Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 23 Oct 2007 [PDF]
• Oct. 22 airpower summary: Tankers give gas to go AFPN 23 Oct 2007
• Twelve Terrorists Killed, 26 Detained In Iraq Operations AFPS 23 Oct 2007 -- Coalition troops killed 12 terrorists and detained 26 suspects during a series of operations across Iraq today.
• US Airstrike North of Baghdad Kills 11, Including Civilians VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- The U.S. military says 11 people, including civilians, were killed in a U.S. air strike north of Baghdad Tuesday.
• U.S., British Efforts To Stabilize Iraq-Turkey Border Intensify Washington File 23 Oct 2007 -- Stepped-up diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions along Iraq's northern border with Turkey after cross-border attacks by the terrorist group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were the focus of an October 22 meeting between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
• Coalition Troops Kill 5 Taliban During Afghanistan Firefight AFPS 23 Oct 2007 -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan killed five Taliban militants during a firefight in the Jeldak district of Zabul province today.
• Afghan Survey Reports Dramatic Increase in Security Concerns VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- A new survey of public opinion in Afghanistan indicates a sharp rise in concern over security
• AFGHANISTAN: One month to avert mass displacement in Ghor IRIN 23 Oct 2007 -- The government of Afghanistan, the UN and humanitarian agencies are expected to assist tens of thousands of food-insecure people in several districts of Ghor province in central-west Afghanistan before the first snowfalls in late November, which usually block the roads, aid workers told IRIN on 22 October.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Paul McHale, Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, and Brig. Gen. Peter Aylward from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 23 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Paul McHale, Chief of the National Guard Bureau Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, and Deputy Director, Anti-Terrorism/Homeland Defense Joint Staff Brig. Gen. Peter Aylward
• Military Personnel, Assets Help to Battle California Fires AFPS 23 Oct 2007 -- Military personnel and assets are helping out in the most serious outbreak of wildfires in California in years.
• Guard to Support California Firefighting mission Army News 23 Oct 2007 -- The California National Guard has been directed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make 1,500 Guardmembers available to support efforts to fight at least 14 wildfires that are ravaging the drought-stricken southern part of the state.
• Defense Department 'Leaning Forward' to Help Californians AFPS 23 Oct 2007 -- Defense Department officials have provided everything that California officials have asked for and are "leaning forward" to anticipate what they might need next, the department's assistant secretary for homeland defense and American security affairs said here today.
• HSC-85 Sailors Help Fight San Diego Blaze Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Aircrew Sailors assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 85 aided the San Diego California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFire) and the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services (OES) in fighting wildfires throughout the San Diego area.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Wargame explores Air Force options for 2030 AFPN 23 Oct 2007 -- While exercising the strategic proverb of a legendary 16th Century samurai warrior, 130 military strategists and planners gathered here Oct. 14 through 19 to explore future Air Force constructs based on technologies and concepts of the year 2030.
• Defense, VA Team Proposes Disability Process Changes AFPS 23 Oct 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gave an interagency task force studying the disability rating system for wounded warriors its marching orders: "Aside from the war itself, we have no higher priority."
• Faulenberg Returned to German Authorities Army News 23 Oct 2007 -- Wuerzburg's Faulenberg Kaserne, a military installation since 1877 and home to U.S. Soldiers since 1947, has been returned to the German government.
• Transcript: Joint Press Conference with Secretary Gates and Prime Minister Topolanek from Prague, Czech Republic 23 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek
• DoD Names New Senior Tribal Liason 23 Oct 2007 -- The Department of Defense has announced that David Sanborn, an enrolled member of the Penobscot Nation, will be the department's new senior tribal liaison.
• USS Whidbey Island Arrives in 5th Fleet Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations Oct. 21 to conduct Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in regional waters.
• NASSG Completes Two Exercises Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- With the Expeditionary Strike Group Integration exercise completed, the Nassau Strike Group (NASSG) continued its training and readiness operations by successfully completing the Fleet Synthetic Training-Joint (FST-J) 08-2 exercise from Oct. 9-19.
• NASNI Provides Shelter for Families Displaced by Raging Wildfires Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- More than 600 military family members found shelter on Naval Air Station North Island (NASNI) Oct. 23, after raging wildfires in the greater Southern California area burned an estimated 200,000 acres, destroying more than 1,000 homes and displacing more than 300,000 San Diego County residents.
• RIVRON 1 Sailors Return Home Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Approximately 150 Sailors from Riverine Squadron (RIVRON) 1 returned to Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek (NABLC), Oct. 22, following a seven-month deployment to Iraq.
• Coalition Officers Tour USS Miami Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Naval officers from Pakistan and Germany visited USS Miami (SSN 755) on Oct. 21.
• Bonhomme Richard ESG Departs Australia Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), which includes USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), USS Denver (LPD 9) and USS Rushmore (LSD 47) completed a scheduled port visit to Fremantle and Perth on Oct. 21.
• U.S.: Defense Secretary Says 'Nobody Wants A New Cold War' RFE/RL 23 Oct 2007 -- a wide-ranging exclusive interview with RFE/RL, U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said the United States is not in a new Cold War with Moscow and that Washington still holds out hope that democracy will take hold in Russia
• Transcript: Southeast European Defense Ministerial Press Conference with Secretary Gates, Minister Hrytsenko, and Minister Gonul from Kiev, Ukraine 23 Oct 2007 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Defense Minister Anatoly Hrytsenko, and Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul
• Doubts Deepen About Acceptability of New US Military Command For Africa VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- The new US military command for Africa - AFRICOM - recently became operational, but will be based in Germany for the next year. After this, it's expected to have headquarters in various African regions
• Essex Wraps Successful SRA Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) finished its Selected Restricted Availability period Oct. 10.
• USS Miami Completes Undersea Exercise with UK Submarine Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- USS Miami (SSN 755) and HMS Talent (S92) participated in a submarine exercise in the North Arabian Sea Oct. 6-11.
• Republic of Korea Navy Visits Guam Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Commander, Submarine Group (COMSUBGRU) 7 conducted bilateral talks with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) and welcomed ROKS Lee Eokgi (SS 071) after sailing from Chinhae, ROK, to Guam Oct. 12.
• Halyburton Visits Peru Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- USS Halyburton (FFG 40) enjoyed Peruvian hospitality and culture during a port call Oct. 8-11 that coincided with Peru's Navy Day celebration.
• USS Porter Visits Mombassa Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- The U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) departed Mombassa Oct. 19 after a port visit that aimed to continue developing a bilateral partnership.
• Southwest Asia, East Africa, Coalition Maritime Leadership Discuss Maritime Security Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Maritime leaders from the Southwest Asia and East Africa regions met in Newport, R.I., Oct. 19 for the Middle East Regional Discussion relating to maritime security.
• Tortuga visits Philippine Elementary School Navy NewsStand 23 Oct 2007 -- Sailors aboard USS Tortuga (LSD 46) brought smiles to students of a local elementary school during the ship's visit to Subic Bay while underway conducting Exercise Talon Vision and Phiblex 2008, Oct. 16.
• Russia says military ties with Belarus stronger due to NATO RIA Novosti 23 Oct 2007 -- Russia's defense minister said on Tuesday that NATO's eastward expansion and U.S. missile shield plans have encouraged Russia and Belarus to boost military-political cooperation.
• Russia scraps nine more Topol systems under START-1 treaty RIA Novosti 23 Oct 2007 -- Russia has dismantled another nine outdated Topol mobile missile systems under a major international treaty on strategic arms reductions, the Strategic Missile Forces said in a statement Tuesday.
• Missile Defense Dominates Gates Meetings in Czech Republic AFPS 23 Oct 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters after meeting today with Czech leaders he's confident negotiations to place a radar here for a missile defense system are on track and likely to wrap up within the next few months.
• US Offers to Delay Activation of Europe-Based Anti-Missile System VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the United States might be willing to postpone activation of missile-defense sites planned for Poland and the Czech Republic until there is proof Iran has missiles that could reach the area, if that would help end Russian opposition to the plan
• Molnia-M carrier rocket to orbit military satellite RIA Novosti 23 Oct 2007 -- A Molnia-M booster rocket was launched from the Plesetsk space center in north Russia on Tuesday to orbit a Cosmos military satellite, a Space Forces spokesman said.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 23 Oct 2007
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 23 Oct 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 23, 2007
• L-3 Awarded Contract for United Kingdom Project LISTENER L-3 Communications 23 Oct 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that it has been awarded a contract for the Assessment Phase of Project LISTENER for the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (MOD).
• BAE SYSTEMS TO SUPPLY THERMAL SIGHTS FOR U.S. ARMY WEAPON PROGRAM BAE Systems 23 Oct 2007 -- BAE Systems has received a $15 million contract to provide thermal imaging sights for the U.S. Army's Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station II (CROWS) program.
• Boeing F-22 Maintenance 'Schoolhouse' Opens at U.S. Air Force Base Boeing 23 Oct 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], the U.S. Air Force 82nd Training Wing and industry partners opened a state-of-the-art, Boeing-designed F-22 maintenance training facility at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, on Oct. 19, offering a realistic training environment for future Raptor maintainers.
• EADS Defence & Security makes the command and control information system of the German Army mobile EADS 23 Oct 2007 -- EADS Defence & Security (DS) is supplying hardware systems and components to the value of 75 million euros for the computer-based command and control system of the German land forces.
• First Scorpene for Malaysia named DCNS 23 Oct 2007 -- The first of two Scorpene-type submarines ordered by the Malaysian Navy has been officially named the Tunku Abdul Rahman* at DCNS's Cherbourg shipyard by Malaysian Minister for Defence Najib Tun Razak at a ceremony attended by Malaysian and French officials.
• New success for DCNS in Morocco DCNS 23 Oct 2007 -- In the course of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent state visit to Morocco, the Kingdom's highest authorities confirmed an agreement between the two countries to provide the Royal Moroccan Navy with a FREMM multimission frigate.

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 23 Oct 2007
• SOMALIA: WFP officer released from six-day detention IRIN 23 Oct 2007 -- Somali government officials on 23 October released a senior UN World Food Programme (WFP) staff member who was arrested during a raid on the UN compound in the capital Mogadishu the week before.
• SOMALIA: Urgent assistance plea for 10,000 displaced Mogadishu families IRIN 23 Oct 2007 -- Civil society and local officials have appealed to charitable organisations to provide aid for at least 60,000 people who fled recent violence in the Somali capital Mogadishu and have been living in difficult conditions on the northwestern outskirts of the city.
• Former Rebels Call for UN Mediation in Sudan VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- Former rebels in southern Sudan have asked the United Nations to call a special meeting to resolve a dispute with the national government in the North over implementation of a peace agreement
• Lord's Resistance Army Officer in Custody in DRC VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- A high-ranking member of Ugandan rebel group the Lord's Resistance Army is being held in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, after giving himself up to Congolese authorities, a U.N. spokesman says
• Ethiopia's Leader Downplays Attack By Rebel Group VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has shrugged off claims by a rebel group that it has killed more than 250 government troops in clashes during the past few days
• Ethiopian ONLF Rebels Claim To Have Killed 250 Government Troops VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- An Ethiopian rebel group says it has killed more than 250 soldiers this week during fighting with government forces.
• SRI LANKA: Tourism industry hit by renewed conflict IRIN 23 Oct 2007 -- The drop in Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals, mainly because of security concerns, has been precipitous in recent months, leaving thousands of people on part-time pay or jobless.
• Mass surrender by rebels in India's Northeastern state IRNA 23 Oct 2007 -- Indian security forces achieved yet another milestone on Tuesday in their endeavor to bringing peace to the Northeastern state of Assam by motivating 33 terrorists including two women cadres of United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) and two cadres of Karbi Longri National Liberation Front (KNLF) to surrender.
• With Nepal at crossroads, Ban Ki-moon urges parties to agree on future steps UN News Centre 23 Oct 2007 -- The peace process in Nepal is facing unprecedented challenges, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report, urging the parties there to reach agreement on future steps, including a realistic timetable for elections that were to have been held next month but have been postponed to an as yet undetermined date.
• Risk of protracted status quo and negotiations on Western Sahara - Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 23 Oct 2007 -- The recent two rounds of United Nations-sponsored talks between Morocco and the Frente Polisario on Western Sahara were positive but they could not be described as negotiations, given the two sides largely rejected each other's views, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in his latest report on the issue.
• Top Ugandan rebel surrenders in neighbouring DR Congo, says UN mission UN News Centre 23 Oct 2007 -- A senior commander of the Lord's Resistance Army, the northern Ugandan rebel group, has surrendered in the northeast of the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations peacekeeping mission to that country reported today.
• Russia, Japan confirm commitment to peace treaty RIA Novosti 23 Oct 2007 -- The Russian and Japanese foreign ministers confirmed on Tuesday their commitment to finding a mutual solution for concluding a formal peace treaty.

News Reports

• Voting in UN-monitored ballot on self-determination for Tokelau moves to atolls UN News Centre 23 Oct 2007 -- Voting in the referendum to determine whether Tokelau, a group of three small and isolated atolls, should have self-government in free association with New Zealand has moved to the atolls themselves, the United Nations team of observers monitoring the ballot has reported.
• Myanmar: UN envoy to visit earlier than planned UN News Centre 23 Oct 2007 -- Myanmar has agreed to allow United Nations Envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who is currently touring regional capitals to garner support ahead of a planned visit to the country in mid-November, to visit even sooner, the spokesperson for the world body announced today.
• Neighbors Fear Ethnic Conflict in Burma If Government Collapses VOA 23 Oct 2007 -- While Burma's neighbors have condemned the military government's violent crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators, experts say Southeast Asian nations fear a sudden collapse of the Burmese government
• Analysis: Pakistan's Riddles cfr.org 23 Oct 2007 -- Serious questions loom over Pakistan's efforts to return to a democratic form of government as its inability to rein in violent militants and its dissident security institutions grow increasingly apparent
• Successful launch of Thales Alenia Space's Node 2 onboard the Discovery Shuttle Thales 23 Oct 2007 -- The Node 2 Harmony, the interconnecting element developed in Italy by Thales Alenia Space, has been successfully launched today from the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida (USA) towards the International Space Station.