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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 26 Oct 2004 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• MNF-I strike kills Zarqawi associate MNF-I/MNC-I 26 Oct 2004 -- A precision strike in northwest Fallujah, conducted at 3 a.m. Oct. 26, by Multi-National Force-Iraq has taken another toll on the Zarqawi network. This strike on a Zarqawi safe house further erodes the organizations capability to conduct attacks on the citizens of Fallujah and Iraq.
• U.S. Says Air Strike Kills Al-Zarqawi Associate RFE/RL 26 Oct 2004 -- The U.S. military says an associate of Al-Qaeda ally Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi has been killed in a U.S. air strike on the Iraqi city of Al-Fallujah.
• Iraq Vows To Punish Killers RFE/RL 26 Oct 2004 -- Iraq vowed today to catch and punish the culprits of a weekend attack in which 52 people -- 49 unarmed soldiers and three civilian drivers -- were massacred.

Defense Policy / Programs

• BRAC '05 to Support DoD Transformation AFPS 26 Oct 2004 -- The 2005 base realignment and closure initiative will be different from previous rounds in that it will directly contribute to DoD's transformation efforts, a top DoD official said here Oct. 25.
• USS The Sullivans Participates in Adriatic Multilateral Exercise Navy NewsStand 26 Oct 2004 -- Sailors aboard guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) had the opportunity to interact with Albanian, Croatian and Macedonian forces in the Adriatic Sea during their participation in Adriatic PHIBLEX (Amphibious Landing Exercise) and Albanian PASSEX (Passive Exercise) Oct. 3-15.
• Blue Ridge Returns to Sea Following Maintenance Period Navy NewsStand 26 Oct 2004 -- After seven months of hard work by her Sailors and Yokosuka Ship Repair Facility workers, the U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) got underway Oct. 25 for a scheduled underway period.
• E-2C New Mission Computer Improves Reliability, Reduces Costs Navy NewsStand 26 Oct 2004 -- The Navy and the Northrop Grumman Corporation introduced a Mission Computer Replacement (MCR) to the E-2C Group II aircraft in the fall, referred to as GrIIM RePr, the acronym carried by the program that produced the system (pronounced 'grim reaper').

• New State Dept. Office Will Coordinate Crisis Planning, Response Washington File 26 Oct 2004 -- The world has changed since the end of the Cold War, and the U.S. government must change how it deals with conflict and post-conflict societies, says the State Department's coordinator for reconstruction and stabilization.
• State Department Noon Briefing, October 26 Washington File 26 Oct 2004 -- 10th Anniversary of Jordan-Israel Peace Treaty, election observers/OSCE/global research observers, Israel/Palestinians, Cuba, China/Taiwan, Sudan, Iraq, Iran, China, Congo, Greece

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS Begins Delivery Of Sensor Systems For U.S. NAVY Helicopters BAE Systems 26 Oct 2004 -- Following successful flight testing, the U. S. Navy has authorised BAE Systems for full production of Replacement Attitude Heading Reference System (R-AHRS) units that will be retrofitted to CH-53 and MH-53 helicopters.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for Pre-Arrival Work on USS Oklahoma City Northrop Grumman 26 Oct 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) was awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy for planning work on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN 723).
• Raytheon Begins Full Rate Production of MK 54 Torpedoes Raytheon 26 Oct 2004 -- Raytheon Company has begun full rate production of the MK54 torpedo, the U.S. Navy's next generation lightweight torpedo. This significant milestone follows a series of successful technical and operational evaluations and the U.S. Navy's authorization of initial operational capability for introduction to the fleet.
• Raytheon Delivers 250,000th Paveway(TM) Laser Guided Bomb Raytheon 26 Oct 2004 -- Raytheon Company today celebrated the achievement of delivering the 250,000th Paveway(TM) Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) to the U.S. Navy, Air Force and international customers. The event highlighted successful efforts to streamline the factory and increase production five-fold due to increased demand following 9/11, with a total of 250,000 Paveway kits delivered since 1968.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 26 Oct 2004
• U.N. Security Council to Hold Session in Africa on Sudan Washington File 26 Oct 2004 -- The Security Council has decided to hold a two-day meeting on Sudan in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 18 and 19. It will be only the 11th time that the main U.N. body responsible for peace and security has met away from U.N. headquarters in New York.
• Armitage Criticizes Syrian Interference in Lebanon Washington File 26 Oct 2004 -- Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage says the new Lebanese government under Prime Minister Omar Karami was "made in Damascus."
• SECURITY COUNCIL/SUDAN VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- The U.N. Security Council will travel to Africa next month to focus world attention on the two separate conflicts in Sudan. This will be only the fourth time in more than 50 years the Security Council has met outside New York.
• ISRAEL SETTLEMENTS VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- Israel's parliament has approved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial plan to dismantle Jewish settlements in Gaza and small parts of the West Bank.
• Pentagon Officials: Too Early to Say If Units Will Extend in Iraq AFPS 26 Oct 2004 -- It is too early to say if units currently deployed to Iraq may be extended in their tours of duty, Pentagon officials said today.
• NIGERIA-SUDAN: Darfur talks bogged down by bickering over agenda IRIN 26 Oct 2004 -- Talks between the Sudanese government and rebels from the country's Darfur region, broke up early on Tuesday as both sides failed to agree on an agenda for resuming formal peace negotiations.
• More UN peacekeepers arrive in Haiti UN News Centre 26 Oct 2004 -- More than 100 Jordanian police officers have arrived in Haiti to join the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Caribbean country.
• Security Council says any new UN involvement in Somalia must increase slowly UN News Centre 26 Oct 2004 -- Anticipating a call for the United Nations to intensify its peace-building activities in Somalia, the Security Council today said any enhanced role for the Organization must be incremental and based on the outcome of discussions with the new transitional government.
• Pakistan: Musharraf Calls For National Debate On Kashmir Options RFE/RL 26 Oct 2004 -- Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has called for a national debate about the possibility of removing arms from regions of Kashmir as part of an effort to resolve a 57-year-old dispute with India. Speaking in Islamabad late yesterday to a gathering of Pakistani journalists, Musharraf said demilitarization is one of several options that could lead to a breakthrough in relations with India.
• Russia: Rumors, Theories Still Swirl Around Beslan Tragedy RFE/RL 26 Oct 2004 -- A Russian intraparliamentary commission charged with investigating last month's school hostage massacre in Beslan recently returned from the city. The commission's official report is not due to be made public until the end of its investigation, which may continue for at least another six months. Meanwhile, unsubstantiated theories and rumors continue to swirl around the siege, during which 340 people, nearly half of them children, were killed, according to official figures.
• Israel: Knesset Resumes Gaza Pullout Debate Ahead Of Vote RFE/RL 26 Oct 2004 -- Debate has resumed in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, ahead of a vote this evening on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw Jewish settlers and troops from the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank. Yesterday's deliberations on the issue were contentious, and several members of the Knesset were thrown out after heckling Sharon. The 120-member parliament is expected to pass the pullout plan, which foresees all of Gaza's 8,000 Jewish settlers and several hundred West Bank residents leaving next year. The move, which is officially aimed at improving relations with Palestinians, has angered many Israelis and leaves Sharon facing a sharply divided government.
• RWANDA / REGIONAL SECURITY VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- The foreign ministers of Rwanda, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo Tuesday agreed to set up a common structure that would address security concerns in the area.
• SUDAN/DARFUR VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- The African Union says, after some last-minute diplomatic hitches, Nigerian and Rwandan peacekeepers will begin to be airlifted to Darfur later this week.
• SOMALIA: No government-in-exile, new president says IRIN 26 Oct 2004 -- Somalia's newly elected president said on Monday his administration would not remain in exile, but would return to the war-ravaged country before security was completely restored.
• ISRAEL SETTLEMENTS VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- The Israeli parliament, the Knesset, winds up a second day of debate on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's controversial disengagement plan, with a vote on the issue planned for later Tuesday night.
• KASHMIR/DIPLOMACY VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- A call by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to debate bold new ways of solving the decades-old Kashmir dispute has met with a lukewarm response from India.
• THAILAND/MUSLIM VIOLENCE VOA 26 Oct 2004 -- Thai security forces have begun large-scale detentions in the predominately-Muslim south of the country following a clash with demonstrators Monday that left more than 80 protesters dead. Authorities said six protesters were shot to death, and the rest suffocated after being rounded up by police.

News Reports

• LOCKHEED MARTIN PERFORMS SUCCESSFUL HYBRID MOTOR TEST FIRING USING PARAFFIN FUEL Lockheed Martin 26 Oct 2004 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) successfully completed a test firing of the largest paraffin-fueled hybrid motor on record at the NASA Stennis Space Center on Sept. 30, 2004. Paraffin is similar to the material used in candles, only stronger.
• Orbital and NASA Postpone Launch of DART Spacecraft Orbital Sciences Corp. 26 Oct 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have postponed the launch of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft for at least 48 hours. The mission's target satellite, the Multiple Paths, Beyond-Line-of-Sight Communications spacecraft, had a temporary loss of Global Positioning System (GPS) data reception that might have impacted the navigation accuracy for the on-orbit rendezvous sequence of events.