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(JTA) -- Iran reportedly tested medium- and long-range missiles that are capable of reaching Israel and U.S. bases. Tuesday's firing of the missiles came on the second day of the Revolutionary Guards' war games. The day before, Iran's military displayed on national television underground missile silos programmed to hit predetermined targets with medium- and long-range missiles, including Israel and U.S. bases in the Middle East, in the event of an attack. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force, told the English-language semi-official Iranian news service Fars that the United States and Israel were Iran's only enemies,...

WASHINGTON, July 2, 2010 – One year after U.S. forces withdrew from Iraqi cities, the chief of staff for the 3rd Infantry Division and Task Force Marne said yesterday that Iraqi security forces have proven themselves capable of conducting independent operations. During a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable, Army Col. Thomas S. James said that in his estimation, Iraqi security forces are well prepared for the withdrawal of the final U.S. combat troops and the completion of the U.S. transition from combat to stability operations on Sept. 1. “What we have seen across the board in the five Iraqi army divisions...

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2007 – Iraq’s growing police force is technically competent and functioning as it should within the country’s legal system, a top U.S. police trainer said yesterday. The operational problems they have experienced are primarily the result of an unusually tumultuous security situation in Baghdad and elsewhere, said Army Brig. Gen. David Phillips, deputy commander of the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team and the senior military police officer in theater. “I believe the Iraqi police are getting very capable in handling the law enforcement type mission and traffic mission. The problem you have is ... that there’s a...

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2007 – U.S. and Iraqi officials are working to build an Iraqi air force capable of conducting operations across the entire spectrum of the counterinsurgency fight, a senior U.S. military officer said today. The ultimate goal is to create an Iraqi air force “that’s sustainable, and with a force structure that (Iraqis) can maintain,” U.S. Air Force Brig Gen. Stephen Hoog, the air component coordination element director for Multinational Force Iraq, told a group of Internet journalists and bloggers during a telephone conference call from Baghdad. Eighteen years ago, the now-defunct Iraqi air force had 900...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9, 2007 – The continued support of the U.S. and international community to building a strong Afghan army and police force is essential as that country moves forward with social and economic progress, the U.S. general in charge of training Afghan forces said today. “Our ultimate goal here is to assist the nation by building Afghan capacity and capability to secure Afghanistan's territory and provide an Afghan shield for the nation's continued development,” said Army Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. Durban spoke in a news conference via satellite from Afghanistan. “This...

Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV addresses members of the media at a Media Roundtable Dec. 27 at the Combined Press Information Center. BAGHDAD -- The Iraqi Security Force and Iraqi Police are eager to help find solutions for the challenges facing their country, and they are becoming more capable of assuming increased responsibility for security, a senior U.S. military officer said Wednesday. As President George W. Bush deliberates the way ahead in Iraq, the Iraqi people and their security forces will ultimately have the responsibility to quell violence and effect peace across the country, Maj. Gen. William B....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2006 – Iraqi military and police forces are eager to help find solutions for the challenges facing their country, and they are becoming more capable of assuming increased responsibility for security, a senior U.S. military officer said in Baghdad today. As President Bush deliberates the way ahead in Iraq, the Iraqi people and their security forces will ultimately have the responsibility to quell violence and effect peace across the country, Army Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell IV, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, told reporters. “Ultimately, Iraqis have to step up and develop solutions to their country’s problems,”...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Nov. 24, 2006 -- U.S. military operations and missions have changed since the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom and will continue to change as the Afghan National Army becomes a more capable and respected force. “Every operation we do, we do with the ANA,” Army Sgt. Maj. Bryan Gran, operations sergeant major for Task Force Iron Graze here, said in a Thanksgiving Day interview. “If a squad of our guys goes out, a platoon of their guys goes out; if a platoon of our guys goes out, a company of their guys goes...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2006 – As he leads the Defense Department through challenging times, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said during an interview that aired over the weekend that he and his senior military leaders have the utmost confidence in the men and women in uniform waging the war on terror. Rumsfeld echoed the words of Army Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, commander of Multinational Corps Iraq, during a wide-ranging interview with CNN. He acknowledged the “absolutely amazing job” the troops are doing in Iraq “and how dedicated they are and how patriotic they are, how proud they are of...

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Air Force is working to gain complete control of support operations from Coalition forces to add to the maintenance operations already under its charge. Formerly located at Ali Air Base near the city of An Nasiriyah in south central Iraq, the 23rd Squadron has not only changed its location to New Al Muthanna Air Base in Baghdad, but also the focus of its operations tempo. “When the squadron was at Ali base, the training was just on aircraft qualification,” explained U.S. Air Force Maj. Dave Osterhout, Coalition Air Force Assistance Transition Team operations chief. “Iraqi airmen...

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2006 – The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gave a sense of urgency to the Defense Department’s transformation to meet the threats of the 21st century. Since then, historic changes have been made that have prevented terrorist attacks and improved America’s military, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. “I know that at times it’s difficult for all of us to see the larger picture, but I’m convinced that with the distance of a few years, we’ll all be able to look back at this time and see that, while a number of things that...

NAVAL AIR STATION FALLON, Nev., Aug. 28, 2006 -- The U.S. military is capable not only of winning the war on terror, but also of fulfilling its other commitments around the world and dealing with unforeseen circumstances, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told a group of sailors and Marines here today. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld takes a picture with a sailor at the conclusion of a town hall meeting at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., Aug. 28. Photo by Staff Sgt. D. Myles Cullen, USAF  '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “It would be unfortunate if other countries thought...

FORT GREELEY, Alaska, Aug. 28, 2006 – America’s missile defense capabilities are increasingly important now, as more countries demonstrate the ability and willingness to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here yesterday after touring missile assembly and storage facilities. “It’s an activity that has been evolving over time and is important for the protection of the American people,” Rumsfeld told reporters after being briefed about the interceptor missile activities here. “It is an activity that with each passing month has become more capable.” The U.S. missile defense system is still limited and needs more...

WASHINGTON, July 19, 2006 – The idea of the services operating jointly with fewer aircraft platforms that share common features is the key to the modernization effort taking place throughout the military aviation community, the Army Aviation director said here yesterday. Army Brig. Gen. Stephen D. Mundt called the trend toward jointness a key driver in aviation modernization programs. "It's critical we work together. It's a joint world," he said. "There is no way that this nation can afford for everybody to have their own specific capabilities and be redundant across the board." But Mundt told Pentagon reporters he's concerned...

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2006 – Afghan national security forces are building capabilities every day and will soon be able to provide security for their country and be a strong partner in the war on terrorism, two U.S. and Afghan generals involved in training the forces said in a news briefing from Afghanistan today. The country's national security forces, including the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, now number more than 60,000 and are conducting successful joint operations, said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin, commander of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. The Afghan National Army is being built from...

BAHGDAD, Iraq, May 4, 2006 – Iraqi army forces are becoming much more capable and are increasingly taking the lead in counterinsurgency operations, coalition officials said here today at a news conference. About 253,000 members of the Iraqi security forces are trained and equipped, Army Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, deputy chief of staff for strategic effects for Multinational force Iraq, said. Two divisions, 16 brigades and 58 battalions make up the Iraqi army. Iraqi officials yesterday inaugurated a new system that will allow commanders to exercise operational control of these forces nationwide. Lynch said the million-dollar Joint Operations Center that...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25, 2006 – The Army is making revolutionary changes in its transformation process and is becoming a more capable and effective force, not a strained institution in danger of breaking, as recent criticism has suggested, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld said here today. Two reports released today that characterize the Army as extremely strained and in danger of facing recruiting crises misunderstand the situation and do not take into account the accomplishments of the past five years, Rumsfeld said. "The world saw the United States military go halfway around the world and in a matter of weeks...

One of the names recently bandied about to fill the President’s last remaining Cabinet position, that of Director of Homeland Security, has been Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. Among the country’s most well-known Senators—even before his run as Al Gore’s Vice-Presidential candidate—Lieberman is highly respected on both sides of the aisle as being reasonable, strong on foreign policy matters, fiscally-prudent, and socially centrist. His sobriquet as “The Conscience of the Senate” seems well-deserved. Many feel that Lieberman would be an excellent candidate: fully vetted by his years of Senate service and his run for Vice President, well-informed about national security issues,...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

For those bad-news-from-Iraq-only information consumers, stop reading here. There have been several recent developments out of Iraq that should give some comfort to those who believe that Arabs and Muslims are capable of embracing democracy. There have been military victories in Iraq, a debt relief agreement for the country has been hammered out, and Iraq’s independent electoral commission has set a firm date for elections. First Najaf was cleaned up, then Sadr City, then Fallujah, then Mosul… Yes, Iraq’s “insurgency” won’t go away overnight, but it is certainly getting harder and harder for the “militants” – they’re either dead or...