WASHINGTON - The shutdown that looms if the government isn’t funded beyond the end of the fiscal year at midnight Sept. 30 would be “disruptive and stupid,” Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Central Command, and his staff are working to meet President Barack Obama’s directive to reduce the U.S. force in Afghanistan to 34,000 by February and to complete the drawdown by the end of 2014.

WASHINGTON - With a government shutdown possible in the absence of federal funding beyond fiscal year 2013, which ends at midnight Sept. 30, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued a message to the Defense Department workforce.

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea has become an economic powerhouse thanks to the security, stability and protection afforded by the U.S.-South Korean alliance, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said in Seoul.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - Air Force 1st Lt. Jamie Underwood reunited with her brother, Marine Corps Cpl. Tyler David, in Afghanistan.

SEOUL, South Korea - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel traveled north from Seoul, the South Korean capital, visiting U.S. and South Korean soldiers, observing training, then continuing on to Panmunjom, site of the Demilitarized Zone separating democratic South Korea from its communist northern neighbor.

SEOUL, South Korea - The U.S.-South Korean alliance that began 60 years ago was based on mutual defense, but has grown into a force for global peace and stability, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said in Seoul, South Korea.

SEOUL, South Korea - American and South Korean military officials discussed interoperability, capabilities and the threat from North Korea during the 38th Military Committee Meeting in Seoul, South Korea.

SEOUL, South Korea - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived in Seoul, South Korea, on a weeklong Asia-Pacific trip that also will include a visit to Tokyo.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has discussed security issues with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at the Pentagon, including last week's terrorist attack on a shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya.

WASHINGTON - Half of the Defense Department’s civilian workforce will be furloughed if a budget impasse shuts down the government Tuesday, until an appropriations bill or continuing resolution is passed, DOD Comptroller Robert F. Hale said.

WASHINGTON - Both the head of the National Security Agency and the Director of National Intelligence have again testified to Congress that a secret NSA surveillance program leaked to the press has prevented numerous terrorist attacks.

WASHINGTON - Fifteen companies and organizations have been honored for their outstanding support of employees serving in the National Guard or reserve which is critical to the nation’s security, said Jessica L. Wright, the acting undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, who attended the award ceremony.

WASHINGTON - DOD officials have issued guidance to the force in the event appropriations lapse Oct. 1 and a government shutdown results.

WASHINGTON - DOD officials believe a government shutdown will not occur when current spending authority expires Sept. 30th, but continue prudent planning in case it does.

WASHINGTON - The assistant secretary of defense for health affairs is urging the military community to work together to help prevent suicides.

SOUTHWEST ASIA - Postal services airmen and volunteers with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing deployed to Southwest Asia do their best to ensure the delivery of morale-raising mail to service members.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is taking prudent steps to plan for a possible government shutdown Oct. 1, Deputy Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said in a memo sent to the workforce Sept. 26, 2013.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met in New York with Lebanon's president and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, where he reiterated the United States' commitment to the region and underscored how collaborative approaches toward regional defense made the Middle East more secure and stable.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has proclaimed Sept. 29 Gold Star Mother's and Family's Day to honor the families of the fallen.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will leave Sept. 28 for a weeklong trip to South Korea and Japan, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - With flu season around the corner, now is a great time to protect yourself by getting vaccinated.

WASHINGTON - A recent study by military researchers showed that the risk factors associated with suicides in the military are the same as those among civilians.

BEIJING - Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III has arrived in China, the first Chinese visit by an Air Force chief of staff in 15 years.

WASHINGTON - All four active services have met or exceeded their numerical accession goals for fiscal year 2013 through August.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s policy on the antimalarial drug mefloquine is consistent with a stronger, updated warning about the drug from the Food and Drug Administration.

WASHINGTON - After treating soldiers in Haiti, Somalia, Colombia and Iraq, an Army medic has applied his skills to the nation's only military maximum-security facility.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Cyber Command has activated the headquarters for its Cyber National Mission Force, the unit that would react to a cyber attack on the nation.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon and the Navy are reviewing security procedures worldwide in the wake of the Sept. 16 tragic shootings at the Washington Navy Yard.

WASHINGTON - The commander of U.S. Central Command expressed confidence that the bilateral security agreement being negotiated between the United States and Afghanistan will ensure the strong partnership forged over the past 12 years continues.

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. - Air Force Maj. Nelson Aviles Figueroa, who grew up on the island of Puerto Rico, embraces the values that made him the airman he is today.

WASHINGTON - Army Col. Gregory D. Gadson, an Iraq veteran who played the role of a combat-wounded double amputee in the 2012 movie, “Battleship,” credits his family, and especially his children, for his recovery.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Three Department of Defense Education Activity schools have been recognized by the Secretary of Education as 2013 National Blue Ribbon Schools.

WASHINGTON - The Middle East faces issues that continue to pose "significant challenges" to U.S. Central Command, Centcom's top general told AFPS.

WASHINGTON - In a speech at the United Nations, President Barack Obama described key U.S. interests in North Africa and the Middle East and said America is prepared to use force to back them up.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has announced the transition of the Kosovo Campaign Medal to the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

WASHINGTON - The civil war in Syria illustrates the dangers of current trends to the Middle East and the rest of the globe, President Barack Obama told world leaders at the United Nations.

WASHINGTON - The senior U.S. Marine commander in Australia says all systems are go for the next rotation of Marines to the country, which will be increased five-fold next spring.

FORT RILEY, Kan. - Army Capt. William “Billy” Simpson learned from an early age to never give up on his dreams. With that always on his mind, his dream to become a soldier and a world-class wrestler is now a reality.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department leadership wants employees to be prepared for the possibility of a government shutdown next week, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in a memo.

WASHINGTON - The Navy has recommended changes to security procedures following the Washington Navy Yard shooting Sept. 16 in which a Navy contractor killed 12 people.

WASHINGTON - Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, who assumed command of U.S. Central Command in March, said what happens in the 20-nation Centcom area of responsibility will remain at the forefront of U.S. national security interests long after the Afghanistan transition is completed and crises dominating today’s headlines are resolved.

CAMP SPANN, Afghanistan - Brothers, former weightlifters, and Guam Army National Guard soldiers Sgt. Manolito “Manny” Molinos and Spc. Mark Molinos now serve together in Afghanistan.

BETHESDA, Md. - The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences here has published a new book titled, “Disaster, Disease and Distress: Resources to Promote Psychological Health and Resilience in Military and Civilian Communities.”

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel were among the national leaders who gathered for a memorial service honoring those killed in the Sept. 16 shootings at the Washington Navy Yard.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama signed a proclamation declaring Sept. 22-28 as National Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Week.

WASHINGTON - Of 89 recommendations that came from two reviews of the 2009 shooting that killed 13 people at Fort Hood in Texas, 52 are fully implemented, and some may have helped to save lives during the Sept. 16 Navy Yard shooting, senior defense officials said.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. response to the deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, a year ago would have been faster if military assets now in place to deal with such a crisis had been forward postured and placed on alert status at that time, a senior Defense Department official with responsibility for special operations told Congress.

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. - Senior Airman Yesenia Camacho-Arce, a native of Puerto Rico, had a limited English vocabulary that made it difficult to understand and communicate with her instructors at basic training. She relied on the strength she acquired through her strong ties to her family to succeed.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will never stop working to bring captured and missing service members home, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pledged at a Pentagon ceremony.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Members of the Colorado National Guard, the Army's 4th Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Carson, Colo., and the Wyoming National Guard are shifting their support of civil authorities in Colorado flood evacuation operations.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The commander of NATO’s Air Training Command Afghanistan admits that he has a public perception problem: while polls show Americans have largely dismissed the war in Afghanistan as an effort that’s winding down, his mission is ramping up in size and complexity and in the number of obstacles encountered.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has declared Sept. 20th National POW/MIA Recognition Day, saying our work is not finished until our heroes are returned safely to our shores or a full accounting is provided to their loved ones.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has discussed U.S. support for Libya in a phone call with newly appointed Libyan Defense Minister Abdullah al-Thani.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The commander leading the mission to build a self-sustaining Afghan air force calls the task the most complex undertaking NATO and the U.S. Air Force have ever tackled.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is facing “the most consequential period for defense intelligence in perhaps a generation,” the nominee for a senior Pentagon intelligence post told Congress.

WASHINGTON - The nation's service chiefs have told Congress if budget sequestration extends into fiscal year 2014, forces, capabilities and readiness will all be slashed, reducing the security of Americans.

WASHINGTON - In an interview with Judy Woodruff on “PBS Newshour,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the highest responsibility of leaders is to protect their people, acknowledging “something broke down” in the case of a former Navy reservist who killed 12 people Sept. 16 at the Washington Navy Yard.

WASHINGTON - Despite the end of summer, military lodging facilities remain open for business year-round at a fraction of the cost of commercial hotels.

WASHINGTON - If confirmed as undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, Jessica L. Wright has pledged to advocate for the Defense Department’s No. 1 asset, its people.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - The responsibilities of Army Sgt. Michelle McCullah, a chaplain serving in Afghanistan, are as diverse as the world's religions.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has conducted a successful test of the Aegis ballistic missile defense system, intercepting a ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean.

WASHINGTON - Space is a battleground without terrain, where invisible enemies could mount undetectable attacks to devastating effect if the right deterrent and defensive plans aren’t pursued now, a senior Defense Department official said.

WASHINGTON - Because they share common values and outlooks on a wide range of issues, the United States and India are destined to be partners on the world stage, Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter told Indian officials during a visit there this week, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - U.S. military assets remain ready to launch attacks if the diplomatic efforts to secure and dismantle the Syrian regime’s chemical arms should fail, senior defense officials told reporters at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. foreign military sales program racked up $69.1 billion in fiscal year 2012, yet that program and others like it are not in the business of selling equipment, but rather are promoting military-to-military relationships with international partners, a Defense Security Cooperation Agency official said

ABOARD A MILITARY AIRCRAFT - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter wrapped up a weeklong overseas trip that included stops in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Carter said in Islamabad, he and senior defense and government officials discussed the importance of Pakistan’s continued economic development to the security of the region.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department will close security procedure gaps, address inadequacies and correct failures in the wake of the Sept. 16 Washington Navy Yard shootings that claimed the lives of 12 employees, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at a Pentagon news briefing.

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. - Air Force Airman 1st Class Lance Thornton, a former Buffalo State College student-athlete, hung up his goggles and swimwear to join the Air Force, and he now shares his aquatic skills with the YMCA Barracudas swim team in Montgomery, Ala.

WASHINGTON - The tough fiscal environment means the Air Force must make investment choices that protect America and its interests today, but also in the future, Navy Adm. James A. “Sandy” Winnefeld Jr., the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the Air Force Association’s annual Air and Space Conference.

WASHINGTON - An Army attack reconnaissance squadron is deploying to South Korea, where it will spend the next nine months as the first U.S. rotational land forces in the region.

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. officer who oversees the Defense Department’s vast transportat ion and logistics network shared insights in how closer cooperation can help Asia-Pacific nations to respond faster and more effectively in the event of a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis.

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. - Army Staff Sgt. Erin Emminger, who shaved her head for cancer awareness to help a fellow soldier, said she cut her hair as a way to raise money because it was considered “extreme” for a female soldier.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined other defense leaders to place a wreath at the Navy Memorial in honor of the 12 employees killed in the Sept. 16 Washington Navy Yard shooting rampage.

WASHINGTON - Fantasizing about an exotic getaway but finding yourself strapped for cash? A “Space-A” seat aboard a military aircraft might be just your ticket to that vacation of your dreams.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Sixteen Colorado National Guard members and first responders who were unable to evacuate themselves after they were stopped by rising flood waters Sept. 15 have resumed their regularly scheduled mission.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other senior Defense Department leaders will lay a wreath at the U.S. Navy Memorial plaza to honor the victims of the Sept. 16 shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will award the Medal of Honor to former Army Capt. William Swenson for conspicuous gallantry for his time in Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter has met in Islamabad with senior Pakistani government and defense officials.

WASHINGTON - The first combined aviation live-fire exercise with U.S. and Japanese army forces firing AGM-114 Hellfire missiles proved to be a highlight of the ongoing Rising Thunder 13 exercise underway at Yakima Training Center, Wash.

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The Air Force may have to “cut vertically” in fiscal year 2014 to achieve the savings needed under sequestration, the service’s acting secretary said.

WASHINGTON - In a global environment where crises such as the one occurring in Syria become sudden priorities and where fiscal, cyber and geopolitical disasters simmer on the world’s back burners, intelligence is a critical guarantor of U.S. national security, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency said.

FORT MEADE, Md. - As one of 14 pilot installations in the Defense Department’s Healthy Base Initiative, Fort Meade, Md., will share its best practices and lessons learned to promote healthier and more resilient service members, families, retirees and civilian employees, a senior defense official said.

WASHINGTON - Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John F. Campbell came out to show his support for wounded warriors across all branches of service during the third annual Wounded Warriors Celebrity Softball Classic at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Bundeson is no stranger to war. During his deployment in Fallujah, Iraq, a truck in his convoy was hit by an improvised explosive device, tearing the vehicle apart and flipping it over, killing the vehicle commander and the gunner.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is making Defense Department resources available to Navy officials as they deal with a still-unfolding shooting incident at the Washington Navy Yard that reportedly has left some people dead and several others injured, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - Navy Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined wounded warriors, the Washington Nationals organization and celebrities from across the country for the third annual Wounded Warriors Celebrity Softball Classic in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON - Acting Air Force Secretary Eric K. Fanning set the tone for the Air Force Association’s 2013 Air and Space Conference by stressing the need for innovation and agility as the service looks to the future.

WASHINGTON - Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Sept. 15, marks a time to showcase the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made to the Defense Department, the deputy director of DOD’s Office of Diversity Management and Equal Opportunity said.

NEW DELHI - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter wrapped up his trip to Afghanistan and traveled on to India after spending the day in Pakistan.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - Following an almost year-long study of the TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery program requested by members of Congress, the Defense Department inspector general’s office has determined it is a cost-efficient way for beneficiaries to get their prescription medications, TRICARE Management Activity officials reported.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - As rain and cloud cover hampered military aviation operations in Colorado, the rising waters added Colorado National Guardsmen and first responders to the list of flood evacuees.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department’s commitment to equity and inclusion is rooted in the belief that diversity is a readiness imperative that gives a strategic advantage, a senior DOD official said recently during the 10th annual National Latina Style symposium.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter has wrapped up a three-day visit to Afghanistan, where he met with senior International Security Assistance Force, coalition and Afghan officials and U.S. troops.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has been monitoring the events in northern Colorado and commends the efforts of the active duty and National Guard personnel who have been tasked with supporting FEMA and Colorado's emergency management officials as the state copes with heavy flooding, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter visited the U.S. Consulate in Herat, Afghanistan, a day after a Taliban attack was repelled..

WASHINGTON - A framework agreement reached between the United States and Russia during talks in Geneva “represents an important, concrete step toward the goal of moving Syria's chemical weapons under international control so that they may ultimately be destroyed,” President Barack Obama said.

WASHINGTON - Defense Department and interagency officials are working closely with the Maryland-based manufacturer of an autoinjector for deployed troops that contains an antidote for some kinds of nerve agents.

WASHINGTON - The Boys and Girls Clubs of America has named the son of a Fort Knox, Ky., soldier as the organization’s first Military Youth of the Year.

WASHINGTON - Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said "unprecedented" uncertainty about the department's budget continues to hamper plans and operations.

FORT HOOD, Texas - For Army Sgt. Robert George III, joining the military was a choice that runs deep in his family for more than 200 years.

WASHINGTON - “The Star Spangled Banner,” which will be nearly 200 years old this weekend, continues to inspire Americans and the countless military signers who perform it.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department and the military services have made inroads in suicide prevention, but work remains to be done, the vice director of the Joint Staff said.

WASHINGTON - Representatives from the U.S. military branches and 11 nations are taking part in a demonstration intended to increase combat effectiveness and interoperability, while minimizing the risk of fratricide.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. - Nearly 100 Colorado National Guardsmen have been mobilized to assist local authorities in search-and-rescue operations caused by historic flooding in the state.

WASHINGTON - The Military Health System acknowledges that U.S. troops in previous conflicts haven’t been subjected to the circumstances that surround 12 years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior Defense Department physician said.

ARLINGTON, Va. - With the military’s financial future unclear, officials must step to the fore and lead, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

KABUL, Afghanistan - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Afghanistan for meetings with senior U.S., NATO and Afghan officials to review the progress of the drawdown.

FALLS CHURCH, Va. - With obesity rates on the rise, a Pentagon initiative known as Operation Live Well is encouraging members of the military to make healthy choices, and Dr. Jonathan Woodson, the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, laid out the grand scheme behind the initiative.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter begins a seven-day trip to Central and Southwest Asia, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said, while Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, prepares to attend the NATO Military Committee Conference in Budapest, Hungary.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department has initiated a study to evaluate five sites in the continental United States for possible deployment of additional ground-based interceptors, Pentagon officials announced.

TYSONS CORNER, Va. - The information technology sector may be the only winner in a defense funding climate that views “flat as the new up” -- but maintaining cyber domain dominance will take more and faster innovation, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Army 1st Lt. Joshua Pitcher was conducting a routine combat patrol in southern Afghanistan last year when he was injured by an improvised explosive device that took his right leg.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - The first of nine Intrepid Spirit Centers, all funded by donations and designed to treat combat-related brain injuries has opened its doors at Virginia's Fort Belvoir.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called the commanding officer of the USS Barry on the anniversary of 9/11 to express his gratitude to sailors serving in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

FORT BELVOIR, Va. - First Lady Michelle Obama and actor Gary Sinise visited with families and toured a new USO facility at Virginia's Fort Belvoir to mark Patriot Day and National Service Day of Remembrance.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel led a Pentagon ceremony to remember those who died in the building during the 9/11 attacks twelve years ago, noting that though time continually moves the world further away from Sept. 11, 2001, “we will never forget the men and women that our Pentagon community lost that day.”

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, marked the 12th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at a ceremony at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - Eighteen months after the director of national intelligence announced plans for a new information technology environment, a milestone has set the community on the path to its IT future.

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan - The thought of being absent for yet another milestone in his daughter’s life led Marine Corps Sgt. Anthony Ortiz, a California native, to track down a teddy bear and make a little extra space in his pack.

WASHINGTON - The credible threat of U.S. military force in Syria is critical to showing the world that chemical weapons use is unacceptable, President Barack Obama said in a speech to the nation, but he added that he has asked Congress to postpone a vote authorizing such action.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama met with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and other officials to review interagency counterterrorism planning on the eve of the 12th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

WASHINGTON - The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has recognized eight organizations whose sense of community, creativity and innovation has improved the quality of life for military families.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama believes the threat of a U.S. attack was the driving force behind a possible diplomatic solution to controlling Syria’s stockpiles of chemical weapons, Secretary of State John F. Kerry told Congress.

WASHINGTON - U.S. and Chinese officials mapped the next steps in the military-to-military relationship at their just concluded defense consultative talks in Beijing at the 14th annual defense consultative talks.

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon’s chief of acquisition, technology and logistics said he expects sequestration to continue into the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, but added that the acquisition workforce’s mission remains to “get as much as we can for the resources we’re given.”

WASHINGTON - Plans are in place for a range of military options against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, America’s top general told the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing on authorization to use military force in Syria, which President Barack Obama has asked Congress to grant.

WASHINGTON - A complex missile defense flight test has resulted in the intercept of two medium-range ballistic missile targets, Defense Department officials said.

BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La - While Air Force Airman 1st Class Timothy Pledger was waiting to depart for deployment on Aug. 30, he ended up delivering his baby daughter.

WASHINGTON - Defense officials from the United States and China met in Beijing and discussed how to continue the progress that has taken place in the military relationship between their countries, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice today explained the objectives of punitive military strikes under consideration in response to the use of chemical weapons by the Bashar Assad regime against Syrian civilians.

WASHINGTON - Veterans and military members in crisis who reach out for help have the best chance of recovery, and can feel safe discussing their problem anonymously wtih trained professionals by dialing 1-800-273-8255 and pressing No. 1, a Military Crisis Line responder said.

WASHINGTON - The Air Force’s KC-46 air refueling tanker project is “on cost and on schedule,” Acting Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning said, in an interview with American Forces Press Service.

WASHINGTON - Ships, aircraft and personnel from 15 nations launched the most enduring maritime exercise within U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility, with scenarios designed to increase their ability to work together to address regional challenges and threats.

CAMP KRUTKE, Afghanistan - Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Johnny Wilder carefully observes his students as they train each day and offers guidance where he can. But when one student approaches to ask a question, Wilder cannot give him the answer he needs since he cannot understand Pashto. All of Wilder’s students are Afghans.

WASHINGTON - Step onto an elevator beside Martin Drake, U.S. Central Command’s chief science and technology advisor, and one might be surprised to hear him deliver to perfect strangers an unclassified tutorial he calls “Science and Technology 101.”

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama used his weekly address to explain his decisions to take military action against Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria and to seek congressional approval for that action.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Spanish Defense Minister Pedro Morenés discussed Syria and other topics in a meeting at the Pentagon.

WASHINGTON - The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations calls the risks of inaction in response to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against its own people greater than the risks of military action.

BLUEMONT, Va. - The vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has presided over the grand opening of Boulder Crest Retreat for seriously wounded service members, veterans and their families.

WASHINGTON - The annual Combined Federal Campaign adds a new feature for donors this year: an online pledge option available through the Defense Finance and Accounting Service’s MyPay website.

WASHINGTON - Chemical weapons attacks in Syria pose a threat to regional as well as global peace and stability, President Barack Obama said at the conclusion of the G-20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - A soldier in Afghanistan was a musical prodigy as a child, and walked away from her job as a music director at Pepperdine University to serve in the Army.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called Egyptian Defense Minister Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to discuss the U.S.-Egyptian security relationship, the current security situation in Egypt and progress on the political roadmap.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department is focused on what President Barack Obama has defined as the objective of a proposed military operation in Syria: ending Bashar Assad’s use of chemical weapons, Pentagon Press Secretary George Little said.

WASHINGTON - Budget pressures mean defense acquisition workers’ lives “are going to stay difficult for a while,” but they have a critical mission for the country, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics said.

WASHINGTON - A senior U.S. defense official says Asian leaders welcomed the U.S. rebalance to Asia during Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's recent visit to the region.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter announced contribution goals for the Combined Federal Campaign charity drive and expressed confidence that Defense Department employees will find it in their hearts to contribute.

WASHINGTON - As new challenges and budget realities loom, the officer who serves as NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe and commander of U.S. European Command has challenged those in his charge to tap the “vast reservoir of untapped potential” within the noncommissioned officer corps.

CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan - It’s a day-by-day brawl over mounds of sand, steel mesh and heavy equipment, but Marine Corps Sgt. Adam Rehder loves it.

WASHINGTON - The American Library Association has been working to deliver books and magazines for troops overseas since World War I, and laid the foundation for the Defense Department’s first and longest-running morale, welfare and recreation program.

WASHINGTON - Even without the uncertainty caused by budget negotiations, it will take years for the Navy to recover from the effects of sequestration, the chief of naval operations told an audience at the American Enterprise Institute.

BOISE, Idaho - The U.S. Forest Service is ending the military C-130 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System operations because of a drop in wildfire activity and increased availability of civilian air tankers.

WASHINGTON - The United States and Russia disagree on some aspects of their bilateral relations, but there are many areas where the countries can and do cooperate, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia told the Heritage Foundation.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel urged the House Foreign Affairs Committee to support President Barack Obama’s plan to respond to the Syrian regime’s use of chemical weapons against its own people.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt discussed the situation in Syria during a bilateral meeting in Stockholm.

WASHINGTON - With the new fiscal year less than a month away, a senior Defense Department official warned during a defense cooperation conference that spending cuts triggered by sequestration are likely to be part of the budget landscape for the foreseeable future.

WASHINGTON - Societal and security changes in Afghanistan have shifted momentum in the country increasingly in the government’s favor, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command said.

TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan - Not many American airmen can say they are originally from Russia. Even fewer can say their military deployment has strengthened their family. For Air Force 2nd Lt. Liya Smolina, that's exactly the case.

WASHINGTON - Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter met at the Pentagon with State Secretary Eirik Thorshaug of Norway’s Defense Ministry.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State John F. Kerry told a Senate panel the entire world is watching to see how the United States responds to the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee lawmakers need to consider the consequences of U.S. inaction in the face of the Syrian government's use of chemical weapons against its own people.

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan - Whether it’s serving in the 4th Infantry Division’s staff judge advocate or in Afghanistan, Army Cpl. Natasha Hunter said she enjoys her work as a paralegal.

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has expressed confidence that Congress will authorize military action against Syria in response to the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons against its own people.

WASHINGTON - More than 90 U.S. Marines set sail for a three-month mission to improve maritime safety along the West African coast along with their counterparts from Holland, Spain and the United Kingdom.

WASHINGTON - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has issued a message to Defense Department employees emphasizing the Pentagon's resolve to prevent military suicides.

WASHINGTON - Making sure people know where to turn for help during a time of crisis is the continuing goal of the Defense Department’s suicide prevention program.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department helped Israel conduct a missile test over the Mediterranean Sea Tuesday, but a Pentagon spokesman says the test was not related to potential military action in Syria.

WASHINGTON - Service members' financial readiness has a direct effect on mission readiness, a senior Defense official said.