Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Sep 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Sept. 11 airpower summary: Airlifters resupply daily AFPN 12 Sep 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 11, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Dr. Al Rubaie Q & A, Sept 12, 2007 MNF-I 12 Sep 2007 -- QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION BY DR. MOWAFFAK AL RUBAIE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR TO IRAQ.
• Coalition Forces Nab 15 Terrorists in Iraq Operations AFPS 12 Sep 2007 -- Coalition forces detained 15 suspected terrorists during operations today targeting al Qaeda leaders and their networks in the northern part of Iraq.
• Afghanistan: Abe Resignation Throws Japan's Mission Into Uncertainty RFE/RL 12 Sep 2007 -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has announced he is to resign after a difficult year in office
• Taliban Threatens New Operation In Southern Afghanistan RFE/RL 12 Sep 2007 -- Taliban spokesman Qari Yusef Ahmadi says militants will soon launch an operation in southern Afghanistan led by Mullah Bradar -- a senior Taliban commander who was earlier reported to have been killed.
• Latvia to increase its military presence in Afghanistan to 150-200 troops RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2007 -- Latvia is going to increase its military presence in Afghanistan to 150-200 troops in 2008, Atis Slakteris, Latvia's defense minister said Wednesday.
• Pakistani Military: Troops, Gunships Pound Militant Hideouts VOA 13 Sep 2007 -- A Pakistani military spokesman says troops backed by helicopter gunships have pounded militant hideouts in a tribal region of northwest Pakistan.
• AFGHANISTAN: Call for USA to move bases away from civilian areas IRIN 12 Sep 2007

Defense Policy / Programs

• FOX News says top U.S. officials pushing for Iran strike RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2007 -- United States military officials and weapons experts are advising the leadership to drop diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear program, and prepare for military action, FOX News reported.
• Terror Suspect Transferred To Guantanamo 12 Sep 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of a dangerous terror suspect to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• NECC Introduces Next Level VBSS Capability Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- On the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, active duty and reserve Sailors with the various commands of Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) continued their training exercise at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown Cheatham Annex, Va.
• Deployed HM-14 Det Makes Mission First on Labor Day, Gets Special Visit Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Instead of spending Labor Day with a barbecue, family and friends, Sailors of Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 14 Det. 1 spent the American holiday ensuring their helicopters were mission ready, and they received a special visit.
• Harpers Ferry Completes ISIC-led ULTRA-S Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- The dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 9) successfully completed a three-day evaluation, Unit Level Training Assessment-Sustainment (ULTRA-S) conducted by the Immediate Superior in Charge (ISIC) Sept. 3, while on a multi-month deployment in the Western Pacific.
• USS Jarret Returns Home Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- USS Jarret (FFG 33) returned home to Naval Station San Diego on Sept. 11, after a five-month deployment supporting multinational training with armed forces from Asia.
• Expeditionary maintenance group gets fuel flying AFPN 12 Sep 2007 -- With jet fuel burning and the ramp radiating heat, another KC-135 Stratotanker is launched from Manas Air Base to support coalition aircraft over Afghanistan.
• AEF Operations begins move to Air Force Personnel Center AFPN 12 Sep 2007 -- The Air Force Personnel Center here recently earned an initial operating capability for an Air and Space Expeditionary Force systems migration.
• Bush Nominates Mattis to Lead U.S. Joint Forces Command AFPS 12 Sep 2007 -- President Bush has nominated Marine Lt. Gen. James N. Mattis to receive his fourth star and to lead U.S. Joint Forces Command, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced yesterday.
• USS John L. Hall, USS Elrod Take Advantage of Opportunities En Route to Neptune Warrior Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Six ships led by Commander, Destroyer Squadron (COMDESRON) 22 left the east coast Sept. 4 to participate with naval forces from Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom in Neptune Warrior.
• Battle Cats Return to NASNI Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Sailors from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 43 Det. 3 returned to Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) in San Diego on Sept. 11, after a four-and-a-half month deployment operating with countries in Southeast Asia.
• Hollywood Effects Prepare Sailors for Deployment Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) introduced a new aspect of combat life-saving training to many predeploying Sailors during the two-week NECC-centric exercise Comet '07, which ended Sept. 13.
• Carl Vinson Sailors Travel to Canada to Test Shipboard Waste Disposal System Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Fourteen USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Sailors returned from a 60-day trip to Montreal, Canada Aug. 30, where they tested, operated, maintained, and evaluated the Plasma Arc Waste Destruction System (PAWDS).
• Mobile Damage Control Facility Comes to USS Carl Vinson Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- USS Carl Vinson's (CVN 70) Engineering Department hosted the "War Wagon" damage control training facility Sept. 4-12 at Huntington Hall in Newport News to enhance the crew's damage control readiness as they prepare to move aboard next year.
• CJTF-HOA Co-hosts Maritime Security Conference in Kenya Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Nearly 150 military and civilian personnel representing the maritime safety and security sectors of regional governments came together Sept. 4-7 to attend the 2nd annual East Africa and Southwest Indian Ocean (EASWIO) Maritime Security Conference and Port Security Seminar in Mombasa, Kenya.
• Commander Task Group 152 Completes Focused Ops Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Commander, Task Group (CTG) 152 completed focused operations in the Central Persian Gulf Sept. 7 to increase awareness amongst regional mariners of the coalition efforts to help maintain security and stability in the region.
• USNS Lewis and Clark Lives Up To Namesake Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- USNS Lewis and Clark (T-AKE 1) delivered supplies to coalition ships operating in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) Sept. 6-12.
• USS Cleveland Participates in Composite Unit Training Exercise Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- The amphibious transport dock USS Cleveland (LPD 7) and embarked Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) departed Naval Station San Diego Sept. 7 to participate in the USS Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group's (ESG) Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX).
• USS Mitscher Sailors Conduct Weapons Qualifications in Guantanamo Bay Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Sailors stationed onboard USS Mitscher (DDG 57) participated in a weapons qualification range Sept. 10 at U.S. Naval Station (NAVSTA) Guantanamo Bay (GTMO).
• Chilean Submarine Simpson Arrives at Point Loma Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- Chilean Submarine (CS) Simpson (SS-21) arrived at Naval Base Point Loma on Sept. 10, to take part in the Diesel Electric Submarine Initiative (DESI) with the U.S. Navy.
• Halsey Earns ESWS Pennant Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- USS Halsey (DDG 97) earned the Silver Surface Warfare Excellence Pennant Aug. 31 after achieving 100-percent Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist (ESWS) qualification by enlisted personnel in pay grades E-5 through E-9.
• Patriot's Senior Enlisted Exchange Command Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- The Senior Enlisted Advisor (SEA) of Mine countermeasures ship USS Patriot (MCM 7) turned over his leadership role on Sept. 7.
• IKE Receives Multiple Awards Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2007 -- The crew of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (Ike)(CVN 69) took part in an highly anticipated awards ceremony this week, where the ship received the Battenberg Cup, the Battle Efficiency Award and both the Enlisted Surface and Aviation Warfare Pennants Sept. 10.
• Press Briefing by Tony Snow The White House 12 Sep 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Sep 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 12, 2007
• TYPHOON PARTNERED SUPPORT GETS £10.9 MILLION BOOST BAE Systems 12 Sep 2007 -- BAE Systems and The Defence Equipment and Support organisation have taken another significant step towards establishing a Partnered Through-life Availability Support solution for the Typhoon weapon system.
• General Dynamics Awarded $7 Million For Nuclear Maintenance Work on Submarines General Dynamics 12 Sep 2007 -- General Dynamics Electric Boat has received a $7 million contract modification from the U.S. Navy to manage and support nuclear-maintenance work for submarines based in Groton.
• Third Country Sides With Lockheed Martin With Acceptance of the Generic "Paveway" Term Lockheed Martin 12 Sep 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] was recently issued a decision from The Office of the Registrar in Thailand confirming assertion that the term "paveway" is a generic name used in describing laser technology in laser guided bombs.
• Boeing Builds First GPS IIF Satellite Boeing 12 Sep 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has successfully assembled and integrated all flight hardware onto the first Global Positioning System (GPS) IIF satellite.
• Thales-designed multi-mission system hits the targets at Castlemartin Thales 12 Sep 2007 -- On 10 September representatives from seven overseas delegations came to Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire to witness tracking trials and live firings of the Multi Mission System (MMS) designed by Thales UK in Belfast. The exercise was sponsored by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on the basis of an evaluation of the capabilities of the MMS and the ground-to-ground capabilities of Thales's Starstreak missile.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Sep 2007
• Key role of policing in peacekeeping must be recognized: UN Police chief in Sudan UN News Centre 12 Sep 2007 -- Member States need to recognize the key role played by United Nations police in peacekeeping operations and be willing to contribute experienced officers, particularly for senior positions in the upcoming mission to Darfur, said the UN's top police officer in Sudan, where the world body will field its largest UN Police contingent ever with over 6,400 officers.
• Secretary-General alarmed by deadly air, ground attack on South Darfur town UN News Centre 12 Sep 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed deep concern at the Sudanese Government's "brutal aerial and ground attack" on a South Darfur town that has left at least 25 civilians dead and took place just days after the United Nations chief visited the war-torn region.
• SRI LANKA: More displaced as fighting flares up in northwest IRIN 12 Sep 2007 -- The latest outbreak of violence between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), in the northwestern district of Mannar, has forced at least 4,000 people from their homes, according to humanitarian agencies.
• Somali Opposition Forms New 'Liberation Movement' VOA 12 Sep 2007 -- Somali opposition leaders meeting in Eritrea's capital, Asmara, have united to form an alliance against the Ethiopian forces now in Somalia.
• Uganda Rebel Group Lashes Out at United States VOA 12 Sep 2007 -- Uganda's notorious Lord's Resistance Army is lashing out at a senior U.S. official who said Washington would support efforts to wipe out the rebels if peace talks aimed at ending their brutal insurgency collapse
• Russia says more time for Belgrade, Pristina to reach agreement RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2007 -- Belgrade and Pristina should be given more time if they fail to reach an agreement on Kosovo by December 10, when the UN is due to deliver a report on the province, a Russian Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday.
• French Court Hears Rwandan Tribunal Extradition Request VOA 12 Sep 2007 -- A French appeals court is examining a demand to send two Rwandan genocide suspects to the International Criminal Tribunal in Tanzania

News Reports

• Philippine Court Sentences Former President to Life in Prison VOA 12 Sep 2007 -- Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada has been sentenced to life in prison for receiving bribes and kickbacks while in office
• Sparing With Food Assistance, Harare Splashes Out On Luxury Cars For Top Officials VOA 12 Sep 2007 -- The government of Zimbabwe last week earmarked some US$11 million for food aid to an increasingly hungry population - but meanwhile it's splashing out more than US$20 million to buy luxury vehicles and SUVs for ministers and members of parliament.