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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 19 Dec 2008 [PDF]
• CF Soldier dies of non-combat related causes
• Dec. 18 airpower summary: F-16s protect coalition forces AFNS 19 Dec 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Dec. 18, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Forces Capture Suspected Iranian Agent, Other Terrorism Suspects AFPS 19 Dec 2008 -- Coalition forces apprehended a suspected Iranian intelligence agent and an alleged associate, as well as 10 other terrorism suspects, in operations in Iraq over the last two days, military officials reported.
• S. Korea Ends Iraq Deployment With Homecoming Fanfare VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- South Korea has now formally terminated its military deployment to Iraq, with a ceremony to welcome returning troops home to the capital, Seoul. South Koreans had mixed feelings about the four year deployment.
• 519th MP Battalion Transfers Authority to 744th MP Battalion MNF-I 19 Dec 2008 -- Lt. Col. Enrique Guerra, 744th Military Police Battalion Commander, transferred authority to Lt. Col. Bradley Graul, 519th MP Battalion Commander, during a ceremony Tuesday at Camp Cropper, Iraq
• Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Three, Detain Five in Khowst Province AFPS 19 Dec 2008 -- Afghan National Police and coalition forces killed three armed militants and detained five others, including the man their operation targeted, during a Dec. 16 operation to disrupt the al-Qaida terrorist network in Afghanistan’s Khowst province, military officials reported today.
• Pakistan’s Anti-terror Offensive Assists Afghan War Aims, Gates Says AFPS 19 Dec 2008 -- Renewed Pakistani military action targeting al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists lodged in the western part of their country benefits Pakistan and assists in the fight against insurgents in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a Public Broadcasting Service interview that aired Dec. 17.
• U.S. Soldiers Team Up With Afghan, New Zealand Forces AFPS 19 Dec 2008 -- A unit of the 10th Mountain Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team had a new mission in Afghanistan recently when it teamed up with Afghan and New Zealand forces to combat crimes in the eastern part of the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Nuclear surety inspection completed at 90th Space Wing AFNS 19 Dec 2008 -- The nuclear surety inspection that wrapped up at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo., Dec. 17, identified some deficiencies for the 90th Space Wing that require corrective action and resulted in an overall unsatisfactory rating for the wing.
• Charges Referred Against One Detainee, Charges Dismissed Against Another DoD 19 Dec 2008 -- Today the Convening Authority, Office of Military Commissions, referred charges to trial by military commission against 'Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri of Saudi Arabia
• Pentagon Briefs Obama Transition Team on Iraq Pullout VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- The U.S. Defense Department says top military officials have briefed President-elect Barack Obama's national security team on plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Iraq next year.
• Interview: Rice Defends Regime Change in Iraq, Stresses Diplomacy Elsewhere cfr.org 19 Dec 2008 -- Interviewee: Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State
• Mullen Discusses Northern Iraq as January Elections Approach AFPS 19 Dec 2008 -- The situation in northern Iraq is complex and dangerous, and the upcoming Iraqi elections add further complications, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.
• Interview: Bush Administration 'Drained and Lessened' American Power in World cfr.org 19 Dec 2008 -- Interviewee: Leslie H. Gelb, President Emeritus, CFR
• ACC leaders discuss current, future challenges AFNS 19 Dec 2008 -- The commander of Air Combat Command and members of his A-staff spoke to 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen about current and upcoming events surrounding Air Force combat operations during an Airman's Call here earlier this month.
• BIMAAs ensure readiness of Air Force's strategic reserve AFNS 19 Dec 2008 -- As the Air Force's operations tempo changes, so does the role of Air Force Reserve individual mobilization augmentees.
• First security guardsmen dispatched into missile fields AFNS 19 Dec 2008 -- Officials at the Minot-based 219th Security Forces Squadron of the North Dakota Air National Guard's 119th Wing have dispatched security Airmen into the missile fields at Minot Air Force Base for the first time.
• Active duty, Reserve units consolidate command posts AFNS 19 Dec 2008 -- Signaling a move toward greater teamwork between active duty and Reserve forces here, Peterson AFB officials unveiled their newly-consolidated command post Dec. 16.
• More Soldiers now eligible for TSGLI Army News 19 Dec 2008 -- More Soldiers who have been traumatically injured in combat, or even in a car accident stateside, may now be eligible for up to $100,000 to help adjust to life following their injury.
• FM 7-1: 'How' of Army training to be Web-based Army News 19 Dec 2008 -- With the release of the Army's latest field manual 7-0, "Training for Full Spectrum Operations," the deputy chief of staff, G-3, told Pentagon reporters Thursday that within three months the Army would be releasing FM 7-1
• Guard civil support team responds to suspicious package Army News 19 Dec 2008 -- Camp Mabry, Texas, was added to the growing list of National Guard installations Wednesday to receive a suspicious package through the mail
• Guard's Stryker brigade trains at Polk for deployment Army News 19 Dec 2008 -- The National Guard's only Stryker brigade is learning how military services can work together to improve air-ground integration training in preparation for their upcoming deployment
• Army chief of staff visits Korea Army News 19 Dec 2008 -- The Warriors of the 2nd Infantry Division enjoyed a visit from the chief of staff of the Army Dec. 18.
• 15 DoD Early Career Scientists and Engineers Win Presidential Award DoD 19 Dec 2008 -- The White House today recognized 15 scholars nominated by the Department of Defense (DoD) as winners of the 2007 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).
• 31st MEU Reflects on '08 USMC News 19 Dec 2008 -- The Marines and sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted a mixture of exercises and operations as they patrolled the Asia-Pacific region during 2008
• Navy's First Gas Turbine/Electric Hybrid Propulsion Plant Demonstrated At Sea Navy NewsStand 19 Dec 2008 -- Crew members from Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island (LHD 8) returned to port in Pascagoula, Miss., Dec. 13 following five days at sea participating in sea trials conducted by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Gulf Coast (NGSB).
• Future USS Makin Island Successfully Completes Builder's Trials Navy NewsStand 19 Dec 2008 -- The future USS Makin Island (LHD 8) successfully underwent Builder's Trials Dec. 13 in the Gulf of Mexico. The trials mark the first time this amphibious assault ship has gone to sea on its own power.
• CNO and MCPON West Visit NAVCENT Sailors Navy NewsStand 19 Dec 2008 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick D. West visited Bahrain Dec. 18 - 19 to meet with Sailors and Marines currently deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations (AOO).
• U.S.-Ukrainian Militaries Work to Bring Regional Peace, Stability AFPS 19 Dec 2008 -- American and Ukrainian defense leaders are working together to assist Ukraine in its quest to develop modern, democratically managed armed forces, a senior U.S. military officer said here yesterday.
• CTF 70 Holds Change of Command Ceremony Aboard GW Navy NewsStand 19 Dec 2008 -- Rear Adm. Kevin M. Donegan assumed command of the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group, Task Force 70, Task Force 75 and Carrier Strike Group 5 from Rear Adm. Richard B. Wren during a change of command ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) Dec. 17.
• NECC Forces Surpass Navy Retention Goals Navy NewsStand 19 Dec 2008 -- Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) has seen 58.2 percent of its first-term Sailors reenlist during fiscal year 2008, exceeding the Navy's goal of 48 percent.
• Russia-NATO Council to hold informal meeting in mid-January RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2008 -- The Russia-NATO Council will hold an informal meeting at ambassadorial level in mid-January, the Russian envoy to the North Atlantic alliance said on Friday.
• Ground Forces command suspected of embezzling $3.6 mln - prosecutor RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2008 -- Russia's Ground Forces command is suspected of diverting over 100 million rubles ($3.6 million) of state funds, the chief military prosecutor said Friday.
• Su-24M bomber crashes in southwest Russia, pilots safely eject RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2008 -- A Russian Su-24M Fencer tactical bomber crashed on Friday near the southwest Russian city of Voronezh after the pilots ejected safely, an Air Force spokesman said.
• Russian Naval Ships Arrive in Cuba VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- Three Russian warships have entered Cuban waters as part of a voyage aimed at boosting Russian ties with several Latin American nations.
• Russian Navy makes port call in Cuba RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2008 -- Three Northern Fleet warships are to arrive in Havana on Friday for the Russian Navy's first visit to Cuba since the Cold War.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 19 Dec 2008
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Dana Perino and Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Joel Kaplan The White House 19 Dec 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 15, 2008
• Boeing KC-767 Tankers for Italian Air Force Achieve Refueling Milestone Boeing 19 Dec 2008 -- A Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 aerial refueling aircraft built for the Italian Air Force transfers fuel to another Italian KC-767 during a Dec. 17 flight test over northern Kansas, marking the first time a KC-767 tanker has been refueled by another aircraft.
• General Dynamics Awarded $217 Million Vehicle Order by Swiss Army General Dynamics 19 Dec 2008 -- MOWAG GmbH, a unit of General Dynamics European Land Systems, has been awarded an order valued at $217 million for 244 DURO and Piranha vehicles, to be produced in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.
• Second Ground-Test F-35 Lightning II Rolls Out On Schedule, Prepares For Testing In The United Kingdom Northrop Grumman 19 Dec 2008 -- Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] second F-35 Lightning II ground-test aircraft rolled out on Wednesday at the company’s Fort Worth plant, where it will be fully instrumented before being shipped to the United Kingdom for testing.
• Northrop Grumman-Led Joint Venture NSTec Recognized for 'Outstanding' Program Performance and Awarded One-Year Contract Extension for Approximately $450 Million Northrop Grumman 19 Dec 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency (NNSA) has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation-led (NYSE:NOC) joint venture National Security Technologies, LLC (NSTec) a one-year, cost-reimbursement and operating type contract extension valued at approximately $450 million to manage and operate the Nevada Test Site (NTS) through 2012

Other Conflicts

• NATO, Russia Meet for First Time After Georgia Invasion VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- NATO and Russia held their first high-level talks Friday since Moscow invaded Georgia in August, sparking international criticism.
• Security Council moves to expedite work of UN war crimes tribunals UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The Security Council today called on the United Nations war crimes tribunals dealing with the 1994 Rwanda genocide and the Balkans conflicts of the 1990s to conduct their trials as quickly and efficiently as possible, and pledged to support their efforts to complete their work.
• Burundian refugee saga in Tanzania finally nears resolution, UN reports UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The long saga of hundreds of thousands of Burundians who fled to Tanzania to escape decades of ethnic conflict in their small homeland is finally approaching its end with the last camps closing down as the refugees return home or integrate into the host country, the United Nations reported today.
• UN seeks $92 million to ease plight of Somalis taking refuge in Kenya UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today appealed for $92 million to ease the plight of some 250,000 Somalis living in one of the world’s oldest and most congested camps in Kenya and to meet the needs of new arrivals from the strife-torn nation.
• Violence intensifies in Darfur as UN-African Union force struggles to fully deploy UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The violence in Darfur has intensified in recent months with attacks on humanitarian workers, peacekeepers and the growing number of displaced persons sheltering in makeshift camps, with inter-tribal clashes and fighting between the Government and armed militia adding to the mayhem, the head of United Nations peacekeeping told the Security Council today.
• Ban calls for end to rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel, urges continued calm UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called for an immediate end to rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza and all other violence, and a continuation of the Egyptian-brokered calm in the area.
• Displaced people must not be forced back to their villages, UN tells DR Congo rebels UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The United Nations refugee agency has called on mainly Tutsi rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to ensure the rights of 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) amid reports that they are being pressured to go back to their villages.
• Security Council urges stronger enforcement of Somali arms embargo UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The United Nations Security Council today called for enhanced monitoring of the arms embargo in Somalia, declaring that strict enforcement would improve security in a country that has been torn by factional fighting and has had no functioning central government since 1991.
• Bush, Abbas Claim Progress in Mideast Peace Talks VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- U.S. President George Bush and visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas say the Middle East peace process is heading in the right direction, even though the Palestinians and Israelis still do not have an agreement.
• UNHCR Says Rebels Abuse Civilians in Eastern DRC Camps VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- The UN refugee agency report rebel forces in North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo continue to abuse and intimidate civilians sheltering in a makeshift site in the Rutshuru area.
• NATO must discuss causes of Caucasus crisis with Russia - Lavrov RIA Novosti 19 Dec 2008 -- Russia and NATO must resume their dialogue starting with discussions on the causes of the August conflict between Georgia and Russia over South Ossetia, Russia's foreign minister said on Friday.
• ISRAEL-OPT: UNRWA suspends food distribution in Gaza IRIN 19 Dec 2008 -- The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) was forced to suspend its emergency and regular food distribution services in the Gaza Strip without warning on 18 December, due to the continued closure of all commercial and passenger border crossings.
• RWANDA: Make justice a reality for genocide survivors, urges rights group IRIN 19 Dec 2008 -- Justice, more than reconciliation, plays a fundamental role for the survivors of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide and much more needs to be done to make justice a reality for them, a report by African Rights, a human rights think-tank, recommends.
• Tensions Rise as Hamas Ends Truce With Israel VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- Tensions are high on the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip after a cease-fire comes to an end.

News Reports

• ZIMBABWE: Aid agencies say cholera "is out of control" IRIN 19 Dec 2008 -- The alarm was first raised about a fresh cholera outbreak in Chegutu, 100km southwest of the Zimbabwean capital, Harare, on 10 December. Help did not arrive until three days later.
• Assets freeze on Liberian ex-president, allies must be enforced – Security Council UN News Centre 19 Dec 2008 -- The Security Council today voiced concern at the lack of progress in freezing the financial assets available to former Liberian president Charles Taylor, now on trial at the United Nations-backed court for Sierra Leone for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as to his family and associates.
• Mugabe Vows to Hold Onto Power Saying 'Zimbabwe is Mine' VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- President Robert Mugabe said Friday that "Zimbabwe is mine" and vowed never to surrender, saying no African nation is brave enough to topple him.
• India Increases Vigilance Along Border With Bangladesh Amid Terrorism Threat VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- India government officials say they have ordered closer surveillance of land borders amid concerns of more potential terrorist strikes inside the country by militants infiltrating from either Bangladesh or Pakistan.
• India Says It Killed One of Top Commanders of Group Linked to Mumbai Attack VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- The Indian army says it has killed three militants in the Doda district of Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday, including a top commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba, the group linked to the Mumbai terror attack.
• Iraqi Leaders Dismiss Coup Plot, Release Officials VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- Iraq's interior ministry says authorities have released some 23 officials accused of working to rebuild the outlawed Baath party of former leader Saddam Hussein.
• Iraqi Officials Arrested for Working to Rebuild Saddam's Party VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- Iraq's Interior Ministry says 23 government officials have been arrested in recent days for working to rebuild the outlawed Baath party of former leader Saddam Hussein.
• GUINEA: Parliamentary poll set for May 2009 IRIN 19 Dec 2008 -- Following weeks of speculation over the timing of Guinea’s overdue parliamentary elections, the prime minister on 17 December told the National Assembly the poll would take place end of May 2009.
• MYANMAR: More cyclone relief needed - report IRIN 19 Dec 2008 -- More assistance is needed to help survivors of Cyclone Nargis, despite significant progress on the ground, according to the first of three strategic Post Nargis Periodic Reviews released by the Tripartite Core Group (TCG).
• 'Deep Throat' of Watergate Scandal Fame Dies VOA 19 Dec 2008 -- W. Mark Felt, the confidential source who helped unravel the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation, has died at the age of 95.