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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 27 May 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• May 26 airpower summary: A-10s bomb targets AFPN 27 May 2008
• Brigade Stabilizes Iraqi Province, Moves Into Support Role AFPS 27 May 2008 -- Iraq’s Diyala province is now secure and stable enough for people to return to work and for the government and civil services to conduct business, an official there told online journalists and bloggers in a teleconference May 23.
• Forces in Iraq Catch 48 Suspects, Seize Scores of Weapons AFPS 27 May 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces detained 48 suspects and seized multiple caches of weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• Al-Qaida in Iraq Is On the Run, Officials Say AFPS 27 May 2008 -- Al-Qaida terrorists in Iraq are being systematically hunted down and given little or no time to regroup as U.S. and Iraqi security forces tighten the noose, senior U.S. and Iraqi military officials said May 25 in Baghdad.
• Coalition forces, local government thwart IED in Panjshir AFPN 27 May 2008 -- Many innocent Afghan lives were saved due to the quick action of a local farmer and the combined efforts of the Panjshir government and the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Panjshir Province, Afghanistan, May 23.
• Afghan Police Transform Into Professional, Equipped Force AFPS 27 May 2008 -- When Army Col. Thomas J. McGrath arrived in Kandahar, Afghanistan, last year as the commander of the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command, he stopped in on a police checkpoint.
• Troops Kill, Capture Militants, Destroy Weapons, Drugs in Afghanistan AFPS 27 May 2008 -- Coalition troops killed several enemy fighters, detained nine others, and destroyed caches of weapons and drugs in Afghanistan today, military officials said.
• More Relief Flights Reach Burma; U.S. Assets Stand By AFPS 27 May 2008 -- The Air Force has flown 70 humanitarian missions to Burma in support of the relief effort for Cyclone Nargis victims, Defense officials said here today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks By John McCain on Nuclear Security John McCain 2008 - John McCain for President 27 May 2008
• McCain Urges Stemming Spread of Nuclear Weapons VOA 27 May 2008 -- The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, spoke about the dangers of nuclear proliferation Tuesday in a speech in Denver, Colorado
• Task Force at Bliss Testing FCS Spin Out 1 Army News 27 May 2008 -- Future Combat System Spin Out 1 items, currently being evaluated by Soldiers at Fort Bliss, Texas, were demonstrated earlier this month on Capitol Hill.
• US Military: Post-Traumatic Stress Soars in US Troops in 2007 VOA 27 May 2008 -- The U.S. military says newly diagnosed cases of post-traumatic stress disorder among American troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan climbed nearly 50 percent last year, bringing a five-year total to nearly 40,000.
• Training Saves Lives During Ship's Fire Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- Firefighting training was put to the test on USS George Washington (CVN 73)(GW) when fires broke out on the ship the morning of May 22, trapping four Sailors for more than four hours and causing damage to various departments in the area of the blaze.
• Modernized asset provides increased capabilities AFPN 27 May 2008 -- Airmen from the Rhode Island, California and Maryland Air National Guard deployed with the Air Force's newest Hercules C-130J and C-130J-30 to enhance airdrop and airlift capabilities supporting military and civilians in Afghanistan.
• CSAF addresses Air Force top enlisted leaders AFPN 27 May 2008 -- "We have to adapt to today's fight, but prepare for the fight of tomorrow," the Air Force chief of staff told more than 300 of the Air Force's top enlisted Airmen during the 2008 Senior Enlisted Leader Summit at Maxwell Air Force Base's Gunter Annex May 21.
• Seven countries hone fighter pilot skills during Maple Flag AFPN 27 May 2008 -- Fighter pilots from seven different countries, including the United States, participate in Maple Flag 41May 5-16 and May 19-30 at Cold Lake in Alberta, Canada.
• JSOTF-P AFP and Philippine Government Partnership Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- In a combined effort, Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P), Armed Forces Philippines (AFP) and Sulu government officials, opened a new community center to the citizens of Barangay Tugas, Patikul, a new school house in Barangay Tandu Patung, Maimbung and a newly constructed road for the Barangay, Indanan community, May 21.
• JTF Guantanamo Holds Change of Command Ceremony Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- Navy Rear Adm. Dave Thomas relieved Navy Rear Adm. Mark Buzby as commander of Joint Task Force Guantanamo, in Guantanomo Bay, at a change of command ceremony, May 27.
• Navy Oceanographic Survey Ship Arrives in Estonia Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- Military Sealift Command oceanographic survey ship USNS Pathfinder (T-AGS 60) arrived in Tallinn, May 26, to conduct undersea mine warfare demonstrations with the Estonian military in conjunction with a search for the Finnish airplane Kaleva that crashed off the coast of Estonia in the Gulf of Finland on June 14, 1940.
• Brazilian Sub Timbira Visits Mayport to Promote U.S.-Brazil Interoperability Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- Brazilian Navy submarine Timbira (S-32) made a port visit to Naval Station Mayport, May 20-26, to build on partner relations with the United States.
• USS Mesa Verde to Visit Canada for First Port Visit Outside U.S. Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- The amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) left Naval Station Norfolk May 21, to begin her journey to Quebec City, Canada.
• PSNS Welcomes New Commander Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (IMF) welcomed their new commander at a change-of-command ceremony, May 23.
• HSC 23 Conducts Search and Rescue Training with Continuing Promise 2008 Navy NewsStand 27 May 2008 -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23, embarked aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4), conducted search and rescue (SAR) training just a few miles of the coast of El Salvador May 21, in support of the Pacific phase of Continuing Promise (CP) 2008.
• Ukraine reaffirms wish to join NATO, says no threat to Russia RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- The Ukrainian president reaffirmed his country's aspiration to join NATO while on a three-day visit to Canada and thanked the Canadian parliament for its support of Kiev's bid.
• Colombia wants to buy weaponry from Russia - paper RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- Colombia is seeking to expand military-technical ties with Russia in an apparent attempt to counter the growing military might of neighboring Venezuela, a Russian business daily said on Tuesday.
• Russia to withdraw radar offer if U.S. missile shield goes ahead RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- Russia will withdraw its proposals for the joint use of radar stations in south Russia and Azerbaijan if the U.S. deploys its missile shield in Central Europe, a defense ministry official said Tuesday.
• Russia's Navy urges international fight against pirates RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- The Russian Navy has called on international navies to launch joint operations against pirates that have recently stepped up attacks on ships off Africa's coasts.
• Russian minesweeper joins anti-terror drill on Black Sea RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- The Zheleznyakov minesweeper from Russia's Black Sea Fleet has left the port of Novorossiisk to join a Turkey-led drill to prevent terrorism and smuggling on the Black Sea, the Russian Navy said on Tuesday.
• Defense Ministry sells two Moscow properties RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- In the first of a series of auctions, Russia's Defense Ministry sold two military properties in Moscow for $110 million and $50 million on Tuesday.
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino The White House 27 May 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 27 May 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 27, 2008
• EADS Defence & Security to operate the nationwide TETRA radio network with the Qatar Ministry of Interior for several years. EADS 27 May 2008 -- EADS Defence & Security has been commissioned by the Qatar Ministry of Interior to operate its secured nationwide TETRA radio network for several years.
• First C-130J Super Hercules For Norway Completes Production And Painting Lockheed Martin 27 May 2008 -- The first of four C-130Js for Norway has now completed production and painting at the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] facility in Marietta, Ga.
• Lockheed Martin EQ-36 Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar Successfully Completes Critical Design Review Lockheed Martin 27 May 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently completed a successful Critical Design Review (CDR) for the Enhanced AN/TPQ-36 counter-fire target acquisition (EQ-36) radar
• Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won -- Fuel Offload Northrop Grumman 27 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
• Boeing and Finmeccanica to Pursue International Trainer Aircraft Market Boeing 27 May 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Alenia Aermacchi, a company of Finmeccanica [SIFI.MI], today announced an agreement to jointly pursue the international trainer aircraft market.
• Boeing Awarded Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System Contract Boeing 27 May 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to deliver the first phase of the next-generation Department of Defense range-upgrade program, the Common Range Integrated Instrumentation System (CRIIS).
• Lockheed Martin Successful in First SCALPEL Flight Test Lockheed Martin 27 May 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] successfully conducted the first SCALPEL® weapon system release in a recent flight test at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division China Lake test range in California.
• Northrop Grumman Verifies Value of Networking Systems Northrop Grumman 27 May 2008 -- A Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) study conducted for the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio, demonstrates that airborne electronic jammer aircraft are more effective and efficient when networked and enhanced by decision aids.
• Raytheon Awarded Contract with Potential Value of $70 Million for Iraq Infrastructure Services Raytheon 27 May 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a contract potentially worth $70 million to provide infrastructure services for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Lockheed Martin Team Delivers Flight Software For Nation's New Missile Warning Satellite Lockheed Martin 27 May 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that it has successfully delivered the first of two major blocks of flight software designed to provide highly reliable command and control of the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO) spacecraft.
• Northrop Grumman Team Successfully Completes GPS OCX Integrated Baseline Review Northrop Grumman 27 May 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently completed the integrated baseline review for the U.S. Air Force Next-Generation Global Positioning System (GPS) Ground Control Segment (OCX), achieving two major milestone reviews within a matter of weeks.

Other Conflicts

• SOUTH AFRICA: The downside of banning mercenaries IRIN 27 May 2008 -- South Africa's sweeping legislation to outlaw mercenary activities might also hamper the country's peacekeeping efforts and affect non-governmental and aid organisations while targeting private military/security companies (PMCs).
• GLOBAL: Sex crimes by aid workers “under-reported” IRIN 27 May 2008 -- The extent of sexual abuse by aid workers and peacekeepers is being under-estimated because mechanisms to encourage victims to speak out against their attackers and to protect them are poorly developed, the British non-governmental organisation Save the Children warns in a report released today.
• Study Finds Rampant Child Abuse by Aid Workers, Peacekeepers VOA 27 May 2008 -- A new report by Save the Children U.K. accuses some aid workers and peacekeepers of sexually exploiting children living in countries affected by conflict and natural disaster
• Former DR Congo Vice-President arrested by International Criminal Court UN News Centre 27 May 2008 -- Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo, a former Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), has been arrested by Belgian authorities on a sealed warrant of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in the Central African Republic (CAR).
• Southern Sudan Official Fears Return to War VOA 27 May 2008 -- A leading member of southern Sudan's main political party has said the country is "on the brink" of a renewed north-south war
• Georgia: EU Urges Russia To Explain Alleged Downing Of Drone RFE/RL 27 May 2008 -- The Georgian Foreign Ministry summoned Russia's ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, presumably to discuss the latest developments stemming from the downing of an unmanned Georgian spy plane over the country's breakaway region of Abkhazia last month.
• Russia says UN's Georgia spy plane probe unreliable RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- Russia said on Tuesday it did not have confidence in a UN probe into Georgia's allegations that a Russian aircraft shot down an unmanned reconnaissance plane last month as it was based on unreliable evidence.
• Russia starts rotation of peacekeepers in Abkhazia RIA Novosti 27 May 2008 -- A rotation of Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone of Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia has started and will continue until June 2, an aide to the Ground Forces commander said on Tuesday.
• SUDAN: Fears of more conflict amid Abyei suffering IRIN 27 May 2008 -- Failure to allow thousands of Abyei civilians to return home following recent conflict could destabilise other parts of Sudan, the UN has warned.
• UN refugee agency transferring nearly 10,000 Central Africans to southern Chad UN News Centre 27 May 2008 -- In a bid to outpace the rainy season which kicks off in mid-June, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has started transferring nearly 10,000 newly-arrived refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) to a new camp in southern Chad.
• NEPAL: Reintegration of child soldiers "taking too long" IRIN 27 May 2008 -- The UN Children's Agency (UNICEF) and local children's rights groups are concerned about the slow reintegration of child soldiers associated with former Maoist rebels, also known as the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPNM).

News Reports

• Myanmar: Ban Ki-moon ‘regrets’ continued detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi UN News Centre 27 May 2008 -- The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said he ‘regretted’ the decision by Myanmar’s Government to extend the detention of pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
• UN's Ban Regrets Burma's Continuing Detention of Aung San Suu Kyi VOA 27 May 2008 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he regrets the Burmese government's decision to extend the house arrest of pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi
• Burma Extends House Arrest for Aung San Suu Kyi, Arrests Opposition Supporters VOA 27 May 2008 -- Burma's military government has extended the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for at least six months. Security forces also arrested about 20 opposition supporters
• Bush 'Deeply Troubled' by Extension of Aung San Suu Kyi's Detention VOA 27 May 2008 -- The United States Tuesday sharply criticized the Burmese government's decision to extend the detention of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
• One Million Cyclone Victims Have Received Aid in Burma VOA 27 May 2008 -- United Nations aid agencies say they have been able to reach about one million survivors of Cyclone Nargis in Burma, also known as Myanmar, with aid
• Myanmar: UN says aid reaches one million victims of cyclone UN News Centre 27 May 2008 -- Relief efforts by aid agencies have reached around one million people in Myanmar, just over 40 per cent of those affected by Cyclone Nargis, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• MYANMAR: Diarrhoeal risk increasing, but no outbreaks yet IRIN 27 May 2008 -- More than three weeks after cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar, killing some 78,000 people and leaving 56,000 others missing, health experts warn that the risk of diarrhoeal diseases will increase unless help is urgently provided.
• Aid Agencies Test Burma's Pledge to Allow Assistance VOA 27 May 2008 -- An official with the World Food Program says the Burmese government has given some aid workers access to cyclone-struck parts of the country, where they found people who had not eaten for days.
• Aftershocks in China Topple More Than 420,000 Houses VOA 27 May 2008 -- Chinese state media say aftershocks toppled more than 420,000 houses Tuesday in China's quake zone, nearly two weeks after this month's devastating earthquake.
• Chinese Officials Concerned About Outbreak Risks After Earthquake VOA 27 May 2008 -- With the death toll from a massive earthquake in China now above 67,000, the government aims to prevent new deaths by protecting survivors from possible floods and the threat of a disease outbreak.
• SADC Under Pressure To Send Observers To Zimbabwe Sooner Than Later VOA 27 May 2008 -- Under pressure from the Zimbabwean opposition and international groups to deploy a reinforced observer mission to the country well before its June 27 presidential run-off election, the Southern African Development Community has promised to send at least 200 observers - 80 more than it deployed for the March 29 first round.
• Commentary: Georgian President Wins Big, But Loses Bigger, In Parliamentary Vote RFE/RL 27 May 2008 -- The Georgian president, whose own reelection in January was dogged by claims of irregularities, was well aware of the cost if his country's May 21 parliamentary vote was deemed anything less than free and fair
• Turkish PM Announces Plan to Revitalize Kurdish Region VOA 27 May 2008 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has unveiled the details of an ambitious $12 billion plan to re-vitalize the country's predominantly Kurdish southeast
• Key Witness Testifies Against Olmert in Corruption Scandal VOA 27 May 2008 -- The key figure in a corruption case against Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has made a dramatic courtroom appearance
• Turkmenistan: President Orders Major Changes To Constitution RFE/RL 27 May 2008 -- Turkmenistan is planning rare amendments to its constitution that signal the leadership's desire to present at least a veneer of change in Central Asia's most isolated country.
• Guinea Soldiers Hold Paymaster in Mutiny VOA 27 May 2008 -- Junior military officers in Guinea, angry over unpaid wages are holding the army's paymaster hostage