Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 17 Oct 2007 [PDF]
• MND-C unit targeted by small arms fire
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Oct. 16 airpower summary: C-17s provide heavy airlift support AFPN 17 Oct 2007 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Oct. 16, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Operation Gecko III B establishes another foothold against extremists MNF-I 17 Oct 2007 -- Coalition Forces and concerned citizens from Jurf as Sakhr began to move north in the Euphrates River Valley Oct. 7, establishing another foothold against extremists in Operation Gecko III B.
• Coalition forces deter weapons smugglers, insurgents AFPN 17 Oct 2007 -- Munitions dropped by Air Force pilots Oct. 15 destroyed a bridge northeast of Baghdad to disrupt weapons smugglers and insurgent movement.
• Coalition Troops Net 17 Terrorists During Iraq Operations AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- Coalition forces detained 17 suspected terrorists today during a series of operations that targeted al Qaeda networks in central and northern Iraq.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Col. Chip Preysler from Afghanistan 17 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Commander, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team Col. Chip Preysler
• Japan govt. approves naval mission to Afghanistan RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2007 -- The Japanese government has endorsed a draft law extending Japan's naval support mission for coalition forces in Afghanistan, Kyodo news agency said on Wednesday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• New Maritime Strategy Released 17 Oct 2007 -- The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have released "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower," a unified maritime strategy that explains the comprehensive role of the sea services in an era marked by increased globalization and change.
• Sea Services Unveil New Maritime Strategy AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- The new U.S. maritime strategy elevates war prevention to the same level of importance as warfighting.
• Sea Service Chiefs Present Strategy for New Maritime Era Navy NewsStand 17 Oct 2007 -- The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard released Oct. 17, "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower," a unified maritime strategy that explains the comprehensive role of the sea services in an era marked by increased globalization and change.
• DoD Announces New Defense Policy Board Members 17 Oct 2007
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Press Secretary Morrell from the Pentagon 17 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell
• Spirits set to soar over Pacific AFPN 17 Oct 2007 -- B-2 Spirits recently deployed here from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., are scheduled to fly their first missions over Guam in mid October as part of a continued bomber presence in the Pacific region.
• Bush, Commission Urge Congress to Fix Troop Health Care AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- President Bush urged Congress today to pass legislation that will realize recommendations made by a bipartisan commission tasked to fix problems with wounded servicemembers' care. Meanwhile, the group's leaders are slated to testify on the matter before lawmakers.
• Chilton Takes U.S. Strategic Command Helm AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton as the general ceremonially took the reins of U.S. Strategic Command.
• USAG Giessen Folds Up Tent Army News 17 Oct 2007 -- A small crowd converged on U.S. Army Garrison Giessen for the command's official closure ceremony Sept. 28.
• USS Fort McHenry Deploys Navy NewsStand 17 Oct 2007 -- The amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) deployed from its homeport in Little Creek, Va., Oct. 16 as part of the Navy's Global Fleet Station (GFS) initiative.
• Detainee Literacy Rates Improve Through Education Programs AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- Literacy programs aimed at detainees held here show signs of success, as many detainees are sharpening their academic skills.
• Exercises Test Crisis Response Coordination AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- As some 15,000 federal, state and local officials test their ability to respond to terrorist attacks in Oregon, Arizona and Guam during the largest-yet "TOPOFF" exercise, U.S. Northern Command is fine-tuning its own procedures for supporting a civilian-led response to a potential threat or crisis.
• Major Drill toTest Military, Federal and Civilian Regional Resources Navy NewsStand 17 Oct 2007 -- The Bethesda Hospitals' Emergency Preparedness Partnership will host its largest collaborative multi-agency medical exercise Oct. 18, at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC).
• Pentagon Urges Turkey Not to Move Against Kurdish Guerrillas in Iraq VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- A senior Pentagon official says U.S. forces in Iraq are busy fighting various insurgents and terrorists, and cannot directly address Kurdish terrorists based in Northern Iraq, who launch attacks on Turkey
• Spokesman Cites Diplomacy as Preferred Course for Turk-PKK Issue AFPS 17 Oct 2007 -- Diplomacy is the preferred method for solving the problem the Kurdish terrorist group known as the PKK poses to Turkey and Iraq, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today.
• Russian-Indian military cooperation meeting begins in Moscow RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2007 -- The seventh session of the Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for military-technical cooperation, presided by both countries' defense ministers, began in Moscow Wednesday.
• Russian military chief says no need to give up INF Treaty RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2007 -- Relinquishing the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty could spur the use of weapons of mass destruction, Russia's top military official said on Wednesday.
• Russia's army chief criticizes U.S. missile defense proposals RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2007 -- The U.S. has made no new proposals to try and resolve a dispute with Russia over Washington's plans to place elements of its missile shield in Europe, Russia's chief of the General Staff said Wednesday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Oct 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 17, 2007
• General Dynamics Delivers First LAV-A2 to the U.S. Marine Corps General Dynamics 17 Oct 2007 -- In a ceremony held on October 12, 2007, at General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, Colonel Mike Micucci, Program Manager, Light Armored Vehicles, USMC accepted delivery of the first LAV-A2.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED PHASE II ADVANCED COMPOSITE CARGO AIRCRAFT FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION CONTRACT Lockheed Martin 17 Oct 2007 -- The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) has authorized Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] to proceed to Phase II of the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft (ACCA) Flight Demonstration contract.
• BAE SYSTEMS RADIATION-HARDENED COMPUTERS ABOARD WORLDVIEW-1 SATELLITE BAE Systems 18 Oct 2007 -- Two BAE Systems RAD750T radiation-hardened single-board computers are managing the command and control functions onboard the WorldView-1 satellite, launched Sept. 18 aboard a Delta II rocket.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for Valve Planning and Design Services Northrop Grumman 17 Oct 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract option by the U.S. Navy to provide planning and design services for standard Navy valves being installed in commissioned nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.
• Northrop Grumman Showcases Enhanced Mission Planning System Framework Northrop Grumman 17 Oct 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently showcased the newest Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) software at the international Mission Planning Users Conference in Orlando, Fla., demonstrating the production-level quality of the tailorable and reconfigurable framework.
• EADS informs A400M customers about revised delivery schedule EADS 17 Oct 2007 -- EADS has informed its A400M customers, including OCCAR, of its revised estimate for the first aircraft deliveries schedule
• SAIC Awarded Contract to Support Navy Littoral and Mine Warfare SAIC 17 Oct 2007 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) announced today it won a follow-on contract from the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., Office of Littoral and Mine Warfare.
• ATK Propulsion and Composite Technologies Help Launch GPS Satellite ATK 17 Oct 2007 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) propulsion and composite technologies supported today's successful launch of the United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket carrying the fourth modernized NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Block 2R military navigation satellite.
• 4th MODERNIZED GPS SATELLITE BUILT BY LOCKHEED MARTIN LAUNCHED SUCCESSFULLY Lockheed Martin 17 Oct 2007 -- A U.S. Air Force modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], was launched successfully today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II launch vehicle.
• General Dynamics Awarded NSA Contract for Warfighters and Government Personnel to Order 'All-in-One' Secure Smartphone General Dynamics 17 Oct 2007 -- The National Security Agency (NSA) has awarded a contract to General Dynamics C4 Systems enabling military and government users to order the Sectéra® EdgeT secure, wireless phone/personal digital assistant (PDA) or "smartphone."
• Oshkosh Truck Corporation Begins HEMTT A4 Production for U.S. Army Oshkosh 17 Oct 2007 -- Oshkosh Truck Corporation [NYSE:OSK] Defense Group announced today that the U.S. Army will begin production and fielding of the newest version of the Oshkosh® heavy expanded mobility tactical truck (HEMTT). Designated the HEMTT A4 model, production will commence in November 2007. The new HEMTT A4 was on display at the U.S. Army Association’s Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., October 8-10, 2007.

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 17 Oct 2007
• PRESS CONFERENCE ON CHILDREN AND ARMED CONFLICT United Nations 17 Oct 2007
• UN peacebuilding arm should work with more countries, Security Council told UN News Centre 17 Oct 2007 -- The United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, set up a year ago to help countries emerging from conflict avoid the slide back into war, should now start adding more States to its agenda, the Commission's chair told the Security Council today.
• Turkish Parliament Approves Military Move Against Rebel Kurds in Iraq VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- The Turkish Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to allow the government to launch military incursions into Iraq for one year
• Turkey's Parliament Approves Troops For Iraq Operation RFE/RL 17 Oct 2007 -- Turkey's parliament today gave the government authority to enter northern Iraq and tackle Kurdish guerrillas based there.
• Turkish Parliament Approves Military Move Against Rebel Kurds in Iraq VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- Turkey's parliament has authorized cross-border military operations against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.
• DR Congo: UN mission stresses its goal is to help restore state authority UN News Centre 17 Oct 2007 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains committed to helping the Government and its armed forces restore state authority, the mission's military chief said today after reports from the troubled North Kivu province that locals and soldiers have been hostile to the blue helmets.
• Somalia Forces Detain WFP Official VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- The World Food Program (WFP) says Somali security forces have stormed the U.N. compound in the capital Mogadishu and arrested the WFP local director
• Rice Says There Is Opportunity For Peace in Mideast VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ended four days of talks with Israelis and Palestinians late Wednesday, saying a Mideast peace conference will take place, but much work needs to be done in bilateral talks between Israelis and Palestinians before the meeting gets underway.
• SOMALIA: UN compound stormed amid escalating violence in Mogadishu IRIN 17 Oct 2007 -- Dozens of heavily armed government security officials detained the head of the World Food Programme (WFP) office in Mogadishu, Somalia, on 17 October, an act decried by the UN organisation as a violation of international law.
• SUDAN: Stakes raised over southern agreement - analyst IRIN 17 Oct 2007 -- The decision by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) to rejoin the Khartoum government days after pulling out has raised the stakes in the implementation of the southern peace agreement, an analyst said.
• UGANDA: Plan to reconstruct the north IRIN 17 Oct 2007 -- War-ravaged northern Uganda is to be reconstructed at a cost of US$600 million, according to the government.
• Russia warns Georgia may use force against breakaway areas RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2007 -- Russia's military has evidence that Georgia is prepared to use force to resolve conflicts with its breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a top army official said on Wednesday.
• Russian Army chiefs deny peacekeepers detained in Abkhazia RIA Novosti 17 Oct 2007 -- The Russian Army called a report by the Georgian Rustavi-2 TV channel on the detention of five Russian peacekeepers by Georgian police in the breakaway province of Abkhazia "a provocation" on Wednesday.
• Recruitment of Children into Militias Skyrockets in Congo VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- Prospects for children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are darkening, as fighting continues between forces loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese army
• State of Emergency Takes Effect in North, Eastern Chad VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- Chad's government says recent violence that spurred it to call a state of emergency on Tuesday will not derail on-going peace talks
• Ogaden Rights Group Says Refugees in Somalia Face Roundup, Deportation VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- A group concerned with human rights in Ethiopia's eastern Ogaden region says refugees fleeing to neighboring Somalia are being rounded up by Somali authorities and handed over to Ethiopian troops.

News Reports

• UN envoy urges South-East Asian nations to move beyond words on Myanmar UN News Centre 17 Oct 2007 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Myanmar today called on members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to go beyond speaking out against the recent use of force in the country and do more to hasten the process of democratization.
• ICRC 'Deeply Worried' About Burmese Detainees VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross says it is "deeply worried" about the fate of thousands of people arrested during the recent government crackdown in Burma.
• Dalai Lama Receives Congressional Gold Medal Washington File 17 Oct 2007
• Dalai Lama Receives Highest Civilian Honor From US Congress VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- Tibet's spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has been honored at a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol attended by President Bush
• Bhutto Pledges Return to Democracy on Eve of Homecoming VOA 17 Oct 2007 -- Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says her arrival in Pakistan on Thursday will mark the country's transition from dictatorship to democracy