Nov 27, 2012

In front of local Afghan provincial government officials and the Regional Command-South command team, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division unfurled its unit colors and obtained command from its sister brigade, 3rd SBCT, 2nd Inf. Div., during a Transfer of Authority ceremony here, Nov. 24.

Nov 27, 2012

With a surface denoting the embodiment of Afghanistan's tumultuous history, the Salang Pass is more than a roadway; it's an economic and cultural symbol to Afghans. The battered roadway through the Parwan province is the primary transit route between northern and southern Afghanistan crossing the treacherous Hindu Kush mountain range and typically the only pass in the area to remain in use the entire year.

Nov 27, 2012

Alongside current tensions and upheavals in the Middle East and northern Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring movements, the peacekeeping mission on the Sinai Peninsula continues after more than 30 years. Soldiers of the 5-113th Field Artillery are deploying to the Sinai for a year as Multinational Force Observers.

Nov 26, 2012

Twenty competitors and twice as many spectators congregated for the Forward Operating Base Lightning Warrior Competition, Nov. 2, 2012, in Paktiya Province, Afghanistan, to take part in or observe a six-stage fitness contest.

Nov 26, 2012

More than 1,000 service members from six nations converged on the Republic of Kazakhstan, Sept. 6-18, 2012, for the 10th-annual, multinational, peacekeeping Exercise Steppe Eagle.

Nov 26, 2012

Members of the 3rd Zone Afghan Border Police and their respective Security Forces Assistance Team advisers made a deliberate effort to reach the remote areas in Spin Boldak and Tak-teh Pol districts, remove insurgent influence and address villagers economic and security concerns during Operation Southern Strike IV in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Nov. 15-18, 2012.

Nov 26, 2012

Dozens of Afghan National Army soldiers stealthily entered the security gates of the coalition ammunition point after a simulated report of an insurgent attack on Camp Phoenix during a training exercise here, Nov. 3, 2012.

Nov 25, 2012

The Army's second highest ranking civilian and military leaders met with American and NATO leadership at regional commands, hospitals, forward operating bases, and support units throughout eastern and southern Afghanistan, and thanked service members, civilians, and contractors for their hard work and sacrifice during a three-day visit, Nov. 20-23, 2012.

Nov 22, 2012

Instead of spending the holidays with loved ones and enjoying time off, holidays for those serving in Afghanistan mean business as usual. The mission to bring peace and stability to Afghanistan doesn't take a holiday, and neither does the enemy.

Nov 19, 2012

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is constructing a road in Helmand province, from Nawa to Lashkar Gah, in Southern Afghanistan, that already has cut travel time in half.

Nov 17, 2012

The Soldiers of Headquarters Company, 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team "Rakkasans," 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), show off their combat efficiency with sling load operations in Khowst Province, Afghanistan.

Nov 14, 2012

Soldiers are enlisting the sun's power in Afghanistan. Ten solar generators are now providing Special Forces Soldiers in distant outposts the energy they need to accomplish their mission. And, these generators are allowing them precious more time to train Afghan forces and win the friendship of local Afghans.

Nov 14, 2012

Soldiers from U.S. Army Europe and their partners from the Bulgarian Land Forces are working together at Novo Selo, Bulgaria, from Oct. 29 to Nov. 10, 2012, to certify a Bulgarian battalion as part of exercise Allied Force 12.

Nov 14, 2012

Representatives from the U.S. and Tajikistan governments celebrated the opening of two border guard posts in Sayod and Ribhoz, Tajikistan, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, Nov. 6, 2012.

Nov 12, 2012

Approximately 300 service members gathered at the 9/11 memorial at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to honor those who have paid the ultimate price during a Remembrance Day ceremony, Nov. 11, 2012.

Nov 12, 2012

Afghanistan's electric company will be able to deliver more reliable electricity with fewer interruptions at the end of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction project set to begin this week in Helmand province.

Nov 11, 2012

While many in the United States spend time with loved ones, barbeque with friends or take time off to commemorate Veterans Day, coalition forces remain hard at work in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Nov 1, 2012

Australian Forces at Multinational Base Tarin Kot, Afghanistan, recognized the actions of a medical evacuation crew from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, Task Force Gunfighters, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade, during an awards ceremony Oct. 18, 2012

Oct 23, 2012

Cpl. Margie Jones and Spc. Judy Sanchez, both military police officers assigned to the Army Reserve's 539th Military Police Detachment, out of Buckeye, Ariz., currently patrol sector 4 on Bagram Airfield.

Oct 21, 2012

Ask Chief Warrant Officer 4 Walter Jones why he continues to serve 43 years after he first joined the Army and he will tell you, "It's all about flying and Soldiers."

Oct 21, 2012

Pasab averages 30 percent of all Category Alpha medevac missions in Regional Command-South, Afghanistan. The medevac crews at Pasab also see the worst injuries as they only respond to urgent medical calls, known as CAT-A missions. These are calls with injuries, such as a multiple amputee patients, that require a response from mission start to medical facility delivery of less than one hour - known as the golden hour.

Oct 17, 2012

From a New York classroom to a meeting room in the middle of Afghanistan, Sgt. Andrew Brechko never stops teaching.

Oct 16, 2012

Afghan soldiers with the 5th Kandak, 3rd Brigade, 205th Corps handed out school supplies to children at the Pir Mohamed School in Sanjeray, Afghanistan, Oct. 11, 2012.

Oct 12, 2012

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Afghanistan Engineer District-South recently completed building the Afghanistan National Army's 9th Commando Kandak (battalion) in Herat province.

Oct 11, 2012

Staff and faculty from the U.S Military Academy at West Point have been involved with the National Military Academy of Afghanistan since 2003, when a team went to Afghanistan to advise the Afghan National Army and to help develop a model for the founding of a military academy to train new ANA officers.

Oct 10, 2012

As task forces across Afghanistan continue to adjust to their role as trainers, mentors and enablers, the members of the Afghan National Security Forces are also learning to adjust.

Oct 9, 2012

Seven Afghan National Army soldiers working for the ANA Army Support Command and subordinate units had the opportunity to participate in the Army Ten-Miler shadow run at Camp Eggers, Afghanistan, Oct. 7, 2012.

Oct 9, 2012

The recent threat of insider attacks temporarily slowed partnered activities in Afghanistan recently, but the Soldiers of 563rd Military Police Company reunited with their Afghan Uniform Police partners for the highly-successful Operation Clean Sweep conducted in districts throughout Kandahar City, Oct. 3, 2012.

Oct 2, 2012

The Afghan National Army graduated a new class of soldiers from the Regional Military Training Center-Kandahar at Camp Hero, Afghanistan, Sept. 13, 2012.

Oct 2, 2012

The 1st Kandak, 205th Corps of the Afghan National Army, set into motion a mission to clear the roads to and from the local bazaar, in conjunction with Battle Company, 5th Battalion 20th Infantry Regiment, Task Force 1st Squadron 14th Cavalry Regiment, after a three-day storm dumped snow in excess of 24 inches in parts of the district

Oct 2, 2012

It's said that education is power and nowhere is that truer than in Zabul province, Afghanistan, where for a time the Taliban controlled the populace by means of intimidation which included preventing people there from working at, or having their children attend school.

Oct 1, 2012

Team Bluetick, a Security Force Assistant Advisor Team from First Army Division East, and Occupational Coordination Center -- Provincial Nuristan staff recently conducted a site survey of the Nuristan Provincial Capital, Parun.

Sep 28, 2012

The U.S. Army is preparing to conduct a second Forward Operational Assessment of its XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement airburst weapon system.

Sep 28, 2012

At the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan border, the 276th Transportation Detachment (Automated Cargo Documentation) uses a radio-frequency identification interrogator system to track cargo within the northern Afghanistan area.

Sep 28, 2012

Afghan National Army and International Security Assistance Forces teamed to clear the Mizan Bowl area of insurgents in early September during the military operation Kalak Hode 5.

Sep 26, 2012

Improvised explosive devices, and the networks that use these asymmetric weapons, will remain an enduring threat to U.S. forces and the nation for decades to come, the Defense Department's top counter-IED official told lawmakers, Sept. 20, 2012.

Sep 25, 2012

Long after midnight with most residents fast asleep, 3rd Zone Afghan Border Police and International Security Assistance Force members quietly launched their surprise air assault mission in conjunction with Operation Southern Strike III, an Afghan-led mission that took place in Spin Boldak and Takhteh Pol districts of Afghanistan, Sept. 1-9, 2012.

Sep 24, 2012

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno visited the Regional Command (South) area of operations in Afghanistan, including Forward Operating Base Zangabad, near the horn of Panjwai, Sept. 18, 2012.

Sep 24, 2012

During Ramadan, in summer temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, the sounds of construction workers swinging pickaxes and the clangs of their shovels striking rocks drowned out the noise of passing traffic along the Kandahar-Quetta Highway near the district center here.

Sep 19, 2012

As the U.S. Army changes its energy culture through policy and new technologies, it is already fielding its next generation of streamlined operational energy systems to Afghanistan.

Sep 17, 2012

As American forces continue to transition security responsibilities to Afghan National Security Forces, units deployed to Afghanistan are shifting their focus from providing security and combined combat operations to enabling and increasing the operational capabilities of the Afghans.

Sep 16, 2012

Third Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Vincent Brooks visited the Soldiers of the Bagram Airfield Retrograde Sort Yard in Afghanistan, Sept. 16, 2012.

Sep 13, 2012

The 540th Movement Control Detachment, an Army Reserve unit from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, works with German soldiers to move more than 1,000 passengers through Camp Marmal, Afghanistan, passenger terminal every day.

Sep 13, 2012

Staff Sgt. Muna Nur leaves a lasting impression on those who meet her. Born in Somalia, her feisty attitude is a testament to her six-year military career that includes two tough deployments to Iraq and a third, current one to Afghanistan, where she is the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Troop Medical Clinic, 10th Sustainment Brigade, Task Force Muleskinner.

Sep 12, 2012

Farmers near Spin Boldak,Afghanistan, are helping to open the country to international trade by growing melons, grapes and pomegranates for export rather than illicit crops such as poppy and marijuana.

Sep 10, 2012

The 10th Sustainment Brigade conducted the first aerial delivery mission near the Salang tunnel, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2012, proving aerial resupply is possible almost anywhere in Afghanistan.

Sep 10, 2012

Afghan and U.S. forces are working together to expand the Afghan Uniformed Police presence with the establishment of several police substations at strategic locations throughout the Takhteh Pol district in Afghanistan, starting this year.

Sep 7, 2012

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineering District-South came within three percent of its construction goals set for July and August, bringing the district within reach of its fiscal year 2012 goals.

Sep 7, 2012

For the first time in more than 30 years, Afghan pilots completed pilot training held in their home country. The Rotary Wing Flight Training Program was developed and conducted by Soldiers from the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization for the Afghan Air Corps in order to create an independent Afghan Air Force program.

Sep 7, 2012

The threat of attacks on coalition service members by Afghan security forces is a complex problem that requires a comprehensive, integrated and combined response from coalition and Afghan officials, the commander of NATO'S International Security Assistance Force said in a written statement issued Sept. 6, 2012.

Sep 6, 2012

Forty-three Afghan children became the first class to graduate from the Cat in the Hat Language Arts Center at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2012.

Sep 5, 2012

Two National Guard Soldiers from the 113th Sustainment Brigade recently deployed to Kuwait, where they received a unique Afghanistan mission -- locate lost shipping containers.

Sep 5, 2012

The Army is preparing to send its next-generation "Blue Force Tracking 2" force-locating technology to Afghanistan. The system is faster and more efficient than its predecessor in providing important data to Soldiers who are on the move in combat, service officials said.

Aug 28, 2012

Weddings are generally associated with spring and summer, champagne and cake. They are new beginnings and grand celebrations with family and friends, not camouflage uniforms, mortar rounds and danger of hostile fire.

Aug 16, 2012

Spc. Michael Wilkersonfoy of 420th Eng. Co., 458th Eng. Bn., 411th Eng. Bde., 412th Theater Engineer Command, show unity in strength with a fellow engineer soldier from the Afghan National Army's 4/1/209th Corps during a training break, March 4, 2012, in Faryab Province, Afghanistan.

Aug 15, 2012

Five combat medics with the 10th Sustainment Brigade attended a battlefield stress brief, Aug. 7, 2012, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to help Soldiers combat stress on and off the battlefield.

Aug 14, 2012

The 300-mile stretch of Afghanistan's Highway 1, between Kabul and Kandahar, is the main focus of the area's Afghan National Security Forces and Battle Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force 173rd.

Aug 13, 2012

Marines from the Anti-terrorism Battalion, 4th Marine Division from Anchorage, Alaska, and Billings, Mont., as well as Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry Regiment from the New Jersey National Guard, conducted infantry training exercises for soldiers of the Botswana Defense Force over a period of six days at Thebephatshwa Air Base, Botswana.

Aug 13, 2012

Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard and Rwandan soldiers and policemen shared their experiences and knowledge on basic soldier skills and staff officer duties and responsibilities during a military-to-military exchange hosted by the Rwandan Defense Force in Gako, Rwanda.

Aug 10, 2012

Soldiers from the 909th Forward Surgical Team out of Fort Sheridan, Ill., provided medical training to soldiers of the Botswana Defense Force, Aug. 2, 2012, in The Republic of Botswana.

Aug 8, 2012

"Mahalo," or "thank you," the pilot said, after being handed a bottle of water from the rear of the aircraft. The kind nature of Hawaiian culture reinforced the unique mix of service members present at Southern Accord 12 in The Republic of Botswana, Africa.

Aug 8, 2012

A fitness program has swept through Camp Sabalu-Harrison, Afghanistan, like a wildfire, igniting the fuse of fitness in a large group of committed service members who are looking for a new way to test their limits and improve their physical fitness.

Aug 8, 2012

Soldiers of the medical platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Special Troop Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted life-saving training with their Afghan National Army counterparts to help them stay in the fight.

Aug 7, 2012

Training for Southern Accord 2012 commenced Aug. 2, 2012, at Thebephatshwa Air Base, Botswana, as personnel from the U.S. military and Botswana Defense Force came together to share experiences and tactics which will enhance the readiness capabilities of both countries.

Aug 2, 2012

The roads of Afghanistan present many challenges, whether it's driving through a rocky mountainous terrain, a crowded intersection or looking for hidden improvised explosive devices by the roadside.

Jul 31, 2012

After rigorous interviews, background checks and testing, 44 Soldiers representing 24 different countries of origin completed the process of naturalization and stood together in Afghanistan to take the oath of U.S. citizenship.

Jul 31, 2012

With assistance from the U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Army civil affairs, farmers in Afghanistan now network with traders to sell legal crops such as melons for higher prices than illegal crops in markets such as India and Dubai.

Jul 29, 2012

The 10th Sustainment Brigade's Team Lightning completed the construction of Logistics Support Area Lightning, July 10, 2012, as one of the first steps in opening up the new strategic logistics hub for Regional Command-North in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan.

Jul 24, 2012

Texas Army National Guard troops were invited to participate in a joint training seminar with Burundi National Defense Force soldiers in Mudubugu, Burundi.

Jul 19, 2012

Afghan National Security Forces took the lead along with International Security Assistance Forces during Operation Kalak Hode IV, a joint mission from July 3-17, 2012, to clear insurgent safe havens and increase security and stability for the people in the Zharay and Maiwand districts.

Jul 17, 2012

The end of combat in Afghanistan is in sight for many Soldiers in Paktika Province. They will return home with stories and memories of time spent with comrades in a deployed environment. After nearly 12 years of conflict in Afghanistan, the supplies and materials that remain in theater have their own story to tell.

Jul 17, 2012

Nearly every time a medevac crew serving on Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan climbs into a Black Hawk and fasten their seat belts, they launch knowing someone is in pain, and may be dying.

Jul 17, 2012

There are hundreds of Afghan Border Police checkpoints throughout southern Afghanistan. They all look relatively the same. With sand-filled barriers, green metal guard shacks, stacks of sandbags and at least one Afghan flag flying high. Checkpoint 9 along Highway 4 here, looks just like the rest, but there is something unique about this location.

Jul 16, 2012

The Afghan Uniformed Police and Afghan National Army partnered with C Battery, 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, to conduct clearance operations in the Shah Wali Kot district, Afghanistan, July 7-10, 2012.

Jul 16, 2012

The first-ever Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative round fired from a Stryker vehicle in Afghanistan accomplished what few conventional 120mm high-explosive mortars can achieve: a direct hit on a target with the first round fired.

Jul 16, 2012

Afghan field artillery soldiers displayed deployment-ready skill, under the direction of deployment-ready leadership, during Exercise Eagle's Flight at Patrol Base Sorkh Bid in northern Kandahar province, Afghanistan, July 11, 2012.

Jul 12, 2012

Staff Sgt. Andrew Black moved back toward the Huskey mine clearance vehicle to watch from a safe distance as a team traced the wire of a suspected improvised explosive device back toward the road. His military working dog, Lobo, was held on the end of a leash and the pair was taking a short break after searching the last 500 meters.

Jul 10, 2012

A large building project managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District-South will be crossing the finish line before the end of the summer, according to the two USACE employees overseeing the work.

Jul 10, 2012

Local soldiers of the Afghan National Army are enhancing security in Uruzgan province by learning invaluable lessons from their coalition counterparts.

Jul 10, 2012

U.S. and Comorian army Soldiers partnered together to participate in a five-day noncommissioned officer development seminar at the National School of Army and Gendarmerie in Moroni, Comoros, June 12-16, 2012.

Jul 9, 2012

Two U.S. Army Corps of Engineers districts combined their resources to award a critically important project for providing reliable electric power from the Kajaki Dam power house on the Helmand River through the Helmand province in southwestern Afghanistan.

Jul 9, 2012

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers turned over operations and maintenance responsibilities for 10 more buildings to Afghanistan's 205th Air Wing on Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan, July 7, 2012.

Jul 9, 2012

The 3rd Zone Afghan Border Police, together with units from Combined Task Force Buffalo, successfully cleared and secured 120 kilometers of rugged terrain and unimproved roadways in Shorabak, Afghanistan, enabling the safe passage for more than 60 trucks filled with humanitarian aid during Operation Buffalo Thunder II, which occurred from June 26 to July 3, 2012.

Jul 9, 2012

A total of 60 Special Forces Soldiers from the United States and Botswana came together for the first combined field training exercise in 10 years, in Gaborne, Botswana, June 1-25, 2012.

Jul 8, 2012

Several robust programs at U.S. Africa Command are helping to ensure that when African partners pull together to support shared security interests, they have the logistical capabilities they need to deploy and sustain their operations.

Jul 6, 2012

Joint Afghan National Army-U.S. forces counter improvised explosive device teams in Shamulzai District, Afghanistan, use their VMR-2 Minehound and VMC-1 Gizmo metal detectors to keep coalition forces safe.

Jul 5, 2012

The continued presence of Afghan National Army and American Soldiers, along with Afghan Local Police, in the small town of Pankilla, Afghanistan, has emboldened civilians to come out of their homes to engage in commerce and community.

Jul 2, 2012

Retired Gen. Jack Keane pushed for continued U.S. assistance and funding for the Afghan National Security Forces during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, June 29, 2012.

Jun 27, 2012

Six members from the 569th Engineer Dive Detachment recently spent 30 days in southern Afghanistan, conducting underwater surveys to help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District-South prepare for major repair projects at Kajaki and Dahla dams.

Jun 27, 2012

Sponsored by U.S. Africa Command, 36 nations joined together to conduct Africa Endeavor, the largest joint interoperability communications exercise ever held on the African continent, June 18-27, 2012.

Jun 19, 2012

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed a $5 million flood-control project built to protect the Afghanistan National Army 201st Corps garrison at Gamberi, Afghanistan, from devastation.

Jun 19, 2012

Multi-national Medical Readiness Training Exercise Tendon Valiant, which is being lead by 18th Medical Command (Deployment Support), and the U.S. Army Pacific Surgeon's office, began June 18, 2012, at the Soepraoen Army Hospital in Malang, Indonesia.

Jun 18, 2012

Medics with the Afghan National Army, Medical Platoon, 1-205th Corps and the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., conducted medical partnership training at Forward Operating Base Frontenac, Afghanistan, June 11-14, 2012.

Jun 18, 2012

Afghan Border Police and International Security Assistance Force members participated in Operation Southern Strike II in the Spin Boldak district, Afghanistan, June 2-16, 2012.

Jun 18, 2012

Sgt. Christopher Harris was conducting a routine reconnaissance mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, in 2009, when the Puma unmanned aircraft system he was operating showed nearby, real-time footage of insurgents planting an improvised explosive device along a U.S. Army convoy route.

Jun 13, 2012

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Afghanistan Engineer District-North teamed with the Afghanistan National Police and Technologies, Inc. to build a border police station along the Pakistan border in Gardez, Paktia Province.

Jun 12, 2012

Soldiers of the 411th Engineer Brigade, 412th Theater Engineer Command, officially took command and control of military engineering units throughout Afghanistan, June 4, 2012, in a transfer of authority ceremony at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

Jun 11, 2012

A U.S. Army Soldier recently helped his battalion's partnership program by handing out care packages to Afghan National Army soldiers at Camp Miawon.

Jun 11, 2012

U.S. Army paratroopers and Afghan soldiers are hunting the hinterlands of Afghanistan's restive Ghazni Province to root out insurgents from their safe havens.

Jun 7, 2012

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracting officials awarded more than $200 million in construction and service contracts across the 21-province Afghanistan Engineer District-North footprint in May, a total value of $381.89 million investment in security and infrastructure projects over the past three months.