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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 10 Jan 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• Iran broadcasts own video of U.S. warships Gulf incident RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- Iran showed a video on Thursday apparently proving that its boats did not threaten U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf at the weekend, countering Washington's charges of "provocative and dangerous" actions.
• Iranian State TV Airs Separate Video on US Ship Incident in Gulf VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- Iran's state television broadcast Thursday video footage it says was filmed by Iranian forces during an incident with U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf on Sunday.
• Gates: Iranian Boats’ Actions ‘Raise Concerns’ AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- U.S. defense officials were very disturbed by the actions of Iranian attack boats in the Straits of Hormuz on Jan. 6, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today, and he dismissed Iranian charges that U.S. officials doctored a videotape to make the Iranians look bad.
• Transcript: DoD Press Briefing with Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Iraqi Minister of Defense Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 10 Jan 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Iraqi Minister of Defense Abd al-Qadir al-Mufriji
• US Planes Attack Insurgents Near Baghdad VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- U.S. bombers and fighters have launched a massive air assault on what are being described as al-Qaida in Iraq safehouses on the southern outskirts of Baghdad
• Jan. 9 airpower summary: Aerial refuelers, force multipliers AFPN 10 Jan 2008
• Coalition Offensives in Iraq Kill, Capture Suspected Terrorists AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- As successful air strikes highlighted a new series of coordinated offensives in Iraq, coalition forces killed five suspected terrorists, nabbed 17 others and seized weapons caches over the past two days.
• Air strikes hit more than 40 targets in Iraq AFPN 10 Jan 2008 -- More than 40 targets were hit after precision air strikes destroyed reported al-Qaida safe havens Jan. 10 in Arab Jabour, Iraq.
• US Warplanes Pound al-Qaida in Iraq Safehouses South of Baghdad VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- The U.S. military in Iraq says it carried out major air strikes against al-Qaida in Iraq Thursday, flattening what the military called terrorist safehouses on the southern outskirts of Baghdad.
• Afghan, Coalition Forces Bring Checkups, Aid to Remote Village AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- Afghan national security forces and coalition advisors provided medical checkups and humanitarian aid to more than 100 villagers Jan. 6 near Khorma in the Tarin Kowt district of Afghanistan’s Oruzgan province.
• AFGHANISTAN: Government asks WFP to help avert food shortages IRIN 10 Jan 2008 -- The Afghan government has asked the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to increase its food aid from the previously planned 180,000 to 215,000 metric tonnes (mt) in 2008, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL).
• Gates Mulls Deployment Decision AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will soon consider a proposal to send more U.S. Marines into Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for December 2007 10 Jan 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for the month of December
• All Active Services Meet December Recruiting Goals AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- All four services met or surpassed their monthly active-duty recruiting goals for December, and five of the six reserve components showed similar success, Defense Department officials announced today.
• Most Air Force F-15s Get Green Light to Fly AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- About 60 percent of the Air Force’s F-15 Eagle fighter fleet has been found fit and ready to again defend the skies over the homeland or perform overseas missions, senior U.S. military officers said here today.
• F-15 Eagle accident report released AFPN 10 Jan 2008 -- A failure of the upper right longeron, a critical support structure in the F-15C Eagle, caused the crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C, four miles south-southeast of Boss, Missouri, Nov 2.
• CNO Visits NAS Brunswick Navy NewsStand 10 Jan 2008 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead, arrived at Naval Air Station Brunswick (NASB), Jan. 8 on the first leg of his trip visiting public and private ship yards around the country.
• VH-71 Begins U.S. Flight Testing Navy NewsStand 10 Jan 2008 -- The first two VH-71 helicopters built for the President of the United States have entered the flight test phase with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md.
• Commander, Naval Forces Europe Visits USS San Jacinto Navy NewsStand 10 Jan 2008 -- Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, Commander, Naval Forces Europe visited USS San Jacinto (CG 59) Jan. 9 to congratulate them on their role of bringing maritime strategy to life.
• HMCS Charlottetown Assists Vessel off Somalia Coast Navy NewsStand 10 Jan 2008 -- Canadian multi-patrol frigate HMCS Charlottetown (FFH 339) provided assistance to five mariners adrift on a stranded vessel in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia.
• DISA-PAC Opens New Facility on Ford Island Navy NewsStand 10 Jan 2008 -- Defense Information Systems Agency Pacific Command (DISA-PAC) hosted a grand opening ceremony Jan. 9 for their new facility on Ford Island.
• 'Air Boss' Experiences, Discusses Future of Helicopter Aviation Navy NewsStand 10 Jan 2008 -- The Navy's "Air Boss" experienced firsthand the future of naval helicopter technology and led roundtable discussions with the senior rotary wing leadership stationed at Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in December.
• Team set to improve Latin American airspace management AFPN 10 Jan 2008 -- The U.S. Southern Command officials could begin conducting site selection surveys as early as next month for a regional coordination center that would help synchronize airspace management among Latin American nations.
• Dover exercise tests Airmen's combat environment skills AFPN 10 Jan 2008 -- Once fine tuned and sharpened with razor-edge precision, an ordinary axe became something magnificent during the Middle Ages.
• ‘Active First’ Program Shows Promise in Army Recruiting AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- Army Secretary Pete Geren is crediting a new National Guard program that brings new recruits into the active Army with a commitment to finish up their tours in the Guard or Reserve as an example of innovative initiatives that are helping maintain the force.
• Army Closes Ray Barracks in Germany Army News 10 Jan 2008 -- The voice of Elvis Presley echoed through Ray Barracks one last time Monday, returning for a brief moment to his old military stomping grounds.
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Show Battlefield to Soldiers AFPS 10 Jan 2008 -- In the civilian world, sneaking a peak at an exam before taking it will earn someone a failing score. Sneaking a peak at the front lines before leaving the base for a mission, however, can save lives in a combat zone.
• New serial Tu-160 Blackjack bomber undergoes flight test RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- A new serial strategic Tu-160 Blackjack bomber has undergone a flight test at an aviation production association in Kazan on the Volga, a deputy director of the Tupolev aircraft maker said Thursday.
• Russia to have 50 silo-based Topol-M ICBM systems by end of 2008 RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- Russia will fully equip a fifth strategic missile regiment with new silo-based intercontinental ballistic missiles in 2008, a spokesman for the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF) said on Thursday.
• Poland to continue missile defense talks with Russia RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- Poland will continue consultations with Russia over U.S. plans to deploy missile defense elements in Europe, a senior Polish defense official said after a round of bilateral talks on Thursday.
• Czech government to submit missile defense bill to parliament RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- The Czech government will submit to parliament in April a missile defense bill that includes the placement of a U.S. radar on the country's territory, the Czech prime minister said on Thursday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Jan 2008
• Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process The White House 10 Jan 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 10, 2008

Other Conflicts

• Bush urges concessions from Israelis, Palestinians RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- U.S. President George W. Bush said on Thursday that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would require "painful political concessions" from both sides.
• Palestinian president Abbas calls on Hamas to give up Gaza RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has urged the hard-line Islamic group Hamas to end its control of the Gaza Strip as a precondition for Palestinian reconciliation.
• Bush has high hopes for Israeli-Palestinian peace treaty in 2008 RIA Novosti 10 Jan 2008 -- U.S. President George W. Bush has said he is confident the Israelis and Palestinians will sign a peace deal before he leaves office.
• Bush Pledges Support to Israelis, Palestinians Working for Peace Washington File 10 Jan 2008 -- After separate meetings with Palestinian and Israeli leaders January 9 and January 10, President Bush said he is increasingly confident that what might have been unlikely even a year ago is not only possible, but necessary: the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.
• Analysis: Iran Looms over Bush Trip cfr.org 10 Jan 2008 -- Besides his interest in generating momentum behind the Annapolis peace initiative, President Bush also seeks to bolster containment of Iran (WashPost) in his talks in the Mideast.
• Bush Meets Abbas in West Bank VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- President Bush says he believes an Israeli-Palestinian agreement can be signed before he leaves office, one year from now
• SOMALIA: Clashes near IDP camps “causing more displacement” IRIN 10 Jan 2008 -- Civil society organisations in Somalia have urged government-allied forces and insurgents to avoid clashing near camps for displaced civilians, saying such violence creates further displacement.
• LIBERIA: Mixed feelings about truth commission’s purpose IRIN 10 Jan 2008 -- Many Liberians observing the opening of the country’s first public truth and reconciliation commission hearings on 8 January were confused about what the hearings would mean if the accused would not be prosecuted afterwards.
• DRC: Wrong man row leads to rebel talks boycott IRIN 10 Jan 2008 -- Insurgents loyal to dissident general Laurent Nkunda in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have walked out of a conference aimed at restoring peace and stability to the eastern Kivu provinces after one of their number was mistaken for a fugitive assassin of the late president Laurent Kabila and briefly arrested.
• Sri Lankan rebels willing to implement Norwegian-brokered pact IRNA 10 Jan 2008 -- Breaking their silence on the Sri Lankan government's decision to scrap a six-year-old ceasefire agreement, the Tamil Tiger rebels Thursday said the truce should continue and that they were willing to "implement every clause" of the Norwegian- brokered pact.
• Security Council deplores attack on UN vehicle in south Lebanon UN News Centre 10 Jan 2008 -- The Security Council today condemned the 8 January attack targeting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which wounded two peacekeepers and damaged their vehicle.
• Ban Ki-moon advocates continued UN assistance to Nepal’s peace process UN News Centre 10 Jan 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has proposed extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) for another six months so that it can continue to support the country’s peace process, particularly the holding of a Constituent Assembly election by 12 April.
• New UN envoy to DR Congo takes up duties UN News Centre 10 Jan 2008 -- Alan Doss, the new top United Nations envoy to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has taken up his duties in the vast African nation.
• UN force in Lebanon hones its live firing skills UN News Centre 10 Jan 2008 -- The Field Artillery Group – part of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) – carried out a live fire training exercise today to sharpen its skills.
• Eastern Congo Rebels Rejoin Peace Conference VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- Rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say they will rejoin a peace conference, following a security dispute that briefly halted negotiations.
• US Welcomes New Kosovo Government VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- U.S. UnderSecretary of State Nicholas Burns has congratulated top Kosovo leaders on the creation of a new government for the breakaway Serbian province.
• Eastern DRC Rebels Suspend Participation in Peace Conference VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- Rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have suspended participation in a peace conference, saying one of their members was threatened with arrest.

News Reports

• Lebanese Forces Arrest Top Militant in Tripoli Raid VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- Lebanese security officials say they have arrested a top member of an al-Qaida-inspired militant group responsible for last year's deadly fighting at a Palestinian refugee camp in northern Lebanon.
• Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 20 in Pakistan VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- At least 20 people were killed and dozens more were injured when a suicide bomber struck outside a courthouse in the Pakistani city, Lahore.
• Georgia: Presidential Election Leaves Bitter Aftertaste RFE/RL 10 Jan 2008 -- The preterm Georgian presidential election on January 5, intended to provide a ringing endorsement of incumbent Mikheil Saakashvili's track record, has instead underscored the extent to which his support has plummeted since his election in January 2004.
• Negotiations Continue in Hopes of Ending Kenyan Political Unrest VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- Foreign mediators in Kenya are pressing ahead with efforts to end post-election turmoil that has killed more than 500 people.
• Venezuelan Helicopters Arrive in Colombia to Pick Up Hostages VOA 10 Jan 2008 -- Two Venezuelan helicopters have landed in Colombia to pick up two hostages held by Colombian leftist rebels for nearly six years.