speaker with multiple physical scars, helps other wounded warriors live with their combat-related injuries.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense soon will transfer streamlined functions of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, mostly to the department's Joint Staff, said Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, who is in charge of disestablishing the command.

WASHINGTON - The leaders of the services’ morale, welfare, and recreation departments pledged to sustain military families’ best programs while searching for ways to deal with budget cuts.

WASHINGTON - As Afghanistan works toward a more modern society and government, the rights of the nation’s female population are moving to center stage.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has joined forces with the nation to combat a childhood obesity epidemic that not only is a matter of health or nutrition, but also is a national security issue.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department is launching the first of a series of new and enhanced services supporting family caregivers of ill and injured veterans.

WASHINGTON - Unemployed veterans, wounded warriors, reserve-component service members and their spouses can hunt for jobs online now at an Army Reserve Web portal designed with their needs in mind.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military needs to do a better job of training to conduct operations while under cyber attack and other less-than-perfect conditions, said the chairman of the Defense Science Board.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Special Operations Command has filled its barracks and motor pools over recent years to meet this decade’s demands for its forces, said Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, the command’s top officer.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed several insurgents with a precision airstrike and help from an air weapons team in Kunar province’s Darah-ye Pech district.

CAMP DENALI, Alaska - Alaska Air Guardsman Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Tillman formed a barbershop quartet to boost troop morale when he deployed to Southwest Asia last fall.

WASHINGTON - Special operations forces have performed superbly over the past decade, but leaders must prepare to scale back because of resource and budgetary constraints, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - Sheri Hall, who served as a co-facilitator for a Significant Others Support Group, uses her experiences as an Army wife to help other military spouses and families cope with the stresses of wartime deployments.

WASHINGTON - A group of current and future military wives are gaining the resilience skills to help them cope with the stresses of family life in a time of war.

WASHINGTON - This year's National Military Strategy highlights how the Joint Force will redefine America's military leadership to adapt to a challenging new era, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in the strategy released Feb. 8, 2011.

WASHINGTON - Demand in Afghanistan for special operations forces is “insatiable,” even as U.S. Special Operations Command increases its troop strength by a battalion a year, said Navy Adm. Eric T. Olson, Socom’s commander.

WASHINGTON - In his latest blog post, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comments on the 2011 National Military Policy.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has made unprecedented gains in the treatment and prevention of psychological maladies and offers promise for more gains, a Defense Department official said.

WASHINGTON - The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force has transformed conditions for the Afghan people living in the northern part of the country along the Uzbekistan and Tajikistan borders, said two U.S. brigade commanders serving in the region.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and French Defense Minister Alain Juppe met at the Pentagon and discussed Egypt, Afghanistan, NATO, Iran and terrorism. They also signed a statement addressing situational awareness in space.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed an enemy fighter and detained several other suspected insurgents in the Muqer district of Afghanistan’s Ghazni province.

WEST POINT, N.Y. - Army Staff Sgt. Brandie Lane, West Point's newest audio engineer, has been nominated for a Grammy award for her work on a classical music album.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is leveraging the power of the crowd to reduce the time it takes to design and build complex, expensive combat vehicles, an agency official said.

WASHINGTON - Leadership that builds resilience in service members and their families starting with the first day of basic training is essential to the U.S. military’s future, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Transportation Command has proven agile and practiced delivering equipment, materiel and people where it needs to be, when it needs to be there, said Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander of Transcom.

WASHINGTON - Collaboration is key to solving some of the Defense Department’s toughest issues, whether it’s building resilience in service members and their families or keeping the best and brightest in the department’s ranks, the Pentagon’s top personnel official said.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces detained several suspected insurgents during a search for a Haqqani terrorist network leader in Khost province.

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - Growing up, Air Force Staff Sgt. Jason Paxton knew it was only a matter time before he would follow in his grandfather and father's boot prints.

WASHINGTON - Participants in the Defense Department's Civilian Expeditionary Workforce bring a wide range of skills, such as financial management, personnel policy and acquisition and logistics, when they deploy to Afghanistan to mentor their Afghan government counterparts.

WASHINGTON - Military officials are racing portable satellite units, nicknamed “Cheetahs,” to forward-deployed units in the farthest reaches of Afghanistan so troops can obtain swift communication with loved ones back home.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces killed two enemy fighters and detained several suspected insurgents yesterday in operations throughout Afghanistan, military officials reported.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Marine Corps Capt. Joshua H. Weiland, who'd previously served as an enlisted Marine, followed in his father's footsteps when he joined the Corps.

WASHINGTON - Afghanistan-deployed 101st Airborne Division troops enjoyed live broadcasts of Super Bowl XLV accompanied by tasty food and snacks, courtesy of American Forces Radio and Television Service and the Defense Logistics Agency, respectively.

LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas - After Marine Corps Pfc. Colton W. Rusk was killed in Afghanistan, his parents adopted Eli, his military working dog, to help them cope with the loss of their son.

PHILADELPHIA - Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support will help to add to this year’s Super Bowl experience for deployed service members by providing U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan all the wings, pizza and chili they can handle.

WASHINGTON - The National Security Space Strategy responds to the realities of a space environment that is crowded, challenging and competitive, senior Defense Department officials said.

WASHINGTON - Deployed troops received words of encouragement during Super Bowl XVl as Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, 32 players from the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers, and various celebrities all sent special messages during the live broadcast.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. archeological teams are slated to arrive in Cambodia to search for the remains of missing Americans since the Vietnam War.

WASHINGTON - With hope for “an orderly, peaceful, violence-free transition” in Egypt, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he will continue talks with the chief of staff of Egypt’s armed forces.

WASHINGTON - Egypt’s military leaders have assured him they are working to quell any further violence associated with protests in that country while protecting their people, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show."

INDIANAPOLIS - Indiana National Guardsmen are just beginning to draw down their forces after more than 1,000 soldiers and airmen responded to severe weather across the state this week.

WASHINGTON - Lt. Cmdr. Ronda Hartzel is a Navy nurse determined to count herself among breast cancer survivors.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is recruiting high school students interested in careers in the information technology field as the next generation of government workers.

WASHINGTON - More Afghan officials are being targeted for intimidation and murder campaigns, the commander of International Security Assistance Force Joint Command told NPR during an interview.

WASHINGTON - News reports from Cairo indicate the Egyptian military is acting as a stabilizing force, not taking sides in demonstrations and counter demonstrations in the nation, a State Department official said.

WASHINGTON - Iraqi citizens support turning operations over to the U.S. State Department after the U.S. military withdraws by the end of this year, said top U.S. military and civilian leaders.

WASHINGTON - Routine preventive screenings, such as mammograms and colonoscopies, have created high rates of early cancer detection while also increasing the chances of survival, a U.S. Navy doctor said.

WASHINGTON - As the start of the drawdown of U.S. troops from Afghanistan approaches, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior commander of U.S. and coalition forces there, said the transition of forces could take a number of forms.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces are investigating a roadside bomb explosion that killed six Afghan civilians, including two children, in Kunduz province.

WASHINGTON - An online directory provides various benefits to the military community via a direct connection to thousands of state, local and national resources.

FORT BENNING, Ga. - Army Reserve Lt. Col. Joseph D'costa's passion for serving the United States began while he witnessed former Ugandan President Idi Amin's rise to power.

WASHINGTON - Recruiters should put candidates for military service under more scrutiny and supervisors need to work to identify and help troops who may be apt to commit suicide, said the Army Reserve's top officer.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. secretaries of state and defense are setting the example for how to build and sustain vital civilian-military partnerships, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

WASHINGTON - Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, chief of the Army Reserve, believes Army reservists provide excellent bang for the buck for the Total Force.

WASHINGTON - About 2,500 National Guard member are conducting relief and rescue operations in nine of the 30 states affected by blizzard conditions and severe winter storms covering nearly 2,000 miles of the country.

WASHINGTON - The government’s new military family support effort will have a great impact on resources and programs for military children and youth in the future, said a Defense Department official.

WASHINGTON - Security forces detained a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator and another suspected insurgent in the Sabari district of Afghanistan’s Khost province.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military and the National Football League are continuing more than 40 years of partnership during Super Bowl XLV festivities in North Texas.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke by phone with his Egyptian counterpart and reiterated his admiration for the Egyptian military and continued to call for calm in the region.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Two Wisconsin brothers in the 101st Airborne Division were decorated for separate combat actions during their deployment to Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - In response to blizzard conditions and winter storms, about 1,100 National Guard members from 11 states have been activated or are on standby.

WASHINGTON - With President Barack Obama's signing of the new strategic arms reduction treaty with Russia, the stage will be set for a formal exchange of documents that will put the agreement into full effect.

WASHINGTON - A new federal warning system that abolishes color-coded terror alerts emphasizes a whole-of-government approach that military officials say won’t change their efforts in defending the homeland.

WASHINGTON - A website established by U.S. Joint Forces Command provides commanders keystroke access to details about command-and-control systems.

WASHINGTON - If Iraqi security forces continue to improve at their current rate, the State Department will be able to meet its goal of taking over operations there when military forces leave at the end of the year, senior U.S. military and civilian leaders told a Senate committee.

WASHINGTON - The campaign plan that keys on U.S. and coalition forces working with their Afghan counterparts has produced steady progress in Afghanistan, said the commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command.

WASHINGTON - Military families, and especially their kids who have grown up against the backdrop of war, are the focus of the military’s effort to make the workplace more flexible, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - Four governors have declared states of emergency and one has mobilized his state’s National Guard due to blizzard warnings and strong winter storms.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed President Barack Obama's commitment to support military families, defense budget concerns and the situation in Egypt during his podcast.

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Army Pfc. Luke I. Schlueter may be assigned to guard duty, but his real passion involves boosting morale among his comrades through his art.