WASHINGTON - "Everything the Department of Defense does is aimed at homeland security," said Peter F. Verga, DoD's special assistant for homeland security.

WASHINGTON - Reported friendly fire incidents in Afghanistan are "regrettable," but such incidents are part of war, said the chief of U.S. military operations in that country today.

WASHINGTON - The United States "has every right" to hold detainees captured in the global war against terrorism, even if military commissions acquit them of specific crimes, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - "Homeland security in the heartland is just as important as homeland security in the big cities," President Bush said March 27 in Greenville, S.C.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials are on the trail of anyone who hasn't paid their government travel credit card bill and those who've misused government purchase cards.

WASHINGTON - U.S. troops sent in to mop up enemy bunkers in eastern Afghanistan at the tail end of Operation Anaconda were well trained, well equipped and ready to tackle whatever they encountered in the challenging mountainous terrain.

WASHINGTON - Initiatives to save time and money come and go. Some work; some don't. Defense officials are applying lessons learned to their latest efforts to become better stewards of taxpayers' money.

FORT LEE, Va. - The commissary benefit is stronger than ever and customer savings are at an all-time high, the Defense Commissary Agency director told Congress recently.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials are responding to requests for assistance following a hard- hitting earthquake that struck Afghanistan about 100 miles north of the capital city of Kabul.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is adopting the latest technology and private-sector business practices to provide U.S. troops with "the best product at the best price," DoD's senior procurement officer said March 8.

NATICK, Mass. - Paratroopers making low- altitude jumps are trained to pull the reserve chute ripcord if they don't feel the main chute open four seconds after exiting their plane.

WASHINGTON - Known for no-nonsense news briefings with Washington's notoriously tough press corps, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld recently answered some difficult questions posed by reporters representing the younger set.

WASHINGTON - It takes more than a good eye and high-tech cameras to photograph war. It takes guts and the savvy to get to where the action is.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military officials are carefully watching the Khost area in Afghanistan where al Qaeda and former Taliban fighters may be regrouping.

WASHINGTON - Plans are under way for U.S. and coalition forces to help train and create an Afghan national army, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - Service members through the ages have lived for mail. Whether in the trenches around Vicksburg, Miss., in 1863 or in Pleiku, South Vietnam, in 1967, soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have always looked forward to the shout, "Mail Call!"

WASHINGTON - The head of the command directing operations in Afghanistan today said it will take a long time to defeat global terrorists, but he emphasized ultimate victory is certain.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Missile Defense Agency and Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty constraints part company June 14, freeing the agency to do what President Bush decides about deployment, a senior defense official said here today.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials plan to resume flight-testing the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft at the end of April, according to the department's acquisition chief.

WASHINGTON - Several more countries intend to become partners in developing the Joint Strike Fighter, a family of three aircraft designed to replace aircraft in the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and the British military.

WASHINGTON - It may be taking a little "magic," but the military's logistics system is keeping up with the demands generated by the war against terrorism, according to Pete Aldridge, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics.

WASHINGTON - Congress today commended Pentagon reconstruction crews for their dedicated work in repairing DoD's headquarters following the 9-11 terrorist attack.

WASHINGTON - A senior DoD official today said a Global Positioning System device found by U.S. forces in Afghanistan didn't belong to Army hero Master Sgt. Gary Gordon after all.

WASHINGTON - A Marine Vietnam War combat veteran and staunch supporter of the POW/Missing Personnel issue now steers the organization that oversees the nation's efforts for a full accounting of missing servicemen.

WASHINGTON - Senior DoD officials today announced procedural guidelines for the establishment of military commissions to try accused terrorists, as ordered by President Bush last year.

WASHINGTON - Beverley Bradley-Topping ambled from display to display down the long, curved exhibit gallery of the Women's Memorial as she slowly viewed the more than 3,500 pictures in the September 11 Photo Project.

WASHINGTON - A small number of U.S. troops at the airfield at Khost, Afghanistan, engaged in a firefight last night after enemy fighters attacked with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke reported this morning.

WASHINGTON - Medical professionals agree that a well-informed patient is a better patient. Patients who learn about wellness and their own conditions, the reasoning goes, are better able to participate in their treatment and follow their doctors' instructions.

WASHINGTON - Even with progress in eradicating al Qaeda, the terrorist organization remains the most immediate and serious threat facing the United States and its allies, intelligence officials said March 19.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department's military intelligence chief told Congress today that, in many respects, "the post-Cold War world ended on Sept. 11."

WASHINGTON - The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America drove home the unique importance -- and dangers -- of military service, a young Air Force enlisted woman noted.

WASHINGTON - Valerie Moore is tenacious. Once she sets her sights on a goal, she says she'll keep trying until she succeeds.

WASHINGTON - "Women Sustaining the American Spirit," this year's theme for National Women's History Month, was chosen following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, said Navy Undersecretary Susan M. Livingstone.

WASHINGTON - Operation Anaconda will end today, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke told reporters here this morning.

WASHINGTON - A ballistic missile interceptor successfully destroyed a test target March 16 in what Missile Defense Agency officials hope is becoming an almost routine occurrence.

WASHINGTON - A "vastly changed security environment" is behind proposed changes to the combat air patrols of Operation Noble Eagle, Defense Department officials said today.

WASHINGTON - Operation Anaconda is officially over, but skirmishes near Gardez and west of Kandahar prove the Defense Department's premise that actions in Afghanistan are not complete.

AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar - Vice President Dick Cheney visited the 366th Air Expeditionary Wing here March 17 during his first stop to an Operation Enduring Freedom base in the Middle East.

WASHINGTON - The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks at the Pentagon, in New York City and Pennsylvania claimed far more than thousands of innocent lives. Some experts believe millions of Americans across the country may have been psychologically affected by the events as well.

WASHINGTON - High-tech weapons are great, but they're not worth anything if the military cannot attract and retain the people needed to run these systems, a senior defense official told Congress March 13.

WASHINGTON - Senior DoD leaders today called Operation Anaconda a success, while noting the difficulty to fully ascertain enemy losses as the campaign continues to wind down.

WASHINGTON - President Bush told soldiers and airmen at Fayetteville, N.C., that the United States has finished the first phase of the war on terrorism and is entering the second stage of what he believes will be a long struggle.

WASHINGTON - Every Thursday, 60-year-old Donnie Karpman stands watch at U.S. Coast Guard Station Annapolis, Md., on the Chesapeake Bay.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is looking to build "a mutually beneficial partnership" with the Department of Veterans Affairs to minimize both organizations' health care costs.

WASHINGTON - With the fighting around Gardez dying down, Operation Anaconda has entered the "exploitation phase," Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke said March 14.

WASHINGTON - The South Korean and Nigerian ambassadors to the United States March 11 delivered stirring remarks about the fight against worldwide terrorism to more than 1,000 people gathered on the White House East Lawn.

WASHINGTON - An Army noncommissioned officer described "reaching through a cloud of smoke" to rescue people in the Pentagon shortly after the terrorist- hijacked airliner slammed into the building Sept. 11.

WASHINGTON - In June 2001 Navy Capt. John Pasko was dying. A disabling disease was robbing his lungs of their ability to expand with each breath. He didn't know a little-known surgery and a couple of selfless naval officers were to save his life.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Russian defense leaders met reporters today and stressed progress the two countries have made in putting decades of mistrust behind them.

WASHINGTON - Millions of people throughout the country are responding to the president's call for volunteers to join USA Freedom Corps.

WASHINGTON - Some terrorists fleeing Afghanistan may be heading for the Horn of Africa, according to a senior U.S. defense official.

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network found a safe haven in Afghanistan. But there will be no more safe havens for terrorists in Afghanistan or anywhere else if the United States can help it.

WASHINGTON - Operation Anaconda is winding down as U.S., coalition and Afghan forces "mop up" the Shahi Khot Valley near Gardez, Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials said here today.

WASHINGTON - Federal, state and local authorities, law enforcement agents and the American people need to know about terrorist threats as quickly as possible.

WASHINGTON - Mayors from the National League of Cities gathered at the Pentagon today to remember those killed in the terror attack on the building Sept. 11, 2001.

WASHINGTON - Six months after terrorists slammed a hijacked jet into the Pentagon, the charred, gaping hole in the building is gone and new five-story walls have risen from the ashes.

WASHINGTON - Lined up with military representatives from 27 countries supporting the war on terrorism, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today said, "Six months after the war began, it is certainly far from over, but if we stand together the final outcome is assured."

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON, March 11, 2002 -- The first Military Bridge Championship will be held during the 2002 Summer North American Bridge Championships here July 18-28 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

WASHINGTON - U.S., Afghan and coalition forces will remain in the Gardez area of Afghanistan until the last pockets of Al Qaeda terrorists are eliminated, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said March 11.

WASHINGTON - America's war on terror is "not just a policy, it's a pledge," George W. Bush declared today at a White House memorial marking six months since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

WASHINGTON - The senior commander of U.S. troops in Afghanistan today defended the Operation Anaconda battle plan as sound.

WASHINGTON - Two top U.S. generals today denied media reports that Operation Anaconda is all but finished.

WASHINGTON - Flying back to Washington last night after giving a speech in Los Angeles, Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke didn't expect to get a note from the plane's pilot.

WASHINGTON - The current anthrax vaccine used by DoD is safe and effective in protecting against all forms of the deadly disease, according to a new report.

WASHINGTON - The Al Qaeda and Taliban "miscalculated" when they attacked the United States, according to U.S. Air Force Gen. John W. Rosa Jr., a Joint Staff spokesman.

WASHINGTON - Mayor Mary Manross of Scottsdale, Ariz., looked proudly today at a banner from her city that hangs in the Pentagon. She said Scottsdale's gesture was motivated by a desire to "do something" in the days after the terrorist attacks on the United States.

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. congressmen praised the contributions of National Guardsmen and reservists in the war against terrorism March 7 during a ceremony at the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes.

WASHINGTON - Implementation of "smart card" technology across DoD by 2003 will enable the department to deploy troops faster and safeguard its people and facilities better, the card's program manager said March 5.

WASHINGTON - Operation Anaconda is an example of the "cleaning up" U.S., coalition and Afghan forces have to do in Afghanistan, according to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.

WASHINGTON - DoD and the military services are getting rid of outdated personnel systems, business practices and personnel structures, but creating a new system will take time.

WASHINGTON - WASHINGTON, March 7, 2002 -- DoD and the military services are getting rid of outdated personnel systems, business practices and personnel structures, but creating a new system will take time.

WASHINGTON - Donald H. Rumsfeld says what he thinks, and military people here like what he has to say.

WASHINGTON - The March 2 ground battle in the Shahi Khot Valley between U.S. infantry and Al Qaeda terrorists was "a close-up, American fight," a sergeant major wounded in the fight said today.

WASHINGTON - Nearly 130 top educators and education advocates from across the country, including Troops to Teachers participants, gathered in the East Room March 5 for the White House Conference on Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will conduct a town hall meeting in the Pentagon March 7 at 1 p.m. to focus on defense transformation issues and achievements.

WASHINGTON - A new program starting later this month will offer long-term care insurance to military and civilian federal employees and their families.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon officials honored 39 people March 5 for the valor on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists flew a hijacked jet into the Defense Department headquarters, killing 189 people and injuring hundreds.

WASHINGTON - The federal government's redesigned Web portal FirstGov provides countless links that any Internet surfer might find useful.

WASHINGTON - Afghan and coalition forces are turning up the pressure on Al Qaeda and Taliban troops in the mountains south of Gardez, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - About 34,000 Americans ranging in age from 17 to 90 volunteer to work -- without pay -- for the U.S. Coast Guard.

WASHINGTON - U.S., Afghan and coalition personnel are attacking Al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists in the Shahi Khot region of Afghanistan from the air and ground, Defense Department officials said March 5.

WASHINGTON - Eight American soldiers have been killed in fighting around Gardez in eastern Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command officials said.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. military helicopter was downed by enemy fire early today during fierce fighting in eastern Afghanistan, DoD spokeswoman Victoria Clarke said today.

WASHINGTON - The 31st Fisher House is being built at the Army's Landstuhl (Germany) Regional Medical Center and is slated to open in November 2002.

WASHINGTON - Between 800 and 900 U.S. servicemen are taking the war to the Al Qaeda and Taliban in the Shahi Khot region of Afghanistan, said Army Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of U.S. Central Command.

WASHINGTON - Nine U.S. service members have been killed and dozens wounded so far in fierce fighting against Al Qaeda and non-Afghan Taliban troops in eastern Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said today.

WASHINGTON - A U.S. soldier and three Afghan fighters have been killed in heavy fighting south of the Afghan city of Gardez, U.S. Central Command officials reported today.

WASHINGTON - Tension has eased at the Al Qaeda and Taliban holding area at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Pentagon officials said.

WASHINGTON - The primary mission in Afghanistan remains to eliminate the pockets of Al Qaeda and Taliban that are trying to regroup, Pentagon officials said Mar. 1.