Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Roadside bomb targets MND-B patrol
• MND-B patrol attacked in southern Baghdad
• Press Briefing, April 11, 2007 MNF-I 11 Apr 2007 -- Media roundtable with Maj. Gen. William Caldwell IV, MNF-I spokesman, and Maj. Marty Weber, 79th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit, April 11, 2007
• General Sees Protests as Signs of Freedom in Iraq, Recaps Security Plan AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- Organized protests in Iraq four years after the country's liberation are symbols of new political freedom that was suppressed by Saddam, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad said today.
• Forces Capture Terrorists, Discover Weapons Caches in Iraq AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces continued to engage suspected terrorists in multiple operations throughout Iraq using ground forces and aircraft over the past several days, military officials reported.
• Ordnance disposal makes for no ordinary day AFPN 11 Apr 2007 -- Airmen assigned to the 332nd Civil Engineer Squadron's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight have a dangerous mission that keeps fellow coalition forces safe.
• Seabees Build Quality of Life Improvements in Baharia Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2007 -- Navy Reservists with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 28, Delta Company, Shreveport, La., finished building Southwest Asia (SWA) huts for and with the Army's 5th Batallion, 7th U.S. Cavalry, at Baharia near Fallujah, April 6.
• Operation Black Eagle City recovers through efforts of Iraqi Army and coalition partners MNF-I 11 Apr 2007 -- As the fighting in Diwaniyah slowed, the government and military leaders of Operation Black Eagle met to discuss ways to begin rebuilding the city and provide humanitarian aid to the people most affected by the recent militia violence.
• US Extends Deployments of Troops in Iraq, Afghanistan VOA 11 Apr 2007 -- The U.S. Defense Department announced Wednesday that most of the U.S. army troops now in Iraq and Afghanistan and other parts of the Middle East and East Africa will have their assignments extended from 12 months to 15 months, and that the longer tours of duty will apply to soldiers who deploy to the region for the foreseeable future
• Bagram Airmen move Army Force Provider camps AFPN 11 Apr 2007 -- A familiar sight at this Afghanistan airfield involves American C-17 Globemaster IIIs landing and maneuvering as Russian-built IL-76 cargo aircraft taxies for departure
• NATO commanders go north to prepare for Afghanistan AFPN 11 Apr 2007 -- The mission in Afghanistan is one of the most challenging tasks NATO has taken on as it provides security and stability for the war-torn country via the International Security Assistance Force.
• Ban Ki-moon selects two new experts for Taliban sanctions monitoring group UN News Centre 11 Apr 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has informed the Security Council of his decision to appoint two new members of the monitoring group established in 2004 to help track the application of United Nations sanctions against the Taliban, Al-Qaida and their operatives.
• Pakistan Government Touts Success in Fight Against Foreign Militants VOA 11 Apr 2007 -- Pakistani tribal forces near the Afghan border say they have defeated hundreds of Uzbek militants after several weeks of sometimes intense combat

Defense Policy / Programs

• White House Searching for Iraq, Afghanistan War 'Czar' VOA 11 Apr 2007 -- A U.S. newspaper says the Bush administration has been unsuccessfully trying to find someone to oversee the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Secretary Gates and Gen. Pace from the Pentagon 11 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Peter Pace
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. John Toolan from the Pentagon 11 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Principal Director for South and Southeast Asia and Pacific Security Affairs Brig. Gen. John Toolan
• Gen. Casey Speaks to the Army Family Army News 11 Apr 2007
• Red Flag-Alaska strengthens coalition forces AFPN 11 Apr 2007 -- Red Flag-Alaska, a multi-service, multi-platform coordinated, combat operations exercise, kicked off April 5 with the ultimate goal of improving the operational capability of participating units and fostering stronger relations between U.S. and coalition forces.
• Change in Deployment Policy Aims to Provide Predictability AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- The policy change extending Army deployments is an attempt to provide some long-term predictability for soldiers and their families on the length of deployments and how long the soldiers will be home, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a briefing today.
• Recruiting, Retention Rates Remain Solid in March AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- All service branches met or exceeded their active-duty recruiting goals in March, but three of the six reserve components missed their targets, Defense Department officials announced yesterday.
• Guard Leaders Urge Solid Funding to Close Equipment, Training Gaps AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- The National Guard force is second to none in terms of the quality of its people, but severe equipment shortfalls are keeping it from being fully ready, the chief of the National Guard Bureau told Congress today.
• Asia Crucial Front in Long War on Terror AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- South Asia and Southeast Asia are crucial fronts in the long war, and U.S. policies in the region are paying off, a top Defense Department expert on Asia said today.
• Reserve Chiefs Report Funding Needed to Maintain Manpower, Readiness AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- Today's citizen-soldiers, -sailors, -airmen and -Marines are committed to serving the country, but they need the manpower, training and equipment required to carry out their missions, their chiefs told Congress today.
• Walter Reed Among Top Military Medical Centers, Commander Says AFPS 11 Apr 2007 -- "Walter Reed is one of the pivotal academic medical centers and casualty receiving hospitals for the joint medical force," Army Maj. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker told members of the Defense Health Board assembled at the medical center here for a meeting today.
• ESXARG, 31st MEU Depart ROK Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2007 -- With tunes from Republic of Korea Navy bands sending them off, USS Essex (LHD 2) and USS Juneau (LPD 10) left Busan and USS Tortuga (LSD 46) departed Chinhae April 8 following port visits to the cities.
• U.S. Service Members Conduct Human Rights Training with Djibouti Military Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2007 -- Lawyers from Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa's (CJTF-HOA) Staff Judge Advocate's Office administered human rights training to 52 members of the Djiboutian Rapid Action Regiment and Presidential Republican Guard on April 7.
• Regional Components Train Together for Oil Spill Response Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2007 -- Commander, Navy Region Southwest Asia (CNRSWA), hosted an oil spill response workshop and exercise April 3-5 at Naval Support Activity Bahrain.
• USS Bataan Launches, Recovers LCUs Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2007 -- The crew aboard the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) successfully conducted their first landing craft utility (LCU) operations in almost a year while underway in the Persian Gulf on April 7.
• Dubuque Enhances U.S.-India Relations During Mumbai Port Visit Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2007 -- USS Dubuque (LPD 8), a Cleveland-class amphibious transport dock ship, visited its second port in India March 31 through April 4, giving the crew the chance to experience the country's largest city and continue to work toward building stronger U.S.-India relations.
• U.S. air shield plans can cause Russia to up strategic offensive arms - envoy RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2007 -- U.S. plans to expand its air shield closer to Russia will provoke Moscow to increase its strategic offensive arms, Russia's envoy to the United Nations said Tuesday.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 11 Apr 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 11 Apr 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 11, 2007
• New BAE Systems Memorandum of Understanding for DEPRO(GVB) BAE Systems 11 Apr 2007 -- BAE Systems and Depro, St-Laurent Canada, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering discussions around the repair and overhaul of the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) M777 howitzers.
• Boeing Submits KC-767 Advanced Tanker Proposal to U.S. Air Force Boeing 11 Apr 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] submitted its KC-767 Advanced Tanker proposal Tuesday for the U.S. Air Force KC-135 Tanker Replacement Program.
• Boeing Flies Second C-130 AMP Aircraft for First Time Boeing 11 Apr 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] flew the second C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) aircraft for the first time March 25, logging another milestone in the most comprehensive C-130 avionics modification ever conducted.
• First A400M Wings Delivered To Final Assembly Line EADS 11 Apr 2007 -- Today marks another key milestone in the A400M military transport aircraft programme, with Airbus delivering the first pair of A400M wings from the UK to Seville, Spain, where aircraft final assembly is taking place.
• General Dynamics Canada Awarded $30 Million Contract for Biological Agent Detection System General Dynamics 11 Apr 2007 -- General Dynamics Canada, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $30 million (US $26.3 million) contract to supply its VP Bio Sentry system - a real-time, biological agent detection and sampling system readily configurable for static, mobile and naval applications - to the Canadian Forces' Vital Point Bio-Sentry Program
• Raytheon's JLENS Completes Successful Systems Functional Review Raytheon 11 Apr 2007 -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS, recently completed a successful system functional review.
• Raytheon Submits Two Strategic Space program Proposals Raytheon 11 Apr 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has submitted two strategic proposals for key Department of Defense space programs. The company will lead two separate industry teams in pursuit of the next-generation Global Positioning System Control Segment (OCX) and Network and Space Operations & Maintenance, or NSOM.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 11 Apr 2007
• SUDAN: Violence in Darfur rises as more peacekeepers attacked IRIN 11 Apr 2007 -- The ongoing violence in Sudan's Darfur region continued to rise after three soldiers from the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS) were attacked by unidentified armed men on Tuesday near Sortony in North Darfur.
• SUDAN: Rebel threat to food security in the south IRIN 11 Apr 2007 -- Attacks on civilian populations in southern Sudan by the Ugandan rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) pose a significant threat to food security and overall stability in Equatoria states, according to a report.
• Top U.S. Diplomat Cites Chinese Cooperation on Darfur Washington File 11 Apr 2007 -- China increasingly is cooperating with the United States toward ending the violence in Sudan's Darfur region, while President Bush "wants action" and is prepared to impose further sanctions on Sudan, says Ambassador Andrew Natsios, the president's special envoy to Sudan.
• LEBANON: Political crisis hampering post-war reconstruction IRIN 11 Apr 2007 -- Abdullah Hassan Nasrallah proudly displays a cheque for US $11,000, compensation to repair his home in Bint Jbeil, a Shia town in southern Lebanon that was bombed by Israel during the 2006 war with the armed wing of Hezbollah.
• YEMEN: Government accused of planting landmines IRIN 11 Apr 2007 -- The humanitarian situation in Yemen's northern province of Saada is worsening with reports that the army is laying anti-personnel mines in the area, say sources with access to the region.
• Heavy fighting kills 21 in Sri Lanka IRNA 11 Apr 2007 -- At least 20 Tamil Tiger rebels and a government soldier were killed in fresh artillery and mortar exchange in Sri Lanka's northern Vavuniya district, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
• UN administration could quit Kosovo in 120 days - UN mission RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2007 -- The UN administration could leave Kosovo in 120 days, once the UN Security Council adopts a resolution on the Serbian Province, the head of the UN mission said Wednesday.
• Israeli FM urges stopping arms deliveries to Syria RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2007 -- Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday at a meeting with the secretary of Russia's Security Council that the international embargo on arms deliveries to Lebanese militants should be observed.
• Rice warns Russia against helping separatists in Georgia RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2007 -- The U.S. secretary of state has urged Russia to respect Georgia's territorial integrity and to stop supporting separatist republics within the South Caucasus nation.
• UN mission helps opposition figure leave DR Congo for medical treatment UN News Centre 11 Apr 2007 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has helped former vice-president Jean-Pierre Bemba, whose guards were involved in deadly fighting last month with the Congolese army, to leave the country safely today for medical treatment.
• UN starts registering Nepalese army weapons under latest phase of peace deal UN News Centre 11 Apr 2007 -- The United Nations Political Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) has begun registering and storing Nepal Army weapons as part of the world body's assistance to the peace deal signed between the Government and the Maoists last year that ended over a decade of deadly civil war in the Himalayan country.

News Reports

• China: Premier Faces Tough Task Of Mending Japan Ties RFE/RL 11 Apr 2007 -- Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao opened a visit to Japan today during which the two countries will attempt to get their deeply strained relations back in order.
• Orbital To Provide Abort Test Booster For NASA Testing Orbital Sciences Corp. 11 Apr 2007 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) today announced that it has been selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the U.S. Air Force Space Development and Test Wing (SDTW) to design and build the next-generation NASA Orion Abort Test Booster (ATB).