Military News

I have decided on this method of introducing you to the news that comes across my desk daily. Since they are larger stories than I like to put on this page, I will introduce them to you. Then you just follow the link if you would care to read more about a particular article.

Vanguard engineers pave way for victory 'from the sky'
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY, Afghanistan – Just weeks before Soldiers from 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division hand over control of their area of operations to the 173rd Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), engineers from 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion are working hard to ensure the 173rd’s “Sky Soldiers” have decent accommodations, and more importantly, the facilities needed to continue clearing the way for a secure Afghanistan.

Kirkuk Police Academy takes training to a new level.
Kirkut — It’s the sound that strikes you first. The yelling and chanting, shrieking whistles, the thunder of boots striking the ground. Then there is the visual: hundreds of Iraqis lined up and arranged in groups of blue uniforms. Some stand still, some march, and some perform movements in place at the commands of their instructors. It is in this crucible that men are transformed from civilians into Iraqi police officers.

Iraqi, U.S. officials discuss way forward.
BAGHDAD — Iraqi and U.S. government officials along with the Multi-National Force-Iraq spokesman held a press conference at the Combined Press Information Center Sunday.

Spartan Sappers Secure Area of Operation.
JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 8, 2007 — Most people spend the last few moments of their work day cleaning up their desk and organizing their materials in preparation for the next day with one foot out the door. One company of dedicated engineers in Nangarhar Province, however, is working well after its expected punch-out date. The engineers are even exposing themselves to danger in a manner that exemplifies the Army’s values and all the while keeping their composure.

Airmen continue humanitarian efforts in Djibouti.
CAMP LEMONIER, Djibouti (AFNEWS) – Nearly two hundred Airmen deployed to Africa provide airlift support for humanitarian aid to the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa mission.

Plan in motion to restore Haifa Street.
BAGHDAD — On Sunday, a U.S. Army official addressed members of the Iraqi media in regards to revitalizing Haifa Street.

U.S. Army Col. Bryan Roberts, commander of the 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Brigade Combat Team laid out the goals of the "Haifa Street Project."

Water Tops Priorities for Kirkuk’s Rural Majority.
HAWIJAH, Iraq, May 7, 2007 — Subsistence farmers are the dominant majority in southern portions of the Kirkuk Province. Most of those rely on water from the lower Zaab River to irrigate crops. Inadequate rainfall and water levels in the Zaab’s primary water source, the northern Dokan Dam, are creating concerns among that rural majority. Soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team’s 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds” are helping ensure that those concerns get addressed.

Wolfhounds Work To Secure Economic Success.
HAWIJAH, Iraq, May 7, 2007 — The local government approves a building project and provides the land. Local businesses supply the materials. Residents perform the work, and the community reaps the short-term and long-term economic benefits.

Several months ago, that was a vision for economic success in this predominantly Sunni Arab town. Now, with the assistance of coalition forces, that vision of the future is becoming reality in Hawijah, Iraq.

Institutional Competence Slow, But Growing, General Says.
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 – Coalition experts have identified trouble areas in the training regimen for the Iraqi security forces but see cumulative progress overall, the top U.S. training official in Iraq said.

The Iraqi police and army are short of functioning effectively as independent institutions, Army Lt. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the commander of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, told online journalists and “bloggers” in a conference call May 4.

Iraqis Can Move Forward as Surge Takes Hold, General Says.
WASHINGTON, May 7, 2007 – Eighty percent of the U.S. military units involved with the surge of troops into Baghdad and western Iraq are now in place, a senior U.S. military officer said in Baghdad yesterday.

“Four of the five American reinforcement brigades are now in Iraq,” Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, spokesman for Multinational Force Iraq, told journalists during a media roundtable.