I’d like to talk to you about the end of our combat mission in Iraq, the ongoing security challenges we face, and the need to rebuild our nation here at home. The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given. They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people. Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future. [Read More!]

On Tuesday, after more than seven years, the United States of America will end its combat mission in Iraq and take an important step forward in responsibly ending the Iraq war. In the months ahead, our troops will continue to support and train Iraqi forces, partner with Iraqis in counterterrorism missions, and protect our civilian and military efforts. [Read More!]

GI Jobs has named Troy University among the top 15 percent of all U.S. universities as being “military friendly.” GI Jobs, a veteran-owned business that publishes various magazines and provides services to members of the military, rates both public and private colleges and universities on the basis of how well each school embraces America’s veterans as students. [Read More!]

Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan will now go with a new uniform in their mobility bag -- one that fights fire and fleas, and makes them less visible to insurgents. The next generation of uniform for Soldiers deploying to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom bears the new "OEF camouflage pattern" -- called OCP for short. The pattern is better suited than the "Universal Camouflage Pattern" to blend-in in the Afghanistan environment. It is also known as "MultiCam." [Read More!]

"No one wants to go back to the Guard being just a strategic reserve," Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said during a visit to the 2010 National Guard Family Program Volunteer Workshop. "We have come way too far. Half of the Guard are combat veterans. That's a fundamentally different force and, as a result, it's a fundamentally different Army." [Read More!]

Noting the importance of getting the opinions of those who would be most affected by a possible repeal of the so-called “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates urged servicemembers last month to provide their input. [Read More!]

On August 31, Operation Iraqi Freedom will end. The transitional mission will be called Operation New Dawn. Consistent with our agreements with the Iraqi government, all U.S. troops are scheduled to leave Iraq by the end of 2011. [Read More!]

The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released a government wide Strategic Plan to increase support and access for Veterans seeking employment with the Federal government. [Read More!]

The United States plans to provide Pakistan RQ-7 Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles to support their fight on extremists, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates confirmed today during a roundtable session with Pakistani reporters. [Read More!]

WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – Roughly 20,000 U.S. troops will be supporting relief efforts in Haiti by Jan. 24, military officials said, adding to the 13,000-strong American force currently there. [Read More!]

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (American Forces Press Service) – An early morning aftershock shook the sleeping soldiers here from their bags as the building swayed and creaked for a few seconds. [Read More!]

WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., welcomed and provided resources for more than 500 evacuees from Haiti this weekend at an evacuation center created on base. [Read More!]

The agency's Joint Logistics Operations Center is coordinating support with U.S. Southern Command. Southcom, in turn, is working with the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development to assess the need for humanitarian support. [Read More!]

WASHINGTON (American Forces Press Service) – The Defense Department rang out 2009 as a successful recruiting year with solid recruiting successes in all four active components in December, Pentagon officials announced today. [Read More!]

Defense Department officials are coordinating with their State Department counterparts to provide life-saving assistance in Haiti as quickly as possible after a devastating earthquake struck near the capital of Port-au-Prince yesterday afternoon. [Read More!]