Today's Headlines from Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Military's Independent News Source: Thursday, November 26, 2009
Top headlines from Stars and Stripes. See the rest of today's news at www.stripes.com Bomb-makers being targeted by coalition forces in an increasingly prolific IED war The Afghan insurgency, at one point dormant if not defeated, is now the strongest it has been since the start of the war, and the Taliban and other insurgents have honed a proficiency in improvised explosive devices that is keeping coalition and Afghan forces off balance — with deadly results. Obama promises to 'finish the job' in Afghanistan Signaling he's decided on new troop levels for the Afghanistan war, President Barack Obama said Tuesday he intends to "finish the job" on his watch and destroy terrorist networks in the region. Troops voice support for force increase Troops in Afghanistan Tuesday offered cautious support for a planned increase of U.S. personnel there, saying that more forces are needed for the war. 2nd ID commander mulls curfew, drinking changes The curfew would be lifted, the drinking age would be lowered to 19, and rules on blood-alcohol limitations would be eliminated for servicemembers in South Korea under a sweeping proposal the new commander of the 2nd Infantry Division says he is considering. New PT test moved to July 1 The Air Force has delayed the implementation of new physical fitness standards that were set to take effect Jan. 1.Instead, airmen will start taking the new physical training test on July 1 Afghanistan steps up effort to keep tabs on police In a step toward more accountability, the Afghan government is starting to collect vital information on the 95,000 members of the national police, a force that has become synonymous with unprofessionalism and corruption. Obama will unveil Afghan battle plan at West Point President Barack Obama plans to announce a redrawn battle plan for Afghanistan, including what the military says could be a roughly 50 percent increase in U.S. forces, in a national address Tuesday night from the U.S. Military Academy. Critics call Poland Patriot missile plan a symbolic gesture Soldiers from U.S. Army Europe's Patriot missile battalion could be deploying to Poland as soon as the spring for a six-month rotation as part of the Obama administration's new missile defense plan in Eastern Europe. But critics say the Patriot deployment is nothing more than a symbolic, diplomatic gesture. Will review unravel '06 U.S.-Japan troop relocation pact? With a new Japanese government in place that promised Okinawans it would review the U.S. military footprint on Okinawa, Japanese officials want to revisit a formerly discarded plan to move the Marine operation to Kadena Air Base. Or move the base operations outside Okinawa altogether. 2nd ID moves to protect ID cards With too many soldier ID cards going missing, 2nd Infantry Division troops in South Korea soon will be sporting a new piece of equipment — a plastic card holder and string they will be required to wear around their necks, or in their pockets but attached to their belts.
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