Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 13 Aug 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• MND-B Soldier attacked during combat operations
• Coalition Troops Launch Operation Phantom Strike in Iraq AFPS 13 Aug 2007 -- Coalition soldiers today launched a major joint offensive, Operation Phantom Strike, in a powerful crackdown to disrupt al Qaeda and Iranian-supported extremist operations in Iraq.
• MNC-I conducts Operation Phantom Strike MNF-I 13 Aug 2007 -- Multi-National Corps-Iraq launched a major offensive, Operation Phantom Strike, on August 13 in a powerful crackdown to disrupt AQI and Shia extremist operations in Iraq.
• Coalition Forces Capture, Kill Insurgents in Iraq AFPS 13 Aug 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained 66 insurgents, killed five others and discovered weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• Troops Kill, Capture Insurgents, Discover Weapons in Afghanistan AFPS 13 Aug 2007 -- Afghan forces working in concert with coalition forces netted three suspects and a weapons cache and killed several insurgents in Afghanistan over the past three days.
• US Military Begins Major Offensive Across Iraq VOA 13 Aug 2007 -- The U.S. military began a major offensive across Iraq Monday, to crack down on extremist militants.
• Coalition Troops Kill, Capture Iranian-Linked Militants in Baghdad VOA 13 Aug 2007 -- U.S. military officials in Iraq say coalition forces have killed several militants and captured 13 alleged Iranian-linked arms smugglers in a raid on Baghdad's Shi'ite Sadr City district.
• Cargo Transfer Platoon Returns from Duty in Iraq Navy NewsStand 13 Aug 2007 -- Sailors from Navy Cargo Handling Battalion (NCHB) 1 returned Aug. 12 upon completion of their mission conducting air cargo handling operations in Iraq.
• Airmen go hand-to-hand with Afghan National Police AFPN 13 Aug 2007 -- Airmen from the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team and Afghan National Police recently roughed each other up here with a little hand-to-hand combat, but all for the sake of training.
• As numbers of dead and displaced soar, UN calls for steps to protect Afghan civilians UN News Centre 13 Aug 2007 -- The United Nations today called for increased steps to protect civilians in Afghanistan as conflict and insecurity continue to affect thousands of people, with the number of those killed doubling from 2005 to 2006 and resurgent fighting in the south driving 80,000 others from their homes during the same period.
• Afghan, Pakistan Talks End with Calls to Fight Terrorism VOA 13 Aug 2007 -- Four days of talks involving government and tribal leaders from Afghanistan and Pakistan ended Sunday with calls to confront militancy and improve security along the countries' border.
• Taleban Releases 2 of 21 South Korean Hostages Held in Afghanistan VOA 13 Aug 2007 -- South Korea says two hostages freed by Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan are now under South Korean protection

Defense Policy / Programs

• Improved Tricare Reserve Select Plan to Take Effect Oct. 1 AFPS 13 Aug 2007 -- National Guardsmen and reservists enrolled in the Tricare Reserve Select health plan can now go to the Tricare Web site to transfer to the new, improved program that will replace it Oct. 1.
• America's Army to Launch New Game Army News 13 Aug 2007 -- America's Army will declare war on the fictional country of Ganzia Sept. 27 when it launches "True Soldiers" for X-Box 360, the latest evolution of the popular Army-sponsored computer game.
• Full Spectrum of Naval Leaders Attend Task Force 76 Commanders Conference Navy NewsStand 13 Aug 2007 -- Commanding officers from Task Force (TF) 76 ships, ship-specific Class Squadrons (CLASSRONs), Afloat Training Group (ATG) and a number of fleet-supporting commands were in attendance at a Commanders Conference, Aug. 8-9.
• USS Howard Earns Arleigh Burke Award Navy NewsStand 13 Aug 2007 -- Adm. Robert F. Willard, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, presented the crew of USS Howard (DDG 83) the Arleigh Burke Fleet Trophy Award for the U.S. Pacific for 2006 on Aug. 3.
• Upgraded armored vehicles aid Moody's war training AFPN 13 Aug 2007 -- Warfighters preparing for combat deployments are now using the same highly armored combat vehicles during stateside training missions as they will use in theater.
• USS Rushmore Changes Command in the Northern Persian Gulf Navy NewsStand 13 Aug 2007 -- USS Rushmore (LSD 47) held a change of command ceremony aboard ship in the Persian Gulf Aug. 9.
• Marlowe Assumes Command of VR-54 Navy NewsStand 13 Aug 2007 -- Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VR) 54 "Revelers" held a change of command ceremony at Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, New Orleans on Aug. 11.
• Strategic Command Bids Farewell to Cartwright AFPS 13 Aug 2007 -- Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright, the new No. 2 officer in the Defense Department, ceremonially relinquished command of U.S. Strategic Command to Air Force Lt. Gen. C. Robert Kehler in a ceremony here Aug. 10.
• Spanish court returns military base to private owners RIA Novosti 13 Aug 2007 -- Spain's Supreme Court ruled Monday that the territory of the Hoya Fria military base be returned to the heirs of its former owners, who donated the land to the Franco regime in late 1930's, a court spokesman said.
• Czech Republic: Missile Defense 'Based On Capability,' Not Threats RFE/RL 13 Aug 2007 -- Public-relations guru Tomas Klvana, increasingly known as "Mr. Radar," is the Czech government's single-issue spokesman on his country's involvement in U.S. missile-defense plans for Central Europe.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 13 Aug 2007
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino The White House 13 Aug 2007

Defense Industry

• Russia blocks deliveries of Chinese fighters to Pakistan - paper RIA Novosti 13 Aug 2007 -- Russia is not allowing China to re-export its RD-93 engines for Chinese-made fighters to Pakistan, an Indian newspaper said Monday on its website.
• DoD News: Contracts for August 13, 2007
• Northrop Grumman-Built Space Tracking and Surveillance System Passes Two Critical Ground System Tests Northrop Grumman 13 Aug 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), the prime contractor for the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) announced today the successful completion of two significant ground system milestones.
• Pratt & Whitney Opens $12 Million Facility to Test Gear System for Next Generation Engine Pratt & Whitney 13 Aug 2007 -- Pratt & Whitney has initiated performance testing of the fan drive gear system, a key element of the next generation Geared TurbofanT engine, at the company's new $12 million testing facility in Middletown, Conn.
• FlightSafety Services Corporation Selects Northrop Grumman for Military Flight Training Contract Northrop Grumman 13 Aug 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract from FlightSafety Services Corporation to provide information technology and training services for the Joint Primary Aircraft Training System Ground Based Training System (JPATS GBTS).
• Northrop Grumman Delivers Key Software for First F-35 STOVL Variant Nothrop Grumman 13 Aug 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has delivered to F-35 Lightning II prime contractor Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) the initial release of software required to perform manufacturing checkout of the first F-35B short take-off vertical landing (STOVL) variant.
• L-3 Awarded Role on General Services Administration's Alliant Contract L-3 Communications 13 Aug 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that it has been selected as one of 29 companies to compete for projects under the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) "Alliant" government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC), which has a ceiling value of $50 billion.
• Raytheon Selected to Provide Technology Solutions Through GSA Alliant Contract Raytheon 13 Aug 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been selected to provide enhanced information technology solutions and services through the U.S. General Services Administration's (GSA) Alliant indefinite delivery-indefinite quantity acquisition contract.
• GE YT706 Production Contract Awarded by US Army GE Aviation 13 Aug 2007 -- The US Army exercised an option for production engines under a competitively awarded contract for the YT706-GE-700, a growth version of the CT7-8 turboshaft engine, for its U.S. Special Forces MH-60M helicopter program. This award closely followed the completion of two major milestones in July, clearing the way for this decision.
• Team Oshkosh And TerraMax™ Chosen To Compete In DARPA Urban Challenge National Qualification Event Oshkosh 13 Aug 2007 -- Oshkosh Truck Corporation [NYSE:OSK] announced today that Team Oshkosh’s TerraMax™ unmanned ground vehicle received an invitation from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to compete in the Urban Challenge National Qualification Event (NQE) Oct. 26 – 31, 2007.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 13 Aug 2007
• Six more UN vehicles damaged in new rock-throwing incidents in Timor-Leste UN News Centre 13 Aug 2007 -- Six more United Nations vehicles have been damaged and a UN police officer slightly hurt in rock-throwing incidents in Timor-Leste since last night as the security situation remains tense following post-election violence in the small South-East Asian country that the world body helped shepherd to independence from Indonesia in 2002.
• Western Sahara: UN-led talks wrap up with parties pledging to continue negotiations UN News Centre 13 Aug 2007 -- The latest round of United Nations-sponsored talks on Western Sahara has ended with the parties, Morocco and Frente Polisario, in agreement that the status quo is unacceptable and the process of negotiations will continue.
• SOMALIA: Conditions worsen in camps as thousands more flee Mogadishu IRIN 13 Aug 2007 -- Inside her new home, a makeshift shelter in the Arbis camp outside the Somali capital of Mogadishu, Buno Ali, 17, held the youngest of her three children, a three-week-old baby girl.
• Kosovo, Serbia Cool On Partition RFE/RL 13 Aug 2007 -- Belgrade and Pristina have both rejected a suggestion by Western negotiators that a formal partition of the Serbian province of Kosovo could be an option.
• Peacekeepers accuse Georgia of blocking missile dispute probe RIA Novosti 13 Aug 2007 -- Peacekeepers said Monday Georgia's refusal to join monitoring efforts in breakaway South Ossetia was proving an obstacle to investigations into the alleged dropping of a missile near the region a week ago.

News Reports

• CONGO: Opposition protest as government wins polls by massive majority IRIN 13 Aug 2007 -- Opposition parties in Congo have protested against the outcome of general elections held on 24 June and 5 August after the government was returned to power by a landslide victory.