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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 26 Apr 2004 [PDF]
• TWO CREWMEMBERS KILLED, FOUR WOUNDED IN ARABIAN GULF OIL TERMINAL ATTACKS
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Department of Defense Identifies Navy, Coast Guard Casualties
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties

• Transcript: Coalition Provisional Authority Briefing 26 Apr 2004 -- Daniel Senor, Coalition Senior Adviser; and Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, Deputy Director of Operations
• IRAQ SITREP UPDATE VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- At least three more American soldiers have died in a day of violence across Iraq (Monday). After weeks of battles with Iraqi insurgents, U-S military commanders are strongly suggesting that Sunni and Shiite rebels in two towns may soon face a full assault by coalition forces.
• Coalition Chronicles Recent Operations AFPS 26 Apr 2004 -- A series of Combined Joint Task Force 7 news releases provided details of various recent operations in Iraq.
• Coalition, Iraqi Forces To Conduct Joint Patrols in Fallujah AFPS 26 Apr 2004 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces soon will conduct joint security patrols in the troubled town of Fallujah, senior officials said today in Baghdad.
• Mosque At Center Of Al-Fallujah Fighting RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- Intense fighting erupted in Iraq today at a mosque in Al-Fallujah, resulting in the death of one U.S. soldier and eight insurgents.
• Coalition Provisional Authority Report, April 26: Iraq Update Washington File 26 Apr 2004 -- The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) spokesman told reporters in Baghdad April 26 that mosques in Najaf should not be used for weapons storage and they should be restored as holy places of worship.
• IRAQ SITREP VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- Though a cease-fire is supposed to be in effect in the Iraqi town of Fallujah, intense fighting has broken out there between American Marines and Sunni rebels. Officials of the U-S led coalition are also warning about a potentially explosive situation in the Shiite city of Najaf.
• Fighting Breaks Out In Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- The U.S. military in Iraq today said eight insurgents were killed and four U.S. troops were wounded during fighting today in Al-Fallujah.
• U.S. To Delay Al-Fallujah Offensive RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- U.S. military commanders are reported to have postponed plans to launch an attack against insurgents in the Iraqi town of Al-Fallujah.
• Polish-Controlled Sector In Iraq To Be Reduced RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- Poland says the United States will be taking over two out of five provinces currently being administered by Poland in Iraq after the departure of Spanish forces.
• MARINES TAKE STEPS TO RETURN FALLUJAH TO IRAQI POLICE CONTROL CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- In the coming days, Marines in Fallujah will team up with the Iraqi Police Service and Iraqi Civil Defense Corps to conduct joint patrols through the city in a deliberate step toward returning the streets of Fallujah back to Iraqi authority.
• $300K TARGETED FOR EAST BAGHDAD NEIGHBORHOODS CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- More than $300,000 will be pumped into eastern Baghdad neighborhoods, as a variety of coalition civil affairs projects get under way.
• TF OLYMPIA SOLDIERS DETAIN 14, DESTROY IED, CONFISCATE WEAPONS CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- Task Force Olympia Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 14 people wanted for anti-Coalition activities, destroyed an improvised explosive device and collected a variety of weapons and munitions in Northern Iraq April 23.
• TF DANGER SOLDIERS CAPTURE ANTI-COALITION SUSPECTS, WEAPONS CACHES CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- Task Force Danger Soldiers detained 19 anti-Coalition suspects and captured three weapons caches in north central Iraq April 24.
• ANTI-COALITION FORCES ATTACK IRAQI CIVILIANS CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- Anti-Coalition forces conducted a series of attacks in Mosul against civilian targets killing and injuring Iraqi civilians and Iraqi Police April 25.
• TIPS LEAD TO CAPTURE OF HIGH-VALUE TARGET, MUNITIONS AND IED COMPONENTS CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- After getting a tip from a local Iraqi near Karmah early Friday morning, Marines captured an individual who has orchestrated attacks against Coalition forces.

• COMBINED FORCES COMMAND AFGHANISTAN RELEASE CENTCOM Release 26 Apr 2004-- In coordination with the Islamic Transitional Government of Afghanistan, Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan continues to train the Afghan National Army, provide civil affairs support, and disrupt, deny, and destroy terrorist and anti-ITGA forces in order to establish a stable and secure Afghanistan.
• Roadside Bomb Injures Marines in Afghanistan AFPS 26 Apr 2004 -- Coalition officials in Kabul, Afghanistan, provided details today on some weekend operations and upcoming community events.
• NATO Seeks More PRTs In Afghanistan RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- NATO today said it has "essentially approved" plans to expand its role in the reconstruction of Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan: UN suspends operations in Kandahar region following bomb blast UN News Centre 26 Apr 2004 -- All United Nations operations in the Kandahar region of southern Afghanistan have been temporarily suspended, including voter registration, and movement within the city by national and international staff has been limited following a roadside bomb attack against a UN convoy.
• Afghanistan: Karzai Calls On Taliban To Participate In Elections RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- Afghan Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai has called on former Taliban members to participate in Afghanistan's upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections. Some members of the ousted regime have threatened to disrupt the elections, due to be held in September.
• AFGHANISTAN NATO VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- A top-ranking delegation from the NATO military alliance is visiting Afghanistan this week, as more troops may be on their way to the unstable country.

• 'Ironhorses' hot-to-trot for Djibouti Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- Big things are happening once again for the "Ironhorses" of Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron-461 as they departed New River on April 14 to link up with the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Making a difference in the safety and security of Iraq TF Danger / 1st Infantry Division Release 28 Apr 2004-- The 1st Infantry Division and Task Force Danger continue to conduct operations to eliminate anti-coalition forces and conduct stability and support operations to set the conditions for Iraqi civil and military self-reliance. The following items are a summary of recent progress towards that goal.
• Pope C-130s Supply Beans and Bullets to Terror War AFPS 26 Apr 2004 -- They like to think of themselves as the "18- wheeler trucks" that supply the front lines in the war on terror.
• Tactical drivers follow rules Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- A hungry squad of grunts without ammunition sit in the field waiting for a delivery that is already 30 minutes late. Approximately 200 miles away, a driver and an assistant driver, both clad in flak and Kevlar, climb into a Humvee loaded down with beans and bullets. The driver lets off the emergency break and puts his shellback in gear; the "A-driver" adjusts the passenger-side-mirror and the two hit the hardtop bound for delivery.
• Ammo Supply Point shells out rounds Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- Nestled within the gates here is a small unit in charge of all the ammunition support for the 17,000 Marines and Sailors of the III Marine Expeditionary Force aboard Okinawa.
• 4th Marines - epic accomplishments and myths Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- "Oldest and Proudest" is a title held by only one unit in the Marine Corps, a regiment that claims both adjectives by surviving the tests of time and combat.
• Flying tigers 'MOPP' flightline Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- Working under simulated nuclear, biological and chemical threat conditions, more than 140 Flying Tigers from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron-262, Marine Aircraft Group-36, conducted NBC mission oriented training here April 16.
• Deployments bug computer operators Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- When Okinawa Marines and Sailors were shut off from the internet late last month, many rumored why connectivity was denied. A division Marine may have placed blame on the wing, while the wing could have pointed at the FSSG. Why were computers down? The base? The MEF? The one-armed man?
• Regiment blows out 90 candles Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- Marines from the 4th Marine Regiment as well as government officials from Henoko gathered at the 4th Marines Mess Hall April 16 to recognize the regiment's 90th birthday.
• Coronado, U.S. 7th Fleet Conclude Subic Bay Visit Navy Newsstand 26 Apr 2004-- USS Coronado (AGF 11) left Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, April 26 following a three-day port visit.
• New communication system leads the way in Palan Marine Corps News 26 Apr 2004-- Communication abilities have been taken to a new level for Marines participating in the Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration exercise 2004 here at Camp Palan, Republic of Korea.

• U.S. Military Firing Range in Maehyang-ri to Close Off KCNA 26 Apr 2004 -- The south Korean "Ministry of National Defence" recently clarified that it agreed with the U.S. military side to close off the firing range in Maehyang-ri, Hwasong County, Kyonggi Province and concluded a "plan for implementation" of it.

• NATO Attaches Strings To Iraq Role RFE/RL 26 Apr 2004 -- NATO has said it will consider a greater role in Iraq only if a string of conditions are met.

• U-S POL / SECURITY VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- In U-S presidential politics, the Bush and Kerry campaigns exchanged attacks Monday over the issue of national security. Vice President Dick Cheney questioned presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry's record on defense, while the head of the Democratic Party fired back at the vice president.
• White House Daily Press Briefing, April 26, 2004 Washington File 26 Apr 2004 -- President's schedule, Bush phone calls/Putin/King Abdullah, Iraq/UN resolution, Iraq/Brahimi's remarks on Fallujah/Najaf, Iraq/security/transferring sovereignty, war on terrorism, China/elections
• State Department Noon Briefing, April 26 Washington File 26 Apr 2004 -- North Korea, Cyprus, Secretary Powell's Weekend Telephone Calls,Israel/Palestinians, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, China/Taiwan, China/Hong KongHaiti, Germany

Defense Industry

• Northrop Grumman Leads F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Team in Weapons Loading Demonstration for United Kingdom Users Northrop Grumman 26 Apr 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and its partners on Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter team continued laying critical groundwork for the aircraft's operational effectiveness by conducting a weapons-loading demonstration with military ordnance crews from the United Kingdom. Involving operational users early in the design of key aircraft components is unprecedented in military aircraft programs.
• Raytheon Awarded $36 Million Contract Modification for Tactical Control System Software Raytheon 26 Apr 2004 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $36.8 million contract modification by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 26 Apr 2004
• UN mission continues disarmament of ex-rebels in Liberia UN News Centre 26 Apr 2004 -- The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) continues to disarm and demobilize ex-fighters from the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) rebel group, collecting weapons over the weekend from about 270 former combatants.
• Expert panel named to monitor UN arms embargo in eastern DR of Congo UN News Centre 26 Apr 2004 -- Four experts have been named to monitor the United Nations embargo prohibiting weapons flowing to militias in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and, if necessary, to nearby areas of other countries.
• NIGERIA: Obasanjo orders crackdown as delta violence escalates IRIN 26 Apr 2004 -- President Olusegun Obasanjo has ordered the military to crack down on armed militants in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta after a weekend ambush on an oil company boat killed seven people, including two Americans.
• U-S-CYPRUS VOTE VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- The United States says it will follow the lead of the European Union and offer aid to Turkish Cypriots after the U-N plan for reunifying the divided island was voted down by the Greek-Cypriot side. The State Department is accusing Greek-Cypriot authorities of manipulating the vote.
• POWELL / DARFUR VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- The Bush administration is calling on Sudanese authorities to fulfill promises to open the war-ravaged western Darfur region to humanitarian aid workers, and to bring peace talks on the country's north-south-civil war to a successful end.
• SUDAN/REBEL GROUPS VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- In a development that could complicate ongoing peace talks to end two separate conflicts in Sudan, the government in Khartoum says it believes the Sudan People's Liberation Army - the S-P-L-A -- is actively giving military assistance to the main rebel group in western Darfur in their year-long fight against Khartoum.
• E-U/ CYPRUS VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- The European Union has offered more than 300 million dollars in aid for Turkish Cypriots after their opportunity for E-U membership was blocked when Greek Cypriots rejected reunification of the divided island in a referendum Saturday.
• LIBERIA: Bring out hidden weapons, says UN force commander IRIN 26 Apr 2004 -- The commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping force in Liberia, General Daniel Opande, has warned fighters of Liberian warring parties not to hide weapons during the war-torn country's disarmament programme.
• SOMALIA: Peace talks set to resume on 6 May IRIN 26 Apr 2004 -- The Somali reconciliation conference sponsored by the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has now been scheduled to reconvene early next month, according to an IGAD source close to the talks.
• BURUNDI-DRC-RWANDA: Rwanda deploys troops along border with Burundi, DRC IRIN 26 Apr 2004 -- Rwanda has deployed troops heavily along its border with Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo in anticipation of possible attacks from Hutu rebels, Rwandan military spokesman Col Patrick Karegeya told IRIN on Monday.
• INDONESIA VIOLENCE VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- At least 10 people have been killed in Indonesia after violence flared between Muslims and Christians in the province of Maluku. Maluku is known for religious tension, but had been significantly more peaceful in recent months.
• LIBERIA/DISARMAMENT VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- A third city in Liberia is now part of the U-N disarmament campaign as concern grows over the numbers of combatants who are not handing in weapons. A U-N agency says less than half the rebels are handing in guns.
• SRI LANKA REBELS VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- In Sri Lanka, seven Tamil Tiger rebels have been killed by unidentified gunmen. As Anjana Pasricha reports, the violence erupted as a Norwegian delegation prepares to visit the country to help revive the stalled peace process.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- Palestinian gunmen shot and killed one Israeli border policeman and wounded three others in violence at the start of the Israeli holiday honoring its war dead.
• IVORY COAST / REBELS VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- Rebels in Ivory Coast have held a rally in the north, saying they no longer want contact with the government of President Laurent Gbagbo. The rebel rally followed protests in Abidjan by the opposition and pro-government militants over the weekend.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 26 Apr 2004 -- In Denmark, new defence minister is appointed / Authorities investigate possible Hamas ties to Jordanian shooter in Kosovo attack / Norway rejects U.S. plea to stay on in Iraq / French minister rules out sending troops to Iraq / NATO envoys make unprecedented visit to Afghanistan amid calls for expanded peacekeeping presence / Germany and the Netherlands set to send peacekeeping team to north-eastern Afghanistan / Russia postpones military satellite launch
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 26 Apr 2004 -- Spain considering options for increasing its forces in Afghanistan / Multinational force to hand over control of two provinces to U.S. troops / Reality intrudes on U.S. vision for Middle East

• PRESS BRIEFING ON MEETING BETWEEN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL, BRETTON WOODS INSTITUTIONS, WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION United Nations 26 Apr 2004
• PRESS BRIEFING BY GLOBAL COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION United Nations 26 Apr 2004
• ZANZIBAR/POLITICS VOA 26 Apr 2004 -- The semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar have marked the 40-year anniversary of their union with the then-Tanganyika mainland to form Tanzania. But not everyone is celebrating the current union arrangement.