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     Black Watch Battle Group redeployment    Troops from the Black Watch Battle Group began redeploying to a new area of operations within Multi-National Force (West) on 27 October 2004. As well as armoured infantry from the 1st Battalion The Black Watch, the battle group includes an armoured reconnaissance capability provided by B Squadron, Queen's Dragoon Guards, elements of 40 Commando Royal Marines, and supporting specialists from across the Army, including the Royal Engineers, Royal Logistic Corps, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, and Royal Military Police. The road move was supported by vehicle transporters from the US Army's 2123rd Transport Company.The...

U.S. Envoy Praises Japan's Support for Terror War By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2004 -- The top U.S. envoy for arms control called Japan's support for the war on terror, including its decision to extend logistical support for the coalition in Afghanistan and its hosting of a counter- proliferation exercise, a testament to the strong bilateral security alliance between the United States and Japan. John R. Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, praised Japan's "courageous step to send troops to Iraq to help rebuild a society shattered by decades of Saddam's...

Global Posture Part and Parcel of Transformation By Jim GaramoneAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2004 -- The global posture of American troops is part and parcel of the transformation of the U.S. military, said the Joint Staff's deputy director for strategy and policy. Navy Rear Adm. Richard Hunt said a global readjustment of American forces is overdue and, with other changes, will increase U.S. military capabilities with fewer forces. The global posture changes will allow the president to reposition forces more quickly, and this could allow the forces to deter problems before they escalate to conflict or...

Airmen Train With NATO Allies By Capt. Nicholas J. Sabula, USAF Special to American Forces Press Service POCEK, Slovenia, Oct. 8, 2004 -- Airmen from Aviano Air Base, Italy, joined forces with troops from one of NATO's newest member nations Oct. 4-7 to improve the way they rescue downed pilots. U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. James Davis, left, goes over the use of a global positioning system with Slovenian Lt. Roskar Zelko, middle, and Maj. Ales Stimec during combat-search-and-rescue training in Pocek, Slovenia, Oct. 5. Davis is a survival, escape, resistance and evasion instructor assigned to Aviano Air Base,...

Wolfowitz Praises Poland's Emergence as NATO Leader By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WARSAW, Poland, Oct. 5, 2004 – Though it's among NATO's newest members, Poland already has emerged as one of the alliance's leading nations, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said here today. In remarks at Warsaw University, Wolfowitz said Poland has "quickly moved from being a new member of NATO to being an important NATO leader, a tribute to the courage and commitment that we Americans have long admired about our Polish friends." The Polish people have fought bravely for freedom – their own and that...

International Support Gaining in Iraq, Rice Says By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2004 -- The key to winning the war in Iraq is to support the Iraqis as they take on responsibility for their own future, and the international community is increasingly doing just that, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice said today. Rice told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" talk show this morning that the international community is stepping up to the plate to be a part of "an opportunity to build a different kind of Iraq as a lynchpin for a much different...

  Park Repubic of Korea Assumes Operational Authority from Multi-National Brigade Northwest Mosul, Iraq – More than 2,500 Republic of Korea (ROK), Zaytun Division Soldiers assumed safety, stability and civil/military operations in the northeastern province of Irbil on October 1. Authority was transferred from Soldiers of Multi-National Brigade Northwest (MNB-NW) in Mosul to the ROK during an official ceremony held on the ROK compound in Irbil. “The arrival of Soldiers from the Republic of Korea into this great nation demonstrates the strong partnership between Iraq, Korea and the Coalition Forces,” said Maj. Gen. Andrew Farquhar, Deputy Commanding General of...

 Public Affairs Sep. 20, 2004 Immediate Response ’04 kicks off in Poland Americans, Polish Soldiers train side-by-side, exercise gets underway with airborne assaultStory and photos by Sgt. Adrian Schulte, SETAF Public Affairs Opposition Forces from 1/4 Infantry, Lancer Platoon, practice in the Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) site outside Sulecin, Poland during Immediate Response ’04. These troops will be used against the 173d Airborne Brigade and 6th Polish Airborne Brigade paratroopers who will jump into Poland Monday. The Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) site outside Sulecin, Poland provides a realistic training environment. These Opposing Force Soldiers will engage the 173d...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 September 17, 2004Release Number: 04-09-54 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND PARTICIPATES IN EXERCISE REGIONAL COOPERATION 04 TAMPA, Florida – Regional Cooperation 04 (RC 04), a Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff sponsored, U.S. Central Command executed, regional exercise for the south and central Asian states (SCAS), was held at the Warrior Preparation Center, Einseidlerhof, Germany, 8-18 Sept. Delegates, senior military officers, embassy and state department personnel from USCENTCOM, Massachusetts Army National Guard, and the countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan,...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 September 16, 2004Release Number: 04-09-52 IRAQI SECURITY, MNF-I FORCES UNCOVER ILLEGAL WEAPONS CAMP BABYLON, Iraq – Iraqi National Guard, Iraqi Police and Multi-National forces from the Multi-National Division Central South area of Karbala, conducted a search for illegal weapons and ammunition Sept.16 in the town of Nahr Wand. Polish, Bulgarian and Iraqi National Guard soldiers launched the search to help prevent anti-Iraqi force attacks in the area and to secure stability for Iraqi people in the Karbala Province. As a...

DCG of MNC-I Visits Cooke for Macedonian Independence Sept. 13, 2004 By Sgt. Merrion LaSonde, 122nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment TAJI, Iraq—The Republic of Macedonia celebrated its 13th year of Independence on Sept. 8. To commemorate the occasion, Italian Maj. Gen Armando Novelli, deputy commanding general, Multi-National Corps-Iraq, visited the Macedonian Soldiers stationed at Camp Cooke in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “I was invited by Capt. [Dragan] Stevoski, the Macedonian Senior National Representative, to the Anniversary of the Macedonian Independence Day, which occurred on 8 September 1991,” said Novelli. “As the MNC-I [DCG] for the Coalition, it is...

   Aussie serves with Stryker Brigade as a sniperBy Sgt. Fred Minnick Tall Afar, Iraq – In 2001, Spc. John Shore, 20, went to his hometown army recruiting station in Sydney, Australia, and requested a position in an Australian army combat arms unit. The recruiter told Shore that only combat support slots were available, but Shore didn’t want to serve as an administrative specialist or a cook. He desired a life jam-packed with adventure and danger. He knew he wanted to be an infantry soldier. Although he grew up in Australia, Shore had always held a dual citizenship because...

NEWS RELEASEHEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND7115 South Boundary BoulevardMacDill AFB, Fla. 33621-5101Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894 August 18, 2004Release Number: 04-08-53 GENERAL LAUDS EFFORTS OF BRAVE IRAQI LEADERS BAGHDAD - Like a rising tide, brave Iraqi leaders are emerging to strengthen their citizens as they rebuild their country and counter the shrill cries of negativism from Muqtada al-Sadr, his militia and other insurgent groups. This assessment is from a senior military leader who as a young man lived in Iraq during the mid '70s when his father served here as the British ambassador just before Saddam's...

NATO Makes Key Decisions on Iraq, Afghanistan By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service ISTANBUL, Turkey, June 28, 2004 — "It's been a very good day" was Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's response today as NATO leaders here agreed to support the Iraqi government's request for help in training its security and police forces. The agreement came just as the Coalition Provisional Authority transferred sovereignty to the Iraqis in Baghdad two days earlier than scheduled. Rumsfeld issued his upbeat response as the 26 heads of state and government participating in the NATO Istanbul Summit here declared "full support" for the...

Occupation Ends; Iraqis Take Charge of Country's Fate By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 28, 2004 – Sovereignty in Iraq passed from the Coalition Provisional Authority to the interim Iraqi government this morning, two days ahead of schedule. In a 10-minute ceremony inside the heavily fortified "Green Zone" where coalition headquarters is located in Baghdad, CPA administrator Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III read a letter he had signed which dissolved the CPA. "As recognized in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1546, the Coalition Provisional Authority will cease to exist on June 28, at which point the occupation...

Rice Expects Europe, NATO to Support Iraq By John D. BanusiewiczAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 27, 2004 – Europe and NATO are ready to help the new Iraqi government, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said today in Ankara, Turkey. Rice, in Turkey to attend the NATO Istanbul Summit, told Brit Hume on "Fox News Sunday" that United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, passed at U.S. urging on June 8, has been helpful. "We have been getting a very favorable reaction from European nations, all saying that with the U.N. Security Council resolution, it's time for everybody to pull...

Rumsfeld Thanks Moldova For Support in Terror War By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service CHISINAU, Moldova, June 26, 2004 — Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today became the highest-level U.S. official to visit Moldova, thanking members of this former Soviet state for their support for Operation Iraqi Freedom and encouraging continued participation in the Partnership for Peace program. Rumsfeld made a brief stop here today en route to the NATO Istanbul Summit to praise Moldova, the poorest nation in Europe, and to thank President Vladimir Voronin and the Moldovan people for their role in maintaining stability in the region....

  Marines prepare Mongolians for Iraqi peacekeeping dutiesSubmitted by: MCB Camp ButlerStory Identification #: 2004691011Story by Pfc. T. J. Kaemmerer FIVE HILLS, Mongolia -- A small cadre of Marine military policemen participating in Khaan Quest ’04 here May 20 taught Mongolian service members of the 150th Peacekeeping Battalion how to use nonlethal submission techniques during a bilateral interoperability exercise between 58 Okinawa-based U.S. Marines and the Mongolian Armed Forces. Exercise Khaan Quest is in its second year and focuses on developing U.S. Marine-Mongolian Armed Forces leadership skills and peacekeeping interoperability, as well as fostering goodwill to establish a foundation...

               Soldiers Use New Explosive Detection Equipment BAGHDAD, Iraq - Coalition forces are using a new hand-carried device called Vapor Tracer 2 that detects and identifies vapors and particles produced by numerous forms of explosives and narcotics. Vapor Tracer 2 uses an atmospheric sampling technique that is extremely sensitive and fast. Its average detection time is four to 10 seconds per sample. The Vapor Tracer 2 is being used at all of the checkpoints around the green zone to help make them more secure. Soldiers from Troop F, 9th Cavalry Regiment, used the Vapor...

American, Korean engineers ‘cement’ friendship by Master Sgt. Jeff Szczechowski455th Expeditionary Operations Group Pubic Affairs 5/28/2004 - BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- Two old friends got together on the flightline here recently, and the result is an expanded strategic airlift ramp that will significantly enhance current operations. It will also serve as a key enabler for a major airfield military construction, refurbishment and replacement project that will begin soon. The 455th Expeditionary Operations Group’s civil engineer flight Airmen and the South Korean army’s 100th Korean Engineer Corps soldiers worked on a project that increased parking space for wide-body aircraft and provided them...