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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 15 Feb 2006 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• CENTAF releases daily airpower summary AFPN 15 Feb 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released today's airpower summary.
• Four Insurgents Killed, 16 Detained in Iraq; Weapons Found AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed four terrorists and detained 16 in a series of operations in the past 24 hours, and coalition forces also found several weapons caches yesterday, military officials in Iraq said.
• Air Strike Destroys Terrorist Bunker; Bomb Suspect Detained AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- Coalition forces destroyed a terrorist facility today, and in an operation yesterday, U.S. soldiers detained a suspected terrorist, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today.
• Carrier Group Finishes OIF Support, Journeys Home AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- The USS Theodore Roosevelt and associated strike group units completed their support of maritime security operations and Operation Iraqi Freedom today when the carrier and USS San Jacinto transited the Suez Canal as they continue their return trip home.
• Three Civilians, Two Police Slain In Baghdad Incidents RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Iraqi police says a homemade bomb exploded near a Baghdad liquor shop today, killing three people and wounding two.
• Afghanistan: Karzai To Consult Pakistan About Suicide Bombings RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai arrived in Islamabad today on a two-day visit that includes talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharaff and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz.
• Two Afghan Intelligence Agents Found Dead VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- Afghan authorities have discovered the bodies of two intelligence agents kidnapped by suspected Taleban militants earlier this week.
• British Troops Arrive In Afghanistan's Restive South RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- The first deployment of British troops arrived in Afghanistan today to take over from U.S. forces in southern Afghanistan.
• AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN: Karzai in Pakistan to urge crackdown on cross border attacks IRIN 15 Feb 2006 -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has begun a two-day visit to Pakistan where he will discuss the recent upsurge in violence in southern and eastern Afghanistan blamed on Taliban militants, which Kabul believes is being organised from across the border in Pakistan, officials said on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. Officials Call Draft U.N. Detainee Report Flawed, Unbalanced Washington File 15 Feb 2006 -- The draft of a United Nations report on detainees in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba is flawed, unbalanced, and should be viewed with skepticism, says a top State Department official.
• ESG 3 Deploys in Support of Global War on Terrorism Navy NewsStand 15 Feb 2006 -- Nearly 6,000 Sailors and Marines and six ships of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3 departed San Diego Feb. 15 for a six-month deployment in support of the global war on terrorism.
• Forward Deployed ARG Departs Guam Navy NewsStand 15 Feb 2006 -- The Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) completed the backload of personnel, equipment and supplies for the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) after the completion of Training in an Urban Environment Exercise (TRUEX) and departed Guam Feb. 12.
• Stennis Cleared for Take-off Navy NewsStand 15 Feb 2006 -- With the recovery of an SH-60 helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 8, USS John C. Stennis’ (CVN 74) flight deck was certified capable of conducting regular flight operations Feb. 8, transforming the ship from a carrier in maintenance back to an operational carrier.
• TR Completes U.S. 5th Fleet Mission Navy NewsStand 15 Feb 2006 -- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) (TR) and associated strike group units completed their support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) when the carrier and USS San Jacinto (CG 56) transited the Suez Canal Feb. 15 as they continue their return trip home.
• USS Porter Trains with Black Sea Navies to Strengthen Partnerships Navy NewsStand 15 Feb 2006 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in the Black Sea in early February to train with the Ukrainian and Romanian navies.
• Twelfth Air Force becomes Air Forces Southern AFPN 15 Feb 2006 -- Headquarters 12th Air Force is taking on an expanded mission and a new name. As part of the Air Force transformation, 12th Air Force transitions today into a warfighting headquarters and became Air Forces Southern (12th Air Force) provisional.
• Forces prepare for Exercise Balikatan 2006 AFPN 15 Feb 2006 -- U.S. servicemembers and Armed Forces of the Philippines are in the final week of preparations for Exercise Balikatan 2006, the 22nd annual bilateral combined exercise, scheduled Feb. 20 to March 5.
• Missile flight test program targets new successes AFPN 15 Feb 2006 -- The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile flight test program added two more successes to its record during recent tests conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
• Army Modernizing to Win Long War, Officials Tell Congress AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. Army needs the support of Congress to win the long war against terrorism and to meet other 21st century threats, Army officials said during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee here yesterday.
• Returning troops to get additional health screening Army News 15 Feb 2006 -- Soldiers returning from deployments will now participate in a new health screening program three to six months after arriving home.
• Guantanamo Detainees Being Held Legally, Official Says AFPS 15 Feb 2006 -- Detainees at U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are being held in accordance with the laws of armed conflict, John Bellinger, a State Department legal adviser, said here today.
• Kyrgyzstan Wants To Raise Rent On U.S. Air Base RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev is quoted today as saying the United States should have to pay dramatically more to continue using a Kyrgyz air base it has used for five years.
• Kyrgyz Reportedly Got Massive Rent Hike For U.S. Base RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiev has outlined the new rent agreement his government struck with the United States for its use of the Ganci air base at Bishkek's Manas airport.
• Kyrgyzstan Plans to Raise Rent on Airbase Used by US Military VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev says he wants to increase rent 100 times for a military airbase used by the United States in the former Soviet republic.
• Russian Defense Minister Says Hazing Scandal Being Stoked RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov today accused unnamed politicians and social activists in Russia of stoking a recent army hazing scandal to score political points.
• India buys Scorpene submarines from France at 'bargain price' IRNA 15 Feb 2006 -- Ruling out the involvement of any intermediaries Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said India was buying Scorpene submarines from three French companies at a 'bargain price' of Rs 13,000 crore.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 15, 2006
• U.S. Army and General Dynamics Ink Teaming Agreement General Dynamics 15 Feb 2006 -- The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (LCMC), Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) and General Dynamics Land Systems have signed an unprecedented teaming agreement on service and support of combat vehicles.
• IAI's Elta Systems Group Signs New Contracts valued at over $100 Million Israel Aerospace Industries 15 Feb 2006 -- Elta Systems Group, a subsidiary of IAI, has signed several new contracts valued at over $100 million for a range of coastal surveillance, maritime patrol and intelligence systems.
• Lockheed Martin Summarizes Risk Reduction and Flight Test Accomplishments for Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II Lockheed Martin 15 Feb 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], in a media briefing at the Association of the U. S. Army’s Winter symposium revealed an extensive company-funded risk reduction program for the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) II. Lockheed Martin is competing to design, develop and produce APKWS II.
• NetFires LLC Successfully Completes Second Significant Program Milestone; Preliminary Design Review for NLOS-LS Container Launch Unit Lockheed Martin 15 Feb 2006 -- The NetFires Limited Liability Company (LLC), composed of Raytheon Missile Systems and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, successfully passed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System (NLOS-LS) Container Launch Unit (CLU).
• Northrop Grumman Finalizes Team for Joint Warfighting Center Bid Northrop Grumman 15 Feb 2006 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has formed its team that will bid to continue providing joint-training support to the U.S. Joint Forces Command's Joint Warfighting Center (JWFC).
• Northrop Grumman's Defense Travel System Usage Surges, Spurred by Top Five Users Northrop Grumman 15 Feb 2006 -- The Defense Travel System (DTS), designed and developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), has successfully processed more than one million authorizations, including more than 110,000 last month for its growing U.S. Department of Defense user base.
• U.K. Ministry of Defence Selects Raytheon for Next Phase of its MARS program Raytheon 15 Feb 2006 -- Raytheon Systems Limited (RSL), the U.K.-based subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), has been awarded a contract by the U.K. Ministry of Defence (MoD) to begin competitive "Assimilation Phase" studies for The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) program.
• Raytheon, ITT to Offer Early, Affordable Wideband Radios Raytheon 15 Feb 2006 -- Two military communication leaders, Raytheon Company and ITT, are collaborating on two new, highly affordable software communication systems, the MicroLight-3G and the Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Advanced Improvement Program- Enhanced (SINCGARS ASIP-E).
• NetFires LLC Successfully Completes Second Significant Program Milestone: Preliminary Design Review for NLOS-LS Container Launch Unit Raytheon 15 Feb 2006 -- The NetFires Limited Liability Company (LLC), composed of Raytheon Missile Systems and Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, successfully passed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for the Non Line-of-Sight-Launch System (NLOS-LS) Container Launch Unit (CLU).
• Raytheon Awarded $31.7 Million U.S. Navy Contract for Submarine Combat Systems Extending the Company's Role as Prime Systems Integrator for VA Class Submarines Raytheon 15 Feb 2006 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $31 million contract from Naval Sea Systems Command for integrated combat control systems for the next five Virginia class submarines.
• Large-calibre contracts go to Rheinmetall Rheinmetall Defence 15 Feb 2006 -- Turkey and the Netherlands have recently awarded Rheinmetall AG of Düsseldorf contracts for large-calibre ammunition worth some EUR 79 million.
• Boeing Defense and Homeland Security Technology Wins Top Trial Designation Boeing 15 Feb 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] information sharing technology that supports defense and homeland security has received a top trial designation from the U.S. Department of Defense following a demonstration last year.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 15 Feb 2006
• Georgia: Parliament Votes Russian Peacekeepers Out Of South Ossetia RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Georgian lawmakers today passed a long-awaited resolution denouncing what it said were Moscow's alleged attempts at "annexing" South Ossetia and recommending that the executive branch seek the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers deployed in the separatist republic
• Georgian Parliament Calls For Withdrawal Of Russian Peacekeepers RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Georgia's parliament has unanimously called for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from the breakaway republic of South Ossetia and for replacing them with international forces.
• Russian Minister Slams Georgia Over Peacekeepers RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today accused Georgia's authorities of overstepping the limits of acceptable behavior in their recent actions toward Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia.
• Serbia Proposes 20-Year Grace Period on Kosovo Status VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- Serbia has proposed that any decision on the status of its independence-minded province of Kosovo be postponed for 20 years.
• Kosovo: Former U.S. Diplomat Appraises Status-Talks Atmosphere RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- On 14 February, Arbana Vidishiqi of Albanian-language subunit of RFE/RL's South Slavic Languages Service spoke with Shaun Byrnes about the beginning of the Kosovo final-status talks.
• Nepalese rebels attack security patrol, killing 3 soldiers IRNA 15 Feb 2006 -- Nepalese rebels attacked a security patrol killing at least three soldiers and injuring two others in Nepal where the rebels also abducted nine people, including five government employees.
• Russia: Is Putin's Hamas Overture A Calculated Risk? RFE/RL 15 Feb 2006 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin's unexpected decision to invite the leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas for talks in Moscow has had a mixed reaction in Israel, the Arab world, and beyond.
• UN envoy to Liberia praises West Africa for police contribution to peacekeeping UN News Centre 15 Feb 2006 -- Stressing the essential role of United Nations police in peacekeeping missions, the world body's top envoy to Liberia praised West African countries for their personnel contributions and urged all countries to send more women officers for police units.
• Israel Reviews Policies Towards Palestinians VOA 15 Feb 2006 -- Israel's acting prime minister has ruled out talks with Palestinians unless Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas disarms members of the Islamic militant group Hamas.
• KYRGYZSTAN: Economic disparities driving inter-ethnic conflict IRIN 15 Feb 2006 -- More than a week after clashes attributed to ethnic divisions that left six people injured in the Kyrgyz village of Iskra, around 70 km east of the capital, Bishkek, local people were still clearing up broken glass and pondering what was behind the violence.
• COTE D IVOIRE: Top UN official meets with authorities after anti-UN violence IRIN 15 Feb 2006 -- The UN's top humanitarian official Jan Egeland is in war-torn Cote d'Ivoire seeking assurances from authorities that January's anti-UN violence will not be repeated and that ringleaders of the attacks will be punished.
• BURUNDI: Food shortages, insecurity cause thousands to flee into Tanzania IRIN 15 Feb 2006 -- Thousands of Burundians have crossed the border into Tanzania since the beginning of the year, citing lack of food and security in their homes, an official of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.

News Reports

• Haiti: Security Council calls for peaceful expression of electoral concerns UN News Centre 15 Feb 2006 -- Stressing that post-election demonstrations have been hampering the vote count, United Nations Security Council members today called on Haitians to rely on legal processes to express any concerns about last week's presidential poll.
• Sea Launch Delivers EchoStar X Satellite to Orbit Boeing 15 Feb 2006 -- Sea Launch Company today successfully delivered the EchoStar X communications satellite to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). Early data indicate the spacecraft is in excellent condition.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN-BUILT ECHOSTAR X SATELLITE LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY Lockheed Martin 15 Feb 2006 -- The EchoStar X telecommunications satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for EchoStar Communications Corporation of Englewood, Colo., was successfully launched today aboard a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL launch vehicle from the Equator. Lift-off occurred at 6:35 p.m. ET and initial contact with the satellite, called acquisition of signal, was confirmed at 8:19 p.m. ET from the Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) satellite tracking station in Uralla, Australia.