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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq, Dec. 2, 2009 – A soldier who was badly wounded in a 2005 roadside-bomb explosion is serving in Iraq again, and he’s finding deployed life easier this time around. Army Spc. David Broome is back in Iraq after receiving a Purple Heart for injuries he suffered in 2005. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Neil Gussman  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The road back to Iraq has been arduous for Spc. David Broome. In all, he was a patient in four hospitals for nearly two months before going home to begin the rehabilitation process. After...

CAMP BLANDING JOINT TRAINING CENTER, Fla., Nov. 25, 2009 – In the midst of a nondescript Middle Eastern-style village, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team soldiers interact with the local inhabitants the same as they have done day in and day out on routine patrols. A soldier from Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, secures an insurgent after finding a bomb in a vehicle during an exercise at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center, Fla., Nov. 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Paul O'Leary  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Today, however, something feels different. You can describe all...

RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 6, 2009 – When he joined the Navy 15 years ago, Cmdr. Trent Kalp probably expected to serve six-month deployments to the middle of the ocean during his career. But at the time, it might have come as a surprise to learn he also would one day be packing his bags at his home in Midlothian, Va., for six months in Afghanistan. Navy Cmdr. Trent Kalp served six months as commander of Defense Logistics Agency’s support team in Afghanistan. His team worked to develop an aviation hub to provide food for U.S. forces in Regional Command South....

WATERLOO --- Northeast Iowa soldiers attached to "Ironman Battalion" are facing another lengthy deployment. The Waterloo-headquarterd Iowa Army National guard 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry regiment spent nearly two years on active duty --- mostly in Iraq --- starting in 2005. It appears the Iowa National Guard unit will spend another year away from family and friends, this time in Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday the guard's 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th "Red Bull" Infantry Division, of which the 1/133rd is a part of, is on alert. The division will begin deploying in the fall of 2010 to...

With 15 miles (25km) of pristine, undeveloped beachfront property in southern California, it is difficult to imagine wanting to live anywhere else. But for many of the marines at Camp Pendleton, one place beckons above all others. "Afghanistan," says Lance Cpl Alejandra Esqueda, when asked where she would like to be deployed next. "I actually look forward to it. I'm hopefully going to Afghanistan to finish what we got to do there… I've already been to Iraq. Afghanistan is the new place to be." Thirst for action Lance Cpl Esqueda is one of hundreds of marines on the beach preparing...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 19, 2009 – An Army brigade slated to deploy to Iraq in January was relieved of its deployment orders this weekend without current plans for a new mission, Pentagon and Army officials said here today. The 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team was off-ramped by Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, because of the improved security situation there, and not to bolster forces in Afghanistan, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters. “This [decision] is based on General Odierno’s assessment of the security environment in Iraq,” Whitman explained. “It reflects the continuing improvements...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2009 – The deployments of about 1,600 U.S. troops in Iraq could be extended in the weeks following the national election slated to occur in January, Pentagon officials said today. Some 1,000 soldiers from the Army’s 1st Cavalry Headquarters in Baghdad could be asked to stay up to 23 days longer and some 600 Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force in Anbar province could be extended up to 79 days, according to defense officials. Gen. Raymond Odierno said current military thinking is to maintain force levels between 110,000 and 120,000 troops for the two months after...

... Maj. Cook has already been joined in his lawsuit by two other soldiers, a retired Army two-star general and an active reserve Air Force lieutenant colonel. But the potential consequences of the major's revoked deployment go far beyond the number of American soldiers with doubts about the legitimacy of orders from their nominal commander in chief. The Pentagon's decision to back down rather than risk exposing Obama's birth records to the public means that every single American soldier, sailor, pilot and Marine now holds a "get out of war free" card. Not only every deployment order, but every order...

WASHINGTON — Four new Advisory and Assistance Brigades (AAB) will deploy to Iraq beginning this fall in the next regularly scheduled troop rotations, a senior defense official announced yesterday.U.S. DoD Iraqi Freedom Rotation Schedule (PDF) The brigades are specially configured Army units focused on training and mentoring Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).The new AABs are among seven brigade-size elements whose upcoming deployments were announced yesterday. One brigade is going to Kuwait and two others to Afghanistan to replace redeploying forces, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters.Unlike traditional Brigade Combat Teams (BCT), the AABs will focus less on combat operations and more...

Link is to the first of the videos from my son's Iraq deployment. Iraq'd Up 1, 2, and 3 are in roughly chronological order. All the direct links are below.

http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/4/25/465019.html

N. Korea deploys advanced fighter jets ahead of rocket launch: official By Sam Kim SEOUL, April 2 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has deployed a fleet of MiG-23 fighter jets along the east coast where it is gearing up to launch a rocket to send what it claims is a "satellite" into orbit, a senior Air Force official said Thursday. The latest relocation of the advanced fighter jets comes as the communist North steps up its warnings against any foreign attempt to intercept its rocket. South Korea, Japan and the U.S. maintain the launch will likely be a disguised test of...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US is expected this week to announce plans to dispatch more federal agents to its border with Mexico in a bid to combat drug cartel operations there, US officials said. Washington appears poised to bolster its customs and border protection forces along the 3000-plus kilometer (2000 mile) frontier, in what would be President Barack Obama's first major domestic security initiative. The announcement is expected to come "in the next few days" a Department of Homeland Security official told AFP ahead of the announcement. The impending plan comes as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton prepares to visit...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., March 13, 2009 – Air National Guard civil engineer squadrons comprising hundreds of construction and repair experts will involuntary deploy overseas in historic numbers and scope over the next two years, senior Air Guard officials said. The mobilizations involve nearly one-eighth of the Air Guard’s civil engineer squadrons and differ from previous deployments, when citizen-airmen stepped forward as volunteers to man joint expeditionary groups. "We have large groups being involuntarily mobilized in the beginning and middle of 2009,” Air Force Col. John Elwood of the Air Guard Readiness Center's civil engineer office said. He said...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2009 – As Wyoming prepares for the largest National Guard deployment in state history, much of the planning has gone into helping those who will be left behind for a year in communities scattered across the rural state. Nearly 1,000 soldiers will deploy in April to Iraq and Kuwait, leaving behind thousands of families and extended family members in nearly every community in the state. “A lot of people think of the ‘spouse’ when they think of military family programs. Not everybody’s married,” William Breckenridge, the state Family Support Program director, said. “We work in terms...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 22, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has approved the deployment of an Army aviation brigade to Afghanistan this spring, a Defense Department official said today. The deploying unit -- the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Bragg, N.C. -- will comprise about 2,800 soldiers and a fleet of rotary-wing aircraft, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. The brigade will serve the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan mission as an “enabling type of force” for ground units, Whitman explained. “This is part of the continuing commitment to increase our military capabilities in Afghanistan,” he said. The plus-up...

NORFOLK, VA (NNS) -- Nearly 220 Sailors from Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron (MSRON) 4 returned home Dec. 15 to the Naval Station Norfolk Air Mobility Command terminal after completing a seven-month deployment. While deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations, the squadron's primary mission was to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Gulf and help provide security for Iraq's two oil platforms as well as U.S. and Coalition ships in the region. MSO helps maintain security in the maritime environment, which promotes stability and economic prosperity. MSO complements the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional...

CAMP SHELBY, Miss., Dec. 12, 2008 – Nearly 100 California National Guardsmen are preparing for a deployment to Kosovo in the spring, where they will serve as the NATO Kosovo Force’s quick-reaction force. Army Capt. Michael Riley, commander of Company C, 1-185th Combined Arms Battalion, and Army Brig. Gen. Keith Jones, assistant deputy adjutant general for California’s Army National Guard, get front-row action as they observe a M2 Bradley fighting vehicle live-fire exercise at Camp Shelby, Miss. The exercise is part of training to ready the 1-185th CAB for a deployment to Kosovo. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Dec. 5, 2008 – Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Nein didn’t have to come back here. He served in Iraq twice before and was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross for his actions as a squad leader under fire. If anyone could have gotten a pass, it was Nein. But he wouldn’t take it. Army Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Nein, who is on his third deployment to Iraq, serves with the Kentucky National Guard's 223rd Military Police Company, at Camp Taji, Iraq. Nein was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions as a squad leader with...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq, Nov. 14, 2008 – The senior noncommissioned officer of the fire effects and coordination cell for the 4th Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team in Multinational Division Baghdad began his mission almost immediately upon arriving at this base in southern Baghdad’s Rashid district in March. Army Master Sgt. Craig Wagner, a forward observer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multinational Division Baghdad, is a veteran of operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and is serving his third combat deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army...

WAR MOM PALIN TAKES HARD LINE By CHARLES HURT Bureau Chief September 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON - Vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin saw her eldest son off to war yesterday as she took a hard line on Russia, Iran and terrorists "hellbent on destroying America and our allies." Asked in her first extended interview since becoming John McCain's running mate if she thinks she's qualified to take over the presidency, Palin replied, "I do." "I have the confidence in that readiness and knowing that you can't blink," she told ABC News. "You have to be wired in a way of being...

In the next few weeks, my wonderful husband, Ron, will be re-deploying back to Iraq with the USAF for his FIFTH time flying the not-so-friendly skies over there. He is a pilot, and volunteered for this redeployment. (He just returned home about a month and a half ago from his last deployment and I'd rather hoped to have him home longer.) Prayers for his preparation, protection, and safe return would be greatly appreciated, as always. (Please consider adding him to any prayer lists or prayer pings, please.) Molly in California

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2008 – The Defense Department has extended by one month the deployments of about 1,250 Marines working as trainers to Afghan security forces, a U.S. Marine Corps official said today. The extension will keep the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment in Afghanistan through late November, according to an Associated Press report that was confirmed by a Marine official. Ongoing discussions in the Pentagon center on providing additional troops to Afghanistan, where commanders have expressed a desire for three more brigade combat teams, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today. “We are working to provide them with...

ABC News' Yunji de Nies reports: President Bush announced this morning that beginning tomorrow, US troop tours in Iraq will be reduced from 15 months to 12 months. "The progress in Iraq has allowed us to continue our policy of return on success," the President said from the Colonnade outside the Oval Office, "We have now brought home all five of the combat brigades and the three Marine units that were sent to Iraq as part of the surge. The last of these surge brigades returned home this month." The President gave a brief status report on the Iraq war,...

WASHINGTON, July 11, 2008 – A company that publishes an annual deployment guide has sped up its schedule to release the 2009 guide this fall. AmeriForce Publishing is changing its production schedule to get the 2009 guide out early because large-scale troop rotations are taking place later this year, Julie Miller, senior sales manager for AmeriForce Publishing, said. “Our servicemembers and their families need all the help we can offer,” she said. “We believe that by providing this publication this fall and updating the topics in the guide to remain current, we are providing the kind of support our...

FORT STEWART, Ga., June 29, 2008 – While most people only read about history, the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division helped to make history during their 15-month deployment to Iraq, the division’s commander said here June 27. Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch had lunch with Savannah and Coastal Georgia new media at Club Stewart here and thanked them for their efforts in telling the division’s story. Lynch expressed his pride in and appreciation for the “Rock of the Marne” soldiers whose dedication and sacrifice helped secure and improve life for the Iraqi people, and he recognized the sacrifices and...

WASHINGTON, June 19, 2008 – The last of the five Army brigades to deploy with the “troop surge” in Iraq will return in July after a 13-month deployment, during which soldiers detained more than 800 terrorist suspects and helped foster Iraqi self-governance. Video The 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team has operated in the Arab Jabour area of southeastern Baghdad, where the number of attacks plummeted from about 30 a week when they arrived in May 2007 to about one a week now. “All in all, it's been a very successful operation for us,” Army Col. Terry Ferrell,...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, May 19, 2008 – “Chief, what the heck are you doing?” Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Christian Smith, a Villa Grove, Ill., native, stands at the open hood of a Humvee at Camp Taji, Iraq, May 16, 2008. Smith is the squadron maintenance technician for 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Task Force 12, Multinational Division Baghdad. He fought for, and won, the opportunity to deploy to Iraq in November despite being diagnosed with multifocal motor neuropathy. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Chris Seaton, Multinational Division Baghdad  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Army...

About 3,500 American soldiers are scheduled to leave Iraq in the coming weeks, the U.S. military announced, part of a plan to reduce the number of troops who were part of last year's "surge" by 20,000. The soldiers, part of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, will redeploy to Fort Benning, Ga., the military said.

WASHINGTON, March 28, 2008 – A rock star is putting a successful music career on hold as he prepares to deploy overseas as a member of the Army Reserve. “I think it’s the pinnacle of life to be able to say, when my country needed me, … I heeded the call,” Sgt. Frank Cavanagh said in an “America Supports You Live” BlogTalkRadio.com interview a week before deploying for training and eventually to Iraq. Cavanagh was the bass player for the band Filter, and he recently participated in a reunion tour in Kuwait with Operation MySpace. Cavanagh left a successful...

FORT BLISS, Texas, March 5, 2008 – As Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno was urging the Army’s return to 12-month deployments, an Army brigade here just back from Iraq was getting word that it’s time to start training for its next combat rotation. Soldiers of 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, who recently returned to Fort Bliss, Texas, after 15 months in Iraq, already are laying plans to return to the field to train up for their next deployment, feasibly as soon as a year away. U.S. Army photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers from the...

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Saturday that a U.S. Navy deployment off the coast of Lebanon threatens security in the region and warned the United States it cannot impose its own solution to the long-running political crisis in Lebanon. "There is a history of American fleet intervention in Lebanon. I think these experiences were not at all useful," al-Moallem said. The planned deployment of at least three warships, announced Thursday, appeared to be aimed at making an American show of strength at a time of increasing international frustration at the volatile political deadlock in Lebanon between...

Russia to deploy 11 new Topol-M ICBMs in 2008 20:33 | 27/ 02/ 2008 MOSCOW, February 27 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) will deploy 11 new silo and mobile-launched Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2008, the SMF commander said on Wednesday. Gen. Nikolai Solovtsov said the weapons would be deployed in the European part of Russia adding, "the SMF will receive 11 up-to-date Topol-M ICBMs in two versions [silo and mobile-launched]." The missile (NATO reporting name SS-27), with a range of about 7,000 miles (11,000 kms), is said to be immune to any current and future U.S....

Earlier this month, I wrote that Nicolas Sarkozy might consider showing some leadership in Europe by bolstering France's combat participation in Afghanistan. Le Monde reported earlier today that Sarkozy has all but committed the troops to the front lines: France may send hundreds of ground troops to east Afghanistan where NATO-led forces are fighting al Qaeda-backed insurgents, Le Monde newspaper reported on Tuesday. It said the move would be part of a new Afghan policy being worked out by President Nicolas Sarkozy and his advisers. France has about 1,900 soldiers under NATO's Afghan command, most of them based in relatively...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2008 – Nearly a third of the 3,200 Marines scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan next month will be stationed in NATO’s southern and western regional commands to train Afghan security forces to face upcoming threats, a top U.S. military official said today. The bulk of the 1,000 outbound Marine trainers will be stationed at Regional Command South, part of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, and a “little bit” of the unit will deploy to Regional Command West, said Army Maj. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander of Combined Joint Task Force 82, based at Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan....

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2008 – Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Emily K. Klinefelter may be a woman and a sailor, but she wants people to know that she has seen combat firsthand and gone through a lot of the same experiences as her brethren in the ground forces. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Emily K. Klinefelter is one of 12 servicemembers touring the country as part of the Defense Department’s “Why We Serve” outreach program, which sends servicemembers who have recently deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan to various community, business and veterans groups to tell their stories. Defense Department...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2008 – When Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chavez volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan, he didn’t really know what he was getting himself into. It ended up being one of the best experiences of his military career. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Ralph Chavez. Defense Department Photo.  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Chavez, a yeoman, or administrative specialist, decided to volunteer for an individual augmentation deployment in 2006 while stationed in California. He said it was important for him to volunteer because he knew soldiers and Marines who were on their second or...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 – The Pentagon’s decision to deploy 3,200 Marines to Afghanistan by spring was intended to reinforce the U.S. commitment there and is not intended as a criticism of the efforts of NATO allies in the region, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. “This deployment of Marines does not reflect dissatisfaction about the military performance in Afghanistan of allied forces from other nations,” Gates said in a briefing at the Pentagon. “It reflects the fact that NATO and U.S. commanders believe they need more troops to take advantage of last year’s military successes, to keep pressure...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2008 – The deployment of 3,200 U.S. Marines to Afghanistan this spring represents a one-time troop movement that partially fulfills a long-time request by NATO commanders for additional forces, a senior Pentagon spokesman said here today. The deployment “does not reflect any new developments on the ground,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell told reporters at a news conference. “It reflects our means and ability to meet what has been a long-standing desire of the commanders there.” About 2,200 Marines from 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C., and about 1,000 troops from 2nd Battalion, 7th...

US to send 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer 25 minutes ago The Pentagon is preparing to send at least 3,000 Marines to Afghanistan in April to bolster efforts to hold off another expected Taliban offensive in the spring, military officials said Wednesday. The move represents a shift in Pentagon thinking that has been slowly developing after months of repeated insistence that the U.S. was not inclined to fill the need for as many as 7,500 more troops that commanders have asked for there. Instead, Defense Secretary Robert Gates pressed NATO allies to contribute the...

ABOARD USS ENTERPRISE (NNS) -- Enterprise Strike Group (ENTSG), led by the strike group commander, Rear Adm. Dan Holloway, returned to its homeport of Norfolk, Dec. 19 after a five-month deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations, Operations Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring Freedom (OEF), Iraqi oil platform protection, anti-piracy operations and the struggle against violent extremists. The more than 5,500 Sailors and Marines aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN 65) traveled approximately 48,646 miles throughout the course of the deployment, doing everything from combat operations to diplomatic relations missions in the 6th and 5th fleet areas of responsibility (AOR). "The...

The Army is prioritizing 37,000 soldiers for assignment to units heading downrange after a records review showed that four in 10 on active duty have never deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan ...But after scrutinizing Army personnel records, Human Resources Command officials in Alexandria, Va., have identified 37,000 soldiers who have yet to deploy and have no reason not to serve in combat. ...Other areas where records indicate never-deployed soldiers tend to work are operations support, particularly in the fields of space operations, foreign area officers, nuclear and counter-proliferation, signal, telecommunication systems engineering, strategic plans and policy, simulation operations and information...

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq, Nov. 20, 2007 – Nearly every time Army Chief Warrant Officer Michael Pruitt flies his Apache in Iraq, his brother, Army Capt. Joseph Pruitt, knows exactly what’s happening to him, good or bad. (Left to right) Capt. Alicia Pruitt; her husband, Capt. Joseph Pruitt; his brother, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Pruitt; and his wife, Capt. Kristi Pruitt, pose for a photo at Camp Striker, Baghdad. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Both brothers’ wives, in turn, also have a finger on the safety and wellbeing of their husbands and brothers-in-law. The four Pruitts...

Soldiers from 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment (The Vikings) have received their campaign medals today, Thursday 15 November 2007, following their return from what was a gruelling six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Just weeks after returning home from the dust and heat the soldiers were honoured in front of proud families and friends. More than 500 soldiers marched onto the parade square at Elizabeth Barracks, in Pirbright, to be awarded their Operation Herrick campaign medals. The soldiers were presented their campaign medals by the Colonel The Royal Anglian Regiment Major General John Sutherell CB CBE DL, assisted by four...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5, 2007 – About 1,000 members of 10th Mountain Division will deploy to Iraq this spring as replacements for troops due to rotate home, Defense Department officials announced today. The division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y., has been alerted of the upcoming deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed today. “It was not a surprise. It was more of a confirmation,” Benjamin Abel, the division’s media relations officer, told American Forces Press Service. Since returning from its last deployment in February and March, the unit has received new troops and conducted collective training,...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 9, 2007 – Defense Department officials announced today that 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, will deploy to Iraq in summer 2008. The deployment of the Fort Hood, Texas, unit is part of the normal rotation of forces, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said. There are about 3,500 soldiers in the brigade. Before deploying to Iraq, the unit will re-flag and become 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division. “This could cause some confusion, because the 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry, is already in Iraq,” Whitman said. That unit, based at Fort Bliss, Texas, is due to redeploy back to the United States...

About 300 Marines and sailors with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment said goodbye to their families, were issued their rifles, loaded up their gear, and left for a seven-month deployment in Iraq on Sunday morning.

FReep This Poll! Here is the actual text of the poll: Should the military ban dual deployment of active-duty married couples who have children? Yes No Not sure Go to the North County Times/The Californian link provided. Scroll down a bit and look for the poll on the right hand side. Vote your choice. This poll should remain active for the next 24 hours (approximately.)

Russia deploys most advanced S-400 missiles around Moscow Moscow, Aug 6 : Russia today deployed the most advanced S-400 air missile defence system, in the town of Elektrostal, about 50 km east of Moscow. The ceremony in Elektrostal was attended by Russian Air Force coammander Col.-Gen. Alexander Zelin and Almaz Research and Production Association general director Igor Ashurbeili. With the deployment of the first battalion, a division of S-400 Triumph and a command post will protect the air of Moscow and its region. The units with S-400 (NATO version SA-21 Growler) and machinery arrived at the place of permanent dislocation...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2007 – New York National Guardsmen will start deploying to Afghanistan late this year, Defense Department officials said today. About 1,700 Guardsmen of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team will relieve South Carolina National Guardsmen of the 218th Brigade Combat Team as the primary trainers of the Afghan National Army. The New York brigade is based in Syracuse. “Thousands of New York Guardsmen have answered the call from serving at Ground Zero when the Twin Towers fell to commanding combat troops in Central Iraq and now to the mountains of Afghanistan,” said Army Lt. Col. Paul Fanning,...