Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 14 Aug 2007 [PDF]
• Task Force Lightning Soldiers killed
• MND-B Soldiers attacked during combat operations
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• At Least 175 Killed by Suicide Truck Bomber in Northern Iraq VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- The Iraqi army says at least 175 people have been killed and another 200 wounded in a series of suicide truck bombings targeting the minority Yazidi religious sect in northwestern Iraq.
• Coalition Forces Train Iraqi Marines in North Persian Gulf Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Coalition forces are training Iraqi marines to take over the mission of providing security to Iraqi territorial waters in the North Persian Gulf.
• Army Chief Says US Can Sustain Surge until Spring VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- The head of the U.S. army says the military can sustain the current surge of forces in Iraq until next spring without changing deployment policies
• Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion 2 Returns From Deployment Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Over 400 Sailors of Navy Provisional Detainee Battalion (NPDB) 2 returned home to Naval Station Norfolk Aug. 11, after a 16-month deployment in Iraq where they guarded 19,000 detainees at Camp Bucca.
• Raid Kills Four, Nets Eight in Baghdad's Sadr City AFPS 14 Aug 2007 -- Coalition forces killed four terrorists and detained a Jaysh al-Mahdi militia leader and several of his operatives during a raid in the Sadr City section of Baghdad early this morning.
• Operation Lightning Hammer pursues al-Qaeda MNF-I 14 Aug 2007 -- Operation Lightning Hammer, involving approximately 16,000 Iraqi Security and Coalition Forces, began Aug. 13 with a large-scale offensive to defeat al-Qaeda and other terrorist cells seeking safe haven throughout the Diyala River Valley.
• Opium's Threat to Afghanistan Second Only to Terrorism Washignton File 14 Aug 2007 -- Opium production is second only to terrorism as a threat to the economic development of Afghanistan, say U.S. officials.
• Airmen trek over mountains to deliver aid in Afghanistan AFPN 14 Aug 2007 -- Trekking more than four hours over mountain ridges and valleys, 19 members of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team delivered medical and humanitarian aid Aug. 7 to people living in Roydara, a village set deep in a valley in Afghanistan.
• Iran favors stable Afghanistan - Ahmadinejad RIA Novosti 14 Aug 2007 -- Iran's president said in Kabul that his country wants security and stability for neighboring Afghanistan, the Iranian television reported Tuesday.
• Iranian President Rejects US Allegations About Weapons in Afghanistan VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spent the day in the Afghan capital, part of a three-nation tour of Central Asia.
• Troops Play Important Role in Horn of Africa Mission, Chairman Says AFPS 14 Aug 2007 -- American servicemembers based in the Horn of Africa are doing an important job that has many implications for the future, the chairman of the Chiefs of Staff said here today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Army Prepares for Future of Conflict, Casey Says AFPS 14 Aug 2007 -- The Army is growing its ranks and transforming into an agile force ready to face a future that could be rife with conflicts around the world, the Army chief of staff said here today.
• Lincoln Sea Sparrow Missiles Impact Multiple Targets During Exercise Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) tested its defensive capabilities, Aug. 13 when it fired four RIM-7P NATO Sea Sparrow missiles during a live-fire training exercise.
• UCT-1 Integrates Engineering Skills to Support Minneapolis Search and Recovery Efforts Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Divers from Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit (MDSU) 2 continue search and recovery efforts at the site of the I-35 bridge collapse in Minneapolis. Underwater Construction Team (UCT) 1 is also providing its expertise to the overall effort.
• Icelandic defense exercise kicks off AFPN 14 Aug 2007 -- Leaders from the United States and Iceland joined NATO partners Aug. 13 to kick off an exercise to demonstrate U.S. commitment to the 1951 bilateral U.S.-Iceland defense agreement and reinvigorate air defense command and control capabilities of joint and coalition forces in Iceland.
• Hurricane Hunters fly into Flossie AFPN 14 Aug 2007 -- As Hurricane Flossie made its way across the Pacific, a few Airmen were doing the unthinkable -- making trips directly into the eye of the Category 4 storm.
• Automated test helps maintainers solve F-15 problems AFPN 14 Aug 2007 -- Maintainers from bases around the world are focusing their eyes on Robins Air Force Base, the 566th Combat Sustainment Squadron's test equipment office, and a new test set that officials developed as a solution to F-15 Eagle maintenance dilemmas.
• Bataan Returns to Sea, Offloads Ammo Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- One month after returning from a six-month deployment, the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) returned to sea for a transit to conduct a successful ammunition offload Aug. 6-10, at Naval Weapons Station Earle, N.J.
• Peru Hosts Closing Ceremony for USNS Comfort Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) finished its week-long visit to Peru with a closing ceremony in Trujillo Aug. 12.
• USS Michigan Changes Command and Splits Crew Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- USS Michigan (SSGN 727) held a change of command ceremony at Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor's Deterrent Park, Aug. 10.
• Distinguished Guests Visit USS Denver Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- A U.S. Senator along with three other distinguished guests from South Carolina visited "The Finest Gator in the Fleet," USS Denver (LPD 9) Aug. 10.
• USS Milius Supports MSO through Presence and Interaction Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- USS Milius (DDG 69) and assigned visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) teams are currently supporting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Persian Gulf through presence operations and interaction patrols (IPATs) with fishermen and merchant vessels operating in the Gulf.
• Comfort Departs Peru, Heads for Ecuador Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departed Peru Aug. 13, after nearly a week of humanitarian operations in the country.
• AB Symposium Brings New Ideas to Naval Aviation Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Eleven USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Sailors attended the 2007 Aviation Boatswain's (AB) Mate Symposium, July 31-Aug. 3, in Silverdale, Wash., where they received a first look at new equipment soon to be released into the Navy's aviation community.
• Naval Station Everett Holds Change of Command Navy NewsStand 14 Aug 2007 -- Naval Station (NAVSTA) Everett held a change of command ceremony on Aug. 10.
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino The White House 14 Aug 2007
• Backgrounder: The Impact of the 110th Congress on U.S. Foreign Policy cfr.org 14 Aug 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 14, 2007
• NIMROD Comes to Town for Five-year Test BAE Systems 14 Aug 2007 -- BAE Systems brought a Nimrod to Brough 18 months ago to ensure that one of the world's most advanced reconnaissance aircraft could benefit fully from one of the world's most advanced structural testing centres.
• 'Lightning' Strikes Nimrod MRA4 BAE Systems 14 Aug 2007 -- One of the three BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 development aircraft has taken part in a series of tests to ensure the aircraft's safety in the event of a lightning strike.
• World's Most Advanced Warship Completes Stage One Sea Trials BAE Systems 14 Aug 2007 -- The world's most advanced warship, HMS Daring, has completed her stage one sea trials and has received glowing reports after performing above all expectations.
• Hawks Depart UK For UAE Evaluation BAE Systems 14 Aug 2007 -- Two UK Ministry of Defence Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft based at BAE Systems Warton have departed for the UAE, where they are to undergo evaluation by the UAE Air Force & Air Defence (AF & AD).
• Boeing's New Combat-Ready CH-47F Chinook Helicopter Fielded to First U.S. Army Unit Boeing 14 Aug 2007 -- The Boeing Company's [NYSE: BA] CH-47F Chinook helicopter has been certified combat-ready by the U.S. Army and fielded to the first operational unit, making it the latest addition to the Army's aviation fleet.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED $23 MILLION FOR TECHNICAL AND LOGISTICS SUPPORT FOR NORWAY AEGIS-EQUIPPED FRIGATES Lockheed Martin 14 Aug 2007 -- The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a $23 million contract for follow-on technical and logistics support services for Norway's Aegis weapon system-equipped F310-class frigates.
• Northrop Grumman's KC-30 Tanker Will Generate 5,000 New Jobs in Alabama and Increase Economic Impact to $1 Billion Annually Northrop Grumman 14 Aug 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) KC-30 Tanker program will create 5,000 new jobs throughout Alabama if the KC-30 Tanker aircraft is selected by the U.S. Air Force
• Boeing Awarded $30 Million U.S. Air Force Contract to Provide Continued Broadband Communications Services Boeing 14 Aug 2007 -- Boeing Service Company of Richardson, Texas, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], has been awarded a $30 million firm-fixed-price contract to continue providing Boeing Broadband Satcom Network (BBSN) service to the U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command.
• L-3 Selected for United Kingdom Project LISTENER L-3 Communications 14 Aug 2007 -- --L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that its Integrated Systems (L-3 IS) subsidiary has been selected as one of two preferred bidders in the Assessment Phase of Project LISTENER for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence.
• MEADS UNVEILS ADVANCED BATTLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Lockheed Martin 14 Aug 2007 -- As the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program advances through a series of Preliminary Design Review (PDR) milestones this summer, prime contractor MEADS International (MI) has released the first photographs of the highly versatile battle management tactical operations center (TOC) planned for the system.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 14 Aug 2007
• Lebanon: A year after end of war, UN envoy stresses need to heal political rifts UN News Centre 14 Aug 2007 -- Lebanon's people cannot afford the "fractious political atmosphere" that has emerged during the past year to continue, a senior United Nations official warned today, urging the country's leaders to prove that they can overcome their differences and serve national interests rather than the agenda of the parties.
• Georgia: Tbilisi, Sukhumi Mark 15 Years Since Start Of Abkhaz War RFE/RL 14 Aug 2007 -- There are conflicting accounts as to whether Georgians or Abkhaz fired the first shots on August 14, 1992, in Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia.
• African Union Predicts Enough Troops for Darfur, but Rebels Are Wary VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- The African Union says enough countries have pledged troops for a hybrid AU and United Nations peacekeeping force for Darfur, and it looks like most of the soldiers will come from African nations
• Philippines Begins Offensive Against Islamic Insurgents VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- The Philippine military has launched a large offensive against Islamic insurgents on the country's southern Jolo Island, following the deaths of more than 20 troops
• SOMALIA: Policemen killed as bloodshed in Mogadishu continues IRIN 14 Aug 2007 -- Assailants believed to be members of armed groups opposed to Somalia's transitional government and its Ethiopian allies have killed four police officers in the capital, Mogadishu, in continued fighting described by human rights organisations as mostly affecting civilians.
• Rights Group Says 31 Killed in Mogadishu Fighting VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- A Somali human rights group says fighting in Mogadishu has killed at least 31 people over the past 24 hours.

News Reports

• US Judge Delays Ruling on Noriega's Extradition VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- A U.S. judge has delayed a ruling until later this month on whether former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega should be extradited to France to face trial.
• SUDAN: One million people may be affected by floods - government IRIN 14 Aug 2007 -- The torrential rains that have caused massive flooding in areas of Sudan could endanger the lives and livelihoods of one million people, the country's government warned.
• Turkish Foreign Minister Confirms Presidential Bid VOA 14 Aug 2007 -- Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul - once again nominated for president by the ruling Justice and Development Party - has publicly confirmed his candidacy and is seeking support from opposition leaders.
• Iranian President Kicks Off Regional Tour With First Afghan Visit RFE/RL 13 Aug 2007 -- Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has held talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul after his arrival today in the Afghan capital