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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 06 Dec 2007 [PDF]
• Transcript: DoD Press Briefing with Lt. Gen. Ham and Lt. Gen. Sattler from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va. 07 Dec 2007 -- Presenter: Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Carter Ham and Director for Strategic Plans and Policy Lt. Gen. John Sattler
• Dec. 6 airpower summary: C-17s deliver airlift support AFPN 07 Dec 2007
• Coalition Forces Detain Dozens of Terrorists in Iraq Operations AFPS 07 Dec 2007 -- Coalition forces captured two wanted individuals and seven additional suspects during an operation today to disrupt al Qaeda networks in Iraq’s capital city.
• US Military in Iraq Shifting Focus to Training VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- A senior U.S military officer says the improved security situation in Iraq has allowed more coalition forces to shift their focus from leading security operations to training Iraqis to do so.
• Bomb Attacks Highlight Continued Danger for US-Backed Groups in Iraq VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- Separate bomb attacks in the Iraqi province of Diyala. Authorities say at least 16 people were killed in one attack and 10 in another, with 27 wounded
• 1st Cavalry Passing Baghdad Mission to 4ID Army News 07 Dec 2007 -- After 399 days as Multi-National Division-Baghdad, the 1st Cavalry Division will turn its mission over to the Fort Hood, Texas-based 4th Infantry Division Dec. 19.
• Force protection Airmen keeps vigilance in the forefront AFPN 09 Dec 2007 -- Up before dawn, an 80-member team made up of 51 different Air Force specialty codes is armed and ready to roll at Ali Base, Iraq.
• Coalition, Afghan Forces Defeat Taliban in Two Operations AFPS 07 Dec 2007 -- Afghan and coalition soldiers foiled a Taliban ambush in the Kariz-e Sadeqin area of Afghanistan’s Farah province Dec. 5, military officials reported.
• Afghanistan: Joint Push Aimed At Recapturing Southern Town RFE/RL 07 Dec 2007 -- NATO-led forces and Afghan government troops in southern Afghanistan have launched a joint offensive aimed at seizing a town that has been controlled by Taliban militants for the past 10 months.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Lawmaker Questions Approaches To Pakistan, Afghanistan RFE/RL 07 Dec 2007 -- A U.S. congressman who once traveled with mujahedin fighters as they battled Soviet forces in Afghanistan says Pakistan has been exerting a negative influence on stability in the region.
• Army Commits to Working with Piñon Canyon Communities Army News Release 07 Dec 2007 -- Secretary of the Army Pete Geren today reaffirmed the Army's commitment to working with southeastern Colorado communities to identify and address concerns about the Army's proposed purchase of land from private landowners adjacent to Fort Carson's Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site.
• Accountability, improved policies follow Army change of station travel review Army News Release 07 Dec 2007 -- The Army is conducting an internal review to identify possible irregularities in its Temporary Change of Station process for long-term travelers
• Operational readiness exercise tests Airmen, Marines AFPN 07 Dec 2007 -- Airmen from the 18th Wing joined with elements from the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing to conduct a joint operational readiness exercise Dec. 3 to 7 here.
• Moody unit consolidates to support battlefield Airmen AFPN 07 Dec 2007 -- Members of the 93rd Air Ground Operations Wing here will bring a new level of support to Airmen who specialize in ground-combat missions by consolidating units starting in January.
• Kunsan Airmen paint arctic F-16s for Eielson AFPN 07 Dec 2007 -- Airmen from the 8th Maintenance Squadron corrosion shop recently completed painting an arctic scheme on one of their F-16 Fighting Falcons -- a first for Kunsan and soon Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
• Afghan Soldiers, Police Begin EOD Course AFPS 07 Dec 2007 -- Nearly 40 Afghan soldiers and policemen have completed the first of five training phases to learn of to safely handle unexploded ordnance.
• Army Air Power Boosts Surge Effectiveness in Central Iraq AFPS 07 Dec 2007 -- As ground forces in the U.S. troop surge in Iraq make more progress against insurgents, Army aviation assets back them up with crucial mobility, medical and combat support, an officer in charge of a deployed aviation brigade said today.
• Army Prepares to Launch New Pay, Personnel System AFPS 07 Dec 2007 -- The Army is getting ready to launch a new pay and personnel system next year that will streamline personnel processes and integrate the active-duty, National Guard and Army Reserve components, the Army representative for the new program said today.
• DoD Evaluates Military Service Academies' Sexual Harassment and Violence Programs 07 Dec 2007 -- The Department of Defense today released key findings from this year’s Military Service Academy Assessment report
• Gates Appraises Maritime Contribution to Gulf Region Security AFPS 07 Dec 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today commemorated a historic date in U.S. Navy history -- Pearl Harbor Day -- at U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters here.
• NATO prepares for possibility of new Balkan conflict RIA Novosti 07 Dec 2007 -- NATO has stated that it will maintain its KFOR Kosovo peace force at present levels, and will supply new troops as necessary to counter any violence in the province, as Serbia spoke of "war" on Friday.
• NATO Foreign Ministers to Discuss Role in Kosovo, Afghanistan VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels Friday to discuss a number of issues, including the alliance's role in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and the admission of new members. Lisa Bryant has more from Paris.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 07 Dec 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 07, 2007
• Northrop Grumman-Built Bertholf, Nation's First National Security Cutter, Begins Sea Trials Northrop Grumman 07 Dec 2007 -- The Northrop Grumman-built (NYSE:NOC) Bertholf (WMSL 750), the first National Security Cutter (NSC), sailed away from the company's Pascagoula facility under its own power for the first time Tuesday morning to begin its Machinery Trials.
• L-3 Not Awarded Linguist Contract L-3 Communications 07 Dec 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that the U.S. Army's Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) has not selected the company to continue providing translators and linguists to support the U.S. military operations in Iraq.

Other Conflicts

• Former provincial leader of Rwanda given life sentence by UN genocide tribunal UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- A former Rwandan provincial leader has been sentenced to life in prison by the United Nations tribunal dealing with the country’s 1994 genocide after it convicted him for his role in the killings, including the massacre of hundreds of Tutsis who had sought refuge in a church.
• Ban Ki-moon recommends extension of UN office in Central African Republic UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has recommended that the United Nations office in the Central African Republic (CAR) be extended for another year to help the country consolidate progress and prevent a relapse into conflict.
• UN regional centre for preventive diplomacy in Central Asia set to open UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia will be inaugurated on Monday in an initiative by the world body to help the region’s countries respond more proactively to cross-border challenges and threats before they can become costlier and more difficult to control.
• Fresh round of UN-backed talks on Western Sahara set for next month UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- A third round of United Nations-backed negotiations on Western Sahara, bringing together representatives of Morocco and Frente Polisario, will take place early next month, it was announced today.
• Secretary-General proposes scaling down UN presence in Sierra Leone UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed replacing the current United Nations operation in Sierra Leone, when it completes its mandate next September, with a leaner integrated office to assist the West African nation in consolidating peace.
• Guinea-Bissau: UN peacebuilding office should be extended – Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has recommended that the mandate of the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in Guinea-Bissau be extended for one year, with the possibility of it transforming into an integrated mission following the 2008 legislative elections.
• Ban Ki-moon receives Contact Group report on Kosovo UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has received the report of the ‘Contact Group’ of countries working to address the status of Kosovo, the Serbian province which has been run by the United Nations since 1999.
• Ban Ki-moon selects four members for panel on Darfur sanctions UN News Centre 07 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed four experts to serve on a panel authorized by the Security Council to monitor the arms embargo, travel ban and assets freeze set up as a result of the conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan.
• Support for Mideast Peace Goes Beyond Annapolis Conference Washington File 07 Dec 2007 -- Expect continued intensive diplomacy from Washington as Palestinian and Israeli leaders build on the success of the U.S.-sponsored Annapolis Conference, says a top U.S. diplomat.
• US Says Kosovo Solution Cannot Be Put Off; Russia Wants Continued Talks VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- The United States says it is time to settle the future status of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, while Russia says it will press for continued talks to reach a compromise between Serbia and Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians.
• Rice Criticizes Israeli Settlement Expansion Plans VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says Israeli plans to build more than 300 new homes in a disputed east Jerusalem neighborhood will not help efforts to reach peace with the Palestinians.
• Mediators Confirm Deadlock on Kosovo Status VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- International mediators on the future of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province have confirmed a deadlock in negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.
• Congo Fighting Threatens 15,000 Displaced Civilians VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- Government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo are making military gains against rebel fighters in the east. But military victories are pushing combat north, towards displacement camps that hold thousands of civilians
• Palestinian police to get 25 armored vehicles next week - report RIA Novosti 07 Dec 2007 -- Palestinian security forces in Nablus will receive 25 armored personnel carriers next week despite concerns the hardware could end up in the hands of radical groups, The Jerusalem Post said on Friday.
• EAST AFRICA: Holmes warns on humanitarian outlook IRIN 07 Dec 2007 -- UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes has warned that the humanitarian situation in Ethiopia's Somali and Sudan's Darfur regions, as well as Somalia, could worsen and urged the international community to step up to aid and protect civilians.
• From Hospital Bed, Somali President Rejects Reports of Serious llness VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- Somalia's President Abdullahi Yusuf is declaring that he's in good health four days after he was admitted to a Nairobi hospital with bronchitis and his health forced him to skip out on a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

News Reports

• McCain: Americans Divided, Dissatisfied over U.S. Foreign Policy cfr.org 07 Dec 2007
• Human Rights Watch: Burmese Government Lies About Crackdown Death Toll VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. group Human Rights Watch accuses Burma's military government of lying about the number of people killed when soldiers used guns and batons to disperse peaceful pro-democracy demonstrators in September
• Lebanon's Partliament Plans to Select President Friday VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- Lebanon's parliament is scheduled to meet Friday to vote on the country's next president, but virtually nobody believes the vote will actually take place.
• Pakistani Opposition Party Deadlocked Over Electoral Demands VOA 07 Dec 2007 -- Pakistan's two main opposition parties remain deadlocked over a list of demands the government must meet to prevent an election boycott.