Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 09 Jul 2007 [PDF]
• Suicide car bomber strikes MND-B patrol
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• July 8 airpower summary: Predators provide wary eye AFPN 09 Jul 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan troops during operations July 8, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Airmen take the fight to the terrorists AFPN 09 Jul 2007 -- Airmen of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing here provided air power support for Army, Marine and coalition ground troops as Operation Arrowhead Ripper took the fight to the terrorists throughout the Diyala Province in Iraq in late June and early July.
• RED HORSE Airmen support Army in southern Baghdad AFPN 09 Jul 2007 -- In the midst of the ongoing security surge around Baghdad, a team of Airmen with heavy construction skills and expertise are helping fortify the Army's presence at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, south of the city.
• Troops Kill Nine, Detain 15, Discover Weapons in Iraq AFPS 09 Jul 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces killed nine insurgents, detained 15 others, and uncovered weapons during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said.
• Seabee Coordination Helps Restore Bridge in Iraq Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- When an explosion disabled the primary bridge providing access for vehicles passing between lakes Habbaniyah and Razazah in western Iraq on May 27, Seabees from the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (30 NCR) were tasked to repair the heavily trafficked route.
• 'Arrowhead Ripper' continues to deny terrorists resources MNF-I 09 Jul 2007 -- Iraqi army and Coalition Force Soldiers from Task Force Lightning continued offensive operations in and around the capital of Diyala province, Iraq, as Operation Arrowhead Ripper continued to deny resources to al-Qaida terrorists during its twentieth day in the area.
• Forces Detain Three Insurgents, Seize Weapons in Afghanistan AFPS 09 Jul 2007 -- Afghan and coalition forces working in concert across Afghanistan today detained three insurgents, including a Taliban field commander, and uncovered weapons caches, military officials said.
• Task Force Rock Prepares to Tame Afghanistan's 'Valley of Fire' AFPS 09 Jul 2007 -- It's been almost 18 months since 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Task Force Rock, left Afghanistan after proving its capabilities against insurgents throughout operations in the southern part of the country.
• AFGHANISTAN: Some 2,000 displaced by fighting in Helmand IRIN 09 Jul 2007 -- About 2,000 people, mostly women and children, have left their homes in several parts of Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan, fleeing heavy fighting between Taliban insurgents and NATO-led forces.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Airborne Laser Completes Successful Fire Control Loop for Missile Engagement Sequence Missile Defense Agency 09 Jul 2007 -- Lt. General Henry A. "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency director, announced today the successful completion of the basic steps required to complete a fire control loop (sequence of events) to engage a boosting ballistic missile for the Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft during flight tests conducted on June 29, 2007.
• Navy Admiral Takes Helm of U.S. Special Ops Command AFPS 09 Jul 2007 -- Adm. Eric T. Olson became the first Navy SEAL to command U.S. Special Operations Command during a ceremony here today.
• China Pursues U.S. Military Ties More Slowly Than Hoped, Official Says AFPS 09 Jul 2007 -- China is following up on its stated interest in closer military ties with the United States but not as quickly or completely as initially hoped, an outgoing senior defense official said.
• NMITC Readies Troops for Deployment Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- Supporting the need for intelligence collection efforts to aid troops in the global war on terrorism, the Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC) is answering the call by providing two tactical courses to Sailors and Marines.
• U.S. Naval Forces Arrive for Combined Training During CARAT Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- The U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps are sharing capabilities and maritime expertise ashore, afloat and in the air with Royal Malaysian armed forces during the third phase of exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) which kicked off July 3.
• U.S. and Australian Engineers Fabricate Part for HMAS Tobruk on board ESSEX Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- During Talisman Saber 2007, hull technicians from USS Essex (LHD 2) worked with Australian Heavy Landing Ship HMAS Tobruk (LSH 50) when fabricating a replacement part for the high-pressure (HP) air compressor required to start Tobruk's main propulsion diesel engines June 29.
• Australian-U.S. Expeditionary Forces Complete Talisman Saber 2007 Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- Highlighted by a dynamic scheme of maneuvers and elevated command and control, Talisman Saber 2007 expeditionary forces noted professional relationships as the cornerstone for this year's exercise, which officially concluded July 3.
• Task Group 40.0 Departs Callao Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- Partnership of the Americas (POA) Task Group 40.0 departed Callao July 6, after completing a port visit to experience local culture and interact with partner nations.
• CARAT Sailors Stretch Their Legs in Malaysia Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- Sailors from dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), guided-missile frigates USS Ford (FFG 54) and USS Jarrett (FFG 33) and the Royal Malaysian Navy made friends at Kebangsaan Teluk Kalong elementary school July 3, as a part of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) 2007.
• Mitscher Provides Help to Community in Peru Navy NewsStand 09 Jul 2007 -- Twenty-one Sailors from USS Mitscher (DDG 57) participated in a community relations project at the Virgen de Fatima Church during a port visit in Callao, Peru July 5.
• Cooperative Archer military exercise begins in Georgia RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2007 -- A multinational military exercise under NATO's Partnership for Peace Program (PPP) opened Monday in Georgia, the country's Defense Ministry said Monday.
• U.S. missile shield plans affect Asia - Russian FM RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2007 -- U.S. plans to deploy missile defenses in Central Europe may affect the situation in Asia, the Russian foreign minister said Monday.
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 09 Jul 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 09 Jul 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 09, 2007
• LOCKHEED MARTIN REACHES MAJOR MILESTONE FOR THE MULE ROBOTIC VEHICLE ENGINEERING EVALUATION UNIT Lockheed Martin 09 Jul 2007 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Multifunction Utility/Logistics and Equipment (MULE) robotic vehicle's Engineering Evaluation Unit (EEU) recently reached a major milestone in demonstrating autonomous navigation over complex obstacles, such as steps and gaps.
• Raytheon Awarded $22 Million Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment Contract Option Raytheon 09 Jul 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $22 million U.S. Army contract option to provide 41 Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment (RAID) tower systems with remote ground stations to protect U.S. Marine Corps forces in Iraq.
• Raytheon Awarded Contract to Evolve the DCGS Integration Backbone to the U.S. Air Force Raytheon 09 Jul 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a U.S. Air Force contract to develop the next generation of the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) Integration Backbone (DIB).

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 09 Jul 2007
• UN envoy urges Security Council to act quickly on Kosovo status UN News Centre 09 Jul 2007 -- The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo today urged the Security Council to quickly draw up a roadmap for determining the status of the province, which the world body has administered since NATO troops drove out Yugoslav forces amid inter-ethnic fighting in 1999.
• US, Europe to Present New UN Resolution on Kosovo VOA 09 Jul 2007 -- The United States and its European allies say they will present the United Nations Security Council with a new draft resolution this week on the future status of the breakaway Serbian territory of Kosovo
• Russia Warns Against 'Unacceptable' UN Kosovo Resolution RFE/RL 09 Jul 2007 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says any resolution on Kosovo that is not acceptable to both Belgrade and Pristina will not pass in the UN Security Council
• Unfavorable Kosovo decision will not pass in UN Security Council RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2007 -- A decision on Kosovo that is unfavorable to Belgrade and Pristina will not pass in the UN Security Council, Russia's foreign minister said Monday ahead of UN Security consultations on the status of the Serbian province.
• Arab League To Make Historic Visit To Israel RFE/RL 09 Jul 2007 -- For the first time ever, the 22-nation Arab League is set to send a delegation to Israel. Its mission: to discuss a sweeping peace initiative with the Jewish state, as well as the threat posed by Hamas and other Islamic extremist movements.
• Middle East Quartet to meet with Blair Tuesday RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2007 -- Middle East mediators will meet with Tony Blair Tuesday for the first time since his appointment as a top peacemaking envoy to the Middle East, a senior Russian diplomat said Monday.
• Abbas rules out talks with Hamas, wants peacekeepers in Gaza RIA Novosti 09 Jul 2007 -- The head of the Palestinian National Authority has ruled out any contact with the Hamas group until the situation returns to normal, and says international peacekeepers are needed to maintain security.
• Arab League Delegation to Make Unprecedented Visit to Israel VOA 09 Jul 2007 -- The Arab League is sending a delegation to Israel this week for the first time
• Bosnia-Herzegovina: Reaching A Breaking Point Over Srebrenica RFE/RL 09 Jul 2007 -- It may be Srebrenica's special misfortune that to the people interested in it, it has been far more than just a small town in eastern Bosnia
• Lebanon: UN Force Commander meets with Lebanese, Israeli officials UN News Centre 09 Jul 2007 -- The Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) met today with senior officials from the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) to discuss recent violence in the region.
• Mogadishu Market Closes During Government Crackdown on Insurgents VOA 09 Jul 2007 -- In Somalia, all businesses in Mogadishu's main Bakara market have shut down, while heavily armed Somali and Ethiopian troops say they are searching for insurgents and weapons in the area
• UGANDA: LRA to remain in the bush until ICC indictments are lifted IRIN 09 Jul 2007 -- Uganda's rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has said its fighters will remain in hiding even if a peace deal with the government is reached, unless indictments against several of its leaders are lifted.
• SOMALIA: Restrictions on trade affecting livelihoods IRIN 09 Jul 2007 -- Restrictions on the movement of people, in addition to continuing insecurity, have closed Somalia's largest market for the first time since the start of the civil war in 1991, limiting the ability of the population to make a living, said local sources.

News Reports

• Pakistan: Who Is Abdul Rashid Ghazi? RFE/RL 09 Jul 2007 -- The Pakistani authorities have given what they say is their "final warning" to Abdul Rashid Ghazi and his supporters inside the Red Mosque to surrender or face an all-out assault.
• Negotiations With Pakistani Mosque Rebels Fail to Make Progress VOA 09 Jul 2007 -- Attempts to negotiate an end to a standoff at an Islamabad mosque have failed to make progress.
• Cleric At Pakistan's Red Mosque Agrees To Limited Talks RFE/RL 09 Jul 2007 -- A Pakistani cleric under siege at Islamabad's Red Mosque has reportedly agreed to hold talks via loudspeaker in a bid to end the crisis.
• Bloody Standoff Continues Outside Pakistan's Red Mosque VOA 09 Jul 2007 -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has reportedly authorized a final assault on armed militants barricaded inside Islamabad's Red Mosque