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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 28 Oct 2004 [PDF]
• SUSPECTED CAR BOMB KILLS ONE SOLDIER, WOUNDS TWO IN SOUTHERN BAGHDAD
• FIRST INFANTRY DIVISION SOLDIER KILLED IN RPG ATTACK

• WEAPONS BUYBACK ENDS IN SADR CITY CENTCOM 28 Oct 2004 -- Soldiers of the 306th Iraqi National Guard Battalion, local Iraqi Police, and the 1st Cavalry Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team worked with local city leadership to facilitate a weapons buyback program as a part of continuing efforts to make life safer for the residents of Sadr City.
• IRAQI SWAT TEAM ROLLS UP 18 INSURGENTS IN NORTHERN BABIL CENTCOM 28 Oct 2004 -- The Iraqi SWAT team, backed by elements of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, captured 18 insurgents during a sweep through the south-central Iraqi town of Haswah Oct. 27.
• ZARQAWI SAFE HOUSE STRUCK CENTCOM 28 Oct 2004 -- Multi-National Force-Iraq continued to attack the Abu Musab al Zarqawi network by conducting yet another precision strike against a Zarqawi terrorist meeting site in the Jolan district of Fallujah at 2:05 a.m Oct. 28.
• MNF Check Point Hit With Mortars MNF-I/MNC-I 28 Oct 2004 -- A Multi-National Force check point near As Suwayrah on the road from Al Kut to Baghdad, was attacked by anti-Iraqi force militants Oct. 27 with mortars.

• PRESS BRIEFING BY UN EXPERT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN United Nations 28 Oct 2004
• Afghan Election Marks Turning Point in Country's History Washington File 28 Oct 2004 -- The Afghan presidential election was an important milestone in Afghanistan's political development, according to Kabul University Professor of Law and Political Science Wadir Safi.
• U.S. Congratulates European Monitors on Afghan Election Effort Washington File 28 Oct 2004 -- The United States praised the work of the Election Support Team sent to Afghanistan by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
• Apparent Karzai Victory in Afghanistan a Big Win for Democracy AFPS 28 Oct 2004 -- Although the Joint Election Management Body won't officially certify results of the Afghan elections for a few more days, interim President Hamid Karzai appears to be the clear winner, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan said Oct. 27.
• BRITAIN / AFGHANISTAN VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- Britain says a surge in opium production is one of the key challenges to the stability of Afghanistan. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has highlighted the issue in a speech in London
• AFGHANISTAN/ELECTIONS VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- Three foreign election workers have been kidnapped in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The incident comes as officials prepare to announce the results of the Afghan presidential election.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Schoomaker: Plan on 12-month deployments for now Army News 28 Oct 2004 -- Soldiers scheduled to head overseas in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the next two years shouldn't hold their breath waiting for shorter deployments in the near future, according to the Army's top two uniformed leaders.
• Workshop prepares responders for IED threat USMC News 28 Oct 2004 -- The Marine Corps National Capital Region Command Antiterrorism/Force Protection Staff hosted an Introduction to Improvised Explosive Devises Workshop Oct. 22 here.
• Full-time Anti-Terrorism battalion activates. USMC News 28 Oct 2004 -- The 4th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (Anti-Terrorism) is activating a non-rotational AT Battalion at 1400 Friday at French Creek Soifert Field here, exactly three years after the re-activation of the 4th MEB (AT).
• C4 IMS to Speed Up Processing of Fleet Communications Problems Navy NewsStand 28 Oct 2004 -- The C4 Information Management System (IMS) was installed at the regional Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Stations (NCTAMS) in Virginia, Hawaii and Italy starting in May, to automate procedures used to report and track communications outages and related issues.
• USS Parche Decommisions at PSNS Navy NewsStand 28 Oct 2004 -- USS Parche (SSN 683) Sailors - past and present - paid tribute to Parche and its 30-plus years of dedicated and faithful service to the U.S. Navy during a decommissioning and change of command ceremony at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) Oct. 19.
• U.S. set to have missile defense by year's end Army News 28 Oct 2004 -- The United States will have the capability to defend itself against a limited attack by long-range ballistic missiles when the missile defense system becomes operational later this year.
• Civilians Can Free Up Military for Other Duties AFPS 28 Oct 2004 -- The Army is converting some 5,000 military billets -- mostly staff -- to civilian positions in order to free up more soldiers for other needed duties, DoD's top civilian personnel official said here Oct. 27.
• As War Changes, So Must Homeland Defense, McHale Says AFPS 28 Oct 2004 -- The nature of war has changed, and the United States must change to meet the new threats, the Defense Department's top homeland defense civilian said here today.

• NATO/IRAQ/AFGHAN VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- NATO'S top military commander says the alliance is planning to train about one-thousand Iraqi officers a year once an Iraqi military academy is set up in a Baghdad suburb. NATO's training mission in Iraq is likely to be smaller than what was originally anticipated.

• State Department Noon Briefing, October 28 Washington File 28 Oct 2004 -- Sudan, China, Israel/Palestinians, Cuba, Pakistan, India, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Department/travel warnings/announcements
• White House Daily Briefing, October 28 Washington File 28 Oct 2004 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan briefed reporters October 28 on Air Force One as they accompanied President Bush on a campaign trip to Dayton, Ohio

Defense Industry

• Lockheed Martin Agrees To Acquire Sippican Lockheed Martin 28 Oct 2004 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE:LMT] today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sippican Holdings, Inc, a Massachusetts-based supplier of naval electronics systems, from the global private equity firm The Carlyle Group and management.
• Northrop Grumman Joins Sikorsky Team for Army Aviation Maintenance and Training Contract Northrop Grumman 28 Oct 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded an aviation maintenance-training contract by Sikorsky Support Services, Inc., Stratford, Conn. to provide maintenance training to U.S. armed forces.
• Millennium 35 mm Ahead Naval Gun System contract Rheinmetall Defence 28 Oct 2004 -- The Naval Material Command, Denmark, has placed a contract with Oerlikon Contraves for Millennium 35 mm Ahead Naval Gun Systems for installation on the new Combat Support Ships (CSS) of the Royal Danish Navy. Oerlikon Contraves is a subsidiary of the Rheinmetall DeTec group, Duesseldorf.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND SPOKESMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 28 Oct 2004
• U.S.-SUDAN AIRLIFT VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- The State Department says it hopes the U.S. military airlift of more African Union peacekeepers into Sudan's Darfur region will help end continuing violence there. A U.S. transport plane brought 47 Nigerian troops into the area in an initial flight Thursday.
• IVORY COAST / EMERGENCY VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- The leader of the rebel movement New Forces has declared a state of emergency in the north of Ivory Coast after accusing the government of massing troops near rebel positions. Ministers representing the rebels in the national unity government have been ordered to leave the commercial capital and return to rebel territory.
• ARAFAT SUCCESSION VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat may leave the West Bank city of Ramallah to seek medical treatment abroad on Friday. His failing health has caused great uncertainty among Palestinians and has raised serious questions about who might succeed him at the head of the Palestinian leadership.
• US/ARAFAT/HEALTH VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- The State Department said Thursday it hopes that ailing Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat "gets the medical care he needs to return to health." U.S. officials have been in contact with Palestinian and Israeli officials on Mr. Arafat's situation.
• GUINEA: 12 soldiers put on trial for coup plot after 11 months in jail IRIN 28 Oct 2004 -- Twelve Guinean soldiers who were detained last year were put on trial this week on charges of plotting to overthrow President Lansana Conte.
• GUINEA-BISSAU: Government names new military chiefs chosen by mutineers IRIN 28 Oct 2004 -- The elected government of Guinea-Bissau named a new set of interim military commanders on Thursday following an army mutiny earlier this month.
• COTE D IVOIRE: Rebels declare state of emergency, warn of return to war IRIN 28 Oct 2004 -- The rebel movement which controls the northern half of Cote d'Ivoire declared a state of emergency on Thursday and warned that the West African country was heading back towards an early resumption of civil war.
• Blaming rebels, UN envoy to Sudan warns that security remains elusive in Darfur UN News Centre 28 Oct 2004 -- Just ahead of a visit to New York to report to the Security Council on the Darfur conflict in Sudan, the senior United Nations envoy to the country today warned that the situation in the strife-torn region has not improved much during the past month.
• UN mission in Western Sahara extended through April 2005 UN News Centre 28 Oct 2004 -- The Security Council today unanimously adopted a resolution extending the mandate of the United Nations mission in Western Sahara through 30 April 2005, and asking Secretary-General Kofi Annan to report further on the possibility of reducing the size of the operation.
• Security Council hails extension of UN mission in Central African Republic UN News Centre 28 Oct 2004 -- The Security Council today called on the international community to help Central African Republic (CAR) prepare for its November constitutional referendum and January elections, and it welcomed Secretary-General Kofi Annan's intention to renew the mandate of the United Nations peace-building office there.
• SUDAN/PEACEKEEPING VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- A group of Nigerian troops is headed to the war-torn Darfur region of western Sudan.
• THAILAND / MUSLIM OUTRAGE VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- At least 15 people were injured in Thailand today (Thursday) when a bomb went off in the troubled southern province of Narathiwat, where 85 people died earlier this week after a clash with security forces.
• THAILAND / MUSLIM OUTRAGE VOA 28 Oct 2004 -- Thailand's government has come under a barrage of criticism at home and abroad for the deaths of more than 80 Muslims while in police custody in the country's troubled south. A Muslim separatist group is now warning that there could be a violent backlash.
• Arafat's Health Concerns Grow VOA News 28 Oct 2004 -- Yasser Arafat is reported in serious but stable condition after collapsing and briefly losing consciousness. Doctors from abroad have been summoned to treat the Palestinian leader.

News Reports

• PRESS BRIEFING ON WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY United Nations 28 Oct 2004
• PRESS BRIEFING BY SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON RIGHT TO FOOD United Nations 28 Oct 2004
• Orbital and NASA Postpone DART Launch Orbital Sciences Corp. 28 Oct 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have postponed the launch of the Demonstration of Autonomous Rendezvous Technology (DART) spacecraft that was scheduled for today. The postponement was due to the discovery of particulate contamination inside the fairing of the Pegasus launch vehicle. The launch team does not expect to carry out the mission before November 4, 2004.