Operations
Defense Policy
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 24 Jan 2006 [PDF]
• MND-B SOLDIERS KILLED BY ROADSIDE BOMB
• TWO MARINES KILLED IN VEHICLE ACCIDENT
• DoD Identifies Air Force Casualties
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• CENTAF releases daily airpower summary AFPN 24 Jan 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.
• Soldiers, Marines, Airmen Killed by Roadside Bombs AFPS 24 Jan 2006 -- Roadside bombs claimed the lives of three soldiers, two Marines and two airmen in separate incidents Jan. 22 and 23 in Iraq, officials said today.
• Iraqi, Coalition Troops Capture Terrorists, Weapons AFPS 24 Jan 2006 -- Iraqi and coalition troops have teamed up to capture at least five insurgent fighters and several weapons caches in the past two days.
• Coalition forces uncover large caches, thwart IEDs Army News 24 Jan 2006 -- In a series of separate incidents, multi-national coalition forces disarmed improvised explove devices, uncovered several large weapon caches, and detained four suspected insurgents.

• Taleban Rebels in Afghanistan Escape High Security Prison VOA 24 Jan 2006 -- A national manhunt is under way in Afghanistan for seven Taleban members who broke out of the country's main high security prison.

• U.S. Navy Captures Pirate Vessel Off Somali Coast AFPS 24 Jan 2006 -- A U.S. Navy ship captured a suspected pirate vessel in the Indian Ocean about 54 miles off the coast of Somalia Jan. 21.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Ships Surge in Support of Maritime Security Navy NewsStand 24 Jan 2006 -- The Navy is surging three ships Jan. 24 and 25 to conduct maritime security operations in support of the global war on terrorism.
• ATG Self-Training Software Soon to Hit Navywide Navy NewsStand 24 Jan 2006 -- A software program that allows ships' crews to self-evaluate their progress in meeting training requirements is expanding from the testing stage to being implemented aboard 50 ships in January.
• Essex Completes Fueling at Sea Certification Navy NewsStand 24 Jan 2006 -- USS Essex (LHD 2) successfully completed its certification for fueling at sea (FAS) with a new fueling rig during an early evening underway evolution with USS Fort McHenry (LPD 43) Jan 21.
• Autonomous Fire Scout UAV Lands on Ship Navy NewsStand 24 Jan 2006 -- The Navy’s Unmanned Aerial System program office, and the Vertical Takeoff and Landing Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (VTUAV) Program completed a major developmental milestone as the VTUAV system completed nine autonomous landings aboard USS Nashville (LPD 13). One air vehicle performed the initial tests with three landings Jan. 16, and a second air vehicle was launched Jan. 17 to complete the testing.
• 'Smart' cable helps protect aircraft AFPN 24 Jan 2006 -- In December 2003 and January 2004, several Air Force aircraft took fire near Baghdad, Iraq, but the missile warning systems failed to indicate the attacks.
• AFRL breakthrough furthers space optics AFPN 24 Jan 2006 -- Positioning three delicate, circular mirrors to one one-thousandth of the width of a human hair challenged scientists at the Air Force Research Laboratory's space vehicles directorate here.
• DoD Taps Industry Know-How in Ongoing Counter-IED Efforts AFPS 24 Jan 2006 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England called on what he called some of the best minds in the country today to help come up with new solutions to the threat improvised explosive devices pose to U.S. troops.
• Info Is as Important as Ammo in 'Long War,' General Says AFPS 24 Jan 2006 -- In the so-called "Long War," information will be as important as ammunition, a senior military officer said.
• Army's Veteran Bomb-Disposal Robot Now 'Packs Heat' AFPS 24 Jan 2006 -- A modified version of an Army robot that's used to thwart roadside bombs in Afghanistan and Iraq now packs a punch of its own.
• Army Begins CAC Cryptographic Logon Army News Release 24 Jan 2006 -- The U.S. Army began implementing this month the Common Access Card Cryptographic Logon which requires a special identification card, known as a CAC, and a personal identification number to log on to the Army's unclassified network.
• Aircraft recovery platoon first of its kind Army News 24 Jan 2006 -- Officers of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade saw the need for a unit whose mission was totally devoted to recovering aircraft that had been downed anywhere within the brigade's area of operation

• White House Briefing, January 24 Washington File 24 Jan 2006 -- Economy, Judge Alito/nomination, Pakistan/air strike, Hurricane Katrina/anticipated damage, Iraq reconstruction, Canada/softwood lumber, Abramoff/Senator Reid's comments, Iran/Newt Gingrich's comments, Bush's trip to NSA, Army interrogator case, Ford layoffs/plant closings, Afghanistan
• State Department Briefing, January 24 Washington File 24 Jan 2006 -- Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Kuwait, Palestinian Authority, Canada, Lebanon, Syria, Haiti, Republic of Congo, Sudan, Cyprus, Venezuela, Russia, Pakistan

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 24, 2006
• BAE Systems to Supply Upgraded Autopilot Systems for Republic of Korea Navy P-3 Orions BAE Systems 24 Jan 2006 -- L-3 Communications Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) of Greenville, Texas, has awarded BAE Systems a subcontract worth approximately $6 million to provide digital autopilot systems for Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy P-3 Orion antisubmarine patrol aircraft.
• Raytheon Acquires Houston Associates, Inc.; Strengthens Position in Command and Control, Network Infrastructure, and Services Raytheon 24 Jan 2006 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has acquired Houston Associates, Inc. (HAI), a privately held company with proficiency in developing and operating mission-critical networks and network-centric command and control infrastructure applications, and in providing enterprise management services. HAI, based in Arlington, Va., will become part of Raytheon's Network Centric Systems business. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
• Sikorsky Aircraft to Expand Huntsville Operations Sikorsky 24 Jan 2006 -- Sikorsky Aircraft announced today the expansion of its existing Huntsville offices to provide a technical integration center in support of U.S. Army BLACK HAWK helicopters and other military aviation programs. Sikorsky Aircraft, based in Stratford, Conn., is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).
• Boeing Introduces New 737 Signals Intelligence Aircraft Boeing 24 Jan 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE:BA] today announced plans for a new 737 signals intelligence (SIGINT) aircraft that can be used for airborne intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and also advanced network centric communications.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 24 Jan 2006
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY DIVISION COMMANDER OF UNITED NATIONS PEACEKEEPERS IN EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO United Nations 24 Jan 2006
• UN mission reports on serious human rights abuses by Congolese military UN News Centre 24 Jan 2006 -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) military's efforts to flush militias from the area south of Lake Albert in Ituri district has resulted in serious human rights violations, including the summary execution of six fishermen, rapes, imprisoning children and forcing villagers to transport stolen goods, the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC) said today.
• Thousands flee clashes in DR Congo's Kivu provinces for western Uganda, UN reports UN News Centre 24 Jan 2006 -- Thousands of Congolese have fled fighting in the Kivu provinces in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to western Uganda, the United Nations reported today.

• Security Council extends UN mission in Côte d'Ivoire through mid-December UN News Centre 24 Jan 2006 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI) through 15 December and pledged to keep its troop strength under review, stopping short of meeting Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendation to significantly increase in the size of the force.
• United States Concerned About Violence in Côte d'Ivoire Washington File 24 Jan 2006 -- The United States expressed concern January 24 about the effect of recent violence in Cote d'Ivoire on the peace process under way in the country and on the provision of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations.

• PRESS CONFERENCE BY UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES United Nations 24 Jan 2006
• NEPAL: Police again clash with protesters IRIN 24 Jan 2006 -- Violence erupted on the streets of Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, on Tuesday, despite an earlier lifting of a ban on mass rallies and the resumption of mobile phone services in the city.
• SIERRA LEONE: Ex rebel official accused of bid to overthrow government IRIN 24 Jan 2006 -- As Sierra Leone works to overcome a decade of civil war and unrest, a former rebel spokesman was accused of treason on Monday for alleged involvement in a recent bid to overthrow the government and assassinate the vice-president.
• Gunmen Attack Oil Facility in Southern Nigeria, Nine Killed VOA 24 Jan 2006 -- A shootout between gunmen and security forces has killed nine people at the offices of an Italian oil company in southern Nigeria.
• Olmert Says Israel Must Give Up Parts of West Bank VOA 24 Jan 2006 -- Acting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Israel must cede more territory to the Palestinians
• Abkhazia Wants Security Guarantees From Georgia RFE/RL 24 Jan 2006 -- Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba said today that Sergei Bagapsh, the leader of the unrecognized Black Sea separatist republic, is ready to meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili provided Tbilisi commits itself to not resume military hostilities.
• U.N. Security Council Wants Militias in Lebanon Disarmed Washington File 24 Jan 2006 -- The U.N. Security Council issued a formal presidential statement putting pressure on Syria and Lebanon to comply with the council's 16-month-old resolution designed to restore Lebanese independence.

News Reports

• ATK Rocket Motors, Composites Technology Support Successful Launch of Japan's H-IIA Vehicle ATK 24 Jan 2006 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) rocket motors and composites technology supported today’s successful launch of a Japanese H-IIA vehicle from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan. The launch vehicle placed into orbit the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS).
• Very first image delivered by MSG2 weather satellite Thales 24 Jan 2006 -- The MSG2 satellite, launched on December 21 and now positioned at 6.5 degrees West, has transmitted yesterday at 3:00 pm GMT its very first image. MSG2 satellite was built by an Alcatel Alenia Space-led European team.