Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 01 Jul 2005 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• UPDATE: 16 SERVICEMEMBERS KILLED IN HELICOPTER CRASH CENTCOM 01 Jul 2005 -- Coalition forces have confirmed that all 16 service members on board the MH-47 helicopter that crashed June 28 died in the crash.

• Transcript: Defense Department Special Briefing on Security Operations in Northwest Iraq 01 Jul 2005 -- Presenter: U.S. Army Major General David Rodriguez, Commander, Multinational Force Northwest and Task Force Freedom
• CVW-9 Aircraft Drops Bomb on Iraqi Insurgents Navy NewsStand 01 Jul 2005 -- A Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 9 F/A-18F strike fighter jet, flying from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) in the Persian Gulf, dropped one precision-guided bomb on Iraqi insurgents June 25.
• More Iraqi Forces Patrol Syrian Border VOA 01 Jul 2005 -- The commanding general of coalition forces in northwestern Iraq says experienced Iraqi units are playing a greater role in the effort to secure the border with Syria, which most of the foreign fighters operating in Iraq are believed to have crossed. The general spoke from Mosul in a news conference with reporters at the Pentagon.
• Task Force Liberty Soldiers recover hundreds of rounds MNF-I 01 Jul 2005 -- Task Force Liberty Soldiers found and destroyed eight different caches in Kirkuk Province June 29-30, eliminating several hundred artillery and mortar rounds of various sizes.
• Iraqi civilians work with Coalition Forces to discover terrorist cache MNF-I 01 Jul 2005 -- Based on information from an Iraqi civilian, Soldiers from Company B, 3rd Battalion, 116th Armor Regiment, Task Force Liberty discovered an unexploded ordnance cache in the Kirkuk Pro
• Multi-National Forces detain 12, seize weapons MNF-I 01 Jul 2005 -- Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained 12 suspected terrorists and seized weapons during operations in Mosul June 30.
• MNF-W conducting inquiry into death of Iraqi near Haditha MNF-I 01 Jul 2005 -- Multi-National Force-West has been made aware of allegations that Coalition Forces caused the death of Mohammed Al-Sumaida'ie in his home near Haditha on June 25, 2005. vince June 29.
• U.S. Forces in Iraq Nab Suspects, Find Weapons Caches AFPS 01 Jul 2005 -- Multinational forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), detained 12 suspected terrorists and seized weapons in Mosul, Iraq, June 30.

• NATO Commander Meets With Afghan President in Kabul AFPS 01 Jul 2005 -- NATO's top military officer met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the presidential palace here June 30.
• ISAF Jobs Vital to Afghanistan Security AFPS 01 Jul 2005 -- Keeping the relative peace here in the Afghan capital is a full-time job for the servicemembers of NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
• AFGHANISTAN: UN marks disarmament milestone IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- The disarmament and demobilisation phase of the UN-backed Disarmament Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programme in Afghanistan ended on 30 June, while reintegration of former combatants will take another year, the United Nations announced on Thursday, in the capital, Kabul.
• Afghanistan: Is Helicopter Downing A Sign Of New Tactics, Weapons? RFE/RL 01 Jul 2005 -- If confirmed as a hostile-fire incident, the 28 June downing of a U.S. military helicopter in Afghanistan that left 16 soldiers dead would be the most costly such incident for U.S. forces in that country since October 2001.

Defense Policy / Programs

• C-130J conducts first-ever combat airdrop AFPN 01 Jul 2005 -- Air Force history was made June 30 when the newest addition to the cargo fleet proved its capabilities during the first-ever C-130J Hercules combat airdrop.
• Dominguez talks about present course in Iraq, future for Airmen AFPN 01 Jul 2005 -- During the acting secretary of the Air Force's visit here June 29, he said part of the reason he came was to pass on a message.
• Air Force takes part in joint training transformation AFPN 01 Jul 2005 -- Linking aircraft simulators with live forces and simulators of other services have been the Air Force's most visible contributions to the Department of Defense's joint training transformation effort.
• Senate confirms Moseley as next CSAF AFPN 01 Jul 2005 -- The Senate has confirmed General T. Michael Moseley as the next chief of staff of the Air Force. He is the current Air Force vice chief of staff.
• DoD Announces Increase in Death Gratuity and SGLI 01 Jul 2005 -- The Department of Defense announced today a significant increase in the death gratuity for the survivors of service members killed in action and the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) coverage for service members deployed to designated combat zones.
• Japanese Sailors Complete Damage Control Training at NAVSTA San Diego Navy NewsStand 01 Jul 2005 -- Sailors at Naval Base San Diego's Training Support Center helped Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) sailors conduct damage control training, shipboard warfare training, and chemical, biological and radiological defense drills June 20-24.
• Pearl Harbor Sailors Briefed on Sea Warrior Navy NewsStand 01 Jul 2005 -- Representatives from Task Force Warrior, a command tasked by the Chief of Naval Operations to integrate, communicate and accelerate Sea Warrior, visited Pearl Harbor June 27-28 to brief Sailors on proposed changes aimed at maintaining an agile and responsive Navy.
• Pentagon, Medical Journal in Dispute over Detainees VOA 01 Jul 2005 -- The U.S. Defense Department is involved in a dispute with a prominent medical journal, which is alleging inappropriate involvement by medical personnel in the interrogation of detainees at the Guantanamo detention center. The issue involves international law, medical ethics and the war on terrorism.

• State Department Briefing, July 1 Washington File 01 Jul 2005 -- Secretary Rice to deliver opening remarks at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Ambassador Khalilzad's health, Zimbabwe, North Korea, U.S. efforts to freeze assets of WMD proliferators, Iran
• Report Sheds Light on U.S. Policy During 1971 South Asia Crisis Washington File 01 Jul 2005 -- Important foreign policy discussions held between former President Richard Nixon and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger regarding the 1971 war between India and Pakistan have been made public for the first time.

Defense Industry

• BAE SYSTEMS Bids Farewell To 29 Squadron BAE Systems 01 Jul 2005 -- To celebrate the on-schedule achievement of a vital milestone in the Typhoon programme, a Typhoon display and a formation flypast of four Typhoons marked the departure of the second Royal Air Force Typhoon squadron from Warton for their permanent base at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire today.
• Thales to supply new high frequency tactical communication system for French forces Thales 01 Jul 2005 -- The French defence procurement agency (DGA) has appointed Thales as prime contractor for the Melchior programme, which will provide the French armed forces with a new-generation high-frequency (HF) tactical transit and access communication system. The contract, worth 252 million euros, calls for development and production of the system and subsequent through-life support.
• Thales and CNN sign innovative support contract with DGA Thales 01 Jul 2005 -- Thales and CNN (Compagnie Nationale de Navigation) have signed a contract with French defence procurement agency DGA making them co-prime contractors for the support of the new Dupuy de Lôme signals intelligence vessel and its electronic systems. Under the contract, Thales and CNN will provide services to the French Navy in support of the Dupuy de Lôme for five years. The aim is to ensure that the ship and its main systems are available 350 days/year. The systems concerned include the propulsion and steering systems and the electronic eavesdropping and intelligence systems.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 01 Jul 2005
• NIGERIA-SUDAN: Obasanjo meets with Darfur rebels to try to unblock peace talks IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has met the leaders of the two main rebel movements in Sudan's Darfur region in an attempt to resurrect peace talks that have become bogged down by splits within the rebel ranks.
• SUDAN: Garang urges southern militias to reconcile IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- The chairman of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A), John Garang, appealed on Thursday to all militias operating in southern Sudan to put aside their differences and reconcile.

• PRESS BRIEFING ON RWANDA TRIBUNAL United Nations 01 Jul 2005
• SIERRA LEONE: UN troops to leave by the end of the year IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- The UN Security Council has voted to close down the UN peacekeeping operation in Sierra Leone by the end of December, with the next contingent of troops due to pull out in mid-August.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Regional force to remain for six months IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- Heads of state of countries in the Economical Community of Central Africa States (CEMAC) extended the mandate of a regional military force in the Central African Republic (CAR) for at least six month, according to a communiqué read on Thursday over CAR's state-run radio.
• Israel Lifts Closure of Gaza Settlements VOA 01 Jul 2005 -- The Israeli military has lifted its closure of Jewish settlements in Gaza, but is keeping some limitations in place to prevent an influx of goods or equipment that might be used for another confrontation with security forces.
• KENYA: Nearly 4,000 illegal small arms destroyed IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- Kenyan authorities on Wednesday set on fire nearly 4,000 illicit small arms recovered by police over the past two years in an ongoing effort to curb the proliferation of illegal weapons in the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regions.
• BURUNDI: Army arrests scores of child soldiers IRIN 01 Jul 2005 -- Burundi's army said on Friday that some 100 child combatants had been arrested in the last two weeks at various locations around the country. They had been recruited by the only active rebel movement in the country, the Forces national de liberation.

News Reports

• RICE IN THE MIDEAST: 'APPLYING A DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM TO THE ARAB REGION' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 01 Jul 2005
• Congo Opposition Maintains Pressure After Violence VOA 01 Jul 2005 -- Calm returned to Congo's capital Kinshasa Friday, a day after protests calling for the government's resignation turned violent. While the United Nations said there had been some excesses by the security forces there was relief the violence did not spin further out of control.
• UN Urges Resettlement of Uzbek Asylum Seekers in Safe Countries VOA 01 Jul 2005 -- The U.N. Refugee Agency held an urgent meeting Friday to find countries willing to resettle some 450 Uzbek asylum seekers that are threatened with forcible deportation from Kyrgyzstan. United Nations officials and human rights organizations warn these people could face torture or death, if they are sent back to Uzbekistan.
• Mauritanian Guilty of Torture VOA 01 Jul 2005 -- A French court has found a Mauritanian military officer guilty of torture in his own country, applying for the first time a doctrine allowing foreigners to be prosecuted for crimes committed anywhere in the world.
• Shanghai Group Head Blames Terrorists For Andijon Unrest RFE/RL 01 Jul 2005 -- Secretary-General Zhang Deguang of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) says that bloody unrest last month in the Uzbek city of Andijon resulted from a terrorist plot.
• Akaev Backs Opponents For Kyrgyz Election RFE/RL 01 Jul 2005 -- Ousted Kyrgyz President Askar Akaev says his two main political opponents are best suited to lead the country after the presidential poll this month