Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Mar 2005 [PDF]
• MARINE KILLED IN ACTION
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Seven detained near Hawija MNF-I/MNC-I 30 Mar 2005 -- Task Force Liberty Soldiers detained seven people suspected of a rocket attack near a Coalition Forces base near Hawija about 3:30 p.m., March 29.
• TF Liberty Soldiers detain Iraqi for throwing grenade MNF-I/MNC-I 30 Mar 2005 -- Task Force Liberty Soldiers detained an individual for throwing a grenade at a combat patrol near Kirkuk about 9:15 p.m., March 29.
• Coalition Forces hand terrorists another defeat MNF-I/MNC-I 30 Mar 2005 -- Coalition Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), conducted an operation in northern Iraq March 29.
• Task Force Liberty Soldiers find cache in Tikrit MNF-I/MNC-I 30 Mar 2005 -- Task Force Liberty Soldiers seized a weapons cache in Tikrit at 5:30 p.m. March 29.
• Iraqi, U.S. forces gain ground against terrorists MNF-I/MNC-I 30 Mar 2005 -- Iraqi Security Forces and Task Force Baghdad Soldiers are gathering strength and putting a dent in the fighting capabilities of international terrorists.
• MQ-1 PREDATOR CRASHES IN IRAQ CENTCOM 30 Mar 2005 -- An Air Force MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle crashed in Rawah, Iraq, at approximately 7:00 p.m. March 30.
• Troop-Strength Assessment in Iraq Expected This Summer AFPS 30 Mar 2005 -- The commander of Multinational Force Iraq is expected to assess the situation on the ground in mid-summer to recommend how many troops are required to sustain operations in Iraq, Air Force Lt. Gen. Lance L. Smith, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said today.
• Second Predator crashes in Iraq AFPN 30 Mar 2005 -- An MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle crashed in Rawah, Iraq, at about 7 p.m. on March 30, officials said.
• Kearsarge ESG Completes Onload of 26 MEU, Heads Out on Deployment Navy NewsStand 25 Mar 2005 -- The USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) completed embarkation of the 26 Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) off the coast of North Carolina March 27, and is now headed east on their deployment in support of the global war on terrorism.

• AFGHANISTAN-MRS BUSH VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- First Lady Laura Bush has flown to Afghanistan for a whirlwind five-hour tour to promote women's rights and education.
• Bagram Airmen recover hundreds of pallets AFPN 30 Mar 2005 -- The numbers 88- by -108 by -2.25 inches and 290 pounds represent lifeblood for the Air Force's logistics readiness officers and air transporters.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Announces Plan to Improve Foreign Language Expertise 30 Mar 2005 -- The Department of Defense announced today a major initiative to develop foreign language and cultural expertise among its military and civilian members.
• Hearings Determine Detainees' Threat Status AFPS 30 Mar 2005 -- DoD officials have begun a series of hearings -- similar to parole-board hearings -- at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to determine if individual detainees there still pose a threat or could be released or transferred.
• 38 Guantanamo Detainees to Be Freed After Tribunals AFPS 30 Mar 2005 -- After roughly 10 months of hearings, military officials announced March 29 that 38 detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been found to not be enemy combatants and will be returned to their home countries. Five have already been released.
• No Change Expected at Coalition Base in Kyrgyzstan AFPS 30 Mar 2005 -- The political situation in Kyrgyzstan is expected to have no impact on coalition efforts there in support of operations in Afghanistan, the No. 2 officer at U.S. Central Command told Pentagon wire service reporters here today.
• Final Joint STARS aircraft delivered AFPN 30 Mar 2005 -- Officials from the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass., delivered the 17th and final E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System aircraft to the 116th Air Control Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., on March 23.
• DoD Announces Release of 2004 DACOWITS Report 31 Mar 2005 -- The Department of Defense announced today the release of the 2004 report by the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS).
• Pilots give feedback on F-16 upgrade AFPN 30 Mar 2005 -- F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., were here recently to give feedback to members of the F-16 Systems Group on upgrades made to the aircraft.
• CORTEX Adds Value, Realism to 3rd Fleet Real-world Operations, Training Exercises Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2005 -- Since leaving the decommissioned USS Coronado (AGF 11) and moving to a shore-based facility in September 2003, U.S. 3rd Fleet's training, experimentation and evaluation role is being directed from the Maritime Operations Complex, known as CORTEX.
• Army Updates Detainee Operations Information Army News Release 30 Mar 2005 -- The Army continued its effort to keep the public informed concerning detainee operations by releasing documents pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
• Kearsarge Underway CASREP-Free Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2005 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) marked its first casualty report (CASREP)-free day in recent history March 27.
• NMCB 21 Seabees Commemorate 63rd Anniversary Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2005 -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 21 commemorated the 63rd birthday of the Naval Construction Force March 19 with the Seabee Ball in Verona, N.Y.

• BURUNDI: Government resumes military cooperation with Belgium IRIN 30 Mar 2005 -- Belgian Minister of Defence André Flahaut and his Burundian counterpart, Vincent Niyungeko, signed a letter of intent on Tuesday to resume military cooperation, which was suspended in 1972.

• State Department Daily Briefing, March 30 Washington File 30 Mar 2005 -- Syria/Lebanon, Lebanon, Venezuela, Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Indonesia, Iraq, China/Taiwan, United Nations, Kyrgyzstan, Cyprus, Burma, Greece
• White House Daily Briefing, March 30 Washington File 30 Mar 2005 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan briefed the press March 30 on Air Force One as they accompanied President Bush on a trip to Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Defense Industry

• Lockheed Martin Awarded $37.8 Million Contract for A-10 Upgrades Lockheed Martin 30 Mar 2005 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $37.8 million contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with Precision Engagement production kits to modify A/OA-10 aircraft. The entire A-10 fleet will be modified over the next five years for an estimated total contract value of $168 million.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 30 Mar 2005
• BRITAIN / SUDAN VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- A committee of the British Parliament says about 300 thousand people have been killed in ethnic warfare in Sudan's western Darfur region. That figure is more than four times larger that the United Nations' estimate.
• SUDAN: Gunmen ambush AU monitors in South Darfur IRIN 30 Mar 2005 -- Unidentified gunmen wounded two African Union (AU) monitors on Tuesday near the town of Niteaga, northwest of Nyala, the capital of the western Sudanese state of South Darfur, an AU spokesman told IRIN.
  
  
• LIBERIA: UN investigating recruitment of Liberian mercenaries in Cote d'Ivoire IRIN 30 Mar 2005 -- The UN peacekeeping missions in Liberia and Cote d'Ivoire are trying to track down those who have recently been recruiting former combatants in Liberia to fight for armed groups into neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire, a senior UN official said on Wednesday.
• Security Council calls on DR of Congo and UN mission to disarm foreign fighters UN News Centre 30 Mar 2005 -- The United Nations Security Council today called on the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to "develop a joint concept of operations for the disarmament of foreign combatants," together with the UN peacekeeping mission there, as it extended the mission's mandate to 1 October.
• RUSSIA/CHECHEN LEADERS VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- For the past 10 years, Chechnya has been the scene of violence as Russian troops try to defeat separatist rebels. Earlier this month Russian security forces killed one of the separatist leaders, Aslan Maskhadov.
• UGANDA/LRA VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- A shadowy entity known as the Lord's Resistance Army has kidnapped some 20-thousand children across northern Uganda and has forced them to kill even members of their own families. Most girls become sex slaves, and many people have been raided and mutilated in random attacks.
• ISRAEL DISENGAGEMENT VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- The Israeli parliament removed the last legislative obstacle to the implementation of Prime Minister Ariel Sharons disengagement plan, when it approved the budget, late Tuesday.

News Reports

• UN/SCANDALS VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- The head of the United Nations office for promoting free elections has been accused of management abuses, including misuse of funds. The latest revelations add to Secretary-General Kofi Annan's troubles as he tries to recover from a series of scandals.

• KYRGYZSTAN: A PIECE IN CENTRAL ASIAN GAME OF DOMINO RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2005 -- The political elite of Kyrgyzstan is nursing the idea of returning Askar Akayev to the country.
• Kyrgyz Leaders Promise Akaev Safe Return RFE/RL 30 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyzstan's interim authorities promised ousted President Askar Akaev today that he may safely return to Kyrgyzstan.
• Kyrgyz Oppositionist: Original Intent Not Revolution RFE/RL 30 Mar 2005 -- Kyrgyzstan's provisional President and Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiev says he believes that the leaders of Kyrgyz neighbors Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are worried about the revolution in Kyrgyzstan.
• Kulov Resigns From Kyrgyz Security Post RFE/RL 30 Mar 2005 -- Prominent Kyrgyz opposition leader Feliks Kulov today resigned as coordinator of Kyrgyzstan's law-enforcement agencies.
• Kyrgyzstan: Is Akaev Really Prepared To Resign? RFE/RL 30 Mar 2005 -- In his first appearance since last week's apparent revolution in Kyrgyzstan, ousted President Askar Akaev spoke to the public yesterday. Akaev insisted on Russian radio and television that he remains Kyrgyzstan's president. But he suggested he would resign if he is offered certain "guarantees."

• INDONESIA/EARTHQUAKE SURVIVORS VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- As ships and helicopters rush aid to the victims of Monday's eight-point-seven earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia's Sumatra Island, shocked survivors from hard-hit Nias Island are arriving at the port town of Sibolga. They say much of Nias's infrastructure has been destroyed, houses and buildings damaged, and people remain trapped underneath the rubble.

• VIETNAM BIRD FLU VOA 30 Mar 2005 -- Vietnamese medical officials have reported more suspected cases of a potentially deadly avian flu strain, including five members of one family. The cases raise new fears of a pandemic if the virus mutates to spread easily among humans.