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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Dec 2006 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• Lt. Gen Chiarelli media roundtable, Dec. 12, 2006 MNF-I 12 Dec 2006 -- TOPIC: UPDATE ON OPERATIONS IN IRAQ
• Air Force contractor rebuilds Iraqi dry dock AFPN 12 Dec 2006 -- The rebuilding of the ship lift in Umm Qasr, Iraq, finished another crucial step in the country's reconstruction.
• USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Arrives in Persian Gulf Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2006 -- The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), flagship of the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group (IKE CSG), entered the Persian Gulf Dec. 11, accompanied by the guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68).
• Bomb Found Near Iraq Mosque; 23 Kidnap Victims Freed AFPS 12 Dec 2006 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detonated a bomb in Samarra today and freed 23 kidnap victims yesterday. Earlier this week, combined forces killed three terrorists and detained one.
• CENTAF releases airpower summary for Dec. 12 AFPN 12 Dec 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for Dec. 12.
• Dozens Killed in Baghdad Bombing VOA 12 Dec 2006 -- A minibus packed with explosives detonated in a crowded Baghdad square, killing nearly 60 people and injuring close to 200 others.
• Four Terrorists, One Civilian Killed; Six Taliban Suspects Arrested AFPS 12 Dec 2006 -- Afghan and coalition forces killed four terrorists and one civilian this morning, and Afghan National Police arrested six suspected Taliban extremists yesterday.
• AFGHANISTAN: Action plan for justice launched IRIN 12 Dec 2006 -- In an effort to bring justice to tens of thousands of victims of decades of civil war and internal strife in post-Taliban Afghanistan, Afghan President Hamid Karzai launched a three-year action plan on Sunday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Department of Defense and United Kingdom Sign Next Stage Joint Strike Fighter Agreement 12 Dec 2006 -- Today, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England and United Kingdom Minister for Defence Procurement Lord Drayson signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to begin future cooperation in the production, sustainment, and follow-on development (PSFD) phase of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.
• Canada, Australia, U.K. Sign Joint Strike Fighter Agreements AFPS 12 Dec 2006 -- With the first flight of the Joint Strike Fighter set for this week, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia have “re-enlisted” for the program.
• DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for November 2006 11 Dec 2006 -- The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for the month of November.
• Rumsfeld ‘Comfortable’ With Decision to Resign AFPS 12 Dec 2006 -- Saying he feels fortunate to have served as defense secretary during this momentous period in history, Donald H. Rumsfeld said he has been inspired by working with the nation’s men and women in uniform.
• Gates Outlines U.S. Strategic Defense Priorities Washington File 12 Dec 2006 -- Questions about Iraq dominated Defense Secretary-designate Robert Gates' recent Senate confirmation hearing, but he also offered insight into his perspective on security issues related to Afghanistan, Iraq and North Korea.
• VP-5 and CMO Det 5 "Mad Foxes" Shift Colors Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2006 -- Patrol Squadron (VP) 5 and Consolidated Maintenance Organization (CMO) Detachment (Det) 5, both homeported in Jacksonville, Fla., successfully deployed hundreds Sailors Dec. 3 ready to serve six months in support of counter drug operations and flying combat missions in support of Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
• KH Strike Group Finishes Fall deployment Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2006 -- After traveling more than 15,200 nautical miles and launching and recovering more than 8,000 aircraft, USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) Carrier Strike Group returned to Yokosuka, Japan, Dec. 10, ending a two-month deployment.
• Air Force plays in pandemic flu exercise AFPN 12 Dec 2006 -- The Air Force is participating in a pandemic flu exercise Dec. 11-13 in Boerne, Texas, linking a variety of major south Texas crisis response agencies and Air Force medical personnel.
• Destroyer USS Milius Launches Tomahawk IV in West Coast Test Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2006 -- A U.S. Navy Tomahawk Block IV cruise missile was launched Dec. 6 from USS Milius (DDG-69), an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer underway in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of southern California.
• Georgia, U.S. to hold joint military exercise in summer 2007 RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2006 -- Georgia has scheduled its first joint military exercise with the United States for the summer of 2007, a high-ranking Georgian defense ministry official said Tuesday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Dec 2006
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 12 Dec 2006

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 12, 2006
• EADS CASA delivers its first HC-235A to Lockheed Martin as part of the Deepwater Program EADS 12 Dec 2006 -- EADS CASA delivered on December 6 the first HC-235A (CN-235 CG01) multi-mission aircraft to Lockheed Martin
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $33 MILLION ORDER FOR RG31 MINE-PROTECTED VEHICLES BAE Systems 12 Dec 2006 -- BAE Systems has received a USD $33 million order for 94 RG31 Mk5 mine-protected vehicles, designed, developed and manufactured by the company’s Land Systems OMC unit, South Africa’s largest and leading manufacturer of armoured and mine-protected vehicles.
• Raytheon Experimental Space-Optical Payload Brings Air Force Closer to On-Demand Satellites Raytheon 12 Dec 2006 -- Designed to spot terrestrial targets and built in a matter of months, Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) first rapid-development space-optical payload was delivered recently to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory.
• General Dynamics NASSCO Lays Keel of Fifth T-AKE Ship, USNS Robert E. Peary General Dynamics 12 Dec 2006 -- General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today held a keel-laying ceremony for the fifth ship in the U.S. Navy’s T-AKE program
• General Dynamics Awarded $231 Million for Marine Corps Combat Operation Centers General Dynamics 12 Dec 2006 -- General Dynamics C4 Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, (NYSE: GD), has received a $231 million contract modification from the U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command for 165 Combat Operation Centers (COCs), mobile command and control systems
• General Dynamics Receives $11 Million For Abrams TUSK Counter IED Enhancements General Dynamics 12 Dec 2006 -- The U.S. Army has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), an $11 million contract modification to produce Tank Urban Survivability Kit (TUSK) Counter Improvised Explosive Device (IED) enhancements for 250 M1A1- and M1A2-series Abrams main battle tanks.
• F-35 FINISHES ALL TAXI TESTING, PREPARES FOR FLIGHT Lockheed Martin 12 Dec 2006 -- The first Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II successfully completed all ground taxi tests today, among some of the last activities clearing the way for its inaugural flight.
• Northrop Grumman and Aluminum Chambered Boats, Inc. Join Forces to Pursue U.S. Navy Combat Boat Opportunity Northrop Grumman 12 Dec 2006 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and Aluminum Chambered Boats, Inc. (ACB), Bellingham, Wash., jointly announce that the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore future combat system requirements and capabilities for the U.S. Navy's anticipated Riverine/Coastal Warfare program.
• Northrop Grumman to Supply Navigation Systems for Six Newbuilds in Australia Northrop Grumman 12 Dec 2006 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected to supply electronic navigation systems for six new high-speed vessels under construction at Austal Shipyards in Henderson, Western Australia.
• Raytheon Successfully Completes DDG 1000 Deckhouse Integration Design for Apertures Raytheon 12 Dec 2006 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has successfully completed the so-called Delta Interim Detailed Design Review for the DDG 1000 Integrated Deckhouse and Apertures (IDHA) Element.
• BAE SYSTEMS TEAMS WITH SAIC TO IMPROVE GEOSPATIAL AND HUMAN INTELLIGENCE BAE Systems 12 Dec 2006 -- BAE Systems has been named principal teammate to Science Applications International Corp. [NYSE: SAI] on a contract to develop an enhanced intelligence capability to provide U.S. Army troops and air crews faster access to geospatial and human intelligence information.

Other Conflicts

• U.N. Human Rights Council Holds First Special Session on Darfur Washington File 12 Dec 2006 -- The United Nations Human Rights Council opened its first special session on Darfur against a backdrop of escalating violence in the region that has forced many humanitarian agencies to evacuate staff and left the population even more vulnerable
• Analysis: Musharraf’s Kashmir Offer cfr.org 12 Dec 2006 -- President Pervez Musharraf said last week on New Delhi Television that Pakistan will give up its claim on Kashmir if India accepts a four-point resolution, including autonomy for the region under a joint government with Indian, Pakistani, and Kashmiri representation
• Issuing grim warning on Middle East, Annan calls for ‘new and urgent push for peace’ UN News Centre 12 Dec 2006 -- Warning that tensions in the Middle East are near their breaking point, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called for a “new and urgent push for peace” from all sides, including the international community, lest the people of the region be consigned to new depths of suffering and grief.
• Hamas Gunmen Fire on Fatah Rivals in Gaza VOA 12 Dec 2006 -- Four people have been wounded in the latest violence between rival Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip
• UN: Action Needed to Protect People of Darfur VOA 12 Dec 2006 -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has urged the U.N. Human Rights Council to take action to protect the people in Sudan's conflict-ridden province of Darfur and to investigate abuses committed against them
• Somali Islamists Threaten Ethiopian Troops VOA 12 Dec 2006 -- The Islamic Courts Union is threatening to attack what it says are 35,000 Ethiopian troops stationed in Somalia, unless the troops leave the country within a week.

News Reports

• U.S. Will Not Allow Syria To Reassert Authority over Lebanon Washington File 12 Dec 2006 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed support for the Lebanese government and pro-democracy activists in Lebanon who have resisted Syrian control of their country, and said the United States will not compromise the future of Lebanon for its other interests in the Middle East.
• UN: Annan Urges U.S. To Defend Human Rights, Rule Of Law RFE/RL 12 Dec 2006 -- Kofi Annan, who will step down as the United Nations secretary-general in less than a month, used his last speech in his official capacity to appeal to the United States to uphold high standards of human rights and the rule of law.