Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 16 Mar 2006 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• IRAQ OPERATIONAL UPDATE BRIEFING MNF-I 16 Mar 2006
• IRAQI SECURITY FORCES, COALITION LAUNCH OPERATION SWARMER CENTCOM 16 Mar 2006 -- Iraqi Security Forces and their Coalition partners launched the largest air assault operation since Operation Iraqi Freedom I today in southern Salah Ad Din province to clear a suspected insurgent operating area northeast of Samarra.
• Operation Aims to Curb Violence as Iraq's Government Takes Shape AFPS 16 Mar 2006 -- Iraqi and coalition forces have boosted their presence in Baghdad in response to a surge in attacks against Iraqis that officials link to today's seating of the country's new parliament, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman told reporters.
• Army Updates Detainee Operations Information: March 15, 2006 Army News Release 16 Mar 2006 -- The U.S. Army continued its effort to keep the public informed concerning detainee operations by releasing March 15 about 9,000 documents pursuant to Freedom of Information Act litigation with the American Civil Liberties Union.
• Corps of Engineers completes last demolition in Iraq Army News 16 Mar 2006 -- After almost three years of hard and dangerous work, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers celebrated the last major demolition under the Coalition Munitions Clearance Program in Iraq.
• 'Operation Swarmer' Fills The Iraqi Skies RFE/RL 16 Mar 2006 -- Aircraft filled the skies over the Iraqi city of Samarra today in what the U.S. military in Iraq described as the largest air assault on Iraq since the 2003 invasion.
• US, Iraqi Forces Launch Huge Air Assault Against Insurgents VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- U.S. and Iraqi forces captured more than 30 suspected insurgents and found at least six major caches of weapons near the town of Samarra on Thursday, during the first day of what the U.S. military says is the largest air assault operation since the early weeks of the war
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Freakley 16 Mar 2006 -- Presenter: Army Maj. Gen. Benjamin Freakley, commander, Combined Task Force 76 and commanding general, 10th Mountain Division
• Violence in Afghanistan Ebbs, Flows Over Time AFPS 16 Mar 2006 -- The primary threats to Afghan stability include remnant Taliban members, followed by al Qaeda-affiliated and other terror groups, and criminals engaged in the opium trade, a senior U.S. military commander told Pentagon reporters here today.
• Army's Modular Force Makes Debut in Afghanistan AFPS 16 Mar 2006 -- New, modular brigade combat team units accompanied the U.S. Army's 10th Mountain Division on its third tour to Afghanistan, the division's commander told Pentagon reporters today.
• Partnership Key to Progress in Afghanistan, U.S. General Says Washington File 16 Mar 2006 -- Partnership is the key to progress in Afghanistan, says Army Major General Benjamin Freakley, commander of the U.S. military's Combined Joint Task Force 76, currently leading security operations in that nation.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Bush Reaffirms Preemption Policy RFE/RL 16 Mar 2006 -- U.S. President George W. Bush today said Iran may pose the greatest challenge to the United States.
• US Security Strategy Upholds First-Strike Military Option VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- The White House has issued an updated version of the United States' national security strategy, reaffirming the Bush administration's willingness to consider staging pre-emptive military strikes against hostile nations or terrorist groups.
• U.S.: New Security Strategy Names 'Tyrannies,' Singles Out Iran RFE/RL 16 Mar 2006 -- U.S. President George W. Bush says Iran may pose the greatest challenge to the United States.
• Bush Reaffirms US First Strike Policy VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- President Bush has reaffirmed that the U.S. may consider pre-emptive military strikes against terrorists and enemy nations.
• National Security Strategy Stresses Globalized Approaches AFPS 16 Mar 2006 -- The White House today released President Bush's second-term National Security Strategy, a 49-page document that details how the administration intends to protect the United States, its interests and its people.
• New Funding for Iraq, Afghanistan Advances in US Congress VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a $91-billion spending bill, including $68-billion for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as money for hurricane relief.
• Controversy Continues Over Impending Trials for al-Qaida Detainees at Guantanamo VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- At the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, nearly 500 men are being held, awaiting trial or release.
• SHIPTRAIN Changes Bring Benefits to Fleet Sailors Navy NewsStand 16 Mar 2006 -- Commanding Officer of Afloat Training Group (ATG) Atlantic, Capt. William D. Valentine Jr., came aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) March 15 to brief the media and demonstrate the revolution in shipboard training and readiness known as SHIPTRAIN.
• NCTC Gulfport Opens New Lab for Construction Management Training Navy NewsStand 16 Mar 2006 -- Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC) Gulfport, Miss., opened a new Construction Battalion Construction Management (CBCM) computer lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 30.
• GW Tests AIRSpeed Program Navy NewsStand 16 Mar 2006 -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) Sailors are putting the latest concepts of Aviation Maintenance and logistics into practice on a daily basis, through a Chief of Naval Operations-mandated concept known as AIRSpeed.
• 30th NCR Approved for Change of Duty Station Navy NewsStand 16 Mar 2006 -- After almost 24 years in Hawaii, and several iterations, the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) will be leaving the island as part of a change of permanent duty station to the Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme, Calif.
• GW Augmented by Reservists Navy NewsStand 16 Mar 2006 -- USS George Washington (CVN 73) was augmented with 35 drilling Reservists from an aircraft carrier augment unit during the ship’s underway period Feb. 28 – March 17.
• Though Not Weapons-Heavy, Latin American Issues Not Benign Either AFPS 16 Mar 2006 -- U.S. Southern Command's area of responsibility is one of the least armed areas of the world, but it can hardly be considered benign, the command's leader said today.
• Force Reduction in Iceland Reflects Focus on New Global Threats AFPS 16 Mar 2006 -- The U.S. government has announced plans to remove its forces from Naval Air Station Keflavik, in Iceland, this fall, but reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to the island nation's security.
• DoD Announces 10th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation 16 Mar 2006 -- The Department of Defense announced today that the 10th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC) will begin a review of military compensation on April 1 using the recommendations of the Defense Advisory Committee on Military Compensation to inform its research efforts.
• Fiscal Year 2006 Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations and Joint Capability Technology Demonstrations Announced 16 Mar 2006 -- Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Kenneth J. Krieg announces the selection of the Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ACTD) and Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) projects for fiscal year 2006.
• Democracy-Building Key To Fighting Terrorism, Rice Says Washington File 16 Mar 2006 -- The spread of democracy around the world is essential to defeating terrorism, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a town hall meeting with students in Sydney, Australia, March 16.
• China's Closeness With Russia Causes US Concern VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- Relations between the United States and China are improving overall. But, at the same time, American officials say they are worried about what they see as "very tight" relations between Beijing and Moscow.
• Rice Urges Chinese Transparency on Defense Plans VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- U.S Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a visit to Australia, has called on China to be more transparent about its military buildup
• White House Briefing, March 16 Washington File 16 Mar 2006 -- President's schedule, schedule update, national security strategy, Iraqi operation, Iran, Ireland/St. Patrick's Day, Hurricane Katrina response
• State Department Briefing, March 16 Washington File 16 Mar 2006 -- Iraq, Iran, United Nations

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 16, 2006
• Boeing Announces Supplier Agreement with Olympic Tool in Competition for Air Force Combat Search and Rescue Helicopter Boeing 16 Mar 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has announced a supplier agreement with Olympic Tool & Machine, Corp., to support the proposed HH-47 Combat Search and Rescue helicopter program for the U.S. Air Force.
• U.S. Navy Awards GE $26 Million Contract for H-46E Engine Upgrades GE Aviation 16 Mar 2006 -- GE - Aviation has been awarded a $26.4 million contact modification by the United States Navy for the purchase of 60 T58 module kits, with an option for 60 more in FY2007, for Marine Corps H-46E helicopters.
• U.S. Army Awards General Dynamics $49 Million Tank Ammunition Contract General Dynamics 16 Mar 2006 -- The U.S. Army Field Support Command at Rock Island, Ill., has awarded General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $49 million modification to an existing multi-year ammunition contract for the production of 120mm M831A1 and M865 Tank Training Ammunition.
• Firing success for defender Air Defence System Thales 16 Mar 2006 -- The DEFENDER successfully fired the BARAK missile at Shdema Test Range in the south of Israel. This latest achievement follows previous exten-sive integration testing and dry runs.
• Thales UK signs new NLAW contract Thales 16 Mar 2006 -- This follows a contract won by Saab Bofors Dynamics in December 2005 from the Swedish Materiel Administration for the Next Generation Light Antitank Weapon (NLAW) system totalling SEK500m (£36.3m).
• Northrop Grumman Successfully Tests Kinetic Energy Interceptor Missile Defense Battle Management Capability Ahead of Schedule Northrop Grumman 16 Mar 2006 -- This month Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) successfully completed the first of two key Fiscal Year 2006 tests of the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) battle management capability, known as the KEI Fire Control and Communications (KFC/C) system, five weeks ahead of schedule.
• Boeing Completes Successful Autonomous Flight Control Technology Program Boeing 16 Mar 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and a team of university scientists have completed a highly successful multi-year research program to develop and demonstrate cutting edge flight control technologies that dramatically enhance the autonomous operations of advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
• Lockheed Martin Awarded FBI Sentinel Contract Lockheed Martin 16 Mar 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded the $305 million Sentinel information technology contract by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The goal of the contract is to transform the way agents and analysts access and share key information in carrying out the FBI’s intelligence and law enforcement mission.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 16 Mar 2006
• 'Quartet' Discusses Economic Aid to Palestinians VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- Senior Western officials met in Brussels Thursday to discuss aid to the Palestinian territories, just days before a Hamas-led government is expected to take power.
• Polls: Jericho Raid Boosts Olmert's Election Chances VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- An Israeli soldier was killed Thursday in a gun battle with Palestinian militants in the West Bank city of Jenin
• Israeli Soldier Killed in West Bank Gun Battle, 5 Palestinians Detained VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- An Israeli soldier has been killed in a gun battle with Palestinian militants holed up in a house in the West Bank town of Jenin.
• SUDAN: UNHCR probes attack on compound in Yei IRIN 16 Mar 2006 -- The United Nations refugee agency has launched an investigation into an attack on its compound in Yei, south Sudan in which two people, a local guard and one of the attackers, died.
• UN reports deadly attacks in West Darfur, Sudan UN News Centre 16 Mar 2006 -- The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) today reported that it has received various reports about a series of deadly attacks in West Darfur over the past week.
• Sudan: guard killed, international staffer wounded in attack on UN refugee post UN News Centre 16 Mar 2006 -- Two gunmen attacked a United Nations refugee agency compound in southern Sudan last night, killing a local guard, critically wounding an international staff member and another local guard, and forcing the suspension of the planned repatriation of some of the hundreds of thousands of Sudanese who fled a two-decade-long civil war.
• UNHCR Compound Attacked in Yei, Sudan VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- The U.N. refugee agency says its compound in Yei, South Sudan was attacked Wednesday night
• Serbia: Mourners Pay Final Respects To Milosevic RFE/RL 16 Mar 2006 -- The coffin bearing the remains of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was put on public view today, in a museum in a Belgrade suburb, ahead of his planned burial in his hometown on Saturday.
• Russia: Milosevic's Death Sparks Fury With UN Tribunal RFE/RL 16 Mar 2006 -- The lower house of Russia's parliament on March 15 lashed out at the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague, blaming it for the death of late Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and calling for its dissolution.
• LIBERIA: President vows not to 'sacrifice justice' for Charles Taylor IRIN 16 Mar 2006 -- Liberia's president Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf told the United States Congress that she would not sacrifice justice on the matter of exiled former president Charles Taylor who has been indicted for war crimes by a UN-backed special court.
• GUINEA-BISSAU-SENEGAL: Fatal fighting reported in border region IRIN 16 Mar 2006 -- Guinea Bissau said Thursday that at least two of its soldiers had been killed near the border with Senegal amid fierce factional fighting between Casamance separatists.
• Tamil Rebels: Sri Lankan Peace Process in Jeopardy VOA 16 Mar 2006 -- Tamil Tiger rebels say the Sri Lankan peace process could be in jeopardy because the government has failed to deliver on promises made during peace talks in Geneva last month.
• DRC: From protection to insurgency - history of the Mayi-Mayi IRIN 16 Mar 2006 -- Before colonialism in Africa, community life centred on ethnic customs and culture. In pre-colonial Congo, people lived under the authority of a traditional chief, in observance of these cultural norms.

News Reports

• Lebanon: UN reports progress in Syrian cooperation with Hariri murder probe UN News Centre 16 Mar 2006 -- In contrast to earlier problems with Syrian cooperation, the United Nations panel looking into last year's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri today reported progress in this "critical area," with a common understanding reached regarding access to individuals, sites and information.
• Investigators of Hariri Murder Want More Information from Syria Washington File 16 Mar 2006 -- Despite pledges of cooperation, Syria has yet to provide any substantive information to U.N. investigators on the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, the head of the inquiry said.
• Alcatel Alenia Space to provide the radar system for the Korean earth observation satellite KOMPSAT5 Thales 16 Mar 2006 -- Alcatel Alenia Space signed a contract with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), the Republic of South Korea Space Agency, to provide a SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) payload system for KOMPSAT-5, the main Earth observation space program of the Republic of South Korea.