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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 25 Aug 2004 [PDF]
• ONE TASK FORCE DANGER SOLDIER KILLED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• IRAQ WRAP VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- Iraq's most influential Shi'ite Muslim cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has returned home and is calling for a nationwide march to end the three week standoff with radical Shi'ite militants holed up in the Imam Ali shrine in the holy city of Najaf. Iraqi militants have kidnapped a relative of the defense minister. Several people were killed in a U.S. airstrike in the western city of Fallujah.
• Najaf Standoff Continues As Militants Still Hold Shrine AFPS 25 Aug 2004 -- As the standoff in Najaf continues between Iraqi, U.S. and coalition troops and forces under the command of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq's top Shiite holy man apparently is ready to use his prestige to resolve the situation, according to news reports.
• HMM-261 heads home to N.C. USMC News 25 Aug 2004 -- When the "Raging Bulls" arrived here in February, they were the first Marine medium helicopter squadron to arrive in the I Marine Expeditionary Force area of operations. Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 261 didn't know what to expect, but their actions set the example for many of the other squadrons arriving on deck.
• U.S. Forces Launch Air Strikes in Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 25 Aug 2004 -- U.S. aircraft today launched air strikes against targets in Iraq's western city of Al-Fallujah.
• Guard squadron makes mark in Operation Iraqi Freedom AFPN 25 Aug 2004 -- The most recent deployment for the 107th Fighter Squadron was one of firsts, the unit's commander said here Aug. 24.

• UN / AFGHAN ELECTIONS VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- Preparations for Afghanistan's October elections are going well. United Nations officials say about 90-percent of eligible voters have registered to vote, nearly half of them women. But there are worrisome signs that the Taleban is re-emerging, intent on sabotaging the vote.
• AFGHAN ELECTIONS VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- An international delegation of political and legal experts has ended a fact-finding mission to Afghanistan that evaluated the preparations for presidential elections due October 9th. They list logistical and security concerns as some of the potential pitfalls. Correspondent Laurie Kassman reports they also have praise for the enthusiasm of Afghans who have registered to vote.
• World: Taliban and Al-Qaeda -- Provincial vs. Global RFE/RL 25 Aug 2004 -- There are important distinctions between the Taliban regime that ruled Afghanistan until late 2001 and the Al-Qaeda network that carried out the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Australian Citizen is the Second Commissions Case 25 Aug 2004 -- The second of four military commissions began today here at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for Australian David Hicks. An Australian citizen, Hicks is accused of conspiracy, attempted murder by an unprivileged belligerent, and aiding the enemy.
• GUANTANAMO HEARINGS VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- An Australian man accused of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit war crimes pleaded not guilty Wednesday before a U.S. military commission set to begin prosecuting accused enemy combatants. The hearings are underway at the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for four people accused of supporting al-Qaida or the Taleban.
• First Military Commission Hearing Ends in Continuance for Defense AFPS 25 Aug 2004 -- The first military commission hearing for an enemy combatant held here ended Aug. 24 with the presiding officer granting a continuance for the defense.
• Force Shaping for the Future - CNP Discusses Manning the Fleet for the Future Navy NewsStand 25 Aug 2004 -- In an Aug. 17 interview at the Navy Annex in Washington, D.C., Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Gerry Hoewing talked about what a change in end strength would mean for Sailors and how the Navy would look in the future.
• AESA Radar Reaches One Year Flight Test Milestone Navy NewsStand 25 Aug 2004 -- More than a year since its first flight, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Strike Fighter Program office's F/A-18 Hornet Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) APG-79 Radar program continues to rapidly advance toward equipping the fleet with cutting edge radar technology.
• Guard squadron makes mark in Operation Iraqi Freedom AFPN 25 Aug 2004 -- The most recent deployment for the 107th Fighter Squadron was one of firsts, the unit's commander said here Aug. 24.
• Road Warrior III reinforces continuous training AFPN 25 Aug 2004 -- Road Warrior III trained nearly 90 Airmen from air force bases in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota in the strategy and tactics of defending the nation's ICBM resources for three weeks here.
• Airmen keep Litening pods striking AFPN 26 Aug 2004 -- As A-10 Thunderbolt IIs patrol over Afghanistan, one piece of avionics equipment is extremely important to them providing unparalleled close-air support to ground forces.

• State Department Noon Briefing, August 25 Washington File 25 Aug 2004 -- Russia, Thailand, Colombia, Iraq, Iraq/Turkey, Lebanon, Japan, Department, Greece/Powell's upcoming trip, Israel/Palestinians, Sudan, Uzbekistan
• White House Daily Briefing, August 25 Washington File 25 Aug 2004 -- President's schedule, Abu Ghraib, Russia

Defense Industry

• Northrop Grumman Wins Commercial Aircraft Anti-Missile System Contract Northrop Grumman 25 Aug 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for Phase II of the Counter-Man Portable Air Defense Systems (Counter-MANPADS) program, which is designed to protect commercial aircraft from attack by ground-based, shoulder-fired missiles.
• BAE SYSTEMS Starts F-35 JSF Assembly BAE Systems 25 Aug 2004 -- Employees at BAE Systems Samlesbury, UK, have started assembling the aft fuselage of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the next generation, supersonic, multi-role stealth aircraft.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 25 Aug 2004
• U.S.-Lebanon-Syria VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- The United States said Wednesday Syria and other outside powers should stay out of Lebanese presidential politics. The comments came amid reports that Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, a close ally of Syria, may seek a second six-year term if parliament amends the constitution to allow him to do so.
• US / DARFUR / GENOCIDE VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- State Department officials say a U.S. team in Chad is close to completing an investigation of whether attacks on refugees by government-backed militiamen in Sudan's western Darfur region amounts to genocide. A preliminary U.S. report says the militias have engaged in a "consistent and widespread pattern of atrocities."
• LIBERIA: Disarmament to end in December, later than planned IRIN 25 Aug 2004 -- Liberia's disarmament programme will be extended until the end of this year, the United Nations said on Wednesday, dashing hopes that all former combatants would hand in their weapons before the UN starts to bring refugees home in October.
• EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Alleged mercenary leader tells court he met Mark Thatcher IRIN 25 Aug 2004 -- South African authorities arrested the son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher on Wednesday in connection with a failed plot to overthrow Equatorial Guinea's president, while the top suspect in the bungled coup was probed about his links to the British businessman in a Malabo court.
• SUDAN: Peace talks teeter back from brink of collapse IRIN 25 Aug 2004 -- Talks aimed at bringing peace to Darfur teetered back from the brink of collapse on Wednesday, as rebel leaders temporarily shelved their objection to discussing the confinement of all fighting forces to designated bases, an African Union (AU) spokesman said.
• SUDAN / DARFUR VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- Romanian-born Nobel Peace Laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel today (Wednesday) added his voice to calls for an end to the violence and killings in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.
• NIGERIA / SUDAN TALKS VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- Sudan's government says it will accept a larger African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur as long as the troops are used to contain and demobilize rebel forces.
• UN/SUDAN VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- United Nations officials say Sudan has not done enough to control Arab militias accused of crimes against African villagers in the Darfur region. The Security Council is considering action to protect Darfur residents, though punitive measures against Sudan are unlikely.
• PALESTINIANS SECURITY VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- A senior Palestinian security official was wounded and his bodyguard killed in a Gaza City shooting on Wednesday. The attack comes as the Palestinian Legislature Council meets to debate reforms in the Palestinian Authority, including the security apparatus.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 25 Aug 2004 -- Bosnia to send unit to Iraq despite opposition / Serbian lawmakers debate ban on dropping lawsuit against NATO / Swiss supreme court denies release for terror suspect / Report: Signal of seizure activated on missing Russian plane
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 25 Aug 2004 -- Nine suspected militants captured in Afghan-NATO raid near Kabu / Dutch daily views tasks of PRT mission / USAREUR, V Corps headquarters to merge as part of Europe overhaul / Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: Rights plan hits snag / Russian security service details preliminary conclusions of air crashes

• SAF / THATCHER VOA 25 Aug 2004 -- Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's son, Mark, was arrested in South Africa early Wednesday in connection with the alleged plot to overthrow the government of oil-rich Equatorial Guinea.