Operations
Defense Policy
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 31 Jan 2006 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

• 100th British Service Member Dies in Iraq War VOA 31 Jan 2006 -- Britain's Defense Ministry says a British soldier has been killed in an explosion in Iraq, becoming the 100th British service member to die in the war.
• CENTAF releases daily airpower summary AFPN 31 Jan 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.
• Iraqis Take Control South of Mosul; Operations Net Weapons, Suspects AFPS 31 Jan 2006 -- An Iraqi unit has taken control of an operational area, and Iraqi and coalition forces have seized more weapons and detained terrorism suspects, military officials in Baghdad reported.
• C-130 airlift reduces ground convoy operations AFPN 31 Jan 2006 -- Sitting high on his stool in the back of a C-130 Hercules, Senior Airman Jon Hall, a 777th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron loadmaster, scans the ground for airborne threats on an airlift sortie over Iraq.
• Bradley crew survives IED blast Army News 31 Jan 2006 -- Using the right protective gear and exercising good patrolling discipline meant the difference between life or death for a Bradley crew returning from a night mission Jan. 25.

• United States Pledges $1.1 Billion More for Afghan Reconstruction Washington File 31 Jan 2006 -- The United States has pledged $1.1 billion in additional aid to support reconstruction in Afghanistan as it enters a new phase of its development under a democratically elected government.
• Ten years more to eradicate poppy cultivation, says Karzai IRNA 31 Jan 2006 -- The eradication of Afghanistan's poppy fields would be a much longer process than first thought, according to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
• Officials Stress Long-Term Commitments As Afghans Open 'New Chapter' RFE/RL 31 Jan 2006 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have told participants in a two-day London conference devoted to the future of Afghanistan that their administrations are committed to that country's long-term health.
• US Pledges Another $1 Billion for Afghanistan VOA 31 Jan 2006 -- An international conference on Afghanistan has opened in London with the United States pledging another $1 billion in assistance for the war-ravaged country next year.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: President Delivers State of the Union Address 31 Jan 2006
• Bush: U.S. Leadership, Resolve Critical to Terror Fight, Security AFPS 31 Jan 2006 -- In this time of testing, the United States can't find security by abandoning its commitments, retreating within its borders and allowing its enemies to have free reign, President Bush said tonight during his annual State of the Union address.

• USS Halsey Sets Record for Training Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2006 -- The newly-commissioned Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97) entered its Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA) period Jan. 17 completely certified and surge-deployable in the shortest time period in Navy history.
• Rapid prototyping speeds up design assessment AFPN 31 Jan 2006 -- The Air Force Research Laboratory has developed a new rapid way to test wind tunnel designs.
• F-35 simulator demonstrates fighter of tomorrow AFPN 31 Jan 2006 -- While the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is still in development, Airmen are getting a "sneak peek" at the future of air superiority thanks to a unique simulator.
• New Boat Offers Military Smoother Ride, Versatility AFPS 31 Jan 2006 -- Speed and flexibility make a new military high-speed vessel especially valuable for shallow-water operations, a Defense Department official said.
• Soldiers join Marines in asymmetrical war game Army News 31 Jan 2006 -- Army engineers, trainers and communicators participated in the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Warrior exercise last week in Maryland involving counterinsurgency and irregular operations.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 31, 2006
• Boeing Completes Delivery of First JTRS Cluster 1 Radios to Future Combat Systems Program Boeing 31 Jan 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and teammates BAE Systems, Rockwell Collins and Northrop Grumman have delivered the first seven Joint Tactical Radio System Cluster 1 (JTRS C1) radios, as scheduled, to the U.S. Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program. Additional units will be delivered to the FCS program in increments, to bring the total number of radios to 50 by late summer.
• Boeing Signs Production Preparation Agreement with the Netherlands Ministry of Defense Boeing 31 Jan 2006 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA] announced today a production preparation agreement with the Defense Materiel Organization of the Dutch ministry of Defense for the possible purchase of Chinook helicopters. The agreement provides for the planning and long-lead activities that will support production and will include the procurement of new CH-47F Chinooks with an option for additional aircraft and modernization kits for the current fleet of 11 Dutch CH-47Ds.
• Boeing Selected for U.K. AWACS Upgrade Program Boeing 31 Jan 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] is one of two companies selected by the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence as a preferred bidder to compete in a technology demonstration program as part of Project Eagle, a major upgrade to the U.K.'s AWACS fleet.
• CACI and Information Systems Support, Inc. (ISS) Announce Delay in Closing the ISS Acquisition CACI 31 Jan 2006 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) and Information Systems Support, Inc. (ISS) announced today a delay in the closing of the anticipated acquisition of ISS by CACI. ISS informed CACI yesterday of the loss of a recompetition of a significant contract which will require a revised valuation of ISS.
• General Dynamics Awarded $9 Million for Submarine Support Work General Dynamics 31 Jan 2006 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $9 million modification to an existing contract for submarine modernization and related work at the Naval Submarine Base in Groton.
• General Dynamics NASSCO Receives $317 Million Navy Contract to Build Ninth T-AKE Dry Cargo/Ammunition Ship General Dynamics 31 Jan 2006 -- eneral Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has received a contract option from the U.S. Navy to build an additional ship under the T-AKE program, a new class of combat logistics force ships. The $317 million contract brings the total number of T-AKE ships awarded to NASSCO to nine, and the total contract value to $2.8 billion.
• IAI's Elta Systems Group Awarded $8 Million Contract For Helicopter Self-Protection Systems Israel Aerospace Industries 31 Jan 2006 -- DEFEXPO 2006, India - January 31, 2006 - An undisclosed customer awarded Elta Systems Group, a Group and Subsidiary of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), an $8 million contract for its helicopter self-protection systems (SPS). The systems will be installed on Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters to protect forces operating in dangerous areas, from shoulder-launched missile (MANPADs) attack. This order is the first batch from this customer for the SPS system.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN INTRODUCES INNOVATIVE ADDITION TO DEFENSE MESSAGE SYSTEM Lockheed Martin 31 Jan 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has added an innovative capability for the U.S. military's Defense Message System (DMS) that improves functionality, enhances performance and reduces cost.
• Lockheed Martin Announces Team for Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II Lockheed Martin 31 Jan 2006 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced its industry team for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) increment II competition: HR Textron; Honeywell Defense and Space (D&S) Electronics Systems; EaglePicher; and ITT Power Solutions.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for Work on USS Toledo (SSN 769) Northrop Grumman 31 Jan 2006 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Navy for maintenance work, known as a depot modernization period, on the nuclear-powered submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769). The initial planning contract is valued at approximately $34.7 million. The total estimated value, including the actual execution, is valued at approximately $175 million.
• Northrop Grumman, U.S. Air Force Demonstrate Improved 'Smart' Weapon for B-2 Stealth Bomber Northrop Grumman 31 Jan 2006 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Air Force have successfully demonstrated the integration of a munition on the B-2 stealth bomber that incorporates an improved, penetrating warhead with an upgraded guidance kit.
• Raytheon Demonstrates Joint Standoff Weapon Data Link and Message Set Raytheon 31 Jan 2006 -- The U.S. Air Force, Navy and Raytheon Company successfully demonstrated a weapon data link (WDL) and a new air-to-ground message set that will enhance the capability and utility of Raytheon's Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW).
• India's Defence Expo 2006 opens IRNA 31 Jan 2006 -- Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 4th International Land & Naval Systems Exhibition (DefExpo India-2006) here today.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 31 Jan 2006
• Middle East: Hamas Refuses Pressure To Recognize Israel, Disarm RFE/RL 31 Jan 2006 -- The Palestinian militant group Hamas says it rejects international pressure to recognize Israel and disarm if it becomes part of the next Palestinian government.
• Quartet Warns of Aid Cuts Without Doctrine Changes by Hamas VOA 31 Jan 2006 -- The international diplomatic Quartet on the Middle East late Monday pressed the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas to renounce violence, recognize Israel's right to exist and accept its road map to a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
• Israeli Troops Kill West Bank Militants, Prepare to Evict Settlers VOA 31 Jan 2006 -- Israeli troops have killed two Islamic Jihad militants in a clash near the West Bank town of Jenin.

• Security Council renews mandate of expert group on DR of Congo arms embargo UN News Centre 31 Jan 2006 -- Expressing its determination to enforce the weapons ban it has imposed on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations Security Council today asked Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a successor expert panel to monitor illicit arms imports, as well as travel bans and assets freezes on all violators.
• Security Council extends UN Mission in Georgia through March UN News Centre 31 Jan 2006 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Georgia until 31 March, and emphasized it would keep a close watch on events in the troubled country.
• Security Council extends UN Interim Force in Lebanon through July UN News Centre 31 Jan 2006 -- Gravely concerned at the persistence of tension and violence along the withdrawal line between Israel and Lebanon, the Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping force operating in the area (UNIFIL) through July.
• BURUNDI-RWANDA: Tension increases in ongoing land dispute IRIN 31 Jan 2006 -- A land dispute that resulted from a river changing its course due to heavy rains some 50 years ago continues to vex neighbouring agricultural communities along the Burundi-Rwanda border.
• Five Suspected Militants Captured In Chechnya RFE/RL 31 Jan 2006 -- Five suspected militants have reportedly been captured in Russia's restive southern republic of Chechnya.

News Reports

• Swiss Impose Sanctions On Uzbekistan RFE/RL 31 Jan 2006 -- Switzerland today imposed an arms embargo and travel sanctions on Uzbekistan in response to alleged human rights violations during the suppression of an uprising in Andijon in May.
• Lebanon: UN official reports broad support for tribunal with international character UN News Centre 31 Jan 2006 -- A senior United Nations official today reported to the Security Council that there is wide backing in Lebanon for the establishment of a tribunal of an international character to try those charged with the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and others.

• Karen Ethnic Group Calls for Dialogue With Burma's Government VOA 31 Jan 2006 -- Leaders of Burma's Karen ethnic group have called for dialogue with the military government, but accuse the regime of stage-managing constitutional talks that have just been adjourned
• Burma's Military Government Adjourns Constitution Convention VOA 31 Jan 2006 -- Burma's military government has adjourned a constitutional convention that the government says is aimed at bringing democracy to the country after decades of military rule.

• U.S. AIR FORCE AWARDS LOCKHEED MARTIN $491 MILLION CONTRACT FOR 3RD ADVANCED MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS SATELLITE Lockheed Martin 31 Jan 2006 -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a contract for $491 million to build a third spacecraft for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (Advanced EHF) program constellation. Advanced EHF satellites will provide global, highly secure, protected, survivable communications for all warfighters serving under the U.S. Department of Defense.
• Alcatel Alenia Space starts the ExoMars mission design Thales 31 Jan 2006 -- In the frame of a contract signed with the European Space Agency (ESA), Alcatel Alenia Space has started the ExoMars mission design. The ExoMars mission aims at sending a lander rover to Mars in order to find traces of past or present life. This contract, worth about 13 million Euros, calls for one year mission design work up to the preliminary design review including the definition of the main system elements of the mission.