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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 08 Jun 2004 [PDF]
• MARINE KILLED IN ACTION
• ONE SOLDIER KILLED BY CAR BOMB
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• One Soldier, Two Iraqi Civilians Killed, Other Wounded By Car Bomb

• Transcript: Press Conference with Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez 08 Jun 2004 -- Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, Commander, Coalition Ground Forces; Ambassador De Martino Of Italy and Ambassador Wielgosz Of Poland
• IRAQ / HOSTAGES VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- The top American general in Iraq says three Italians and a Polish citizen, who were abducted at different times in the past seven weeks, were freed in a U-S-led rescue operation south of Baghdad.
• Combat exercise showcasing proposed uniform Air Force Link 08 Jun 2004 -- As the Air Force continues its wear test of the proposed new utility uniform, its sister services are getting a chance to get an up close and personal look at the uniform during exercise Northern Edge '04.
• Coalition Forces Rescue Italian, Polish Hostages AFPS 08 Jun 2004 -- Coalition forces rescued four civilian hostages today south of Baghdad, military officials reported.
• Civil Affairs Operations Continue in Iraq AFPS 08 Jun 2004 -- Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, assigned in support of the 1st Marine Division in Iraq1 visited the Ali Jassim tribal area clinic to inspect improvement work there.
• Ammunition Facility Accident Claims Soldiers' Lives AFPS 08 Jun 2004 -- Several coalition soldiers were killed today in an accident during engineering work at an ammunition and explosive storage facility near Suwayrah, Iraq, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported.
• CAR BOMB IN MOSUL TARGETED GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS CENTCOM 08 Jun 2004 -- A car bomb was detonated in downtown Mosul several hundred meters from the City Hall around 9:15 a.m. June 8.

• 22nd MEU'S Airfield Flourishes in Central Afghanistan Marine Corps News 08 Jun 2004 -- The once dusty strip of land now is a bustling 24-hour airfield supporting thousands of Marines and hosting hundreds of aircraft from different services and countries.
• Marine and Army Engineers team up to build Forward Operating Base Marine Corps News 08 Jun 2004 -- If you build it, they will come--in mid-March, Forward Operating Base Ripley was still just a blueprint in the hands of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable). Almost overnight, a small tent city and some concertina wire surrounding it marked the beginnings of a new home for coalition military forces in Afghanistan.
• Marines Take Care of One Another in Fierce Afghan Firefight Marine Corps News 08 Jun 2004 -- Lance Cpl. James Gould says the 7.62mm round that punched through his right calf felt like a sledgehammer blow.
• Marines, Afghan Soldiers Foil Ambush, Kill Taliban Fighters AFPS 08 Jun 2004 -- Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) continued their assault into the Taliban heartland, where they killed Taliban fighters poised to ambush them in central Afghanistan today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Northern Edge 2004 in full swing Pacific Air Forces News Service 08 Jun 2004 -- Alaska's premier joint training exercise launched its first aircraft June 7 and will continue flying operations through June 16 at Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force Bases and off the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) in the Gulf of Alaska.
• CONGRESS / ASHCROFT VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is refusing to turn over to U.S. lawmakers documents that are said to advise the White House that some torture could be justified during interrogations in the war on terrorism.

• VP-47 Returns Home from Deployment Navy Newsstand 08 Jun 2004 -- After a six month deployment to the Middle East, Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 returned home to Hawaii June 5.
• BALTOPS '04 Sets Sail Navy Newsstand 08 Jun 2004 -- Flags flying from the masts of 39 ships from 13 countries presented a colorful array in the Polish harbor of Gydnia June 7, as Baltic Operations 2004 (BALTOPS '04) began.
• 1st Stinger launches into training Marine Corps News 08 Jun 2004 -- Training to provide defense against low-altitude air attacks, Marines of 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Air Control Group-18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, used the Simulated Target Launching System to create the feel of a Stinger weapons system here June 8.
• Tactical Wing Center keeps Northern Edge running Marine Corps News 08 Jun 2004 -- The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Expeditionary Tactical Air Command Center based in Okinawa, Japan is involved in the Northern Edge '04 exercise and began communication exercises on June 7 to enhance their connectivity in a joint environment.
• New ASW Tactical Assessment System Ready for Fleet Testing Navy Newsstand 08 Jun 2004 -- Barely a month after its creation, the Navy's newest operational command, Fleet Anti-Submarine Warfare Command (FLTASWCOM), has already reached milestones in its mission to integrate and improve anti-submarine warfare (ASW) in the Navy.
• Mission accomplished: RAF Mildenhall control tower signs off AF EUR 08 Jun 2004 -- The rainy weather predicted by weather forecasters held off, and under a blue sky, the last radio transmission from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England's old air traffic control tower here was made May 30.v
• U.S. Warships McClusky and Fletcher Return to San Diego Navy Newsstand 08 Jun 2004 -- The destroyer USS Fletcher (DD 992) and frigate USS McClusky (FFG 41) returned to Naval Base San Diego June 3 following their respective deployments in support of the global war on terrorism.
• Kennedy Lights-Off Boiler As Surge Date Nears Navy Newsstand 08 Jun 2004 -- USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) took another step in the global war on terrorism as engineers brought the first of eight boilers back on line June 2.
• SOKOR/U-S TROOP VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- One day after the United States proposed a troop realignment on the Korean Peninsula, South Korean officials say the plans are not final.
• USS Kearsarge Deploys in Support of OIF, Global War on Terrorism Navy Newstand 08 Jun 2004 -- Sailors and Marines embarked in USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) departed June 7 on an eight-week deployment to the Central Command area of responsibility in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and the global war on terrorism.

• State Department Noon Briefing, June 8 Washington File 08 Jun 2004 -- Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, South Korea, Iraq, China/Iraq, Japan/Iraq, Lebanon/Israel, Greece/Cyprus, China/North Korea

Defense Industry

• Boeing Begins X-45C Unmanned Aircraft Assembly Boeing 08 Jun 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] started assembling its Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) X-45C aircraft today, loading the aft "carry-through" frame into a holding fixture inside the company's St. Louis manufacturing facility. The 86-pound aluminum part, which spans the back end of the vehicle, will soon be mated with the two X-45 engine keels.
• Lockheed Martin Delivers Aerostat Surveillance System to U.S. Army for Deployment in Iraq Lockheed Martin 08 Jun 2004 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has delivered a 56,000-cubic-foot tethered aerostat surveillance system to the U.S. Army for deployment in Iraq. The aerostat, equipped with various sensors, will provide a persistent surveillance capability in the defense of ground forces and high-value assets in Baghdad. Lockheed Martin integrated the aerostat, sensors, ground station and mooring system at its facility in Akron.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 08 Jun 2004
• COTE D IVOIRE: Helicopter gunships attack as 20 die in ground clashes IRIN 08 Jun 2004 -- Helicopter gunships have been used to attack rebel positions for the first time in nearly a year after 20 people died in clashes between government troops and unidentified attackers on the frontline with the rebel-held north of Cote d'Ivoire, a military spokesman said on Tuesday.
• Tensions may limit aid to DR of Congo refugees, UN agency says UN News Centre 08 Jun 2004 -- As sporadic shooting continued in Bukavu town in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN refugee agency said today high tensions, especially near to Rwanda, may hinder its efforts to help refugees on both sides of the border.
• No basis for active UN role as Cyprus standoff continues, Security Council told UN News Centre 08 Jun 2004 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan does not see any basis for resuming his active good offices on Cyprus now that it has missed its final chance to join the European Union as a united country, a senior United Nations adviser told the Security Council today.
• UN envoy calls for end to violations of withdrawal line between Israel, Lebanon UN News Centre 08 Jun 2004 -- The United Nations envoy for southern Lebanon said today he was concerned by a series of Lebanese rocket attacks yesterday morning and then the retaliatory overflights and aircraft fire by Israeli forces.
• ISRAEL / LEBANON VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- Hezbollah guerillas in Lebanon attacked Israeli positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms area Tuesday, a day after Israeli warplanes attacked a Palestinian militant base south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
• LIBERIA / SANCTIONS VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- Liberian officials say they want sanctions lifted against the war-torn country, even though a U.N. panel of experts says it is too soon.
• U.N./PALESTINIANS VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- About 400 delegates attending an international conference in Geneva have pledged not to abandon millions of Palestinian refugees. The conference has succeeded in persuading international donors to increase their humanitarian assistance to more than four-million Palestinian refugees scattered across the Middle East.
• ISRAEL / LEBANON VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- Israeli warplanes attacked a Palestinian militant base south of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, late Monday. Israel described the strike as a signal to Lebanese authorities that they are responsible for what goes on in their territory.
• E.U./CONGO VOA 08 Jun 2004 -- A European Union diplomatic source has told V.O.A. that the 25-nation bloc is not considering sending a peacekeeping force to the Democratic Republic of the Congo at this time. The diplomat was reacting to a remark by Belgium's foreign minister that the European Union had agreed to send troops to Congo, and is working out the logistics.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 08 Jun 2004 -- NATO signs Ukraine plane deal, calls for reforms / Revised U.S.-British resolution on Iraq appears to gain key European support on Security Council / EU's Solana visits Kosovo amid renewed ethnic tensions / Arrests of war crimes suspects necessary, Bosnian and Serb officials say
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 08 Jun 2004 -- NATO chief on Afghan mission, Istanbul summit / Berlusconi: Italy asked to send more troops to Afghanistan / Daily previews Dutch Baghlan stabilization mission / Coalition soldiers killed defusing munitions / UN arms inspectors say Iraq sites were cleaned out / Three Kosovo Albanians accused of terrorism arrested in Albania / EU considering troops for Congo