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Defense Policy / Programs
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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Oct 2004 [PDF]
• TASK FORCE OLYMPIA SOLDIER DIES FOLLOWING CAR BOMB ATTACK ON MULITNATIONAL FORCES CONVOY
• SOLDIER'S STATUS CHANGED FROM DECEASED TO KIA
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• IRAQ SITREP VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- In Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi forces have stepped up their military operations in areas of the country under the control of Sunni rebels. Ahead of elections set for January, Iraqi and coalition forces are attempting to restore government control over as much of the country as possible.
• IRAQ / SADR CITY VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- Police stations in the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City are overwhelmed with huge crowds of Mehdi army members showing up to hand over their weapons. It is part of a deal to bring peace to the impoverished community that has been wracked with violence and fighting for several weeks.
• Marines Return Fire in Hit MNC-I/MNC-I 12 Oct 2004 -- At approximately 4:00 p.m. Oct. 11, Marines and Iraqi National Guard members began receiving small arms fire from the Sharqi Mosque in Hit.
• Precision Strike Destroys Zarqawi Location MNC-I/MNC-I 12 Oct 2004 -- A center for Abu Musab al Zarqawi terrorist meetings was destroyed today following a successful precision strike.
• Fallujah Safehouse Destroyed MNC-I/MNC-I 12 Oct 2004 -- At 4:02 am Oct. 12, Multi-National Forces conducted another successful strike in Fallujah, against the Abu Musab al Zarqawi terrorist network. The precision strike destroyed a known terrorist safe house in north east Fallujah.
• 1st Marine Division Supports Iraqi Security Force Raids on Local Mosques MNC-I/MNC-I 12 Oct 2004 -- Iraqi Security Forces, supported by Marines and Soldiers from the 1st Marine Division, began a series of raids on seven mosques in Ramadi today.
• Insurgents Use Mosques for Attacks MNC-I/MNC-I 12 Oct 2004 -- In recent weeks, First Marine Division units conducting security operations in support of Iraqi Security Forces have noticed more insurgent activity in and around the mosques of Ramadi.
• 1st Armored Division welcomed back to Germany Army News 12 Oct 2004 -- After a 15-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2,500 Soldiers of the 1st Armored Division rallied for a day-long welcome home ceremony Oct. 7.
• 3rd MAW conducts mass casualty drill at Al Asad USMC News 12 Oct 2004 -- The first combined-service mass casualty drill was conducted here Oct. 5 and was hailed by 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing participants and medical planners as a tremendous success.
• 4th LAAD Battalion hosts ranges in Iraqi Desert USMC News 12 Oct 2004 -- The Marine Corps has always placed a high importance on the training of their troops.

• Security Council urges Afghans to tackle key post-election challenges UN News Centre 12 Oct 2004 -- Welcoming Saturday's presidential election in Afghanistan, and congratulating the millions of voters for their "commitment to democracy," the Security Council today urged the Afghan Government to focus on the challenges of improving security, continuing the disarmament of ex-fighters, battling the illegal drug trade and preparing the country for parliamentary elections next April.
• U.N. Congratulates Afghans on "Impressive" Election Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- The Security Council and Secretary General Kofi Annan October 12 congratulated the Afghan people on the conduct of their first presidential election.
• UN / AFGHAN ELECTION VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- The U.N. Security Council has hailed Afghanistan's election as a milestone in the country's political process. A preliminary U.N. assessment indicates the election was well run.
• AFGHAN ELECTION VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- A preliminary survey of voters who cast ballots Saturday in Afghanistan's first ever presidential election indicates current transitional President Hamid Karzai is the apparent winner.
• Afghanistan: UN Official Hails Vote As 'Special Event' REF/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- A senior UN official has called the Afghan elections an impressive achievement that bodes well for the country's political development. The deputy head of UN peacekeeping, Hedi Annabi, said an investigation is under way into charges of vote fraud and intimidation. But he told the UN Security Council today that the elections were generally well run and orderly. The Security Council praised the elections as a milestone for the country and urged Afghan authorities to follow through with parliamentary polls in the spring.
• Afghanistan: Alleged Warlord Faces Torture Trial In Britain REF/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- A unique trial of an alleged former Afghan warlord has started in England. Faryadi Sarwar Zardad has lived in London since 1998, running a pizzeria. In the early 1990s, however, he allegedly commanded a group of militia fighters in central Afghanistan. He created "an atmosphere of fear and terror" and his troops used "indiscriminate and unwarranted violence" against civilians, according to the charges. The case is unique in Britain because neither the defendant nor the victims are citizens of the United Kingdom. And several witnesses will address the court through a live videophone link from Kabul.
• Afghanistan: U.S., Afghan Officials Say Security Efforts Ensured Smooth Elections REF/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- The Taliban has failed to carry out the massive terrorist attacks it had threatened during Afghanistan's presidential election. U.S. officials say tight security across the country averted two major attacks in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Oruzgun. That is where the U.S.-led coalition continues to battle remnants of the ousted Taliban regime. A handful of small-scale attacks across the country on election day failed to stop voting. Last night, suspected Taliban fighters fired rockets into Kabul -- the first such attack on the capital since the 9 October vote. But all in all, the chaos promised by Taliban fighters has not materialized.
• AFGHANISTAN DRUGS VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- Afghan officials agree that opium poppy cultivation is among the biggest problems facing the country, but many differ on how to tackle it. The World Bank says solving the problem will take both development aid and better policing.
• Afghan Presidential Candidates To Accept Vote Results RFE/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- The crisis surrounding Afghanistan's presidential election appears to have eased after a top rival to Afghan leader Hamid Karzai said he and other candidates were willing to accept the result of the vote after an independent inquiry into charges of fraud.
• Members Of Afghan Election Panel Named RFE/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- The organizers of Afghanistan's disputed presidential election on 9 October have named two of three members of a panel that is expected to rule on grievances.
• Millions vote in Afghan elections Army News 12 Oct 2004 -- Millions got their first taste of democracy in Afghanistan's first-ever direct presidential elections Oct. 9.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Tankers fuel war on terror AFPN 12 Oct 2004 -- The 380th Air Expeditionary Wing's tanker squadron plays an essential role in the war on terror. KC-10 Extenders are a key part of the wings' mission to provide coalition aircraft greater range and endurance for missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Roche, Jumper 'wear test' Osprey AFPN 12 Oct 2004 -- The Air Force's top two leaders got up close and personal Oct. 8 with what may become the service's latest special operations asset.
• Rota's CAT-B Flights Cut to Every Other Week Navy NewsStand 12 Oct 2004 -- The CAT-B flight that travels from Norfolk to Rota, Spain; to Sigonella, Siciy; to Bahrain was cut back to once every two weeks beginning in October, due to low official business usage.
• Navy Fighter Wing Closes its Doors Navy NewsStand 12 Oct 2004 -- Another chapter was added to the F-14 Tomcat history book Oct. 1, when Fighter Wing Atlantic officially disestablished its headquarters at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
• AAVs take the high, low, wet road USMC News 12 Oct 2004 -- The Amphibious Assault Vehicle platoon, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Bn., 3rd Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, has been gearing up for action in the scorching sands of Kuwait for almost a month.

• U.S. Military Authorized to Increase Level of Personnel in Colombia Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. Congress has approved legislation that authorizes the doubling of U.S. military personnel in Colombia to 800, and provides for increasing the number of American citizens working for private contractors in that Andean country from 400 to 600.
• U.S. Defends Position on International Criminal Court Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- Ambassador Larry Napper, head of the U.S. delegation to the Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, Poland, responded October 8 to comments by others at the conference on the U.S. drive to enter into bilateral Article 98 agreements that prohibit the surrender of U.S. persons to the International Criminal Court (ICC) without U.S. consent.
• Rumsfeld Honors Macedonian Troops, Visits Romanian Airbase AFPS 12 Oct 2004 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld arrived here today to confer with senior Romanian officials before attending NATO informal defense ministerial meetings Oct. 13 and 14 in Poiana Brasov.
• United States Awards $4.9 Million for Pathogen Research Tool Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded $4.9 million for a project that is helping scientists amass and analyze information about disease organisms to more effectively fight infectious diseases, according to an October 11 press release from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
• New Smallpox Study Uses Microarrays to Show Virus Workings Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- Results of a new study in monkeys shed light on how the smallpox virus caused mass death and suffering throughout history and will help in the design of new diagnostics, vaccines and drugs that would be needed in the event of a smallpox bioterror incident, according to an October 12 National Institutes of Health (NIH) press release.

• EU: Arms Embargo On Libya Lifted, But Decision On China Delayed REF/RL 12 Oct 2004 -- EU foreign ministers, meeting in Luxembourg yesterday, brought a formal end to the bloc's economic sanctions against Libya. The move, which included the lifting of an 18-year-old arms embargo, follows a decision by Libya last year to give up its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. EU officials say a desire to enlist Libyan help in combating illegal immigration was also a key factor in their decision. Meanwhile, the EU foreign ministers were unable to reach an agreement to lift the bloc's arms embargo on China following intense pressure from the United States.

• NATO DEFENSE CURTAIN RAISER VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- NATO defense ministers are meeting this week in the Romanian mountain resort of Poiana Brasov to consider how the alliance can speed up the way it mobilizes and deploys troops to the world's trouble spots. The United States wants the alliance to send more troops into Afghanistan and to quickly work out ways to boost its training mission in Iraq.
• NATO Capabilities Improving, but Time Needed AFPS 12 Oct 2004 -- NATO capabilities are transforming, but the process will take time, said Marine Gen. James Jones in a recent interview.

• MAURITANIA: Government arrests mastermind behind coup plots IRIN 12 Oct 2004 -- The Mauritanian government has arrested Saleh Ould Hanenna, the mastermind of last year's military uprising against President Maaouiya Ould Taya, who had been on the run for 16 months.

• PRESS CONFERENCE BY WOLFGANG PETRITSCH, PRESIDENT–DESIGNATE OF NAIROBISUMMIT ON MINE-FREE WORLD United Nations 12 Oct 2004
• State Department Uses Satellite Imagery as Key Foreign Policy Tool Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. State Department is using remote-sensing technology on board satellites in an increasing number of nonmilitary applications to support U.S. foreign policy objectives, and one of the fastest-growing applications may be humanitarian assistance.
• State Department Noon Briefing, October 12 Washington File 12 Oct 2004 -- Haiti, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Russia

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS Provides Countermeasures For U.S. Army Aviation BAE Systems 12 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a five-year contract for up to 484 Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures / Common Missile Warning Systems (ATIRCM/CMWS). The award consists of low-rate initial production, associated spares, test equipment, and various technical support.
• Boeing Awarded $767 Million For Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems Capability Demonstration Program Boeing 12 Oct 2004 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] Company has been awarded $767 million in funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to continue the X-45C portion of the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) demonstration program over the next five years.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN TO BEGIN NEXT C-5 UPGRADE PROGRAM WITH DELIVERY OF FIRST AIRCRAFT Lockheed Martin 12 Oct 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and the U.S. Air Force recorded two major milestones in the C-5 Galaxy modernization effort last week. The first production aircraft modified under the C-5 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) was completed, and that aircraft was then delivered to Lockheed Martin to begin the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP).
• Northrop Grumman Delivers First Fused Multispectral Weapon Sight to U.S. Army Northrop Grumman 12 Oct 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has delivered its first Fused Multispectral Weapon Sight (FMWS) to the U.S. Army. The sight will improve foot soldiers' survivability and lethality, enhancing their ability to "control the night."
• Thales to equip German joint forces with SATURN radios Thales 12 Oct 2004 -- Thales in Germany has been awarded a contract by IT-Amt, the German procurement agency for C3 solutions, for the delivery of TRM 6021-type SATURN manpack radios to equip the German Armed Forces. These radios will provide secure ground-to-air communication means and will be in service with the German Air Force, Army and Navy for the next 15 years.
• CACI Awarded $266 Million in Previously Unannounced Contracts to Support National Security and Intelligence CACI 12 Oct 2004 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has won approximately $266 million in contracts to support national security and intelligence activities for clients in the federal government. The awards call for CACI to provide network services, systems integration, knowledge management, and intelligence support, among other solutions. All the contracts were awarded in CACI's first fiscal year 2005 quarter, which ended September 30, 2004. Approximately 60 percent of the $266 million is new work for CACI.
• Raytheon Delivers 100,000th Best of Breed Module in Support of Missile Defense Systems Raytheon 12 Oct 2004 -- Raytheon Company has recently completed production of its 100,000th "Best of Breed" (BoB) Transmit/Receive (T/R) microwave module currently used to support air defense systems for missile defense.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 12 Oct 2004
• RUSSIA / BESLAN MOURNING VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- Orthodox Christians in Russia are marking the end of the 40-day mourning period for the more than 300 people, half of them children, killed in the siege of a school in the North Ossetian town of Beslan. There are fears that in the days to come some people could seek to carry out revenge attacks, but the Russian government and religious leaders have called for peace.
• US / HAITI VIOLENCE VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- The United States Tuesday condemned what it said is a campaign of political violence in Haiti by supporters of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide that is complicating flood-disaster recovery efforts. U.S. officials say they're "concerned" that Mr. Aristide himself may have a role in the trouble from his exile in South Africa.
• YUGOSLAV WAR CRIMES VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- Former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic is back in court following a one-month recess granted to his court-appointed lawyers, who needed time to prepare their case. The lawyers called their fourth witness today -- a German journalist who testified that Kosovo Albanians provoked Serb forces into excessive violence during the conflict in the province in the late 1990s.
• UGANDA/DARFUR VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- Uganda says conflicts in Darfur can be traced to British colonial rule and blames the colonial policies for the rise of rebel movements throughout the country.
• ISRAEL / SHARON / PARLIAMENT VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- The Israeli parliament has rejected Prime Minister Ariel Shoran's speech outlining his plans for a total withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
• IVORY COAST / DISARMAMENT VOA 12 Oct 2004 -- Rebels in northern Ivory Coast say they will not turn in their arms until political reforms outlined in a peace accord signed in July are fully implemented.

News Reports