Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 24 Sep 2007 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Sept. 23 airpower summary: B-1Bs bring on the firepower AFPN 24 Sep 2007 -- Coalition airpower supported coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 23, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Operation Gecko III A continues MNF-I 24 Sep 2007 -- Soldiers from the 8th Iraqi Army Division and Paratroopers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 501st Airborne, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division continued their efforts to support concerned citizens of Jurf As Sukhr during Operation Gecko III A, Sept. 21.
• Troops Kill Five, Nab 15 in Raids Around Iraq AFPS 24 Sep 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces killed five insurgents, detained 15 suspects and destroyed a weapons cache in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• Coalition Forces Seize Score of Insurgents, Find Weapons in Afghanistan AFPS 24 Sep 2007 -- Afghan and coalition forces detained 20 insurgents and discovered a weapons cache in Afghanistan over the past two days, military officials said.
• UN Presses Afghanistan To Strengthen Regional Ties RFE/RL 24 Sep 2007 -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai co-chaired a high-level meeting on September 23 of key states whose support is needed to help bring peace and stability to Afghanistan
• No Major Afghan Relief For NATO 'Before 2009-10' RFE/RL 24 Sep 2007 -- The chief of planning for NATO's International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan has warned that those troops cannot expect significant relief from Afghan security forces for at least a year and a half

Defense Policy / Programs

• 5th Air Force celebrates 66 years AFPN 24 Sep 2007 -- Members of 5th Air Force celebrated its 66th anniversary in a Sept. 21 ceremony at Yokota Air Base.
• Deployed gunners have eagle eyes with safer turret system AFPN 24 Sep 2007 -- Security forces Airmen here are now training with a new high-technology weapons system currently being used during outside-the-wire patrols in Iraq.
• New Playbook Aims to Help Reconstruction Teams in Iraq, Afghanistan AFPS 24 Sep 2007 -- Coalition teams working to rebuild communities in Iraq and Afghanistan have a new resource.
• New San Antonio Center for Wounded Warriors to Replace Current Facility Army News 24 Sep 2007 -- A new Warrior and Family Support Center being built here will be 10 times the size of the current facility.
• USS Mount Whitney Charts New Territory in Maritime Partnerships Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- USS Mount Whitney (LCC/JCC 20), the 6th Fleet command ship, charted new territory Sept. 21 when it made its inaugural run through the heavy traffic of the Turkish Straits into the Black Sea.
• USS Ponce First Warship in a Year to Visit Ash Shuaybah, Kuwait Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- The amphibious transport dock USS Ponce (LPD 15) visited the port of Ash Shuaybah, Kuwait Sept. 12 to deliver needed combat gear and supplies to Marines of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.
• USS Mount Whitney Paves the Way for Partnerships Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) is making preparations to take on approximately 70 ship riders from six countries in the region of the Black and Caspian Seas for a five-day underway event in the area from Sept. 24-29.
• Navy MH-60S Helicopter Crashes During Training Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- A Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 25 crashed Sept. 24 into Fena Lake located at Naval Base Guam.
• AFPC streamlines retirement, separation actions AFPN 24 Sep 2007 -- As the result of processes developed under the Air Force Smart Operations for the 21 century initiative, retired or separated Airmen seeking corrections to their Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty -- commonly referred to as a Defense Department Form 214 -- will get a response in record time.
• After one year, Phoenix Warrior course soaring high AFPN 24 Sep 2007 -- Airmen at the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's 421st Combat Training Squadron have finished their first year of teaching the Phoenix Warrior Training Course, and all signs point to the fact it is helping prepare security forces for their wartime mission.
• EOD Divers Conduct Routine Sweeps of Djibouti Port Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- Members of Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 8 from Sigonella and Sicily, conducted a routine force protection dive near the Djibouti port, Sept. 11.
• Tortuga Shows its Typhoon Readiness Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- With a typhoon in the forecast, USS Tortuga (LSD 46) showed off its mission-ready capable status by quickly recalling its crew and getting underway Sept. 18.
• Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield 2007 Tests NMCP Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- A security exercise drill testing first responder reaction was conducted Sept. 20 at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP).
• Wear Testing for New Navy Uniforms Announced Navy NewsStand 24 Sep 2007 -- Selected officers and Sailors will begin limited wear testing of new uniform proto types, service dress khaki for chiefs and officers and service dress blue and white for E-6 and below, late this fall or early winter.
• France Considers Rejoining NATO's Military Wing VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- More than four decades after quitting NATO's military wing, France may be considering rejoining. Critics say the move is largely symbolic, since Paris is already an active member in the transatlantic alliance
• Russia hopes NATO states will join missile defense plans RIA Novosti 24 Sep 2007 -- Russia hopes NATO member states will take part in Russia's initiative to set up a non-strategic missile defense system for Europe, the country's foreign minister said.
• U.S. warships arrive in Russia for joint naval exercise RIA Novosti 24 Sep 2007 -- Two U.S. battleships have arrived in Russia's Far East port of Vladivostok to participate in a joint exercise with the Russian Navy.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 24 Sep 2007
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and Senior Administration Official The White House 24 Sep 2007
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Dana Perino and a Senior Administration Official on the President's Bilateral Meetings The White House 24 Sep 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 24, 2007
• Mideast unaffected by Russian arms sales to Syria - Lavrov RIA Novosti 24 Sep 2007 -- Russian arms sales to Syria do not disturb the balance of forces in the Middle East, Russia's acting foreign minister said Monday.
• First Indian Pilots Gain Their Wings on New Hawk BAE Systems 24 Sep 2007 -- The first six Indian Air Force (IAF) flying instructors have successfully completed their 'Convex Flying Programme' on the BAE Systems Hawk 132 aircraft.
• New UK Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle begins to take shape BAE Systems 24 Sep 2007 -- BAE Systems confirmed today that work has started on the physical build of the Taranis airframe - a £124m unmanned combat aerial vehicle demonstrator aimed at helping the UK MOD determine the future balance of assets within the Armed Forces.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN DELIVERS SECOND PRODUCTION REMOTE MULTI-MISSION VEHICLE (RMMV) TO U.S. NAVY Lockheed Martin 24 Sep 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently delivered the second production Remote Multi-Mission Vehicle (RMMV) to the U.S. Navy to further enhance the mine countermeasures capability for both DDG 51 Arleigh Burke Class destroyers and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
• BAE SYSTEMS DELIVERS FIRST F-35 ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEM BAE Systems 24 Sep 2007 -- BAE Systems has completed acceptance testing for the F-35 Lightning II electronic warfare (EW) suite spiral release 2.
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $8.1 MILLION CONTRACT TO OVERHAUL M113A3 VEHICLES BAE Systems 24 Sep 2007 -- BAE Systems was awarded an $8.1 million contract from Anniston Army Depot, to overhaul 65 M113A3 armored personnel carriers.
• Boeing Modernizes B-52 with Network Capability Boeing 24 Sep 2007 -- Boeing employees in Wichita, Kan., pull a B-52H into a hangar to begin the Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT) upgrade.
• General Dynamics Awarded $24 Million Army Contract for WIN-T Satellite Communications Terminals General Dynamics 24 Sep 2007 -- General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies has been awarded a $24 million contract from the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command in Fort Monmouth, N.J., to provide specialized satellite communications earth terminals and support services for the Joint Network Node-Network (JNN-N) program, now known as Increment One of the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T).
• L-3 Flight Tests Video Relay with Miniature Common Data Link Terminal L-3 Communications 24 Sep 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today the successful flight test of a video relay from a Common Data Link (CDL) compliant, software-programmable terminal weighing one pound
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract Potentially Worth $98 Million for Special Operations Forces Laser Rangefinder Designators Northrop Grumman 24 Sep 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract potentially valued at more than $98 million for the procurement of nearly 940 Special Operations Forces Laser Acquisition Marker (SOFLAM) Special Operations Forces Laser Rangefinder Designators (SOFLRD), associated data and provisioning items
• SAIC Subsidiary Awarded Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Contract SAIC 24 Sep 2007 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced that its subsidiary, Eagan, McAllister Associates, Inc. (EMA) has won an indefinite- delivery/indefinite-quantity, single-award, cost-plus-fixed-fee performance- based contract from the Space and Naval Warfare (SPAWAR) Systems Center, Charleston, S.C. (SSCC).
• Russia, India to build new joint hypersonic missile in 5-7 yrs RIA Novosti 24 Sep 2007 -- The Russian-Indian joint venture BrahMos will complete work on a new hypersonic missile in five to seven years' time, an Indian defense official said Monday.
• Fighter Engine Team Successfully Tests Augmentor on F136 GE Aviation 24 Sep 2007 -- The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team has successfully fired the augmentor on the F136 test engine for the first time as part of a testing regimen that will continue through this fall at the US Air Force testing facility in Tennessee.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 24 Sep 2007
• Remarks by President Bush and President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority The White House 24 Sep 2007
• Palestinian institutions need urgent rebuilding, says Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 25 Sep 2007 -- Palestinian institutions have been so weakened by the crises, fiscal uncertainty and political divisions of recent years that they will have to be rebuilt and reformed if they are to lay the foundations of a credible future state, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a meeting today of key donors to the Palestinian people.
• Bush to Discuss Mideast Conference Plan With Abbas VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- U.S. President George Bush meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in New York Monday, to discuss plans for a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference.
• Israel Says Tension with Syria Subsiding VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- Israel is playing down tensions with its arch-enemy to the north - Syria
• PRESS CONFERENCE ON AD HOC LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETING United Nations 24 Sep 2007
• Progress Seen in Resolving Conflict in Darfur Washington File 24 Sep 2007 -- Measurable progress is being made on resolving conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan by the United States and international partners that have been working to arrange talks among the warring parties, a U.S. diplomat says.
• NEPAL: Over 5,000 people displaced after ethnic violence in south IRIN 24 Sep 2007 -- Over 5,000 people have been displaced over the past week in southeastern Nepal due to violence between Pahade and Madhesi ethnic groups, according to a report released on 24 September by the Human Rights Treaty Monitoring Coordination Committee (HRTMCC), a joint forum of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Nepal working in the field of human rights.
• UGANDA: Population out of step with peace talks - report IRIN 24 Sep 2007 -- Northern Ugandans are feeling disconnected from peace talks aimed at bringing an end to the region's 20-year conflict, according to a report published on 24 September by the Oxfam international development agency.
• Sri Lankan govt asks Tamil rebels to return to negotiations IRNA 24 Sep 2007 -- Sri Lankan government has extended an olive branch to the Tamil Tiger rebels by offering to halt the military operations against them if they return to the negotiating table for the peace talks, said Gotabhaya Rajapakse in Colombo, Sunday.
• Somali Opposition Group Says It's Targeting Ethiopian Troops VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- The spokesman for the new Eritrea-based Somali opposition alliance tells VOA that the group's Islamist-led forces are in an all-out war against Ethiopian troops in Somalia in a bid to oust the Ethiopians from the country

News Reports

• Analysis: Japan's New 'Old Guard' cfr.org 24 Sep 2007 -- Nearly two weeks of speculation ended September 23 as Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) elected Yasuo Fukuda, a moderate party elder, as the country's next prime minister
• Smith: Fukuda, A Moderate Japanese Prime Minister cfr.org 24 Sep 2007
• Freedom from Violence, Tyranny Tops U.S. Agenda for U.N. Meeting Washington File 24 Sep 2007 -- Freedom from violence and freedom from tyranny will be the major themes the United States will promote during the opening meetings of the 62nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York beginning September 25, says Mike Kozak of the National Security Council.
• US to Increase Sanctions Against Burma; Protests Continue in Rangoon VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- President Bush is expected to announce new sanctions against Burma as officials there threaten legal action against Buddhist monks leading the country's largest anti-government protests in nearly 20 years.
• Myanmar's authorities should respond to protests with restraint - Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 24 Sep 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on the authorities in Myanmar to exercise restraint in dealing with the recent wave of peaceful protests, saying he hopes they will spur dialogue between the Government and other groups on promoting national reconciliation, the restoration of democracy and full respect for human rights.
• Thousands of Burmese Join Monks in Massive Protest VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- Tens of thousands of people in Burma have joined Buddhist monks in marching through the main city, Rangoon, for another day of protests
• Pakistan Supreme Court Dismisses Two Challenges to Musharraf VOA 24 Sep 2007 -- Pakistan's Supreme Court has dismissed two challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's bid for reelection, but the justices are still considering several others
• DRC: Ebola cases suspected in Kasai Oriental IRIN 24 Sep 2007 -- Two cases of suspected Ebola haemorrhagic fever have been reported in Kasai Oriental, the neighbouring province to Kasai Occidental, where at least nine cases have been confirmed, according to health officials.