Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Apr 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• April 11 airpower: C-130s support forward deployed units AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released the airpower summary for April 11.
• April 12 airpower: aerial porters keep cargo moving AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials released this airpower summary April 12.
• Two Terrorists Killed in Iraq, 17 Detained AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- Coalition forces killed two suspected terrorists, detained 17 others, and seized weapons and documents owned by terrorists during operations in Iraq over the past two days.
• Army Deployment Change Helps Sustain Surge AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- The Army will be able to sustain 20 combat brigades in Iraq for at least a year, officials said during a news conference today.
• Thirty-seven Taliban Fighters Killed, Three Detained in Afghanistan AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- Coalition and Afghan forces have killed 37 Taliban fighters and detained three others during operations in Afghanistan over the past three days.
• Musharraf: 300 Foreign Militants Killed in Pakistani Tribal Offensive VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says local tribesmen have killed about 300 foreign militants in weeks of fighting near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan: Italian NGO Under Fire For Taliban Talks RFE/RL 12 Apr 2007 -- The Italian parliament today is holding an open hearing into developments related to the kidnapping and release in Afghanistan of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Terminates Littoral Combat Ship 3 12 Apr 2007 -- Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter announced today that the Department of the Navy is terminating construction of the third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS 3) for convenience under the Termination clause of the contract because the Navy and Lockheed Martin could not reach agreement on the terms of a modified contract.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Lovelace from the Pentagon 12 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Deputy Chief of Staff US Army Lt. Gen. James Lovelace
• Transcript: Interview with Secretary Gates by Traveling Media En Route from Quebec City 12 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
• Georgia, Robins partner for prosperity to base, state AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- An opportunity to provide the Air Force easier access to the innovative technologies being developed by research universities and companies in Georgia was made possible through the first joint venture between an air logistics center and its state government.
• USAFE medics treat Ghanaians for Navy study AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- A team of six U.S. Air Forces in Europe medics worked side by side with Ghanaian military doctors and saw 250 patients in seven hours April 10 in the jungle village of Taviefe, Ghana.
• Air National Guard crew flies its 1st C-5 to Djibouti AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- The C-5 Galaxy's red-striped tail cut across the African sky April 10, flying a first for one Air National Guard unit.
• New mission control room ready for F-35 flight tests AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- The newest range mission control room built to test the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was officially commissioned here April 11.
• Deployment Stress on Guard, Reserve Has Lessened, Hall Says AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- The stress of repeated overseas deployments for National Guard and Reserve members has lessened in recent years, the Defense Department's reserve-component chief told a special commission today at a Capitol Hill hearing.
• Independent Medical Review Group Presents Preliminary Conclusions AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- The problems wounded servicemembers and their families experienced at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here are systemic, members of the Independent Review Group said here yesterday.
• Medical Evaluation Process Getting Fresh Look AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- Less than two months after a roadside bomb took both his legs during a reconnaissance patrol near Iraq's Syrian border, Marine Corps Cpl. Dylan Gray is preparing for his first encounter with the Defense Department's medical evaluation process.
• Deputy Defense Secretary Calls for Immediate Fix to Disability Process AFPS 12 Apr 2007 -- Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England today called for a new policy that moves wounded troops from Iraq and Afghanistan to the front of the line in the disability rating process while system-wide fixes to the disability and health care systems are put in place.
• U.S. Participates In NATO Exercise Noble Manta Navy NewsStand 12 Apr 2007 -- Sailors from USS Augusta (SSN 710), USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) and aviators from Patrol Squadron (VP) 5 are participating in a National Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led exercise Noble Manta from April 12-22.
• USMC Commandant visits Marines aboard Oak Hill Navy NewsStand 12 Apr 2007 -- USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) hosted the Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC), on April 4 while underway in the Persian Gulf.
• U.S. House of Representatives Visit Ike Navy NewsStand 12 Apr 2007 -- Members of the U.S. House of Representatives visited the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) at sea April 9 to observe flight operations and the strike group concept.
• Chilton delivers priorities for future space capabilities AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- "Space has become so integrated in the fight, in the way we fight and indeed into our economy and in America," Gen. Kevin P. Chilton told an audience of more than 500 industry leaders, civilians and military members at the 23rd National Space Symposium here today.
• Chief of Staff speaks on future of space operations AFPN 12 Apr 2007 -- Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley delivered a speech to a crowd of more than 400 at the 23rd National Space Symposium here April 11.
• Cluster arms ban leave gap in UK inventory, says Jane's IRNA 12 Apr 2007 -- The British government's decision to hasten the withdrawal of its 'dumb' cluster munitions leaves a gap in the country's air force inventory that remains unfilled, according to Jane's Defence Weekly.
• Russia welcome to join U.S. missile shield - state department RIA Novosti 12 Apr 2007 -- The U.S. administration's proposal to Russia to join its missile defense shield remains valid, a State Department spokesman said Thursday.
• U.S. seeks control of Europe through missile shield - Gorbachev RIA Novosti 12 Apr 2007 -- Deployment of U.S. missile-defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic is an attempt by the U.S. to control Europe, the former Soviet president said Thursday.
• Ukraine not planning U.S. missile shield placement - president RIA Novosti 12 Apr 2007 -- Ukraine is not planning to deploy elements of the U.S. missile defense system on its territory, the Ukrainian president said Thursday.
• Ukraine engaged in U.S. missile defense efforts - DoD RIA Novosti 12 Apr 2007 -- The Bush administration has once again cited Ukraine on a list of 15 countries cooperating with the U.S. on its national missile defense system, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
• Pullout of Russia's Batumi base starts May - top Army officer RIA Novosti 12 Apr 2007 -- Russia will begin withdrawing from its military base in Georgia's Black Sea port of Batumi in mid-May, a deputy chief-of-staff of the Russian Army said Thursday.
• Russia resumes pullout of military bases from Georgia RIA Novosti 12 Apr 2007 -- Russia's Defense Ministry has resumed the withdrawal of its military bases from Georgia, Tbilisi said Thursday.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 12 Apr 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Apr 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 12, 2007
• BAE SYSTEMS TO CONVERT F-4 PHANTOMS INTO TARGET DRONES FOR U.S. AIR FORCE BAE Systems 12 Apr 2007 -- BAE Systems has received a $26.5 million contract to convert 20 F-4 Phantom fighter jets to full-scale aerial targets for the U.S. Air Force.
• BAE SYSTEMS MEETS CRITICAL MILESTONE WITH 155 MM ARTILLERY ROUNDS DURING ITS PRECISION GUIDANCE KIT SOLUTION TESTING BAE Systems 12 Apr 2007 --BAE Systems has successfully fired 20 GPS-guided rounds as part of interim testing for the U.S. Army's Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) Technical Development program. BAE Systems' PGK team fired 20 155 mm projectiles equipped with its PGK test modules at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona.
• BAE SYSTEMS FIRES FIRST ROUND FROM NLOS MORTAR FIRING PLATFORM BAE Systems 12 Apr 2007 -- BAE Systems has successfully fired the first round from the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) Mortar Firing Platform.
• Boeing Begins Mission System Flight Testing of Upgraded AWACS Aircraft Boeing 12 Apr 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has conducted a successful first mission system test flight of an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft upgraded under the Block 40/45 program, the largest enhancement in the history of the U.S. Air Force E-3 AWACS fleet.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN EXPRESSES DISAPPOINTMENT OVER U.S. NAVY TERMINATION OF LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP CONTRACT Lockheed Martin 12 Apr 2007 -- Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT] today expressed disappointment over the U.S. Navy's decision to terminate its contract for construction of the second of two new Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), a radically new class of surface combatants
• SAIC Awarded Navy Enterprise Resource Planning Task Order SAIC 12 Apr 2007 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE:SAI-News) announced today it won a task order from the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center, Charleston (SSCC), S.C. This task order is on the SeaPort-e contract, and will allow SAIC to provide support to the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning Program Office during the deployment of the Navy Enterprise Resource Planning Systems, Applications and Products common business solution.
• Raytheon Awarded $84.6 Million to Upgrade Satellite Communication Terminals Raytheon 12 Apr 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded an $84.6 million contract to produce upgrade kits for its Secure Mobile Anti-jam Reliable Tactical Terminal, or SMART-T, for the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, and Canada and the Netherlands.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Apr 2007
• SOMALIA: Fighting threatens peace efforts in Mogadishu IRIN 12 Apr 2007 -- The fighting that broke out in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday, prompting more people to flee their homes, has cast a cloud over anticipated reconciliation talks between various political groups.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Peace process moves ahead with talks on buffer zone IRIN 12 Apr 2007 -- Cote d'Ivoire's nascent peace plan moved closer towards changing the situation on the ground on Wednesday as the government, rival armed groups and international peacekeepers agreed a schedule to dismantle the country's buffer zone.
• UN Peacebuilding Commission visiting Burundi to find ways to consolidate stability UN News Centre 12 Apr 2007 -- An eight-member delegation from the newly established United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) - created to prevent countries emerging from civil war and other conflicts from sliding back into bloodshed - is currently visiting Burundi in a bid to help consolidate stability there.
• Israel's Parliament Reviews Unofficial Israel-Syria Talks VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- A Syrian-American businessman and a former senior Israeli diplomat briefed a high-level Israeli parliamentary committee Thursday about their efforts to revive Israeli-Syrian peace talks
• UN Chief Encouraged by Darfur Peace Efforts VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expressing optimism that Sudan will soon accept the presence of attack helicopters in a robust peacekeeping presence in Darfur
• Ivory Coast Peacekeepers to Begin Pulling Out VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- International peacekeepers in Ivory Coast say they will withdraw slowly from the buffer zone that separates northern rebels and the Ivorian army
• Somaliland Troops Clash with Puntland Forces VOA 12 Apr 2007 -- Officials in the breakaway republic of Somaliland say their forces clashed with troops from the semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier this week over a disputed strip of desert that has been the source of violence for years

News Reports