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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 04 Oct 2004 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• TWO SOLDIERS KILLED BY SMALL ARMS FIRE

• U.S., Iraqi Troops Continue Samarra Offensive RFE/RL 04 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. military says it is continuing operations today in Samarra, and that about 70 percent of the Iraqi city is now under U.S.-Iraqi control.
• 1ST CAV'S BLACK JACK BRIGADE TO COMPLETE YEARLONG ROTATION CENTCOM 04 Oct 2004 -- The 1st Cavalry Division announced today that the rotation schedule of its 2nd Brigade "Black Jack" Combat Team has shifted into 2005 .
• Strike on Zarqawi Network MNF-I/MNC-I 04 Oct 2004 -- At approximately 1 a.m. local time, Oct. 4, Multi-National Force-Iraq conducted a precision strike against a building where approximately 25 Anti-Iraqi Forces network members were moving weapons on the outskirts of Fallujah.
• MNF-I Continues to Hunt Zarqawi MNF-I/MNC-I 04 Oct 2004 -- In the last month, Multi-National Forces have successfully conducted ten offensive strikes on the Abu Musab al Zarqawi terrorist network. Each action removed foreign fighters from the streets of Fallujah and strengthens the safety of Iraq.
• Car Bombs Explode In Baghdad MNF-I/MNC-I 04 Oct 2004 -- Two vehicle borne improvised explosive devices detonated in downtown Baghdad this morning. The first VBIED detonated near a Task Force checkpoint outside the International Zone at approximately 8:45 a.m. The second car bomb exploded one hour later at 9:45 a.m. near the Baghdad Hotel.
• Airmen use GBU-38 in combat AFPN 04 Oct 2004 -- During one particular night shift recently, a team primarily composed of Air National Guardsmen conducted the first successful drop of a GBU-38 bomb in combat.

• Afghan Reconstruction Continues Apace Washington File 04 Oct 2004 -- The Military Information Support Team in Afghanistan issued the following fact sheet October 1, documenting the most recent developments in institutional, economic and infrastructure reconstruction of Afghanistan
• Coalition Nabs 16 Enemy Soldiers After Afghan Firefight AFPS 04 Oct 2004 -- Coalition forces captured 16 enemy insurgents Oct. 3 during a daylong battle near the Afghan city of Spin Buldak, according to officials.
• UN rights report finds Taliban and other groups still intimidating Afghan voters UN News Centre 04 Oct 2004 -- The Taliban and other extremist groups continue to intimidate Afghans against voting in this weekend's historic presidential election, and many government officials, local leaders and military or police figures are partisan campaigners on behalf of candidates, a report co-authored by the United Nations mission finds.
• PAKISTAN/AFGHAN/VOTE VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- An international agency says the response to a voter registration drive among Afghan refugees in Pakistan has been overwhelming. In just four days, an estimated 650-thousand have registered to vote in the first presidential election in their homeland Saturday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Council on Foreign Relations 04 Oct 2004 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld / "Mr. Secretary, what exactly was the connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda? (...) I have seen the answer to that question migrate in the intelligence community over the period of a year in the most amazing way. Second, there are differences in the intelligence community as to what the relationship was. To my knowledge, I have not seen any strong, hard evidence that links the two. There are -- I just read an intelligence report recently about one person who's connected to al Qaeda who was in and out of Iraq and there's the most tortured description of why he might have had a relationship and why he might not have had a relationship. There are reports about people in Saddam Hussein's intelligence service meeting in one country or another with al Qaeda people from one person to another, which may have been indicative of something, or may not have been. It may have been something that was not representative of a hard linkage."
• A Statement From Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld 04 Oct 2004 -- A question I answered today at an appearance before the Council on Foreign Relations regarding ties between Al Qaeda and Iraq regrettably was misunderstood.
• Patient support pallet used for first time on KC-10 AFPN 04 Oct 2004 -- Air Mobility Command supports more than 24,000 worldwide patient movements on nearly 2,500 aeromedical-evacuation missions annually, yet none had been scheduled on a KC-10 Extender mission until now.
• DOD expands anthrax, smallpox vaccination programs AFPN 04 Oct 2004 -- Department of Defense is expanding its anthrax and smallpox immunization programs following an evaluation conducted by the Military Health System. Air Force officials released service-specific guidance recently.
• Fletcher Decommissions Navy NewsStand 04 Oct 2004 -- Before a crowd of current and former crewmembers, USS Fletcher (DD 992) was decommissioned Oct 1. at Naval Station San Diego after 24 years of naval service.

• Reconnaissance Office Transforms Space ISR AFPS 04 Oct 2004 -- The National Reconnaissance Office serves as the nation's eyes and ears in space. And while other organizations are working to transform military intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on the ground, the NRO is looking at that transformation with a bird's-eye view.

• JAPAN/DEFENSE VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- A government advisory panel is recommending sweeping changes to Japan's defense structure. This come as news reports say Japan will ask the United States to move some of its troops out of the country.

• State Department Noon Briefing, October 4 Washington File 04 Oct 2004 -- Germany, Israel/Palestinians, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Western Hemisphere, Iraq, Poland, Georgia, Syria/Lebanon, Indonesia, Nepal, Powell's trip to Brazil/additional stops, China/Taiwan
• White House Daily Briefing, October 4 Washington File 04 Oct 2004 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan briefed reporters October 4 aboard Air Force One en route to Des Moines, Iowa

Defense Industry

• General Dynamics Software-Defined Radio First to Receive National Security Agency Certification General Dynamics 04 Oct 2004 -- General Dynamics has received certification from the National Security Agency (NSA) for software version 5.3 for its AN/USC-61 Digital Modular Radio (DMR) system, which means the Navy is now authorized for operational use of version 5.3 software. This is the first time the NSA has certified a software-reconfigurable, software-defined radio system. Additionally, the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command has awarded the company a $16 million contract to upgrade hardware and software for the AN/USC-61 DMR system, using the newly NSA-certified software.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded $625 Million Contract to Develop Radars for International Air Defense System Lockheed Martin 04 Oct 2004 -- Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] Maritime Systems & Sensors (MS2) unit has received contracts with a combined value of $625 million for radar development associated with the design and development phase of the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS), an international air defense program.
• Gala Christening Honors Northrop Grumman-built Aegis Destroyer Forrest Sherman Northrop Grumman 04 Oct 2004 -- "Our Navy needs not only to be prepared to address traditional missions, but also to be equipped for the new enemies we face," proclaimed U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss), as principal speaker during the christening of the Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC)-built Aegis guided missile destroyer Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), held Saturday, October 2, 2004 at the company's Ship Systems sector.
• American Eurocopter Wins $75 Million U.S. Border Patrol Contract to Support the Department of Homeland Security EADS 04 Oct 2004 -- American Eurocopter - a subsidiary of Eurocopter, the largest manufacturer of commercial helicopters in the world, and EADS North America-, announced on Monday that the company has been awarded a contract by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to supply more than 55 aircraft to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. The value of the award is potentially $75 million over the five-year term of the contract.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 04 Oct 2004
• PRESS BRIEFING BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT United Nations 04 Oct 2004
• UN / GAZA ROCKET PROBE VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- The United Nations has launched an investigation into Israeli charges that Palestinian militants have used U.N. ambulances to transport weapons.
• POWELL / ISRAEL / GAZA VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday he hopes Israel's current military offensive in Gaza aimed at quelling rocket attacks will be proportionate to the threat that country faces, and will be concluded soon. He spoke to reporters en route to Brazil.
• UN / MIDEAST RESOLUTION VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- Arab nations are asking the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israel's latest military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The Council met in emergency session Monday to consider the request, and a vote could come as early as today (Tuesday).
• DAMASCUS BOMBING: LIKELY TO SPARK A 'FRESH CYCLE OF ASSAULTS' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 01 Oct 2004
• New UN report finds Africa generally more peaceful but still facing threats UN News Centre 04 Oct 2004 -- Africa is getting better at resolving armed conflicts and promoting peace but its outlook remains uncertain given the prevailing widespread extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS pandemic and continuing high rates of youth unemployment, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the continent's fortunes.
• UN official denies Israeli charge that UN vehicle was used to transport weapons UN News Centre 04 Oct 2004 -- The main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has found no substance to a charge by Israel that an UNRWA ambulance driver loaded a Kassam rocket into his vehicle.
• In reorganization of UN mission in Cyprus, Annan recommends cut in troops UN News Centre 04 Oct 2004 -- With the security situation in Cyprus increasingly benign, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has recommended cutting the troop strength of the United Nations peacekeeping mission there by about one third while extending its mandate until mid-2005 to foster conditions conducive to a comprehensive settlement.
• NIGERIA: Peace deal reached in Niger Delta, but will it hold? IRIN 04 Oct 2004 -- Ethnic militia groups in the Niger Delta agreed a tentative peace deal with Nigeria's federal government at the end of last week. But political commentators and activists in the Delta said on Monday they were sceptical that it would provide anything more than a temporary respite to a battle which threatens the country's lifeblood oil industry.
• US/AFRICA REFUGEES VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- Senior U.S. officials warn up to 300-thousand people in Sudan's western Darfur province could die by the end of the year, if they do not get more international assistance. Lisa Schlein in Geneva reports the officials say the crisis in conflict-ridden Darfur has not yet peaked.
• BALKAN/ELECTIONS VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- First official results from elections in three of the countries that once made up Yugoslavia show that nationalists retained their dominance in Bosnia, but moderates made some inroads there and in Serbia. In Slovenia, the liberal government was ousted in favor of a center-right party.
• Middle East: Israel Expands Gaza Offensive, UN's Annan Urges Halt RFE/RL 04 Oct 2004 -- Israel has escalated its military offensive in Gaza with an air strike on a militant stronghold that killed a senior Hamas leader. Some 60 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed in the five days of violence, which Israel says will last "as long as necessary" to halt rocket attacks against the Jewish state. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is urging Israel to halt its incursion into Gaza, which he said has led to the deaths of scores of civilians, including children.
• DRC: MONUC gets six-month extension, 5,900 more troops IRIN 04 Oct 2004 -- In a move described by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as "an important step", the UN Security Council extended on Friday the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as MONUC, by six months and approved a further 5,900 troops for the mission.
• PALESTINIAN FRUSTRATIONS VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- An overwhelming majority of Palestinians say they want political reforms, but doubt their leaders will provide them. That's according to a survey published by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, which shows decreasing public confidence in the Palestinian Authority, but no clear alternative in the near future.
• UN/REFUGEES VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers calls the plight of the people of Sudan's Darfur Province a reality of enormous and tragic dimensions. Rhe desperate situation of the people in Darfur topped the High Commissioner's remarks at the opening of this year's week-long refugee conference in Geneva.

News Reports

• INDONESIA/ELECTION VOA 04 Oct 2004 -- Indonesia's electoral commission has formally announced that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a former general and security minister, has won the country's first direct presidential election. Mr. Yudhoyono beat the incumbent by a broad margin.