Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 14 Nov 2007 [PDF]
• Iraqi citizens, MND-B Soldiers attacked (Baghdad)
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• Multi-National Division - North Soldiers attacked (Tikrit)
• MNC-I Soldier attacked during military operations (Mosul)
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Press Secretary Morrell at the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va. 14 Nov 2007 -- DoD News Briefing with Press Secretary Morrell at the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va.
• Press Conference: Maj. Gen. Scott, Rear Adm. Smith, Mr. Paul Brinkley, Nov. 14, 2007 MNF-I 14 Nov 2007 -- Maj. Gen. Scott, Joint Contracting Command - Iraq/Afghanistan, Rear Adm. Smith, MNF-I spokesman, and Mr. Paul Brinkley, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense - Business Transformation, focused on Operation Iron Hammer, foreign investment in Iraq, and contracts being awarded to Iraqi firms, Nov. 14, 2007
• Nov. 13 airpower summary: C-17s resupply forces AFPN 14 Nov 2007
• Troops Detain Eight Suspects, Discover Weapons in Iraq AFPS 14 Nov 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained eight suspects, including an alleged extremist leader, and uncovered a weapons cache days, military officials said.
• NEPMU-5 Returns Home from Six-Month Deployment Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- Navy Environmental and Preventive Medicine Unit (NEPMU) 5 returned to San Diego Nov. 10, following a six-month deployment to Kuwait.
• Iraqi Police Say 2 Civilians Killed in Explosion Near Baghdad's Green Zone VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- Iraqi security officials say two civilians have been killed in a roadside explosion near a U.S. military patrol outside Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, where the U.S. embassy and several Iraqi government offices are located.
• U.S. Examines 'Plan B' for Supplying Troops in Afghanistan AFPS 14 Nov 2007 -- The U.S. military is examining different contingencies for supplying American troops in Afghanistan if supplies can no longer be shipped through Pakistan, Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said today.
• More Foreign Fighters Reported Aiding Taliban in Afghanistan VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- There are signs that more foreign fighters are joining the Taliban in Afghanistan
• Afghan Mission Crucial for NATO's Survival VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- Forces from the 26-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, are encountering stiff resistance from Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan
• US Military: Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill Dozens of Taliban Fighters VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- The U.S. military says Afghan and U.S.-led coalition forces have killed dozens of Taliban fighters in southern Uruzgan province.
• AFGHANISTAN: Insecurity stops food aid to a Daykundi district IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- A UN World Food Programme (WFP) convoy with 50 metric tonnes of mixed food aid for thousands of beneficiaries in Geeti district of Daykundi province, central-south Afghanistan, could not reach its final destination due to security concerns, WFP told IRIN.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Comprehensive Missile Defense Ground Test Successfully Completed MDA 14 Nov 2007 -- Air Force Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced the successful completion today of the most comprehensive Distributed Ground Test (GTD-02) conducted by the Agency to date. GTD-02 tested operational and fielded Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) elements utilizing existing operational networks and communications
• Air Force Reserve to operate with fewer reservists AFPN 14 Nov 2007 -- Air Force Reserve Command will operate with a smaller force in 2008.
• Mine-Resistant Vehicle Production Continues Ahead of Schedule AFPS 14 Nov 2007 -- Production of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles continues ahead of schedule, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said here today.
• U.S., Chilean Navies Meet, Discuss Engagements for 2008 Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- Delegates from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard met with members of the Chilean Navy Nov. 8-9 to discuss interactions and cooperation between their navies for 2008, during the U.S. Navy and Armada de Chile (Chilean Navy) Operational Naval Committee (ONC Chile) conference.
• Colombian Sub Visits Mayport, Supports Maritime Security Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (NAVSO) sponsored a port visit to Mayport for Colombian Armada submarine A.R.C. Tayrona (S-29) Oct. 29 through Nov. 11 to further extend its focus on partner nation interaction.
• Servicemembers deliver medical relief following storm AFPN 14 Nov 2007 -- A medical team from Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, set up a makeshift clinic to provide medical relief to the local population Nov. 13 from a school here following the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Noel to the region.
• Book offers lessons on fighting terrorism with airpower AFPN 14 Nov 2007 -- Airpower is a valuable weapon in the fight against terrorism but only if it is applied with discrimination and care, according to a new study of the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War published by Air University officials.
• Paratroopers from Five Nations Jump in 'Bright Star' Army News 14 Nov 2007 -- U.S. and coalition forces conducted a "Friendship Jump" at Koum Asheem drop zone in Cairo Sunday as part of Exercise Bright Star.
• Departments of Defense and Labor Announce New Career Advancement Accounts for Military Spouses 14 Nov 2007 -- The Departments of Defense and Labor announced today plans to jointly provide military spouses with opportunities to pursue portable careers in high-demand, high-growth occupations
• Patriot and Guardian Arrive in Vietnam for Historic Port Visit Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- The Japan-based mine countermeasure ships USS Patriot (MCM 7) and USS Guardian (MCM 5) arrived in Hai Phong or a scheduled port visit, Nov. 14.
• Halyburton Visits Panama, Supports Theater Security Cooperation Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- Sailors from USS Halyburton (FFG 40) volunteered for a community relations project and participated in an exchange with the Panamanian Servicio Maritimo Nacional (Panamanian Navy) while in port the end of October.
• NCBC Gulfport Breaks Ground for Start of Eight Projects Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- A groundbreaking ceremony for two large construction projects valued at $157.3 million was held Nov. 9, to kick off the start of eight new projects on board Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport.
• Navy Buoyed by Appeals Court Ruling Navy NewsStand 14 Nov 2007 -- Navy officials said they are optimistic that a three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Nov. 13 ordered a lower court to rewrite restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar in certain Southern California exercises.
• Contributing Writer Discusses Counterinsurgency Manual AFPS 14 Nov 2007 -- A contributor to the Counterinsurgency Field Manual yesterday discussed the doctrine that codifies how the U.S. military can most effectively conduct asymmetric warfare.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 14 Nov 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 14 Nov 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 14, 2007
• General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers USNS Richard E. Byrd General Dynamics 14 Nov 2007 -- General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today delivered USNS Richard E. Byrd (T-AKE 4) to the U.S. Navy.
• SYSTEMS INTEGRATION LABS NOW ONLINE FOR PRESIDENTIAL HELICOPTER PROGRAM Lockheed Martin 14 Nov 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has brought online a Systems Integration Lab (SIL) in the Navy's Presidential Helicopter Support Facility at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD, in preparation for the arrival of the first aircraft built for the VH-71 program.
• BAE SYSTEMS WINS $25 MILLION CONTRACT TO SUPPORT THE U.S. NAVY'S PACIFIC COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER STATION BAE Systems 14 Nov 2007 -- BAE Systems has won a $25.8 million, 4-year recompete contract to provide technical support for the operation and maintenance of the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Area Master Station, Pacific (NCTMAS PAC) facilities operating on Oahu and other communications sites throughout Hawaii.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for LITENING Precision Targeting System Data Links Northrop Grumman 14 Nov 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a contract to develop and deliver the latest generation of data links for its LITENING Advanced Targeting (AT) pod from the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command's Aeronautical Systems Center, as the executive procurement agency for the Air Combat Command, Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, U.S. Marine Corps and coalition forces.
• Orbital Awarded $29.5 Million Contract For ANGELS Satellite Program By Air Force Research Laboratory Orbital Sciences Corp. 14 Nov 2007 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB), a world leader in smaller-sized civil government and national security satellites, announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate, Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., for a $29.5 million contract to support the execution of the Autonomous Nanosatellite Guardian for Evaluating Local Space satellite program.

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 14 Nov 2007
• Somali Rights Activists Charge All Sides With War Crimes in Mogadishu VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- The head of a Mogadishu-based group that promotes human rights and democracy tells VOA that Somalis in the capital are fleeing by the thousands every day, largely to escape being used as human shields and becoming victims of revenge attacks in the escalating war between Islamist-led insurgents and Somali and Ethiopian troops
• SOMALIA: UN envoy calls for international justice to stem violence IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- The UN envoy for Somalia has urged the international community to consider using international justice to curb the violence in Somalia, saying that civil strife had precipitated the worst humanitarian crisis in Africa.
• SOMALIA: Government shuts down media groups IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) has shut down Shabelle Media Network, Banadir Radio and Radio Simba, media officials told IRIN.
• DRC: Ex-militiaman jailed for life for murder of UN observers IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- A court in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has found a former militiaman guilty of the 2003 murder of two UN military observers and sentenced him to life in prison.
• DRC-RWANDA: New pact on armed groups in the Kivus hailed IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- Analysts have welcomed the latest in a series of agreements between the governments of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) aimed at resolving the perennial threat to regional stability posed by the armed groups in eastern DRC.
• Viability of UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur at risk, warns top UN official UN News Centre 14 Nov 2007 -- The lack of offers from Member States for key ground transport and aviation units and the Sudanese Government's unwillingness so far to approve the presence of non-African units means the hybrid United Nations peacekeeping mission planned for the war-torn Darfur region could fail, a senior UN official warned today.
• CAMEROON-NIGERIA: Settling Bakassi - interview with UN envoy Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- After 43 years of border tensions and occasional violence, Nigeria and Cameroon appear to have resolved their border issues once and for all.
• Caught Between Russia And Georgia, South Ossetia Rift Widens RFE/RL 14 Nov 2007 -- The breakaway South Caucasus region of South Ossetia has just held two sets of simultaneous presidential elections.
• Upcoming Middle East Talks To Launch a Process, Rice Says Washington File 14 Nov 2007 -- A proposed Middle East peace conference will launch ongoing discussions aimed at creating a Palestinian state and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
• Turkey to launch north Iraq military operation before winter RIA Novosti 14 Nov 2007 -- The Turkish army is to launch a cross-border operation against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq before 'weather conditions worsen,' local media quoted the Turkish president as saying on Wednesday.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Awash in arms IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- While Ivorian politicians and the international community lament a lack of progress in disarmament and other aspects of the country's peace accord, ordinary citizens are increasingly falling victim to violent crime in their daily activities.
• LEBANON: Rebuilding camp will be UNRWA's "largest humanitarian project" IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- Rebuilding Nahr al-Bared, the northern Palestinian refugee camp devastated by a three-month conflict between the army and Islamist militants, will be one of the largest humanitarian projects ever undertaken by UNRWA, the UN's Palestinian Relief Agency.

News Reports

• Analysis: France's Economic Battle Royale cfr.org 14 Nov 2007 -- For Nicolas Sarkozy, the honeymoon is over
• Is Moscow Behind Georgian Unrest? RFE/RL 14 Nov 2007 -- Trading accusations has been a recurrent -- if not dominant -- feature of Georgian-Russian relations since Tbilisi's pro-Western president, Mikheil Saakashvili, was swept to power in 2003
• Burma Detains 3 More Activists During Visit of UN Human Rights Envoy VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- Witnesses in Burma say three more activists have been arrested as U.N. human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro meets with Burmese military leaders in the remote capital of Naypyidaw.
• Pakistani Police Arrest Former Cricket Star, Opposition Leader, Imran Khan VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- Pakistani police have arrested former cricket star and opposition politician Imran Khan, after he made his first public appearance since the imposition of emergency rule.
• Analysts Say Hopes for Pakistan Political Truce Slim VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is heading to Pakistan late this week to meet with President Pervez Musharraf
• Pakistani Opposition Considers Alternatives After Protests Thwarted VOA 14 Nov 2007 -- Security forces in Pakistan have largely succeeded in preventing mass protest rallies since emergency rule was imposed on November 3.
• SOUTHERN AFRICA: New improved disaster response tool IRIN 14 Nov 2007 -- A new tool has been developed to help humanitarian agencies and donors analyse a disaster situation, make a comparison with another disaster that might be unfolding in a different part of the globe, and plan and prioritise their response to a particular crisis accordingly.
• Thales Alenia Space will supply HISPASAT with AmerHis-2, Regenerative Communication Repeater Thales 14 Nov 2007 -- Thales Alenia Space announced today that it has signed a contract with Hispasat, a Spanish telecommunication satellite service provider, to design, manufacture, integrate and test an Interactive Multimedia Communication AMERHIS-2 Repeater to be embarked onboard the Amazonas-2 communication satellite.
• Star One C1 telecommunication satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, successfully launched Thales 14 Nov 2007 -- An Ariane 5 ECA from Kourou, French Guiana, successfully launched today the Star One C1 communications satellite, built by Prime Contractor Thales Alenia Space.