Marines get creative adapting MRAP’s in Afghanistan. Plus, today marks the 65th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

The 65th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Bulge is celebrated today.

With thousands of additional troops preparing for deployment to Afghanistan, personnel at the Defense Logistics Agency are working to get those forces the supplies they’ll need.

The DoD responds to Iran’s recent missile test.

Even with the pending deployment of about 7000 Marines to Afghanistan, Marine Commandant General James Conway says morale in the Corps has never been better.

Marines in Afghanistan have created their own hybrid MRAP.

General James Conway said military operations against enemy forces in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand Province are going well.

Soldiers work to defeat indirect fire attacks.

President Barack Obama is in Tokyo this morning. He told reporters at a press conference Monday, he’s still weighing the options concerning a troop increase in Afghanistan.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke out against leaks to the media on both Afghanistan and the shootings at Fort Hood.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates got a behind the scenes look at the newest all-terrain vehicles when he toured a production plant Thursday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

The military is receiving its first doses of the H1N1 vaccine and health officials will begin distributing them in the coming weeks.

The Louisiana National Guard is still assisting residents in the northwestern part of the state affected by flooding.

The Department of Defense unveils the latest Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle.

Top Defense officials were honored Monday night with the Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson Distinguished Service Award.

John McHugh was officially welcomed as the 21st Secretary of the Army during a ceremony at Fort Meyer, Virginia.

The annual military airlift to the South Pole is underway. Plus, new and more agile MRAPs are headed to Afghanistan.

With unprecedented speed, the first of thousands of mine-resistant, ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles —known as M-ATVs — are being deployed to Afghanistan just three months after a delivery order was awarded.

Conventional MRAP vehicles feature a V-shaped hull to deflect roadside bombs, and are proven to be lifesavers on the battlefield. The procurement of the M-ATV grew from an urgent requirement to provide troops a smaller and more maneuverable vehicle that can travel off-road and navigate Afghanistan’s difficult, mountainous terrain, Marine Corps Systems Command officials said.

“We have pulled out all the stops to collapse the schedule and get these vehicles into theater,” said Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Michael M. Brogan, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command and joint program executive officer of the MRAP program. “We are doing everything that’s required to ensure that they are safe, that the risk assessments are complete, [and] that they’re fully integrated and flown into Afghanistan.”

The M-ATV supports small-unit combat operations in highly restricted rural, mountainous and urban environments that include mounted patrols, reconnaissance, security, convoy protection, communications, command and control, and combat service support. It is designed to replace the up-armored Humvee in Afghanistan. The M-ATV will carry up to five personnel: four plus a gunner.

The Defense Department has ordered more than 4,300 of the all-terrain mine-resistant trucks, and another 1,400 are planned. Oshkosh Corp. is producing the vehicles.

The Afghan National Army is pumping up it’s air arsenal with a new air craft. Plus, a look at ongoing MRAP training.