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NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev., Aug. 28, 2006 -- The U.S. military is capable not only of winning the war on terror, but also of fulfilling its other commitments around the world and dealing with unforeseen circumstances, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a group of sailors and Marines here today. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld takes a picture with a sailor at the conclusion of a town hall meeting at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., Aug. 28. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It would be unfortunate if other countries thought...

FT WAINWRIGHT (Army News Service, Aug. 18, 2006) -- When the extension of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Iraq was announced, the Department of the Army responded by deploying a Tiger Team to Fort Wainwright to begin working Soldier and family issues. The Tiger team got down to business Aug. 4 and worked long hours before leaving last weekend. While at Fort Wainwright, the Tiger Team confronted a variety of issues affecting deployed Soldiers and their families. “This is the top priority of the Army’s leadership,” Col. Dennis Dingle, chief of the DA Tiger Team said. “We are...

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Unions are increasingly courting immigrant day laborers in hopes of reversing a longtime decline in membership and clout. But labor experts say organizing a work force that is mobile and largely undocumented presents enormous logistical challenges and risks of alienating rank-and-file members. "Everyday there are day laborers who walk in and say, 'I want a union,'" said Janice Fine, a labor professor at Rutgers University. "But the road to getting one is almost an impossible journey." The Laborers' International Union announced Thursday that early next year it will begin recruiting day laborers in the construction industry to become full-fledged union...

WASHINGTON, August 2, 2006 – Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld used today, the 16th anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, as an opportunity to assess progress that’s taken place in Iraq and the threat extremists continue to impose on free people. Rumsfeld cited the string of events Saddam provoked in 1990. “Saddam Hussein’s forces invaded Kuwait, provoking a crisis that led to Iraqi attacks on Israel and threats to Saudi Arabia and to other nations in the region,” he told Pentagon reporters. In contrast, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki -- a man Rumsfeld noted spent some 25 years opposing...

Mike Poulos is a man on a mission. When he was hired in mid-2005 as warden of the California Institution for Men, Poulos' marching orders were clear: Fix the prison. So far, he hasn't shied away from the challenge. "This institution has had a really strong transition into a whole new way of doing things," Poulos, 53, said during a tour of the prison in June. "We are changing the culture at CIM." It's a task simply stated, yet breathtakingly difficult. A yearlong investigation by the Daily Bulletin found that decades of mismanagement and indifference have made CIM one of...

CAMP AL ASAD, Iraq (July 24, 2006) -- Iraqi Army officers serving alongside Marines on this U.S. military air base in Al Anbar province are learning how to plan their own missions – a critical step to independent operations for Iraqi Security Forces, according to Marine officials here. Iraqi leadership within the 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division – one of two Iraqi brigades based in the province – are learning how to evaluate intelligence, organize information and conduct well-thought mission-planning briefs. “These guys have to be able to communicate … and support their battalions, and provide command and control...

As there are many Freepers who enjoy puzzles and challenges, have at it! I solved the color change challenge in 49 moves, but I am sure there is a faster way. I changed it from red back to all red in 28 moves, and there also may be a faster way!

WASHINGTON, May 30, 2006 – The Defense Department's latest quarterly report to Congress on progress in Iraq cites continued momentum on the political, economic and security fronts and evidence that those attempting to derail it are failing, senior defense officials told Pentagon reporters today. DoD delivered "Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq" to Congress today. The report, the fourth of its kind, evaluates political stability, economic activity, the security environment, and security force training and performance. The report highlights what Peter Rodman, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, called a major milestone: the formation of Iraq's permanent new...

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2006 – Although progress has been made, the war in Iraq is complex and many challenges are still on the horizon for Iraqi and coalition forces, Iraq's deputy prime minister said today. "We are dealing with a tough war against international terrorism and the remnants of the Saddam (Hussein) regime," Barham Salih said in an interview on CNN's "Late Edition" with Wolf Blitzer. "We're dealing with a difficult, difficult political and security challenge." With widespread sectarian violence and insurgent attacks, an immediate challenge for the country is the selection of a permanent defense minister and interior minister,...

WASHINGTON, May 11, 2006 – The intelligence community has a far more complicated job now, during the global war on terror, than ever before, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said yesterday on the "Brian and the Judge Show" on Fox News Radio. Rumsfeld told interviewers Brian Kilmeade and Andrew Napolitano that threats faced in the 21st century pose tremendous challenges for intelligence professionals. Gone are the days when the United States faced a superpower enemy and tracked big armies, navies and air forces around the world. "We're worried about non-state actors getting their hands on & increasingly lethal weapons (and)...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (May 2, 2006) – Improved trust and cooperation between Iraqis, the new Iraqi government and Coalition forces continue to move forward despite anti-Iraqi forces’ efforts to stall progress here. During a press conference at Forward Operating Base Prosperity April 29, Ridha Jawad Taqi, a key leader of the Iraqi National Parliament and a spokesman for the United Iraqi Alliance, highlighted the recent successes of the new Iraqi government. . Taqi, a member of the national parliament’s Council of Representatives, addressed the people of Iraq recognizing the achievements of the newly elected permanent Iraqi government. “We accomplished a huge...

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, May 1, 2006) – The Iraqi National Security Agency hosted a command and control seminar April 26 and 27 to examine the processes used by the Iraqi government and Coalition forces when responding to Iraqi security threats. Iraqi National Security Advisor Dr. Muwafaq al-Rubaie and U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld attended the seminar. "This seminar demonstrates the importance of the appropriate command and control procedures as the Iraqi security forces assume more responsibility, and our gathering demonstrates a sense of great progress," Rumsfeld said. "This country has every opportunity to succeed and a lot...

WASHINGTON, April 28, 2006 – Training Iraqi police forces is the most important job in Iraq today, but it is also the most difficult, a senior military police officer involved in that training said today. "Our goal in theater is to have 135,000 trained and resourced Iraqi police officers working on the streets within the 18 provinces by the end of the year," Army Col. Rod Barham, commander of 49th Military Police Brigade, said from Baghdad in a satellite news conference with reporters in the Pentagon. The 49th, a California National Guard unit, is responsible for training police at the...

WASHINGTON, April 21, 2006 – The Army Reserve is no longer simply a force in reserve, but a vital part of the country's defense that's making big changes to meet its current and future challenges, the commander of U.S. Army Reserve Command said here today. Army Lt. Gen. James R. Helmly, commander of U.S. Army Reserve Command, foreground, and (from left) Army Reserve Command Sgt. Maj. Michele Jones and Amy Reserve Sgt. 1st Class Juanita Wilson cut a ceremonial birthday cake April 21 commemorating the Army Reserve's 98th birthday. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas, April 4, 2006 – Deployed to Afghanistan for a year, Army Lt. Col. Timothy Newcomer will miss his son's prom, high school graduation and, a few months later, his departure to college. Army Sgt. 1st Class Eddie Mitchell shares a few minutes with his 6-year-old son, Desmond, April 4 at Desmond's school. Photo by Elaine Wilson  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. But his son, Matt, is not upset in the least. "He loves to be a soldier, and if it makes him happy, it makes me happy," said Matt, a high school senior. "How...

NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba, March 31, 2006 – Navy Cmdr. Catie Hanft knows she asks a lot of the sailors and soldiers she commands. They work 12- to-14 hour shifts in intense heat, dealing with a difficult group of people from a culture foreign to them, all the while knowing their work is under international scrutiny. Navy Cmdr. Catie Hanft, deputy commander of the Joint Detention Group and commander of the Navy Expeditionary Guard Battalion at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, stands in a display of a typical compliant detainee cell at Camp Delta, Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, March 30....

WASHINGTON, March 21, 2006 – The best way for the American people to promote freedom and liberty around the world is to stand behind the U.S. armed forces, President Bush told a group yesterday at the City Club of Cleveland. Bush said it's his responsibility as president to ensure the public understands why the United States is waging the war on terror and why it's important to stay the course. "And so I will continue making the case. ... But the best way you can help is to support our troops," he told a questioner in the audience at the...

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2006 – Nearly three years into Operation Iraqi Freedom, it's fair for people to ask why the United States should see the mission through, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today. In a Pentagon news briefing, Rumsfeld acknowledged Iraq is facing "a very difficult situation." Similar questions were raised in the past when the country confronted tough challenges, he said. And just as past generations endured tough times, so too must Americans today in Iraq. "Consider what the world would be like if, whenever things seem to go wrong or to have grown more difficult than expected,...

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2006 – Funding and public opinion are two major challenges the United States faces in fighting the global war on terrorism, a top defense official said here yesterday. One of the biggest challenges may be budgetary, said Thomas W. O'Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. "Resources are restrained," he said at the 17th Annual National Defense Industrial Association Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Symposium and Exhibition. "I guarantee that if we had unlimited resources we'd be able to make a heck of a lot more progress than we're making now." Special operations...