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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 23 Sep 2005 [PDF]
• ONE SOLDIER KILLED AND ONE WOUNDED BY IED
• SOLDIER IN AR RAMADI KILLED BY SMALL ARMS FIRE
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Transcript: Special Defense Department Operational Update Briefing 23 Sep 2005 -- Presenter: Deputy Commander, Multinational Force-Northwest, Brig. Gen. Kevin Bergner
• Soldiers go from combat to cleanup in Tal Afar Army News 23 Sep 2005 -- About 700 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, working with Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, are attempting to place the troubled city of Tal Afar under control before the constitutional referendum in October and the national elections in December.
• US General Says al-Qaida Crippled in Northwestern Iraq VOA 23 Sep 2005 -- A senior U.S. military officer said Friday that coalition forces in northwestern Iraq have disrupted "about 80 percent" of the al-Qaida terrorist network's capabilities in the region.
• Terrorism Waning, Citizens Registering To Vote in Northwest Iraq Washington File 23 Sep 2005 -- Al-Qaida operations have been degraded severely, the city of Tall Afar is now under Iraqi government control and 100,000 new voters have registered for the constitutional referendum in Iraq's Nineveh Province, a U.S. general says.
• Rumsfeld Extends Three Units' Tours in Iraq AFPS 23 Sep 2005 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld approved "a modest extension" of three units in Iraq for up to 10 days, Pentagon officials said today.
• Baghdad Car Bomb Kills 5 VOA 23 Sep 2005 -- Insurgents pressing a campaign of violence in Iraq ahead of next month's constitutional referendum have killed five more people Friday in a suicide bombing at a Baghdad bus terminal.
• Coalition operation captures 15 terror suspects MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- Elements of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division captured 15 members of a suspected terrorist cell thought to be operating north of Baghdad during the late evening hours of Sept. 18.
• Iraqi detainee dies MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- A male Iraqi detainee died Sept. 20 after attacking a Marine at an Entry Control Point in Fallujah.
• Coalition forces capture foreign fighter and facilitator MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- Coalition forces captured two terrorists during a raid on a safe house in Mosul Sept. 17.
• Failure to yield leads to capture of 8 terror suspects MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- An Iraqi driver failing to yield the right-of-way to a U.S patrol led to the capture of eight terror suspects on the afternoon of Sept. 21.
• Task Force Liberty Soldiers detain one in Ad Duluyiah MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- Task Force Liberty Soldiers, acting on a tip from an Iraqi citizen, conducted a raid around 10:30 p.m. Sept. 22 south of Ad Duluyiah and detained one individual.
• U.S. Soldiers nab suspect, seize bomb making materials MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers captured a terror suspect and seized bomb making materials from his home during a cordon and search operation conducted in a Taji neighborhood on the evening of Sept. 20.
• Citizen's tip leads Combat Engineers to weapons cache MNF-I 23 Sep 2005 -- Task Force Baghdad Soldiers found a weapons cache while conducting offensive operations to disrupt anti-Iraqi forces activity north of Baghdad.

• Transcript: Special Defense Department Operational Update Briefing-Afghanistan 23 Sep 2005 -- Presenter: Commander, 173rd Airborne Brigade, Combined Task Force Bayonet and Regional Command South, Col. Kevin Owens
• 10 Enemy Combatants, One Afghan Soldier Killed AFPS 23 Sep 2005 -- Ten enemy combatants and one Afghan National Army soldier were killed Sept. 22 during a firefight north of Deh Rahwodin Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, military officials reported today.
• Afghan Army Capabilities Evolving with Experience Washington File 23 Sep 2005 -- The Afghan National Army is composed of highly capable, motivated and courageous individuals, but the institution remains "a work in progress," according to a U.S. military commander with first-hand experience.
• Afghanistan: RFE/RL Speaks With Country's First Woman Governor RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- The Afghan province of Bamiyan is well known for having a female governor -- the first and only one in Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan: Many Women Embrace The Chance To Vote RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- In the days before Afghanistan's 18 September parliamentary vote, President Hamid Karzai urged voters to defy threats of violence and head to the polls.

• Bosnia Mission Continues for 250 U.S. Troops AFPS 23 Sep 2005 -- Ten years ago, under the auspices of NATO, tens of thousands of U.S. forces entered Bosnia-Herzegovina to end a war, enforce a peace, and separate two warring armies in the same state.

• Ravens provide security for Hurricane Rita evacuations AFPN 23 Sep 2005 -- A four-person security forces Raven team left here Sept. 22 for Travis Air Force Base, Calif., along with four other teams from Air Mobility Command bases to provide security for AMC aircraft traveling to Texas and Louisiana.
• AMC 'chasing the clock' to move Hurricane Rita evacuees AFPN 23 Sep 2005 -- As a second major hurricane bears down on the Gulf Coast region, Air Mobility Command Airmen are helping evacuate hundreds of people from the path of the storm.
• 5th U.S. Army establishes JTF-Rita AFPN 23 Sep 2005 -- U.S. Northern Command has ordered 5th U.S. Army to activate Joint Task Force-Rita here to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency as it supports state and local authorities in their preparation for Hurricane Rita.
• Engineers Make Way for Rescue, Reconstruction AFPS 23 Sep 2005 -- In the aftermath of a hurricane, the capabilities that a combat engineer battalion brings are pure gold.
• Units Prepare to Respond to Rita; Bush to Visit NORTHCOM AFPS 23 Sep 2005 -- In preparation for the landfall of Hurricane Rita, the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard are positioning assets and equipment to aid in relief efforts.
• Army readies as Rita takes aim at Texas, Louisiana Army News 23 Sep 2005 -- Fifth U.S. Army has established Joint Task Force-Rita to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency support state and local authorities in their preparations for Hurricane Rita.
• Navy Seabees Remain on the Job After Katrina Navy NewsStand 23 Sep 2005 -- A little more than three weeks after Hurricane Katrina hammered Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, U.S. Navy Seabees continue to work to help rebuild lives and city infrastructure with the same determination they had when their work began Aug. 30.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Rebuilding of Hurricane Hunters' home begins AFPS 23 Sep 2005 -- Reservists from the 403rd Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., continue flying hurricane tracking missions from their temporary working location at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga., while dealing with personal loss suffered from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
• New precision MLRS helps in battle for Tal Afar Army News 23 Sep 2005 -- The newest addition to the Army's artillery arsenal was successfully fired this month during Operation Restoring Rights in Tal Afar, Iraq, and Operation Sayaid in Iraq's Al Anbar Province.
• Fitzgerald Sailors Visit Micronesia UN News Centre 23 Sep 2005 -- Sailors of the permanently forward-deployed guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) helped the citizens of Pohnpei celebrate their 60th anniversary of liberation from the Japanese Sept. 11.
• NAS Kingsville Prepares for Arrival of Rita Navy NewsStand 23 Sep 2005 -- Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas, is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Rita, the Gulf of Mexico's third hurricane this season.
• Nassau ESG Completes Final AT/FP Exercise Navy NewsStand 23 Sep 2005 -- The USS Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) successfully completed its pre-deployment Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP) integrated training exercise Sept. 20 on the waterfront here.
• "Steel Hammer" Enjoys Historic Visit to Qingdao, China Navy NewsStand 23 Sep 2005 -- The crew of USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54), affectionally known as the "Steel Hammer," enjoyed a three-day port visit to Qingdao, People's Republic of China, Sept. 13-16.
• Grounded Greyhound Flies Again After Nearly Four Years Navy NewsStand 23 Sep 2005 -- The first completely-rewired C-2A Greyhound left the Naval Air Systems (NAVAIR) Depot North Island Sept. 12 after sitting on the ground for three and a half years.

• Uzbekistan: Military Exercises With Russia Timely For Tashkent RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- Russia and Uzbekistan have been engaged in joint military exercises this week, the first the two countries have ever held.
• Russian, Uzbek Defense Ministers Attend Exercises RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov and Uzbek Defense Minister Kadyr Gulomov are scheduled today to watch the first joint military exercises between their country's forces without international supervision since the collapse of the Soviet Union.
• Lithuanian Minister Criticizes State Of Russian Military RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- Lithuanian Defense Minister Gediminas Kirkilas says the crash of a Russian warplane in Lithuania was likely an accident resulting from poor coordination and planning by the Russian Air Force.

• NATO: U.S. Sees Global Training Role As Key To Transformation RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- The new U.S. ambassador to NATO, Victoria Nuland, gave a speech in Brussels yesterday in which she outlined key elements in U.S. plans for the alliance's future

• Press conference ON NUCLEAR-TEST-BAN TREATY United Nations 23 Sep 2005
• State Department Briefing, September 23 Washington File 23 Sep 2005 -- Sudan, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, State Department Offices in Houston Closed/State hosts Meeting Today with Washington, D.C. Diplomatic Community to Discuss Foreign Missions and Foreign Nationals Present in Houston Area, Travel by Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey for Meetings with Government Officials, Civil Society, Students and Educators, Secretary Rice's Meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel/Palestinians, Ukraine

Defense Industry

• Boeing receives two study contracts from U.S. Army for Joint Heavy Lift Boeing 23 Sep 2005 -- The U.S. Army has awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] two contracts to perform conceptual design and analysis of vertical-takeoff-and-landing concepts for the Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) program.
• General Dynamics Awarded $16 Million for Bradley Fighting Vehicle Reactive Armor General Dynamics 23 Sep 2005 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded an additional $16 million from the U.S. Army’s TACOM/ARDEC Picatinny Arsenal (Picatinny, N.J.) for the production of enhanced-capability reactive armor tile sets for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
• U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics $34 Million for Submarine Repair Work General Dynamics 23 Sep 2005 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $34 million contract modification to perform maintenance, repairs and alterations on the USS Augusta (SSN-710). Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Thales to maintain and support French Navy ships Nivôse and Floréal Thales 23 Sep 2005 -- The French Navy's Fleet Support Service (SSF) has awarded Thales a contract for the maintenance and support of French Navy ships Nivôse and Floréal based on Reunion island in the Indian Ocean.
• ATK Motors Perform Flawlessly in Launch of Minotaur Rocket ATK 23 Sep 2005 -- Two Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) Orion motors performed flawlessly in yesterday’s successful launch of an Orbital Sciences Corporation Minotaur launch vehicle from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The launch placed a classified Air Force research satellite known as STP-R1 in orbit. The mission is part of the Space Test Program (STP) — a component of the Department of Defense research and development program.
• U.S. AIR FORCE SET TO LAUNCH FIRST MODERNIZED GPS SATELLITE BUILT BY LOCKHEED MARTIN Lockheed Martin 23 Sep 2005 -- GPS IIRThe U.S. Air Force is preparing to launch the first modernized Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] aboard a Delta II rocket on Sept. 25, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The satellite is the most technologically advanced GPS satellite ever developed and will provide significantly improved navigation performance for U.S. military and civilian users worldwide.
• Orbital Successfully Launches Minotaur Rocket Carrying U.S. Military Satellite Orbital Sciences Corp. 23 Sep 2005 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it successfully launched a satellite for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) aboard a company-built Minotaur I rocket.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 23 Sep 2005
• 15 Dead in Gaza Explosion, Dozens Hurt VOA 23 Sep 2005 -- An explosion during a parade of the militant Palestinian group Hamas has killed 15 people and wounded 80 others, including children, in the Gaza Strip.
• After Gaza success, mutual plan still the only way to Mid East peace: UN envoy UN News Centre 23 Sep 2005 -- Even given the successful unilateral Israeli disengagement from Gaza, the only way forward to a comprehensive Middle East peace is for Israelis and Palestinians to take the mutually reinforcing steps outlined by the diplomatic Quartet, a senior United Nations envoy told the Security Council today.
• Israeli Troops Kill 3 Palestinian Gunmen in West Bank VOA 23 Sep 2005 -- Israel says government troops have shot dead three Palestinian gunmen during a raid in the West Bank.

• Security Council extends mandate of Sudan mission UN News Centre 23 Sep 2005 -- Encouraging countries to deploy their peacekeeping troops in a timely manner to the strengthen peace agreements in the Sudan, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in that country (UNMIS) for six months, until March 2006.
• NIGERIA-SUDAN: Fresh fighting in Darfur threatens peace talks, says AU mediator IRIN 23 Sep 2005 -- Renewed fighting between Sudanese government forces and a rebel faction in the troubled Darfur region could jeopardise ongoing peace talks, the African Union has said.
• SUDAN: Annan pledges UN support for national unity government IRIN 23 Sep 2005 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan pledged on Thursday that the UN Mission in Sudan would do its utmost to support the efforts of the country's newly-formed government of national unity to entrench peace and foster economic development after decades of civil war.

• Annan reaffirms full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon after reports to the contrary UN News Centre 23 Sep 2005 -- Following recent press statements and speeches in the General Assembly to the contrary, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has reiterated the United Nations' long-standing position that Israel has withdrawn its forces from all Lebanese territory in fulfillment of Security Council resolutions.
• Council Of Europe Appeals To Georgia, South Ossetia RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- The secretary-general of the Council of Europe today urged country member Georgia and its separatist republic of South Ossetia to de-escalate tensions over a series of armed incidents.
• DRC: No plan to arrest dissident ex-general, UN official says IRIN 23 Sep 2005 -- The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) does not plan to capture a dissident former general of the Congolese army against whom an international arrest warrant was issued recently, an official told IRIN on Thursday.
• GREAT LAKES: MPs vow to speed up regional peace IRIN 23 Sep 2005 -- In efforts to foster peace, legislators from three Great Lakes countries resolved on Friday to follow up and get involved in the implementation of peace treaties agreed upon by governments in the region.
• Southern Thailand Bomb Explosion Kills 2 Policemen VOA 23 Sep 2005 -- Thai authorities say a bomb blast in the country's violence plagued south has killed two police officers and wounded another.

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS United Nations 23 Sep 2005
• US Says Hariri Assassination Probe Should Proceed Unhindered VOA 23 Sep 2005 -- The United States said Friday the U.N. investigation of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri should proceed without any hindrance or obstruction
• SOMALIA: WFP nullifies agreements after hijackers fail to free ship RFE/RL 23 Sep 2005 -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) nullified on Friday all agreements with Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and community leaders aimed at ending the hijacking of a ship carrying food aid after the pirates reneged on a promise to free the vessel and its crew.