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AN IRANIAN nuclear facility has been hit by a huge explosion, the second such blast in a month, prompting speculation that Tehran's military and atomic sites are under attack. Satellite imagery seen by The Times confirmed that a blast that rocked the city of Isfahan on Monday struck the uranium enrichment facility there, despite denials by Tehran.

A Libyan colonel that defected to the rebel side last month has said that the regime has had to use soldiers from its elite special forces to command popular militias after suffering months of desertions. The officer escaped from a government town in the plains below the country's Western Mountains. Lying only 60 miles from Tripoli, the rebels have launched repeated offensives in the effort to reach the capital. Leaders of the elite fighting force belonging to Gaddafi's son Khamis had left their brigades to fight elsewhere and came to man this front line reported the Colonel. "The leaders are...

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) plans to offer an amendment this week protecting gun rights on land controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Currently, guns are prohibited on Corps land, even when gun possession is otherwise allowed by state law. Rep. Gosar’s legislation would simply remove federal restrictions and allow for the law of the states (in which such land is located) to govern firearms possession. The Gosar amendment, modeled after the Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act (H.R. 1865) introduced by pro-gun Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH), is similar to a 2009 law repealing the gun ban on National Park Service...

Bob Lutz, the former Vice Chairman of General Motors, is the most famous also-ran in the auto business. In the course of his 47-year rampage through the industry, he's been within swiping range of the brass ring at Ford, BMW, Chrysler and, most recently, GM, but he's never landed the top gig. It's because he "made the cars too well," he says. It might also have something to do with the fact that Maximum Bob, who could double as a character on Mad Men, is less an éminence grise than a pithy self-promoter who has a tendency to go off...

DURHAM, N.C. — President Barack Obama promoted job creation in politically important North Carolina Monday, trying to assure Americans he's focused on their No. 1 concern — and his greatest political weakness — as his potential GOP presidential opponents prepared to target his economic policies in their first major debate. [snip] "I am optimistic about our future," the president said, even while acknowledging that "we can't be complacent." Obama announced details of a program to train 10,000 new American engineers every year, saying private companies will join the government to promote education in science, technology, engineering and math. They'll offer...

Well, having recruited a couple engineers I now need help in getting permission to go and help out, plus if anyone knows of any inexpensive inns in Japan, it would be a great help.

BEIJING – The 121-story Shanghai Tower is more than China's next record-setting building: It's an economic lifeline for the elite club of skyscraper builders. Financial gloom has derailed plans for new towers in Chicago, Moscow, Dubai and other cities. But in China, work on the 2,074-foot (632-meter) Shanghai Tower, due to be completed in 2014, and dozens of other tall buildings is rushing ahead, powered by a buoyant economy and providing a steady stream of work to architects and engineers. The U.S. high-rise market is "pretty much dead," said Dan Winey, a managing director for Gensler, the Shanghai Tower's San...

Finally! Another Cat Video! Cat Yodeling Tutorial with an introduction to Cat Polka. Cat Yodeling will soon take over the universe and you don't want to get left behind! "Aspect Ratio" sequence near the start is a spoof of a video called "Free Hugs." Ending music is "Can Can" by Offenbach.

BAGHDAD – Thirty-three Regional Guard Brigade Soldiers graduated from the Iraq Army Engineer School at Camp Taji Sept. 15. As part of an introduction to the Iraqi Army, the Peshmerga officers and enlisted soldiers became familiar with current tactics, techniques and procedures being used by Iraqi Army engineers. The 30-day course covered the most high-profile aspects of combat engineering, including route clearance and mine identification and detection. Students learned and conducted practical exercises on mounted and dismounted route clearance, mine-detecting robots and the capabilities of the Badger, an Iraqi Light Armored Vehicle. “Our knowledge of engineering has grown tremendously through...

An interesting paradox in the technology world is that there is both a shortage and a surplus of engineers in the United States. Talk to those working at any Silicon Valley company, and they will tell you how hard it is to find qualified talent. But listen to the heart-wrenching stories of unemployed engineers, and you will realize that there are tens of thousands who can’t get jobs. What gives? The harsh reality is that in the tech world, companies prefer to hire young, inexperienced, engineers.And engineering is an “up or out� profession: you either move up the ladder or...

WASHINGTON, June 17, 2010 – Engineers with NATO Training Mission Afghanistan and Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan are working with their Afghan partners to build infrastructure to support the growth of the Afghan national security forces, a senior officer involved in that effort said yesterday. During a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable, Army Col. Mike Wehr, director of the Combined Joint Engineer Office for the training commands, said Afghanistan cannot sustain itself without the proper infrastructure in facilities and governance. Wehr’s office ensures adequate facilities are available, develops engineer leadership at the ministerial level and builds sustainable capacity and capability to...

The U.S. Coast Guard has complained that there is not enough plastic tubing in the United States to construct the booms needed to contain the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. And neither BP, the Coast Guard, nor any other part of the U.S. government seems to understand how to effectively clean up the fouled Gulf. A technology that could effectively and actively remove oil from the surface of the ocean in all weather conditions would be a huge advance for the efforts going on in the Gulf right now. In fact, such a technology was designed and tested in the...

5/17/2010 - ALI BASE, Iraq (AFNS) -- Members of the 200th Rapid Engineering Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineer Squadron have arrived here to draw down the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron from Iraq. As they complete the last construction and engineering projects and pack up their equipment and materials in the yard, they are part of the last RED HORSE rotation operating under Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2010. Several civil engineers currently at Ali Base were part of the original 2005 rotation charged with constructing the infrastructure necessary to conduct and sustain operations throughout Iraq, including Ali Base. In...

3/22/2010 - JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- As U.S. officials prepare to draw down troops in Iraq, efforts are being made to ensure the effect on the country's infrastructure is minimal. Joint Base Balad's civil engagement program maximizes the base's resources and abilities and helps more than 800,000 Iraqis in the Salah ad Din Province. The program is a joint effort between the U.S. Department of State, the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing and the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment based at JB Balad. "The program provides a communication channel between the three entities, which have different missions to support...

New college graduates may be entering the worst job market in decades, but there are still some majors that pay off—and all of them are in the applied sciences. A new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers finds that eight of the top 10 best-paid majors are in engineering, with petroleum engineering topping off the list at $86,220. "Petroleum engineering has been at the top for the last three years," said Edwin Koc, director of strategic and foundation research at NACE. "The oil industry for the last couple of years has been a bit more active and...

WASHINGTON — NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said Tuesday that President Barack Obama has asked him to “find ways to reach out to dominantly Muslim countries” as the White House pushes the space agency to become a tool of international diplomacy. “In addition to the nations that most of you usually hear about when you think about the International Space Station, we now have expanded our efforts to reach out to non-traditional partners,” said Bolden, speaking to a lecture hall of young engineering students.

Intelligence agencies tasked with profiling the terrorist mind, and figuring out where future extremists might be found, have begun focusing on a surprising target: science students. As it turns out, many recruits in extremist groups such as Al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizbullah, and Hamas have backgrounds in medicine, engineering, and other hard sciences. In one study by Oxford sociologists -Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog, who will be publishing a book on the subject next year, out of 178 terrorists with higher education, almost half studied math or science. And the phenomenon is not limited to Islamists--strong links to science...

BAGHDAD –American 317th Engineer Company and 17th Iraqi Army Division engineers worked together here recently to complete a road leading into Joint Security Station Deason, providing each the opportunity to train with and get to know their counterparts. Upon arrival to JSS Deason early this month, the American Soldiers met their partners from the 17th IA, Soldiers they would be working with throughout the duration of the project. "Some of our Soldiers had never met Iraqi Soldiers,” said Sgt. Steve Balamut, the Assistant Project Manager for this mission. “The Iraqis were eager to learn what we had to say and...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan, Feb. 16, 2010 – As Army 1st Lt. Phil Kirk pulled the walkie-talkie from his hip, disappointment was obvious on his face and in his voice. “Did you hear that?” Kirk asked, shaking his head. “Sounds like medevac is ‘red.’ We’re not going anywhere.” The lieutenant was referencing radio traffic from the tactical operations center informing him that his newly formed route clearance patrol’s first mission would be delayed for several hours because helicopters were unable to fly, presumably due to poor weather. The unit, nicknamed the “Black Jacks,” was pieced together last month with...

BAGHDAD, Jan. 14, 2010 – Soldiers from 317th Engineer Company and 808th Engineer Company are providing electricity to the future living spaces of U.S. forces as they prepare to hand off their current housing to the Iraqi army. Army Spc. Brandon Burgess makes sure all connections are secure while Army Pfc. Sean Carroll observes the process at Contingency Operating Station Carver, Iraq, Jan. 8, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. April Mota  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The move will happen as soon as soldiers from 1434th Engineer Company complete the new joint operations center at Contingency Operating...

FALLUJAH, Iraq, Jan. 13, 2010 – More than 22 miles of roadway here and in surrounding communities are now fully lighted with 1,200 solar powered street lights, thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District. Solar-powered street lights recently installed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers illuminate what was once a dark and dangerous neighborhood in Fallujah, Iraq. U.S. Army photo   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The third and final phase of the project was completed recently by project engineers at Al-Anbar Resident Office, based in Ramadi. “The administration of this project is an...

NEAR FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, Jan. 4, 2010 – While there may be no place in Afghanistan that is completely safe for U.S. and coalition forces, some regions certainly are much more dangerous than others. In those risky locales, the 1141st Engineer Company’s sappers -- combat engineers – who are part of the Missouri Army National Guard’s 203rd Engineer Battalion, are keeping Afghan roads clear of improvised explosive devices. The vast majority of vehicular traffic – military and otherwise – seeks to avoid contact with IEDs, but it is the job of these Missouri Guardsmen to hunt them like...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 11, 2009 – In preparation for the upcoming Iraqi national elections, the Gulf Region District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is serving as the managing partner for the construction of 15 “expedient police stations” in northern Iraq. Army Col. Dan Anninos, center, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region District, inspects the progress of an expedient police station in Mosul, Iraq, with project engineer Navy Lt. Cmdr. Frank Carroll, left, Larry Petrosino, the district’s deputy of program management. U.S. Army photo by Scott Harris  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The police station...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 4, 2009 – As 30,000 additional troops move into what admittedly will be “pretty austere conditions” in Afghanistan, the Army Corps of Engineers is working in partnership with unit-level engineers and contractors to provide basic creature comforts -- while focusing heavily on longer-term projects considered critical to their ultimate success there. U.S. Army Col. Kevin Wilson, commander of Afghanistan Engineer District – South, right, chats with U.S. Air Force Maj. Bryan Opperman, officer in charge of the Qalat resident office, at the construction site of a new Afghan National Police station. U.S. Army photo by Patricia Ryan   (Click...

KIRKUK — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Gulf Region District, Kirkuk Resident Office is seriously delving into the road construction business. The Kirkuk office is serving as construction design manager for the Kirkuk Ring Road project and the manager of “Village to Market” road repair project. The $130 million, two-year Kirkuk Ring Road project is an aggressive 31-kilometer highway extension, designed to create a southern access bypass road from the Sulamaniya Interchange to the Taza Road Interchange. The three-phase project is being funded by oil revenues from the provincial government. USACE, through the Economic Support Fund, provided $4.3...

11/23/2009 - KHOST PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Khost Provincial Reconstruction Team engineers conducted quality assurance training for more than 30 Afghan contractors, foremen and engineers at the Civil-Military Operations Center in downtown Khost, Afghanistan recently. The engineers conduct monthly training to address issues found during project site audits throughout the 12 districts and one municipality of Khost. This training, the third session held by the PRT, concentrated on brick masonry, material storage and project administration. Previous topics included concrete preparation and processing, and plaster and mortar finishing techniques. "We are addressing recurring quality issues in our training sessions," said U.S....

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Nov. 20, 2009 – A Basra, Iraq, native brings 50 years of experience as an architect, a master’s degree and a resume that reads like a travel guide ranging across Europe and the Middle East and even Japan to his job as leader of the Iraqi facilities engineering team here. A worker at the Anzio logistics site on Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, bends rebar to be used in the placement of housing trailers for U.S. troops Nov. 14, 2009. The work at the site is being overseen and planned by an Iraqi facilities engineering...

Sgt. James Glomski, of Alpena, Mich., with the 1434th Engineer Company, observes Iraqi Pfc. Omar Khodair Abbas making his first cut using a circular saw during a "train the trainer" carpentry course for the Iraqi Army in Baghdad, Nov. 14. Photo courtesy of the 16th Engineer Brigade. BAGHDAD — Iraq Soldiers here ended two days of basic carpentry training with a practical exercise of building dormitory-style rooms in the old Ministry of Defense, Nov. 14. Soldiers of the 1434th Engineer Company taught a "train the trainer" course to the 11th Field Engineer Regiment, 11th Iraqi Army Division, so the IA...

JOINT SECURITY STATION CONDOR, Iraq, Nov. 9, 2009 – For most soldiers assigned to the 1st Armored Division’s 4th Brigade “Highlanders,” the unit's “advise and assist” mission requires a rethinking of traditional roles in a stability operations environment. Soldiers train on proper sweeping techniques with a mine detector on one of several training lanes at Joint Security Station Condor in Iraq’s Maysan province, Oct. 17, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Brendon Hischar  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The engineers of 2nd Platoon, Company E, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, are no different. Some people associate engineers with...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE GARRYOWEN, Iraq, Nov. 6, 2009 – Iraqi army engineers put their training to good use Oct. 18 on a reconnaissance mission to evaluate a local bridge. Army Sgt. Ryan Loseby, an Iraqi soldier and their interpreter review measurements as Army Pfc. Garrett Childress, far left, looks on during a reconnaissance mission to evaluate a bridge near Contingency Operating Base Garryowen, Iraq, Oct. 18, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Benjamin Hann  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Engineers from the 10th Iraqi Army Field Engineer Regiment Detachment joined their trainers from Company E, 4th Battalion, 6th...

11/3/2009 - ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- "Roads bring people. People bring business and business improves life for everyone." These words, spoken in 2006 by Canadian Brig. Gen. Daniel Pepin, then the deputy general for reconstruction projects in Afghanistan, have proven prophetic, as, three years later, the ability to move vehicles and goods along roads here has been greatly enhanced, improving the lives of Afghans across the country. In response, Taliban insurgents routinely target the newly-built infrastructure. Air Force engineers assigned to the Zabul Provincial Reconstruction Team have countered, along with Army security forces, by conducting missions along Highway One,...

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan, Oct. 1, 2009 – Members of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District North performed site assessments and a helicopter flyover to view construction and road projects here Sept. 20. Col. Ayoub, Afghan National Border Patrol commander, left, discusses a project in the Sarkani district of Afghanistan’s Kunar province that will house 90 to 100 border policemen, Sept. 20, 2009. With him, left to right, are Martin Reed, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District North construction representative and quality assurance lead, a translator, and Army Maj. William Lewis, the district’s resident officer in charge....

Hundreds of thousands of Bay Area commuters remain in limbo today as crews scramble to complete an emergency repair to the workhorse Bay Bridge. The 73-year-old bridge, crossed by more than 260,000 cars and trucks a day, was shut down for a larger, unrelated seismic upgrade project. Now, crews are working to fix a cracked steel link, called an eyebar, that helps hold up the east span. Inspectors discovered the problem Saturday afternoon, setting in motion a dash to fix a problem that - by itself - would have forced officials to shut down the bridge. "There's a lot of...

The Soldiers of 277th Engineer Company, 46th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade, work on the first step of a many step process to build a Mabey Johnson Float Bridge near Taji, Iraq. The huge undertaking requires 6,000 cubic yards of dirt to be moved to level the ground for the bridge. That is nearly 400 dump truck loads of dirt. Photo by Sgt. Rebekah Malone. BAGHDAD — The Tigris River, or in Arabic Nahr Dijlah, winds itself through the very heart of Baghdad. For centuries, it has provided life-sustaining water and enabled trade in Mesopotamia.Traversing the fabled waterway is what...

Lt. Col. Humberto Ramirez, GRS Basra Area Office deputy commander, and Todd Harter, GRS construction representative, discuss the construction progress at the Al Basra Institute for Vocational Training renovation project with Iraqi project engineers. GRD photo by A. Al Bahrani. BASRAH — A vocational school renovation project here is slated to help residents of Al Hyyaniya, a densely-populated neighborhood in Basrah, learn job training skills that should increase their employment opportunities.Funded by the Commander’s Emergency Relief Program, the $2.5 million Al Basrah Institute for Vocational Training renovation project is being managed by the Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of...

COB SPEICHER — The Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers here began its transformation as part of the responsible drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq when it discontinued two of its three subordinate districts and merged them into the Gulf Region district, July 20. The Division’s Gulf Region North and Gulf Region Central districts became the newly-formed Gulf Region district. The new district, along with the division’s South district, will continue to provide full-spectrum construction management in support of the U.S. government and the government of Iraq. The consolidation began at a discontinuance ceremony where Col. Margaret W....

TAJI — Iraqi Army (IA) Field Engineer Soldiers partnered with U.S. Soldiers to train on Mabey and Johnson Bridge emplacements at the Iraqi Army Engineer School here, July 3-13. Like most training the IA receives, a “train the trainer” approach was taken. Students from previous classes can now help new students learn these skills. The IA Engineer School trains 400-500 Engineers each rotation. The 50th Multi Role Bridge Company (MRBC), which supports 555th Engineer Brigade, assists this effort by instructing groups of 20 to 30 IA Engineers during ten-day blocks of classroom and hands-on bridge training. The combined IA and...

Note: The following text is a quote: 09 July 2009 EGYPT ARRESTS TERRORIST CELL OF 25 MEMBERS CAIRO, July 9 (Xinhua) The Egyptian authorities have arrested a terrorist cell of 25 members, 24 Egyptians and one Palestinian, for plotting to carry out terrorist attacks in Suez Canal, Egyptian Interior Ministry said in statement issued on Thursday. According to the statement, the members of the cell who believe in Jihad (Holy War) were located in Cairo, Alexandria and Daqahlia governorates and communicated through internet with other terrorist groups outside Egypt. The cell's members, mostly engineers, were developing high-tech and electronic devices...

LONDON: High-ranking Pakistani officials were behind the killing of eleven French ship-building engineers in Karachi seven years ago, two French judges have ruled. Until now al-Qaida had been blamed for the bomb attack on a bus in 2002 that killed 11 engineers and three Pakistanis. The judges suspected that the Pakistanis were retaliating over a decision by former French President Jacques Chirac, to halt payment to Pakistani officers of millions of pounds in secret commission from an 720 million pounds contract signed in 1994, for three French submarines, the Time reported on Tuesday. The dead engineers were working on the...

6/17/2009 - FORWARD OPERATING BASE FINLEY-SHIELDS, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Nangarhar Province is seeing a rush of construction projects due in large part to the vision and planning of an Air Force civil engineer team here. As part of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team, civil engineers work with fellow PRT members, including civil affairs teams, to address the needs of a specific district or village and nail down the particulars necessary to get a project approved and built. The civil affairs team works with local leaders on determining the specific needs of an area. The province, approximately 7,700 square miles with...

The Georgia Dome, home of the Atlanta Falcons football team, was recently crowded with cheering fans and adrenaline-filled competitors. A thrilling competition crowned new champions. But this was not a football game. It was a robotics competition for high school students interested in engineering, a program that now attracts about 200,000 student-competitors and nearly 100,000 volunteers. Known as FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), this program demonstrates that there is no shortage of American engineering minds. Started nearly 20 years ago by Dean Kamen, the inventor of the clever Segway that officials scoot around on, this competition...

Iraqi Soldiers learn important engineering skills at a school in Taji, April 10. Photo by Maj. Pat Simon, 225th Engineer Brigade. TAJI — Some of the best and brightest Iraqi Soldiers are undergoing training at the Iraqi Army (IA) Engineer School here. Call it Iraq's own version of Advanced Individual Training, but just not as advanced. Yet, they're making strides to improve the quality of the training that goes on here. "It's an incremental progress here," said IA Col. Flahe, IA Engineer School commander. "There's no big bang here – just little victories." Those little victories were few and far...

COB SPEICHER — As a sign of increasing Iraqi participation in infrastructure and facility construction projects, the U.S. Air Force Facility Engineer Team (FET) recently led the way for an Iraqi FET to take over base engineering design and construction management here. “We are transitioning the efforts here to provide a more active role for Iraqis in infrastructure projects,” said Lt. Col. Jennifer Kilbourn, commander, FET-1, Joint Base Balad (JBB). “This initiative gives engineers more experience, and allows them to train their own laborers, so when Coalition forces leave the country, they will be able to tackle their own problems.”...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER — Baseel Ali, Deputy Director of Agriculture for the Dhi Qar province, cut a red ribbon at the Nasiriyah Tree Nursery last week to officially open the facility. Just four months earlier, this location was an empty dirt and gravel lot. Today, it consists of two greenhouses used for planting vegetables and a fenced-off area for growing trees. "This will support our province and will greatly benefit us," said the Director of Agriculture, Abdul Salih. "We thank the Americans for everything they've done." The nursery can produce up to 50,000 vegetable and 4,000 tree seedlings each...

President Barack Obama today nominated a key U.S. Senate staffer to serve as assistant secretary of the Army for public works, a position that oversees the Army Corps of Engineers. Jo-Ellen Darcy is senior environmental policy adviser to the Senate Finance Committee, where she has worked on energy, environmental and conservation initiatives using the tax code. Earlier, she served as senior policy adviser, deputy staff director and staffer with the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

FOB CONSTITUTION, Iraq - Bulldozers and graters tore up chunks of earth as 6th Iraqi Army engineers and 277th Engineer Company Soldiers toiled together during a five-day heavy machinery training class at Forward Operating Base Constitution March 24. "While we were out here, we found a road buried," said a smiling San Juan, Puerto Rico native, Sgt. 1st Class Bifredo Barros, a platoon sergeant for 277th En. Co., 46th En. Battalion, 225th En. Brigade. "So we started to question what else we were going to find." What engineers of the 6th IA and 277th En. Co. also found was friendship....

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 – Military engineers have made great strides in improving infrastructure and governance capabilities in Iraq and are making positive contributions in Afghanistan as well, the Air Force’s top engineer officer said here today. Air Force Maj. Gen. Delwyn R. Eulberg told reporters during a roundtable discussion that the military has adapted well to its dual missions in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its two-fold operation of warfighting and nation building. U.S. and NATO partnerships in the two countries have improved national capabilities to levels never seen before, he said. “It’s not just about fighting the...

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, March 16, 2009 – Shockwaves reverberated through the mountains and a large black cloud of smoke rose from the road as an improvised explosive device was detonated. A soldier with the 10th Mountain Division’s 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Task Force Spartan, is on a mission with his canine partner to find improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan, March 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Rob Frazier  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. On March 9, the engineers of the 10th Mountain Division's Alpha Company, 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, once again had beaten the insurgents...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md., March 13, 2009 – Air National Guard civil engineer squadrons comprising hundreds of construction and repair experts will involuntary deploy overseas in historic numbers and scope over the next two years, senior Air Guard officials said. The mobilizations involve nearly one-eighth of the Air Guard’s civil engineer squadrons and differ from previous deployments, when citizen-airmen stepped forward as volunteers to man joint expeditionary groups. "We have large groups being involuntarily mobilized in the beginning and middle of 2009,” Air Force Col. John Elwood of the Air Guard Readiness Center's civil engineer office said. He said...

Col. Ahmed Saddam, commander of the 6th Iraqi Army Engineers, shares in dance with his Louisiana National Guard partners from the 225th Engineer Brigade, during a Mardi Gras themed celebration on Camp Liberty, March 7. Courtesy photo. BAGHDAD – U.S. Soldiers with the 225th Engineer Brigade didn’t get enough of Mardi Gras on the actual holiday — so they celebrated two weeks late with their Iraqi engineer partners here, March 7.“Engineer Call,� a monthly social intended to bring both U.S. and Iraqi Army Engineers together in a casual atmosphere, aims at forging a strong relationship between both groups. This month’s...