CIA director to be next SecDef, sources say

WASHINGTON — Administration sources say President Obama plans this week to name CIA Director Leon Panetta to replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Gen. David Petraeus, now running the war in Afghanistan, would take the CIA chief’s job.

Obama releases birth certificate, decries ‘silliness’

Responding to critics’ relentless claims, President Barack Obama on Wednesday produced a detailed Hawaii birth certificate in an extraordinary attempt to bury the issue of where he was born and confirm his legitimacy to hold office. He declared, “We do not have time for this kind of silliness.”

Major shake-up coming soon for top military officers

WASHINGTON — Within weeks, roughly a dozen of the U.S. military’s most popular and highest-ranking officers will begin rotating out of some of the highest-profile jobs in the armed forces.

Afghan Officer Fires On NATO Troops, Kills 9

KABUL, Afghanistan — Eight NATO troops and a contractor died Wednesday after an Afghan military officer opened fire in a meeting — the deadliest incident so far in which Afghan security forces have turned against their coalition partners, officials said.

New Hampshire veterans conference to provide benefits help

The second annual Seacoast Veterans Conference is planned for April 30, and will provide former servicemembers with information on veterans benefits and other related programs.

More Marines now eligible to receive Purple Heart for TBI

WASHINGTON — It’s no longer necessary for Marines suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries to have been knocked unconscious to qualify for a Purple Heart, a retroactive change that could affect thousands of troops who have served in battle since Sept. 11, 2001.

Destroyer Squadron CO Fired Over Relationship

The commander of a destroyer squadron deployed with the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group has been relieved of command pending an investigation into accusations of an inappropriate relationship, the Navy announced Monday.

NATO denies strike was an attempt to assassinate Gaddafi

The commander of NATO operations in Libya said Tuesday that alliance bombers attacked a large government compound in Tripoli on Monday to destroy command and control nodes, and not to assassinate Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.

Pendleton Marines turn the tide in the ‘Fallujah of Afghanistan’

A young Afghan man stood on the side of a narrow dirt lane, the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, watching an open-top truckload of U.S. Marines head into a volatile neighborhood in this river valley town coveted by Taliban insurgents and drug lords.

Audit: Afghans unsure how many police on rolls

WASHINGTON — A U.S. audit says Afghan authorities don’t know how many police they have or whether everyone getting a police salary is actually doing the job, a situation ripe for abuse and waste of international donations.

Taliban tunnels at least 480 out of Afghan prison

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban militants tunneled at least 480 inmates out of the main prison in southern Afghanistan overnight, whisking them through a 1,000-foot-long underground passage they had dug over months, officials and insurgents said Monday.

Holly Petraeus: An Army Wife Takes Command

One of the first people hired to work at the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a small, quiet, unassuming woman named Holly Petraeus.