WASHINGTON - The North American Aerospace Defense Command ordered four fighter jets to escort a civilian aircraft with suspicious cargo.

WASHINGTON - Experts noted significant progress in the efforts of the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments to help troops, veterans and their families affected by post-traumatic stress disorder.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the members of U.S. Joint Forces Command for their efforts on behalf of the nation’s warfighters while urging them to maintain that focus going forward.

WASHINGTON - Veterans and troops involuntarily retained in the military under the so-called “Stop Loss” program have until Dec. 3 to apply for special pay.

WASHINGTON - As Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno assumed command of Joint Forces Command, which is slated to close next year, he acknowledged the heavy responsibility before him as the organization transforms and transfers functions.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces killed nearly two dozen enemy fighters and captured at least one Taliban leader in southeastern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called post-traumatic stress disorder the "military health issue of our era" in remarks before the Pentagon premiere of the HBO documentary “Wartorn, 1861-2010.”

WASHINGTON - A panel of senior Army logisticians praised advances they’ve seen in the field while stressing the need to retrain the force in military property management.

MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. - In 2009, Air Force Staff Sgt. Michelle Rose was one point from a failing fitness score. But she transformed herself into a fitness success by training six days a week.

WASHINGTON - The concept of cyberwar may sound like a plot from a bad sci-fi movie 20 years ago, but it's a reality in which the Air Force leads the fight.

NAWA, Afghanistan - Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III toured Nawa, in Afghanistan's Helmand River Valley, and found great reason for hope in the future of the rest of the country.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department officials announced recipients of this year’s DOD Chief Information Officer awards - the Pentagon's highest achievement in information management and information technology.

WASHINGTON - The Army’s Surface Deployment and Distribution Command has moved to Illinois to better integrate with the U.S. Transportation Command in an historic undertaking of moving equipment and supplies between war theaters.

WASHINGTON - Elders in Kandahar are returning home and could support stability there years after being forced from their homeland by the Taliban.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military has delivered more than 20 million pounds of relief supplies to flood-stricken areas of Pakistan.

WASHINGTON - Army leaders are committed to expanding programs to support the families of the military fallen, said Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr., who has been inspired to help other survivors because his own father died in combat.

WASHINGTON - A motorcycle group still attends military funerals as a show of support, undeterred by recent controversy over the rights of protestors at such events.

WASHINGTON - NATO officials are investigating whether a coalition air strike over Afghanistan’s Khost province killed a senior Haqqani Network terrorist leader.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Army Sgt. Jason Hudgins, a Delaware National Guardsman, serves in Afghanistan with his father, Army Spc. Dale Hudgins, and still goes to him for advice.

WASHINGTON - A free smart phone mobile application that will help servicemembers, veterans and family members track their emotional health is now available.

WASHINGTON - The public was never endangered when launch control center lost communication with ballistic missiles Oct. 23, said a Global Strike Command spokesman.

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff outlined the costs of nearly a decade of war, including the emotional toll on soldiers and families, and warned that the military must put pyschological fitness on par with physical fitness.

WASHINGTON - The upcoming annual Yudh Abhyas exercise in Alaska between the U.S. and Indian armies is designed to improve bilateral readiness and show America's commitment to South Asia and the Asia-Pacific region.

WASHINGTON - In the last 10 months, NATO has trained more than 20,000 coalition personnel in counterinsurgency skills, including about 14,000 from the Afghan forces.

WASHINGTON - Leaders in Afghanistan are working with the country’s security forces and NATO trainers and advisors to develop noncommissioned officers.

WASHINGTON - NATO and Afghan forces plan to capitalize on the momentum in Helmand province as they battle the Taliban.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Army has issued two new energy policies: one that improves high-performance green buildings standards for the Army and another that improves the energy efficiency of lighting.

WASHINGTON - A new Defense Department website gives military service equal billing with colleges and careers for people ages 16 to 24 who are exploring options for their futures.

WASHINGTON - A security force targeting the head of a Taliban district commission killed multiple insurgents during an intelligence-driven overnight operation.

WASHINGTON - Parents’ deployments affect military children not only on an emotional level, but also on an academic level, an Army study has revealed.

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - Air Force Capt. Carrie Zederkof completed, without injury, one of the hardest endurance competitions: a 155-mile foot race through the Sahara Desert.

WASHINGTON - Afghans living in the province of Helmand, once wary of police and other leaders, now are beginning to take ownership of their security.

WASHINGTON - FBI officials are opening an investigation into three shootings in Northern Virginia targeting the Pentagon and two Marine Corps sites.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Haqqani network leader who handled the command and control of insurgent attacks during an overnight operation in Afghanistan’s Paktiya province, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - When David Condino began working with the U.S. Coast Guard, he had little idea that he would tackle some of the most important maritime environmental issues.

WASHINGTON - The needs and concerns of military spouses, whose sacrifices benefit the nation, should be of concern to all Americans, First Lady Michelle Obama said at the 2010 Womens Conference.

BAGHDAD - It’s a time of transitions in Iraq, and Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III is visiting the country to make sure all of the transitions are on track.

WASHINGTON - Military families voiced concerns ranging from mental health care to child care to the people able to initiate change at the Association of the U.S. Army Annual Meeting.

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in South Korea said he believes the next in a series of U.S.-South Korean exercises designed to improve readiness and send a deterrent message to North Korea will proceed soon.

WASHINGTON - Coalition forces’ counterinsurgency strategy is working but the approach needs time to build on the past year’s gains.

WASHINGTON - A former al-Qaida fighter in Afghanistan has pleaded guilty to multiple charges for his role in a battle with coalition troops in Afghanistan in 2002.

WASHINGTON - The National Guard and Reserves are making a vital contribution in Africa, said Army Gen. William E. “Kip” Ward, commander of U.S. Africa Command.

WASHINGTON - Army Secretary John McHugh pledged not to cut funds used to manage his service's family programs as the Army finds ways to reduce its budget.

BAGHDAD - Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III arrived in Baghdad for meetings with American officials and to visit a U.S. "advise and assist" brigade.

WASHINGTON - Despite WikiLeaks’ attempt to redact the names of Iraqi informants from its recent leak of classified military reports, some of those people are still in danger.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and NATO troops killed 15 insurgents and detained several suspects during a joint operation that targeted a senior Taliban leader.

HOUSTON - Learning how to parent as a couple again after one has been deployed is tackled in the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program couples seminars.

HOUSTON - Soldiers learn how to not isolate themselves and speak without using military jargon as part of the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

HOUSTON - The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program is an asset for soldiers in the Texas Army National Guard, according to Col. Mark Campsey, commander of the 72nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

NORFOLK NAVAL STATION, Va. - The U.S. Navy conducted a demonstration featuring an experimental riverine command boat, which uses an alternative fuel blend of 50 percent algae-based and 50 percent NATO F-76 fuel oil.

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan - Disc jockey Bob Bullion, known today as DJ Bob, has worked the airwaves on Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, since 1990, when he retired from the Marine Corps.

WASHINGTON - The Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program has eased the post-deployment process for thousands of Guard and Reserve members and their families.

WASHINGTON - WikiLeaks full public release on its website of 400,000 classified military documents from Iraq war operations is “shameful,” the Pentagon press secretary said.

WASHINGTON - Army officials reported 18 suspected suicides among soldiers in September, compared to 13 in August.

WASHINGTON - Gen. James F. Amos received the battle flag of the U.S. Marine Corps from Gen. James T. Conway to become the corps' 35th commandant. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised both for their military careers.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is preparing for an additional publication by WikiLeaks of classified military documents from Iraq operations.

WASHINGTON - NATO’s International Security Assistance Force condemned an insurgent attack on the district governor of Dur Baba, Nangahar province.

WASHINGTON - A retired Marine who saved a man's life is one of many servicemembers who say they drew on their military training to become heroes off the battlefield.

WASHINGTON - The results of a recent national poll of 1,000 adults show Americans have more confidence in the military than they have in banks, the media, public schools and organized religion.

SANTA RITA, Guam - Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Padilla and his partner Brit, a German shepherd explosives-detecting dog, are en route to Djibouti.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has directed that any discharges made under the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law be made by the service secretaries.

WASHINGTON - More technology and stronger civilian ties have fueled progress in the battle against roadside bombs.

WASHINGTON - Significant progress in training the Afghan National Police has put Afghanistan’s interior ministry on track to care for its country’s own security by 2014.

WASHINGTON - Two dozen women will begin reporting to four submarines by the end of next year, marking a new milestone in the 110-year history of the U.S. Navy's submarine force.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces searching for Taliban and Haqqani members killed several insurgents and detained numerous suspects.

WASHINGTON - A program that links reserve and National Guard members, their families and veterans with civilian employers has reached a milestone, with more than 1,000 employers now signed up to hire qualified job-seekers.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department supports a federal appeals court decision to temporarily block a judge’s order that put an immediate end to the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Army Pfc. Phillip Mexcur, a Vermont National Guardsman, continued his mission after his body armor stopped two enemy sniper's rounds in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is working to understand the threats and opportunities in the new world of cyberspace.

WASHINGTON - The Justice Department filed an emergency appeal on behalf of the Defense Department to halt a federal judge’s injunction against the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and other senior Pentagon leaders met with Pakistani Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and his staff as part of the Third U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue.

WASHINGTON - Army Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz, the Army Reserve's top officer, makes a business case for maintaining an operational Army Reserve for the long term.

WASHINGTON - Arlington National Cemetery employees will participate in the VA's National Cemetery Administration's training program in the wake of an Army report that cited 76 deficiencies in operations.

WASHINGTON - An operation targeting a Haqqani terrorist network facilitator in Paktika province left more than 10 enemy fighters dead.

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Army Spc. Martin Jackson, a South Carolina Guardman, puts his commercial truck driving skills to work in Afghanistan by driving convoys.

WASHINGTON - With more than 260,000 students attending about 6,000 colleges and universities this fall under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, officials are continuing an active outreach effort to ensure current military members and veterans don’t miss out on the new program’s education benefits.

WASHINGTON - The Third U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue is underway with discussions ahead on U.S. flood aid to Pakistan as well as mutual goals.

WASHINGTON - Openly gay men and lesbian women now can apply to join the military, Defense Department officials said, days after a federal judge ordered DOD to stop enforcing the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Law.'

WASHINGTON - A shooting at the Pentagon’s exterior walls likely was a random event and no one was injured.

WASHINGTON - Every year since 1992, Congress has added millions of dollars to the Defense Department’s budget so the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command can help scientists fight breast cancer.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s Federal Voting Assistance Program has a solution for overseas troops who haven’t received an election ballot: get it online.

WASHINGTON - NATO confirmed that airstrikes over Baghlan province killed two senior Taliban military leaders and 13 other armed insurgents.

WASHINGTON - The Philippine government has asked for assistance after Typhoon Megi struck the island nation with sustained winds of 140 mph.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to Army Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, the first living soldier since the Vietnam War to receive the honor, in a Nov. 16 White House ceremony.

WASHINGTON - A change in Defense Department policy highlights why servicemembers may want to seek legal help in arranging their children’s care during deployment.

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Air Force Staff Sgt. Alana Ingram says her years in the military have given her incalculable lessons that will serve her well as she prepares for civilian life as a teacher.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s reliance on expensive, difficult–to-transport and finite fossil fuels affects cost-reduction efforts as well as war-fighting operations.

WASHINGTON - The U.S.-Turkey alliance is built on fundamental common interests, and the defense partnership between the two nations is as close as it has ever been, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

WASHINGTON - Diversity is all about opportunity and the U.S. armed services “can’t go fast enough” to increase it, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a group of senior military leaders.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon should start seeing results from the major spending reforms Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates launched this summer, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is ready to add cyberspace to sea, land, air and space as the latest domain of warfare as work continues to finalize the nation's defense cyberstrategy, said Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan and coalition force discovered an insurgent weapons factory in Sangin district, Helmand province.

GRAF IGNATIEVO AIR FORCE BASE, Bulgaria - Nearly 20 years later, Air Force Master Sgt. Michael Patrick has come full circle and is humbled by the fact that he has filled the boots of his first Air Force mentor.

WASHINGTON - Advisers are creating development plans to increase Afghan capability in running the government’s Ministry of Interior on a self-sufficient basis.

WASHINGTON - Americans must recognize the sacrifices and struggles of today's troops and their families and work harder to reintegrate them into their communities, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will abide by the injunction issued by a California judge on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law while the Justice Department appeals the decision, DOD officials said.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Marine Corps has set up an experimental forward operating base in Afghanistan as a tent complex that runs solely on solar-powered generators and other green energy.

WASHINGTON - Several Afghan civilians were killed in an improvised explosive device blast in the Qalat district of Zabul province.

WASHINGTON - A new virtual reality-based training program will help Marines better prepare for combat by making ground-based simulation as realistic as possible.

BAGHDAD - Army 1st Lt. Rachel Adair employs her skills as a former teacher in her new career as an Army transportation officer, currently deployed to Iraq.

WASHINGTON - The layered missile defense approach President Barack Obama approved last year increases protection against medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles traveling as far as 3,400 miles above the earth's atmosphere.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - To remain relevant and effective, NATO must be able to anticipate and protect against a variety of shifting security challenges, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said.

WASHINGTON - Pending an appeal, the military services have halted discharges under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expressed support for the Afghanistan government’s efforts to reconcile with the Taliban.

WASHINGTON - In Afghanistan, the Army's energy efficiency doesn't just translate to a savings in fossil fuels - it translates to saving lives.

WASHINGTON - An online training and resource tool will aim at boosting the quality of the decades-old sponsor program and better assist relocating military families.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and NATO troops killed several insurgents and detained numerous others during an operation in the Nahr-E Saraj district of Helmand province.

BAGHDAD - Army Staff Sgt. Michael Garutti is no stranger to wearing multiple hats. But even he couldn't have guessed how different those hats would be in Iraq.

MANAMA, Bahrain - Commodore Gregory Sammut of the Royal Australian navy has assumed command of Combined Task Force 150, which works to fight terrorism and smuggling in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.

WASHINGTON - The draft of NATO's new long-term security strategy captures the complexity and uncertainty of today's security environment but those words must be backed by resources, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in Brussels, Belgium.

WASHINGTON - Military and civilian service leaders gathered at the Pentagon discussed their plans for energy conservation that include leading the nation and the world into a more sustainable environmental future.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano vowed their departments will work together to fight cyber threats to military and civilian networks.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - As slow but significant progress continues in Afghanistan, coalition forces continue their efforts to transition areas and institutions to Afghan control, a senior NATO official said in Brussels, Belgium.

WASHINGTON - NATO policy director Jim Townsend Jr. says the alliance is seeking more nimble ways to confront the unexpected challenges of the future.

BRUSSELS, Belgium, - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his fellow NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels, Belgium, to discuss the alliance's future in anticipation of next month’s summit of NATO heads of state.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - As the Justice Department considers the implications of a federal court order for the Defense Department to stop enforcing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said that whether the law is repealed is for Congress to decide.

WASHINGTON - Conservation of natural resources is so central to the world’s future that it requires American leaders -- and the U.S. military - to lead the change, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - Hard-won progress has taken place in Afghanistan as international forces put the Taliban on the defensive, said Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - International Security Assistance forces discovered 100, 100 mm high-explosive rounds while conducting a patrol in Kandahar province’s Spin Boldak district.

SAN ANTONIO - Air Force Capt. Antoine Hood, a reservist with the 919th Special Operations Wing, has played in the NBA, and is on his way to realizing his dream once more.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will confer with the Department of Justice over a federal judge's ruling to stop enforcing the so-called "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law immediately.

WASHINGTON - The military services had a banner year for recruiting and retention in fiscal year 2010, Defense Department officials said.

WASHINGTON - The world has changed and the United States Air Force must change too so it can be more agile and faster than in the past, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz said at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama remembered the 17 sailors lost a decade ago during the attack on the USS Cole by vowing to remain vigilant in working with Yemen and other global partners to counter the al-Qaida threat.

WASHINGTON - The military is working to reduce its use of fossil fuels, especially in Afghanistan and Iraq where transporting fuel is dangerous and expensive.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The annual TAPS Suicide Survivor Seminar and Good Grief Camp is a place where many say they start living again after a loved one's suicide.

WASHINGTON - Navy officials, current and former crew members and families of the fallen gathered at Norfolk Naval Station, Va., to remember the 17 sailors killed and 39 others wounded in the al-Qaida attack on the USS Cole 10 years ago.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Signs of improvement in Afghanistan's economy and ability to govern is being seen throughout the country, as outlined in a recent NATO International Security Assistance Force release. NATO International Security Force

WASHINGTON - Defense Department efforts to save energy and help the environment around the world are receiving notice from the White House and the Energy Department.

WASHINGTON - The investigation into a kidnapped aid worker’s death during an Oct. 8 attempt to rescue her will be “as expeditious as possible,” said a Defense Department spokesman.

WASHINGTON - Afghan civilians have turned in numerous weapons and explosives while forces have detained several insurgents in recent days in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs has launched a campaign to encourage veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan to take advantage of services.

NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA, Fla. - Debra Rogers found a bit of golden respite in her battle against cancer: a week watching her son and his friends - all soldiers - play softball.

HANOI, Vietnam - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for inviting defense ministers from outside its membership to discuss regional security issues.

HANOI, Vietnam - Disagreements over territorial claims and the appropriate use of the maritime domain pose a challenge to stability and prosperity in Southeast Asia, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a group of regional defense ministers in Hanoi, Vietnam.

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan has launched an investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of a British aid worker.

HANOI, Vietnam - In what he described as “a very full day,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met with Vietnamese leaders and some of his counterparts who have gathered for the first “plus” conference of defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

HANOI, Vietnam - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he has accepted an invitation from his Chinese counterpart to visit Beijing.

HANOI, Vietnam - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates noted the level of cooperation in the military relationship between the United States and Vietnam and said he sees potential for that relationship to expand even further.

HANOI, Vietnam - Efforts to recover those missing from the Vietnam War have helped to transform the U.S.-Vietnamese relationship in the years since the conflict ended, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said.

HANOI, Vietnam - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived in Vietnam to meet with Vietnamese leaders and some of his counterparts in the region and to participate in the first “plus” conference of defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

WASHINGTON - The International Security Assistance Force condemned the brutal attack by insurgents at a mosque in Afghanistan that left 12 dead, including the governor of Kunduz.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The military must address the stress on warfighters and end the stigma surrounding mental health care to combat rising suicide rates, said the chairman of the Defense Department task force on suicide prevention.

WASHINGTON - Getting a construction project up and running is thorny enough stateside. Yet, the projects U.S. Army Col. Mike Wehr oversees can be even more difficult.

WASHINGTON - As Tricare officials explore ways to control costs, they’re encouraging beneficiaries to have their prescriptions delivered.

WASHINGTON - Retired Marine Gen. Jim Jones is stepping down as National Security Advisor and will be replaced by his deputy, Tom Donilon, President Barack Obama announced at the White House.

WASHINGTON - The recommended mailing deadline for sending economy-priced holiday packages to servicemembers in Afghanistan, Iraq and other places around the world is Nov. 12.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the USO at its annual gala, noting that wherever America sends troops, "we can count on the USO to be out in front with us."

WASHINGTON - The United States and South Korea are ready to counter any instability caused by a leadership succession in North Korea, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his South Korean counterpart said.

WASHINGTON - With a front-row seat to the history unfolding in Iraq, Army Lt. Col. Les’ Melnyk is capturing it so the American public knows the full story of what happened.

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. - Marine Corps Lt. Col. Rex Sappenfield, a 24-year veteran with prior-enlisted experience, believes that "serving your country is a great endeavor."

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates praised the bravery and sacrifice of Medal of Honor recipient Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, whose name was inscribed into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.

WASHINGTON - With flu season under way, a top Tricare military health plan official encourages the system’s beneficiaries to get their flu shots as soon as possible.

WASHINGTON - An Afghan and International Security Assistance Force patrol killed three suspected insurgents and detained several more in southern Afghanistan.

PAKISTAN AIR FORCE BASE CHAKLALA, Pakistan - The Pakistani government has announced that it no longer requires U.S. military fixed-wing aircraft support for delivery of flood-relief supplies, but U.S. military helicopters will continue to support Pakistan flood-relief missions.

WASHINGTON - Returning combat veterans attending the nation's community colleges say they have unique campus-support needs, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said after attending the White House Summit on Community Colleges.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expressed his condolences for the deaths and injuries of Pakistani soldiers involved in a Sept. 30 border incident in a letter to Pakistan's chief of army staff.

WASHINGTON - Barbara Eberly, a 58-year-old Defense Department civilian, volunteered to deploy to Iraq as part of the Civilian Expeditionary Workforce program.

WASHINGTON - NATO trainers and the Afghan National Police are working to expand leadership development thorough instructional courses and mentoring programs.

MCLEAN, Va. - Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III reiterated the need for efficiencies as a way to keep the military strong during tight economic times.

WASHINGTON - Three-quarters of the employees under the outgoing National Security Personnel System have transitioned to the General Schedule system.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, whose actions saved the lives of his fellow soldiers.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, honored the important contributions of past and present military women at Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women summit.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military medical personnel in South Korea are training on a casualty reporting system that captures details about medical care provided to all forces.

WASHINGTON - A review of last week’s Pakistan border shooting in which two of the country’s forces were killed and four were wounded concluded that coalition helicopters likely fired on the troops after mistaking their warning fire for hostile fire.

WASHINGTON - Multiple intelligence sources and tips from local residents led Afghan and coalition forces in the Muhammad Aghah district of Afghanistan’s Logar province to arrest a man who allegedly facilitates and conducts roadside-bomb attacks, military officials reported.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-young will meet to assess recent exercises designed to send a deterrent message to North Korea, said Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell.

WASHINGTON - The first White House Summit on Community Colleges spotlighted the key role that local colleges play in American education including teaching military veterans returning to school.

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Robert Hofmann, also a member of the Civil Air Patrol, routinely mentors children and young adults who participate in CAP programs.

WASHINGTON - The United States and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan are working with the Pakistani government to re-open the Torkham Gate crossing from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Whether a withering comment or a fist raised in anger, the Defense Department is working to put an end to all levels of domestic abuse within the military.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will participate in an upcoming Southeast Asian defense leaders' conference, marking the first time ministers from that region will formerly gather.

WASHINGTON - Helmand province is experiencing significant progress in local governments, justice institutions and economic indicators.

ARLINGTON, Va. - The National Guard has bolstered its chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive response capabilities, which will help to provide a more robust response to any homeland incident.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged troops whose military service was involuntarily extended between 2001 and 2009 under the “Stop Loss” program to claim the special pay to which they’re entitled before the Dec. 3 deadline.

WASHINGTON - Coalition and Afghan forces apprehended several insurgents including a Taliban district leader suspected in the kidnapping of a British news reporter.

WASHINGTON - The National Security Education program awards scholarships and fellowships for the study of languages and cultures aiding national security.

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. - Air Force Airman 1st Class Brandon Horne used his military first-aid training to save the life of a civilian, who was unconscious following a vehicle accident.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is observing National Domestic Violence Awareness Month by reminding the military about resources and programs to help in preventing or stopping domestic violence.

WASHINGTON - An insurgent leader and roadside-bomb expert was killed after firing upon coalition forces in Badghis province.

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. - Air Force Master Sgt. Justin Jordan's female English bulldog, Dallas, helps him to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he’s confident the U.S. and Pakistan can resolve the issues that led to Pakistan closing a major supply route for operations in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Veterans have a lot to offer communities, and local leaders can help the nation's debt to those who served by providing employment and support, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint Chiefs of Staff, told an audience of hundreds at the University of Arizona.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and International Security Assistance Force troops found and secured a large amount of narcotics during a combined operation in the Nangarhar province.

WASHINGTON - Americans everywhere prosper because of the nation’s digital infrastructure, and therefore all citizens must defend it, President Barack Obama told the nation

WASHINGTON - Absentee Voting Week, which runs through Oct. 4, is designed to remind military and defense personnel deployed or serving overseas about absentee ballot options for the November elections.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - Georgia National Guard Spc. Doug Lane is an intelligence analyst deployed to Iraq, but he's still teaching college algebra at night and working on his own divinity degree to become a chaplain.

WASHINGTON - The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments dedicated a new medical center serving active-duty servicemembers, families and veterans.

WASHINGTON - Military officials are warning that misusing legal substances, by, for example, sniffing glue, can have serious ramifications and that some legal substances may not be legal for use if you're in the service.

WASHINGTON - Terror groups in the Middle East are seeking to expand their influence and operations beyond their borders to the rest of the world, said Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan continue without issues despite the loss of access to a major supply route through Pakistan.

WASHINGTON - Information technology, and the world’s reliance on it, has redefined the front lines of national security, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City.

WASHINGTON - The Senate confirmed Marine Gen. James F. Amos as the 35th Marine Corps commandant, to replace retiring Marine Gen. James T. Conway who has served in the post since November 2006.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Defense Logistics Agency Director Navy Vice Adm. Alan S. Thompson is urging the ageny to increase efficiencies and savings.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell ordered the National Guard to stand by to assist local municipalities, governments and residents in dealing with flooding from heavy rainfall.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama signed legislation extending the deadline for servicemembers and veterans to apply for Retroactive Stop-Loss Special Pay through December 3.

WASHINGTON - Members of the NATO Air Training Command- Afghanistan are working to expand the strength and missions of the Afghan air force.

WASHINGTON - Synthetic marijuana, marketed as “spice,” or “K-2,” is one of several possibly dangerous "designer drugs" that servicemembers should be made aware of.