Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 20 Mar 2007 [PDF]
• Roadside bomb strikes MND-B patrol
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Barbero from the Pentagon 22 Mar 2007 -- Presenter: Deputy Director for Regional Operations, Joint Staff J-3 Maj. Gen. Michael Barbero
• U.S., Iraqis Continue Flow of Troops to Baghdad AFPS 20 Mar 2007 -- Order, while an American aviation unit's deployment to the Iraqi capital city has been sped up, a senior U.S. military officer said here today.
• March 20 airpower: Versatile A-10s support ground forces AFPN 20 Mar 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for March 20.
• Iraqi Officials: 39 Militants Killed in Battle VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- Iraqi officials say security forces have killed 39 militants in a battle in the Sunni insurgent stronghold of al-Anbar province.
• U.S. General Cites Signs of Progress in Iraq Washington File 20 Mar 2007 -- U.S. troops continue surging into Baghdad, Iraq, where hundreds of Iraqi families are returning to their homes, a senior U.S. military official says, adding that coalition forces in Afghanistan are preparing for Taliban attacks against Central Asian New Year's celebrations beginning March 21.
• Afghan Extremists Killed During Coalition Operation AFPS 20 Mar 2007 -- Three suspected extremists were killed after firing at Afghan and coalition forces during an operation in Afghanistan's Helmand province today, officials said.
• U.S. Urges Greater International Support for Afghanistan Washington File 20 Mar 2007 -- Emphasizing that 2007 is a turning point for Afghanistan, the United States urged the international community to increase its efforts to help stabilize the country.
• Pentagon: Afghan Insurgent Offensive Could Begin Wednesday VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- A senior U.S. military officer says he expects Afghan Taleban insurgents to launch a new series of attacks starting Wednesday to mark the Afghan New Year
• Afghanistan: Kabul Admits Exchanging Taliban Members For Hostage RFE/RL 20 Mar 2007 -- Just a day after being freed by his Taliban captors, Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo awoke at a hospital in Helmand Province today to the sound of an angry demonstration outside.
• UN envoy calls for greater international and internal efforts to stabilize Afghanistan UN News Centre 20 Mar 2007 -- The senior United Nations envoy to Afghanistan today called on both the international community and the war-torn country's Government to increase efforts to promote reconstruction and bring lasting stability to the "place of hope and challenge."
• AFGHANISTAN: UNHCR increases cash grant for repatriation IRIN 20 Mar 2007 -- Afghan refugees living in Iran and Pakistan will receive a six-fold increase in cash grants upon their return to Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Defense Policy / Programs

• Democrats Face Uncertain Vote on War Funding Measure VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- Democrats in the House of Representatives face uncertainty as they proceed with plans to bring legislation to the floor later this week to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and provide billions in domestic and homeland security needs
• U.S. Military Training Program Benefits African Peacekeepers Washington File 20 Mar 2007 -- Africans make the best peacekeepers for Africa, and the United States has made a strong commitment to helping them hone their peacekeeping skills, says the coordinator for a U.S.-managed military training program.
• Carney Trains With Jamaican Defense Force Coast Guard Navy NewsStand 20 Mar 2007 -- USS Carney (DDG 64) hosted members of the Jamaican Coast Guard for a one-day training opportunity March 16 in Jamaican coastal waters as the ship patrolled the Caribbean.
• USS Safeguard Completes TOWEX with JDS Amakusa Navy NewsStand 20 Mar 2007 -- USS Safeguard (ARS 50) conducted a towing exercise March 15 in the Sea of Japan, working with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Ship JS Amakusa (AMS 4303).
• Navy Takes Legal Steps to Safeguard Classified Information Navy NewsStand 20 Mar 2007 -- In order to prevent disclosure of certain classified and sensitive national security information, the Department of the Navy announced on March 20 that they have asserted the state secrets privilege in Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., et. al v. Donald C. Winter, Secretary of the Navy.
• Vinson Starts Preps for Leaving Dry Dock Navy NewsStand 20 Mar 2007 -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) is scheduled to leave dry dock in May for a pierside location after spending nearly two years in Dry Dock 11 at Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard.
• Submarine Force Participates in Ice Exercise 2007 Navy NewsStand 20 Mar 2007 -- Commander, Submarine Force has announced the participation of USS Alexandria (SSN 757), home ported in Groton, Conn., in a joint U.S. Navy/Royal Navy exercise being conducted in the Arctic Ocean in March and April.
• Senate Confirms Keating, Renuart to Key Commands AFPN 20 Mar 2007 -- The U.S. Senate confirmed the nominees to the top posts at U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Pacific Command during last night's session.
• Britain to Ban 'Dumb' Cluster Bombs VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- Britain has ordered its military to stop using cluster bombs that lack self-destruct mechanisms - a measure aimed at saving civilians.
• Kazakh army to adopt high-precision weapons - defense minister RIA Novosti 20 Mar 2007 -- Kazakhstan plans to upgrade its Armed Forces with modern high-precision weapons in the near future, the defense minister said Tuesday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 20 Mar 2007
• Press Gaggle by Tony Snow The White House 20 Mar 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 20, 2007
• United States Air Force East Coast Demonstration Team Selects Pratt & Whitney F119-Powered F-22 Raptor Pratt & Whitney 20 Mar 2007 -- The United States Air Force selected the Pratt & Whitney F119-powered F-22 Raptor for their East Coast Demonstration Team beginning in April 2007 at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.
• ATK Wins $10.5 Million Contract to Provide Precision-Guided Munition Reprogramming Equipment ATK 20 Mar 2007 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received a $10.5 million contract from Headquarters Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio to produce an advanced version of the company's Common Munitions Built-in-Test Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE).
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES CONTRACT FROM DANISH DEFENCE ACQUISITION FOR LEMUR BAE Systems 20 Mar 2007 -- BAE Systems has received a SEK 330 million (approximately $50 million) contract from the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistic Organisation to provide the Remotely Controlled Weapon Station to the armed forces' newly purchased vehicles, Piranha III and Eagle IV.
• EADS selected by DGA for definition study in preparation for the French Ministry of Defence`s future telecommunications system EADS 20 Mar 2007 -- EADS Defence & Security (DS) announced today that it has been selected by the French armaments directorate (DGA) to carry out preparatory work for the development of an operational system consisting of army networks for latest-generation telecommunications, entitled SOCRATE NG (Système Opérationnel Composé des Réseaux des Armées pour les TElécommunications Nouvelle Génération).
• First A400M's central-rear fuselage (IFA) arrives at EADS CASA facilities in Madrid to start static structural test. EADS 20 Mar 2007 -- On Monday 19, the central-rear fuselage (IFA) of the A400M was placed on jigs
• Thales and DCN welcome Brussels decision on closer ties between the two groups Thales 20 Mar 2007 -- In February 2007, the French government and Thales submitted the convergence plan to the European Commission for approval. The plan involves the acquisition by Thales of a 25% interest in DCN and the acquisition by DCN of Thales's French naval businesses (excluding its equipment activities) and its interests in the Armaris and MOPA2 joint ventures.
• Thales awarded Mode 5 IFF contract by French DGA Thales 20 Mar 2007 -- The French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) has awarded a contract to Thales for the development and manufacture of the new Mode 5 NA to equip the French Armed Forces.
• Boeing TSAT Laser Communications System Demonstrates Mission-Level Capabilities and Performance Boeing 20 Mar 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and its partners became the first team to successfully demonstrate the ability of its Transformational Satellite (TSAT) laser communications system to deliver high-power operations at three data rates during recent U.S. Air Force tests.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 20 Mar 2007
• U.S. Pledges Help for Refugees in Chad, Central African Republic Washington File 20 Mar 2007 -- The United States will continue to provide humanitarian support to help protect vulnerable civilians in Chad and the Central African Republic who have been affected by conflict in Sudan's Darfur region, a top State Department official said March 20.
• African Union Security Chief Visits Somalia VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- The head of the African Union's Peace and Security Council is in Mogadishu to investigate the country's security situation and to meet with Ugandan troops who are stationed there as part of the A.U. peacekeeping force for Somalia
• US Presses Chad to Accept UN Peacekeeping Force VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- A U.S. State Department official says the United States is pressing Chad to accept a U.N. peacekeeping force to help secure regional stability
• US Angry Over Sudan Leader's Denial of Role in Darfur Atrocities VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- The United States has responded angrily to interview remarks by Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir denying his government had any role in atrocities in Darfur
• DRC: Army, police involved in human rights abuses in the east - report IRIN 20 Mar 2007 -- Soldiers of the Democratic Republic of Congo's national army and the police have been involved in human rights violations in the eastern Ituri region, and are allegedly responsible for growing insecurity in North Kivu, according to a United Nations report.
• Georgian report of firing at helicopter untrue - peacekeepers RIA Novosti 20 Mar 2007 -- A report in the Georgian mass media that one of the country's military helicopters came under fire in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone is "untrue" and "ungrounded," a deputy commander of the Joint Peacekeeping Force (JPF) said Tuesday.
• Sudan's President Denies Involvement in Darfur Violence VOA 20 Mar 2007 -- Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir denied in an interview with NBC news Monday that his government had any involvement in the violence in Darfur

News Reports