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• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 18 Nov 2004 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

• Transcript: Defense Department Operational Update Briefing 18 Nov 2004 -- Lieutenant General John Sattler, USMC, Commander, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Fallujah, Iraq
• Defense Department Report, November 18: Iraq Update Washington File 18 Nov 2004 -- The Iraqi town of Fallujah is now secure, but still not safe, said U.S. military officers in separate November 18 briefings.
• Fallujah Secure, But Not Yet Safe, Marine Commander Says AFPS 18 Nov 2004 -- Although the Iraqi city of Fallujah is secure now that Marines there control the city, it is not yet safe for residents to return, the commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force told reporters today.
• IRAQ SITREP VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- A U.S. Marine commander in Fallujah is warning it may be some time before it is safe for residents to return to the Iraqi city, after nearly two weeks of fighting there to flush out insurgents. And U.S. forces may have to remain in the city if Iraqi forces prove unable to keep it from falling back into rebel hands.
• Violence Flares In Iraq RFE/RL 18 Nov 2004 -- More than 20 people have been reported killed in attacks and fighting in predominantly Sunni Muslim areas of Iraq.

• PRESS CONFERENCE ON AFGHANISTAN OPIUM SURVEY 2004 United Nations 18 Nov 2004
• Afghanistan: UN Says Opium Production Presents 'Clear And Present Danger' To Country's Future RFE/RL 18 Nov 2004 -- A survey released today by the United Nation's Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) says Afghanistan is in danger of becoming what it calls a "narco-state," as opium cultivation in the country has increased by 64 percent compared to 2003. Announcing the findings during a press briefing in Brussels, UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said Afghanistan now accounts for 87 percent of the world's supply of opium, the basic ingredient in heroin. He called opium production a "clear and present danger" to Afghanistan, saying it could ultimately destroy "everything" -- democracy, reconstruction, and stability.
• RFE/RL Afghanistan Report, Vol 3, Number 41 18 Nov 2004 -- NATO CHIEF AFFIRMS EXPANSION OF ISAF IN WESTERN AFGHANISTAN / UN PEACEKEEPING CHIEF WARNS AGAINST COMPLACENCY IN AFGHANISTAN / HOSTAGE CRISIS CONTINUES... / ...AS AFGHAN EDITOR CLAIMS NEO-TALIBAN ARE BEHIND HOSTAGE TAKERS / FORMER TALIBAN LEADER ISSUES STATEMENT... / ...WHILE ISAF COMMANDER CLAIMS TALIBAN, AL-QAEDA DEFEATED IN AFGHANISTAN / NEO-TALIBAN REPORT KILLING SECURITY OFFICER IN NORTH / CABLE TELEVISION BROADCASTS UNDER ATTACK / QANUNI CONGRATULATES KARZAI ON PRESIDENTIAL VICTORY / KARZAI VOWS TO ELIMINATE MILITIAS, FIGHT DRUGS, AND ESTABLISH SOCIAL JUSTICE / PAKISTANI PRESIDENT VISITS AFGHANISTAN / KARZAI CONGRATULATES U.S. COUNTERPART / U.S. AIRCRAFT REPORTEDLY EMPLOYED AGAINST POPPY FIELDS IN EAST / PAKISTAN NIXES MEETING ON TRANS-AFGHAN PIPELINE / FORMER CZECH PRESIDENT'S NEON HEART HEADED FOR KABUL / THIS WEEK IN AFGHANISTAN'S HISTORY

Defense Policy / Programs

• Rumsfeld Lauds Successes, Promotes Inter-American Stability AFPS 18 Nov 2004 -- Defense ministers from 34 nations throughout the Western Hemisphere opened the Defense Ministerial of the Americas here Nov. 17 to discuss ways to improve inter-American security.
• Duck hunting William Tell style AFPN 18 Nov 2004 -- "It's just like duck hunting ..." Well, maybe not just like duck hunting. The "duck" is a 40-by-8 foot target being hauled 2,000 feet behind a Learjet flying about 20,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico. Otherwise, it is really similar to duck hunting.
• DOD investigating contracts, reviewing procedures AFPN 18 Nov 2004 -- The Defense Department's director of acquisition announced Nov. 9 actions being taken to investigate contracts made by Darleen Druyun and initiatives to eliminate future potential for unethical behavior.
• ONE-NET to Transform Overseas Computer Networks Navy NewsStand 18 Nov 2004 -- ONE-NET, the new overseas Navy enterprise network, is in the early stages of replacing most of the Navy's disparate mini-networks from London to Guam.
• Eisenhower Crew Certified Ready For Sea Navy NewsStand 18 Nov 2004 -- After spending 44 months in Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard for a major mid-life Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) successfully completed Crew Certification Phase II Nov. 16 and is now certified ready for sea.
• NASA X-43A rockets to Mach 9.8 at Edwards AFPN 19 Nov 2004 -- After postponing the mission because of a problem with the X-43A hypersonic research aircraft, NASA officials said they could not have hoped for a better flight than the one they had here Nov. 16.

• Congressional Report, November 18: New Nonproliferation Bill Introduced Washington File 18 Nov 2004 -- The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee has introduced legislation to strengthen nonproliferation projects, especially those occurring outside the territory of the former Soviet Union.

• White House Daily Briefing, November 18 Washington File 18 Nov 2004 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan briefed reporters on Air Force One November 18 as they accompanied President Bush to Little Rock, Arkansas
• State Department Noon Briefing, November 18 Washington File 18 Nov 2004 -- State Department Deputy Spokesman Adam Ereli briefed reporters November 18

Defense Industry

• Boeing Receives First Engines for X-45C Unmanned Combat Aircraft Boeing 18 Nov 2004 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] Company accepted the first two engines for the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) X-45C aircraft program Nov. 10 in a ceremony held at a General Electric plant in Lynn, Mass.
• EADS Rescue Center Improves Slovenian Armed Forces’ Medical Capabilities EADS 18 Nov 2004 -- EADS is supplying the Slovenian armed forces with a mobile rescue center, as well as further paramedic equipment and vehicle platforms. EADS Defence Electronics Forces Support Systems are managing the order.
• Lockheed Martin Wins Contract for Preplanned Program Improvement Upgrades to MH-60R and MH-60S Helicopters Lockheed Martin 18 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received a $19.9 million contract under the first phase of a multiyear program to increase the capability of the U.S. Navy's MH-60R and MH-60S multimission helicopters.
• Boeing-Siemens Team Delivers Explosives Detection Equipment For Baggage Screening To 200 U.S. Airports Boeing 18 Nov 2004 -- The Boeing-Siemens airport security team announced today that in coordination with both airport and Transportation Security Administration officials it has completed installing explosive detection equipment for checked baggage at 200 airports across the nation.
• Northrop Grumman Unmanned Systems Employed by Department of Homeland Security for Border Patrol Missions Northrop Grumman 18 Nov 2004 -- From now until the end of January, foreigners who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally into Arizona will have to contend with more than just rugged terrain, desert heat and rattlesnakes. They will also have to be on the lookout for Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)-developed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being used by the Department of Homeland Security to help monitor illegal border traffic as part of the new Arizona Border Control.
• Northrop Grumman Achieves Top Scores on Smart Video-Surveillance System Assessment Northrop Grumman 18 Nov 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)'s smart video-surveillance system achieved top scores as part of an evaluation hosted by the Department of Energy and the U.S. Air Force National Assessment Group.
• Lockheed Martin's PAC-3 Missiles Successfully Intercept Two Targets During Flight Test at White Sands Missile Range Lockheed Martin 18 Nov 2004 -- Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile successfully intercepted two missile targets today during Developmental Test/Operational Test-12 (DT/OT-12), the most complex flight test scenario to date for PAC-3. During the initial phase of the test, conducted at White Sands Missile Range, NM, six missiles were in the air simultaneously.
• Orbital Successfully Launches Target Rocket For Patriot Missile Defense System Test Orbital Sciences Corp. 18 Nov 2004 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it recently carried out another successful launch of a missile defense-related target rocket for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The latest success for an Orbital-built missile occurred on Thursday, November 18 at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
• PATRIOT PAC-3 Successfully Engages Multiple Targets Raytheon 18 Nov 2004 -- Raytheon Company's Configuration 3 PATRIOT System successfully engaged two targets simultaneously today that were simulating incoming ballistic missiles during a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 18 Nov 2004
• At rare Security Council session in Africa, Annan seeks an end to Sudan's wars UN News Centre 18 Nov 2004 -- Warning that "there is no time to waste" in ending Sudan's "long nightmare" of civil wars, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today urged a rare special session of the Security Council in Africa to give the final impetus to peace talks in the south while addressing "the terrible situation" in the west of the continent's largest nation.
• Security Council meets in Africa in bid to speed up Sudan peace efforts UN News Centre 18 Nov 2004 -- The United Nations Security Council held a rare session away from its New York Headquarters today in a bid to spur peace efforts in Sudan, convening in a highly symbolic step in neighbouring Kenya and receiving pledges from the parties in one of the wars in Africa's largest country to reach an accord swiftly.
• COTE D IVOIRE: President says rebels must be disarmed by force IRIN 18 Nov 2004 -- In an interview with IRIN, President Laurent Gbagbo said there was no reason to return to the negotiating table to resolve Cote d'Ivoire's two-year crisis, but called on the international community to use force to disarm the rebels who hold the northern half of the country.
• South Asia: Analysts Say Indian Troop Withdrawal From Kashmir A 'Significant' Step Forward RFE/RL 18 Nov 2004 -- New Delhi began pulling a small percentage of its troops out of Indian-administered Kashmir yesterday. An Indian military officer said the withdrawal will eventually involve at least 20,000 soldiers. Up to 500,000 Indian troops are estimated to be in the Muslim-majority state, where they are trying to quell a 15-year-old separatist rebellion.
• EAST AFRICA: Security Council members set for Nairobi meeting IRIN 18 Nov 2004 -- Members of the United Nations Security Council were due to begin a two-day meeting in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, on Thursday morning to discuss conflict resolution in Sudan and the peace process in Somalia, UN sources said.
• THAILAND/UNREST VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- The Thai government says it will cooperate with a U.N. investigation into a violent clash in the Muslim South last month that left at least 87 people dead. The comment followed remarks by Thailand's king warning the country may fall into ruin unless the violence is stopped.
• UN / SUDAN VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- The U.N. Security Council has begun two days of meetings in Nairobi to address the ongoing violence in Sudan, amid warnings that Africa's biggest country could spiral into anarchy.
• ISRAEL / EGYPT VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- Israeli troops killed three Egyptian soldiers along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Israel has apologized for what it says was an "operational mistake" and has begun an investigation into the incident.

News Reports

• CHIRAC/BLAIR VOA 18 Nov 2004 -- French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair highlighted their common approach to many of the world problems at a joint news conference Thursday in London, but Iraq remained a point of disagreement.

• Boeing to Begin Testing of Experimental Rocket Engine Boeing 18 Nov 2004 -- With an eye toward revolutionary new rocket engine systems, engineers from The Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power business unit of the Integrated Defense Systems of The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA] have begun final preparations for testing a futuristic engine at the Stennis Space Center (SSC) in Mississippi.
• Boeing Teams with Alcatel to Deploy Innovative Satellite Communication Subsystems Boeing 18 Nov 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced today the formation of a teaming partnership with Paris communications company Alcatel [NYSE: ALA ] to provide satellite communication subsystems for Boeing Satellite Systems (BSS). The agreement builds on a strategy aimed at supplying satellite customers with unsurpassed quality and value.