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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...