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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 14 May 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• PRESS CONFERENCE: Security, Reconstruction: Maj. Gen. Bergner, Dr. al-Sheikhly, May 14, 2008 MNF-I 14 May 2008 -- Dr. Tahseen al-Sheikhly, Civilian Spokesman for Operation Fardh al-Qanoon, and Maj. Gen. Kevin Bergner, Spokesman for MNF-I, discuss services in Baghdad and security and reconstruction operations around Iraq
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Col. Grigsby from Iraq 14 May 2008 -- Presenter: Commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team 3rd Infantry Division Col. Wayne Grigsby
• Coalition Forces in Iraq Capture 16 Suspects AFPS 14 May 2008 -- Coalition forces caught 16 suspected terrorists today in central and northern Iraq during operations to disrupt the al-Qaida in Iraq network.
• 4-legged defenders sniff out trouble in Kirkuk AFPN 14 May 2008 -- Prompted by only a few words of command by his handler, military working dog "Charlie" sprints ahead and rabidly thrusts to attack a simulated enemy during a recent training session here.
• May 13 airpower summary: F-15Es destroy enemy targets AFPN 14 May 2008
• Afghan Soldiers Showcase Skills in Exercise AFPS 14 May 2008 -- Afghan National Army soldiers at the Afghan National Detention Facility here showcased their skills during an emergency action plan exercise May 11.
• NATO: Pakistan's Deal With Militants Spurring Violence in Afghanistan VOA 14 May 2008 -- NATO officials say a sharp rise in violence in eastern Afghanistan may be linked to Pakistan's peace deal with militants in the border area.
• AFGHANISTAN: Over 360,000 affected by reduced health services IRIN 14 May 2008 -- The killing and abduction of dozens of health workers in the past two years has prompted officials to shut down at least 36 health facilities in Afghanistan’s volatile southern and eastern provinces, depriving hundreds of thousands of people of basic health services, according to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
• Pentagon Delivers Nearly 100 Tons of Supplies to Battered Burma AFPS 14 May 2008 -- The U.S. military has flown nearly 100 tons of humanitarian relief supplies into Burma to assist its cyclone-stricken people, a senior Pentagon official said here today.
• Aircrews stand by to continue Burma relief mission AFPN 14 May 2008 -- For Capt. Trevor Hall, flying a C-130 Hercules to deliver humanitarian relief is largely what his mission is all about.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Remarks by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the American Academy of Diplomacy 14 May 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• AEF Evolution; Implementing a tempo-based construct AFPN 14 May 2008 -- An improved Global Air and Space Expeditionary Force construct will soon use a tempo-based rule set, building on the current 20-month cycle of five 120-day AEF pairs.
• Area Processing Center consolidates mail, file sharing AFPN 14 May 2008 -- A new Area Processing Center that enables the Air Force to consolidate e-mail, Web, file-sharing and other information services for more than 160,000 active-duty Air Force, contractors, civilians and Air National Guardsmen into one location opened May 1 at Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
• England Seeks to Boost Efficiency, Smooth Path for Next Leaders AFPS 14 May 2008 -- Vowing to leave the next presidential administration no “spaghetti” to deal with at the Defense Department, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today called on the department to speed up process improvements he said will reduce disruption when a new administration takes charge in January.
• Army Taking Care of Business through Continuous Process Improvement Army News 14 May 2008
• Commentary: Army Modernization Necessary, Successful, Long Overdue Army News 14 May 2008
• Senior Executive Service Appointments 14 May 2008
• DoD Announces Grant Awards for The 2008 ROTC Language and Culture Project 14 May 2008 -- The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today the award of eight major grants totaling $3.07 million dollars, as part of the 2008 Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Language and Culture Project, sponsored by the National Security Education Program, on behalf of the Defense Language Office
• Shipyard IPT Meeting Held to Discuss Navy Personnel Transfers to DLA Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- More than 80 people from various government logistics agencies attended a face-to-face shipyard Implementation Planning Team (IPT) meeting in Norfolk May 6-7.
• Navy, DLA Hold Meeting to Discuss SS&D Transfer Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) and Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) Jacksonville's Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East site hosted an FRC East Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Supply, Storage and Distribution (SS&D) kickoff meeting April 22-23.
• Boeing FOD Team Visits NAS Whidbey Island Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- The Boeing Company's Foreign Object Debris (FOD) team visited Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island May 8 to learn how the base runs their FOD programs.
• GW Carrier Strike Group Sailors Arrive in Chilean Port City Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- Sailors from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GW CSG) anchored off the coast of Valparaiso on May 14 to begin a scheduled four-day port visit.
• U.S., Pakistan Forces Strengthen Ties During Exercise Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- Pakistan and U.S. Naval forces began Exercise Inspired Union 2008 in the North Arabian Sea May 11, focusing on air, surface and anti-submarine training.
• Continuing Promise, Boxer Bring Medical Aid to Guatemala School Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- Members of USS Boxer's (LHD 4) medical staff and embarked units traveled to Aldea El Higueral, May 11 and 12, to provide the community with health services as part of the equal partnership mission Continuing Promise (CP) 2008.
• USS Pennsylvania Saves Ton of Plastic Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- The USS Pennsylvania (SSBN 735) (Gold) crew saved nearly 2,000 pounds of plastic in accordance with the Marine Plastic Pollution Research and Control Act of 1987 during their last Western Pacific patrol.
• Marines Embark USS Farragut; Exchange Expertise with Uruguayan Maritime Forces Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- USS Farragut (DDG 99) Sailors, U.S. Marines from the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company and Uruguayan sailors and Marines completed training and information sharing through an official subject matter expert exchange in Montevideo, May 7.
• ETC Reservists Take Part in Active Duty Training Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- Reserve Sailors from the Expeditionary Training Command (ETC) Reserve unit, based in Amityville, N.Y., participated in a combined training event with their active duty counterparts during the last week in April at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va.
• Truman Strengthens Friendships, Gives Back to Local Greek Community Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- More than 100 Sailors from USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) participated in a community relations (COMREL) project, May 8, in Rhodes to help beautify the historic Rodini park here.
• Blue Ridge Departs Singapore, Leaves Imprint Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- The amphibious command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) departed Singapore after a four-day scheduled port visit, May 10.
• Enterprise Takes Admiral Flatley Award Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1) were the recipients of the 2007 Admiral Flatley Memorial Award.
• USS Michigan Crew Hones Skills Prior to Deployment Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- USS Michigan (SSGN 727) (Blue) crew Sailors underwent topside line-handling training outside Trident Training Facility at Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor on May 7.
• Prototype UAV tested at Northern Edge AFPN 14 May 2008 -- Thanks to technology advances in small, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, servicemembers on the ground may be able to get an inside track on what lies ahead, literally.
• NORAD, USNORTHCOM open integrated command center AFPN 14 May 2008 -- North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command unveiled their new integrated command center in a ceremony May 13 attended by dignitaries from both Canada and the U.S.
• Seabees Lay Foundations in Continuing Promise 2008 Navy NewsStand 14 May 2008 -- Seabees from Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 303 and Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 deployed with USS Boxer (LHD 4) in support of Continuing Promise 2008 to Central and South America, April 28.
• Commentary: Russia Versus NATO In The CIS RFE/RL 14 May 2008 -- After the April NATO-Russia summit in Bucharest, Russia's government promised to fight NATO membership for Georgia and Ukraine in every possible way. Yet the issue at hand was not membership, but rather issuing Kyiv and Tbilisi Membership Action Plans (MAPs) whose implementation NATO would review before deciding about membership.
• Georgia notifies CIS of withdrawal from air defense agreement RIA Novosti 14 May 2008 -- Georgia's Foreign Ministry has announced its withdrawal from a 1995 CIS unified air defense agreement signed by a number of former Soviet republics, including Russia.
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and National Security Advisor Steve Hadley and Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Elliott Abrams The White House 14 May 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 14 May 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 14, 2008
• SAIC Awarded Contract By Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center SAIC 14 May 2008 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a prime contract by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center
• CACI Awarded Additional Ceiling of $97.9 Million to Support U.S. Army Tactical Radio Communications Systems CACI 14 May 2008 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that the U.S. Army has awarded the company an additional ceiling of $97.9 million to support the Army Project Manager, Tactical Radio Communications Systems (PM TRCS).
• General Dynamics Awarded U.S. Army Contract to Develop Lightweight .50 Caliber Machine Guns General Dynamics 14 May 2008 -- The U.S. Army Joint Munition and Lethality Life Cycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products a contract to develop a Lightweight .50 Caliber (12.7mm) Machine Gun (LW50MG) weapon system
• Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won -- Survivability Northrop Grumman 14 May 2008 -- The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing's in four of the five most important selection criteria.
• Northrop Grumman to Equip Royal Netherlands Air Force CH-47F Helicopters With Missile Warning Systems Northrop Grumman 14 May 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) to provide the AAR-54 Missile Warning System (MWS) for its CH-47F Chinook helicopters.
• Raytheon Proves Advanced Anti-Submarine Capability with Successful Flight Test Raytheon 14 May 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has entered the U.S. Navy's High Altitude Anti-Submarine Warfare Weapons Concept (HAAWC) competition, successfully demonstrating a new weapon system -- the Fish Hawk -- March 21 at the Eglin flight demonstration range in the Gulf of Mexico.
• State defense co. reports 17% rise in 2007 sales to $1.6 bln RIA Novosti 14 May 2008 -- Defense company Oboronprom, a subsidiary of Russia's state arms export monopoly RosOboronExport, said on Wednesday its sales increased 17% year-on-year in 2007 to 38.86 billion rubles ($1.6 billion).

Other Conflicts

• Europeans Want Continued U.S. Involvement in Iraq, Middle East cfr.org 14 May 2008
• Rocket Strikes Israeli Shopping Mall, Bush Continues Visit VOA 14 May 2008 -- A rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip struck a shopping mall in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon late Wednesday, wounding at least 14 people, some severely
• Analysts Say Major Progress Unlikely in Arab-Israel Peace Process VOA 14 May 2008 -- U.S. President George Bush is in the Middle East in an effort to reinvigorate the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians
• U.S.: Bush Arrives In Israel At Start Of Middle East Tour RFE/RL 14 May 2008 -- U.S. President George W. Bush has arrived in Israel to take part in celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Jewish state.
• President Bush Arrives in Israel on a Five-Day Mideast Trip VOA 14 May 2008 -- President George Bush has arrived in Israel, the first stop on his five-day trip to the Middle East. Mr. Bush comes to Israel to help celebrate the country's 60th anniversary, and advance the Mideast peace process, but his efforts could be complicated by a growing criminal probe surrounding Israel's prime minister
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• Bush Says Iran Behind Lebanese Fighting VOA 14 May 2008 -- U.S. President George Bush says Iran is trying to bring down the democratically-elected government in Lebanon
• Beirut Residents Fear Renewed Violence VOA 14 May 2008 -- The Arab League has dispatched a delegation to Lebanon to try to resolve the crisis that has threatened to plunge the country back into civil war
• Iran: Tehran, Riyadh Face Off Over Lebanon RFE/RL 14 May 2008 -- Saudi Arabia has charged Iran with seeking a coup in Beirut, and Tehran is sharply rejecting the charges
• Darfur conflict threatens to enter new cycle of violence – top UN official UN News Centre 14 May 2008 -- The Darfur conflict could lapse soon into another major cycle of violence and large-scale human displacement unless the parties retreat from their recent state of confrontation, the top United Nations peacekeeping official told the Security Council today.
• Mounting Tensions in Abkhazia Could Spark Caucasus War VOA 14 May 2008 -- Tensions are high in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region as all parties accuse one another of provocations that could lead to war across the volatile Caucasus Mountains
• UN: Sudan Violence Threatens Deployment of Darfur Peacekeepers VOA 14 May 2008 -- The United Nations is very concerned about the recent deterioration in security in Sudan, following a weekend attack by rebels close to the capital, Khartoum, that reportedly killed more than 200 people
• India expresses concern over Sri Lankan rebels' air capability IRNA 14 May 2008 -- India's Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil has expressed concern over the reported air capability of the Sri Lankan rebels, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that could be a threat to the vital installations in South India.
• CAR: Cautious welcome for rebel ceasefire IRIN 14 May 2008 -- The signing on 9 May of a ceasefire between the government of Central African Republic and the only rebel group that had yet to join a national peace process has drawn mixed reactions from within the country.
• NEPAL: Small arms fill power vacuum IRIN 14 May 2008 -- Civilians are becoming more vulnerable to attack by militant groups and criminal gangs in the Terai region of southern Nepal as a result of the apparent proliferation of small arms and improvised explosive devices, local analysts say.
• SENEGAL: Casamance heavily dependent on slowly rising tourism income IRIN 14 May 2008 -- Tourists are once again heading to Casamance as visitor areas are perceived to be safe from the troubles, but some industry experts worry that the numbers could plummet again with the recent upsurge in violence, seriously jeopardising the region’s economy.

News Reports

• UN Chief Mobilizes Key Countries to Aid Burma Cyclone Victims VOA 14 May 2008 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is calling on world leaders to unite in a push to speed up the arrival of critical aid supplies in Burma
• Much bigger aid effort needed for Myanmar – Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 14 May 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a much greater mobilization of resources and aid workers in Myanmar to respond to the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis, which has left at least 38,000 dead and more than 27,000 others missing since it swept through the country earlier this month.
• Taiwan's Premier, Cabinet resign en masse CNA 14 May 2008 -- Taiwan's Prime Minister Chang Chun-hsiung and his 76 Cabinet members resigned en masse Wednesday, beginning the process of ending eight years of rule by the administration of outgoing President Chen Shui-bian.
• Pakistan's Zardari Tries to Ease Concerns About Fragile Coalition VOA 14 May 2008 -- The leader of Pakistan's main ruling party says he is optimistic the country's six-week-old governing coalition will remain intact despite the Cabinet resignations of a key coalition partner.
• MYANMAR: "We are definitely used to hardship" IRIN 14 May 2008 -- As the world watches in disbelief the horrific images of devastated areas and floating bodies, the people of Kun Gyan Gon, a town 55km south of Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar, and 8km from the sea, are seeing very little signs of help. Its 20,000 households have been severely hit; not one shack was spared.
• UN Reports Burma's Cyclone Relief Still Inadequate VOA 14 May 2008 -- Almost two weeks after a cyclone hit Burma's Irrawaddy Delta, leaving at least 34,000 dead, U.N. officials say the government's disaster response still falls short
• Nearly 15,000 People Dead From China Earthquake VOA 14 May 2008 -- Rescue operations are continuing in southwestern China, as the government air lifts relief supplies to the closed-off area near the epicenter of a huge earthquake that struck Monday
• Serbia: Unlikely Coalition Deal May Be In The Works RFE/RL 14 May 2008 -- Is Serbia's pro-Western President Boris Tadic about to cut a deal with allies of former dictator Slobodan Milosevic?