Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Apr 2007 [PDF]
• Small arms fire targets MND-B patrol
• MNF-W forces attacked
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Press Briefing with Col. Townsend via Video Conference from the Pentagon 30 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Commander 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Col. Stephen Townsend
• April 29 airpower summary: Maintainers keep planes flying AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan in the following operations April 29, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Nearly 100 Detained in Iraq; Weapons Caches Found, Destroyed AFPS 30 Apr 2007 -- Coalition forces nabbed about 94 suspects and discovered several weapons caches during raids across Iraq in the past three days.
• 'Arrowhead Division' Commander Reports Operation Arrowhead Strike 9 Successes AFPS 30 Apr 2007 -- A major clearing operation that wrapped up last week in Baghdad succeeded in preventing 3,200 roadside bombs, jailing 42 terrorists, and seizing enough weapons and explosives to outfit an enemy infantry battalion, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division's 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team reported today.
• Suicide Bomber Kills 20 North of Baghdad VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- Iraqi officials say a suicide bomber has killed at least 20 people attending a funeral.
• C-17 unit brings 'bombs, beans, bullets' to the fight AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- The 816th EAS, a 379th Air Expeditionary Wing tenant unit, is approaching the end of its four-month rotation after directly supporting and sustaining ground combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since Dec. 31.
• DoD Press Briefing with Royal Netherlands Army Maj. Gen. Van Loon from the Pentagon 30 Apr 2007 -- Presenter: Commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Regional Command South Maj. Gen. Ton Van Loon
• 136 Taliban Fighters Killed, Two Detained in Afghanistan AFPS 30 Apr 2007 -- Coalition forces killed 136 Taliban combatants and captured two suspects during operations in Afghanistan over the past four days.
• Taliban's Influence Waning in Southern Afghanistan , NATO General Says AFPS 30 Apr 2007 -- Ongoing NATO military and reconstruction operations are helping erode Taliban militants' power in southern Afghanistan, a senior Dutch officer said today.
• US Says 136 Taleban Killed in Western Afghanistan VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- U.S. and Afghan officials say they have inflicted serious losses on Taleban insurgents in recent days
• AFGHANISTAN-IRAN: Iran deports thousands of illegal Afghan workers IRIN 30 Apr 2007 -- The family of Nezamuddin Mohammadi in the Iranian capital, Tehran, does not know that their only breadwinner has been deported to Afghanistan.
• U.S. Says Dozens Of Taliban Killed In Herat RFE/RL 30 Apr 2007 -- As U.S.-led coalition troops report scores of Taliban were killed in Herat Province, local Afghans in Herat's Shindand district are accusing U.S. forces of having killed civilians.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Names Inspector General 30 Apr 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today that Claude M. Kicklighter has been sworn in as the Inspector General replacing Thomas F. Gimble who has been acting inspector general since Sept. 10, 2005.
• DoD Announces Winners of Annual Modeling and Simulation Awards 30 Apr 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today that 10 winners have been selected for the ninth annual Department of Defense Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Awards
• Weather squadron covers 42 countries AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- With 110 million square miles in its operational region, the 152 Airmen in the 17th Operational Weather Squadron here are responsible for the largest area of responsibility of all the operational weather squadrons in the Air Force.
• American, French forces join in jump training AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- Joint and coalition servicemembers recently joined forces for parachute jump training. Airmen and Soldiers and French airborne soldiers jumped out of a C-130 Hercules.
• Backscatter technology leaves bad guys with no place to hide AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- Members of the 820th Security Forces Group here are set to employ a new high-technology search system in the war on terrorism that will help increase base security that also can deter acts of aggression against coalition forces.
• Air Force air evac crews adapt, train onboard mix of planes AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- Taking care of patients on an aircraft is not an easy task
• Heidelberg Soldiers Taste Test New MREs AFPS 30 Apr 2007 -- Soldiers here recently tested two new rations being fielded for servicemembers this year: an on-the-go compact ration based on pocket sandwiches, and a kind of kitchen-in-a-box that prepares hot meals for 18 people with just the pull of a tab.
• Services Chart Course for New Vessel Army News 30 Apr 2007 -- Representatives of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and the shipbuilding industry met last week to discuss the current status of the Joint High Speed Vessel, a new type of fast logistic-support ship that will ultimately be acquired by all three services.
• NMCB 1 Officers, Chiefs Team Up in Khaki FEX Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2007 -- Officers and chiefs from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 sharpened their contingency operation skills during the battalion's weeklong khaki field exercise (FEX) April 22 to 27, held at joint training facility Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss.
• ESG 7 Completes Fleet Synthetic Training Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2007 -- Operating in a real-time environment without real movements, Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 7 completed a pierside Fleet Synthetic Training (FST) exercise April 17 - 19 that further developed the expeditionary strike group concept for forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF).
• Exercise Tests Hurricane-Response Plans in Northeastern U.S. AFPS 30 Apr 2007 -- National Guard members today commenced a hurricane emergency preparedness and response exercise involving five states in the northeastern United States, a National Guard Bureau spokesman said.
• Air University hosts counterinsurgency symposium AFPN 30 Apr 2007 -- Air University officials hosted the 2007 Air Force Symposium on Counterinsurgency April 24 through 26 here and speakers spoke on counterinsurgency in the present day warfare environment and the Air Force's role in counterinsurgency operations.
• Japan Considers Amending Pacifist Constitution VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- After years of talking about it, Japan's governing party has moved ahead this month with plans to revise the country's constitution
• US - EU Leaders Discuss Missile Defense, Environment, WTO VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- The latest United States-European Union summit has ended with signs of progress on several issues that have strained trans-Atlantic ties, including alternative energy and pushing ahead on world trade talks
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 Apr 2007
• Press Gaggle by Tony Snow The White House 30 Apr 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 30, 2007
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne's Revolutionary Scramjet Engine Successfully Powers First X-51A Simulated Flight Pratt & Whitney 30 Apr 2007 -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR), a United Technologies Corp. [NYSE: UTX] company, along with its X-51A team members -- U.S. Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA and The Boeing Company -- successfully demonstrated operation and performance of the revolutionary X-1 scramjet engine in the first simulated flight at Mach 5 of the X-51A.
• General Dynamics Receives $245 Million for Mine-Protected Vehicle Work General Dynamics 30 Apr 2007 -- General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has received a work order for $244.5 million of a $490 million contract awarded to Force Protection, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) on April 24 to produce 1,000 vehicles for the U.S. Marine Corps' Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN UNVEILS STATE-OF-THE-ART PRODUCTION FACILITY FOR NON-LINE-OF-SIGHT MISSILE LAUNCHING SYSTEM Lockheed Martin 30 Apr 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today officially unveiled its state-of-the-art production facility for the Non-Line-of-Sight Launch System (NLOS-LS) on its Baltimore campus
• ATK Precision Guided Mortar Munition Goes Three-for-Three in a Series of Guided Flight Tests ATK 30 Apr 2007 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) went three-for-three in a series of guided flight tests of its Precision Guided Mortar Munition (PGMM).
• Boeing Awarded $7.1 million Navy Contract to Provide Network Communications for Guided Missile Destroyers Boeing 30 Apr 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $7.1 million U.S. Navy contract to provide a ship-wide communications network for three guided missile destroyers (DDG).
• CACI Awarded $16 Million Contract from Department of Defense to Support Medical Logistics Development CACI 30 Apr 2007 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded a prime contract of $16 million for five years (one base year and four option years) by the Department of Defense.
• L-3 Communications Awarded $35 Million Contract for the Upgrade of the Royal Australian Navy's Hydrographic Survey Motor Launches L-3 Communications 30 Apr 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that its L-3 Nautronix Limited division (L-3 Nautronix), has been awarded a contract by the Australian Government's Defence Materiel Organisation for the full upgrade of the Hydrographic Survey Suite in the Royal Australian Navy's PALUMA Class Survey Motor Launches (SML).
• Newest Navy Aircraft Unveiled by Northrop Grumman Northop Grumman 30 Apr 2007 -- The first Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye, being built for the U.S. Navy by prime contractor Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), made its first public appearance at rollout ceremonies here today.
• Raytheon Awarded Contract to Develop Composite for Infrared Windows and Domes Raytheon 30 Apr 2007 -- The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a two-year, $7.5 million contract to develop an improved composite material for infrared windows and missile domes.

Other Conflicts

• SOMALIA: Displaced facing cholera threat IRIN 30 Apr 2007 -- An outbreak of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea is adding to the dire humanitarian conditions endured by the homeless in camps around the Somali capital, Mogadishu, medical sources said on Monday
• Liberia: UN envoy welcomes Security Council lifting of diamond embargo UN News Centre 30 Apr 2007 -- The senior United Nations envoy to Liberia today welcomed the Security Council's decision to lift its six-year-old ban on the export of diamonds from the country that was introduced to stop proceeds from the sale of these so-called "blood diamonds" from fuelling wars across West Africa.
• Security Council deplores rising civilian deaths in Somalia UN News Centre 30 Apr 2007 -- Deeply deploring the civilian deaths resulting from renewed fighting in Somalia, the Security Council today urged the country's Government to reach out to all segments of the war-torn country's society, while demanding that the warring parties allow relief aid to reach those in need.
• Israeli Commission Criticizes Lebanon War Decisions VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- A government-appointed Israeli commission has harshly criticized Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other senior Israeli officials for their handling of last year's Lebanon War
• CONGO: Former rebel chief named for humanitarian post IRIN 30 Apr 2007 -- The Congolese government and representatives of the former rebel movement, le Comité national pour le résistance (CNR) of Frédéric Bintsangou, alias Pastor Ntoumi, on Friday signed an agreement that puts the former rebel leader in charge of humanitarian affairs.
• ISRAEL-OPT: Humanitarian situation got worse in 2006, says UN agency IRIN 30 Apr 2007 -- A recent United Nations report reveals that the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) continued to deteriorate in the second half of last year, largely because of a collapsing economy.
• Ivory Coast Mixed Brigades Mired by Dispute Over Ranks VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- Mixed brigades in Ivory Coast are being launched in two towns in a buffer zone separating the government-run south and rebel-held north, but the process is mired in a dispute over military ranks given to rebels
• Darfur Rebels Claim Downing Sudanese Armed Forces Helicopter VOA 30 Apr 2007 -- Rebels in Sudan's embattled Darfur region say they have shot down a Sudan Armed Forces helicopter, which had attacked their positions -- capturing two Sudanese soldiers

News Reports

• Recent Timor-Leste election was 'free and fair' and reflected the will of voters: UN UN News Centre 30 Apr 2007 -- This month's poll in Timor-Leste, the first in the country since gaining independence from Indonesia in 2002, may not have been perfect but it was "free and fair" and reflected the will of the voters, the United Nations said today, adding that it was a significant achievement for the tiny nation.
• Sanctions work best when there are carrots and not just sticks, says Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 30 Apr 2007 -- Security Council sanctions are most effective when they aim for a clear goal using incentives and not just threats, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a symposium on the issue today.
• Astrium delivers microgravity instrument DECLIC to the CNES EADS 30 Apr 2007 -- On 24 April, DECLIC (Dispositif pour l’Etude de la Croissance et des Liquides Critiques*), the microgravity experimental instrument developed by Astrium for the French space agency CNES, successfully passed its flight readiness.