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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 10 Oct 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• MND-B Soldier dies from non-combat related cause
• MND-C Soldier dies of non-combat-related injuries
• Oct. 9 airpower summary: A-10s bring firepower to the fight AFPN 10 Oct 2007 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Oct. 9, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Coalition Operations in Iraq Kill 14 Terrorists, Net 12 AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- Coalition troops in Iraq killed 14 terrorists and captured 12 others during a series of operations in the central part of the country today and yesterday.
• Iraq Detention Operations Focus on Education, Rehabilitation AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- Programs in U.S. detention facilities in Iraq are focused on improving the education and vocational skills of detainees and preparing those who are no longer a threat for release to their families, a U.S. general in charge of detainee operations in Iraq said today.
• VAQ 132 Returns to Whidbey Island Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (VAQ) 132, the “Scorpions”, were welcomed home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Oct. 6, after a deployment to Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Gen. Craddock from the Pentagon 10 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Commander, European Command Gen. Bantz Craddock/LI>
• Training Afghan Army Remains Key to Stability, Craddock Says AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- Training the Afghan National Army remains the key to stability in Afghanistan, the commander of NATO forces said in a Pentagon briefing today.
• Afghanistan: Volatile Helmand Province Grapples With Insecurity RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- Helmand, with a population of 1.4 million and an area roughly the size of Switzerland, is among the largest of Afghanistan's southwestern provinces.
• Afghanistan: Ring Road's Completion Would Benefit Entire Region RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- Financing is in place and construction is expected to begin soon on the last remaining section of Afghanistan's "Ring Road," a highway that loops the rugged mountain terrain and sparsely populated countryside to connect its major cities.
• Afghanistan: Poor Helmand Farmers Find Themselves In Eye Of Drug Storm RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- The southern Afghan province of Helmand has, with this year's bumper crop, become the world's largest opium-poppy-producing region.
• Afghanistan: Reconstruction, Security Coming Slowly To Violent Helmand RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- Poverty, poppy cultivation, unemployment, and violence still plague the southern Helmand Province's 1.4 million residents -- despite the presence of thousands of foreign troops, major development projects, and years of considerable Western aid.
• Commander Says NATO Should Fight Afghan Drug Trade VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- The top NATO commander says the alliance should do more to fight the drug trade in Afghanistan, where it has had primary responsibility for security issues for nearly a year.
• Afghan, U.S. Forces Nab Four Suspects, Net Big Ammo Cache AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- Afghan and coalition security forces captured four suspected terrorists and seized a large weapons cache during two separate joint operations Oct. 8, officials said.
• AFGHANISTAN: Rate of refugee return slows ahead of winter IRIN 10 Oct 2007 -- Fewer Afghan refugees are returning home from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan than in the summer when uptake of a temporary repatriation assistance programme was at its peak, especially in Pakistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Under Secretary Chu from the Pentagon 10 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness David S.C. Chu
• DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for FY 2007 10 Oct 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics for the Active and Reserve components for Fiscal Year 2007.
• Air Force meets, exceeds recruiting goals for eighth year AFPN 10 Oct 2007 -- The Air Force met its active-duty enlisted recruiting goal for the eighth year in a row and exceeded its chaplain and Officer Training School accession goals for fiscal 2007.
• AF's first active associate unit deploying to Balad AFPN 10 Oct 2007 -- The Air Force's first active associate unit is preparing to deploy here this month to support the war on terrorism.
• Deployed unit turns fuel into freedom AFPN 10 Oct 2007 -- Members of the 340th Aircraft Maintenance Unit here are supporting the war on terrorism with their fleet of more than 20 KC-135 Stratotankers.
• SWCCs Respond to Mayday Call at Sea Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 20 in Little Creek, Va. responded to a mayday call Sept. 28 as they returned from Key West, Fla.
• Air Force to transform installation acquisition AFPN 10 Oct 2007 -- Air Force leaders have announced a comprehensive restructuring of installation acquisition to strategically source goods and services in support of all Air Force installations in the continental United States.
• Services Attain Strong Recruiting Numbers for Fiscal 2007 AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- The Defense Department reported strong recruiting numbers for fiscal 2007 today, as all four active-duty components met their goals for the year.
• Army Works to Accelerate Leader Development AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- The Army is exploring new ways to accelerate the development of leaders prepared for the broad challenges they’ll face in what’s expected to be an era of persistent conflict, the Army’s chief of staff said here yesterday.
• Gates: Relief on Way as Army Resets, Reshapes Force AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- Relief for the stressed Army is on the way in the form of an expanded force, new and reconstituted equipment, quality-of-life programs and resources, and a reduced military presence in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today at the Association of the U.S. Army convention here.
• CNO's Birthday Message to the Fleet Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations, released his birthday message to the fleet Oct. 10.
• SECNAV's Birthday Message to the Fleet Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The Secretary of the Navy, Donald C. Winter, released his birthday message to the fleet.
• Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group Departs 5th Fleet Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (BHRESG) departed the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations Oct. 7.
• Oceanography Team Has Become the Navy’s Mine Warfare UUV Expert Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The future of the Navy’s unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) program for mine warfare has been placed in the hands of the new Naval Oceanography Mine Warfare Center (NOMWC), in time for the command’s standup ceremony on Oct. 26.
• UK and US Ambassadors to Bahrain Visit USS Philadelphia Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The British and American ambassadors to Bahrain visited USS Philadelphia (SSN 690), Oct. 5.
• Kearsarge Excels at Navigation Inspection Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- Quartermasters aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) underwent their biannual navigation check ride Sept. 20.
• Tortuga Departs for Fall Patrol Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- USS Tortuga (LSD 46) departed Sasebo, Japan, for its semi-seasonal fall patrol throughout the South Pacific region Oct. 8.
• Reservists Play A Key Role at Center for Security Forces Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- Throughout fiscal year 2007, approximately 54 Navy reserve Sailors continued to play a key role in the success of the Center for Security Forces (CSF).
• Bahrain’s Military Distribution Center is Model of Efficiency Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The Military Distribution Center (MDC) in Bahrain is the busiest overseas joint mail hub operation in DoD and one of the most complex. It is also one of the most efficient mail operations in the world.
• Kearsarge Posts Ultra High Marks on Conventional Ordnance Safety Review Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) received the official outstanding results Sep. 28 for a Conventional Ordnance Safety Review conducted earlier this summer.
• Interest in space wanes despite America's space dependency AFPN 10 Oct 2007
• Harpers Ferry Returns to Sasebo Navy NewsStand 10 Oct 2007 -- The dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) returned to its forward-deployed home of Sasebo Sept. 26 after a five-month deployment in support of Commander, 7th Fleet operations.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino 10 Oct 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Oct 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 10, 2007
• LOCKHEED MARTIN SIGNS AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT ITALIAN C-130J AIRCRAFT FLEET Lockheed Martin 10 Oct 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT], Alenia Aeronautica and Avio SPA have signed an agreement to provide Long Term Support (LTS) for the C-130J Super Hercules fleet operated by the Italian Air Force.
• Boeing Delivers New Chinook Training Capability Boeing 10 Oct 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has shipped a new CH-47D Chinook helicopter maintenance trainer to the U.S. Army National Guard that will provide a hands-on tool for soldiers, technicians and other flight personnel.
• Lockheed Martin/Northrop Grumman TSAT Team Verifies Performance, System Interoperability of the Next Generation Processor Router Northrop Grumman 10 Oct 2007 -- The Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) / Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) team was the first to successfully complete the last in a series of verification tests of its Next Generation Processor Router (NGPR) performed during the Risk Reduction and System Definition (RR&SD) phase of the Transformational Satellite Communications System (TSAT) Space Segment.
• Northrop Grumman Begins Integrating Megawatt-Class Laser Onto Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser Aircraft Northrop Grumman 10 Oct 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), along with industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), have begun re-assembly of the world's most powerful laser built for an airborne environment onto MDA's Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft to prepare for high-power system testing.
• ATK Awarded $36 Million in Follow-on Contracts from the U.S. Navy for AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems ATK 10 Oct 2007 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received $36 million in follow-on production orders from the U.S. Navy for AAR-47 missile warning systems
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES U.S. ARMY CONTRACT FOR M326 120-MM MORTAR STOWAGE SYSTEM BAE Systems 10 Oct 2007 -- BAE Systems has received a $13.9 million contract from the U.S. Army to procure 588 of the M326 120mm Mortar Stowage Systems
• Boeing Delivers Dual-Cockpit Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System to the U.S. Navy Boeing 10 Oct 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] Oct. 9 delivered the first factory-installed, dual-cockpit F/A-18F Super Hornet Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) to the U.S. Navy, providing significant improvements to in-flight crew coordination.
• Future Combat Systems Team Successfully Completes Milestone Review and Major Engineering Phase Boeing 10 Oct 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and partner Science Applications International Corporation [NYSE: SAI], lead systems integrator for the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program, have successfully completed a weeklong system-of-systems technical review of FCS requirements, designs and tests, capping the program's first of four major engineering phases.
• General Dynamics’ Chemical Detection Technology Selected by U.S. Department of Defense for Evaluation General Dynamics 10 Oct 2007 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been selected by the U.S. Department of Defense to participate in the first major phase of Increment 2 of the Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD) Program.
• Lockheed Martin Installs First Arrowhead MTADS/PNVS Systems on Netherlands' AH-64D Apaches Lockheed Martin 10 Oct 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] has installed the first two Arrowhead® systems on Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) AH-64D Apaches at Gilze Rijen Airbase, Netherlands
• U.S. Navy Selects Northrop Grumman for Law Enforcement Information Exchange Contract Northrop Grumman 10 Oct 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a follow-on contract from the U.S. Navy to provide full lifecycle information technology services in support of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) Law Enforcement Information Exchange (LInX) system. LInX facilitates the sharing of data across local, state and federal agencies.
• Northrop Grumman's LITENING AT System Successfully Completes Bold Quest Demonstration Northrop Grumman 10 Oct 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced the successful demonstration of the company's LITENING Advanced Targeting (AT) system, the only targeting and sensor pod invited by the U.S. Air Force to participate in Bold Quest, a U.S. Joint Forces Command-sponsored military exercise.

Other Conflicts

• Bomber Strikes Near Somali Prime Minister, Kills 2 Ethiopian Soldiers VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- Somali officials and witnesses say a car bomb exploded killing two Ethiopian soldiers as the vehicle was driven into an Ethiopian military base in Somalia.
• Decision Point Approaches in Kosovo, NATO Chief Says AFPS 10 Oct 2007 -- With elections nearing and the question of independence uncertain, the next few months will be a “telling time” for people in the breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo, NATO’s top military officer said at a Pentagon news conference today.
• Darfur: UN envoy holds talks in Khartoum to prepare for peace negotiations UN News Centre 10 Oct 2007 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Darfur held talks today with senior officials from the Sudanese Government and neighbouring countries to finalize preparations for major peace negotiations later this month that will try to end the conflict that has ravaged the region in western Sudan since 2003.
• Land problems delaying roll-out of UN peace mission in Darfur – Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 10 Oct 2007 -- The timeline for implementing the hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping operation in Darfur is being delayed because of difficulties in obtaining land to house the mission offices and staff accommodations and problems relating to the list of troop-contributing countries, says Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
• DR Congo: UN works to help displaced as violence continues in North Kivu UN News Centre 10 Oct 2007 -- The United Nations peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is rushing aid to displaced people fleeing their homes in the country’s troubled North Kivu region, while putting in place contingency plans to help those affected by the fighting.
• Ban Ki-moon concerned by ‘slackening of momentum’ in Ivorian peace process UN News Centre 10 Oct 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that the failure to achieve key benchmarks set out in a March peace agreement has led to a “slackening of momentum” which threatens the overall peace process and security conditions in Côte d’Ivoire.
• Peacebuilding body shows progress but needs more support – Assembly president UN News Centre 10 Oct 2007 -- The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, set up to prevent countries that have emerged from conflict from sliding back into war, has achieved solid results since it began operations just over a year ago but needs more international support to boost its impact on the ground, the President of the General Assembly said today.
• UN envoy calls on Nepalese to turn election delay to their advantage UN News Centre 10 Oct 2007 -- Nepal’s political parties should use the delay to the holding of Constituent Assembly elections to bolster the peace process by tackling its weaknesses and agreeing on a road map for ensuring that credible polls can take place, the senior United Nations official in the South Asian country said today.
• Renegade Congo General Promises to Keep Fighting VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- A renegade general in eastern Congo says government forces have launched new attacks on his positions and that he has no choice but to keep fighting until the government listens to him and lets him rejoin the army
• Mideast Envoy Blair Meets Israeli, Palestinian Leaders VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- Middle East envoy Tony Blair has returned to the region for another round of shuttle diplomacy
• SOMALIA: IDPs cause overcrowding in Galgadud towns IRIN 10 Oct 2007 -- An estimated 50,000 people who fled violence in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, are living in difficult conditions, with inadequate food, shelter and sanitation in two towns in Galgadud region of central Somalia, local officials said on 10 October.
• SUDAN: Darfur attack "targeted women and children" IRIN 10 Oct 2007 -- The recent attack on Muhajiriya town in South Darfur, in which 45 people died and thousands fled their homes, mainly targeted women, children and the elderly, a rebel faction said.
• CHAD: ‘Emergency’ food insecurity despite bumper crops IRIN 10 Oct 2007 -- With an upsurge in interethnic violence in eastern Chad, record numbers of people may soon be unable to find food for themselves, food aid analysts warn.
• UN Security Council still divided over Kosovo RIA Novosti 10 Oct 2007 -- The 15-nation UN Security Council once again failed to agree on a possible plan of action if negotiations between Serbia and its breakaway province of Kosovo produce no result by December 10.
• Thailand to send 800 peacekeepers to Darfur RIA Novosti 10 Oct 2007 -- Thailand will send 800 peacekeepers to Sudan's western province of Darfur where they will join United Nations and African Union peacekeeping units at the end of the year, Thai media said Wednesday.

News Reports

• US Congressional Committee Approves Armenian Genocide Resolution VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- The House of Representatives foreign affairs committee has approved a non-binding resolution calling the massacre of Armenians nearly a century ago a genocide
• Two US Congressional Panels Approve Revisions to Wiretap Law VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- Two U.S. congressional panels have approved legislation that would restrict the government's power to eavesdrop on foreign terrorism suspects
• Jimmy Carter Calls for More International Pressure on Burma VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- As world attention continues to focus on the recent protests and crackdown in Burma, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter says he is closely watching events in the region
• Western Powers Circulate Softened UN Statement 'Deploring' Burma's Military Crackdown VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- The United States, France and Britain have circulated a watered-down statement to the U.N. Security Council that "strongly deplores" Burma's recent military crackdown of pro-democracy protesters.
• Southeast Asian Nations Oppose Sanctions Against Burma VOA 10 Oct 2007 -- The U.N. Security Council is debating whether to condemn and punish Burma's government for its violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations
• Turkmenistan: New President Still Bound To Clans, Nepotism RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- Turkmenistan was regarded as the most authoritarian of the region's five post-Soviet republics under the late President Saparmurat Niyazov
• Sarkozy Says France, Russia, Narrow Some Differences RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy has held talks with Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying he and his Russian counterpart found some common ground on the issues of Iran's nuclear program and Kosovo's future.
• CIS, CSTO, GUAM ... Making Sense Of Post-Soviet Alphabet Soup RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- Youth leaders from the four member states of the GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development meet today in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku.
• OSCE: Member States Must Stand Up To Russia's 'Bluster' RFE/RL 10 Oct 2007 -- For the past two weeks, civil-society groups from across the former Soviet region have been meeting in Warsaw with member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation In Europe (OSCE).
• Georgian MP denies psychotropics were used on ex-defense minister RIA Novosti 10 Oct 2007 -- The Georgian opposition's claims that psychotropic drugs were used against former Georgian defense minister Irakly Okruashvili in prison are untrue, the leader of the country's ruling party said on Wednesday.