• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 20 Oct 2004 [PDF]

• A STRIKE ON ZARQAWI SAFEHOUSE CENTCOM 20 Oct 2004 -- Multi-National Force-Iraq struck two adjoining Abu Musab al-Zarqawi terrorist safe houses in north east Fallujah Oct. 20.
• MARINES ELIMINATE INSURGENT FIGHTING POSITION CENTCOM 20 Oct 2004 -- Marines destroyed a known insurgent command and control post on the north side of the city at about 1:30 p.m. Oct. 20.
• U.S. Strikes Reportedly Kill Six Iraqis In Al-Fallujah RFE/RL 20 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. military said today's air raids destroyed two safe houses belonging to followers of militant leader Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi in northern Al-Fallujah.
• 1/23 scouts ahead using eye in the sky USMC News 20 Oct 2004 -- Knowledge of the enemy is key to getting the upper-hand in combat. Marines with Company C, 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 7, are employing aerial technology called the dragon eye to get a better picture on the situation.

• Pakistani forces pound militants` positions in tribal areas IRNA 20 Oct 2004 -- The Pakistani military intensified its operation in the country`s tribal region on Wednesday to capture a militant leader whose men had kidnapped two Chinese engineers last week, local correspondents and reports said.

• Coalition General Sees Afghan Election as Major Defeat for the Taliban Washington File 20 Oct 2004 -- General David Barno, commander of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, has characterized that country's October 9 presidential election as a major defeat for the Taliban and says it could clear the way for an effective amnesty policy on the part of the new Afghan government.
• AFGHANISTAN: Commanders to receive cash to surrender military units IRIN 20 Oct 2004 -- Former Afghan militia commanders will receive regular financial support after they surrender military units to the UN-backed disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) programme, according to a top official of the Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• AFGHANISTAN TALEBAN VOA 20 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. military is reporting an internal split among insurgents loyal to Afghanistan's former Taleban leadership. The Taleban's failure to disrupt the recent Afghan elections is at the heart of the split.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Death of Paul H. Nitze, Former Secretary of the Navy 20 Oct 2004 -- H. Nitze, whose distinguished government career included serving as Secretary of the Navy from 1963 to 1967, died last night at his home in Washington, D.C.
• Statement on the Death of Paul H. Nitze US Dept. of State 20 Oct 2004 -- Secretary Colin L. Powell
• Statement by Secretary Rumsfeld on the Death of Paul Nitze 20 Oct 2004 -- Paul Nitze was an architect of the strategy that defended America and the free world through the decades-long struggle against the Soviet Empire.

• Warship Essex Assists As Hospital Ship Navy NewsStand 20 Oct 2004 -- USS Essex (LHD) 2 provided medical assistance to a coalition Sailor while operating in the North Arabian Gulf Oct. 13.
• Last Peacekeeper class graduates AFPN 20 Oct 2004 -- The era of the Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile is coming to a close as the last class of Peacekeeper operators graduated here Oct. 15. There will be no more Peacekeepers after September 2005.
• Exercise Trident Warrior Takes Tarawa ESG into Future Navy NewsStand 20 Oct 2004 -- The crew of the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) had its first look at FORCEnet, the next-generation naval warfighting process, during exercise Trident Warrior 04, Oct. 4-15.
• Submarine Returns Home from Deployment Navy NewsStand 20 Oct 2004 -- The San Diego-based nuclear-powered submarine USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716) will return from a Western Pacific deployment Oct. 22.
• Rumsfeld Calls Draft Talk 'Scare Technique' AFPS 20 Oct 2004 -- The idea that the United States needs to return to a military draft is "false and mischievous and, in my view, nothing better than a scare technique," Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said in a radio interview today.
• War on Terrorism 'Is Going Well' Rumsfeld Says AFPS 20 Oct 2004 -- Recently held elections in Afghanistan make the point that the global war against terrorism "is going well," the Defense Department's top civilian said during an Oct. 19 radio interview.
• No Need for Medic Draft, Health Affairs Chief Says AFPS 20 Oct 2004 -- DoD's top medical official said today there is no need for a contingency plan study on drafting medical personnel.

• State Department Noon Briefing, October 20 Washington File 20 Oct 2004 -- Iran, Iraq, Cyprus, Burma, Lebanon
• White House Daily Briefing, October 20 Washington File 20 Oct 2004 -- Iraq: Zarqawi connection and U.S. intelligence

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS And Finmeccanica Agree Revised Eurosystems Transaction BAE Systems 20 Oct 2004 -- BAE Systems and Finmeccanica have agreed in principle a revised structure for the Eurosystems transaction.
• BAE SYSTEMS To Upgrade Power Supplies For Combat Aircraft BAE Systems 20 Oct 2004 -- BAE Systems recently received a $12.2 million contract to provide low-voltage power supplies to refit its AN/ALR-56C systems. The ALR-56C provides radar warning and situation awareness for the U.S. and Saudi Air Forces F-15 C/D/E aircraft.
• American Eurocopter Inaugurates a new Facility in Columbus, Mississippi EADS 20 Oct 2004 -- A throng of customers, and political and industrial leaders were on hand for the inauguration ceremony of American Eurocopter's new plant in Columbus, Mississippi. American Eurocopter is a North American subsidiary of Eurocopter.
• EADS North America Expands its U.S. Industrial Presence With New American Eurocopter Facility in Mississippi EADS 20 Oct 2004 -- EADS North America expanded its industrial presence in the United States today with the grand opening of the American Eurocopter manufacturing, assembly and customization facility in Columbus, Mississippi.
• Lockheed Martin Forms Strong Industry Team for Air Operations Center Lead Systems Integrator Program Lockheed Martin 20 Oct 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] will lead a broad team of systems integration experts competing for a $600 million U.S. Air Force program to standardize and modernize Air and Space Operations Centers (AOCs) worldwide.
• American Eurocopter Receives Contract for the Re-engining of U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin Helicopters EADS 20 Oct 2004 -- American Eurocopter, a subsidiary of Eurocopter, the largest manufacturer of commercial helicopters in the world, and a business unit of EADS North America, has signed a contract to provide re-engining kits for 95 U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphins. The contract was announced at the Grand Opening ceremonies for American Eurocopter’s new production facility in Columbus, MS.
• American Eurocopter Receives $124 Million Contract for the Re-engining of U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin Helicopters EADS 20 Oct 2004 -- Eurocopter welcomes the $124 million contract signed in Washington DC by American Eurocopter to provide re-engining kits for 95 U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphins in a multi-year upgrade program that will significantly improve the maritime service’s operational capabilities.
• U.S. Air Force Awards Information System Contract to Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman 20 Oct 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to provide advanced information technology upgrades to increase the readiness and sustainability of existing weapon systems.
• Raytheon Awarded Contract for MK56 ESSM Vertical Launching Systems Raytheon 20 Oct 2004 -- Raytheon Company has been awarded a contract by Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the production and delivery of MK56 Evolved Seasparrow Missile Vertical Launching Systems and associated supplies and services. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
• Northrop Grumman Meets Critical Milestone in ICBM Modernization Program Northrop Grumman 20 Oct 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) reached a critical milestone this fall when the Air Force officially declared initial operational capability for a new emergency communications system in the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch control centers.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 20 Oct 2004
• Joint UN-Sudan panel to meet on worsening security in Darfur UN News Centre 20 Oct 2004 -- Deteriorating security in Sudan's Darfur region and its impact on humanitarian operations and the safety of aid workers will be discussed tomorrow at a meeting bringing together United Nations and Sudanese Government officials.
• Liberia: UN-run disarmament tops expectations but aid needed to help ex-fighters UN News Centre 20 Oct 2004 -- Over 95,000 former fighters in Liberia - including 10,000 children - have turned in weapons to United Nations peacekeepers as the end of the process approaches, but more funds are needed to ensure their safe reintegration into society, the top UN envoy to the country said today.
• MAURITANIA: 26 suspected coup plotters released IRIN 20 Oct 2004 -- The government of Mauritania has released 26 military personnel who had been detained on suspicion of involvement in various coup plots dismantled by the government over the past three months, the state run Mauritanian news agency AMI announced.
• DRC: Leader of Katanga insurgents captured IRIN 20 Oct 2004 -- Residents of Kilwa, a town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's southeastern Katanga Province, have captured the leader of an unidentified armed group that last week seized control of the town.
• SUDAN/PEACE TALKS VOA 20 Oct 2004 -- Sudan's government and two rebel groups in the country's western Darfur region are set for another round of peace talks aimed at ending an 18-month conflict. But observers see a slim chance of a breakthrough in the talks that resume Thursday.
• ISRAEL / REFUSAL CAMPAIGN VOA 20 Oct 2004 -- Israel's top military leader blasted some Jewish religious leaders for urging followers to refuse to follow military orders to evacuate settlements, as part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plans.

News Reports

• BURMA POLITICS VOA 20 Oct 2004 -- The dismissal of Burma's Prime Minister Khin Nyunt is causing concern that it may set back efforts to move the country toward democracy after more than 40 years of military dictatorship. The development represents a victory of hard-liners over more pragmatic government members.
• INDONESIA PRESIDENT VOA 20 Oct 2004 -- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, a retired general, has been sworn in as the sixth president of Indonesia. There are high hopes that the new president will be able to tackle terrorism and corruption and get the country's wobbling economy back on its feet.
• Cassini-Huygens Relies on Northrop Grumman Navigation Systems Northrop Grumman 20 Oct 2004 -- A space inertial reference unit (SIRU(tm)) produced by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has operated continuously aboard NASA's Cassini-Huygens spacecraft, which successfully entered orbit around Saturn on June 30, seven years after being launched from Kennedy Space Center.