Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 08 Aug 2007 [PDF]
• MND-B Soldier killed during combat operations
• Aug. 7 airpower summary: Tankers extend fighter capabilities AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations August 7 according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Security Detachment Provides Protection in North Persian Gulf Waters Navy NewsStand 08 Aug 2007 -- Naval Coastal Warfare Squadron (NCWRON) 5 Oil Platform (OPLAT) Detachment provided security for USS Chinook (PC 9) and USCGC Wrangell (WPB 1332) visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams while conducting Interaction Patrols (IPATS) Aug. 5 in the north Persian Gulf.
• Thirty Terrorists Killed, 12 Detained During Iraq Operations AFPS 08 Aug 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces killed 30 terrorists and detained 12 suspected terrorists during operations today in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, military officials reported.
• Coalition Successes Mount Against al Qaeda in Iraq AFPS 08 Aug 2007 -- Coalition and Iraqi security forces captured or killed 18 senior al Qaeda members in July, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman said today.
• U.S. Soldiers Partner With Iraqi Troops in Mahmudiyah AFPS 08 Aug 2007 -- U.S. soldiers leading operations in and around Mahmudiyah, Iraq, have "cracked the code when it comes to working with the Iraqi army," their task force commander said today.
• Military Says US, Iraqi Forces Killed 30 Terrorists in Sadr City VOA 08 Aug 2007 -- The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces have killed 30 terrorists in raids in Baghdad's Shi'ite Sadr City neighborhood.
• Afghanistan: Insurgents Kidnapping Afghans, Disrupting Society RFE/RL 08 Aug 2007 -- While almost every hostage crisis in Afghanistan that involves foreigners makes headlines in world media, the abduction and killing of local Afghans often goes unnoticed.
• Pakistan tribesmen decline to attend jirga IRNA 08 Aug 2007 -- Parliamentarians and tribal elders from Pakistan's troubled Waziristan region Wednesday insisted that they can not attend the jirga or council in Kabul when their own house is burning.
• Musharraf not to attend jirga in Kabul: spokesperson IRNA 08 Aug 2007 -- President General Pervez Musharraf will not attend the 3-day joint Afghanistan-Pakistan jirga or council of elders which begins in Kabul on Thursday, the Foreign Ministry said.
• Pakistani President Withdraws From Peace Conference in Afghanistan VOA 08 Aug 2007 -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has pulled out of a peace assembly in Afghanistan designed to unite local leaders in the fight against Taleban militants.
• Musharraf Pullout From Afghan-Pakistan Tribal Conference Puzzles Analysts VOA 08 Aug 2007 -- Tribal leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan are expected to meet in Kabul Thursday to discuss the growing problem of extremist violence in both countries
• Afghan, Pakistani Figures Gather for Peace Conference VOA 08 Aug 2007 -- Pakistan and Afghanistan are preparing for a landmark peace conference, or grand jirga
• Afghanistan Prepares For 'Peace Jirga' RFE/RL 08 Aug 2007 -- Preparations are under way in Kabul for an assembly known as the first "Joint Peace Jirga" between tribal leaders from Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• SECAF certifies synthetic fuel blends for B-52H AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne announced the completion of the Air Force's certification of the Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend in the B-52H Stratofortress during a signing ceremony here Aug. 8.
• Elmendorf welcomes F-22 Raptor AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Elmendorf became the second operational base and the first Pacific Air Forces installation to receive the Air Force's new superiority fighter.
• Rules change to require technicians to wear uniforms fulltime AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Air Force officials changed three instructions Aug. 7 to require all air reserve technicians to wear military uniforms rather than civilian clothes while working in civilian status
• Partnership of the Americas Departs El Salvador Navy NewsStand 08 Aug 2007 -- USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) departed El Salvador Aug. 3 after completing a port visit during which crew members participated in a variety of theater security cooperation events.
• Comfort Begins Humanitarian Operations in Peru Navy NewsStand 08 Aug 2007 -- Personnel attached to U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) unloaded medical equipment and set up sites for primary care for local citizens at Miguel Grau School and Sanchez Carrion, Peru, Aug. 6.
• French Warship Commandant Blaison Rescues Mariners off Djibouti Coast Navy NewsStand 08 Aug 2007 -- French warship FS Commandant Blaison (F793), which is part of the coalition's Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, rescued two fishing dhow crew members Aug. 8, after their vessel sank 20 miles off the coast of Djibouti.
• Pacific Partnership Arrives in Papua New Guinea Navy NewsStand 08 Aug 2007 -- After caring for more than 18,000 patients in the Philippines and Vietnam, the Pacific Partnership team arrived off the coast of Madang, Aug. 7 to continue its mission of providing humanitarian assistance throughout the Pacific Region.
• Valiant Shield exercise brings services together AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Kadena-based units departed Okinawa Aug. 5 on their way to Guam to join fellow Airmen and sister services in the joint Exercise Valiant Shield which runs through Aug. 14.
• Air Force technology helps put out fires faster AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Scientists at Tyndall AFB, Fla., have developed ultra high pressure water firefighting technology that has resulted in a smaller, leaner air transportable fire truck.
• Air Force signs multiyear contract for F-22 AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Air Force officials here signed a production contract with Lockheed Martin Corp. to add 60 F-22 Raptors to the Air Force inventory by December 2011.
• Ramstein Airmen support joint airdrop exercise AFPN 08 Aug 2007 -- Airmen flying a C-130 Hercules from the 37th Airlift Squadron here supported high altitude-low opening airdrop training exercise Aug. 2 near Banja Luka, Bosnia.
• USNS Comfort Continues Humanitarian Mission AFPS 08 Aug 2007 -- Midway through its humanitarian assistance deployment to Latin America, the hospital ship USNS Comfort has met with success and a welcoming attitude as it provides medical and humanitarian assistance to countries in the region, the ship's commanders reported yesterday.
• "Old Ironsides" to Undergo Repair Availability Navy NewsStand 08 Aug 2007 -- USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned ship in the Navy, will undergo a pierside repair availability commencing in October 2007.
• Central Asia: SCO To Hold Largest Military Exercises To Date RFE/RL 08 Aug 2007 -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) will begin counterterrorism exercises on August 9 that will involve some 6,500 troops from the organization's six members.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 08 Aug 2007
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 08 Aug 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 08, 2007
• US Delivers 80 HUMVEEs to Lebanon Army AM General 08 Aug 2007 -- The US government delivered the second batch of Humvees to the Lebanese Armed Forces ( LAF).
• Pratt & Whitney's F135 STOVL Team Completes Propulsion System Test Pratt & Whitney 08 Aug 2007 -- Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company, completed a series of crosswind validation tests for the F135 short-takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) engine at its test facility in West Palm Beach, Fla.
• Most Capable RAF Typhoons Yet Go 'Multi-Role' BAE Systems 08 Aug 2007 -- BAE Systems has confirmed delivery of the first two Typhoon combat aircraft with multi-role capability to the Royal Air Force.
• Boeing Delivers Canada's First C-17 Boeing 08 Aug 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first of four C-17 Globemaster IIIs to the Canadian Forces during a ceremony at the company's Long Beach, Calif., C-17 manufacturing facility.
• EADS radar system demonstrates high performance in network-centric operations during NATO exercise "Elite 2007" EADS 08 Aug 2007 -- The TRML-3D radar system developed by EADS Defence & Security has provided proof of its high performance capability in network-centric operations during the NATO exercise "Elite 2007" in southern Germany.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN F-22 RAPTOR AIR DOMINANCE FIGHTERS BEGIN OPERATIONAL SERVICE IN ALASKA Lockheed Martin 08 Aug 2007 -- Ceremonies held at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska today marked the formal beginning of operations for the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-22 Raptor in the Pacific region.
• ATK Awarded $2.8 Million Contract With Sandia National Laboratories to Build Satellite Link Signal Generator ATK 08 Aug 2007 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) announced today that its Mission Research & Technical Services (MRTS) business division has been awarded a $2.8 million dollar contract by Sandia National Laboratories to build a unique multi-channel test source for the U.S. Nuclear Detection System (NDS) program, with disturbed channel capabilities
• General Dynamics Awarded USD $339 Million Contract to Supply RG-31 Mk5E Vehicles for the MRAP Program General Dynamics 08 Aug 2007 -- U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada a USD $338.7 million delivery order to produce 600 RG-31 Category II (Cat II) vehicles for its Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program.
• Northrop Grumman Powers Up Gas Turbine Engines On National Security Cutter USCGC Bertholf (WMSL 750) Northrop Grumman 08 Aug 2007 -- The Northrop Grumman-built (NYSE:NOC) U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter Bertholf (WMSL 750) reached a significant milestone Aug. 7 as the first of its three main engines was brought to life.
• Northrop Grumman's KC-30 Tanker Will Generate 2,000 New Jobs and Bolster Economic Growth in Florida Northrop Grumman 08 Aug 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) KC-30 Tanker program will create more than 2,000 new jobs throughout Florida if the KC-30 Tanker aircraft is selected by the U.S. Air Force.
• Raytheon Awarded $75 million Indefinite Delivery-Indefinite Quantity Contract to Modify Air Force Weapons Training Equipment Raytheon 08 Aug 2007 -- A subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $75 million indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity contract to modify data link equipment for F-15 fighter aircraft.
• Bushmaster export potential Thales 08 Aug 2007 -- The Thales (Australia) designed and manufactured Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle has been proven operationally with both Australian and Dutch forces and maintains great export opportunity for Australia.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 08 Aug 2007
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY GEORGIA ON 6 AUGUST AIRSPACE ?VIOLATION’ BY RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT United Nations 08 Aug 2007
• Georgia Calls On World To Condemn Russian Missile Attack RFE/RL 08 Aug 2007 -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has called on the international community to condemn Russia for allegedly firing a missile into Georgian territory.
• S. Ossetia says it can prove Georgian plane violated airspace RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2007 -- South Ossetian intelligence has proof that a military plane, which allegedly violated its airspace on Tuesday, is in service with the Georgian Air Force, the self-declared republic's envoy to Russia said Wednesday.
• S.Ossetia leader ready sign deal with Georgian president RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2007 -- The president of the unrecognized republic of South Ossetia said Wednesday he was ready to meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili to sign a memorandum on the non-use of force.
• Darfur: UN envoy begins visit to region for fresh talks UN News Centre 08 Aug 2007 -- The United Nations envoy tasked with re-energizing the peace process in Darfur heads to the violence-wracked Sudanese region today for talks with local authorities, tribal leaders, civil society groups, Arab nomads and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• UN Envoy Urges Sudanese Rebel Leaders to Participate in Peace Talks VOA 08 Aug 2007 -- The U.N. envoy to Darfur, Jan Eliasson, says he fears the start of what he calls "a new and dangerous phase" in the four-year-old conflict in western Sudan unless all warring parties take part in a United Nations-African Union mediated political process
• Abbas: Hamas Takeover of Gaza 'Destructive' VOA 08 Aug 2007 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June was a "destructive" event that undermines the quest for a Palestinian state.
• Dialogue with Hamas possible if Islamists return Gaza - Abbas RIA Novosti 08 Aug 2007 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday dialogue with Hamas is only possible if the radical Islamist group gives up control over the Gaza Strip.
• CAMEROON: Help arrives for 26,000 refugees from Central African Republic IRIN 08 Aug 2007 -- Some 26,000 refugees from Central African Republic who are scattered along the eastern border of Cameroon are set to receive assistance starting 8 August but the lead aid organisation warns there may be some delays.

News Reports

• Astrium and Thales Alenia Space win Yahsat satellite communications contract Thales 08 Aug 2007 -- Al Yah Satellite Communications Company "Yahsat", a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, awarded a contract to a joint team of Astrium and Thales Alenia Space to build their US$ 1.66 billion (AED 6 Billion) dual satellite communications system ready for a launch in the second half of 2010.
• Astrium and Thales Alenia Space win Yahsat satellite communications contract Thales 08 Aug 2007 -- Al Yah Satellite Communications Company "Yahsat", a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, awarded a contract to a joint team of Astrium and Thales Alenia Space to build their US$ 1.66 billion (AED 6 Billion) dual satellite communications system ready for a launch in the second half of 2010.