Authorities in Yemen say the Nigerian man accused of trying to destroy a U.S. jetliner last week lived in Yemen for months, and was in the country as recently as this month. The Yemeni Foreign Ministry says 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was in Yemen from early August to early December.  The ministry says he was granted a visa to study Arabic at an institute in the capital, Sanaa, where he had previously studied.

The British government has confirmed that the young Nigerian man accused of trying to blow up a trans-Atlantic flight on Christmas Day was refused entry into Britain earlier this year and his name was added to a so-called watch list.  Somehow, somewhere, security officials did not pick up on the information at their disposal that allowed an individual on a security watch list onto a plane bound for the U.S.

Afghan-international security forces captured Taliban commanders and several militants in Kandahar and Khowst last night. A Taliban commander responsible for several IED attacks was captured during a series of raids in Kandahar.

All Soldiers are trained on various convoy operations before they deploy, even if they never step into an armored vehicle during their deployment. Here at Camp Adder though, some Soldiers continue to hone their skills because it can save their lives. "We're doing convoy lanes training," said Sgt 1st Class Robert Moore with the 121st Brigade Support Battalion.

The newest aircraft to the Air Force's inventory arrived Dec. 27, 2009, to Bagram Airfield. The MC-12 aircraft, tail number 090623, was the first of an undisclosed number of aircraft for the new 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron here. Following the MC-12's arrival, the 4th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron was activated to carry out MC-12 operations in the Afghan theater of operations. Col.

Sailors from Navy Information Operations Command (NIOC) Hawaii, NIOC San Diego, and NIOC Whidbey Island are playing a crucial role in the daily operations of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility. The capacity to acquire, analyze, and apply pertinent information enables the ready group's Sailors and Marines to execute the maritime security mission and respond to disasters around the globe. "Our job is to make sure we don't get surprised," says Chief Cryptologic Technician Collection (SW/EXP) Naomi Richards, a leading member of the team.

Sgt. Major Alvin Chaplin likes to compare a chaplain assistant to an entire infantry company rolled into one Soldier. "In order to get the job done, he or she has to be able to do it all -- company clerk, supply person, motor sergeant and combatant. The chaplain assistant has to set the conditions for the chaplain to succeed and the commander to execute the unit's religious programs," said Chaplin, U.S. Army Forces Command's senior chaplain assistant, Chaplin made his observation on the occasion of the Army's celebrating the centennial of the Army chaplain assistants Dec. 28.

Once again, Secretary Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is under scrutiny in the wake of the failed terrorist bombing attempt on Northwest Airlines flight 253. Apparently, DHS had plenty of opportunities to prevent this attack and chose instead to do nothing. http://www.examiner.com/x-25466-DC-Independent-Examiner~y2009m12d27-Obama-administration-security-lapses-incompetence-or-willful-ignorance

The Nigerian government has enhanced security checks at its airports after a young Nigerian man tried to blow up a U.S.