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An assault by suicide bombers and gunmen against a NATO base in southern Afghanistan today killed one servicemember.

After a night of vicious streets battles, anti-government protesters and police clashed anew today in the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

A coalition servicemember was killed today when insurgents dressed in military uniforms launched a complex attack on a military base in southern Afghanistan, employing a car bomb and multiple attackers with suicide vests.

The Obama administration announced last week that it had revised its arms sales policy, emphasizing "restraint" to ensure that arms don't fall into the wrong hands or aren't turned on civilians by governments.

The Taiwanese Air Force unveiled an air-to-ground stand-off weapon developed for the F-CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter.

A senior Marine officer whose career was stalled for two years amid a high-profile scandal involving scout snipers in his unit has finally been promoted and assigned to a top-level school.

The 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team is at the National Training Center. Let's look at photos.

The Seattle Seahawks are bringing their game-changing defense - and the "12th Man" - to the Big Apple for the Super Bowl.

Good News: Technology is not driving us apart after all.

According to Google, Washington state residents want "a say" in life.

Why strap a boring Rolex to your wrist when you could proudly wear a spacecraft?

Director J.J. Abrams said he has a completed script for the next Star Wars film and will begin shooting in May in England.

Now there's a rumor that the little Seinfeld reunion was for a Super Bowl commercial.

Gary Burghoff (Radar from MASH) is now on Twitter, with plenty of stories to tell.

You'd think that, by this point, people would start being a little more discerning with their passwords. You would be wrong.

LOB

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President Barack Obama Friday announced a series of reforms for a controversial National Security Agency data-collection program that he said would give Americans confidence their privacy is being protected and allow U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies to continue safeguarding the nation.

The Pentagon is considering sending U.S. troops back to the Middle East to help train Iraqi forces.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., this week introduced a wide-ranging package of veterans legislation, covering changes to the GI Bill, survivors' benefits, advanced appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs and fertility treatments for wounded veterans.

Barring investment from European allies, the Pentagon should abandon the goal of a nuclear-capable F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in favor of spending funds elsewhere, according to former US Air Force Chief of Staff Norton Schwartz.

European Union foreign ministers are expected to approve a military mission to protect civilians in the Central African Republic at their meeting in Brussels Monday.

Whoever runs the Marine Corps Special Operations Command's official Twitter handle got in trouble Friday for this tweet: "Don't be lone shooter #MLK weekend! make sure you've got security - stay safe! #MARSOC #Marines #shortbarrelforVBSS." 

The Defense Imagery Management Operations Center recently signed a $5 million agreement to digitize, store and provide access to hundreds of thousands of historical images.

At the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, experts in the emotional toll of disasters help the Defense Department, government agencies and first responders worldwide understand how best to help communities struck by terrorist attacks, mass casualties and natural disasters.

Dr. Bill LaPlante testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the time it takes to develop and field weapon systems, the importance of science and technology investment and how to speed up cyber acquisition.

The famed Japanese soldierwho spent 29 years hiding out after World War II ended, never realizing his country had surrendered under threat of continued nuclear bombardment, has died at age 91.

Emails from judges in 2008 reveal allegations of misconduct by judge in original case, and could potentially pave way for Roman Polanski's freedom.

Conan O'Brien hilariously grills and tortures his staff of interns.

It's amazing what a little rebranding did for these 10 celebs.

Lupita N'yongo's Critics' Choice Awards acceptance speech is a must see.

Check out this homemade mockumentary on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Bird steals egg with camera inside and films entire penguin colony.

Here's the weirdest videogame trailer ever.

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Obama has presided over a huge surge in special operations, vastly out-pacing Bush.

The US Senate passed a government-wide spending measure that would give the Pentagon nearly $600 billion to buy new weapons, address readiness problems and fight America's wars. The final vote tally was 72-26.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel huddled with his top military and civilian leaders as the Defense Department puts the finishing touches on its 2015 budget proposal.

President Obama will announce today a major overhaul of a controversial National Security Agency program that collects vast amounts of basic telephone call data on foreigners and Americans.

Its Senate sponsors describe it as a "diplomatic insurance policy" that will help President Obama cut a better nuclear deal with Iran. The White House condemns it as a deal-killer that could put the United States on a path to war.

South Korea rejected North Korean warnings to call off scheduled joint military exercises with the United States and vowed "severe" retaliation to any provocation from Pyongyang.

Members of al-Qaida's branch in Iraq handed out pamphlets urging those in Fallujah to take up arms and back the militants in their weekslong fight against government troops as clashes raged on around the city.

As the U.S. economy gets back on track - unemployment recently fell below 7 percent for the first time in five years - the Pentagon's recruiting commands are bracing for potential challenges.

With the Army drawdown the question arises - what a smaller Army can do and what it can't?

The US Air Force's Total Force Task Force (TF2) is now the Total Force Continuum (TFC), to guide integration of Air National Guard and Reserve units.

Rock mysteriously appears in front of the Mars Opportunity rover.

R.I.P. Professor, Reuben Kincaid and one of the last surviving Munchkins.

The 5 most ridiculous ways studios spoiled their own movies.

Here is your soundtrack today, thanks to Henry Rollins.

Why are today's teens watching so much bad '90s television.

Mr. Potato Head Homer: Let's Play D'oh.

Enjoy Vladimir Putin playing the piano and singing "Blueberry Hill."

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The Senate Intelligence Committee singled out Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, of exhibiting poor leadership and insufficient planning in their report on the Sept. 2012 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.

Lt. Gen. James O. Barclay III, Army G-8, says soldier level could drop to 420,000 by 2019.

The head of the UN body tasked with removing and destroying Syria's chemical arsenal says the process has been slowed down by security concerns.

Even in the darkest, deadliest days of Iraq's War, you'd find people still hopeful it would all work out.

Sustainment costs are eating away at Army aviation and new approaches are needed to rein the costs in.

Thirty-four intercontinental ballistic missile launch officers at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., have been implicated in cheating on the ICBM launch officer proficiency test.

Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. John F. Campbell discusses SHARP and Army restructure.

The office of the secretary of defense has directed the US Navy to limit its overall buy of littoral combat ships to a total of 32 ships, foregoing 20 more of the small, fast and controversial warships.

Former US defense secretary Robert Gates said Britain no longer had the complete spectrum of capabilities, meaning its relationship with the US military was shifting.

The nominations for the 86th Academy Awards were announced this morning, and the snubs were as notable as the honors.

Mathematician calculates how to survive the first 30 minutes of a nuclear war.

It's true, the French really don't care if you cheat on your spouse.

Good news! The original Batman series with Adam West is finally coming to DVD!

Soon we'll be able to stream The Simpsons, but of course there's a catch.

Oh, those kooky Japanese!

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About 200 Fort Bragg soldiers are scheduled to leave for Afghanistan Sunday. The soldiers will be the first wave of troops to deploy from the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment. An estimated 450 troops from the battalion will eventually deploy this month.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday said President Barack Obama is ignoring servicemembers who are deployed to Afghanistan and not speaking enough about the war.

The United States pledged today to send an additional $380 million in aid this year to help victims of Syria's brutal civil war, but warned that international efforts to ease their suffering will fail if Syrian President Bashar Assad refuses to let humanitarian assistance get to people who need it.

NSA to senator: If we were collecting your phone records, we couldn't tell you.

The U.S. Marine Corps is conducting a formal investigation into an incident in which Marines are allegedly shown defiling the bodies of what appear to be dead Iraqi insurgents.

Amid intense pressure from President Obama and the White House, Senate Democrats appear to be backing away from an immediate vote on a new Iran sanctions bill.

Experts and lawmakers said the Pentagon was the lucky winner after the $1.012 trillion omnibus spending bill was released, citing an increase of $5 billion in wartime funding above what the Defense Department had initially requested.  

Two Marines from the Corps' elite special operations unit will be awarded the Navy Cross this week for heroism during an insider attack in Afghanistan in 2012.

The Army National Guard's top officer was honored Tuesday as he prepares to retire after more than 40 years of service.

FX has ordered a comedy pilot that will be created by and star Zach Galifianakis, with Louis C.K. co-writing. Nice!

Twenty hilarious and ridiculous knock-off toys: Funny Pony, Titanic Legend, Mr. T Mighty Car...

Ladies and gentlemen, the Cheap American Beer Bracket!

Here's a lesson: Never let the Internet name your baby.

Be careful how you dance battle

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Congressional appropriators on Monday evening unveiled a massive federal spending bill that includes a full 2014 Pentagon appropriations measure that would provide nearly $93 billion to buy new weapons.

The $571 billion Defense appropriations bill would reverse cuts to retirement pay for medically retired veterans and survivor benefits that passed in last month's budget deal.

The House Armed Services Committee on Monday released hundreds of pages of transcripts of previously classified testimony about the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The Enlisted Voluntary Early Separation Program and Enlisted Involuntary Early Separation Program have some important changes that took effect Jan. 1.

A physician who was a former Army Special Forces combat medic designed a fellowship program, which he hopes will improve the survival chances of battlefield casualties.

Decisive action training environment preps Army lieutenants for future operations.

The US capital's politics are a mess, the Pentagon is muddled and observers might be excused for thinking that naval development is stalled, but think again.

Arrowhead Brigade sweeps over National Training Center.

A full-fledged OutKast reunion is on tap for this year, not just at Coachella.

The Newsroom was renewed for a final season.

What does this mean?: Jerry Seinfeld and Jason Alexander were spotted in front of Tom's Restaurant.

Today's list: A roundup of lesser-known vintage video games, like The Goonies II and The Blues Brothers.

No, here's today's list: 10 famous album covers recreated in Lego.

We apologize, here's really today's list: Seven strange but awesome gadgets from CES 2014.

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Iran has agreed to start eliminating its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium beginning Jan. 20 under an interim deal announced in November.

US Army wants to transform all nine of its Stryker brigades into the heavily armored "double V-hull" (DVH) configuration.

Two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip today, just hours ahead of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's funeral. The projectiles did not appear to have landed in Israel.

Department of Veterans Affairs says more female veterans will suffer from the kinds of injuries that go with being a ground-pounder.

Disabled military retirees will be protected from the reduced COLA.

The Appropriations committees are set to unveil this week how they will cut roughly $25 billion from the Pentagon's budget.

Weapon sales to Iraq have become entangled in sharply escalated political debate after al-Qaida affiliated forces regained partial control of the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi.

The Arctic Passage opens challenges for the mil because it means it has a new ocean to patrol - for the first time since 1846.

The College of William & Mary and U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command reaffirmed their partnership to develop internships, research and training opportunities for both William & Mary students and TRADOC Soldiers in the field of national security.

Six15 Technologies is announcing the release of their direct view monitor for military applications called the Standard Mobile Monitor (SMM).

Watch Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's flawless, hilarious Golden Globes monologue.

Fifteen new comics. Fifteen talented creative teams. Fifteen new reasons to open a new line of credit for Image's 2014 barrage of awesome.

Mad Men returns to the tube April 13.

HBO says the upcoming fifth season of Boardwalk Empire will be the series' last.

Christine McVie retired from Fleetwood Mac more than 15 years ago, and now, she's coming back to the band.

Are you ready for some Thrones?

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is leading the push to get Democrats to support sanctions on Iran, putting him at sharp odds with the White House on one of President Obama's top foreign policy priorities.

Fighting between security forces and al-Qaida-linked militants in Iraq's Sunni-dominated Anbar province has killed at least 60 people over the past two weeks.

The U.S. military secretly deployed a small number of trainers and advisers to Somalia in October, the first time regular troops have been stationed in the war-ravaged country since1993, when two helicopters were shot down and 18 Americans killed in the "Black Hawk Down" disaster.

Read more...

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The lead American negotiator in talks over a long-term security agreement with Afghanistan has privately warned the Obama administration that its efforts to persuade President Hamid Karzai to sign the document on the U.S. timetable are likely to fail.

There has been a sharp increase in the suicide rate among the youngest male veterans, and a smaller but still significant jump among women who served in the military.

The Senate Armed Services Committee approved and sent to the Senate floor four civilian nominations yesterday: Jessica Wright to be undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness; Jo Ann Rooney to be undersecretary of the Navy; Jamie Morin to be director of cost assessment and program evaluation; and Frank Klotz to be undersecretary of energy for nuclear security.

Read more...

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Two crew members are dead and a third remains missing after the Wednesday-morning crash of a Norfolk, Va.-base MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopter into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia Beach. Officials are unable to say what caused the crash.

Senate Foreign Relations Commmittee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) is considering supporting the transfer of AH-64 Apache helicopters to Iraq.

House and Senate Defense appropriators have been closely holding a secret, at the core of which lies the fate of hundreds of Pentagon programs facing billions of dollars in reductions from fiscal 2014 plans.

Congress ordered the NASA to finish a $350 million facility even though the agency doesn't need it.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said he was impressed with what he saw yesterday at an Air Force base on the northern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert.

Germany announced today it will help destroy Syria's chemical weapons stockpile.

Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, the commander of the Third Air Force in Europe, whose handling of sexual-assault cases drew withering criticism from advocacy groups and some lawmakers retired under pressure Wednesday.

Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Jim Miller had his last day at the Pentagon yesterday.

Tidbits from former Defense Secretary Robert Gates' book kept coming yesterday, and the White House scrambled to respond to them.

Looking for work? The Transportation Security administration is hiring, and they might just want YOU! Check the video to see if you meet their qualifications.

Ten historic live musical performances you can watch on Youtube.

Fifteen heart-stopping skywalks that will turn your legs to jelly.

American Horror Story -Coven' Episode 10 Recap: "The Magical Delights of Stevie Nicks"

The Black Lips toured the Middle East and shared the best details of their unexpected tour.

Thank you for starting your day with Morning Joe. Please send your latest defense news and any tips or feedback to editor@northwestmilitary.com and follow on Twitter at @JBLMnewspapers.

And we leave you with a lovely beach scene captured this week at Lake Michigan. ...