WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2007 – After traveling with Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen during Mullen’s first visit to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Joint Staff’s operations director said today that he was struck by “noticeable” security improvements throughout the theater. Army Lt. Gen. Carter F. Ham told Pentagon reporters the troop surge in Iraq that began in the spring is “having the intended effect” of better security. “That's not to say that there’s not still significant work required; there is,” Ham said. But he reported that throughout his travels with Mullen earlier...