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Gates discussed the recent history of U.S.-Iranian relations in answer to a question posed by a student at the National Defense University.
I have been involved in the search for the elusive Iranian moderate for 30 years, Gates told the students.
The secretary spoke of the first high-level meeting between Iranian and U.S. officials after the Ayatollah Khomenei took leadership in the country in 1979.
Zbigniew Brzezinski -- President Jimmy Carter's national security advisor -- told the Iranians that although it had supported exiled Shah Reza Pahlavi's rule in Iran, the United States would accept the revolution, would recognize the new Iranian government and would follow through on arms sales contracted by the shah's government, Gates said.
Brzezinski noted the United States and Iran had a common e... Read Full Article...
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Gates spoke to the students and faculty of the National Defense University here.
Balance is the key word in a number of areas, the secretary said. Balance is needed between doing everything we can to prevail in the conflicts we are in and being prepared for other contingencies that might arise elsewhere or in the future, he said.
It also is key to institutionalizing capabilities such as counterinsurgency and stability operations, helping nations build their own capacities, and maintaining the U.S. military advantage against the military forces of other nation states, the secretary said.
Finally, balance is needed between the traditional way of doing things and shedding those cultural elements that are barriers to doing what needs to get done, Gates said.
And all this needs to be done at a time... Read Full Article...
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Coalition forces operating near Mahmudiyah, about 17 miles south of Baghdad, captured one wanted man believed to be a member of the area's al-Qaida in Iraq foreign terrorist cell. The man, who identified himself to coalition forces, also is believed to have links to other cells in the region and may have connections to terrorists outside of Iraq, officials said.
In Baghdad, forces captured a wanted man believed to be a leader in a roadside-bomb cell and detained two additional men believed to be his associates.
In another operation in Baghdad, coalition troops captured a wanted man believed to facilitate roadside bombs and suicide bombers, officials said. The man is believed to have links to foreign terrorist groups and may be associated with terrorists known to conduct operations against coalition forces, officials said.
During the operation, th... Read Full Article...
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Insurgents have fired on coalition and Afghan troops in the past three days of patrols through Helmand, Kandahar and Zabol provinces, officials said. No coalition or Afghan casualties were reported from the engagements.
The troops killed an undetermined number of insurgents yesterday after being fired upon while searching a remote compound in Kandahar province's Maywand district where insurgent activities were suspected, officials said. During the search, soldiers saw a group of insurgents placing a homemade bomb alongside a road. The troops fired on the insurgents, killing two.
Coalition and Afghan forces then received small-arms fire from a nearby fighting position. They returned fire on the enemy position, killing one attacker, officials said.
A cache of more than 1,000 small-arms rounds was confiscated during the search.
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The Northeast Veteran Training and Rehabilitation Center will be built on the main campus of Mount Wachusett Community College.
The facility will include 10 duplex housing units and a rehabilitation center to serve veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have suffered loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder or disfiguring burns.
Veteran Homestead, a nonprofit organization providing housing, hospice care, rehabilitation and counseling services to veterans, funded the project through grants and private donations.
One of the reasons that this facility is needed is that there are many veterans in rural areas with no access to services, said Leslie Lightfoot, the organization's chief executive officer and founder.
Lightfoot said the facility will incorporate i... Read Full Article...
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U.S. forces launched multiple operations to disrupt terrorist networks and deny them sanctuary.
In Andar District, coalition forces targeted a Taliban commander who funded, coordinated and directed roadside bomb attacks against civilians, Afghan and coalition forces. Officials believe the man facilitates the flow of foreign fighters into the Khowst region of Afghanistan. The force detained one suspected militant during the operation.
Coalition forces also targeted a Hakkani sub-commander responsible for planning and conducting roadside bomb attacks. As coalition forces entered the targeted compound, many militants fired on the troops. Coalition forces returned fire, killing one.
The other militants ran out of the compound and began firing on the force, again. The troops engaged them with small-arms fire, killing two. A third militant was killed a... Read Full Article...
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Even as violence trends downward Iraq has the fewest violent incidents since early 2004 coalition and Iraqi forces are keeping the pressure on insurgent groups. Operations this weekend targeted terrorists in the north and around Baghdad.
In the north, coalition and Iraqi forces detained 12 suspected al-Qaida terrorists in five coordinated operations in Mosul and nearby Al Qasr. Forces zeroed in on al-Qaida car bomb networks yesterday, targeting a wanted man believed to plan and execute multiple attacks against Iraqi citizens and coalition forces. Five others associated with the man were also captured during the raids.
An operation 80 kilometers southeast of Kirkuk resulted in detention of two suspects affiliated with al-Qaida. The operation was targeting a wanted man who intelligence reports suggest is an al-Qaida operative. The man is also wanted for involvement in gathering op... Read Full Article...
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Hurricanes Gustav and Ike devastated the homes and lives of millions of Gulf Coast residents, England said.
Giving to the CFC, England said, provides a way to help out our fellow Americans get back onto their feet. More than 3,600 charitable organizations are listed in the CFC beneficiary catalog.
The Defense Department's goal for this year's CFC campaign is $13.3 million, which is $100,000 more than last year. The CFC National Capital Area's goal is $61 million.
Service-branch goals for this year's CFC National Capital Area campaign are$3.6 million for the Navy and Marine Corps, $2.95 million for the Army and $1.75 million for the Air Force.
Due to the type and nature of their employment, military members and Defense Department civilians enjoy good, secure jobs with great benefits and are in a goo... Read Full Article...
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| LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23, 2008 - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told more than 100 military recruiters here yesterday that their work is vital to mission accomplishment, especially in an environment in which people who influence potential recruits are reluctant to steer them toward service in uniform. | Read Full Article...
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Gates, who provided his assessment in response to lawmakers' questions during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, qualified his answer with a caveat, saying it's worth considering how heavy a military footprint the United States ought to have in Afghanistan.
Are we better off channeling resources into building and expanding the size of the Afghan National Army as quickly as possible, as opposed to a much larger Western footprint? he asked rhetorically.
Gates said the deployment of three brigades now would be impossible without significant force adjustments. Without changing deployment patterns, without changing length of tours, he said, we do not have the forces to send three additional brigade combat teams to Afghanistan at this point.
Today's discussion of force levels came after pledges by President Bush and NATO leaders to boost ... Read Full Article...
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