Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 09 Aug 2007 [PDF]
• Non-combat-related Death
• MNF-W forces attacked
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• August 8 airpower summary: Ready on the flightline AFPN 09 Aug 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Aug. 8, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Predator soars to record numbers of sorties AFPN 09 Aug 2007 -- When terrorists tried shooting mortar rounds at Balad Air Base in July, they didn't count on the tireless, unblinking eye of an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle overhead, transmitting their every move to Airmen on the ground here.
• Coalition Targets Terrorist Cells, al Qaeda Associates in Iraq AFPS 09 Aug 2007 -- Coalition forces killed three terrorists and detained 21 suspected terrorists in Iraq's Tigris River Valley over the past two days.
• NMCB 28's MSR Repair Team Keeps Convoys Rolling in Iraq Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- The Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 28 have been patching holes in the Main Supply Routes (MSR) and Alternate Supply Routes (ASR) so convoys can safely and quickly deliver critical materials and supplies to forces located along the frontlines since March.
• 1 NCD Commander Makes First Visit to Seabees in Iraq Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- Rear Adm. Richard E. Cellon, Commander, 1st Naval Construction Division (1 NCD), visited the Al Anbar province Aug. 3-6 to see firsthand how his Seabees are directly impacting the war in Iraq.
• Analysis: Afghanistan's Troubling Neighbors cfr.org 09 Aug 2007 -- Hundreds of Pakistani and Afghan tribal leaders assembled in Kabul at a long-planned peace conference
• AFGHANISTAN: Health services under increasing strain in Helmand Province IRIN 09 Aug 2007 -- The number of patients and other people in need of medical assistance has tripled in insurgency-hit Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan, in the last three years, provincial health officials told IRIN.
• US Unveils New Counter-Drug Strategy for Afghanistan VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- The United States Thursday announced a new, more aggressive, strategy for curbing the illicit drug trade in Afghanistan
• Bush Confident Pakistan Will Target Al-Qaida VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- U.S. President George Bush says he is confident that Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf has both the desire and the ability to hunt down al-Qaida terrorists along the border with Afghanistan
• Afghan, Pakistani Leaders Urge Stepped Up Fight Against Extremism VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- Pakistani and Afghan leaders issued renewed calls for greater cooperation in the fight against religious extremism
• Afghan, Pakistani Tribal Leaders Launch 'Peace Jirga' RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 -- Some 650 tribal leaders and other representatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan today opened an assembly in Kabul to boost security and seek an end to militancy undermining both governments.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Detainee Transfer Announced 09 Aug 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of six detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Guantanamo High-Value Detainees Combatant Status Review Tribunals Completed 09 Aug 2007 -- The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today the completion of the Combatant Status Review Tribunals (CSRT) for the 14 high-value detainees whose transfer to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba was announced on Sept. 6, 2006.
• President Bush Discusses American Competitiveness Initiative During Press Conference The WHite House 09 Aug 2007
• Army Puts 'Temporary' Back in TCS Orders Army News 09 Aug 2007 -- The Army is putting the "temporary" back into temporary change of station orders that authorize and fund assignments for Soldiers in contingency support positions that are not in a combat zone.
• Temporary Change of Station Fact Sheet Army News 09 Aug 2007 -- Policy Revisions to Army Temporary Change of Station (TCS) Management
• TCS Frequently Asked Questions Army News 09 Aug 2007
• Ops center commands sky during Exercise Valiant Shield AFPN 09 Aug 2007 -- Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines are working together in the 613th Air and Space Operations Center here and within the airspace around Guam to enhance joint combat skills and interoperability during Exercise Valiant Shield 2007 held Aug. 6 to 13.
• Partnership of the Americas Arrives in Amapala Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) arrived Aug. 4, in Amapala to participate in theater security cooperation operations ashore in support of Partnership of the Americas (POA) 2007.
• Under Secretary Hughes Visits Comfort in Peru Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes toured U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) and other medical sites in Peru, Aug. 8.
• NEA Kicks Off in Indonesia Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- The first Naval Engagement Activity (NEA) exercise began Aug. 6 with an opening ceremony at the Indonesian Military Naval Base, followed by a reception aboard USS Ford (FFG 54).
• Air Force's Newest Fighter Makes Alaska Home AFPS 09 Aug 2007 -- The Air Force's newest fighter officially made its home here yesterday, as six F-22A Raptors landed during a ceremony marking their official arrival to the state.
• USS Frank Cable Bids Farewell to CO Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- At a farewell speech given to his Navy and local friends aboard USS Frank Cable (AS-40) July 31, Capt. Leo Goff spoke about the challenges and rewards he experienced as commanding officer of the ship.
• MDSU-2 Divers Continue Search and Recovery Efforts Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- Navy divers of Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek continued efforts in support of search and recovery efforts at the site of the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis.
• HSC-25 Welcomes New Commanding Officer Navy NewsStand 09 Aug 2007 -- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 25 held their 22nd change of command ceremony at Camp Buehring Aug. 3.
• Eurasia: U.S. Security Expert Talks About SCO Exercises, Summit RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 --Stephen Blank is a professor of national security studies at the U.S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute who has written extensively on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
• Japanese Defense Minister Vows to Continue Cooperation with US Anti-Terrorism Efforts VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- Japan's Defense Minister Yuriko Koike says that Japan will continue to support U.S.-led efforts to fight terrorism in Asia.
• Train with Russian weaponry leaves Batumi base in Georgia RIA Novosti 09 Aug 2007 -- A train carrying military equipment left a Russian base in Georgia early Thursday as part of a 2006 deal to withdraw all Russian bases from the ex-Soviet Caucasus state, a Russian military official said.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 09 Aug 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 09, 2007
• General Dynamics Awarded $605 Million in Defense Contracts General Dynamics 09 Aug 2007 -- The U.S. Department of Defense yesterday announced more than $605 million in recent contract awards to business units of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Northrop Grumman Awarded $285.5 Million Construction Contract for U.S. Coast Guard's Third National Security Cutter Northrop Grumman 09 Aug 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded $285.5 million for construction of the third National Security Cutter (WMSL 752), the newest and most capable multi-mission cutter in the United States Coast Guard fleet.
• Peter Dohle Signs Fleetwide Service Contract With Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman 09 Aug 2007 -- Peter Dohle Schiffahrt, a Hamburg, Germany-based shipping fleet operator, has signed a new service contract with Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) for its diversified fleet of ships.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN TO PROVIDE LONG-RANGE, AIR SURVEILLANCE RADAR FOR THE ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE Lockheed Martin 09 Aug 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been contracted by the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) to provide a TPS-77 long-range, air surveillance radar, which will complete a multi-phase national air defense system for Thailand.
• Boeing TEAM TSAT Demonstrates Technology Maturity Boeing 09 Aug 2007 -- TEAM TSAT, led by The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], has demonstrated that its Transformational Satellite Communications System Space Segment (TSAT) hardware and software can function in simulated operational environments, achieving Technology Readiness Level-6 (TRL-6) for payload, antenna, information assurance and gateway technologies.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 09 Aug 2007
• SUDAN-CHAD: Give Chadian arrivals refugee status, Sudan urged IRIN 09 Aug 2007 -- Thousands of Chadians who have fled violence in their country and crossed into the western Sudanese region of Darfur should be granted refugee status, two agencies said.
• UN, Southern Sudan set to begin talks on implementation of peace deal UN News Centre 09 Aug 2007 -- Senior United Nations officials will tomorrow hold their first round of high-level consultations with the Government of Southern Sudan to see how to better implement the January 2005 comprehensive peace agreement that ended the country's protracted north-south war.
• Security Council welcomes progress at UN-chaired talks with Darfur rebels UN News Centre 09 Aug 2007 -- The Security Council today welcomed the progress made during "pre-negotiation" talks last weekend with some of Darfur's rebel groups and called on all sides to the conflict to now show their commitment to the peace process by ending their hostilities.
• Sudan ambassador says govt. ready for talks with rebels RIA Novosti 09 Aug 2007 -- The government of Sudan is ready for dialogue with all groups involved in a four-year inter-ethnic conflict in Darfur, the African state's ambassador to Russia said Thursday.
• Failure to open Israel-Gaza crossing will have 'disastrous consequences' - UN official UN News Centre 09 Aug 2007 -- A senior United Nations official today appealed to the Palestinian authorities, Israel and all other parties to take immediate steps to re-open a major crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip to reverse a rapidly worsening economic, humanitarian and political situation.
• Israeli Helicopter Fires Missiles at Abandoned Gaza Airport VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- An Israeli helicopter has fired several missiles at an abandoned airport control tower in the southern Gaza Strip.
• Caucasus: U.S. Diplomat Sees No Evidence Of 'Georgian Provocation' RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 --Georgian authorities say two Russian jets on August 6 violated the country's airspace and fired a missile that failed to explode
• Georgia, Russia Continue Bickering Over Missile Incident RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 -- The commander of Russian peacekeeping forces in Georgia says Russian troops have not been able to identify the missile that landed in Georgian territory on August 6 near the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
• SRI LANKA: UN official says Sri Lanka pledges to improve security, access for aid workers IRIN 09 Aug 2007 -- At the end of a four-day mission to Sri Lanka, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said the Colombo government had pledged to ensure more security for humanitarian workers but said he would wait to see how well the commitment is kept.
• SIERRA LEONE: As vote nears less violence than expected IRIN 09 Aug 2007 -- Almost five years after the civil war ended the majority of Sierra Leoneans still live in grinding poverty, yet even as tensions mount ahead of general elections renewed violence appears unlikely.
• KENYA: Displaced numbers grow as more flee attacks in volatile district IRIN 09 Aug 2007 -- Fresh killings in the Mt Elgon District of Kenya - where a long-standing dispute over land ownership has sparked violent clashes between two communities - have left more people displaced and heightened tensions in the area, aid workers said.
• Kosovo Negotiators Meet, But Little Progress Expected VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- Envoys from the United States, the European Union and Russia, who are meeting in London Thursday to talk about the status of Kosovo, say they are expecting no substantial shifts in positions
• Fighting in Southern Philippines Kills at Least 20 Soldiers VOA 09 Aug 2007 -- Philippine military officials say fighting between Muslim rebels and government forces on a southern island has killed at least 20 soldiers.
• Moldova: U.S. Official Stresses 'Principles' In Transdniester Talks RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 -- During a recent visit to Chisinau, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer discussed the current state of negotations on the conflict in Transdniester
• LEBANON: Tripoli's poor swell ranks of militant Islamic groups IRIN 09 Aug 2007

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE BY UNITED NATIONS DEPUTY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR ON RECENT FLOODS IN SOUTH ASIA United Nations 09 Aug 2007
• Qaddafi's Son Admits Libya Tortured Foreign Medics RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 -- In a surprise admission, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has acknowledged that five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who were recently released after eight years in prison in Libya, were tortured.
• Canada Raises Stakes In Battle To Claim The Arctic RFE/RL 09 Aug 2007 -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has embarked on an Arctic tour, one week after Russia planted a flag on the seabed at the North Pole.
• Hamilton Sundstrand Power Transfer Unit enables extended shuttle docking time Hamilton Sundstrand 09 Aug 2007 -- Hamilton Sundstrand Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX), has developed the Power Transfer Unit converter system for NASA's Station-to-Shuttle Power Transfer System that will be activated during the 11-day STS-118 mission, which launched Wednesday evening, Aug 8.