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WASHINGTON, Oct. 11, 2006 – Winning the global war on terror requires a national consensus, with support demonstrated in actions as well as words, the Army’s chief of staff told hundreds of soldiers and defense industry representatives here yesterday. That means ensuring troops on the front lines have what they need to succeed, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker told attendees at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting. Soldiers have a reasonable expectation that their country will ensure they’re trained, equipped and resourced for the missions they’re called to conduct, the general said. “This resonates loud and clear,” he said....

WASHINGTON — Iraq’s future success depends on the ability of its provinces to assume control of their governance, their security and their prosperity, the spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said today in the southern Iraqi city of Hillah. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell spoke today during a meeting with the Babil Provincial Reconstruction Team, one of seven PRTs up and running in Iraq. Two of the seven PRTs, in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, are slated to be inaugurated later this week and the following week, respectively, he said. Ultimately 10 PRTs will be operating around the country. Caldwell noted progress...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2006 – Iraq’s future success depends on the ability of its provinces to assume control of their governance, their security and their prosperity, the spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq said today in the southern Iraqi city of Hillah. Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell spoke today during a meeting with the Babil Provincial Reconstruction Team, one of seven PRTs up and running in Iraq. Two of the seven PRTs, in Diyala and Salahuddin provinces, are slated to be inaugurated later this week and the following week, respectively, he said. Ultimately 10 PRTs will be operating around the country....

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2006 – As he leads the Defense Department through challenging times, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during an interview that aired over the weekend that he and his senior military leaders have the utmost confidence in the men and women in uniform waging the war on terror. Rumsfeld echoed the words of Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, during a wide-ranging interview with CNN. He acknowledged the “absolutely amazing job” the troops are doing in Iraq “and how dedicated they are and how patriotic they are, how proud they are of...

Simms In Critical Condition Skip directly to the full story. A Tribune staff report Published: Sep 24, 2006 Bucs QB Chris Simms was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital in critical condition because of injuries suffered in today's loss to the Carolina Panthers. The nature of his injuries has not yet been disclosed. Simms briefly left the game in the third quarter to take treatment for deyhdration. He returned and and helped the Bucs rally from a 17-point deficit, though they ultimately lost, 26-24. After the game, Simms was transported by ambulance to St. Joseph's, which is near Raymond James Stadium....

NAIROBI (AFP) - Kenya stepped up criticism of US Senator Barack Obama, accusing him of insulting the Kenyan people and trivializing their achievements during a visit to his father's homeland. Two days after abruptly changing its tone on Obama, who had been welcomed as a returning hero but incurred official wrath with blistering criticism of corruption and ethnic divisions, Nairobi launched a new attack on the lawmaker. Less than 24 hours after the rising US political star left Kenya to continue an African tour, government spokesman Alfred Mutua blasted Obama for choosing "to dwell on non-issues" in a nationally televised...

8/8/2006 - BALAD AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) -- Eighteen Airmen ensure there is no peace here, because silence at Balad Air Base would mean chaos. The power production team's work is audible and emitted by the drone of 200 Air Force generators fueled by 7,000 gallons of fuel a day and immeasurable amounts of sweat and work hours. "I'm not going to lie," said Staff Sgt. Kristopher Oyen, 332nd Air Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron power production. "The work can be punishing." The generators run continuously, supplying power to three critical areas: the Air Force Theater Hospital, airfield and communications squadron....

WASHINGTON, August 3, 2006 – The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East told Congress today he’s “rarely seen it so unsettled or so volatile” and urged continued regional and coalition pressure to confront problems before they escalate further. Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, joined Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee. The leaders expressed concern about growing sectarian violence in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad. Abizaid called the violence “as bad as I’ve seen it” and warned...

7/13/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- A C-130 Hercules crew assigned to the 738th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron provided critical support to an Army operating location in Afghanistan on July 6 by airdropping essential supplies before a potential enemy attack. Aircraft commander Capt. Travis Sjostedt and his crew just completed their last sortie during their 30-day forward deployment to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. But as the crew was preparing the aircraft to return to its main operating base, leaders at Bagram received a message from the theater's combined air operations center that a forward operating base in Afghanistan was short of...

WASHINGTON, July 7, 2006 – Iraq is the central front in the war against terrorism, so it is imperative that the United States and its allies achieve full victory there, President Bush said in Chicago today. "It's hard work, because we face an enemy that will kill innocent people in order to achieve an objective, and their objective is to drive us out of Iraq so they can have safe haven from which to launch attacks against modern Muslim nations, so they can spread their ideology of hate," Bush said during a news conference at the Museum of Science...

SINGAPORE, June 3, 2006 – More nations are freer than ever before, yet freedom is increasingly under assault from violent extremists and rogue nations, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today told defense ministers of Asian and Pacific nations meeting here this weekend. "In the present security environment, cooperation among free nations is not simply desirable, it is critical," Rumsfeld said in a speech at the International Institute of Strategic Studies' Asia Security Summit, also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue. Rumsfeld said this forum is valuable because it allows countries with like interests to meet and discuss transnational issues. "These gatherings...

Monday's immigration rallies prompted a counter-protest by Republican lawmakers upset that the state Legislature curtailed its activities for the day. Senate Minority Leader Dick Ackerman, wearing an American flag tie, hung a red-on-white "closed" sign on the Senate chamber's ornate front doors as a backdrop for a news conference where about 20 Republican lawmakers complained that Assembly and Senate floor sessions were canceled. "This is the people's house and we should be ready to work," said Assembly Minority Leader George Plescia, R-San Diego. Ackerman, R-Tustin, complained that a resolution the Senate approved last Thursday endorsing the rallies and marches "blurred...

SOUTHWEST ASIA, April 30, 2006 – It's critical that the American people muster up the will to see the conflict here through to victory, the commander of U.S. Central Command told civilian business, civic and academic leaders visiting here yesterday. Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, tells participants in the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference it's critical that the United States complete its mission in Southwest Asia. Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Larry Chambers, USGC  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Military officials asked that the visit's exact location not be released. Army Gen. John Abizaid...

Note referred to group as 'brutal'The Muslim Students' Association at Michigan State University is calling for a public reprimand of a mechanical engineering professor who sent the group an e-mail calling them "dissatisfied, aggressive, brutal, and uncivilized slave-trading Moslems." The e-mail, sent by professor Indrek Sven Wichman on Feb. 28 from his university account, was a sharply worded criticism of Muslim protests against the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad and of Muslim cultures in general. In it, according to a copy provided by the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Wichman told the group he hoped that...

Critical security holes found in Mac OS X By INQUIRER staff: Friday 21 April 2006, 16:35 SECUNIA SAID there are potential vulnerabilities in the Mac OS X operating system, first noticed by Tom Ferris. The firm described the holes as "highly critical", meaning that systems could be compromised if crooks dive in. Secunia said the potential holes are in version 10.4.6, but other versions might be affected too.

WASHINGTON, April 17, 2006 – Recent criticism voiced by a half dozen retired generals over Iraq war planning does not reflect the mainstream views of the officer corps, a senior Defense Department official told Pentagon reporters today. "There are a handful of officers that have exercised their right to speak their mind, and certainly that's their right to do that," DoD spokesman Bryan Whitman said. Brushing aside a reporter's suggestion there's widespread disagreement among senior officers over Iraq war planning, Whitman said there are thousands of active duty, reserve component and retired general officers from all of the armed services....

WASHINGTON - From Iraq to deficits, from immigration to port security, some of the most pointed criticism leveled at President Bush is coming from within his own party. Republicans these days are almost sounding like perennially divided Democrats. The rising GOP angst stems from Bush's deep slump in the polls and the growing unpopularity of the Iraq war. But it also reflects a political reawakening as Republicans follow their own political interests in this midterm election year and as would-be 2008 presidential contenders seek ways to set themselves apart — from each other and from Bush. "It's open season on...

WASHINGTON, March 19, 2006 – Vice President Dick Cheney said today the evidence that Iraqis and coalition will succeed in Iraq "is overwhelming" and that it's important, when assessing the situation there, to keep perspective of its impact on the global war on terror. Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation," on the third anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the vice president said terrorists recognize what some others don't: that what ultimately happens in Iraq will impact the entire region. "There's a lot at stake here. It's not just about Iraq...[and] today's situation in Iraq," Cheney said. "It's about where we...

SIERRA VISTA — What Arizonans have known for years but most of the nation doesn’t understand is the problem illegal immigration is causing, U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth told an appreciative audience Saturday. Speaking at the Cochise County Republican Committee’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner, the six-term Republican congressman from Scottsdale said Americans will be called again to be more active in defending the nation against an invasion at the southern border. While most U.S. citizens do not understand the impact illegal immigration is having, defense of the nation is at a critical junction, Hayworth said. The federal government is only required...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2006 – In this time of testing, the United States can't find security by abandoning its commitments, retreating within its borders and allowing its enemies to have free reign, President Bush said tonight during his annual State of the Union address. Bush urged the United States to hold steadfastly to its leadership role in the world - a role he said is critical to protect American citizens and secure the peace. As inviting as isolationism and protectionism may seem to some, it's a dangerous road for America, Bush told a joint session of Congress. That reality was...