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WASHINGTON, June 3, 2010 – As some 1,500 Afghan leaders participate in President Hamid Karzai’s peace council to discuss how to reconcile with insurgents, the commander of NATO’s Regional Command East said today he has seen increasing evidence that former fighters want to put down their arms and rejoin Afghan society. Army Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Scaparrotti, who also commands Combined Joint Task Force 82, said virtually all 14 provinces within his area of responsibility are experiencing a common phenomenon. Increasing numbers of Taliban fighters “have made contact and want to come back to their community,” he said. “And we’ve...

SACRAMENTO (CBS 5 / AP) ― Meg Whitman, the Republican front-runner in the California gubernatorial primary, said Tuesday that Arizona is taking the wrong approach to illegal immigration with its tough new law. The former eBay chief executive said there are more effective approaches than requiring law enforcement officers to question people about their status if they suspect they are in the country illegally. "I think there's just better ways to solve this problem," Whitman said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "I'm a big believer in, 'What are the two or three things that will make the...

BAGHDAD – U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi Security Forces conducted an exercise here at Contingency Operating Station Falcon, April 15, incorporating an array of techniques the ISF can utilize in future situations.The Soldiers, from 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and members of the 2nd Iraqi Federal Police Division, demonstrated their ability to assault an objective, perform first aid, evacuate casualties by either air or ground and perform riot control procedures. "Today we had a capabilities exercise demonstration where we brought together all the partners from 2nd [FP]," said Maj. Michael Sullivan, operations officer...

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2010 – The massive amount of equipment and supplies being sent to support troops in Afghanistan is a historic logistical effort critical to mission success there, the Defense Department’s undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics said today. “I think it’s fair to say that there’s never been, like in these months that we’re witnessing right now, as dramatic a logistics effort as we see in Afghanistan,” Ashton B. Carter said during a conference on defense logistics modernization at The Center for Strategic and International Studies here. From the ramp up of airlifts, sealifts and ground supply lines,...

KIRKUK, Iraq, Dec. 11, 2009 – The U.S. military role remains critical to preserving gains made in Iraq and helping to prevent sectarian violence in the roll-up to Iraq’s national elections, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told about 300 soldiers and airmen at a town hall session today at Forward Operating Base Warrior. “Whether you are just rotating in, or rotating out, you may have noticed that this theater has largely disappeared from the headlines,” Gates said, calling it the result of tremendous contributions U.S. servicemembers have made. “That doesn’t mean that this theater is not important,” Gates told the...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2009 – The director of a Muslim veterans organization said he welcomes Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates’ announcement today of a Pentagon probe into the attacks at Fort Hood, Texas, calling it a matter of national security. Qaseem Ali Uqdah, executive director of the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council, and a retired Marine gunnery sergeant, credits military leaders with establishing a climate that’s prevented any backlash against Muslims servicemembers since the Nov. 5 shooting. Gates announced a sweeping review today that will look into events leading up to the rampage that left 13 people...

CONDITION IS CRITICAL: LIBS August 18, 2009 WASHINGTON -- Liberal supporters of President Obama were up in arms yesterday over signs from the White House that it was ready to pull the plug on a key aspect of its health-reform plan -- creation of a government-run insurance program. "You really can't do health reform" without the so-called public option, said Howard Dean, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and a medical doctor. In a statement that cited strong House support for a government-run plan, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, "A public option is the best option to lower costs,...

BAGHDAD — Maya road, the major access road just outside the Victory Base Complex (VBC) here, opened to traffic, Aug 1. For the past three months, the formerly pothole-plagued dirt path underwent a complete overhaul. It is now a smooth concrete means of travel for both military and Iraqi civilian traffic. One of the greatest achievements of this construction project is that it will now reduce the footprint of Coalition forces in line with the June 30 Security Agreement. "It is not only an easier means of travel, it also keeps military traffic out of the cities," said Capt. Steven...

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2009 – Active and reserve Army chaplains are playing a critical and strategic role in Iraq, a chaplain serving with Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq said this week. “Our troops are working tirelessly and selflessly to create a trusted and viable security force,” Army Chaplain (Maj.) William Steen said during a “DoDLive” bloggers roundtable June 23. “However, the work, family separation and the long hours all take their toll on our troops.” Steen discussed how the military is helping soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines cope with the physical, mental and emotional stress while deployed in Iraq. Chaplains...

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2009 – The next 18 months will be crucial in Afghanistan, the new commander of NATO and U.S. forces there said today. “I think that the next 18 months are probably a period in which this effort will be decided,” Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal told Tom Bowman in a National Public Radio interview. “I don't think it will be over. But I think that not only the American people, I think the Afghan people are looking and deciding which way this will go.” McChrystal took command of coalition and U.S. efforts in Afghanistan on June 15....

And now, again, we wait. This wait, though, is different. This time, Minnesota's U.S. Senate race is in the hands of five state Supreme Court justices. The state has grown uncomfortably accustomed to waiting in the nearly seven months since voters went to the polls. And voters, who have been represented by just one senator since January, still don't know for sure if Democrat Al Franken or Republican Norm Coleman will walk those hallowed Senate halls. But in a race that has lasted weeks past its expected expiration date, Monday was a big day.

Omaha Police Officer Paul LatscharFahey asked that the citizens of Omaha pray for Latschar. The 8-year veteran of the Omaha Police Department was shot and critically wounded last night in north Omaha. Latschar is a member of the department's gang unit. He was wounded just before 11 p.m. during a traffic stop at 42nd Street and Camden Avenue. The officer was hit in the lower abdomen and arm, according to people with knowledge of the officer's injuries who spoke on the condition that they not be identified. Lt. Darci Tierney, a police spokeswoman, said two officers were conducting a traffic...

On Saturday morning just before 9am, KCMO police were called to the Bank of America, 8320 North Oak Trafficway, in regard to a shooting. Upon arrival officer's located a black male (approx. 20yrs old) in the parking lot suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition. It appears he was attempting to rob two victim's at gunpoint near the ATM when one of the victim's brandished a handgun and shot him in self defense. Both victim's along with several witnesses are being interviewed in regard. Anyone who may have witnessed...

FORT HUACHUCA — With Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano’s signature on Senate Bill 1387 additional protection for critical electronic ranges on Fort Huachuca now requires notification of any potential impact to the fort by any building or developing property proposal close to those military facilities and allows the military the right to object. With her signature on the bill on May 12, Napolitano set into motion amendments to existing state law specifically providing an additional level of protection to military installations in Arizona. The main sponsor of the bill was State Senate President Tim Bee, whose district includes the post. Because...

PUERTO MONTT, Chile (Reuters) - A towering plume of ash from an erupting volcano in Chile's remote Patagonia could collapse back down to devastate the surrounding area, a leading expert warned on Friday. Luis Lara, a geologist and volcano expert with the government's geology and mining agency Sernageomin, says his models show the vast column of ash, which has soared 7.5 miles into the air, at a critical stage. A sudden collapse would shroud vast areas with hot gas, ash and molten rock, killing anything in its way. Authorities have evacuated thousands of people from the immediate vicinity of Chaiten...

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 – Vice President Richard B. Cheney commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Defense Initiative last night, pressing for a renewed U.S. commitment to a national missile defense system to protect against current and future threats. Speaking here to the Heritage Foundation, Cheney recalled former President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 proposal to create a shield of ground- and space-based systems to protect the United States from incoming strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The Defense Initiative Organization stood up to oversee the program, which came to be nicknamed “Star Wars,” after the popular space movie series. The concept...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2007 – Three months after taking the helm of a military that has been at war for six years, Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen said U.S. troops are performing “magnificently,” but added that he is concerned about stress on ground forces. “They know they’re good at what they’re doing. Yet they are clearly under enormous pressure, as are their families. And we’ve got to (get) that balance right and work as hard and fast as we can to get the cycle time down,” he said in an interview. The Army’s 15-month-long rotations are...

HAVANA - Cuba announced Tuesday it has set Jan. 20 for national elections that are part of the process of determining whether ailing leader Fidel Castro continues as president. The ruling, signed by interim leader Raul Castro and read on state television, set the date for elections to provincial and national assemblies — voting that is held every five years. There was no explicit mention of Fidel Castro, but the 81-year-old leader of the Cuban Revolution must be re-elected to the national parliament before he could repeat as president of the Council of State to remain in full power. Raul,...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14, 2007 – “Getting the next part right” in Iraq is critical to America, and forthcoming steps there must capitalize on opportunities created by the troop surge, project U.S. might and show long-term commitment, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, left, and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, conduct a press briefing at the Pentagon, Sept. 14, 2007. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Jerry Morrison  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. During a briefing at the Pentagon with Marine Gen. Peter...