The U.S. military has been at war for more than a decade, its longest stretch of continuous fighting ever. But the new budget released this week by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta includes a mandate for new training in how to fight a war.
More criminals on the street. Fewer border guards. More instances of food poisoning and less reliable weather forecasts.
A brigade of U.S. troops originally scheduled to be among the very last to leave Iraq is being pulled out of the country months ahead of its planned departure, military officials said Saturday.
Leaders from Iraq's political blocs met Tuesday at Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's office to discuss "the training mission of Iraqi forces by U.S. trainers," an Iraqi government spokesman said.
The new Army chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, says there would be risks in leaving a large force of U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the present withdrawal deadline of the end of the year.
President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Gen. Martin Dempsey, the relatively new Army chief of staff, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
President Obama announces key changes in defense personnel, nominating a new Joint Chiefs Chairman.
Vice President Joe Biden presides over a transition of power ceremony marking the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Robert Gates helped usher in the next chapter for the United States in Iraq on Wednesday, presiding over a ceremony launching a new military operation designed to train, assist and advise the Iraqis.
Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Iraq on Monday to participate in a ceremony marking the end of the U.S. combat mission there, according to the White House.
Gen. Ray Odierno tells CNN that in certain circumstances "potentially, we could be [in Iraq] beyond 2011."
An American soldier was killed in southern Iraq on Sunday, the U.S. military announced, marking the first U.S. fatality since last week's withdrawal of the last combat brigade from the country.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced some far-reaching proposals Monday for restructuring the massive budget at his agency, including getting rid of the U.S. Joint Forces Command.
The series of explosions Saturday that killed dozens of people in Basra were caused by car bombs and roadside bombs, not by an accident, the U.S. military said Monday.
Gen. Ray Odierno sits down with CNN's Arwa Damon for a look back at the past seven years in Iraq.
Iraqi commandos showed off skills they learned from U.S. military forces, who Saturday formally handed over control of combat operations to Iraqi security forces.
The top U.S. commander in Iraq said Wednesday that the United States is still on track to draw down its troops to 50,000 by September 1, when the U.S. will cease combat operations and change its mission to mainly training Iraqi forces.
President Barack Obama met Wednesday with U.S. Army Gen. Ray Odierno to get a first-hand account of conditions in Iraq from the top commander for the country.
Al Qaeda in Iraq has confirmed in a statement posted online that two of its two most senior leaders have been killed.
The two most senior leaders of al Qaeda in Iraq have been killed in a joint Iraqi-U.S. operation, officials announced Monday.
The White House credits Iraqi security forces with securing Iraq following the deaths of two senior al-Qaeda leaders.
Iraq's elections "really went very, very well" and the "Iraqi people deserve a lot of congratulations from us," the United States' ambassador to Baghdad said Monday.
CNN's Arwa Damon takes a look at Iraq's problems, and what they mean for the country's future.
A key Sunni Arab party is boycotting Iraq's March 7 elections because of what it says was Iranian influence that led to the banning of participants in the upcoming race, including the bloc's leader.
Iraq's simmering sectarian tension boiled in recent days over a controversial decision banning more than 500 people with alleged ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from running in next month's Iraqi national elections.
Iraq is investigating possible corruption in the purchase of bomb detectors experts say are fake. CNN's Morgan Neill reports
Islamic State of Iraq -- an umbrella group which includes al Qaeda in Iraq -- said it had carried out a string of vehicle bomb attacks that killed at least 36 people in Baghdad Monday.
The men and women who are serving in our armed services are my heroes. I spent a week in the presence of true heroes -- men and women who live in the war zone, fight the enemy, risk their lives, and depend on our support.
Iraq has finally set a date for elections -- seen as a critical step toward the withdrawal of U.S. troops -- Iraqi officials said Tuesday.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has hailed the passage of a law that calls for elections seen as critical to U.S. plans to withdraw troops.
Iraqi lawmakers struck a deal Sunday night to revise the country's elections law after months of disputes that may force a delay of the country's upcoming parliamentary vote.
Fewer Iraqi civilians were killed in November as a result of war-related violence than in any other month since the U.S.-led invasion began nearly seven years ago, a CNN count of Iraqi government figures shows.
Turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie, along with a visit by the commanding general in Iraq and a phone call from President Obama, were some of the ways the White House and Pentagon helped U.S. troops overseas celebrate Thanksgiving.
The fate of Iraq's newly revised election law again hinges on the approval of the country's Sunni Arab vice president, who is under pressure to sign the much-contested plan.
The Iraqi parliament passed an amended election law Monday, but it failed to address concerns of the country's Sunni Arab vice president. That raised doubts about whether nationwide elections will take place as constitutionally required in January.
The Iraqi parliament passed an amended election law Monday, but it failed to address concerns of the country's Sunni Arab vice president. That raised doubts about whether nationwide elections will take place as constitutionally required in January.
The Iraqi government has aired videos showing three men, who claim to be members of the ousted Baath Party, saying they were involved in last month's devastating Baghdad attacks.
Iraq's Sunni Arab vice president vetoed the country's newly passed election law Wednesday, a move that threw the nation's electoral process and political system into "crisis" mode.
The Iraqi government vows to improve security after suicide attack. CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reports.
Edwin Salau knew coming back would be hard. But he had to do it. The retired U.S. Army first lieutenant needed to know that his sacrifice was worth it.
Wounded American soldiers return to Iraq for closure, part of 'Operation Proper Exit.' CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom reports.
It isn't clear whether the United States will ever be able to declare victory in Iraq, the top U.S. commander there said Thursday.
The United States will withdraw another 4,000 troops in Iraq by the end of October, the U.S. military commander in Iraq said in prepared testimony for a congressional hearing Wednesday.
The highly fortified International Zone in Baghdad came under fire the same day that Vice President Joe Biden paid a surprise visit, an Interior Ministry official told CNN.
Four bombing attacks in Iraq killed at least 26 people and wounded more than 80 others, officials said Thursday.
The remains of the first American officer shot down in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, identified on August 2, will be taken to Jacksonville, Florida, for burial, said a family spokeswoman.
A "modest acceleration" of U.S. troop withdrawal plans in Iraq could occur, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday.
Gen. Ray Odierno discusses the importance of American troops pulling out from Iraqi towns and cities.
Despite some high-profile bombings in recent days, Iraq's security forces are ready to take over for U.S. forces this week to stabilize the nation's major cities, the U.S. commander in Iraq told CNN on Sunday.
A late June Sunday stirred memories of sparring of 16 years ago on the issue that was then, and is now, center stage in the nation's policy and political debates: health care reform.
A market bombing in central Baghdad killed 15 people Friday morning, continuing the spike in violence as the deadline approaches for the United States to withdraw combat troops from Iraqi cities.
The death toll from Saturday's suicide truck bombing in northern Iraq -- the deadliest single attack this year -- has risen to 80, a police official said.
Stephen Colbert left no doubt about his solidarity with American troops when he taped the first of four Comedy Central shows he'll produce in Iraq this week.
As the deadline nears for U.S. troops to exit major Iraqi cities, units in Mosul are in the midst of a months-long operation to sweep out extremist fighters.
I spent a week during the congressional recess in the presence of true heroes -- men and women serving in our armed forces who live in the war zone, fight the enemy, risk their lives and depend on our support.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Saturday deplored the recent bombings in Iraq, but said the "terrible and tragic events" haven't stopped the nation from making strides in security.
Suicide bombers killed 60 people near a holy Shiite shrine in Baghdad on Friday and a car bomber left seven people dead in Diyala, according to security and medical officials.
Two suicide bombings kill more than 70 in Iraq and the Iraqi military says a top insurgent has been captured.
Suicide bombers in Iraq launched two deadly attacks Thursday, killing at least 55 people in Diyala province and at least 28 people in Baghdad, an Interior Ministry official said.
Easter Sunday saw important news developments, including the rescue of a U.S. ship captain from his Somali pirate captors, an extensive conversation with the U.S. commanding general in Iraq and comments from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar about the need for more oil exploration in waters off the U.S. coast.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, said Sunday he believes U.S. troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. military commander on the ground in Iraq, speaks with CNN's John King about Iraq.
U.S. troops in Iraq will gradually reduce their visibility after a new security pact takes effect, but they won't lose the "fundamental ability to protect" themselves, the top U.S. general in Iraq said Friday.
Coalition troops formally handed over control of Iraq's Wasit province to the Iraqi government Wednesday.
Coalition troops formally handed over control of Iraq's Babil province to the Iraqi government on Thursday.
The United States has new intelligence indicating Iran is reorganizing in an effort to assert its influence inside Iraq and may be behind several recent attacks, according to a senior U.S. official who spoke with CNN Monday.
CNN's Cal Perry reports on the challenges facing Gen. Ray Odierno, the new commander of U.S. troops in Iraq.
A U.S. military helicopter crashed in southern Iraq early Thursday morning, killing all seven U.S. soldiers on board, the military said.
Gen. Ray Odierno on Tuesday took command of U.S. forces in Iraq, marking the end to Gen. David Petraeus' tenure, which saw a reversal in the country's rising violence.
Gen. David Petraeus, whose strategy for countering the Iraq insurgency is credited by many with rescuing the country from all-out civil war, stepped aside Tuesday as Gen. Ray Odierno took over as the top American commander of the conflict
As Gen. David Petraeus, the architect of the U.S. surge policy in Iraq, leaves to
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates flew into Iraq on Monday to oversee a change of command of American forces.
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Gen. David Petraeus as the new chief of U.S. Central Command, placing him in charge of American forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq who has been nominated to head American forces in the Middle East, said Thursday he hopes to make recommendations for further troop reductions in Iraq before he moves to his new post in September.
On the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, with nearly 4,000 American lives lost, is Iraq really on a path to peace?
The warlord is threatening to lift his cease-fire against American forces, Sunnis and his Shi'ite rivals. The U.S. says it's not worried, but perhaps it should be
Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer about a recent decrease in fighters entering Iraq from Iran and Syria.
Two indicators of the state of the war in Iraq appeared favorable in November, when fewer fighters entered Iraq from neighboring countries and fewer Iraqi civilians killed, according to two reports on Sunday.
Sunni tribesmen once fighting the U.S. military receive basic police academy training. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen reports
The No. 2-ranking U.S. commander in Iraq said Thursday U.S. and Iraqi forces are making progress in the fight against insurgents.
Analysis: Two more grisly episodes in Diyala province are signs that the U.S. successes can only go so far in controlling Iraq's violence
The number of U.S. military and Iraqi civilian deaths has dropped dramatically, according to recent reports, although American military officials said it is too soon to declare a turning point in the conflict.
U.S. and Iraqi deaths are down. So, is Iraq seeing progress? CNN's Nic Robertson reports
An increasing number of attacks using an Iranian-based explosive is undermining security in Iraq, a senior U.S. military commander said Wednesday.
With the country's largest Sunni political bloc threatening to leave the Cabinet, top Iraqi leaders are hoping to sit down soon to settle the friction and finger-pointing among Sunni Arabs, Shiites and Kurds, officials told CNN on Saturday.
The U.S. troop casualty figures in Iraq that jumped this spring have been gradually dropping because U.S. and Iraqi forces are stabilizing volatile and dangerous areas, a U.S. commander said Thursday.
As the U.S. pursues its offensive against al-Qaeda in Iraq, one promising sign is that Sunni insurgents are helping
U.S. and Iraqi troops killed dozens of al Qaeda militants in Iraq's Diyala province over the past four days, the U.S. military reported on Friday.
Viewpoint: The U.S. says it wants a cease-fire with insurgents. But do they hate al-Qaeda more than they hate America?
Bombings in Karbala and the Baghdad area killed at least 56 people and wounded scores of others Saturday morning, police and medical officials said.
A U.S. Army commander on Friday said authorities still can't verify who bombed the Iraqi parliament complex on Thursday, but al Qaeda in Iraq probably was involved.
A U.S. military commander Thursday said a raid outside Falluja two days ago discovered a home-grown factory for car bombs that included a metal shop, explosives and cylinders of toxic chlorine gas and other chemicals.
Below is a transcript from President Bush's Wednesday news conference with links to key points, as well as links to a selection of topics from the question and answer session:
Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno returns to Baghdad with perhaps the most difficult job in the U.S. military -- to stop Iraq's brutal insurgency and help pave the way for Iraqi troops to take over their country's security.
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|