According to a military official in the Pentagon, the official number of U.S. military killed in Iraq for October now stands at 99 -- that is 94 hostile and 5 non-hostile deaths.

The casualty count for the month of October 2006 has now surpassed every month since Jan. 2005, when 107 members of the U.S. military were killed. For perspective, in Oct. 2005 the number of casualties jumped to 96, from 49 in Sept. 2005.

The following statistics are from the Department of Defense:

Operation Iraqi Freedom, U.S. casualty status
Total Deaths:              2,808
Total Hostile Deaths:      2,254
Total Non-hostile deaths:    554
Total wounded:            21,266
(statistics current as of 13:00 ET, Oct. 27)

Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the commanding general of Combined Forces Command in Afghanistan, briefed reporters today at the Pentagon. He was asked about the photo that NBC correspondent Kerry Sanders obtained and published in this blog last week, showing a funeral for a mid-level Taliban fighter with more than 100 alleged Taliban fighters in attendance. Eikenberry said a strike was not ordered because the commander on the ground knew there was a village nearby and that women and children from the village may have been present. Eikenberry said that the villagers were possible Taliban sympathizers, but they were still innocents. He added that his commanders make those decisions every day, and he has complete confidence in them.

As for ongoing military actions in Afghanistan, Eikenberry admitted "significant challenges do remain," and as a result, U.S. troop levels will remain at the current level -- about 21,000 -- through early 2007.

"The enemy we face today in the field is not extremely strong," said Eikenberry, pointing out that the Taliban is quickly overwhelmed in a showdown against coalition forces. But Eikenberry conceded that "in some areas (the South and Southeast) there are more Taliban extremists than there were at this point last year."

The U.S. Army celebrated its 231st birthday today with a ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard attended by soldiers, veterans, new enlistees and families. Secretary of the Army Francis Harvey, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Peter Schoomaker, and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Kenneth Preston sat on stage during brief remarks by Schoomaker, Harvey and Rumsfeld.

Rumsfeld began by expressing his "deep appreciation" for the exceptional leadership of those on the stage. The secretary joked that he is one-third as old as the Army. (He is actually 75 and the Army is 231 years old, but who's counting.) Rumsfeld went on the praise the soldiers and their families who were present at the celebration, saying "you stepped forward voluntarily and raised your hands" to ensure our safety in a time of war. He added, "we are forever in your debt."

Then the four leaders emerged from the stage to cut an enormous nine-foot long cake with a large saber. For lunch, attendees and the media were invited to sample a variety of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and the new "HooAH!" bar, designed to help delay fatigue and extend endurance. Former American Idol finalist and country music recording artist Josh Gracin provided the entertainment.

A senior military official confirms that up to 6,000 National Guard troops will be assigned to border patrol, with an initial commitment of between 1-2 years. The troops will be a federalized force under Title 10 -- meaning they will get their marching orders and their pay from the federal government. 

Military officials also confirm Kelly O'Donnell's information out of the White House that the troops will be drawn from the four border states of Ariz., Calif., N.M. and Texas.

The National Guardsmen will officially be tasked to support the Department of Homeland Security and the Border Patrol. Pentagon officials stress that the military will not be used for law enforcement, and that they will not participate in apprehension or detention under any circumstances. Instead, the troops will join the 300 National Guardsmen already assigned to the border and provide additional aerial and electronic surveillance and communications support.

Bottom line, these forces will not be assuming any new responsibilities in terms of border patrol. This move is primarily an increase in manpower, or what one official calls creating a more "robust force."

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's only public appearance today involved a  much more jovial crowd than yesterday's speech in Atlanta.

In 80 degree heat and blazing sun, Rumsfeld stood atop a newly constructed stage in the Pentagon courtyard to help kick off Military Appreciation Month. Rumsfeld gave very brief remarks about supporting the troops and then quickly introduced Gary Sinise and "The Lt. Dan Band" (you will remember Sinise as Lt. Dan from the movie "Forrest Gump").

The Pentagon set up several rows of chairs for Secretary Rumsfeld and his wife Joyce, and for some wounded warriors from Walter Reed.  The rest of the crowd was made up of uniformed military, spouses, and kids sitting around on the lawn, and standing only to dance.  The band sang covers of "Sweet Home Alabama," "Days Go By," and the "Devil Went Down to Georgia."

While Secretary Rumsfeld's spirits seemed to be good, his rhythm was not...  He finally gave up clapping to the beat when he simply couldn't find it.  Rumsfeld did jump to this feet to dance -- and sing -- to "Sweet Home Chicago" and, of course, "Proud to be an American."

This is the first time that anyone around here can remember a band playing the Jimi Hendrix song "Purple Haze" in the Pentagon courtyard.  And it's certainly the first time anyone here can remember Rumsfeld singing "hidey hidey hidey hi, hodey odey odey ho" in a public forum. (Click here to see some of the video.)

As the Bush administration releases an update to its $7.1 billion bird flu plan, a Pentagon official said today that the military would primarily provide support to the federal government in the event of an outbreak. 

The military would assist with transporting critical resources via air, medical lab testing, distributing pharmaceuticals, providing surge medical capability, assisting with inter-agency planning, providing communications to civil authorities, assisting with mortuary affairs, and, of course, drawing upon the vast network of military public affairs capabilities across the country. 

The official would not speculate on whether troops could be asked to perform any police duties in an outbreak, but added that troops could provide security and quarantine assistance to civil authorities.

About 7:45 a.m. this morning, as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld hosted a bipartisan group of members of Congress for breakfast, a fire started in a kitchen on the third floor of the Pentagon. Members of the military and civilian employees quickly evacuated the building, leaving behind purses, wallets and other personal possessions. Nearly one hour later, employees were allowed to come in out of the cold, but three corridors were completely shut down... and remain shut down at this hour.

Corridors 1, 9 and 10 suffered smoke damage on the second, third and fourth floors, and now the first floor is flooding from overhead sprinklers. Pentagon officials tell NBC News that the building  has had fires in the past, but this particular incident is unusual because it shut down nearly one-third of the building for an entire day.

The main corridors are packed with displaced people. And even though some offices have told employees to head home for the day -- keys, wallets and coats are still sitting behind in the cordoned-off area. Several thousand people evacuated when the alarms went off, and an estimated 2,000 of them still cannot get back into their offices. The Pentagon houses approximately 23,000 workers on any given day. 

While no one was hurt in the fire, the incident was not without its tragedy for those of us who work here. The main food court was shut down all day long.