According to a report from the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office, sexual assault in the military rose 11 percent in 2009.

The 135th Joint Sustainment Command is preparing for an influx of troops in Afghanistan by opening a trans shipment yard near Kandahar Airfield.

The Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is calling for a better balance between offensive and defensive capabilities in America’s missile defense program.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is in Mexico to discuss escalating violence along the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says the votes from the Iraqi election should be tallied by the end of the week.

A Wisconsin woman received the Congressional Gold Medal over the weekend to honor her service to the country as a WASP during World War II.

Iraq’s upcoming elections and the U.S. drawdown of troops there later this year will go on undeterred by suicide bombings today and previous attacks like it, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today.

“Neither this attack nor any of the previous attempts to derail the electoral process and to destabilize the government have been or will be successful, nor do we anticipate that it will derail our responsible drawdown of forces in Iraq,” Morrell said at a Pentagon news conference.

The United States has about 96,000 servicemembers in Iraq and will maintain that level in the weeks following the March 7 national elections, Morrell said. That troop strength is necessary to provide for a peaceful transfer of power, he explained. “But once that has been established, we are prepared to draw down dramatically” to get to President Barack Obama’s goal of having 50,000 troops in Iraq by Sept. 1, he said.

Suicide bombers attacked two police stations and a hospital just outside Baghdad in Baqouba early today, reportedly killing dozens of people. “It’s disgraceful, it’s deplorable and we strongly condemn it,” Morrell said of the attack, but he added that it would not deter the election or U.S. troop drawdown.

The elections mark the third time Iraqis have gone to the polls since the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime, and the second time under the current constitution, Morrell noted. They are the first Iraqi national elections to take place without a large-scale insurgency and widespread sectarian violence, and unlike previous elections, he said, no major political parties or ethnic groups are boycotting the elections.

“This is an historic opportunity, and Iraqis recognize it as such,” he said. “We expect participation to be broad across Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian spectrum. “

The United States and international organizations, including the United Nations, are assisting the Iraqi Independent High Commission as needed, “although frankly, they haven’t needed much,” Morrell said. Iraqi forces are leading security efforts, he told reporters, and U.S. stand ready to assist them if called upon.

“The bottom line is, this is the Iraqis’ election, and all indications are that they are more than prepared to pull it off,” he said.

With Iraq’s national elections approaching, U.S. soldiers are preparing to support the Iraqi army and police while remaining in the background, according to AFPS’ Army Staff Sgt. Natalie Hedrick.

The soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, who are responsible for assisting Iraqi forces in and around Najaf, take that mission seriously.

Coordination of the elections for Najaf has been organized by Iraqi police and army units, said Army Capt. Neil Pentilla, commander of 1st Battalion’s “C” Company. The company is stationed at Forward Operating Base Endeavor outside Najaf, and Pentilla said he and his soldiers try to stay in the background as much as possible. “It’s the Iraqi plan,” he said. “We’re incorporated into that plan as a safety net. We go on their command.”

During the elections, the U.S. battalion will provide enablers — intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets, for example — to the Iraqi army and police. The soldiers also will be ready to provide support at the Iraqi commander’s request.

As part of a reconnaissance mission, soldiers of “C” Company traveled to various polling sites in Najaf on Dec. 3, recording their locations and ensuring they will be accessible during the elections.

Pentilla said he feels confident in the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces in Najaf, and that his confidence extends to his soldiers’ readiness if they are called.

The Marine Corps is getting a chance to put the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the test.

Security preparations in western Iraq’s Al Anbar province are already underway for January’s national elections.

The Army’s Vice Chief of Staff General Peter Chiarelli joined other Army leaders Tuesday for a roundtable on suicide prevention at the Pentagon.

The Nation’s largest USO facility celebrates 10 years of service.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to Iraq to visit the troops.