Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 28 Nov 2006 [PDF]
• Marine killed in Al Anbar
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• Press Briefing, Nov. 28, 2006 MNF-I 28 Nov 2006 -- BRIEFER: MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM CALDWELL, USA, SPOKESMAN, MULTINATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
• CENTAF releases airpower summary for Nov. 28 AFPN 28 Nov 2006 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for Nov. 28.
• F-16 crash investigation begins AFPN 28 Nov 2006 -- The interim safety investigation board convened by U.S. Central Command Air Forces has begun its efforts to gather evidence to determine what caused an Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon to crash approximately 20 miles northwest of Baghdad at about 1:35 p.m. Nov. 27.
• Balad 'Port Dawgs' help limit ground convoys AFPN 28 Nov 2006 -- With each pallet pushed onto an aircraft flying out of Balad, another dangerous convoy mission is avoided and lives are potentially saved.
• First Arctic Wolves return to Alaska after 16 months in Iraq Army News 28 Nov 2006 -- Two days after Thanksgiving, the families of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team had a lot to be thankful for as three planeloads of the "Arctic Wolves" returned from a 16-month deployment to Iraq.
• Bush Wants More Troops for Afghanistan VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- U.S. President George Bush says more NATO troops are needed to battle Taleban militia in Afghanistan
• NATO: Afghanistan's Fate Intertwined With Alliance RFE/RL 28 Nov 2006 -- A high-level conference organized by the German Marshall Fund ahead of the formal start of the two-day NATO summit in Riga today highlighted the extent to which Afghanistan's future remains intertwined with the alliance for the foreseeable future.
• PRT delivers supplies to Afghan schools AFPN 28 Nov 2006 -- Soldiers and Airmen from the Methar Lam Provincial Reconstruction Team delivered nearly a ton of much-needed supplies to two schools Nov. 21in the capital city of Laghman Province of Afghanistan.
• Bush: 'Forces of Freedom, Decency Will Prevail' in Afghanistan AFPS 28 Nov 2006 -- Afghanistan is NATO's most important military operation, President Bush said today in Riga, Latvia.
• NATO: Afghanistan Overshadows Other Issues At Summit RFE/RL 28 Nov 2006 -- Leaders from the 26 member states of NATO open a two-day summit in the Latvian capital, Riga, today, and the alliance's mission in Afghanistan, where its troops are tackling a resurgent Taliban, is expected to be a focal point of the meeting.

Defense Policy / Programs

• ARNORTH fine-tunes disaster response Army News 28 Nov 2006 -- U.S. Army North completed a weeklong Defense support of civil authorities exercise Nov. 19 in Sacramento, Calif.
• CNO Presents Memorandum of Understanding to NNOA Navy NewsStand 28 Nov 2006 -- In a ceremony at the U.S. Navy Memorial in late November, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen presented a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to the National Naval Officers Association (NNOA).
• USS Whidbey Island Completes 'South and East" Port Visit in Tunisia Navy NewsStand 28 Nov 2006 -- As part of the Naval Forces Europe/U.S. 6th Fleet (CNE-C6F) strategy to improve maritime security to the "south and east" of traditional Europe, USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) completed a four-day port call in Tunis Nov. 21.
• Ocean 6 Conducts Operations with BOXESG Navy NewsStand 28 Nov 2006 -- Combined Task Force (CTF) 158 command and control center's afloat forward staging base, known as Ocean 6, conducted maritime security operations (MSO) in the North Persian Gulf with USS Boxer (LHD 4) Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG), Nov. 21-24.
• Bush Says NATO May Expand Again in 2008, Discusses Iraq Washington File 28 Nov 2006 -- NATO in 2008 plans to invite more countries to join the democratic military alliance, President Bush says.
• Afghanistan Is NATO's Front Line Today, Leaders Say Washington File 28 Nov 2006 -- The leaders of NATO's 26 member nations gathered in Riga to discuss operations in Afghanistan over dinner November 28, and the alliance's secretary-general said defending Afghanistan is as important today as defending the Fulda Gap in Germany was during the Cold War.
• Bush Says Door to NATO Membership "Remains Open" Washington File 28 Nov 2006 -- The United States continues to welcome NATO membership for all European democracies that are willing to share in alliance responsibilities, the most basic of which is to defend their people against the threats of a new century, President Bush said November 28.
• NATO Prepares for 2008 Expansion VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- President Bush and NATO leaders are expected to discuss the mission in Afghanistan and prospects for further expansion of the alliance when they hold talks in Latvia Wednesday
• NATO Countries Need to Make Strategic Investments, Bush Tells Leaders AFPS 28 Nov 2006 -- NATO nations must invest enough to give NATO forces the capabilities they need to meet current and future challenges, President Bush told alliance leaders in Riga, Latvia, today.
• S. Korea Commits Forces to Lebanon, Promises Iraq Troop Reduction VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- South Korea's government will contribute forces to international peacekeeping efforts in Lebanon, as it plans for a drawdown of the country's military contribution to U.S.-led stabilization efforts in Iraq
• F-16C/D PROCUREMENT PLAN HINGES ON LONG-STALLED ARMS PACKAGE: MND CNA 28 Nov 2006 -- Taiwan's plan to buy F-16C/D jet fighters from the United States will not proceed until the 2007 defense budget plan clears the Legislative Yuan, Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Wu Chi-fang said Tuesday.
• Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Steve Hadley The White House 28 Nov 2006
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 28 Nov 2006

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 28, 2006
• BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED CONTRACTS WORTH $1.16 BILLION TO REMANUFACTURE AND UPGRADE BRADLEY COMBAT SYSTEMS VEHICLES FOR THE U.S. ARMY BAE Systems 28 Nov 2006 -- BAE Systems has received contract modifications worth $1.16 billion from the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command to remanufacture and upgrade 610 Bradley Combat Systems and to provide spare components for these systems.
• Boeing Delivers Royal Australian Air Force's First C-17 Boeing 28 Nov 2006 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) its first C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at the company's Long Beach, Calif., C-17 manufacturing facility. Senior RAAF officials joined more than 1,000 C-17 employees for the delivery celebration.
• General Dynamics Awarded $380 Million for Abrams Main Battle Tank Work General Dynamics 28 Nov 2006 -- General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $380 million contract to upgrade Abrams tanks with the M1A2 System Enhancement Package (SEP).
• Northrop Grumman Among Companies Selected for $9 Billion U.S. Army Logistics Support Contract Northrop Grumman 28 Nov 2006 -- The U.S. Army has selected Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) to provide logistics support services for the Field and Installation Readiness Support Team (FIRST) program.
• Northrop Grumman Inertial Measurement Unit Selected for Sikorsky BLACK HAWK Fly-by-Wire Upgrade Program Northrop Grumman 28 Nov 2006 -- A high reliability fiber-optic inertial measurement unit from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (NYSE:UTX) for the BLACK HAWK UH-60M Fly-by-Wire-Upgrade Program to supply navigation information for the BLACK HAWK'S flight control computers.
• SAIC Signs NATO Theater Missile Defense Systems Engineering and Integration Contract SAIC 28 Nov 2006 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) announced today that it has signed a firm-fixed-price contract to support the integration of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (ALTBMD) capability. The contract signing ceremony took place at the ALTBMD Exhibition at the 2006 NATO Summit in Riga, Latvia.
• Raytheon Successfully Completes Extended-Range Test for Excalibur Block Ia-2 Raytheon 28 Nov 2006 -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Missile Systems business and BAE Systems-Bofors successfully fired the first extended-range GPS-guided Excalibur projectiles at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., last month.
• CACI Awarded $59.5 Million Network Services Contract With Office of the Secretary of Defense CACI 28 Nov 2006 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded a prime, $59.5 million contract to continue providing managed network services for the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD). The four-year contract (one base year and three option years) expands both the size and scope of CACI's previous OSD efforts. The award continues CACI's support for transformation initiatives that consolidate OSD information technology services and enables the company to standardize services for classified and unclassified networks, including systems directly supporting homeland security and the war on terrorism.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESWOMAN FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 28 Nov 2006
• Somali Islamist Leaders Warns Against African Peacekeepers VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- A top Somali Islamist leader warned the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday that authorizing African peacekeepers to intervene in the Somali conflict would start an all-out war in the Horn of Africa.
• SOMALIA: Businessmen to hand over weapons IRIN 28 Nov 2006 -- As another sign of improved security in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the powerful business community has agreed to hand over their weapons to the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC).
• Sudan set to respond tomorrow on planned UN-African Union force in Darfur - Annan UN News Centre 28 Nov 2006 -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today that the Sudanese Government has promised to respond formally by tomorrow morning about the details for a planned hybrid United Nations-African Union (AU) force to assume peacekeeping duties in the war-torn region of Darfur.
• Annan Urges AU to Press Ahead on 'Hybrid' Darfur Force VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he expects the African Union to press ahead with plans for a U.N.-supported "hybrid" peacekeeping mission in Darfur
• Analysis: Iran and Regional Diplomacy cfr.org 28 Nov 2006 -- The momentum in the Middle East is shifting. Not in anyone's favor per se but toward a U.S. policy addressing the region's unresolved crises- Iraq, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Iran's nuclear program-as part of a broader Middle East settlement, rather than individually and ad hoc
• U.S. Disturbed by Sri Lanka Tamil Separatist Statement Washington File 28 Nov 2006 -- The United States is "disturbed" by reports that the leader of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) stated that he considers the 2002 cease-fire agreement with the government of Sri Lanka to be defunct.
• COTE D IVOIRE: Gbagbo makes show of power IRIN 28 Nov 2006 -- Armed troops were out in force on the streets of Cote d'Ivoire's largest city, Abidjan, on Tuesday as already tense relations between President Laurent Gbagbo and Prime Minister Charles Konan Banny deteriorated.
• CHAD: Evacuations underway IRIN 28 Nov 2006 -- International relief agencies on Tuesday began evacuating non-essential staff with the help of the French military from the eastern town of Abeche after a rebel assault on Saturday.
• Chadian Rebels Shoot Down Military Reconnaissance Plane VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- Rebels in eastern Chad say they have shot down a government military reconnaissance plane.
• Pak hesitates to authenticate troop positions at Siachen IRNA 28 Nov 2006 -- Indicating its hesitation to authenticate troop positions at Siachen, Pakistan has asked India not to make it "do things which compromise our own position," and said that a way can be found around such pre-condition for demilitarization of the icy region.
• CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Army recaptures Birao IRIN 28 Nov 2006 -- Government troops backed by the French army have retaken the northern town of Birao a month after it was captured by forces of the Union des forces démocratiques pour le rassemblement (UFDR), presidential press director Lord Esaie Nganamokoi said on Tuesday.

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM AVIAN INFLUENZA COORDINATOR United Nations 28 Nov 2006
• Former DRC Rebel Concedes Election Defeat VOA 28 Nov 2006 -- Former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba has conceded defeat in the presidential election in the Democratic Republic of Congo