Panetta Makes Holiday Calls To Troops in Afghanistan
DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called four service members deployed to Afghanistan to thank them for their service and to wish them happy holidays.
DOD Photographers Recall 2012 Imagery Milestones
DOD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Defense Department photographers Glenn Fawcett, Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad McNeeley, and Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo spent 2012 capturing important events through their lenses. Among the year's top photos: Kirk-Cuomo's image of U.S. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta receiving a commemorative plate from Chinese National Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie, during a September 2012 visit to Beijing.
Obama, Senior Leaders Send Holiday Wishes to Troops
DOD graphic by Paul Sherman
President Barack Obama and senior defense leaders each sent holiday wishes to service members. “This is a time to give thanks for the blessings we enjoy, and, as Americans, we have no greater blessing than all of you -- our service men and women and your families who have sacrificed so much for our freedom,” Obama said.
First Lady Fields Phone Calls About NORAD's Santa Tracker
White House Photo by Pete Souza
First Lady Michelle Obama personally answered phone calls about Santa's journey as part of the annual NORAD Tracks Santa program run by the North American Aerospace Defense Command. She answered the phone calls from Kailua, Hawaii, Dec. 24, 2012.
Panetta Memo Describes Possible Sequestration Effects
DOD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeely
While many remain hopeful that Congress and the administration will reach a deal that avoids sequestration, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta issued a memo, Dec. 20, 2012, describing the potential implications of going over the fiscal cliff.
U.S. Soldiers, Aghan Police Visit Khoni Kwar Village
U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kimberly Trumbull
U.S. Army Sgt. Brian Wimer talks with local children in Khoni Kwar village in Afghanistan's Khowst province, Dec. 14, 2012. Wimer is assigned to Company A, 3rd Special Troops Battalion. U.S. troops and Afghan police handed out blankets and talked with residents to gain information on a roadside bomb located in the area earlier in the week.
