Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 25 Apr 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• Soldier dies in non-combat related incident
• April 24 airpower summary: firefighters hone skills; save lives AFPN 25 Apr 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan in the following operations April 24, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• 26th MEU Begins Training in Kuwait Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2007 -- The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) completed the off-load of personnel and equipment from the ships of the Bataan Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) into Kuwait April 22 to begin two weeks of sustainment training at the Udairi Range complex.
• Forces Capture Six Terrorists; Iraqi Police Find Weapons in Mosque AFPS 25 Apr 2007 -- Coalition forces detained six suspected terrorists during operations around Iraq today, and Iraqi police and U.S. soldiers found a weapons cache inside a Baghdad mosque April 23.
• 5/5 ADA assumes Garrison command of COB Speicher MNF-I 25 Apr 2007 -- The 5th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery Regiment assumed control of Garrison command at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq, Monday, relieving the 149th Brigade Combat Team of its duties.
• SVBIEDs target Coalition patrol base in Diyala province MNF-I 25 Apr 2007 -- At approximately 3 p.m. Monday, a Coalition Forces' patrol base in As Sadah, Iraq, was attacked by two suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, killing nine Soldiers and wounding 20 Soldiers and one Iraqi civilian.
• Raids Net Bomb Components, Suspects in Afghanistan AFPS 25 Apr 2007 -- A series of joint Afghan-coalition raids conducted over the past few days in southern Afghanistan have netted weapons, bomb-making components and suspects, according to U.S. military news releases.
• Airmen EMTs are lifesavers in Afghanistan AFPN 25 Apr 2007

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army Activates New Warrior Transition Brigade at Walter Reed AFPS 25 Apr 2007 -- The Army stood up a new brigade today at Walter Reed Army Medical Center to improve outpatient care for wounded soldiers.
• Warrior Transition Brigade: Putting Soldiers First Army News 25 Apr 2007 -- A new brigade aimed at overseeing the health, welfare and morale of patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center activated here today.
• Media Stakeout with Gen. Petraeus After a Closed Briefing with U.S. Senators from The Crypt, The Capitol, Washington, D.C. 25 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: U.S. Commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus
• Press Conference with Secretary of Defense Gates and Minister of Defense Jung from Berlin, Germany 25 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and German Minister of Defense Franz Josef Jung
• USS Carl Vinson Sailor Plays Vital Role in RCOH Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2007 -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) crew member is playing a pivotal role in the ship's Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) by improving the material deficiency tracking system on board the aircraft carrier.
• Change of Leadership at Navy Warfare Development Command Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2007 -- Rear Adm. Carlton Jewett assumed command of the Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC) in a ceremony April 20 in Spruance Auditorium at the Naval War College.
• USS Robert G. Bradley Sailors Perform COMREL Project in Panama Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2007 -- A group of 14 Sailors from USS Robert G. Bradley (FFG 49) performed a community relations (COMREL) project during a port visit to Panama on March 25.
• General provides clarification on UAV use AFPN 25 Apr 2007 -- Recent discussion in hearings on Capital Hill, and elsewhere on an executive agency proposal to achieve greater efficiency in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) procurement is being confused with joint operational employment of those UAVs.
• Air Force officials discuss way forward for new helicopter AFPN 25 Apr 2007 -- Air Force officials announced here April the way ahead for the replacement combat search and rescue helicopter, the CSAR-X.
• Special Operations Command Observes 20th Anniversary Amid Growth AFPS 25 Apr 2007 -- As it observes its 20th anniversary this week, U.S. Special Operations Command continues to face more demand for its forces than it can accommodate -- a challenge the command's deputy commander reported yesterday won't abate even with more special operators in the pipeline.
• U.S. Commanders Continue to Watch North Korea, Push for Three-Year Tours AFPS 25 Apr 2007 -- The top U.S. commander in Korea urged Congress yesterday to help him introduce standard three-year rotational tours for military forces in South Korea over the next several years.
• DoD Science and Engineering Research Awards Announced 25 Apr 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today plans to award $7 million to 13 academic institutions in nine states to perform research in science and engineering, under the fiscal 2007 Defense Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DEPSCoR).
• Lawmakers Probe Military Disinformation Campaign VOA 25 Apr 2007 -- Family members of Pat Tillman, a soldier killed in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan, have testified before a congressional committee examining disinformation from the U.S. military
• Gates 'Not Surprised' by Russian Opposition to Missile Defense Plan AFPS 25 Apr 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today said he is not surprised that some Russian officials have different points of view on the U.S. plan to base missile defense assets in Eastern Europe.
• NATO: Afghanistan, Missile Defense Top Meeting Agenda RFE/RL 25 Apr 2007 -- NATO foreign ministers will attempt to look beyond military solutions in Afghanistan at their informal meeting in Oslo on April 26-27, according to an alliance official.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 25 Apr 2007
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and Administration Officials on Visit by Japanese Prime Minister Abe The White House 25 Apr 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 25 Apr 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 25, 2007
• LOCKHEED MARTIN SUCCESSFULLY CONCLUDES PHASE II TESTS OF GUIDED MLRS UNITARY ROCKET Lockheed Martin 25 Apr 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently conducted several successful flight tests of a Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary Phase II rocket at White Sands Missile Range, NM, concluding the second phase of the Production Qualification Testing (PQT) requirement series for the contract.
• Draper Laboratory, General Dynamics and Raytheon Reopen Merrill Road Building as "Integrated Support Facility" for the U.S. Navy; Employment to Increase General Dynamics 25 Apr 2007 -- The U.S. Navy and Draper Laboratory of Cambridge, Mass., along with their industrial partners, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems and Raytheon, celebrated the opening of the Integrated Support Facility (ISF) on April 25.
• Northrop Grumman Provides Tracking Systems for British Army Officer Cadet Training Exercise Northrop Grumman 25 Apr 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced that its Mission Systems Europe operation has provided the tracking communications system for a leadership and development training exercise that was undertaken this month by 11 Army officer cadets from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in a recreation of the Second World War mission, Operation Frankton.
• ATK Supports Successful Launch of Pegasus Rocket Carrying NASA's AIM Satellite ATK 25 Apr 2007 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) solid propulsion and composite technologies supported the successful launch yesterday of an Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) air-launched Pegasus XL® rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 25 Apr 2007
• Experts Say Rejecting Kosovo Plan Likely To Provoke Violence Washington File 25 Apr 2007 -- Kosovo might achieve independence even if Russia blocks such a move in the U.N. Security Council, and the advantages of independence outweigh the risks, say independent observers who took part in online discussions sponsored by the State Department.
• Security Council mission to Kosovo holds talks with European Union officials UN News Centre 25 Apr 2007 -- The Security Council delegation heading to Kosovo on a fact-finding trip to help determine the permanent future status of the Serbian province with an ethnic Albanian majority stopped in Brussels today for talks with European Union (EU) and NATO officials.
• US Lawmakers Urge Arab Pressure on Sudan VOA 25 Apr 2007 -- Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives are urging Arab states to step up pressure on Sudan to end the bloodshed in Darfur
• Analysis: Negotiating Peace in Darfur cfr.org 25 Apr 2007 -- On its website, the Save Darfur Coalition urges President Bush to strengthen the African Union (AU) force in Sudan's Darfur region, push for deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, increase humanitarian aid, and establish a no-fly zone over the region
• UN Continuing to Push Final Phases of Peace Plan in Sudan VOA 25 Apr 2007 -- The United Nations Mission in Sudan said Wednesday it is pleased that Sudan has accepted the second phase of a proposed three-phase U.N. support package for Darfur.
• Renewed violence undercutting Middle East diplomatic efforts - UN official UN News Centre 25 Apr 2007 -- Diplomatic initiatives to rejuvenate the Middle East peace process are making some progress, but they are being undermined by the deteriorating security situation on the ground, the United Nations political chief told the Security Council today, urging Israeli and Palestinian leaders to do their utmost to prevent the violence from escalating further.
• Israel Mulls Response to Palestinian Rocket Attacks VOA 25 Apr 2007 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is meeting with his top cabinet ministers and military commanders Wednesday, to discuss Israel's response to Palestinian rocket attacks.
• Ethiopian Rebel Group Denies Support From Eritrea VOA 25 Apr 2007 -- An Ethiopian separatist group, which has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bloody attack on a Chinese-run oil field, is denying allegations by Addis Ababa that arch rival Eritrea is supporting the rebels in their bid to destabilize Ethiopia
• DRC: Civilians fleeing fighting in east forced into makeshift camps IRIN 25 Apr 2007 -- Civilians fleeing fighting between Congolese government troops and rebel militias in North Kivu Province have been forced to shelter in makeshift camps 100km from Goma town, aid workers said.
• UGANDA: Restarting talks would reassure displaced - local leaders IRIN 25 Apr 2007 -- The resumption of talks between the Ugandan government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) could boost hopes that most internally displaced people in northern Uganda can safely return home, local leaders said.
• CONGO: Parties to encourage elections in volatile Pool region IRIN 25 Apr 2007 -- Two political parties in the Pool region of the Republic of Congo (ROC) have signed an agreement that paves the way for peaceful legislative elections in the war-devastated south.

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE ON ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL MISSION TO HAITI United Nations 25 Apr 2007
• U.S. Ambassador Says Mideast Is World's Challenge RFE/RL 25 Apr 2007 -- The new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has called the crises in the Middle East the most important challenge of our time.