Judges Return to Salman Pak

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 – Iraqi judges surveyed the new government center in Salman Pak, Iraq, on March 10, during their first visit back since 2005 when they were forced to relocate by extremist groups made the area too dangerous to remain.

‘Why We Serve’ Speakers Inspire ROTC Cadets

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 – Nick Jackson wakes up earlier and has longer days than most freshmen at the University of Cincinnati, and once a week his clothes are selected for him.

But unlike most students here, Jackson, one in about 30 cadets enrolled in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps, will graduate school without debt and with a job awaiting him.

NATO Forces Make a Difference in Afghanistan, General Says

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 – NATO’s efforts against insurgents in Afghanistan are helping the Afghan people realize a better future, and the Atlantic Alliance should keep the door open to admit new members, a senior U.S. military commander told a Senate panel here today.

“NATO’s efforts in Afghanistan are making a difference,” Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command told Senate Foreign Relations Committee members.

National Guard (In Federal Status) and Reserve Mobilized as of March 12, 2008

This week, the Army, Navy and Marine Corps announced a decrease, while the Air Force announced an increase. The Coast Guard number remained the same. The net collective result is 213 fewer reservists mobilized than last week.

Anti-insurgency Tactics Succeeding in Iraqi Detention Facilities

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 – New ways of dealing with detainees in coalition-run facilities in Iraq are paying off through less violence, more actionable intelligence for warfighters, and a better separation of extremists from more moderate detainees, a senior leader told military analysts today.

Marine Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Stone, deputy commander for Multinational Force Iraq’s detainee operations, said efforts to tamp down on insurgent activity “inside the wire” is paying off in protecting both inside and outside the facilities.

China Requires Close Eye as It Expands Influence, Capability

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2008 – The top U.S. general in the Pacific told Congress yesterday that he’s working to strengthen the U.S.-Sino relationship, but he emphasized the need to keep a close eye on China as it strives to expand its influence in the region.

Navy Adm. Timothy J. Keating told the Senate Armed Services Committee he sees headway in breaking down longstanding divisions between the two countries, but remains troubled by China’s lack of transparency about its military programs.