Cheney, Rumsfeld Praise Military Disaster Support in Pakistan

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2005 - Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld both made separate surprise visits to U.S. forces in Pakistan to thank them for their ongoing disaster support in that earthquake-devastated area.

Cheney arrived in Pakistan Dec. 20 and toured the 212th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Muzaffarabad, praising the tremendous response U.S. forces continue to provide since a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit on Oct. 8.

"I'm ... tremendously impressed with what we've been able to do with our MASH units and with U.S. forces able to move quickly into the area," the vice president said, calling the overall operation "a remarkable success."

"We've been here within 48 hours (of the earthquake) and we've been here ever since," he said. "It's a measure of the enormous capability that the U.S. military is able to mount a humanitarian operation like this on a moment's notice."

Rumsfeld arrived in the region today, meeting with troops from the MASH in Muzaffarabad and the 3rd Medical Battalion, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, in Shinkiari. The secretary also met with CH-47 Chinook helicopter crews at Qasim Air Base, near Islamabad, who have ferried much of the relief supplies to earthquake survivors.

Cheney met with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Dec. 20, expressing condolences on behalf of the United States for Pakistan's loss.

Musharaff thanked the vice president for both its financial assistance and on-the-ground support, including helicopter and ship operations. "I don't think we could have managed the relief operation without your ships," he said. "They have been a main part of the relief operation."

The United States has pledged $510 million in earthquake relief and reconstruction efforts to help the people of Pakistan and to support Pakistani government relief efforts, Air Force Maj. Todd Vician, a Pentagon spokesman, told the American Forces Press Service.

This includes $300 million in humanitarian relief and reconstruction assistance, $110 million in military support for relief operations and at least $100 million anticipated from U.S. private contributions.

The U.S. military has been on the ground since Oct. 10, Vician said. At the peak of initial relief efforts, more than 1,200 personnel and 24 helicopters provided vital transportation, logistics and medical and engineering support in the affected areas, he said.

U.S. help to Pakistan has focused initially on the immediate needs of coordinating and supplying shelter, relief supplies, medical care, water, sanitation and logistics, particularly with the approach of winter.

The United States has delivered more than 45,000 blankets, 1,570 winterized tents and 6,150 rolls of plastic sheeting that helped winterize shelter for almost 31,000 families, Vician said.

Since arriving in Pakistan, the U.S. military has flown more than 2,700 helicopter flights, delivering more than 12 million pounds of relief supplies, provided urgent medical care to almost 14,000 Pakistanis and supplied critical engineering support, he said.

The United States has also provided 10 strategic airlift sorties as part of NATO earthquake relief operations in Pakistan. The NATO operation, which has delivered more than 2,700 tons of relief supplies, is scheduled to last about 90 days.

Vician reiterated President Bush's and Rumsfeld's commitment that the U.S. military will continue to support specific Pakistani government requests for help until these operations can be transitioned to the Pakistani government, U.S. civilian disaster response managers, the United Nations, nongovernmental organizations and other international support organizations.

Biographies:

Vice President Richard B. Cheney [http://www.whitehouse.gov/vicepresident]

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

Related Sites:

Vice President Cheney's Remarks at 212th MASH [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051220-11.html]

Vice President Cheney's and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's Remarks [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051220-10.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051221_3720.html.

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Rumsfeld Reaffirms U.S. Commitment to Afghanistan

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2005 - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to helping Afghanistan continue its road toward security and freedom during a joint news conference today with President Hamid Karzai in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Rumsfeld, who made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today after touring hurricane-devastated areas of Pakistan, told Karzai the United States will continue to stand by Afghanistan, even while making slight troop cuts there.

The visit came two days after the Defense Department announced plans to reduce number of troops serving in Afghanistan, currently at 19,000, by about 2,500 during the next year.

That announcement coincided with a major milestone for Afghanistan: the seating of its democratically elected National Assembly.

"I congratulate the Afghan people and government on this occasion," reporters quoted Rumsfeld as saying in Kabul.

The secretary said the United States and the free world hope Afghanistan will thrive as a peaceful and stable country and promised continued U.S. support to help it do so.

"We will be continuing as an active participant in NATO's role in Afghanistan, as well as our individual role with regard to counterterrorism efforts and training and equipping of Afghan security forces," Rumsfeld said during the news conference in Kabul.

The secretary noted that even after the drawdown, the United States will have more troops in Afghanistan than all over NATO countries, combined.

"We certainly remain committed to our long-term relationship (with Afghanistan)," reporters quoted the secretary as saying. "Together with your security forces and other coalition forces, we will continue to be focused on rooting out the Taliban and al Qaeda that still exist in causing difficulties."

Karzai expressed confidence in the Pentagon decision regarding troop numbers. "Afghanistan has total assurance of the United States that it will remain committed in helping in all spheres of life, including in the matter related to security," he said.

The Afghan president said the troop reductions won't affect the force focused on combating terrorism. "We are assured of the continued United States' support," he said, "so I don't think it will have an impact on the situation on the ground."

Counterterrorism operations remain the main focus of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Air Force Maj. Todd Vician, a Pentagon spokesman, told the American Forces Press Service.

"Our strategic goals for Afghanistan remain unchanged: to help the Afghan government develop the capacity to defend itself from external aggression and to ensure that its territory is not used as a safe haven by international terrorists," he said.

Working together toward that goal, these forces have removed the Taliban from power, eliminated al Qaeda and terrorist safe havens, and laid the groundwork so the Afghan people could vote for a democratic government, Vician said.

At the same time, the United States is continuing to help the Afghans build a capable and self-sufficient security force, he said. To date, nearly 27,000 Afghan National Army soldiers and almost 55,000 Afghan police have undergone training.

These Afghan forces, as well as other political and economic initiatives under way in Afghanistan, are critical to the country's long-term stability, he said.

Earlier during his trip, while en route to Pakistan, Rumsfeld told reporters traveling with him he doubts that Osama bin Laden, if alive, is still in full command of al Qaeda, news reports said. The secretary said he finds it "interesting that we haven't heard from him in ... close to a year."

"I suspect that in any event, if he's alive and functioning, that he's probably spending a major fraction of his time trying to avoid being caught," reporters quoted Rumsfeld as saying.

"I have trouble believing that he's able to operate sufficiently to be in a position of major command over a worldwide al Qaeda operation, but I could be wrong. We just don't know."

Biography:

Donald H. Rumsfeld [http://www.defenselink.mil/bios/rumsfeld_bio.html]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051221_3721.html.

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America Supports You: 'Cookie' Lady Appears on Martha Stewart Show

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2005 - A South Carolina woman who has been sending cookies to servicemembers overseas since 1990 said she's been flooded with e-mails from people wanting to help since she appeared recently on "Martha," the TV show hosted by Martha Stewart.

Jeanette Cram, affectionately dubbed "the Cookie Lady," said this surge in support proves that she was successful in giving the message to the American public that the troops need support.

She appeared on Stewart's show Dec. 16, lending a helping hand in the kitchen and talking about her campaign to support the troops. She also got a surprise visit from Air Force Senior Airman Natalie Sanchez, who received cookies from Cram while deployed.

"They brought her out and I just went flying across that stage to go hug her," Cram said of Sanchez. "I don't often get to meet many of (the servicemembers), so that was just a treat."

During the show, Cram told Stewart that servicemembers like M&M cookies, and she was given another surprise when representatives of M&M/Mars came on stage and gave her a year's supply of specially designed red, white and blue M&Ms. Instead of the traditional "M," these candies have "American Hero" and "Thank You" Stamped on them.

"They were just so beautiful, and that was so kind of them," Cram said.

She said the best part of being on the show was the opportunity to talk about the soldiers she supports and the volunteers who help her. Cram has seven local volunteers in Hilton Head, S.C., whom she calls "crumbs," and several volunteers around the country who help her bake cookies. She estimated they have sent about 120,000 cookies to deployed servicemembers.

Cram said she was inspired to start sending cookies to troops in 1990, when then-President George H.W. Bush read a letter on TV from a soldier to his mother, asking for cookies and letters.

"I turned to my husband and said, 'I can do that,'" Cram said.

Cram's organization, Treat the Troops, is a partner in DoD's "America Supports You" program. It has sent cookies to servicemembers in the first Gulf War, Bosnia, Somalia, Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan, she said. She will continue to send cookies as long as servicemembers are deployed, she said, because cookies give the troops a taste of home.

"It's such a personal thing, because you've got to stand in here and bake them," she said. "It's harder to bake than it is to go buy."

Related Sites:

Treat the Troops [http://www.treatthetroops.org/]

America Supports You [http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051221_3719.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Bush Thanks Caregivers at Bethesda Naval Medical Center

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2005 - President Bush traveled today to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Md., near here to thank an "incredible team of healers" whom he said bring comfort, aid and solace to those who have been hurt on the battlefield, as well as their families.

The president recognized the military medical caregivers' "decency and compassion and skill" that assures military members that, if hurt, they will receive the best medical care possible, he said.

"And so we're here to thank the nurses and the docs and the healers and the volunteers who put the smile on the faces of those who have been hurt, as well as their families," he said. "That's done right here at Bethesda, as well as (at the nearby) Walter Reed (Army Medical Center in Washington,)" he said.

"We're serving in an amazing time," as the nation faces "unbelievable challenges," the president told the medical staff. An enemy still lurks, waiting for an opportunity to hurt Americans, he noted.

"And we've got to do everything in our power to protect the America people. That is our solemn duty," Bush said.

Defeating this enemy provides the opportunity for the United States to help lay the foundation for peace that will extend for generations, Bush said.

"What we are seeing today is brave troops and committed citizens who are not only determined to chase down the killers and bring them to justice before they hurt us again, but understand that by spreading freedom and democracy, we're battling an ideology of darkness with an ideology of hope," he said.

The task isn't easy and requires determination, discipline and faith, Bush acknowledged.

But someday, as a future U.S. president sits down with a democratically elected leader of Iraq to keep the peace, Bush said, they and future generations of Americans will remember with thanks what the United States is sacrificing to accomplish today.

"And so on behalf of a grateful nation, thanks for doing your duty, thanks for serving, thanks for being part of this march for freedom," the president said. "And thanks, most of all, for bringing comfort and aid and solace to those who have been hurt on the battlefield, and their families."

Related Sites:

Transcript of President Bush's Remarks [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051221-1.html]

National Naval Medical Center [http://www.bethesda.med.navy.mil/]

Walter Reed Army Medical Center [http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051221_3718.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

====================================================
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Projects in Mosul Point to a Better Life for Iraq

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Dec. 21, 2005 - Mosul is a microcosm of Iraq.

It's the second-largest city in the country, and contains all kinds of people who make up the ethnic stew that is this nation.

Shiia Arab, Sunni Arab, Kurds, Turkomen, ethnic Iranians, Assyrians and many other ethnicities settled in Mosul, taking advantage of its location astride ancient trading routes, and amid fertile land that turned the region into the wheat belt of the Middle East.

The city is the capital of Ninewa province. In Judeo-Christian heritage, Ninevah was the home of the prophets Jonah and Isaiah, and it has the largest Christian population in Iraq. Before the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, there was even a thriving Jewish population in the city.

Under Saddam Hussein, the city remained a trading hub even as the infrastructure slowly decayed. With its well-educated population, the city did better than other areas of the country.

Upon liberation in 2003, the city was among the first to elect a local governing council. The council - working closely with the 101st Airborne Division - began a number of public works projects to rehabilitate the infrastructure. The Iraqi National Guard began as a small unit in Mosul that helped airborne troopers patrol the city and region. Local officers policed the streets, and in early 2004, the city looked like a success story for a new Iraq.

But its strategic location proved to be its undoing. Success attracted those who didn't want progress in the country. Some small groups wanted to old regime back, while others looked to the Islamic fundamentalism espoused by al Qaeda. The ideologically opposed groups consummated a marriage of convenience and launched attacks against the coalition and Iraqi police.

The local police crumbled in the face of the April 2004 attacks. Recruited locally, they became the victims of an intimidation campaign that threatened families and friends. American troops had to come into the city to restore peace and order.

The enemy used roadside bombs, car bombs, small-arms fire, indirect fire and a campaign of intimidation against the coalition forces, what police remained and the population.

To counter the enemy, coalition forces provided security until Iraqi troops and police could be trained well enough to stand up to the insurgents. Iraqi public order units from outside the region came in to help the coalition provide the breathing space. At the same time, the coalition sped up municipal and provincial projects designed to employ Iraqis and benefit all in the region.

The projects, officials said, are an integral part of the strategy - the carrot rather than the stick. Coalition officials worked closely with city officials to prioritize the projects and then to secure funding for them.

A total of 194 projects costing $182 million have begun to pay off for the citizens of Mosul. Just in the past year, embassy officials said, the coalition has finished 56 projects for a total of $61.5 million.

"This shows the people of the city that we are serious, that we are concerned with their welfare," said an embassy official speaking on background. "It also shows them there is a benefit to working with the Americans."

Water and sanitation projects are the big-money items in Mosul, as they are in most of the country. Coalition projects have rehabilitated, upgraded or just flat built sewers in many neighborhoods in Mosul, officials said. Coalition projects also provided potable water to the city and installed or improved water mains.

More remains to be done, and almost $15 million is budgeted for water and sewage upgrades. The problem in Mosul is exacerbated by the fact that there are no sewage treatment plants. The new government will have to deal with that fact, U.S. embassy officials told American Forces Press Service.

Electricity is another major concern and where the coalition has invested in projects. Mosul Dam, across the Tigris River, provides roughly 500 megawatts of power to Mosul and the surrounding area. This still isn't enough to feed the demand. Coalition projects look to build more generating capacity and to improve the network carrying power to homes. Four projects worth almost $33 million have been completed, and another 17 projects worth almost $40 million are moving forward.

Coalition funding is helping Iraqi health care to get back on its feet. Projects to rehabilitate or build hospitals and clinics are under way. Other funds will go to getting equipment. Overall, almost $30 million is earmarked for the health care infrastructure in Mosul. Security at the sites remains the biggest concern, and local officials are working with Iraqi Army and police commanders to alleviate the problem.

Mosul is still a transportation hub for the region. The coalition is investing in roads, railways, bridges and the airport. The projects are worth almost $25 million.

Other projects build fire and police stations, restore parks and open areas, buy vehicles and equipment, help local farmers, and improve the area's communications.

Terror incidents in Mosul have dropped. Officials say Mosulis do not want to see the gains they have made lost to terrorists. A tip line installed a year ago now receives hundreds and sometimes thousands of calls each day. The infrastructure improvements have led to private-sector jobs in the city.

Security remains a challenge, but with each day, the terrorists are marginalized more and more, officials said. Sunni groups - the backbone of the insurgency - voted in the Dec. 15 election and are playing a part in the political life of the city and region.

With the city being a microcosm of Iraq, perhaps it has lessons to the country writ large, officials said.

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051221_3717.html.

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Iraqi Security Forces Working Toward Self-Sufficiency

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2005 - Those who question why it seems to be taking so long to build Iraq's security forces don't fully understand the magnitude of the challenge, a general who recently returned from training them explained during a recent interview with the Pentagon Channel and the American Forces Press Service.

Creating highly trained Iraqi security forces involves far more than simply channeling recruits through a basic training course, said Army Brig. Gen. Richard J. Sherlock, who recently took the reins as the Army Reserve's deputy chief.

The task requires building leadership capabilities at all levels and molding members into cohesive operational units able to stand up to the terrorist threat, said Sherlock, who spent a year in Iraq as commander of the Iraqi Assistance Group (Provisional) and deputy commander of the Coalition Military Assistance Team, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq.

At the same time, Sherlock said, it involves standing up a logistical and administrative network capable of supporting them, as well as the ministries of Defense and Interior that oversee their operations, Sherlock said.

"It is a lot like trying to build a multilayer cake, and at the same time that you are trying to put the layers together, at the same time you are baking it," he said. "Each level develops at a different rate of speed, requires different capabilities and managerial and leadership attributes. And so each of those pieces is growing at the same time."

One early step in building Iraq's security forces was to create the foundation for a strong noncommissioned officer corps - something Sherlock said didn't exist under former dictator Saddam Hussein.

NCOs in the old Iraqi army had few leadership responsibilities and little authority, he said, so the coalition helped the Iraqis create NCO and junior officer programs that promote leadership traits, he said.

"As we continue to grow that capability, we are teaching them to be squad leaders, platoon leaders, platoon sergeants, first sergeants," he said. "In many cases, these are lessons they are learning for the first time."

U.S. and coalition forces subscribe to the "train-the-trainer concept," in which they train Iraqis who, in turn, train their comrades. This builds on their new leadership capabilities and increases the force's ability to sustain itself, Sherlock said.

"A unit is not just a collection of individuals who have trained to a certain level," he said. "It's being able to operate with each other, back each other up, become a whole that is greater than just the sum of its parts."

Iraq's security forces, which Sherlock said "started from zero about 19 months ago," are doing just that and making impressive progress, he said.

The year 2005 was one of "dramatic change for Iraq," he said. Iraq's security force grew from just five operational battalions in late 2004 to 128 battalions in the fight. At the same time, the trained force more than doubled, to more than 216,000 members. "That's dramatic by anyone's measure," he said.

But numbers alone don't tell the whole story, Sherlock said. Iraqi units are becoming increasingly more capable and are assuming a growing share of the security burden.

"These aren't just units in the training pipeline," Sherlock said. "They are operational units - police and soldiers - out on the street, conducting security operations for Iraq. These units are out working with coalition force units every day on the streets."

As this trend continues, the focus is now moving toward bolstering up the support network for these forces. "We had to grow all the things that you take for granted in an army that they didn't have before: administrative support, logistics support, maintenance support (and a) basic mechanism for paying their soldiers," Sherlock said.

"And as that capability continues to grow, they become more and more self-sufficient," he said.

As Iraq's security forces increasingly take the lead in their operations, the Iraqi people are gaining confidence in them. "The Iraqis want their country to work, and with the Iraqis in charge," Sherlock said.

Morale remains high among Iraq's security forces, who see themselves moving steadily toward self-sufficiency and believe in the cause they are serving, he said.

"They are fighting very well, becoming very effective in operations and in being able to plan operations," Sherlock said. "And they are joining the services for all the right reasons: because they want to provide a secure environment for their families, for their extended families and for their nation."

Biography:

Brig. Gen. Richard J. Sherlock, USA [http://www.armyreserve.army.mil/usar/leadership/sherlock.aspx]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
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Soldier Killed in Iraq; Insurgents Killed, Detained in Raids

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2005 - A Task Force Baghdad soldier was killed by a roadside bomb south of Baghdad Dec. 19, military officials reported today.

The name of the soldier is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Task Force Baghdad soldiers on patrol today discovered a large cache of munitions in northeastern Baghdad.
The soldiers -- from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 75th Cavalry Regiment -- found 27 rocket-propelled grenade rounds, three 82 mm mortar rounds, 13 armor-piercing RPG launchers, 28 propellant chargers, 10,000 rounds of AK-47 ammunition, and 400 4.5 mm rounds. All munitions were turned over to an explosive ordnance disposal team for.

In other developments, at least nine terrorists were killed and 16 terror suspects were captured in two separate incidents in southern Baghdad Dec. 19-20.

In the first incident, two vehicles were seen fleeing the scene of a raid Dec. 19. One group pulled a bound hostage from the vehicle and killed him. A U.S. warplane flying in support of operations in the area engaged and killed the terrorists.

The warplane then switched targets, engaging the other vehicle, which resulted in at least four terrorist deaths and four detainees. Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, transported three of the detainees to a military internment facility for further questioning. One wounded detainee was evacuated to a military hospital.

In a separate incident in northern Babil, 12 suspected terrorists were detained and an unknown number of weapons and medical supplies were confiscated during an early morning raid Dec. 20.

In other news, Operation Moonlight concluded Dec. 20. Moonlight was the first brigade-level operation conducted by Iraqi army soldiers in Anbar province. Five Iraqi army companies from 1st Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, led the operation and were supported by a company of U.S. Marines from Regimental Combat Team 2.

The operation netted a weapons cache and demonstrated the Iraqi soldiers' ability to gather intelligence, plan, execute and exercise command and control during a large-scale operation, officials said.

The Iraqi soldiers, with U.S. Marines acting as observers, cleared an area east of Ubaydi along the northern and southern banks of the Euphrates River. The area directly to the west was cleared last month during Operation Steel Curtain.

No terrorists were encountered during the operation; however, one Iraqi soldier received minor injuries from a roadside bomb attack. The soldier was treated at the scene and returned to duty. No Iraqi civilian casualties were reported.

Troops from the 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division found and cleared a cache Dec. 20. Troops found about 100 57 mm rounds, officials said. The site was secured for later destruction.

Elsewhere, two civilians were wounded in East Baghdad Dec. 20 when a roadside bomb struck their vehicle. Elements of the Iraqi 2nd Public Order Battalion were on the scene and secured the site. Iraqi security forces evacuated the wounded to a local hospital. An explosive ordnance disposal team investigated and determined the roadside bomb was a 125 mm artillery shell.

Also, U.S. forces completed a year-long project to rid an old Saddam Hussein regime ammunition dump north of Baghdad of its stores Dec. 16. The ammunition dump, known as Area Echo, housed tons of ordnance stockpiled by Saddam's military. The area contained everything from small-caliber ammunition, mortars and artillery shells to larger weapons such as 1,000-pound bombs, and surface to air missiles.

Soldiers of 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, were tasked with management of Area Echo and worked with contractors and explosive ordnance disposal teams to clear the compound of all munitions. The munitions were deactivated and the empty casings were de-milled by a contracting company. Nearly 20,000 tons of munitions were destroyed in the area.

In the air war over Iraq, coalition aircraft flew 46 close-air-support missions Dec. 20 for Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Air Force F-16s and Navy F-14s provided close-air support to coalition troops in contact with terrorists near Balad. The F-16s strafed an enemy location and the F-14s strafed insurgents preparing an improvised explosive device.

Other U.S. Navy F-14s and F/A-18s provided close-air support to coalition troops in contact with terrorists near Balad, Ramadi and Rawah.

In addition, 11 U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and Royal Australian Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft flew missions in support of operations in Iraq. Also, U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft performed in a nontraditional ISR role with their electro-optical and infrared sensors.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq, Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq, Task Force Baghdad and U.S. Central Command Air Forces Forward news releases.)

Related Sites:

Multinational Force Iraq [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/]

Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq [http://www.mnstci.iraq.centcom.mil]

U.S. Central Command Air Forces [http://www.centaf.af.mil/]

_______________________________________________________
NOTE: View the original version of this web page on DefenseLINK,
the official website of the U.S. Department of Defense, at
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Dec2005/20051221_3715.html.

====================================================

Visit the Defense Department's Web site "America Supports You" at http://www.americasupportsyou.mil, that spotlights what Americans are doing in support of U.S. military men and women serving at home and abroad.

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Visit the Defense Department's Web site for the latest news
and information about America's response to the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://www.DefendAmerica.mil.

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