Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 13 Nov 2006 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• Two Task Force Lightning Soldiers killed, two others wounded
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• Two MND-B Soldiers killed, two wounded
• CENTAF releases airpower summary for Nov. 13 AFPN 13 Nov 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for Nov. 13.
• Predators keep insurgents in view AFPN 13 Nov 2006 -- Moving silently high in the sky, Balad AB's MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicles patrol the landscape below scaning for any signs of insurgent activity around Iraq.
• Soldiers Detain Suspected Terrorists, Seize Weapons AFPS 13 Nov 2006 -- Multinational Division Baghdad and Iraqi army soldiers detained seven suspected terrorists and seized two weapons caches in separate operations in and around Baghdad Nov. 11, military officials in Iraq reported.
• Witnesses Say US Forces Kill 5 in Air Raid on Shi'ite Neighborhood in Baghdad VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- Witnesses and security officials in Baghdad say U.S. forces have staged air raids on a Shi'ite neighbrohood of the city, killing at least five people.
• USS Mason Assists CTF 152 with Maritime Security Operations Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- Guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) entered the Persian Gulf and joined with Combined Task Force (CTF) 152 in support of maritime security operations (MSO), Nov. 7.
• AFGHANISTAN: Growing insurgency and booming opium trade major challenges - Security Council IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- The growing Taliban-led insurgency and the ongoing rise in opium production are the major challenges facing war-ravaged Afghanistan, head of a United Nations Security Council mission to the country, Japanese Ambassador Kenzo Oshima, said on Sunday in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
• Merkel dismisses calls for German troop deployment in S Afghanistan IRNA 13 Nov 2006 -- Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday reiterated her opposition to the deployment of German troops in war-stricken southern Afghanistan amid mounting pressure from NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
• Coalition Marks Fifth Anniversary of Taliban's Fall in Afghanistan AFPS 13 Nov 2006 -- Celebration filled the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, five years ago today as members of the Northern Alliance rolled into the city, driving the Taliban and their al Qaeda allies into hiding places in the south.
• U.S. Planes Deliver Aid to Ethiopian Flood Victims AFPS 13 Nov 2006 -- U.S. Air Force planes transported 48 tons of relief supplies Nov. 10 to the eastern part of Ethiopia, an area hard hit by floods since August.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force declassifies elite aggressor program AFPN 13 Nov 2006 -- After decades of secrecy, Air Force officials acknowledged Nov. 13 that Communist-built fighters were flown at the Tonopah Test Range northwest of Las Vegas, Nev.
• Air Force, Navy wrap up joint mine exercise AFPN 13 Nov 2006 -- B-52 Stratofortress aircrews assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron and Sailors with the Navy's Mobile Mine Assembly Unit 8 completed a week-long joint sea mine-laying exercise here Nov. 3.
• Cyber Command -- the new frontier AFPN 13 Nov 2006 -- The Secretary of the Air Force announced Nov. 2 that 8th Air Force would become the Air Force's lead command for cyberspace.
• Gulf of Guinea Maritime Safety, Security Conference Begins AFPS 13 Nov 2006 -- The ministerial-level Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Conference, which is being conducted at the request of West and Central African partners, began today.
• Ronald Reagan, CVW-14 Underway for Sustainment Training During JTFEX 07-1 Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 departed San Diego Nov. 9 for quarterly sustainment training under the Navy's Fleet Response Training Plan (FRTP) during Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet's Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 07-1.
• EOD Group 1 Sailors Take Part in JTFEX Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- Sailors from Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Group 1 from Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado, Calif., are taking part in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) here Nov. 10-16.
• U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Visits China Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet Adm. Gary Roughead arrived in China Nov. 11, making his first visit to the country as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
• BOXESG, Indian Western Fleet Complete Malabar '06 Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- USS Boxer (LHD 4) Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) and the Indian navy's Western Fleet successfully completed Malabar 2006 off the Southwest coast of India Nov. 5.
• "Saberhawks" Win DoD Maintenance Award Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- "Saberhawks" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 47 from Naval Air Station North Island was presented with the Secretary of Defense field level Maintenance Award Oct.26.
• NMCB 74 Deploys to Whidbey Island Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74 deployed to the Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NASWI) Sea Plane Base Nov. 7 to start a six-month deployment.
• Sailors Bid Farewell to Sasebo Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), USS Shiloh (CG 67) and USS Stethem (DDG 63) departed Sasebo, Japan, Nov. 9, ending the Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group's first port visit of the fall underway period.
• Exercise Island Response Kicks Off in Seychelles Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- U.S. Navy divers and explosive ordnance disposal technicians kicked off Exercise Island Response 2006 on Mahe Island, Seychelles, Nov. 2.
• NEX Depot Coming to NSA Bahrain Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- A Navy Exchange (NEX) Depot is scheduled to open its doors at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, Nov. 15.
• U.S., Japanese Train Together In ANNUALEX Navy NewsStand 13 Nov 2006 -- The U.S. Navy and Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force kicked off their largest bilateral exercise, ANNUALEX, Nov. 9.
• US Africa Command Study Goes to New Level VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- The U.S. Defense Department established a working group Monday to develop a detailed plan by early next year for a possible new Africa Command in the U.S. military structure
• NATO Leader Wants Members to Meet Financial Obligations VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- NATO's secretary general has criticized member states for not spending enough on defense at a time when the military alliance is increasingly called upon to participate in dangerous missions, including in Afghanistan
• Russian military to fly over U.S. under Open Skies treaty RIA Novosti 13 Nov 2006 -- A plane with Russian military observers will make an inspection flight over the United States under the Open Skies Treaty, the Russian Air Force's spokesman said Monday.
• Howitzers for Indian army from Slovakia: Slovak minister IRNA 13 Nov 2006 -- Slovak Minister of Economy, L'ubomir Jahnatek on Monday called for sourcing more arms for the Indian Army's massive program of modernization of the artillery and offered armored and towed howitzers, caterpillar-wheeled and wheel-type armored howitzers.
• Global expenditure on defence crossed USD 1000 billion: Indian minister IRNA 13 Nov 2006 -- Global expenditure on defence has crossed the 1,000 billion US dollar mark and is still rising
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Nov 2006
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 13 Nov 2006

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 13, 2006
• LOCKHEED MARTIN'S COMPACT KINETIC ENERGY MISSILE SUCCESSFUL IN FLIGHT TEST AGAINST ARMOR TARGET Lockheed Martin 13 Nov 2006 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] successfully conducted a guided test flight of its Compact Kinetic Energy Missile (CKEM) against a Main Battle Tank recently at Eglin Air Force Base, FL
• Second Boeing EA-18G Growler Takes to the Air Boeing 13 Nov 2006 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has flown the second EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack (AEA) aircraft for the first time, and like the first aircraft, the flight took place ahead of schedule.
• CACI Awarded $17 Million Task Order to Provide Infrastructure Support to U.S. Army Reserve CACI 13 Nov 2006 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded a $17 million prime task order by the U.S. Army Reserve Command (USARC) in Fort McPherson, Georgia to provide critical infrastructure assurance services support of U.S. Army Reserve antiterrorism activities worldwide. The four-year award (one base year, three option years) was made under the $650 million, multiple award U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) Operations, Planning, Training, and Resources Support Services (OPTARSS) contract vehicle announced in March 2003.
• Raytheon Awarded $113 Million Contract for U-2 Systems Field Support Raytheon 13 Nov 2006 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $113 million follow-on Air Force contract for consolidated field support for all sensors, data links and ground systems related to the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft program.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 13 Nov 2006
• Analysis: In Gaza: New Leader, Old Problems cfr.org 13 Nov 2006 -- After months of political infighting, international sanctions, and incessant Israeli military strikes, a reprieve of sorts for the divided Palestinian Authority (PA) appears imminent
• Blair: Israel-Palestine, Iran Key to Middle East Peace VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair says resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the core of bringing peace to the Middle East and he is urging Iran to join in the effort to bring peace to the region.
• Arab Leaders Propose New International Talks VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- Arab government ministers meeting in Cairo have proposed a new international peace conference to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
• OCC.PALESTINIAN TERR: Arabs react to US veto on draft resolution on Gaza IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- Foreign ministers of 11 Arab countries attending an emergency Arab League meeting in Cairo on Sunday, criticised a United States veto of a United Nations Security Council draft resolution that condemned the recent Israeli offensive on Gaza and that would have demanded that Israeli troops pull out from the area.
• Islamic Militias Take Another Somali Town VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- Troops in the semi-autonomous and secular region of Puntland in Somalia have reportedly been placed on full alert, after they failed to stop Somali Islamists from capturing a town Sunday near Galkaayo.
• SOMALIA: Govt rejects outcome of speaker's talks with Islamic courts IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has rejected an agreement reached in the capital, Mogadishu, between the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) and a delegation of members of parliament led by the speaker, Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan, a senior official told IRIN on Monday.
• Hundreds of Arrests Follow DRC Violence VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- Hundreds have been arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the aftermath of deadly clashes Saturday surrounding preliminary election results
• DRC: Police arrest 337 over Kinshasa clashes IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- Police in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have arrested 337 people, including 87 children, over violence that rocked the city on Saturday, Interior Minister Denis Kalume said on Monday.
• CAR Government Refuses Rebel Demand for Negotiations VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- Rebels advancing in the Central African Republic say they want talks with the government, but President Francois Bozize has refused
• CAR: Concern as civilians flee, government denies rebel capture of third town IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- Humanitarian workers have expressed concern over the situation in northern Central African Republic (CAR), where anti-government rebels have claimed to have seized a third town, with civilians fleeing their homes to avoid being trapped.
• Georgia's Breakaway South Ossetia Region Backs Independence VOA 13 Nov 2006 -- Preliminary results from Sunday's voting in Georgia's breakaway province, South Ossetia, show that voters overwhelmingly support independence for the small Caucasus mountain region, bordering Russia
• Overwhelming Support For South Ossetia Independence RFE/RL 13 Nov 2006 -- Voters in Georgia's breakaway region of South Ossetia have overwhelmingly voted "yes" to independence and backed the region's incumbent leader, Eduard Kokoity.
• SUDAN-UGANDA: 'No child captives here,' rebels tell UN IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- Joseph Kony, the Ugandan rebel leader, told the top United Nations humanitarian official that his group did not hold any children captive, insisting instead that he only had 'combatants' in rebel ranks.
• UGANDA: Gov't urged to probe reported abuses during disarmament IRIN 13 Nov 2006 -- The Ugandan government should investigate reports of loss of life and other human-rights abuses during the ongoing disarmament programme in the northeastern region of Karamoja, the United Nations said.

News Reports

• Annan hails entry into force of new pact on speedy clearance of unexploded weaponry UN News Centre 13 Nov 2006 -- The entry into force of a new international agreement to eliminate unexploded weaponry such as landmines as soon as possible after a conflict "is not an end in itself but rather the beginning of a long series of actions" to protect civilians against the "horrendous effects of explosive remnants of war," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today.
• World: Treaty On Unexploded Ordinance Comes Into Force RFE/RL 13 Nov 2006 -- Wars come and go, but they leave behind lethal debris that continues to maim and kill civilians for decades more.