SECNAV Visits Afghanistan

Headlines for Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Headlines for Wednesday, December 21, 2011: Final Iraqi Air Sortie Flies off USS John C. Stennis; USNS Mercy Celebrates 25 Years as a Hospital Ship.

NASCAR Drivers visit Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

Headlines for Monday, December 19, 2011

Headlines for Monday, December 19, 2011: USS Enterprise Returns from Two-Week Underway; SECNAV Updates Requirements for Purple Hearts

Dear Friends

Early this morning, the last of our troops left Iraq.

As we honor and reflect on the sacrifices that millions of men and women made for this war, I wanted to make sure you heard the news.

Bringing this war to a responsible end was a cause that sparked many Americans to get involved in the political process for the first time. Today's outcome is a reminder that we all have a stake in our country's future, and a say in the direction we choose.

Thank you.

Barack

CNN Breaking News

The last U.S. troops in Iraq crossed the border into Kuwait on Sunday morning, ending almost nine years of a deadly and divisive war.

About 500 soldiers based in Fort Hood, Texas, and 110 military vehicles made the journey south from Camp Adder, near Nasiriyah, to the Khabari border crossing, from where they will head to Camp Virginia in Kuwait before flying home.

They were the last soldiers in what amounted to the largest U.S. troop drawdown since the war in Vietnam.

America's contentious and costly war in Iraq officially ended Thursday with an understated ceremony in Baghdad, when U.S. troops lowered the flag of command that flew over the Iraqi capital.

Justified by President George W. Bush largely on the grounds that Saddam Hussein was seeking weapons of mass destruction that he could share with terrorists such as al Qaeda, the invasion cased deep divisions in America and around the world.

Pres ident Obama, elected partly on the strength of his opposition to the war, has promised economic, diplomatic and military help to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

Nearly 4,500 Americans were killed and more than 30,000 injured in Iraq.

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Visits Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti

USS George H. W. Bush Returns From Maiden Deployment

Headlines for Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Headlines for Tuesday, December 13, 2011: Naval Expeditionary Combat Command Completes Deployment Certification Training; Some Naval and Training Command Websites, Applications Down December 17-18

Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group Leaves Naval Air Station Everett for Last Time

Pacific Partnership 2011

USS Enterprise Supply Department Keeps Planes Flying

USS Texas Deploys to the Western Pacific

Exercise FRUKUS 2011 Completes First Phase

DNU Flash - Exercise FRUKUS 2011 Completes First Phase

Afghan Troop Levels

NATO is approaching 150,000 troops in Afghanistan, with 45,000 hailing from countries other than the U.S., which is a positive sign according to Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy.

Operation New Dawn II

With the U.S. combat role in Iraq at an end, U.S. military officials on Wednesday launched Operation New Dawn.

Operation New Dawn

A change of command ceremony in Baghdad Wednesday marked the beginning of Operation New Dawn.

Iraq Withdrawal Response

Even though many troops have returned from Iraq, there are still about 50,000 on the ground, talking about the mission still ahead.

Iraq Drawdown

As U.S. troops leave Iraq, the equipment that has sustained and protected them is being moved out as well.

USS Keasarge Deploys

DNU Flash - USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) deploys to Pakistan to support disaster relief efforts.