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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 24 Aug 2005 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties

• Two Infantry Battalions to Deploy to Iraq for Election Period 24 Aug 2005 -- On August 23, 2005, the Secretary of Defense approved a request by the commander of Multi-National Forces-Iraq (MNF-I) to deploy two additional infantry battalions to Iraq.
• Two More Battalions to Boost Security During Iraq Elections AFPS 24 Aug 2005 -- Two infantry battalions from the 82nd Airborne Division will deploy from Fort Bragg, N.C., to Iraq to support security efforts during the upcoming election period, defense officials announced today.
• Coalition Forces Meet With Successes, Capture Insurgents, Weapons AFPS 24 Aug 2005 -- Coalition forces in Iraq met with several successes Aug. 23, capturing a known al Qaeda member, several suspected terrorists and weapons, and destroying a terrorist hideout, according to U.S. military officials in Baghdad.
• Coalition forces capture terrorist, destroy hide-out MNF-I 24 Aug 2005 -- Coalition forces captured a known Al Qaeda-in-Iraq member, two suspected terrorists and destroyed a terrorist sanctuary, weapons and equipment near Al Asad Aug. 23.
• Iraqi Army takes over Coalition Forces camp MNF-I 24 Aug 2005 -- Coalition forces turned over Camp Zulu in As Suwayrah, Iraq, to the Iraqi Army Aug. 21.

• U.S. Interrogator Gets Two Months For Afghan Detainee Abuse RFE/RL 24 Aug 2005 -- An American who served as an interrogator for U.S. military intelligence has been sentenced to two months in prison for abusing an Afghan detainee who later died.
• Tripartite Commission Meets in Islamabad AFPS 24 Aug 2005 -- The Tripartite Commission, comprised of senior military and diplomatic representatives from Afghanistan, Pakistan and the United States, held its 12th meeting in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, today.
• AFGHANISTAN: Many candidates still linked to armed groups - report IRIN 24 Aug 2005 -- Despite significant progress on preparations for autumn polls, some candidates of Afghanistan's upcoming parliamentary elections are still linked with armed groups and some are holding stocks of weapons, the United Nations and a local human rights body warned.
• Iran spares no effort to help Afghanistan: Zarif IRNA 24 Aug 2005 -- Iran's permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said here Tuesday Iran will not spare any efforts to help Afghanistan hold the upcoming parliamentary election successfully.
• Pakistan, Afghan, US military officials discuss security IRNA 24 Aug 2005 -- Top Pakistani, Afghan and US military officials met in Rawalpindi on Wednesday and examined ways to deepen their level of military-to-military relationship in the interest of long term regional stability, officials said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Statement by Michael Wynne on Brac Commission Votes 24 Aug 2005
• BRAC Panel Begins Final Deliberations AFPS 24 Aug 2005 -- The Base Realignment and Closure Commission generally supported the Defense Department's recommendations today as the panel began its final four days of deliberations.
• F-16 accident report released AFPN 24 Aug 2005 -- A catastrophic engine failure caused an F-16D Fighting Falcon to crash in a marsh adjacent to the Ashley River near Charleston, S.C., on April 18, according to an Air Force report released Aug. 23.
• AFRC exceeds recruiting goal AFPN 24 Aug 2005 -- For the fifth consecutive year, Air Force Reserve Command has exceeded its recruiting goal.
• Airmen keep base supplied AFPN 24 Aug 2005 -- Laptops to lumber and even bicycles to B-52 Stratofortresses all have something in common at this forward-deployed location -- none of it gets here without the 15 Airmen with the 40th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Flight.
• Army, FBI lead 'Orbit Comet' anti-terrorism test Army News 24 Aug 2005 -- More than 21 local, state, federal and military agencies last week took part in "Orbit Comet," the largest full-scale anti-terrorism exercise ever in North Carolina.
• U.S. General Discusses Bases With Turkmenistan Leader RFE/RL 24 Aug 2005 -- A top U.S. general says he has assured Turkmenistan's President Saparmurat Niyazov that the American military is in the Central Asian region to help bring stability to Afghanistan.
• U.S. General Holds Talks With Tajik President RFE/RL 24 Aug 2005 -- A top U.S. general met today with Tajik President Emomali Rakhmonov in Dushanbe for security talks.
• USS Winston S. Churchill, USS McFaul Return to Homeport Navy NewsStand 24 Aug 2005 -- USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) and USS McFaul (DDG 74) will return to their homeport of Norfolk Aug. 24.
• DESRON 6 Reservists Key During PANAMAX 2005 Navy NewsStand 24 Aug 2005 -- Reserve component Sailors from Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 6 deployed alongside their active-duty counterparts during the PANAMAX 2005 exercise in August.
• French Take Helm of Combined Task Force 150 Navy NewsStand 24 Aug 2005 -- British Royal Navy Commodore Tony Rix turned over command of Task Force (CTF) 150 to French Vice Adm. Jacques Mazars Aug. 17 in Bahrain.
• Bataan Visits Dutch Caribbean Island for Rest & Relaxation Navy NewsStand 24 Aug 2005 -- USS Bataan (LHD 5) departed the southwestern Caribbean after wrapping up a successful liberty port visit in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, Aug. 19-21.

• Defense Ministers Observe Sino-Russian War Games RFE/RL 24 Aug 2005 -- The Russian and the Chinese defense ministers met in China's port city of Qingdao today, where they are both monitoring the two countries' first major joint military exercises.
• China, Russia Exercises Highlight Growing Ties, Old Suspicions VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- Nearly ten-thousand Chinese and Russian troops are carrying out joint military exercises for a second week off eastern China's Shandong peninsula

• State Department Briefing, August 24 Washington File 24 Aug 2005 -- Iran, Israel, South Korea, North Korea, Venezuela, Belarus, Palestinian Authority, Iraq

Defense Industry

• $36 Million Contract Awarded For Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Components BAE Systems 24 Aug 2005 -- BAE Systems Australia has been awarded a $36 million contract by Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson Arizona for the continued production of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) components. This contract takes the value of the ESSM business awarded to BAE Systems Australia to over $200 million.
• EADS North America to Offer the UH-145 for the U.S. Army’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Mission EADS 24 Aug 2005 -- EADS North America and its American Eurocopter business unit will offer the UH-145 advanced rotary-wing aircraft for the U.S. Army’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) mission. EADS North America will lead the capture effort and act as the prime contractor for the UH-145 team.
• General Dynamics UK Awarded Future Rapid Effect System Chassis Concept Technology Demonstrator Programme Contract General Dynamics 24 Aug 2005 -- General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has signed a contract with Atkins, the UK Ministry of Defence’s System House, for the Future Rapid Effect System (FRES) Chassis Concept (CC) Technology Demonstration Programme (TDP).
• Lockheed Martin Develops Technique to Integrate Advanced Weapons on Current Aircraft, Sooner and at Lower Cost Lockheed Martin 24 Aug 2005 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has developed a new way to adapt its advanced strike weapons to existing aircraft interfaces, saving time and money and, most importantly, getting important weapons into the hands of the warfighters sooner.
• Army Successfully Conducts First In-Theater Tests of Lockheed Martin's Guided MLRS Unitary Rocket Lockheed Martin 24 Aug 2005 -- Fire units of Battery Bravo, 3rd Battalion, 13 Artillery Regiment, successfully conducted the first in-theater tests of the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary rockets recently in Iraq.
• Northrop Grumman Receives $208 Million U.S. Navy Training-Range Support Contract Northrop Grumman 24 Aug 2005 -- Aug. 24, 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Navy to provide operations, maintenance and engineering support for the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps East and West Coast training ranges, enabling standardization of processes and enhancing performance.
• Northrop Grumman to Supply Additional Navigation Systems for F/A-22 Raptor Northrop Grumman 24 Aug 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) to supply up to 108 additional global positioning inertial navigation systems (GINS) for the U.S. Air Force's F/A-22 Raptor to fulfill the critical navigation functions of this advanced fighter aircraft. An essential avionics system, the GINS provides Raptor pilots with aircraft attitude, heading, velocity and precise position.
• Northrop Grumman's Viper Strike Added to the AC-130 Arsenal Northrop Grumman 24 Aug 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a sole-source contract from the U.S. Special Operations Command to develop Viper Strike as a stand-off precision-guided munition (SOPGM) on the AC-130 gunship.
• Northrop Grumman Announces Team for U.S. Army ITES-2S Bid Northrop Grumman 24 Aug 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has named its team of partner companies for the U.S. Army's Information Technology Enterprise Solutions 2 Services (ITES-2S) program.
• Northrop Grumman Uses New In-Country Reprogramming Tool to Train Republic of South Korea's Air Force on Electronic Countermeasures System Northrop Grumman 24 Aug 2005 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has completed In-Country Reprogramming Tool training for representatives of the Republic of South Korea Air Force and Boeing Company on the operation and programming of its improved ALQ-135M electronic countermeasures system, which is a fully automatic, internally mounted electronic combat system that manages and defeats multiple threats simultaneously, prioritizing and neutralizing the most imminent dangers.
• BAE SYSTEMS JP129 Solution Strengthened by Recent US Army Decisions BAE Systems 24 Aug 2005 -- BAE Systems Australias JP129 Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) solution has been given a boost thanks to recent contract awards made by the US Army.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 24 Aug 2005
• Security Critical to Success of Palestinian Takeover of Gaza Washington File 24 Aug 2005 -- A senior U.S. official says it is critical that the Palestinian Authority disarm HAMAS and other terrorist organizations in order to take advantage of the opportunity for progress toward peace presented by the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
• With Gaza pullout ending, Israel, Palestinians must remain true to Road Map, says UN UN News Centre 24 Aug 2005 -- With the first stage of Israel's "watershed" disengagement from the Gaza Strip nearly completed - although the work for security forces on both sides is far from over - the United Nations political affairs chief today called on all Palestinian factions to reject violence and pursue their goals through peaceful and democratic means.
• Egyptians and Palestinians Say Some Gaza Border Issues Unresolved VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says control of Gaza Strip border posts remains a key unresolved issue as Israel completes its withdrawal from the territory
• Egypt to Guard Gaza Border, after Israeli Withdrawal VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- Israel and Egypt have agreed on a plan that will put Egyptian guards along the Gaza border with Egypt, once the Israeli withdrawal from the area is complete
• GAZA: SHARON'S 'TOKEN FOR PEACE' HANDED ABBAS A 'SUPERFICIAL SUCCESS' US Dept. of State IIP, Foreign Media Reaction 24 Aug 2005

• COTE D IVOIRE: Ceremony to mark dismantling of militias falls flat IRIN 24 Aug 2005 -- A ceremony to mark the beginning of the dismantling of militias that support Cote d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo fell flat on Wednesday as UN officials warned that there wasn't enough money to carry out the process.
• Annan questions abilities of those leaders who foment discord in Côte d'Ivoire UN News Centre 24 Aug 2005 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has challenged the political leadership across the board in the Côte d'Ivoire to stop the destabilization of the West African country.
• Tension Builds in Ivory Coast after Threatened Coup VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- Ivory Coast remains preoccupied by the threat of a coup by the former head of army Mathias Doue

• "No one will force you to return," UN refugee chief tells Darfur's displaced UN News Centre 24 Aug 2005 -- United Nations refugee agency chief António Guterres today told a camp housing some 10,000 displaced people in strife-riven Darfur that despite pressure from the Sudanese Government, they would never be forced to go back to the villages they fled under armed attack over the last two years.
• Sudan, Darfur Rebels to Resume Peace Talks VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- The Sudanese government and two rebel groups in the country's restive Darfur region have agreed to resume peace talks next month in Abuja, Nigeria, according to African Union officials.

• Peacekeepers in Haiti Must Not Leave Prematurely, U.N. Warns Washington File 24 Aug 2005 -- The United Nations says its peacekeeping force in Haiti must not leave the Caribbean country prematurely to prevent repeating the experience of previous international missions that failed because troops were pulled out too soon.
• Nepal's Political Parties and Maoist Rebels Consider Joining Forces to Oppose King VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- Nepal's political parties say they are considering a united front with the country's communist rebels to oppose King Gyanendra, who took power in a royal coup early this year
• SUDAN-TANZANIA: Darfur peace talks to resume on 15 September IRIN 24 Aug 2005 -- Peace talks between the Sudanese government and the two main rebel groups in the western Sudanese region of Darfur are to resume on 15 September, the African Union (AU) special envoy for the region, Salim Ahmed Salim, said on Wednesday.
• Foreign Ministers Discuss Nagorno-Karabakh RFE/RL 24 Aug 2005 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry says that the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan met in Moscow today to discuss the dispute over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh territory.
• Chechen President Dismisses Envoys Abroad, Government RFE/RL 24 Aug 2005 -- Following his May reorganization of the Chechen military command, in early August Abdul-Khalim Sadullaev issued decrees disbanding the Chechen government and dismissing the network of envoys abroad that he inherited from his predecessor, President Aslan Maskhadov. Sadullaev explained his reasons for doing so in an address to the Chechen people posted on 19 August on chechenpress.org.

News Reports

• The UN Secretary General Calls for More Aid To Niger VOA 24 Aug 2005 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on a visit to Niger that if food aid did not increase rapidly in the next few weeks, the country will be hit by another food crisis
• Robertson's anti-Chavez remarks "not a UN matter" - spokesman UN News Centre 24 Aug 2005 -- Questioned about United States Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson's call yesterday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a United Nations spokesman today stressed that the world body does not condone any comments that incite violence against a democratically elected head of State.