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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 02 Dec 2008 [PDF]
• Dec. 1 airpower summary: Hercs airdrop supplies AFNS 02 Dec 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Dec. 1, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Guard’s Only Stryker Brigade Prepares for Iraq Deployment AFPS 02 Dec 2008 -- About 4,000 soldiers representing the National Guard’s only Stryker brigade will deploy to Iraq in early 2009.
• Canal Refurbishment Highlights $50 Million Iraqi Project AFPS 02 Dec 2008 -- Iraqi civilian and military dignitaries broke ground on the Army Canal Rehabilitation Project in Baghdad’s Sadr City district yesterday.
• Coalition, Iraqis Capture 13 in Terrorist Network Busts AFPS 02 Dec 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces have captured 13 people in three days of operations targeting terrorist networks in Iraq, military officials reported.
• Task Force Arrowhead assumes mission from Bowie Team MNF-I 02 Dec 2008 -- A transfer of authority ceremony marked the end of mission for the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and the beginning for the 56th Brigade Dec. 1

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Media Roundtable with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va. DoD 02 Dec 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• Gates Pledges to Continue Tackling Tough Issues AFPS 02 Dec 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will devote himself to resolving challenges facing the Defense Department while serving as part of the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, he said during a Pentagon news conference today.
• Terror Threat Has Moved From Iraq to Afghanistan, Gates Says AFPS 02 Dec 2008 -- The terrorist threat has shifted from Iraq to the safe havens of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today.
• Air Force officials reduce waste with recycling program AFNS 02 Dec 2008 -- Base officials here helped the environment by expanding their recycling program from plastic bottles and aluminum cans to include hazardous materials, chlorofluorocarbons, metals such as copper and steel, and cardboard boxes.
• Andersen officials to transfer management functions to Navy AFNS 02 Dec 2008 -- The Joint Region Marianas will stand up in January as Andersen Air Force Base officials will relocate installation management functions to the commander of U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas located on Guam.
• Assistive technology will be more widely available to wounded Servicemembers Army News 02 Dec 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has designated November as "Warrior Care Month" to communicate the Department of Defense's (DoD) commitment to quality care for the nation's service members and their families
• CSAF: Airmen, Air Force integral part of joint fight AFNS 02 Dec 2008 -- With his first 100 days in office under his belt, the 19th chief of staff of the Air Force says the Air Force is in good shape.
• Navy Names Four Ships After American Pioneers DoD 02 Dec 2008 -- Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter announced today the names of four new Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships (T-AKE) as Matthew Perry, Charles Drew, Washington Chambers and William McLean
• Deputy Secretary England Announces Departure DoD 02 Dec 2008 -- Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England said today that he will not be staying with Secretary Gates in the Obama Administration
• Yokosuka Opens Energy-Efficient, Environmentally Friendly Power Plant Navy NewsStand 02 Dec 2008 -- Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY) officially opened its new, energy-efficient co-generation plant during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 12.
• Bataan Wraps Up First Phase of Pre-Deployment Work-ups Navy NewsStand 02 Dec 2008 -- The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) returned to its homeport of Norfolk Nov. 23 following a successful expeditionary strike group integration exercise (ESGINT) with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (22 MEU) and vessels from the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG).
• Essex Sailors, Marines Sharpen Amphibious Warfare Skills During Fall Patrol Navy NewsStand 02 Dec 2008 -- The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) arrived in Okinawa, Japan, to debark the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Nov 30.
• Maritime Civil Affairs Sailors Dig Up Past to Learn Lessons For Future Missions Navy NewsStand 02 Dec 2008 -- To help prepare for eventual deployments, Sailors from Maritime Civil Affairs Squadron (MCAS) 1 completed training Nov. 20 on the Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs conducted in San Diego during the 1930s.
• CNO Visits Chile, Attends Exponaval Navy NewsStand 02 Dec 2008 -- The Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead is visiting Chilean Naval personnel and bases and will participate in the 2008 International Exponaval Conference in Chile this week.
• Obama mixes up diplomacy with military force IRNA 02 Dec 2008 -- President-elect Barack Obama on Monday introduced his national security team, and promised an overhaul of foreign policy to give added emphasis to diplomacy and bring a "new dawn of American leadership."
• Air Force leaders reinforce zero tolerance for sexual assault AFNS 02 Dec 2008 -- Leaders from wing level to senior Air Force brass recently gathered for a two-day leader summit on sexual assault prevention and response here.
• NATO Affirms Ukraine, Georgia Ties, Agrees To Resume Russia Contacts RFE/RL 02 Dec 2008 -- NATO foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels, have reiterated a commitment that Georgia and Ukraine will eventually join the trans-Atlantic alliance, but held off on granting the two countries formal Membership Action Plans at this time/li>
• NATO Agrees to Thaw in Contacts With Russia VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- NATO foreign ministers have agreed to gradually resume contacts with Russia, frozen after Russian military forces invaded Georgia in August.
• NATO Foreign Ministers Meet in Brussels VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- NATO foreign ministers meet Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels to discuss the candidacies of Georgia and Ukraine to join the Atlantic alliance.
• NATO Foreign Ministers Meet To Consider Georgian, Ukrainian Bids RFE/RL 02 Dec 2008 -- Eight months ago at its summit in Bucharest, a deeply divided NATO alliance postponed a tough decision on giving Georgia and Ukraine a formal road map to membership
• Russia, Venezuela conduct joint naval drills in Caribbean RIA Novosti 02 Dec 2008 -- A Russian naval task force from the Northern Fleet and the Venezuelan navy have successfully conducted the VenRus-2008 joint exercises in the southern Caribbean, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Tuesday.
• Russia orbits Cosmos-series military satellite RIA Novosti 02 Dec 2008 -- A Russian Molniya-M carrier rocket has successfully put into orbit a Cosmos-series military satellite to increase its orbital reconnaissance grouping, a Space Forces spokesman said on Tuesday.
• Russia considers sending more forces to fight Somali pirates RIA Novosti 02 Dec 2008 -- Russia's envoy to the UN said on Tuesday that Russia is considering sending additional forces to fight pirates off Somali coast.
• Russia sending chief military NATO envoy to Brussels RIA Novosti 02 Dec 2008 -- Russia is sending to Brussels its chief military representative to NATO, General of the Army Alexei Maslov, a Defense Ministry source said on Tuesday.
• Military corruption costs Russia almost $80 million in 2008 RIA Novosti 02 Dec 2008 -- Corruption in the Russian Armed Forces resulted in losses of 2.2 billion rubles ($78.6 mln) to the state budget in the first nine months of 2008, a Russian daily cited a senior prosecutor as saying on Tuesday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 02 Dec 2008
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Dana Perino The White House 02 Dec 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 02, 2008
• First Production VH-71 Presidential Helicopter Joins Test Program Lockheed Martin 02 Dec 2008 -- PATUXENT RIVER, MD, December 2, 2008 – The first production VH-71 presidential replacement helicopter has arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River by U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane from helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland.
• CACI Awarded $29 Million Information Technology Task Order With U.S. State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security CACI 02 Dec 2008 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded a $29 million prime task order to continue its support for the Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security Chief Technology Officer.
• Bath Iron Works Awarded $46 Million Contract for DDG 1000 Services General Dynamics 02 Dec 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $45.8 million contract option to provide services associated with the detail design and construction of the DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer.
• Raytheon Achieves Critical Readiness Milestone for Zumwalt-Class Destroyer Raytheon 02 Dec 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) completed the production readiness review of the mission systems equipment (MSE) for the Zumwalt-class destroyer program.

Other Conflicts

• DRC Civilians Moving to Safer Sites VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- The U.N. refugee agency says it is continuing the voluntary transfer of displaced Congolese civilians from the precarious Kibati camps on the northern outskirts of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Darfur: UN mission dispatches team after clashes between displaced and militiamen UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- Peacekeepers serving with the joint United Nations-African Union mission in Darfur (UNAMID) are working to calm tensions in the south of the war-wracked region after violent clashes between Janjaweed militiamen and the residents of a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• More children drafted by armed groups in eastern DR Congo, UNICEF finds UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- Children continue to be enlisted by armed groups in the war-ravaged eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations reported today.
• Gaza crossings from Israel remain closed, UN reports UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- All crossings for goods going into Gaza from Israel remained closed today, with no fuel, humanitarian supplies or commercial commodities reaching the 1.5 million inhabitants, the United Nations reported today.
• Ban welcomes announcement of inclusive dialogue in Central African Republic UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the decision by the Central African Republic (CAR) to hold an inclusive political dialogue shortly, but cautioned that the country continues to face political, security and socio-economic challenges.
• Rwandan singer sentenced to prison by UN tribunal for inciting genocide UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- A famous Rwandan singer and composer has been sentenced by a United Nations tribunal to 15 years in prison for inciting the murder of Tutsis through his songs and speeches during the 1994 mass killings in the small African Great Lakes nation.
• ISRAEL-OPT: Power cuts, fuel shortages affect health and water supplies IRIN 02 Dec 2008 -- Adel Abu Sido, 31, a taxi driver from Gaza City, stands over his two-week old premature baby, Hadil, dreading her air supply may abruptly stop.
• EU Law-And-Order Mission's Deployment In Kosovo Delayed RFE/RL 02 Dec 2008 -- The European Union has delayed deployment of a major police and justice mission in Kosovo, amid continuing tensions about the exact role of the new body
• DRC Refugees Flock Into Uganda VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- Over 27,000 refugees have arrived in Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo, after unrest in the eastern part of the country. Ugandan authorities describe the influx of Congolese refugees as a humanitarian emergency.
• Ugandan Peacekeepers to Stay in Somalia VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- Uganda, whose troops make up about half of the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, says its soldiers will stay in the troubled country even if Ethiopia pulls out its forces at the end of the year as expected.

News Reports

• Iraq's 'Chemical Ali' Gets Second Death Sentence RFE/RL 02 Dec 2008 -- An Iraqi court has sentenced Saddam Hussein's cousin "Chemical Ali" to death for the killing of thousands of Shi'ites in a ruthless crackdown on their uprising after the 1991 Gulf War
• Iraqi Court Sentences Saddam Cousin 'Chemical Ali' to Death VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- Saddam Hussein's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known in the West as "Chemical Ali," for his role in gassing thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s, has been condemned to death by an Iraqi court for a second time.
• In wake of Mumbai attacks, Ban reaffirms role of UN in countering terrorism UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reaffirmed his determination for the United Nations to play a lead role in dealing with the menace of terrorism as he stressed the need to bring the perpetrators of last week’s coordinated deadly attacks in Mumbai to justice.
• US Renews Call for Pakistani Cooperation in Mumbai Attack Investigation VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- The United States Tuesday renewed its call on Pakistan to fully cooperate with the Indian-led investigation of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. U.S. officials say they suspect a group based at least partly in Pakistan may be behind the operation.
• Efforts Underway to Defuse Rising Indo-Pakistani Tension VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- A trio of U.S. senators is in South Asia, one of several sets of high-level foreign visitors trying to defuse rising tension between India and Pakistan following the Mumbai terror attacks.
• Backgrounder: Profile: Lashkar-e-Taiba (Army of the Pure) (a.k.a Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Lashkar e-Toiba; Lashkar-i-Taiba) cfr.org 02 Dec 2008
• Analysis: A Pakistan Connection? cfr.org 02 Dec 2008 -- With the latest accusations from India that the militants who attacked its financial capital, Mumbai, on November 26 belonged to a Pakistani militant group, tensions between South Asia's nuclear-armed neighbors are mounting yet again
• Heeding The Warnings Of Mumbai RFE/RL 02 Dec 2008 -- If the success of the 1999 hijacking of an Indian commercial aircraft to Kandahar emboldened the international jihad sufficiently to launch the September 11, 2001, terrorist operation against the United States, last week's Mumbai attacks may give them the oxygen needed to carry out similar operations in the United States or the European Union
• After Mumbai Attacks, South Asia Seen As Key Challenge For Obama RFE/RL 02 Dec 2008 -- With India alleging links between Pakistan and the Mumbai terrorist attacks, relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors are at their lowest point since the two countries pulled back from the brink of war in 2002
• India urges Pakistan to act against terrorists RIA Novosti 02 Dec 2008 -- India has asked Pakistan to act against a group it says was behind the Mumbai terrorist attacks and has also requested the extradition of some 20 terrorist suspects, India's foreign minister said on Tuesday
• Pakistan Offers to Help Investigate Mumbai Terror Attack VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- Pakistan has offered a joint investigation into terror attacks in Mumbai, after India blamed elements in Pakistan for planning the deadly violence.
• Indian Maritime Forces Rebuff Criticism in Wake of Mumbai Attack VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- India's maritime forces are defending themselves in wake of criticism they could have prevented the terror attack on Mumbai, which left about 175 people dead.
• India Re-Submits Fugitives List to Pakistan in Wake of Mumbai Terror Attack VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- In wake of the terror attack in Mumbai, India is renewing demands Pakistan hand over wanted fugitives. India's government says a list of alleged terrorists and others has been re-submitted in a formal diplomatic request.
• Mumbai Terrorists Aided by Security Lapses, Technology VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- In the aftermath of the terror attacks, many in Mumbai are asking how a group of 10 to 15 assailants were able to carry out their brazen attack that included some of the city's most guarded landmarks.
• Two Terror Suspects Arrested in Italy VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- Italian prosecutors say police have arrested two foreigners suspected of plotting terror attacks on targets near Milan.
• Mumbai Attacks Foreshadow New Challenges In Counterterrorism Effort RFE/RL 01 Dec 2008 -- In the wake of last week's attacks in Mumbai that killed 195 people, India and Pakistan are carefully formulating their responses as tensions rise between the arch-rivals
• Thai PM to Resign, Protesters to Leave Airports VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- A court has ruled that the Thai prime minister, his party and his coalition partners are banned from politics.
• UN Security Council Extends Anti-Piracy Measures off Somali Coast VOA 02 Dec 2008 -- The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution allowing member states to continue fighting pirates off the coast of Somalia for another year. The resolution also offers support for a European Union anti-piracy mission that launches next week.
• Security Council calls for greater help in fight against Somali pirates UN News Centre 02 Dec 2008 -- The Security Council today on all countries and regional organizations with the necessary capacity to deploy naval ships and military aircraft off the Somali coast to fight rampant piracy that is impeding United Nations efforts to feed millions of hungry civilians in the strife-torn country.
• ZIMBABWE: Conjuring up a state of emergency IRIN 02 Dec 2008 -- There are growing suspicions that the looting by soldiers in the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, may be an elaborate ruse to allow President Robert Mugabe to declare a state of emergency, suspending the constitution and, with it, all civil liberties.