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PURDY, Wash. -- A student presenting an essay at Peninsula High School in Purdy on Tuesday morning took out a marijuana joint, lit it, and began smoking it, police said. Read the essay here. See cell phone video. According to Pierce County sheriff's detective Ed Troyer, the student smoked the joint during his essay supporting the legalization of marijuana. He then finished his essay, sat down, finished smoking the joint and then ate the end after it was fully smoked. The teacher of the class contacted the school resources officer, a Pierce County sheriff's deputy, who found a small residual...

Federal officials said this morning they have indicted an Afghan national for lying about his alleged ties to terrorists in a bid to fraudulently obtain a U.S. passport. Ahmadullah Sais Niazi, 34, who was arrested without incident this morning at his Tustin residence by members of the joint terrorism task force, was named in a five-count indictment returned Feb. 11 by a federal grand jury. The indictment, unsealed this morning, alleges Niazi hid associations with “Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” groups including Al Qaeda, Hizb-i-Islami and the Taliban, when he

BAGHDAD, Oct. 22, 2008 – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working with Iraqi officials to shore up construction on new piers and a seawall in Iraq’s southern province of Basra in the first Foreign Military Sales project for USACE in Iraq. With construction scheduled to begin at the end of the year at Umm Qasr, leaders from the Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division and the Iraqi navy and Defense Ministry, along with contractors and support staff, met Oct. 16 to discuss the new conceptual design for the project. Foreign Military Sales is a program that allows the...

ASRA — Operation Charge of the Knights, a joint operation involving UK Soldiers and the Iraqi Army, which aims to restore order and improve security in Basra, is making further progress. The Iraqi Army continues to demonstrate its commitment to improving the security situation in the city, carrying out a number of vehicle check points in recent days. Inspections were carried out on a number of vehicles which were going in and out of the city. In addition, numerous house searches were carried out, leading to multiple arrests of suspected militants. 140 rounds of 150mm High Explosive shells were also...

6/17/2008 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- The home of the Air Force's only wing in Iraq and the Army's logistical headquarters for supplies and shipments in the country has been renamed to reflect the dual nature of the base. Joint Base Balad is the new name for what used to be called Balad Air Base by the Air Force and Logistics Support Area Anaconda by the Army. The new name went into effect at midnight June 15 to coincide with the transfer of base support functions from the Army to the Air Force under the Base Operating Support...

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 17, 2008 – The U.S. military now incorporates a joint-force strategy to combat enemies who practice unconventional warfare around the globe, a senior officer said today at the kickoff of the 2008 Joint Warfighting Conference. The success of Operation Desert Shield, a joint military effort that forced Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait in 1991, convinced America’s enemies that unconventional, or asymmetrical, warfare was the best way to confront U.S. forces, Army Lt. Gen. John R. Wood, deputy commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, told conference attendees. “We have a strategy; it is joint,” Wood said. “In...

Speaking to reporters on his plane before leaving San Antonio for Chicago, Sen. Barack Obama hinted at taking a tougher line against Clinton in the coming weeks, telling reporters that she must back up her experience argument with details, my colleague Carrie Budoff Brown reports.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq, Feb. 22, 2008 – Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, conducted an operation with Iraqi National Police officers Feb. 18, supporting the Iraqi Civil Conservation Force and the “Sons of Iraq” citizen security group in Tameem, a small village southeast of Baghdad. Members of the Iraqi Civil Conservation Force remove trash from the streets of Tameem, a small village southeast of Baghdad, Feb. 18, 2008. They worked with soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division’s Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, as well as with a Sons...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 28, 2008 – A top Air Force officer here praised the joint-service effort that has made Operation Marne Thunderbolt successful. Air Force Maj. Gen. David M. Edgington speaks with reporters in Baghdad after a press luncheon covering Operation Marne Thunderbolt, Jan. 27, 2008. Edgington is the forward coordination element between the Combined Forces Air Component and Multinational Force Iraq. Photo by Master Sgt. Andy Dunaway, USAF   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon and B-1B Lancer crews, Navy F/A-18 Hornet pilots, Army 3rd Infantry Division soldiers and Iraqi forces integrated with Army...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 16, 2007 – As Iraqi security forces become increasingly capable in the counterinsurgency fight, their leaders are looking to the future, too, and striving to build long-term institutional capabilities, a U.S. military officer supporting that effort told online journalists today. Navy Capt. David Pine, chief of staff for the Joint Headquarters Transition Team, said Iraq’s defense and military leaders recognize the importance of developing institutional capacity so their forces can sustain themselves in accordance with their national military strategy. The Joint Headquarters Transition Team, part of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, is providing advice, support and mentorship to...

CAMP ECHO — Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Division-Central South Brigade Combat Team conducted a successful military operation in the Al Izza district of Al Kut city Wednesday. ISF and Coalition troops dubbed the Operation Viper’s Bite. The operation, which involved close air support, resulted in the detainment of 13 people suspected of insurgent activities. Three of them are on the most wanted persons list in Wasit province. The rest of the detainees were handed over to the Iraqi Police. The joint forces seized machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, 122 mm artillery shells and approximately 1500 rounds of small caliber...

The head of Russia's space agency Sunday said the US has rebuffed an offer from Moscow to jointly explore the moon, while announcing a separate contract with NASA for nearly one billion dollars for the International Space Station. Roskosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency that Russia had proposed pooling resources to explore the moon. "We were ready to cooperate but for unknown reasons, the United States have said they will undertake this programme themselves," he said. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in December said it envisaged setting up a manned base,...

Joint Missions Tricky Affairs in Iraq Wednesday March 7, 2007 11:16 PM By RYAN LENZ Associated Press Writer BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - U.S. soldiers paced around their new outpost in Sadr City, checking their watches, drinking coffee and waiting for their Iraqi partners. They finally rolled up more than two hours late. It was supposed to be a seamless display of Iraqi and American cooperation in the urban fiefdom of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia. What it became, however, was a wrangle of competing commanders, bruised egos and conflicting priorities. The troubles in launching just one joint mission late Tuesday...

FOB QWEST — Many Iraqi troops can expect to close with the enemy in an urban environment or other close-quarters situations. Realizing this, U.S. Soldiers have joined Iraqi troops to conduct joint training that also includes marksmanship and other war-fighting skills. The 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, assisted the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division in the joint training effort starting Feb.1. The two elements came together for a three-day BRM course and close-quarter battle drills training, said 1st Sgt. Jon Rettmann, top enlisted member of A Battery, 5-82 FA....

New security center brings all elements of the American and Iraqi security together in one location. By Spc. Alexis Harrison 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Public Affairs BAGHDAD, Feb. 6, 2007 — Two days before its grand opening celebration, the Joint Security Station was already a functional epicenter for security operations in one of the most dangerous parts of the capital. Al Doura continues to be a focus for coalition forces trying to maintain a peace in the neighborhood. The 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, has been manning...

Iraqi National Guard Soldiers stack up prior to entering a house during a cordon and search operation. Photo by U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Mike Buytas. BAQUBAH -- Inside the room sat one representative each from the Iraqi Police, Iraqi Army and Coalition Force, surrounded by maps and the busy sounds of radios chirping and voices issuing reports. The three men conversed about problems Diyala province faces and how each of their forces could help. This joint operations center is the hub for the three forces to coordinate and combine efforts to combat the insurgency and bring peace to the...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 12, 2006 -- With the first flight of the Joint Strike Fighter set for this week, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia have “re-enlisted” for the program. Canada signed on for the project’s production, sustainment and follow-on development phase during a Pentagon ceremony here yesterday. Australia signed on today as part of the U.S.-Australia ministerial meetings at the State Department, and the United Kingdom signed at a Pentagon ceremony today. The Joint Strike Fighter is the Defense Department’s program for a “multi-role” stealth air-to-ground strike aircraft. The Navy, Air Force, Marines and allies are developing the system...

WASHINGTON - The first thing the new, Democratic-led Senate will do next year is meet in a closed "bipartisan caucus" to help set a more pleasant tone than the relentless backbiting of the Congress now heading home, party leaders said Friday. Far from lawmakers conducting business in secret — as open-government advocates warn — the meeting would serve only to sweep away grudges and smooth the way for more action, the leaders said. "We won't always agree but can sit down, side by side, and forge consensus on the issues important to the American people," incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid...

Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, accompanied Iraqi National Police from the 6th Brigade, 2nd National Police Division, during security operations in Doura. Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs. BAGHDAD -- A loud knock on the door breaks the silence of the mosque and grabs the attention of its occupants. A representative of the local imam, his family members and associates standing behind him, greet the Iraqi National Policemen standing at their door. After a brief introduction, the police officers from 6th Battalion, 2nd National Police Division file into the...

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Army Soldiers conducted a successful operation aimed at reducing violence in the capital this week. The operation came just one day after Coalition Forces and Iraqi counterparts thwarted multi-vehicle suicide attack in the International Zone. During the early-morning raid Oct. 1 in Northeast Sadr City, specially-trained Iraqi Army forces, with Coalition advisers, established a security cordon and quickly gained entry to multiple locations. They were looking for a suspect allegedly involved in the kidnapping, torture and murder of innocent Iraqis. Iraqi forces quickly detained four persons of interest without incident or injury to them or the 14...