Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 22 Dec 2004 [PDF]
• 22 KILLED, 72 WOUNDED DURING ATTACK ON DINING FACILITY CENTCOM 21 Dec 2004 -- Twenty-two people were killed and 72 others wounded following an explosion in a dining facility at Forward Operating Base Marez in southwest Mosul on Dec. 21.
• TWENTY-TWO KILLED IN EXPLOSION AT FOB MAREZ NEAR MOSUL
• MARINE DIES OF WOUNDS
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty

• Transcript: Defense Department Operational Update Briefing 22 Dec 2004 -- Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld; and General Richard Myers, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
• PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Richard Myers, says a suicide bomber apparently caused the explosion that killed 22 people, including 13 American troops, on a U.S. military base near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
• Suicide Bomber May Have Been Responsible for Mosul Attack AFPS 22 Dec 2004 -- It appears that a suicide bomber was responsible for the attack on the mess hall at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul that killed 22 people Dec. 21, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during a Pentagon news briefing today.
• U.S. Military Investigating Deadly Mosul Blast RFE/RL 22 Dec 2004 -- U.S. military investigators have begun work to determine what -- and who -- was behind yesterday's deadly blast in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul that killed 22 people, most of them U.S. soldiers.
• MOSUL BLAST INVESTIGATION VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- The U.S. military in Iraq has begun an investigation into Tuesday's blast at a base in Mosul, as well as a search for those responsible for an explosion at a mess hall tent that killed 22 people, among them 13 American soldiers. It was one of the deadliest attacks on American troops since the war began.
• Task Force Danger Soldiers Capture Three Near Hawija MNF-I/MNC-I 22 Dec 2004 -- Task Force Danger Soldiers captured three individuals, including a suspected anti-Iraqi forces member, in a raid near Hawija at about 2:50 a.m., December 22. The
• U.S. Military Investigating Deadly Mosul Blast RFE/RL 22 Dec 2004 -- The United States military has launched an investigation into yesterday's attack against a military base in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul that killed at least 22 people.
• MPs keep convoys, EOD safe in Iraq USMC News 22 Dec 2004 -- The idea of military police evokes images of being pulled over by the flashing blue lights of a police cruiser for driving too fast on base.

• Afghan Army Volunteer Center Opens in Old Terrorist Camp AFPS 22 Dec 2004 -- Khowst, Afghanistan, was once the location of an al Qaeda training camp bombed by the U.S. military in 1998 and again in 2001. Now it is home to the newest Afghan National Army Volunteer Center.
• CFC AFGHANISTAN RELEASE CENTCOM 21 Dec 2004 -- This morning is the grand opening of the Provisional Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Tarin Kowt. This PRT has been operational for some time, but it still represents a significant commitment to enabling, enhancing and improving the capacity of the Afghan nation and extending the outreach of the Government of Afghanistan.
• Foreign Troops Might Remain In Afghanistan RFE/RL 22 Dec 2004 -- The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan says foreign troops may need to remain in Afghanistan "indefinitely" to help Afghan security forces.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Rumsfeld 'Saddened' by Attacks on DoD Efforts AFPS 22 Dec 2004 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he is "truly saddened" that anyone could have the impression "that I or others here are doing anything other than working urgently to see that the lives of the fighting men and women are protected and are cared for in every way humanly possible."
• 'Silver Lobos' fly into retirement AFPN 22 Dec 2004 -- The Air Force's last operational F-4 Phantom II squadron held its inactivation ceremony here Dec. 20.
• Crash leads to investigation, Raptor safety stand down AFPN 22 Dec 2004 -- Commanders of units flying the F/A-22 Raptor called for a safety stand down of the fleet following a crash Dec. 20 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
• Former Navy Warship Oriskany (CVA 34) Docks in Pensacola, Fla. Navy NewsStand 22 Dec 2004 -- The ex-Oriskany (CVA 34) arrived at its new berthing place at the Port of Pensacola Dec. 20. The carrier will set a precedent in a new sunken reef program for naval vessels when it is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico next year.
• Sea Warrior to Helm Sailors' Futures Navy NewsStand 22 Dec 2004 -- The Navy announced the human resource management component of the Navy's Sea Power 21 transformational effort, a strategic plan called Sea Warrior, Dec. 18.
• Mission successful for Joint Task Force-535 USMC News 22 Dec 2004 -- More than 600 Marines, sailors, airmen and soldiers with Joint Task Force-535, most from the Okinawa, Japan-based 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, returned here Dec. 17-20, after providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief for people who were affected by severe storms in the Philippines.

• White House Pledges Probe Of Abuse Allegations RFE/RL 22 Dec 2004 -- The U.S. White House has pledged a full investigation of fresh revelations about American military personnel allegedly abusing prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay.

• Powell Looks Back on U.S. Foreign Policy Successes, Problems Washington File 22 Dec 2004 -- President Bush is "a leader in the truest sense of the word," according to outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell.
• State Department Daily Briefing, December 22 Washington File 22 Dec 2004 -- Indonesia/East Timor, Iraq, Iran, Libya/Saudi Arabia, Israel/Palestinians, Taiwan

Defense Industry

• General Dynamics Delivers Submarine Jimmy Carter to U.S. Navy General Dynamics 22 Dec 2004 -- General Dynamics Electric Boat today delivered the Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), the nation’s newest and most advanced submarine, to the U.S Navy. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Raytheon Delivers Breadboard Array to U.S. Air Force for Ultra-Wideband Multi- Function Tests Raytheon 22 Dec 2004 -- Raytheon Company's Space and Airborne Systems (SAS) recently delivered a small but integral component to the Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensor Directorate, at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, for demonstrating ultra-wideband (UWB) multi-function array capability.
• Turkey Signs for Head-of-State Sikorsky S-92 Sikorsky 22 Dec 2004 -- The Turkish government has signed a contract for a Sikorsky S-92 helicopter to serve head-of-state missions.
• Northrop Grumman Prepares for Next Phase of Army's Future Unmanned Armed Rotorcraft Program by Passing Key Hardware, Software Milestones Northrop Grumman 22 Dec 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) demonstrated key refinements to its hardware and software designs for the Army's Unmanned Combat Armed Rotorcraft (UCAR) program during a review this month.
• Boeing Wins $21 Million Contract with U.S. Navy's Strategic Systems Programs Boeing 22 Dec 2004 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] received a $21 million Navy contract to provide engineering technical support for navigational systems on United States and United Kingdom Trident I and Trident II submarines.
• Northrop Grumman Receives $248 Million Contract for ICBM Propulsion Replacement Program Northrop Grumman 22 Dec 2004 -- The Air Force today awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) a $248 million contract to continue the full-rate production phase of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Propulsion Replacement Program (PRP). The program is designed to replace aging solid rocket motor sets - stages 1, 2, and 3 - in the Minuteman III force with remanufactured motors to maintain alert readiness status through 2020.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 22 Dec 2004
• UN / ANNAN / SUDAN VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is calling for a reassessment of efforts to end the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, saying the current strategy has failed. Mr. Annan rejected a U.S. suggestion that he pay another visit to Darfur to move the peace process forward.
• US / INDONESIA / TIMOR VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell met Wednesday with his counterparts from Indonesia and East Timor in an effort to help the two countries resolve ongoing disputes stemming from the 1999 violence that followed East Timor's vote for independence. The United States is backing parallel inquiries into the violence by the United Nations and the two parties themselves.
• Annan urges Security Council and UN to rapidly rethink joint approach to Sudan UN News Centre 22 Dec 2004 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the United Nations and the Security Council to make an immediate and "real re-assessment" of their approach to resolving the humanitarian crisis engulfing Sudan's Darfur region because the current course is clearly not working.
• SUDAN/SECURITY VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- An international human-rights group is criticizing the Sudanese government for its one-year extension of a state of emergency.
• BLAIR / MIDDLE EAST VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is seeking to revive Middle East peace efforts, including arrangements for an international conference he hopes to host early next year. Mr. Blair held talks in Israel with Ariel Sharon and then met with Palestinian leaders in the West Bank town of Ramallah
• SUDAN: Agreement on southern conflict within reach - officials IRIN 22 Dec 2004 -- A comprehensive peace agreement between the Sudanese government and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) to end two decades of conflict in the south could be signed within days, officials involved in peace talks in Kenya said on Tuesday.
• DRC: UN creates buffer zone in east, but regional administrator objects IRIN 22 Dec 2004 -- The UN announced on Tuesday that it was creating a buffer zone in the province of North Kivu in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The 10-km buffer zone will be located between the towns of Kanyabayonga and Lubero.
• ETHIOPIA-ERITREA: Normalise relations, Security Council urges IRIN 22 Dec 2004 -- The UN Security Council has urged Ethiopia and Eritrea to normalise their relations, saying it was encouraged by the recent move towards a peaceful resolution of their border dispute.
• SUDAN/PEACE TALKS VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- The Sudanese government and the south's main rebel group are optimistic they will sign a final peace agreement by the end of the year as earlier promised. The rebel group says the situation in Darfur is not affecting the talks.
• INDONESIA/EAST TIMOR VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- Indonesia and East Timor have agreed to set up a joint commission to investigate the murder and destruction surrounding the Timorese vote for independence from Indonesia in 1999. Human rights campaigners have already expressed doubts about how seriously the two countries want to look into the matter.
• BLAIR / MIDDLE EAST VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair is seeking to revive Middle East peace efforts, including arrangements for an international conference he hopes to host early next year. Mr. Blair held talks in Israel with Ariel Sharon and meets later with Palestinian leaders in Ramallah.

News Reports

• UKRAINE / ELECT RALLIES VOA 22 Dec 2004 -- Ukraine's opposition presidential candidate, Viktor Yushchenko, has urged his supporters to keep up the pressure for a free and fair re-run Sunday as his rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, warned of the possibility of further unrest. The competing rallies come just four days before the new election ordered by Ukraine's Supreme Court.
• Yanukovych Says Repeat Vote Can't Be Fair RFE/RL 22 Dec 2004 -- Ukrainian presidential candidate, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, says the 26 December repeat presidential runoff cannot be considered fair.
• Analysis: Ukrainian Candidates Face Off In Debate RFE/RL 22 Dec 2004 -- Ukrainian presidential candidates Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych on 20 December met in a live televised debate ahead of the upcoming repeat of last month's flawed presidential runoff.