Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 22 Mar 2007 [PDF]
• MND-B security patrol ends with small arms fire
• Soldier attacked in operations in Al Anbar Province
• Marine attacked in operations in Al Anbar Province
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Roadside bomb strikes MND-B patrol
• Troops, Tribal Leaders Tamp Down Violence in Southern Baghdad AFPS 22 Mar 2007 -- Anti-insurgent operations conducted by U.S. and Iraqi security forces as part of Operation Law and Order and recent meetings with area tribal leaders have combined to reduce the violence in and around southern Baghdad, senior U.S. and Iraqi military and civic officials said in Baghdad yesterday.
• Troops Detain Scores of Suspects, Discover Bomb Factory AFPS 22 Mar 2007 -- Coalition forces nabbed more than 50 suspects and dismantled a bomb factory in Iraq over the past few days.
• March 22 airpower: Weapons loaders put bite into fight AFPN 22 Mar 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for March 22.
• New Baghdad Area Dining Facility Feeds 9,000 Per Meal Army News 22 Mar 2007 -- After months of construction and waiting, the largest dining facility on Iraq's Victory Base Complex opened to cheers and a flood of Soldiers and civilians March 20.
• Eight Suspects Captured in Afghanistan; Weapons Cache Found AFPS 22 Mar 2007 -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan captured eight suspected terrorists and discovered a weapons cache today.
• Fighting Intensifies in Pakistan's Tribal Border Area VOA 22 Mar 2007 -- Pakistani officials say at least 135 people have been killed after four days of sometimes intense fighting between local and foreign militants in the country's remote tribal region
• Med Evac flies first non-stop from Afghanistan to Germany AFPN 22 Mar 2007 -- The first non-stop medical evacuation flight from Bagram Air Base to Landstuhl, Germany lifted off March 21.
• Afghanistan: UN Offers Mixed Report On Poppy Cultivation RFE/RL 22 Mar 2007 -- Antonio Maria Costa, the executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said in New York on March 21 that opium-poppy production is decreasing or being eliminated in some provinces but increasing in others.
• Afghanistan: NATO Allies Criticize Italy Over Hostage Deal RFE/RL 22 Mar 2007 -- Italians had barely savored the safe return of Daniele Mastrogiacomo by the time the first criticisms came flying in.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Marine Units Extended on Okinawa AFPS 22 Mar 2007 -- About 1,200 Marines who deployed to Okinawa in January to serve as part of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit will remain on the Japanese island about five months longer than originally planned, Marine Corps officials said today.
• Gates: Delayed Funding Will Hurt Army AFPS 22 Mar 2007 -- A delay in approving the Defense Department's fiscal 2007 supplemental budget request will seriously damage the Army's readiness, possibly resulting in delayed training for units headed to Iraq and reduced funding for building and equipment repairs, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.
• VA Reviews Facilities, Most Issues Involve 'Normal Wear and Tear' Army News 22 Mar 2007 -- To ensure the 1,400 hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and other facilities where veterans receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs are in top-notch physical condition, the Department's senior physician said a special review of all facilities concludes most deficiencies involve "normal wear and tear."
• Defense Chief Calls on US Congress to Fund Iraq, Afghan Wars Without Conditions VOA 22 Mar 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says if the Congress does not approve additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-April, without special conditions, the department will have to make cuts that could affect troop training and deployments
• Transcript: Department of Defense Media Roundtable with Secretary of Defense Robert Gates from the Pentagon 22 Mar 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• Alaska Airmen aid injured British Sailor AFPN 22 Mar 2007 -- Airmen in Alaska came through for a wounded British Sailor March 21 when he was injured during a deadly explosion aboard the Royal Navy submarine HMS Tireless operating in Arctic waters north of Prudhoe Bay.
• Ronald Reagan, Lake Champlain Arrive in Korea for Port Visit Navy NewsStand 22 Mar 2007 -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) arrived in Busan, Republic of Korea, on March. 22 for a scheduled port visit in conjunction with Exercise Reception, Staging, Onward Movement and Integration/Foal Eagle (RSOI/FE) 2007.
• Vinson Sailors Strive to Maintain Qualifications Navy NewsStand 22 Mar 2007 -- While USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) undergoes refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) at Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard, Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier are striving to maintain their qualifications in preparation for the ship's eventual return to sea.
• U.S., Pakistani Ships Conduct Bilateral Operations Navy NewsStand 22 Mar 2007 -- USS Preble (DDG 88) and Pakistani Naval Ship (PNS) Badr (D 184) conducted bilateral operations March 8 in the Persian Gulf.
• Air Force, Navy Conduct Range Operations Navy NewsStand 22 Mar 2007 -- Navy and Air Force squadrons conducted the first combined live gunnery and missile delivery simulations at the Southern California Offshore Range on March 9.
• Azerbaijan: Baku Seems Ambivalent About NATO Membership RFE/RL 22 Mar 2007 -- NATO's special representative for the South Caucasus and Central Asia recently noted that while Azerbaijan cooperates closely with the alliance, its intentions remain unclear.
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 22 Mar 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 22, 2007
• New Australian Defence Air Traffic System (ADATS) Training facility Thales 22 Mar 2007 -- The new ADATS Training facility, which will provide updated training capabilities and courses for the Australia Defence Force and their Air Traffic Management Systems, has been commissioned by Thales Australia.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 22 Mar 2007
• KENYA-SOMALIA: Government asks Kenya to reopen airspace IRIN 22 Mar 2007 -- Somalia's interim government has requested neighbouring Kenya to allow direct flights to resume between Mogadishu and Nairobi, an official said.
• Israeli PM: Ready to Make 'Painful' Concessions VOA 22 Mar 2007 -- Israel's Prime Minister says Israel will make extensive concessions if they lead to peace with his country's enemies
• US Secretary of State Heading Back to Middle East VOA 22 Mar 2007 -- U.S. President George Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the Middle East Friday for talks in Egypt, Israel and Jordan aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Uganda Commander in Somalia Urges Speedy Deployment of More Troops VOA 22 Mar 2007 -- Following a day of heavy fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the Ugandan commander of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia is urging several African countries, who have pledged to contribute troops to the mission, to speed up their deployment
• CAR: Northern town empty as scared civilians stay away IRIN 22 Mar 2007 -- Clashes between rebels and government troops in northeastern Central African Republic (CAR), have left the once bustling town of Birao virtually deserted, with thousands of civilians too scared to return.
• SOMALIA: Hoping for better times in Mogadishu IRIN 22 Mar 2007 -- The Somali capital of Mogadishu has witnessed daily mortar attacks over the past few months but serious efforts are being made to improve its fragile security, according to the mayor.

News Reports