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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 13 Feb 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• MNF-W personnel attacked
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Feb. 13 airpower: B-1Bs support International Security Assistance Force troops AFPN 13 Feb 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for Feb. 13.
• Baghdad Commander Says Borders With Iran and Syria To Close VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- The Iraqi commander of the U.S.-backed security crackdown in Baghdad says his country will close its borders with Iran and Syria for at least three days.
• Suicide Truck Bombing in Baghdad Kills 15 VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- Iraqi police say a suicide bomber drove near a college in a Shi'ite area of Baghdad Tuesday and set off a blast that killed 15 people and wounded 30 others
• Iran Seeking Influence in Afganistian VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- Since ancient times, the region that is now Afghanistan -- a fragile mix of ethnic and religious groups -- has been an object of interest of its neighbors and other powers
• U.S. Leaders: NATO Must Do More in Afghanistan AFPS 13 Feb 2007 -- The international community, represented by NATO, must increase efforts to improve security in Afghanistan and develop the Afghan government and security forces, a top military leader and a Defense Department leader said in congressional testimony today.
• Defense Officials: Success in Afghanistan Important for Middle East AFPS 13 Feb 2007 -- Afghanistan is an important country in the Middle East, and engagement in the region is crucial to U.S. and NATO success there, a top Defense Department leader said in congressional testimony today.
• NATO Says Taliban Attack On Kajaki Dam Thwarted RFE/RL 13 Feb 2007 -- The NATO-led force in Afghanistan says it has thwarted a Taliban attack on a key hydroelectric dam in the southern province of Helmand
• Canadian Report Says NATO Afghan Mission In Trouble RFE/RL 13 Feb 2007 -- A new report issued by a committee in the Canadian Senate says NATO's military mission in Afghanistan is facing problems and has little chance of success unless NATOmember countries commit significantly more troops and resources to defeat insurgents and stabilize the country.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army On Track for Plus-up Equipment, New Requirements Army News Release 13 Feb 2007 -- Recent media reports and a three-page summary from a classified Defense Department Inspector General report suggest the Army may have difficulty meeting its equipment requirements with regard to the recently announced troop increase in Iraq
• Air Force completes F-16 accident investigation AFPN 13 Feb 2007 -- Air Force officials completed an investigation of the F-16 Fighting Falcon accident at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. Oct. 26, 2006, which resulted in the loss of the 56th Fighter Wing aircraft.
• Hurricane Hunters track Pacific winter storms AFPN 13 Feb 2007 -- While most people flee when a pending storm is coming, Keesler AFB Airmen go right into the heart of storms to provide detailed information about storms to warn people of hazardous weather.
• Last-minute call leads to unplanned refueling mission AFPN 13 Feb 2007 -- A late night call, a cancelled sortie and flexibility led an aircrew from the 351st Air Refueling Squadron here to expedite medical care for more than a dozen severely injured troops being transported from Iraq to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on Feb. 7.
• Blue Ridge Provide Firefighting Aid to Philippine Vessel Navy NewsStand 13 Feb 2007 -- While in port during a regularly scheduled visit Feb. 12, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) responded to a request from local authorities to assist in combating a fire that had broken out on board super ferry, Manila Bay I.
• USS McInerney Welcomes Costa Rican Dignitaries Aboard Navy NewsStand 13 Feb 2007 -- Following support to the seizure of 2.3 tons of contraband with the assistance of Costa Rica in early January, USS McInerney (FFG 8) welcomed several Costa Rican government officials in mid-January to greet and congratulate the crew on a successful interdiction.
• Ship Class Squadrons Begin Operations Navy NewsStand 13 Feb 2007 -- Eight class squadrons (CLASSRONs) have been established as part of the Surface Warfare Enterprise (SWE), four of which are being stood up Feb. 15.
• Lincoln Flight Deck Readies for Operations Navy NewsStand 13 Feb 2007 -- While USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) undergoes routine maintenance and repairs at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the ship's flight deck is getting some special attention during the month of February.
• Russia: Washington Reacts To Putin's Munich Speech RFE/RL 13 Feb 2007 -- The United States has been cautious in its reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin's criticisms of its policies
• Indo-French joint air exercise "Garuda-III" begins in India IRNA 13 Feb 2007 -- A bilateral exercise called Garuda-III between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air Force (FAF) began Monday in Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal state. The joint exercise runs until Feb 23.
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 13 Feb 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 13, 2007
• General Dynamics to Support U.S. Army Automated Manifest System General Dynamics 13 Feb 2007 -- General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Army Product Manager - Joint-Automatic Identification Technology office to support its Automated Manifest System Tactical (AMS TAC). The total potential value of this contract if all options are exercised is $4 million over five years.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN WINDTRACER PROVIDES WAKE VORTEX DETECTION TRACKING AT GERMAN AIRPORT Lockheed Martin 13 Feb 2007 -- The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is loaning a Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] WindTracer® Doppler lidar system to the European Commission's CREDOS project (Crosswind Reduced Separations for Departure Operations) for research on wake turbulence created by departing aircraft.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED $186 MILLION CONTRACT TO UPGRADE P-3C MARITIME SURVEILLANCE AIRCRAFT MISSION SYSTEMS FOR PAKISTAN NAVY Lockheed Martin 13 Feb 2007 -- The U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $186.5 million Foreign Military Sale contract to continue providing mission system upgrades and sustainment work for seven P-3C Orion maritime surveillance aircraft for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
• SAIC to Provide Measurement and Signature Intelligence for Air Combat Command SAIC 13 Feb 2007 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) announced today it won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) within the Air Force Distributed Common Ground System (AF DCGS) for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
• Thales awarded new modernisation contract by the Brazilian Air Force Thales 13 Feb 2007 -- Under the terms of this new contract, Thales will provide the Brazilian Air Force with 17solid-state S Band transceivers and 9 solid-state L Band transceivers. These turnkey contracts for a total amount of € 60.253 million and an overall 5-year elongation correspond to the third phase of the modernisation programme undertaken by the Brazilian Air Force in 2001.
• Northrop Grumman Supplies Integrated Avionics Systems for First Production Marine Corps AH-1Z and UH-1Y Helicopters Northrop Grumman 13 Feb 2007 -- A team led by Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc. (NYSE:TXT) company and Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has supplied the "glass cockpits" for the first production models of the new U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z attack helicopter and the UH-1Y utility helicopter.
• Raytheon Awarded $41.4 Million for LPD 25 Raytheon 13 Feb 2007 -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) has been awarded $41.4 million to provide the initial planning and acquisition of electronic systems onboard LPD 25, the ninth ship in the LPD 17 class.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 13 Feb 2007
• New positive factors favour progress on Middle East peace, but challenges remain - UN UN News Centre 13 Feb 2007 -- A convergence of positive factors, including a new Palestinian unity Government and the first political talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in six years, have the potential to help restore calm and re-energize efforts to achieve a two-State solution, but many immediate and longer-term challenges need to be overcome, a senior United Nations official reported today.
• OIC says Middle East Peace Key to Ending Terrorism VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- During a visit to Indonesia, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Conference says a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Middle East is the key to ending terrorism and Islamic extremism, and says Jakarta should use its seat on the United Nations Security Council to push for a peaceful resolution to the Middle East crisis
• PNA govt. must resign in 2-3 days to form new cabinet - Abbas RIA Novosti 13 Feb 2007 -- The Palestinian government must resign in the next few days to form a new Cabinet in accordance with an agreement the two leading parties reached in Mecca last week, the country's leader said Tuesday.
• Israel Lowers Expectations for Mideast Summit VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- Israel is lowering expectations for a three-way Mideast summit next week, in which the United States will mediate between Israeli and Palestinian leaders
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY TIMOR-LESTE SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE United Nations 13 Feb 2007
• UN envoy optimistic on Timor-Leste while warning against early UN withdrawal UN News Centre 13 Feb 2007 -- A day after briefing the Security Council on the need for continued international support for Timor-Leste, the United Nations envoy to the country today said he was cautiously optimistic about its future ahead of this year's landmark elections, but he also highlighted the deadly violence in 2006 as a warning against any early withdrawal of UN assistance.
• Darfur: UN, African Union envoys hold talks with senior Sudanese officials UN News Centre 13 Feb 2007 -- The Secretary-General's Special Envoy for Darfur and his African Union (AU) counterpart have held talks with senior Sudanese Government officials and a prominent former rebel at the start of their joint five-day mission to try to re-energize the stalled peace process in the war-torn region.
• Sudan Blocks UN Investigators From Darfur Trip VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- Sudan's government has blocked a United Nations human rights team from entering the country to investigate alleged atrocities in Darfur
• Somali Government Calls for Peacekeepers VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- Uganda's parliament on Tuesday approved sending 1,500 peacekeepers to Somalia
• SOMALIA: African Union discusses peacekeeping mission IRIN 13 Feb 2007 -- Plans to deploy peacekeepers in Somalia have moved into top gear, with the African Union looking at initially deploying three operational battalions from Uganda and Nigeria, officials said.
• Ban Ki-moon leads UN condemnation of terrorist bus bombings in Lebanon UN News Centre 13 Feb 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced outrage at this morning's terrorist bombing of two commuter buses in Lebanon, calling for an end to impunity and urging the country's people to maintain national unity despite the recent series of assassinations and terrorist attacks.

News Reports

• LEBANON: Pro-government group urges peace after deadly bombing IRIN 13 Feb 2007 -- Leaders of the Lebanese pro-government 'March 14' group warned that the country was sliding towards Iraq-style sectarian violence after at least three people were killed in explosions that hit two buses travelling through a Christian-majority mountain town outside Beirut.
• Bus Bombings in Lebanese Christian Area Kill 3 VOA 13 Feb 2007 -- Two explosions, which occurred minutes apart, tore through two passenger buses on a mountainside road, north of Beirut