Taking Aim
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Mark R. Britton, mortar man, mans a M240G machine gun as Staff Sgt. Jeremiah J. Caudill takes aim on the surrounding area during training at the government center in Ar Ramadi, Iraq, Sept. 20, 2006. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Paul Robbins Jr.

BASE SECURITY — U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Luke Oaks provides security on Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Tikrit, Iraq, Sept. 16, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christa Martin

News of Note
Operation Iraqi Freedom
U.S. Military Raids Terror Suspect's Home in Iraq
Eight die as U.S. air strike destroys Iraq house - Video
Judge Postpones Hussein Trial
Cost of War: $550 Billion and Counting

Operation Enduring Freedom
Suicide attack outside police base in Afghanistan
False rumors mark hunt for bin Laden
Attacks in Afghanistan Grow More Frequent and Lethal

Homeland Security / War on Terror
Travelers embrace relaxed security rules

Troops on Trial
Midshipman faces new sex assault charges
AWOL soldier surrenders at Army base

Other Military News
Raw Data: Declassified NIE Key Judgments Report (pdf)
Marines Test New Body Armor
West Point Buries 'Class of 9-11' Cadet

Mid-East Ceasefire
Israel releases Palestinian deputy PM: lawyer - Video

NSA / CIA
Feds: Over $1.44M Spent on CIA Leak Probe

Worldwide Wackos
Iranian Envoy to Meet EU Foreign Policy Chief
Larijani, Solana meeting in Berlin Wednesday: Iran
Tehran Denies Secret Nuke Deal
N.Korea says U.S. is not world's "religion judge"

Homegrown Moonbats
NYC Proposes Ban on Trans Fats
Big Apple may say goodbye to french fries

Politics / Government
Bush to Referee Karzai, Musharraf
Video: Musharraf on "The Daily Show"
Sen. Clinton Backs Husband After 'FOX' Interview
Fueling the Political Fire
Intel assessment ammo for GOP, Dems
Schwarzenegger's lead widens in latest Calif. poll
House clears $70 billion mostly for Iraq war

U.N. News
Korean Leads Race to Succeed Annan

Mother Nature
Journal: NOAA Blocked Hurricane Report
Stubborn Calif. wildfire still burning

Oddities
Tanks for the memories...
Single-parent job plan fuels divorce frenzy

Other News of Note
'Haunted' Ex-Sago Miners Commit Suicide
Dozens Sickened in N.J. After Chemical Accident
'Tokyo Rose' Suspect Dead at 90

Fox News
Stocks to Watch: Red Hat, Merck
Jury Clears Merck in Federal Vioxx Case

Reuters: Top News
Hungary PM says sorry for lies speech
Thai schools set on fire in Thaksin stronghold
Rescuers retrieve bodies of Nepal crash victims
China warns Taiwan on perceived independence move
Corporate criminals Ebbers, Fastow pay stiff price
Surgeons plan zero-gravity operation aboard plane
Billionaire spends millions mapping mouse brains
Microsoft offers Explorer patch ahead of schedule
Co-founder tells his side of Apple story
Big Oil moves ahead on human rights, slowly
More E. coli infected spinach found
Experts warn of dangers of "skin whitener" cosmetics
Anna Nicole Smith's lawyer says he's the father
Rocker Steven Tyler reveals fight with Hepatitis C
EMI shares up on report of renewed Warner bid plan
Gold dances to tune of oil, struggles to reclaim $600
Oil firms above $61, OPEC consults on price drop - Video
Stock futures point up; Dow nears record
Dollar steady, awaits housing data for rate clues - Video
Reuters Summits: Venture Capital
Venture funds away from early stages
Video interview: Mayfield's Allen Morgan on sifting through companies
Comment: Cheap drugs threat
Ideas: Coach lands on two stock screens
Renault-Nissan, GM CEOs in crunch talks on tie-up
Judge dismisses part of AMD case against Intel
Finance executives see economy steady: survey
Honda rolls out luxury brand in China
Scania CEO met shareholders over MAN bid
Study: Most women-owned U.S. firms based at home

AP World News
MySpace launches voter-registration plan
Networks encouraged by viewer sampling
A's clinch AL West; Cards lead now 1 1/2
Golf great Byron Nelson dead at 94
S.C. in difficult spotlight vs. Auburn
A's beat Mariners to clinch AL West
Report: T.O. taken to emergency room
Father of 'Idol' winner sues publisher
More accusations against reputed mobster
Teen gets life for killing lawyer's wife
Obituaries in the news
Judge may dismiss Karr porn charges
Web video of N.Y. prank leads to arrest
Utah sect head could face hostile jury
Va. racial politics still brewing

Military.com
Spouses to Teachers Now Available in Europe
The Austin to Retire
All Military Headlines

CENTCOM: News Releases
IED BOMB MAKER DETAINED FOLLOWING KONAR PROVINCE OPERATION

EIGHT KILLED AND THREE WOUNDED DURING RAID IN BAQUBAH

FEMALE SERGEANTS GRADUATE ANP'S SATANMAN COURSE

BORDER SECURITY SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS MEETING

EXTREMISTS SHOW NO REMORSE FOR AFGHAN CITIZENS

USJFCOM
Command working to meet the warfighter's needs with focused efforts - podcast
Command seeking information from industry on access management
USJFCOM, Polish armed forces strengthen ties - podcast

Department of Defense
NEWS UPDATES
Vice President Praises Michigan Guardsmen, Discusses Terror War - Story
For Top News Visit DefenseLink

ON THE GROUND
MP Brigade Takes Charge of Detainee Operations - Story
Harriers Complete Combat Runs in Afghanistan - Story
Troopers Have New Mission in Southern Iraq - Story
Painter Captures 2003 Iraq Battle of 'As Samawah' - Story
Caldwell: Iraq's Transformation is Subtle - Commentary

IN IRAQ
Soldiers, Marines Help Upgrade Iraqi Police Station
Giambastiani Focuses on IEDs in Afghanistan

IN AFGHANISTAN
Coalition Routs Taliban, Extremists in Ghazni
10th Mountain Division Soldiers Thwart Extremists

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report (PDF)
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: War on Terror
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

CASUALTIES
Officials Identify Casualties - Story

Weather
Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul

Gitmo

National Hurricane Center

Today in History
1290 - An earthquake in China reportedly kills 100,000.
1777 - At the Battle of Germantown, Washington is defeated by the British.
1779 - John Adams negotiates Revolutionary War peace terms with Britain.
1787 - The U.S. Constitution is submitted to the states for ratification.
1821 - Mexico declares its independence.
1825 - Railroad transportation is born with the first track opening in England.
1854 - The Steamship Arctic sinks with 300 people aboard.
1863 - Jo Shelby's cavalry sees action at Moffat's Station, AK.
1910 - In France, the a twin-engined airplane is tested for the first time.
1919 - The Democratic National Committee votes to admit women.
1923 - Lou Gehrig hits his first home run.
1928 - The U.S. recognizes Nationalist China.
1938 - The ocean liner Queen Elizabeth is launched at Glasgow.
1939 - Warsaw, Poland, surrenders to the Germans after 19 days of resistance.
1940 - Black leaders protest discrimination in the U.S. armed forces.
1941 - The freighter Patrick Henry, the first WWII liberty ship, is launched.
1953 - A typhoon destroys 1/3 of Nagoya, Japan.
1954 - In Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD, the integration of public schools begins.
1959 - Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev concludes his U.S. visit; typhoon Vera hits the Japanese island of Honshu, killing nearly 5,000.
1961 - Sierre Leone becomes the 100th member of the U.N.
1962 - The U.S. sells Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to Israel.
1963 - At 10:59 AM, the census clock records a U.S. population of 190,000,000.
1964 - The Warren Commission releases its findings; it states that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
1973 - Soyuz 12 carries two cosmonauts into Earth orbit for a two-day trip.
1979 - The creation of the Department of Education receives final approval.
1985 - Hurricane Gloria's 130 MPH winds hit the Atlantic coast.
1988 - Lab tests reportedly prove that the Shroud of Turin can not be Christ's burial cloth.
1990 - The deposed emir of Kuwait addresses the U.N. General Assembly; the Senate Judiciary committee approves Souter's Supreme Court nomination.
1991 - President George H.W. Bush decides to end the full-time B-52 bomber alert.

Birthdays
1601 - King Louis XIII of France (1610-43)
1657 - Sophia, regent of Russia (1682-89)
1722 - Samuel Adams, American revolutionary/Lt. Gov-MA (1789-94)
1783 - Agust¡n I de Iturbide, emperor of Mexico (1822-23)
1817 - Hiram R., Revels, first African-American U.S. Senator
1840 - Alfred Thayer Mahan, U.S. Naval officer (Influence of Sea Power)
1896 - George H. Bender, (Rep/Sen-OH)
1896 - Sam Ervin (Sen-NC), Watergate committee chairman
1918 - Sir Martin Ryle, radio astronomer, astronomer royal (1972-82)
1919 - Charles H. Percy (Sen-IL)
1952 - Dumitru Prunariu, first Romanian space traveler (Soyuz-40)

Passings:
1956 - Milburn Apt - reaches 3370 kph in X-2 rocket plane, but dies in crash
1962 - Francisco Brochado da Rocha, PM of Brazil (1962)
1984 - John Facenda, sportscaster (NFL Action)
1988 - William V. Shannon, US ambassador to Ireland (1977-81)

Reported Missing in Action
1965
Hall, George R., USAF (MS); RF101 shot down (pilot), released by DRV February, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well as of 1998

1966
Spilman, Dyke A., USAF (NJ); RF4C shot down (systems operator, w/Stine)

Stine, Joseph M., USAF (PA); RF4C shot down (pilot, w/Spilman)

1968
Smith, William A., Jr., US Army (MI); UH1H shot down (aircraft commander)

1969
Fisher, David John, Australian Special Air Forces (AUS); fell from rope during extraction

Huntley, John N., US Army (ME); UH1H shot down (door gunner), KIA, body not recovered