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TALIL, Iraq, Dec. 18, 2009 – Iraq has made remarkable progress in a short while, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a news conference here today. U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with U.S. Navy sailors assigned to Riverine Squadron Three after an all hands call, Basra, Iraq, Dec. 18, 2009. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen praised Iraqi citizens and American civilian and military personnel for their hard work and sacrifice. The...

ABOARD AN AIR FORCE C-17, Dec. 18, 2009 – Results, not talk, are what’s important in Afghanistan now, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today while en route to Iraq after visiting Afghanistan. U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets villagers on a market walk in Mata Khan in Afghanistan's Paktika province, Dec. 15, 2009. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Mullen spoke to reporters traveling with him soon after leaving Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan. He had spent...

BASRA, Iraq, Dec. 18, 2009 – Discussions about upcoming elections and the withdrawal of American troops are highlighting Navy Adm. Mike Mullen’s visit to Iraq today. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke to reporters traveling with him aboard a C-17 Globemaster III transport. He said he looks forward to discussions with Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, Multinational Force Iraq commander, and meeting with troops in here and in Talil and Baghdad. The chairman arrived in Iraq after a four-day trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan. A USO troupe is traveling with him. Singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus,...

KABUL, Dec. 14, 2009 – The insurgency in Afghanistan has become more pervasive, more sophisticated and more violent, said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said during a news conference with Afghan and American reporters that the insurgents “have a dominant influence in 11 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.” The insurgents are becoming more effective at using improvised explosive devices and small-unit tactics, Mullen said. “I remain deeply concerned by the growing level of collusion between the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaida and other extremist groups taking refuge across the border in Pakistan,” he...

U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the military's focus now is the rapid deployment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan and the initial elements of the surge will begin arriving next week. Speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, Admiral Mullen says orders have been issued to combat infantry, engineers and civil affairs experts to deploy to Afghanistan, with 1,500 Marines expected to arrive in southern Helmand Province next week. Mullen indicated there is a sense of urgency at the Pentagon to implement U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to send tens of thousands of...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, 2009 – President Barack Obama’s decision to send in an additional 30,000 U.S. troops and further contributions from NATO allies will give the commander of U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan “all the forces he needs in 2010 to reverse the momentum of a growing and increasingly lethal insurgency,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today. At a Pentagon news conference, Mullen said 2009 has been the third year of significant security deterioration in Afghanistan, noting that levels of violence this year are up 60 percent from 2008. “Certainly from that standpoint, we’re...

WASHINGTON – The Pentagon's top military officer says 16,000 troops have received their orders for Afghanistan since President Barack Obama announced his new war strategy. Adm. Mike Mullen said at a news conference Thursday that the first to go — a battalion of Marines — will arrive in southern Afghanistan next week. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said tens of thousands of tons of construction materials, winter gear and other equipment also are in the pipeline. Officials are moving to get the bulk of the 30,000 additional troops into the war zone by summer.

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky — The highest-ranking military officer in the United States on Monday told soldiers, including many bound for Afghanistan, that he expects casualties to rise next year as additional U.S. troops pour into the war.

As South Korea’s military transitions to full operational control, it’s important to remember the past 60 years of U.S. commitment to the country and to not waver in that support, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen talked yesterday with servicemembers and defense civilians at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, Korea. He spoke about his earlier meetings with his South Korean counterpart, citing “tremendous change” on the horizon. The Korean military is expected to assume a larger defense responsibility there in April 2012. The alliance will only get stronger, the chairman said, with...

ARLINGTON, Va. – President Barack Obama late last week asked for and received from Defense Secretary Robert Gates a copy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s resource request for executing the war in Afghanistan. But the request has not been introduced into the White House’s war sessions that began last week and continued on Wednesday. The document is the Afghanistan war commander’s follow-on to his earlier strategy assessment, and reportedly contains options calling for increases of 10,000 to 40,000 more troops. The Pentagon for weeks had said that the request would not be considered ahead of the strategy. As reporters in Washington...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7, 2009 – Navy Secretary Ray Mabus yesterday said women soon will serve on submarines, suggesting a reversal of the long-standing ban by the Navy. Appearing on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” Mabus signaled that the Navy is moving closer to allowing coed personnel on submarines. “It will take a little while because you’ve got to interview people and you’ve got to be nuclear trained,” he said, referring to prerequisite steps before a sailor is assigned to a submarine. Officials previously have cited a lack of privacy and the cost of reconfiguring subs as obstacles...

Female sailors can broaden their role in the Navy by serving on submarines, an activity currently prohibited by the Armed Service, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has advised the Senate Armed Services Committee. According to Defensetech.org, a site run by Military.com, a group boasting a membership of 10 million veterans and active duty forces, Adm. Michael Mullen told senators in a recent survey that he's long been an advocate for improving diversity in the Armed Forces. "I believe we should continue to broaden opportunities for women. One policy I would like to see changed is the one...

Mullen, accompanied by Gen. David Petraeus and other top military officials, met at Ramstein Air Base in Germany with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who is expected to ask for 30,000 to 40,000 additional troops. Mullen is now headed back to the U.S., FOX News has confirmed. Mullen asked McChrystal for the meeting earlier in the week following the leak of McChrystal's strategic assessment to hear directly from his commander what resources and how many troops he will need to succeed in Afghanistan, aides told FOX News. "He wanted to understand the request for himself before it arrives in Washington and he...

Women should be allowed to serve aboard America's fleet of nuclear submarines, the nation's top military officer, Adm. Michael Mullen, quietly has told the Senate Armed Services Committee. If the Navy agrees to it, this would be a huge policy change and potentially a significant expansion of career opportunities for female officers and sailors. Women have been barred by Navy policy from submarines, even as the sea service began 15 years ago to integrate females into other seagoing combat roles including aboard surface warships and in fighter jets. Mullen, former chief of naval operations and a career surface warfare officer,...

This Washington Post story captures the stark divide over Afghanistan, with a unified military command on the one side — including McChrystal, Mullen, and Petraeus — and a president who is not sure he wants to follow through on "the counterinsurgency strategy he set in motion six months ago" on the other. There's this anonymous quote from one observer: "He can send more troops and it will be a disaster and he will destroy the Democratic party. Or he can send no more troops and it will be a disaster and the Republicans will say he lost the war." Isn't...

Six months after it announced its strategy for Afghanistan, the Obama administration is sending mixed signals about its objectives there and how many troops are needed to achieve them. The conflicting messages are drawing increasing ire from U.S. commanders in Afghanistan and frustrating military leaders, who are trying to figure out how to demonstrate that they're making progress in the 12-18 months that the administration has given them. Adding to the frustration, according to officials in Kabul and Washington, are White House and Pentagon directives made over the last six weeks that Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military...

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed on Tuesday to provide senators with his thoughts on a controversial law prohibiting openly gay people from serving in the military. Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) won a promise from Adm. Mike Mullen that he would provide his take on the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” before the Senate Armed Services Committee holds a hearing this fall. In prepared answers for his confirmation to a second term as the nation’s top military officer, Mullen did not express any opinion on repealing the law. President Barack Obama promised to repeal the law...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will probably need to deploy more troops to Afghanistan despite almost doubling the size of its force there this year, the top U.S. military officer said on Tuesday. The assessment by Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was the clearest signal yet that commanders will tell President Barack Obama in the coming weeks that they need extra forces to defeat Taliban insurgents. "A properly resourced counterinsurgency probably means more forces. And, without question, more time and more commitment to the protection of the Afghan people and to the development of...

As I write this article I want to make it clear that I don't blame the US Military as a whole for this. This is directed towards the decision makers, who clearly do not understand two things. The first is Islam itself, and the second being that catering to Muslims does not work. It just leads to non-Muslims becoming more like Muslims. In the last two months there has been an upsurge in the idea department of pleasing the Islamic world. Yesterday it was revealed that the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen had stated that...

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting. The critique by the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, comes as the United States is widely believed to be losing ground in the war of ideas against extremist Islamist ideology...The Obama administration orders fresh efforts to counter militant propaganda, part of its broader strategy to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan...“I would argue...

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting. The critique by the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, comes as the United States is widely believed to be losing ground in the war of ideas against extremist Islamist ideology.

WASHINGTON: Those who plotted the deadly attacks on World Trade Centre on September 11, 2001, are still alive and planning to carry out more terror strikes, a top US military general has said. "The people behind that deadly day are still at it. They live and plan and train in safe havens along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border," Navy admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, said. "They would like nothing better than to see either country or both fall prey to the grip of an extremist ideology. To the degree we let them succeed, we let ourselves become...

The nation’s top military officer, in a deeply pessimistic assessment of the war in Afghanistan, said yesterday that due to years of neglect the United States is basically “starting over’’ in its battle against the radical Taliban movement and its Al Qaeda allies. ‘This is the eighth year, but there is a newness here. There is a starting again, or starting over. Iraq has been the focus, it hasn’t been Afghanistan.’ ‘We all believe there is going to be a need to accelerate the training of the Afghanistan security forces, army, and police, and that is going to take additional...

Twice on Sunday morning – and many times before that – America's top military officer, Adm. Mike Mullen, was asked point blank whether the United States is going to send more troops to Afghanistan. Twice, he refused to give a definitive answer. The answer appears clear. A variety of media reports have suggested that the new US commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, will ask for more troops, perhaps within the coming month. Moreover, Mullen himself said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday that the situation in Afghanistan was "serious and deteriorating." To be sure, any request for more...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The top U.S. military officer on Sunday described the situation in Afghanistan as deteriorating but said the new commander on the ground had not yet requested additional troops. "I think it is serious and it is deteriorating, and I've said that over the past couple of years, that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated, in their tactics," said Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Talk Shows Sunday, August 23rd, 2009 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Jim Towey, president of Saint Vincent College and former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa.; Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis.; Tammy Duckworth, an assistant Veterans Affairs secretary.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Chuck U. Schumer, D-N.Y.; Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Karl Eikenberry, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Kent Conrad, D-N.D.; former national Democratic Party...

WASHINGTON -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, said Sunday that the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated but the commanding general on the ground has not yet asked for more troops. Speaking on CNN's "State of the Union," Adm. Mullen said the situation in the country has been getting worse as the Taliban gains strength. "I've said that over the last couple of years, that the Taliban insurgency has gotten better, more sophisticated," he said. "Their tactics just in my recent visits out there and talking with our troops certainly indicate that."

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2009 – It is crucial that U.S., NATO and Afghan forces make progress in Afghanistan in the next 12 to 18 months, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told National Public Radio’s Steve Inskeep that security forces must reverse the trends in Afghanistan. “The Afghan people are tired of this, and my sense is that it has been eight years, and it has got to start moving in the other direction,” the admiral said on NPR’s “Morning Edition.”.” Mullen and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates met Aug. 2 with...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3, 2009 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received an update on the situation in Afghanistan during a meeting in Belgium. Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and Army Lt. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, briefed the secretary and chairman at Chievres Air Base. The trip was unannounced, and the secretary and chairman flew home yesterday. Navy Adm. James Stavridis, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe; Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander...

The top U.S. military officer says there is a narrow window of time in which to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and also to avoid a military strike on its nuclear facilities. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Navy Admiral Michael Mullen, said in Washington Tuesday dialogue is crucial but that time is running out. Admiral Mullen said he is very concerned about a state sponsor of terrorist groups, such as Iran, acquiring nuclear weapons. He said it would be "incredibly destabilizing" and could cause a regional arms race.

Mullen Advises 'Measured' Approach to Gay Policy The nation's top military officer said Sunday he has advised President Barack Obama to move "in a measured way" in changing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military. Obama as a candidate pledged to end the ban. As president, he has not said when or how he will take steps to do so, drawing criticism from gay rights activists and others. The president has pointed out that Congress in 1993 made into law a policy begun by President Bill Clinton. "It's very clear what President...

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed confidence today in the U.S. military offensive in southern Afghanistan but left the door open to additional troops in the country if the situation calls for it. Admiral Mike Mullen sought to clarify an apparent disagreement with National Security Adviser Jim Jones, who reportedly told commanders in Afghanistan not to expect any additional troops. Admiral Mullen said he would wait to hear from General Stanley McChrystal, the new head commander in Afghanistan, who is conducting a 60 day assessment

WASHINGTON, May 4, 2009 – U.S. military strategic focus is shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a news conference today. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen also said he is very concerned about Taliban advances in Pakistan, and that officials in Pakistan and the rest of the region must be patient and persistent. “We stand ready, and we have stood ready, to assist the Pakistanis in their fight against this common enemy of ours,” Mullen said. The chairman, who returned from a trip to the region last week, said the U.S. strategic focus...

OUR diplomats and generals can't understand why Pakistan's million- man military avoids confronting the Taliban as the extremists tear into the country's flesh. Admiral Michael Mullen, our chairman of the Joint Chiefs and a superb officer, spends almost as much time in Islamabad as in Washington. And his Pakistani hosts make endless promises. But nothing much happens as the Taliban and their allies gobble territory. This week's "offensive" to retake Buner province -- almost within shouting distance of Pakistan's capital -- is a relatively small-scale operation. Even Richard Holbrooke, our junkyard dog among diplomats, can't get the Pakistanis off the...

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is "very alarmed by the growing extremist threat in Pakistan and remains frustrated particularly by the political leadership's inability to confront that threat," his spokesman said Monday.

....The sources assert that the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen during his recent visit had conveyed a message to Pakistan’s political and military leadership that it was high time that the Pakistani government acted against these militants. He also made it clear that if Pakistan government showed any reluctance the US itself would launch air strikes against the hideouts of these al-Qaeda militants. According to these sources, Admiral Mullen warned that US could use daisy-cutters to crush these elements in what he called a ‘decisive operation,’ which could start any time.

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2009 – Building trust between the United States and Pakistan tops the agenda as the two countries and Afghanistan move forward, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said following meetings in Pakistan’s capital city yesterday. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen and Richard Holbrooke, President Barack Obama’s special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, met with Pakistani Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad. The three spoke at a news conference following their meeting. “This commitment is a long-term commitment that I hope will generate a surplus of trust, as that is absolutely vital,” Mullen said. U.S....

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2009 – The global financial crisis is adding a layer of uncertainty that could exacerbate problems in many parts of the world, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on NBC-TV’s “Today Show” this morning. “This global financial crisis in the months ahead could have a significant effect on security around the world,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told host Matt Lauer during the interview. “That creates an additional sense of urgency [for leaders] in resolving that as fast as we can.” The chairman did not speculate as to where problems might crop up. Some obvious...

WASHINGTON, April 1, 2009 – Those in uniform must always remember their fallen comrades and their families, and those families deserve help in enduring their heartache, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here last night. “All of us know that nobody goes through life alone -- nobody,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told those gathered for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Honor Guard Gala. “[And] nobody should have to go through grief alone. It’s really that that TAPS does so well.” Bonnie Carroll started TAPS after her husband, Army Brig. Gen. Tom Carroll, an Alaska National...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama was briefed Saturday by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen about the drug wars in Mexico and wanted to know how the United States can help. "Clearly one of the things the president was interested in was the U.S military capability that may or may not apply to our cooperation with the Mexicans," said a U.S. military official who requested anonymity because the discussions were private. "He was very interested in what kind of military capabilities may be applied." Mullen briefed Obama Saturday morning about discussions with Mexican military leaders about the drug...

Here is video of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Admiral Mike Mullen - talking with CNN's John King yesterday about President Obama's timeline for withdrawal of all U.S. "Combat" Troops from Iraq. Mullen says he is very comfortable with the plan decided on, and that Obama did listen to his commanders in the field in making this decision. It is hilarious to me that Obama is touting the withdrawal of all "combat" troops by August 2010 to cover himself on his campaign pledge to pull out of Iraq. The only thing is, he is leaving 50,000 Troops...

Mullen: Iran has fissile materials for bomb Top U.S. military official says an armed Iran would be 'bad outcome' March 1: Iran has reportedly been able to produce materials necessary to build nuclear weapons at a much quicker pace than world leaders expected. NBC's Patty Culhane reports. WASHINGTON - The top U.S. military official said he believes Iran now has enough fissile material to build a nuclear bomb. Adm. Mike Mullen issued that assessment after the world's nuclear watchdog said last week that it was wrong in earlier reports and now has evidence that Iran has enough enriched uranium to...

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday that senior officers must work to prevent the militarization of American foreign policy, and he urged generals and admirals to tell civilian leaders when they believed the armed forces should not take the lead in carrying out policies overseas. Adm. Mike Mullen, who as chairman is the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, also called for more money and personnel to be devoted to the civilian agencies responsible for diplomacy and overseas economic development.

In his 2008 Thanksgiving Day message released today, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted the wartime similarities between today and the proclamation of the national holiday 140 years ago. Here is the text of Mullen’s message: Citing the many blessings bestowed upon the United States, these timeless words were delivered by Abraham Lincoln in his 1863 proclamation establishing Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday: “It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do...

The U.S. military’s top-ranking officer encountered one of Iraq’s most dangerous areas July 7 and saw first-hand the improvements Iraqi and U.S. forces have made during recent months. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, received a glimpse of the success that has seen attack levels in Iraq fall to their lowest in four years - a 90 percent decline in attacks during the past year alone. The progress in security has allowed Coalition forces to focus more on other issues, military officials in Baghdad said. Less than 60 days ago, the streets of Jamilla Market...

Setting a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq would be “dangerous,” and troop reductions there should continue to be made based on security conditions on the ground, the nation’s top military officer said July 20. President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki this week agreed to set a general “time horizon" for bringing more U.S. troops home from the war, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” but he added that to his knowledge, the agreement does not include specific dates. “I think the consequences could be very dangerous in that regard,” he...

The Democratic candidate would like to shift resources to Afghanistan, but one military leader said a deadline to withdraw "could be very dangerous." KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - As Sen. Barack Obama heads to Iraq for his first visit as a presidential candidate, his plan for bringing the war to a swift conclusion is triggering a political furor abroad and at home, with a U.S. military leader declaring Sunday that setting a hard deadline for withdrawing troops is risky. Obama is scheduled to meet with Iraqi political leaders who were scrambling over the weekend to clarify an apparent endorsement of his proposal...

Top Military Commander Hopes for Improved Iraq Security Trend Adm. Mike Mullen, the nation's top military officer, says that, for now, he would likely recommend withdrawing more U.S. troops from Iraq this fall if improved security trends continue over the summer. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said at a Pentagon briefing today that security is "unquestionably and remarkably better," and that "if these trends continue, I expect to be able early in the fall to recommend to the secretary and the president further troop reductions." Mullen, who recently returned from a tour of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan,...

ISLAMABAD: Speculation over possible U.S. hot pursuit of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants hiding in Pakistan rose after an unannounced visit by a top U.S. military official to Islamabad on Saturday for a meeting with the Pakistan Army chief. Admiral Mike Mullen, the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, is said to have urged the Pakistani military to act decisively against terrorist safe havens in the tribal areas, the Dawn reported. Admiral Mullen is said to have conveyed Washington’s frustration at the Pakistan government’s apparent unwillingness or inability to end cross-border infiltration by the Taliban into Afghanistan. He met Pakistan Army...

KORENGAL VALLEY, Afghanistan, July 12, 2008 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday took the opportunity to present 12 paratroopers with awards here for valorous and heroic achievements in combat. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen pinned five Army Commendation Medals with valor devices, five Purple Heart Medals, one Bronze Star with valor device, and one Silver Star on the troopers’ chests during a ceremony at their combat outpost here. “It’s an honor and privilege to be here,” Mullen said to the awardees. “This ceremony is about individuals who represent the sacrifice of so many.” The paratroopers are assigned...