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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 16 Aug 2005 [PDF]
• THREE TASK FORCE BAGHDAD SOLDIERS DIE IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• First Air Force Stryker unit deploys to Iraq AFPN 16 Aug 2005 -- The first Air Force Stryker unit marked its first deployment with the high-tech Army vehicle when it departed here Aug. 14 for Iraq.
• Evidence Found Powerful Bombs Being Made in Iraq VOA 16 Aug 2005 -- The U.S. military in Iraq has found evidence that new, more deadly roadside bombs, called shape charges, are not only being imported into the country from neighboring Iran, they are also being made locally
• Vehicle Accident in Iraq Claims Three Soldiers' Lives AFPS 16 Aug 2005 -- Three Task Force Baghdad soldiers died when the vehicle in which they were riding overturned into a sinkhole Aug. 15 during combat operations in southern Baghdad, military officials reported today.
• Airmen Focus on Their Work to Push Supplies 'Up North' AFPS 16 Aug 2005 -- It's always hot and often grueling work. But it all comes down to supporting the servicemembers based "up north," said airmen assigned with the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing here.
• Gunfire Wounds 25 Iraqi Workers; U.S. Investigating RFE/RL 16 Aug 2005 -- The U.S. military said it was investigating an incident in which at least 25 workers were reportedly wounded today by what appeared to be helicopter fire as some slept on the roof of a central Baghdad hotel.
• Weapons cache destroyed in Al Anbar MNF-I 16 Aug 2005 -- Multi-national ground forces, acting on an Iraqi tip, discovered and destroyed a large cache of artillery shells in the early hours of Aug. 16.
• Detainee dies at Abu Ghraib MNF-I 16 Aug 2005 -- A 20-year-old male security detainee died Aug. 15 of a suspected homicide at Abu Ghraib.

• Operation Rimini reaches out to Afghan villages Army News 16 Aug 2005 -- Coalition forces have completed a 10-day civic assistance mission that included medical, veterinary, and mechanical assistance.
• Spain Not Ruling Out Attack In Afghan Crash RFE/RL 16 Aug 2005 -- Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono said today that authorities are not ruling out the possibility of an attack against the helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan earlier, killing 17 Spanish soldiers on board.
• Afghanistan: Despite progress, objective of stability remains to be met - Annan UN News Centre 16 Aug 2005 -- While the upcoming parliamentary and provincial elections that will complete Afghanistan's political transition are a vital step, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns in a new report that the overall objective - to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country under very difficult circumstances - remains to be met.
• Afghan, U.S. Forces Kill Six Enemy Combatants AFPS 16 Aug 2005 -- Afghan and U.S. forces killed six enemy combatants after the militants fired at a forward operating base near the city of Deh Rahwod in southern Afghanistan on Aug. 14, U.S. officials reported today.
• 17 Spanish Troops Killed In Afghan Helicopter Crash RFE/RL 16 Aug 2005 -- Military officials say a helicopter belonging to the NATO-led international security force in Afghanistan crashed in the west of the country today, killing 17 Spanish troops.
• Spanish Troops Killed in Helicopter Crash in Afghanistan VOA 16 Aug 2005 -- A military helicopter belonging to the NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan has crashed in the west of country, killing at least 17 Spanish troops

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Department of Defense - Israeli Ministry of Defense Joint Press Statement 16 Aug 2005 -- The strategic alliance between the United States and Israel reflects common understandings of the global security environment.
• What's in a name? AFPN 16 Aug 2005 -- The process is not so simple when naming a military aerospace vehicle. For the Air Force and its sister services, the process begins within the asset identification branch of Air Force Materiel Command's logistics directorate here.
• C-130 maintainers sustain mission readiness AFPN 16 Aug 2005 -- A combined team of active-duty and Guard C-130 Hercules maintainers with the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron are keeping mission-capable rates for the base's fleet in the high 90s.
• Exercise practices response to attack on capital Army News 16 Aug 2005 -- In a homeland defense exercise last week, West Virginia National Guard troops practiced extraction and decontamination techniques for a nerve gas attack on the National Capital Region.
• USS Philippine Sea's Deployment Enhances Security, Stability in Middle East Region Navy NewsStand 16 Aug 2005 -- USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), the Mayport, Fla.-based guided-missile cruiser, has had a direct impact on the security and stability of the Middle East since arriving in the region in May as part of the U.S. Navy's new operational construct, the Fleet Response Plan (FRP), according to Capt. Gene Moran, the ship's commanding officer.
• Sixth Phase of Southeast Asia Exercise Series Underway Navy NewsStand 16 Aug 2005 -- The sixth and final phase of the 2005 Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise series is underway here following an Aug. 16 ceremony that marked an official start to a weeklong series of events ashore and at sea focused on increasing maritime interdiction capabilities of the U.S. and Philippine navies.
• U.S., Azerbaijan Military Begin Joint Training Navy NewsStand 16 Aug 2005 -- Approximately 70 service members from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit 8 and supporting units are participating in extended bilateral training with Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) forces from Azerbaijan, beginning Aug. 8 and lasting for approximately 15 months.
• Lone Star Battalion Mobilized, Ready to Deploy Navy NewsStand 16 Aug 2005 -- Close to 500 Reserve Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 22, with detachments across Texas and in Oklahoma, mobilized and are now preparing for deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in September.
• Boxer Wraps up Third Annual JASEX Navy NewsStand 16 Aug 2005 -- After more than 60 mishap-free flight hours, USS Boxer (LHD 4) wrapped up the third annual Joint Air and Sea Exercise 2005 (JASEX 05) Aug. 13.
• Boxer Returns to Sasebo Following JASEX Navy NewsStand 16 Aug 2005 -- USS Boxer (LHD 4) returned to Sasebo, Japan, Aug. 15, after successfully completing Joint Air and Sea Exercise (JASEX) 2005 with the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and elements of the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Marine Corps.

• White House Daily Press Briefing, August 16 Washington File 16 Aug 2005 -- President's schedule, energy bill, Iraq/constitution, Gaza/withdrawal
• State Department Briefing, August 16 Washington File 16 Aug 2005 -- Spain/helicopter crash in Afghanistan, Iran, Mexico, Iraq, North Korea, Japan, Israel/Palestinians, Germany, Cuba

Defense Industry

• EADS technology effectively protects people against attacks EADS 16 Aug 2005 -- EADS, in cooperation with the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Munich, has developed a protection system for transporting people safely in crisis areas. As EADS Defence Electronics announced on Tuesday, the multifunctional container for protected personal transport ("TransProtec") has now proved its high protection capability in a series of blasting tests that have been successfully carried out.
• General Dynamics Acquires Tadpole Computer, Inc. General Dynamics 16 Aug 2005 -- General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) today acquired Tadpole Computer, Inc., a privately held company based in Cupertino, Calif., that provides Unix®-based mobile, secure and battlefield-tested computing platforms for mission-critical military, government and commercial operations. The acquisition will be immediately accretive to General Dynamics. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
• General Dynamics Selects Engine for FCS Manned Ground Vehicles General Dynamics 16 Aug 2005 -- General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has selected the 5L890 engine manufactured by Detroit Diesel Corporation to power the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) Manned Ground Vehicles.
• United Kingdom Becomes First International Customer for Lockheed Martin's Guided MLRS Rockets Lockheed Martin 16 Aug 2005 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received a $55 million Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) rocket contract from the United Kingdom. This contract represents the first international sale of GMLRS.
• Lockheed Martin U.K. Agrees To Acquire U.K. Systems & It Company INSYS Group Limited Lockheed Martin 16 Aug 2005 -- Lockheed Martin U.K. Holdings Ltd., a subsidiary of the Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE:LMT] today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire INSYS Group Limited, a U.K.-based diversified supplier of military communications systems, weapons systems and advanced analysis services.
• Press Release: EADS technology effectively protects people against attacks EADS 16 Aug 2005 -- EADS, in cooperation with the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann of Munich, has developed a protection system for transporting people safely in crisis areas.
• Northrop Grumman Completes Joint STARS Computer Upgrade Northrop Grumman 16 Aug 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently completed Block 20 upgrades to the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft, bringing the entire fleet to the same "open-systems" configuration which will allow the aircraft hardware and software to be upgraded at a lower cost while increasing mission effectiveness to meet future surveillance, targeting and battle-management requirements.
• Raytheon Awarded Contract Valued Up to $6.6 Million to Support the Fire Department of New York in Modernizing Incident Command Systems Raytheon 16 Aug 2005 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a contract by iXP Corporation to design and develop the Portable Electronic Command Board System (PECB) program that will overhaul the Fire Department of New York's (FDNY) manual command boards by using wireless technology.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 16 Aug 2005
• U.S. Envoys Meet Palestinian Security Officials in Gaza VOA 16 Aug 2005 -- Two senior U.S. envoys met Palestinian security officials in Gaza Tuesday to urge calm among Palestinians as the Israeli evacuation of Gaza settlements moves into high-gear. The Gaza mission was the first by a top State Department official in nearly two years.
• MIDDLE EAST: 'GOOD-BYE TO GAZA' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 16 Aug 2005
• Defiant Settlements Vow to Resist Gaza Evacuation VOA 16 Aug 2005 -- Israel's evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank Is in its second day
• Israel's Defense Chief Promises Tough Action Against Gaza Pullout Opponents VOA 16 Aug 2005 -- Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz says tough action will be taken against anyone trying to disrupt Israels pullout from the Gaza Strip.

• Security Council urges Sri Lankans to maintain ceasefire after minister's murder UN News Centre 16 Aug 2005 -- The United Nations Security Council has called on the parties in Sri Lanka to fully observe the ceasefire agreement between the Government and Tamil separatists following the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar.
• UN peace centres in Africa, Asia-Pacific face financial crises - Annan UN News Centre 16 Aug 2005 -- The United Nations centres for peace and disarmament in Africa and Asia and the Pacific are facing critical funding gaps and myriad logistical challenges, and may have a better chance of survival if their operations are merged with other UN offices, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has suggested in two new reports.
• Sudan: UN Mission reports fresh violence, looting in Darfur UN News Centre 16 Aug 2005 -- The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today reported fresh violence, looting and attacks on refugee camps in the strife-torn western Darfur region, where tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions displaced during two-years of fighting between the Government, allied militia and rebels.
• Russia: Chechen Official Puts War Death Toll At 160,000 RFE/RL 16 Aug 2005 -- A top official in Chechnya's pro-Kremlin government said on 15 August that up to 160,000 troops and civilians have died or gone missing in the two wars waged by Russia against Chechen separatist rebels.
• SYRIA: Efforts to improve conditions for Palestinian refugees IRIN 16 Aug 2005 -- The continuing needs of thousands of Palestinian refugees residing in Syria have created new challenges, the Syrian General Authority for Palestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR) said at the opening of its annual conference in the capital, Damascus.

News Reports

• Uzbekistan: Climate Of Fear Grips Andijon RFE/RL 16 Aug 2005 -- The outside world has received few accounts of life in Andijon since 12-13 May.
• Boeing Delta IV GOES-N Launch Scrubbed Boeing 16 Aug 2005 -- The launch of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-N) aboard a Boeing [NYSE:BA] Delta IV rocket was scrubbed this evening.
• Atlas V Gives Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Smooth Send-Off Into Space Lockheed Martin 16 Aug 2005 -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed Martin are heading to Mars again -- this time armed with the most powerful suite of science instruments, cameras and unprecedented data relay capability yet sent to the red planet aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). In a spectacular morning launch Aug. 12 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., an Atlas V launch vehicle roared off the launch pad from Launch Complex 41 and provided the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter a great boost on what will be a seven-month journey to Mars for arrival in March 2006.