WASHINGTON - The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments have made 'tangible progress' on integrating the health records of service members and veterans, senior government officials told the House Veterans Affairs Committee.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department continues to work toward transformation into a joint information environment with defense industry and interagency partners, said Robert J. Carey, DOD's principal deputy chief information officer.

WASHINGTON - Along with al-Qaida, nuclear proliferation and cyber threats, budget instability and the prospect of further deep spending cuts are among the nation’s most pressing national security challenges, top defense intelligence officials told a congressional panel.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is seeking to supplement the existing land mobile radio environment with the ability to use commercial mobile devices, said Teri Takai, DOD's chief information officer.

WASHINGTON - The names of Medal of Honor recipients recognized for their battlefield valor before Sept. 11, 2001, now are listed on the Defense Department’s valor website, Pentagon officials announced.

FORT HOOD, Texas - At the 2013 Fort Hood Combatives Tournament, Army Sgt. Maj. Bradley Cope began the prefight dance that tells his body and mind to prepare to do battle. He lightly bounced up and down on his feet and shook his arms out, signaling to his muscles that it was time to go to work.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a high-profile Haqqani network attack facilitator and detained two other insurgents in the Pul-e Alam district of Afghanistan’s Logar province.

WASHINGTON - Ten years after it was established in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks, U.S. Northern Command is starting to look increasingly like other U.S. geographic combatant commands, with naval and special operations components formally added to its command structure.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force is awarding Sierra Nevada Corp./Embraer SA a $427 million contract to provide light air support aircraft and associated maintenance and training for the Afghan air force.

WASHINGTON - During his first day in office, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, spoke to the Pentagon workforce, met his senior civilian and military leadership team for their daily staff meeting, and met separately with the service secretaries, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

OVERSEAS WITH THE USO TOUR - Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, Mary, kicked off a weeklong USO tour to entertain service members based overseas with a troupe that includes two American Idol finalists and professional athletes.

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany - Air Force Tech. Sgt. Marico Gray was selected for the Air Force basketball team six times, and six consecutive times he and his teammates took home a gold medal in the all-services basketball competition.

ROTA, Spain - Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosted the star-studded group of athletes, coaches and musicians participating in the USO tour show at Naval Station Rota in Spain, the first stop on a spring tour to visit troops abroad.

WASHINGTON - On his first day at the Pentagon’s helm, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued a message to the men and women of the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - New Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel vowed he always would be frank with the Defense Department's men and women, and work to ensure the well-being of service members and their families during an all-hands meeting at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - The North American Air Defense Command’s maritime division and other U.S. and Canadian agencies work together to prevent a potential 9/11 in the maritime domain by processing, assessing and disseminating intelligence and information about hundreds of thousands of ships around the globe.

WASHINGTON - The senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife, discussed their own efforts to be financially responsible during a DOD Live bloggers roundtable as part of "Military Saves Week 2013" activities.

WASHINGTON - Just before his private swearing-in ceremony as the 24th secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel and his wife, Lilibet, arrived at the Pentagon and were greeted by Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Thomas D. Waldhauser, military assistant to the secretary of defense.

WASHINGTON - If the large and sudden spending cuts called sequestration begin as scheduled March 1, military readiness and national security will suffer immediately, hurting the Defense Department and the nation, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama praised former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, his just-confirmed nominee to lead the Pentagon, as “the defense secretary our nation needs.”

WASHINGTON - History likely will record Leon E. Panetta first as the CIA director who got Osama bin Laden. But over his 19 months as defense secretary, the former spy chief also got a crack at solving the problems of some 3 million battle-weary people -- while running two wars and warding off a budget meltdown.

WASHINGTON - The Senate has confirmed former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska to succeed Leon E. Panetta as defense secretary.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta issued a farewell message to the men and women of the Defense Department, following Senate confirmation of former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, of Nebraska, as his successor.

WASHINGTON - A joint commission composed of International Security Assistance Force and Afghan officials is being formed to review the Afghan government’s concerns surrounding abuse and murder allegations in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - Automatic spending cuts set to take effect this week are "a self-inflicted wound that doesn’t have to happen,” President Barack Obama said during a visit to a shipbuilding company in Virginia.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s assessment of progress in Afghanistan is unchanged, despite discovery of a clerical error that incorrectly indicated a drop in Taliban attacks, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - America’s military superiority is founded on training and readiness, and the fiscal crisis facing the country threatens to strip away that edge, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress.

SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany - Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adrian Jackson, a military weather operator, is part of U.S. military efforts to assist Colombian forces' counterdrug operations.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is rolling out a program that will allow users of a range of mobile devices -- working anywhere from remote battlefields to the Pentagon -- to rapidly share classified and protected data across all components.

WASHINGTON - Service members and veterans possess invaluable skills and are more than prepared to transition into civilian employment, said Marine Corps Sgt. Major Bryan B. Battaglia, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - As the war in Afghanistan winds down and more than 1 million veterans return to civilian life, the nation’s responsibility to help them in that transition will ramp up, First Lady Michelle Obama told the National Governors Association at the White House.

WASHINGTON - Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, urged the nation’s governors to get behind the effort to allow military spouses to transfer professional licenses from state to state.

WASHINGTON - The long-term changes will be disastrous for the Defense Department, although little will change immediately if deep across-the-board spending cuts trigger March 1, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined coalition and Afghan security force arrested a senior Taliban leader in the Khugyani district of Nangarhar province.

SAN DIEGO - Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Ryan Nicolai persevered to excel in Marine recruit training, even though he'd been impacted by the passing of his father and mother.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials have designated this week as “Military Saves Week” to highlight the need for military families to reduce debt and save for the future, something Pentagon officials emphasize is key to force readiness.

WASHINGTON - All F-35s have been grounded as a precaution after a routine engine inspection revealed a crack on an engine blade, Defense Department officials said.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama notified congressional leaders that the last of 100 U.S. military specialists have deployed to Niger in support of intelligence efforts in the region.

LINTHICUM HEIGHTS, Md. - Defense Department officials said they are stepping up security professionals’ training to help determine potential risks before they occur.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited with Army Junior ROTC cadets at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., where he told the cadets they 'are the future of our nation.'

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - Air Force Staff Sgt. Steven Martin continues to uphold the family tradition of barbershop quartet singing that began with his grandfather.

BRUSSELS - The United States will maintain more than 60,000 troops in Afghanistan through the spring and summer fighting season, cutting to 34,000 by February and staying at that strength through the Afghan elections set for 2014, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in Brussels.

WASHINGTON - NATO and partner nations are still considering the size of the force that will remain in Afghanistan once the International Security Assistance Force mission ends in December 2014, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A precision strike killed Zekaria, a Taliban improvised explosive device expert, in the Chahar Darah district of Kunduz province.

WASHINGTON - As U.S. forces continue to draw down in Afghanistan, a senior commander wrapping up his year-long deployment emphasized the importance of continued support from military families and the American public.

WASHINGTON - Garrett Morgan, an African-American inventor and entrepreneur, developed a safety hood used by firefighters, a gas mask employed by U.S. troops during World War I, and secured a patent for the mechanical traffic signal during the first quarter of the 20th century.

BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen pledged “a new and different NATO-led mission after 2014” in Afghanistan during a meeting with NATO and non-NATO troop-contributing nations at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.

WASHINGTON - As he prepares to conclude a year of command in one of the most challenging regions of Afghanistan, Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles “Mark” Gurganus said he’s optimistic about the progress his forces have helped to bring about as they overcame challenging circumstances and an evolving mission.

ARLINGTON, Va. - National Guard members nationwide -- especially military technicians -- could be affected by the Defense Department’s furlough without pay of civilian employees that could begin in late April unless Congress takes steps to avert sequestration March 1.

WASHINGTON - State Department officials have issued an updated a worldwide caution for Americans traveling overseas.

BRUSSELS - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta is in Brussels where he discussed NATO capabilities and readiness during the alliance defense ministers' meetings.

BRUSSELS - In Brussels, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and NATO defense ministers are considering proposals to keep the number of Afghan national security forces at 352,000 for the next five years although a previous plan set the future force at about 240,000, according to a NATO official.

WASHINGTON - An African-American father and son -- Benjamin O. Davis Sr. and Benjamin O. Davis Jr. -- broke racial barriers and led honorably, leaving an indelible mark on America’s military heritage.

WASHINGTON - Deep, across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1 would cause chaos for the Defense Department, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Marine Corps Sgt. Bradley A. Hoover, a fixed-wing aircraft power plant mechanics instructor at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., takes personal responsibility for each Marine he is charged with leading.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition security force in the Kunduz district of Kunduz province arrested six insurgents during a search for an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader.

BRUSSELS - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrived in Brussels and will spend the rest of the week at NATO headquarters, attending defense meetings and engaging his counterparts in one-on-one discussions.

WASHINGTON - If sequestration is triggered March 1, unpaid furloughs for civilian Defense Department employees will start in late April, Pentagon officials said.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has revamped its approach to communicating and interacting with the defense industrial base after applying lessons learned from previous economic downturns, a Defense Department official said during an Atlantic Council panel session.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Afghanistan-deployed Marine Corps Cpl. Sasha Savage, a supply noncommissioned officer, is highly regarded for her initiative and dedication to duty.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition security force killed three insurgents and detained one other during an operation in search of a Taliban leader in the Charkh district of Logar province.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has notified Congress that the Defense Department is prepared to implement furloughs for civilian personnel in response to the threat of sequestration.

WASHINGTON - With major, across-the-board defense spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has issued a message to the Defense Department workforce.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta departs this week for Brussels, where he is scheduled to attend meetings with NATO defense ministers and other leaders to discuss topics including troop adjustments in Afghanistan as forces draw down.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Pentagon is increasingly collaborating with states to help veterans find employment, with emphasis on giving veterans credit for related military training, education and experience, said a senior Defense Department official.

WASHINGTON - Army Sgt. William H. Carney risked his life during the Civil War in 1863 to safeguard the American flag during the charge on Fort Wagner in South Carolina, earning him the distinction of being the first African-American to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

WASHINGTON - The new Distinguished Warfare Medal will retain its place in the order of precedence among military decorations, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta praised the service and leadership of Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, former commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, who is slated to retire.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is working diligently to beef up cyber defenses against all threats, while the United States takes an all-government approach to cybersecurity, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little told reporters.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama accepted a request by Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen to retire from the military to address health issues within his family. Allen is the former commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Air Force Senior Airman Daniel Nester serves as a player, referee and commissioner of a multinational floor hockey league to keep his favorite sport up and running at his deployed location in Southwest Asia.

WASHINGTON - A precision strike in the Ghaziabad district of Kunar province killed two insurgents. Afghan and coalition forces saw the two men engaging in insurgent activity and called in the strike, officials said.

WASHINGTON - The lack of an appropriations bill coupled with sequestration could eventually cause soldiers to be delayed in their redeployment home from Afghanistan, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said in remarks at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - As military leaders struggle to reverse rising suicide rates within the force, Fort Bliss, Texas, is bucking the national trend, reporting a 30-percent drop last year and serving as a promising model for the Army and its sister services.

WASHINGTON - The new Distinguished Warfare Medal recognizes the changing face of conflict in the 21st century, said Juliet Beyler, the acting director of officer and enlisted personnel management in the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - All four active services met or exceeded their target recruiting numbers for the first three months of fiscal 2013, Pentagon officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta will continue in his position until former Sen. Chuck Hagel is confirmed, and will lead the U.S. delegation to the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels next week, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

SAN ANTONIO - Army Soldier Show veterans Spc. Glenn Grainger and Spc. Whitney Jones were married on Valentine's Day on the same stage where they met at the Joint Base San Antonio -- Fort Sam Houston Theatre.

FORT MEADE, Md. - The latest round of pre-trial hearings for the alleged 9/11 mastermind and four accomplices wrapped up at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, much as it started: with hours of wrangling over legal and privacy issues and continued protests by the defense team that the system is rigged.

WASHINGTON - If Congress fails to stop the sequestration mechanism in budget law that will impose across-the-board defense spending cuts March 1, it could demonstrate to allies and enemies that the United States lacks the resolve, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said.

WASHINGTON - Two generals nominated to lead U.S. combatant commands focused on the role of partnerships in national defense strategy in a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing.

WASHINGTON - Programs that help U.S. partners build their capabilities can be force multipliers in achieving U.S. interests, Defense Department officials told the House Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - The United States continues to work with international and interagency partners to support the efforts of France and the African-led international support mission to Mali to counter extremists and restore Malian sovereignty, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for African affairs told Congress.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton with awards and thanked her for her efforts to work with the military to extend America’s leadership.

WASHINGTON - Looming spending cuts and the lack of a budget for the fiscal year present a readiness crisis for the Defense Department, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter told the Senate Appropriations Committee.

SUMTER, S.C. - An Air Force weather forecaster weathered a storm as it unfolded in front of him in the form of a vehicle accident.

WASHINGTON - The nation must sustain awareness of technological and geopolitical trends in allies and emerging powers, a National Defense University senior research fellow told a House subcommittee.

WASHINGTON - The current lack of effective partnership in government is his biggest disappointment as he leaves Washington after 50 years of public service, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said.

WASHINGTON - Reduced capabilities and ability to respond are among the worries outlined by members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff who joined Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey in describing to the House Armed Services Committee the effects sequestration will have on the services.

WASHINGTON - North Korea is a threat to U.S. interests in Northeast Asia, U.S. allies in the region and to the American homeland, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said.

WASHINGTON, RI - The president’s announcement that 34,000 U.S. troops will come out of Afghanistan in the next 12 months 'puts us firmly on a path, I believe, to fulfill our mission in Afghanistan,' Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told reporters in what he called his last Pentagon news conference.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has approved a new medal designed to recognize service members directly affecting combat operations who may not even be on the same continent as the action.

WASHINGTON - Established partnerships are fundamental to the U.S. military accomplishing its missions and then passing responsibility to partners to build on successes, said a U.S. European Command official.

WASHINGTON - Sequestration will force a drawdown “more difficult and decidedly different” than any other in the nation’s history, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the House Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - “The wolf is at the door,” Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter told members of the House Armed Services committee during testimony on the effects of sequestration – major, across-the-board spending cuts that will take effect March 1 unless Congress finds an alternative.

WASHINGTON - The cybersecurity policy President Barack Obama announced during his annual State of the Union address is a step toward protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure, the commander of U.S. Cyber Command said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition force in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province killed a Taliban leader and seized assault rifles, grenades and other weapons. Another combined force arrested another network leader accused of attacks and kidnappings.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Perfect communication is critical when operating in a ‘no fail’ environment where a mistake can cost American lives, said the director of command-and-control systems at U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command.

WASHINGTON - Former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha embodies the "essence of a soldier," exhibiting humility, selflessness and esprit de corps, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said duringthe Medal of Honor recipient's induction into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.

WASHINGTON - The Missile Defense Agency and sailors aboard the USS Lake Erie conducted a successful flight test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, resulting in the intercept of a medium-range ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean by a Standard Missile-3 Block IA guided missile.

ARLINGTON, Va. - Sequestration and a yearlong continuing resolution would significantly hinder the National Guard’s ability to protect and defend the homeland, Army Gen. Frank J. Grass, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - The United States will reach out to countries around the world to deal with shared threats, and will continue to lead the effort to stop nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands, President Barack Obama said during the State of the Union speech.

WASHINGTON - U.S. troops in Afghanistan will decrease by 34,000 over the coming year, President Barack Obama announced in his annual State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON - Army Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha, who received the Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan, has been inducted into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes during a ceremony hosted by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta.

WASHINGTON - Billions of dollars in cuts to the defense budget set to take effect March 1 would significantly impact Army readiness, the Chief of Staff of the Army told lawmakers.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mark E. Ferguson III, the vice chief of naval operations, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the combined effects of a yearlong continuing resolution and across-the-board spending cuts mandated by a “sequestration” mechanism in budget law will reduce the Navy's ability to carry out its day-to-day mission around the globe.

WASHINGTON - Afghanistan veteran Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Pappas, a medical corpsman, is teaching the Combat Lifesaver Course to Marines stationed at the Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Top officers from all of the military services predicted dire consequences if looming automatic, across-the-board spending cuts are allowed to take effect, and they urged the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to do all in their power to stop the process.

WASHINGTON - Forty years ago, a C-141A Starlifter transport jet with a distinctive red cross on its tail lifted off from Hanoi, North Vietnam, and the first flight of 40 U.S. prisoners of war began their journey home through Operation Homecoming.

WASHINGTON - Three guests with military ties will join First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, in the first lady’s box at President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.

WASHINGTON - Use of a Web-based application designed to offer an information exchange environment for Defense Department users has grown markedly as defense spending cuts loom, Defense Information Systems Agency officials said.

WASHINGTON - Looming spending cuts could put the military on the path to a moral dilemma, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

WASHINGTON - As he prepares for retirement, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta addressed the Pentagon workforce, representing the entire Defense Department, thanking them for their contributions to national defense.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter urged lawmakers to find a way to avoid billions of dollars in cuts set to take a deep bite out of Pentagon spending in two weeks, saying the nation will face a crisis in military readiness if they take effect.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama strongly condemned the latest North Korean nuclear test, saying it undermines regional stability in an important part of the world. And during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said the international community is " looking to China to join in that condemnation" of the test.

WASHINGTON - Unprecedented budget factors have placed the nation’s defense strategy in jeopardy, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader in the Khanabad district of Kunduz province.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Honor to former Army Staff Sgt. Clinton L. Romesha during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Romesha was recognized for his heroic actions on Oct. 3, 2009, at Combat Outpost Keating in the Kamdesh district of Afghanistan’s Nuristan province.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department surpassed all other government agencies in donations this year with nearly 30,000 employees contributing more than $15 million dollars to the Combined Federal Campaign.

WASHINGTON - A senior International Security Assistance Force official in Afghanistan said the upcoming elections set for April 2014, is expected to be critical in measuring progress in that country.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced up to 24 new benefits for military members and retirees with same-sex partners under a new policy he said will help ensure fairness and equal treatment in taking care of all our service members and their families.

WASHINGTON - Calling it “a matter of fundamental equity,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta signed a memorandum to the service secretaries and the Pentagon’s top personnel official that extends benefits to same-sex partners of service members.

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jay Flottmann, a former flight surgeon and now a fully qualified F-22 Raptor pilot, is helping the fighter community ensure F-22 safety.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, marked the opening of the 32st iteration of Cobra Gold, an exercise hosted by Thailand and the United States since 1980. Cobra Gold began as a bilateral U.S.-Thai exercise, but expanded more than a decade ago to include other regional partners.

WASHINGTON - A combined Afghan and coalition security force in the Maiwand district of Kandahar province detained four insurgents while searching of a senior Taliban leader.

HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. - Massachusetts National Guard soldiers helped Worcester, Mass., emergency medical services personnel assisted a woman to have her baby during a blizzard.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has praised the outgoing and incoming commanders of the International Security Assistance Force, which operates out of Kabul, Afghanistan.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. has taken command of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan from fellow Marine Gen. John R. Allen.

KABUL, Afghanistan - There are measures of success every day in Afghanistan and the out-going commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force is very confident of victory.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - The Defense Department’s financial problems will affect deployed troops, though not directly, by having an impact on operating budgets for bases where their families live, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in the Asia-Pacific reiterated the need to resolve territorial disputes peacefully and to develop a code of conduct to support the process during a speech to the U.S. Indonesia Society in Jakarta, Indonesia.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany - The mission in Afghanistan will determine the number of American troops who will still be deployed there after 2014, said Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who is in Afghanistan for the International Security Assistance Force change of command ceremony.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said he has "truly lived the American dream," but told attendees at his armed forces farewell ceremony that he would have "no greater honor" in his life than leading the men and women of the U.S. military.

WASHINGTON - Deep, across-the-board spending cuts slated to take effect March 1 could severely affect military readiness and should not happen, President Barack Obama said during a farewell tribute to retiring Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, Va.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama praised retiring Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta for his 50 years of public service and for protecting the dream his parents sought when they came to the United States from Italy.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta has imbued a sense of public service in generations of men and women while working to make the nation safer, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey said during a farewell ceremony for the secretary.

WASHINGTON - Cooperation across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region is vital to dealing with security challenges related to global warming, natural disasters and transnational threats, said Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of U.S. Pacific Command.

WASHINGTON - Major across-the-board defense spending cuts set to kick in March 1, coupled with the possibility of operating under a continuing resolution as opposed to a budget, could form a “nightmare scenario” for the Defense Department, a senior Pentagon official told participants at the Cowen Aerospace and Defense Conference.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Southwest Asia-deployed Air Force Senior Airman Denice Luke enjoys her dual careers as a reservist and an elementary school and special education teacher.

KABUL, Afghanistan - An Afghan and coalition security force arrested an Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader during an operation in the Yangi Qal‘ah district of Takhar province.

WASHINGTON - Military Sealift Command, with the help of other military agencies, is delivering fuel and other needed supplies to McMurdo Station in Antarctica as part of support efforts to the Defense Department’s Operation Deep Freeze mission.

WASHINGTON - The changing U.S. and international energy pictures have a profound effect on security, Sharon E. Burke, the assistant secretary of defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, told attendees at a national renewable energy policy forum in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter saw critical elements of the new defense strategy at work in European and Middle East nations and in a bilateral meeting with Indian defense officials during a six-day international trip.

WASHINGTON - Better intelligence and closer interagency cooperation can help to prevent future crises like the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told a Senate panel.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials hosted the seventh annual Information Technology Job Shadow Day as part of outreach efforts to foster students’ interest in cyberspace opportunities.

WASHINGTON - Deep, across-the-board spending cuts scheduled to take effect March 1 will have real national security consequences, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters.

FORT MEADE, Md. - Pretrial hearings for Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the suspected USS Cole bomber, are on hold until mid-April as doctors assess his mental competency and the military commission determines how that will affect future proceedings.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Afghanistan-deployed Marine Corps Cpl. Brandon Harper pays respect to the American flag each day as part of his duties to raise and lower the flag each evening at Camp Leatherneck.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, and Marine Corps Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. -- who is scheduled to take ISAF’s reins Feb. 10 -- traveled to Pakistan to meet with Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, Pakistan’s chief of army staff.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, the U.S. Pacific Command commander, emphasized the U.S. interest in forging a closer partnership with Brunei during three days of meetings with the nation’s sultan, crown prince, defense minister, military commander and other leaders.

WASHINGTON - All crew members have been recovered with no reported fatalities following the crash of an International Security Assistance Force helicopter in eastern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta revealed that the proposed military pay raise for 2014 is 1 percent, and that the department is proceeding in a logical, careful way to do its part to cut the deficit and preserve military capabilities.

EDINBURGH, Ind. - A new financial and career planning program offered to transitioning soldiers at Camp Atterbury in Edinburgh, Ind., is expected to help reduce unemployment and debt among veterans.

WASHINGTON - The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg which were scheduled to depart this week to the Central Command area of operations have been delayed because of budget uncertainty, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said in a statement.

WASHINGTON - Veteran and service member suicide will not be solved with a single approach and the Defense Department must continue to 'operate on every front' against suicide, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told students at Georgetown University.

WASHINGTON - The United States seeks to establish a strategic dialogue with China as well as a common approach to challenges, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told a Georgetown University audience.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials are concerned about the growing threat of cyber warfare, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told a Georgetown University audience.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force Global Strike Command predicts budget cuts that would be triggered by sequestration will lead to a 20 percent reduction in overall flying hours.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called for Congress to end partisan gridlock and resolve issues that affect the economy.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta warned looming, massive cuts in the Defense Department budget set to be triggered by sequestration would pose the "most serious readiness crisis" to the country in more than a decade.

DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. - Air Force Airman 1st Class Lori Cord employs determination and a positive attitude as she recovers from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

KABUL, Afghanistan - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban facilitator in the Panjwai district of Kandahar province.

WASHINGTON - The departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs plan to speed implementation of the Integrated Electronic Health Record program, allowing service members greater access to their information, and to seamlessly transfer to VA health benefits.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - The USO has opened a new Warrior and Family Care Center, it's largest yet, to serve all U.S. service members and their families.

WASHINGTON - In a "rapidly globalizing 21st century world," the Defense Department needs to expand its foreign language capabilities, Navy Adm. John G. Stavridis, supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command, said in his command blog.

WASHINGTON - The Emancipation Proclamation would have been only words on paper had it not been for the pivotal effort by African-Americans themselves to support the U.S. military, said historian Edward L. Ayers, who spoke during the Pentagon's commemoration of African-American History Month.

AMMAN, Jordan - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter expressed appreciation for Jordan as a premier U.S. ally during a meeting with King Abdullah II in Amman, Jordan. Carter also visited U.S. troops and praised them for their commitment amid the Syrian crisis.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama called on Congress to take a balanced approach to America’s debt problems to avoid deep, across-the-board spending cuts with sequestration looming March 1, 2013.

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Casey Senn, an explosive ordinance disposal technician, finished his first enlistment as a combat cameraman and began a new life in 2006.

FORT MEADE - Pre-trial hearings for the alleged bomber of the USS Cole at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, encountered issues from both the prosecution and defense that threatened more delays.

ANKARA, Turkey - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter visited Turkish defense leaders in Ankara, then traveled southeast near the Syrian border to examine the first of two U.S. Patriot missile batteries to be located there.

WASHINGTON - Naval Research Laboratory scientist George Carruthers received the 2011 National Medal of Technology and Innovation during a ceremony at the White House.

WASHINGTON - Issuing perhaps their strongest warnings yet, Pentagon leaders said the budget impasse threatens to create a military readiness crisis.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Texas Army National Guard members Col. George Conwill and his son Sgt. Stephen Conwill, and Chaplain (Lt. Col.) James Tillman and his son, 1st. Lt. Andrew Tillman, are all serving in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - A combined Afghan and coalition security force arrested a Taliban improvised explosive device facilitator in the Nad-e Ali district of Helmand province.

WASHINGTON - Beyond threatening countries in the Middle East through its potential acquisition of nuclear weapons, Iran presents another danger, the U.S. military's top-ranking officer said on NBC’s “Meet the Press."

ANKARA, Turkey - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has arrived in the Turkish capital to visit U.S. Embassy officials and staff here on Monday, and afterward to meet with defense leaders on a range of common security challenges.

WASHINGTON - During two television interviews, the Pentagon’s senior leaders said the Senate Armed Services Committee shoiuld focus on current issues.

WASHINGTON - Three-quarters of the Afghan population is under the security responsibility of its country’s own forces because of the progress those forces, the U.S. military and its coalition partners have achieved in the war there, the Pentagon's top officials said.

WASHINGTON - The need for U.S. vigilance in thwarting terrorism throughout the Middle East and North Africa led the conversation during dual interviews with Pentagon senior leaders on television news programs.

MUNICH - The United States is embarked on a strategic transition fueled by the end of a decade of war and by new fiscal and security challenges, but it won’t have to make the journey alone, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter said.

WASHINGTON - Vice President Joe Biden, attending the Munich Security conference, met with United Nations and Arab League Joint Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi on the conference’s margins.

MUNICH - Before one of the world’s largest gatherings of foreign and defense ministers, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter took time to detail the grim consequences a second round of severe and potentially imminent budget cuts could have on the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - Europe remains the cornerstone and catalyst for America’s engagement with the world, Vice President Joe Biden said in Munich.

MUNICH - On the second day of the Munich Security Conference, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told the international audience that the end of the war in Afghanistan gives the alliance a chance to plan for the future.

WASHINGTON - Medication to treat victims suffering from the tragic Jan. 27 nightclub fire in Santa Maria, Brazil, funded by and transported through coordination by U.S. Southern Command, are scheduled to arrive in Brasilia, Southcom officials reported.

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT - Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter spent a rainy day in Paris, meeting face-to-face with that nation’s top military leaders and their advisers to discuss issues including France’s effort to chase Islamic extremists from Mali.

WASHINGTON - It’s a running joke among many deployed troops: every day feels like Groundhog Day. As Punxsutawney Phil emerges from hibernation this year to check for his shadow, many U.S. forces in Afghanistan will feel like they’re characters in the old “Groundhog Day” movie in which Bill Murray plays a weatherman who repeatedly relives Feb. 2.

NEW ORLEANS - Local service members will present the nation’s colors to kick off Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans Feb. 3.

WASHINGTON - After a meeting with several of its Asian allies, the Defense Department has issued a joint statement warning North Korea against conducing another nuclear test.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - In eastern Afghanistan in 2009, a patrol of Marines and Afghan soldiers were conversing with locals when suddenly an insurgent appeared out of a corner and targeted a Marine.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans Affairs Department has released a comprehensive report on veterans who die by suicide.

WASHINGTON - Strong economies and strong security capability go hand in hand, Navy Adm. James G. Stavridis said.

WASHINGTON - Chuck Hagel, President Obama's nominee to succeed Leon E. Panetta as Defense Secretary, said accountability is at the heart of managing the Defense Department.

WASHINGTON - Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, based at Djibouti, a small nation in the Horn of Africa, is important to peace and stability for the region and across the globe, said Army Maj. Gen. Rob Baker, the task force's commander.

WASHINGTON - The Veterans of Foreign Wars helped 125,000 disabled veterans recoup more than $3.7 billion in earned compensation and pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs last year.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - BioZen, a mobile app from the Defense Department’s National Center for Telehealth and Technology at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., uses wireless sensors to show users their physical level of relaxation.

WASHINGTON - African-Americans have made and continue to make major contributions to the nation’s defense, the director of the Defense Department’s office of diversity management and equal opportunity said in a recent interview.