WASHINGTON - As the nation observes the 73rd anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the Defense Department honors the men and women who sacrificed their lives, and those who fought to preserve the nation's freedom.

WASHINGTON - Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Jessica L. Garfola Wright will step down from her position effective March 31, 2015, Defense Department officials announced.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama named Ashton B. Carter, who previously served as deputy defense secretary, as his choice to become the 25th secretary of defense.

JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. - Every year around the holidays, some families experience added stress. Maybe because of visiting relatives, finding the last gift, or cooking for dozens. But for some on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, one stress that is avoided is the buying of a Christmas tree.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama announced his selection of Ashton B. Carter to be the next defense secretary following the resignation of Chuck Hagel, who will remain in office until the U.S. Senate confirms a successor. Carter served as deputy defense secretary from October 2011 to December 2013, and served as undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics before that.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s top information management professionals received senior-level recognition for their expertise at the 2014 DoD Chief Information Officer Award ceremony.

WASHINGTON - Despite a decrease in sexual assaults in the military, the Defense Department is not satisfied with the current progress, the director of the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office said.

WASHINGTON - Budget, benefits and operations dominated Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey’s fourth Facebook Town Hall.

WASHINGTON - Aggressive efforts to prevent sexual assault in the military are having an impact based on survey data that shows a drop in prevalence of 25 percent, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said, adding that more work remains to be done to eliminate the problem.

WASHINGTON - The military has made progress in combating sexual assault in the ranks, but there is still much work to do, Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a Facebook Town Hall.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Transportation Command has developed a module-system capability to evacuate patients with infectious diseases such as Ebola, Transcom’s commander said.

WASHINGTON - “Demand signals” on the U.S. Transportation Command have not decreased with the change in mission in Afghanistan, Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva told the Defense Writers’ Group here.

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - For Lilly Bradley, the thought of children not having presents to open on Christmas morning was a sad reality that she wanted to change for at least a few youngsters.

WASHINGTON - Service members, veterans, wounded warriors and their families were among the first to see this year’s White House holiday decorations, centering around the theme, “A Children’s Winter Wonderland.”

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military commander for Africa said that U.S. troops deployed to West Africa to help stop the spread of the deadly disease could soon shift their focus to other countries if needed or begin to come home.

WASHINGTON - The vice president’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, hosted a holiday celebration at the vice president’s residence in honor of service members, veterans and their families. Guests included senior military spouses, guests from the Naval Observatory, Camp David, Full Circle Home and military families.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. - Dr. Jill Biden made a surprise appearance at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial to commend companies who have hired more than 65,000 military spouses since Joining Forces launched in 2011.

ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, Va. - Through Joining Forces, an initiative offering employment, educational and wellness resources to military families, Pentagon officials inducted 38 organizations into the Military Spouse Employment Partnership in a ceremony at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial here

TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria using fighter and bomber aircraft to conduct 14 airstrikes, U.S. Central Command officials reported.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Marine Corps Cpl. James Hibler, a UH-1Y Huey helicopter crew chief, enlisted in the Marines to help secure his future.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department seeks technology and innovative ideas as part of its Long Range Research Development Plan within the Defense Innovation Initiative, a senior DoD official said.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work held discussions with members of the Council of Governors regarding the Fiscal Year 2016 budget and other fiscal initiatives, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters.

WASHINGTON - Afghan security forces will be ready to take over the job of securing their country come Jan. 1, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

WASHINGTON - Among the latest in the key administration post announcements, the nominee for assistant secretary of defense for logistics and materiel readiness reported to Congress that absent superior logistics, there is little chance of long-term success.

WASHINGTON - The nominee to become the next commander of U.S. Pacific Command told Congress that North Korea is the most volatile and dangerous threat in the Asia-Pacific region.

WASHINGTON - If confirmed as the next assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, Elissa Slotkin told a Senate panel that she’d develop U.S. policies and partnerships to address security challenges in an increasingly complex world.

WASHINGTON - The nominee for assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee that what happens at the Pentagon “is all about how to better support the men and women that make up our armed forces.”

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY - Marines and sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island celebrated Thanksgiving at sea.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of missing World War II servicemen have been accounted for and are being returned to their families for burial with full military honors, according to a DoD news release.

TAMPA, Fla. - U.S. military forces continued airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Syria and Iraq.

WASHINGTON - All four active services met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal year 2015 through October, DoD officials announced.

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - The North American Aerospace Defense Command’s NORAD Tracks Santa website, http://www.noradsanta.org, has launched featuring a mobile version, a holiday countdown, new games and daily activities and more.

WASHINGTON - Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, to spend Thanksgiving with deployed service members.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work personally thanked U.S. service members for their contributions to the mission in Afghanistan during his recent visit there.