Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 23 Mar 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Marine Unit Attacked
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty 23 Mar 2007
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Col. Twitty from Iraq 23 Mar 2007 -- Presenter: Commander, 4th Brigade 1st Cavalry Division Col. Stephen Twitty
• Iran Captures 15 British Troops in Persian Gulf VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- Iranian naval forces took 15 British sailors and marines captive early Friday in the northern Persian Gulf
• March 23 airpower: Transports key to intra-theater airlift AFPN 23 Mar 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials have released the airpower summary for March 23.
• Baghdad Operations Continue; Several Weapons Caches Found AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- U.S. and Iraqi security forces continued clearing operations in Baghdad today, while other coalition and Iraqi security forces discovered and destroyed several enemy weapons caches in the past few days, officials said.
• Security Council extends UN mission in Afghanistan UN News Centre 23 Mar 2007 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) by another year, welcoming the mission's recently expanded presence in the provinces and voicing concern at the harm caused by the production and trafficking of opium.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Bush Promises to Veto War Spending Bill AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- President Bush promised to veto an emergency supplemental war spending bill passed by the House of Representatives today because it sets a date for the return of combat forces from Iraq and includes spending unrelated to the war.
• Transcript: Remarks By Secretary Of Defense Robert Gates At A Change Of Command Ceremony With Admiral Timothy Keating And Lieutenant General Victor Renuart Jr Northcom, at Peterson Air Force Base Colorado Springs, Colorado 23 Mar 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• Transcript: Remarks By General Victor Renuart Jr. At The Changing Command Ceremony To Assume The Command Of Norad And Northcom, at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado 23 Mar 2007 -- Presenter: General Victor Renuart Jr.
• Transcript: Remarks by Admiral Timothy J. Keating At A Change Of Command Ceremony, At Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado 23 Mar 2007 -- Presenter: Admiral Timothy J. Keating
• NORAD, USNORTHCOM welcome new commander AFPN 23 Mar 2007 -- Air Force Gen. Victor E. Renuart Jr. became the 20th commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and the third commander of U.S. Northern Command in a change-of-command ceremony at Peterson Air Force Base March 23.
• DoD Releases More Tribunal Transcripts AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- After hearing the allegations against them, one detainee at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, claimed ignorance of his alleged role in two U.S. embassy bombings, and another, accused of financing terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia, said nothing.
• Tanzanian Guantanamo Detainee Apologizes, Malaysian Also Has Hearing VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- According to a U.S. Defense Department transcript a Tanzanian detainee at the Guantanamo detention center has apologized for his role in the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Dar es Salaam in 1998, and said he was not as involved in the plot as the U.S. military has charged
• Commission: Changes Needed to Ensure Long-Term Guard Readiness AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- The National Guard has problems that affect its readiness, particularly at home, but fixing them requires a sweeping, intergovernmental effort, the chairman of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves told Congress today.
• U.S. Increases Africa Security with Proactive Stance, General Says AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- A proactive stance in Africa will help to enhance stability and deter terrorist activity in the future, the deputy commander of U.S. European Command said here yesterday.
• Keating Recaps Tenure at NORTHCOM, NORAD AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- The outgoing commander of U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command reflected on his tenure at a news conference here yesterday.
• Pace Calls for Closer Military Ties Between China, U.S. AFPS 23 Mar 2007 -- Military-to-military contacts will help China and the United States avoid misunderstandings and help build greater stability and prosperity in Asia, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said here today.
• DoD News: Navy Names New Guided-Missile Destroyer USS Jason Dunham 23 Mar 2007 -- The Department of Navy announced today that the Navy's newest Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Jason Dunham, honoring Cpl. Jason L. Dunham, the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Military Concept Vehicles to Aid Future Development Army News 23 Mar 2007 -- Maybe it wasn't quite the Detroit Auto Show, but the military concept vehicles on hand last week at the Strategic Deployment Center on post turned a few heads, nonetheless.
• Army Uses Virtual Tool in its Battle with PTSD Army News 23 Mar 2007 -- The Humvee rumbles down the narrow desert road. To the left and right there is nothing but an expanse of beige sand, with an occasional palm tree sprinkled here and there.
• FAST Team Returns From Deployment Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2007 -- Marines from the Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) returned to Yokosuka Naval Base on March 21, following a two-month deployment with USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19).
• Employability and Deployability: Striking a Balance Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2007 -- Employability and deployability has become a hot topic in the Navy because of recent policy shifts designed to align the Navy's deployment and homeport training time with the rest of the Department of Defense (DOD).
• San Diego Welcomes USS Gridley Home Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2007 -- The Navy's newest guided-missile destroyer, USS Gridley (DDG 101), arrived at its homeport here March 21, after being commissioned Feb. 10 in Miami.
• Sailors Arm Up In Preparation For ULTRA "S" Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2007 -- Sailors aboard USS Nassau (LHA 4) trained March 21 for security drills they must complete during their upcoming Unit Level Training Assessment - Sustainment (ULTRA S) inspections.
• IKE and CVW-7 Team Wins Ramage Award Navy NewsStand 23 Mar 2007 -- The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 were awarded the "Jig Dog" Ramage Carrier and Carrier Air Wing Operational Excellence Award for 2006 on Feb. 27.
• New Pacific Commander Says US Will Maintain Advantage Over China VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- The admiral who will take command Monday of all U.S. forces in the Pacific and Indian Oceans and Asia says he wants to know more about what China plans to do with its rapidly increasing military capability, but he believes it will be a long time before China will be able to challenge the United States militarily
• US General Tells China Anti-Missile Test Caused Confusion VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- The United States' top general is encouraging military leaders in China to be more transparent as they build up their country's armed forces
• U.S. air shield possible only with Russia's involvement - FM RIA Novosti 23 Mar 2007 -- U.S. plans to deploy air defense missiles in Europe could negatively affect Russia's relations with NATO if implemented unilaterally without Russia's involvement or any consideration of collective interests, Russia's foreign minister said Friday.
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 23 Mar 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 23, 2007
• Sea-Based X-Band Radar Participates Successfully in Key Missile Defense Flight Test Raytheon 23 Mar 2007 -- The Raytheon-developed X- Band Radar (XBR) portion of the Sea-Based X-Band Radar, or SBX, performed successfully in a flight test of the Ground Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) element of the Ballistic Missile Defense System conducted by the Missile Defense Agency March 20, 2007.
• Raytheon Successfully Completes Testing of Navy Multiband Terminal Satellite Communications System Ahead of Schedule Raytheon 23 Mar 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has determined it has successfully completed all formal testing of the Navy Multiband Terminal (NMT) satellite communication system and exceeded performance requirements while finishing nearly three weeks ahead of schedule.
• Thales conducts research into mine warfare for French defence procurement agency Thales 23 Mar 2007 -- In support of efforts by the French defence procurement agency (DGA) to prepare technological and algorithmic building blocks for the naval mine countermeasures systems of the future.
• Boeing Awarded $17.7 Million SDB I Focused Lethality Munition Contract Boeing 22 Mar 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has been awarded the second phase of a $27 million U.S. Air Force contract for the Small Diameter Bomb I Focused Lethality Munition (SDB I FLM) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration program.
• IBM Joins Raytheon Team in Bid For Army's Integrated Battle Command System Raytheon 22 Mar 2007 -- IBM has joined the Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN)-led team in a bid for the U.S. Army Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS).

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 23 Mar 2007
• Bush Calls Mideast Leaders Seeking Support for Peace Process Washignton File 22 Mar 2007 -- President Bush has telephoned leaders in the Middle East to seek their support for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's mission as she embarks on another trip to the region to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, a task he called a priority for his administration.
• Draft U.N. Plan Would Protect Minority Groups in Kosovo Washignton File 22 Mar 2007 -- Kosovo Serbs would benefit from decentralized government, international presence
• Analysis: Mideast Diplomacy Gets another Shot cfr.org 23 Mar 2007 -- After a strife-filled year of divided leadership, the Palestinian Authority has finally agreed to a unity government (al-Jazeera) in which rival political parties Hamas and Fatah will share power
• Deploring casualties, Ban Ki-moon appeals for halt to fighting in DR Congo UN News Centre 23 Mar 2007 -- With sporadic fighting continuing in capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appealed for a complete halt to all violence threatening civilians, who have received assistance from the UN mission in the country (MONUC).
• Russia/U.S.: Moscow's Opposition Threatens UN's Kosovo Plan RFE/RL 23 Mar 2007 -- The European Union has warned that the region could plunge into chaos unless a prompt decision is made on Kosovo's status.
• Central/South Asia: U.S. Official Sees Progress In Volatile Region RFE/RL 23 Mar 2007 -- Richard Boucher has been assistant U.S. secretary of state for Central and South Asian affairs for a little over a year
• Secretary of State Rice Starting New Middle East Mission VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is leaving Washington for another Middle East trip aimed at spurring progress in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts
• France Draws Down Troops in Ivory Coast VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- The spokesman for French forces in Ivory Coast says a recent decision to reorganize and reduce their troops is a reflection of the improving conditions in the country following a peace deal reached this earlier this month
• UGANDA: Stalled peace talks to resume in April - minister IRIN 23 Mar 2007 -- Peace talks between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) will resume in mid-April in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba, a senior government official said on Friday.
• Chechnya: Little Value In Estimates Of Chechen Resistance RFE/RL 23 Mar 2007 -- Russian Deputy Interior Minister Colonel General Arkady Yedelev recently announced his latest estimates for the number of resistance fighters still active in Chechnya: 450, subdivided into 37 separate groups.
• Nepalese Government to Investigate Deadly Clashes in South VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- The Nepalese government has ordered an investigation into deadly clashes in southern Nepal in which 27 people were killed
• Somali Clan Announces Ceasefire VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- A ceasefire is reported to have been reached in Somalia between a powerful clan and Ethiopian troops as fighting continues Friday in the capital city of Mogadishu.
• Arrest Warrant Issued Against Ex-DRC Vice President VOA 23 Mar 2007 -- Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have issued an arrest warrant for former vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba on charges of high treason.

News Reports