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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 04 Dec 2007 [PDF]
• Soldier attacked in vehicle explosion (Al Anbar)
• Press Conference: Maj. Gen. Bergner, Mr. Phil Reeker, Dec. 4, 2007 MNF-I 04 Dec 2007 -- Maj. Gen. Bergner, MNF-I, and Mr. Phil Reeker, USM-I, conducted a press conference Dec. 4, 2007
• Dec. 3 airpower summary: B-1B bombs enemy in Afghanistan AFPN 04 Dec 2007
• Coalition Forces Disrupt Terrorist Elements in Iraq AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- Coalition forces killed two terrorists and detained 25 suspects today during operations designed to disrupt al Qaeda operations in central and northern Iraq.
• Coalition, Iraqi Forces Make Gains Against al Qaeda AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- While the fight in Iraq remains tough, coalition and Iraqi forces have made significant gains against al Qaeda recently, a U.S. military spokesman there said today.
• Moderate Detainees Help to Identify Extremists in Iraq AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- Moderate Muslims held in coalition detention centers in Iraq are turning in radical Muslim detainees on a daily basis, the deputy commanding general for Multinational Force Iraq detainee operations said yesterday.
• Troops Detain Suspected Taliban Extremists, Find Weapons AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- Coalition forces detained four suspected militants during an operation yesterday in Afghanistan's Oruzgan province to disrupt extremist networks.
• Gates Lauds Progress in Afghanistan's Khowst Province AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited Afghanistan's Khowst province today to see firsthand "a model of concerted counterinsurgency effort, the synergy that comes from an integration of 'hard' and 'soft' powers."
• Gates Praises Progress of Afghan Security Forces AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today reaffirmed U.S. support for Afghanistan and said he continues to press coalition partners to live up to their commitments here.
• NATO Helps to Create New Opportunities for Afghans AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- NATO aims to render the Taliban and other extremists in Afghanistan irrelevant by establishing a security landscape that allows the creation of news jobs and bolsters faith in national institutions, the commander of NATO forces said in a news conference today.
• US Defense Chief Calls for More International Aid for Afghanistan VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is calling on the international community to do more for Afghanistan in its fight against extremists
• Afghan Officials Ask for More US Military Aid VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- Afghan officials have asked visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates for more military aid and security trainers to help defeat Taliban insurgents
• Soldiers Overcome Afghanistan Terrain Challenges AFPS 04 Dec 2007 -- Mentoring Afghan national security forces puts coalition soldiers everywhere in Afghanistan, which means a lot of wear and tear on their vehicles. But that's not stopping them.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Congress, Bush Continue Standoff Over Spending VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- An end-of-year battle continues between majority Democrats in Congress and President Bush over government spending and money for military operations in Iraq.
• President Names Ford as Acting Under Secretary of the Army Army News Release 04 Dec 2007 -- Secretary of the Army Pete Geren today, Dec. 4, expressed his appreciation for President Bush's designation of the Honorable Nelson M. Ford, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller (ASA(FM&C)), to be the Acting Under Secretary of the Army.
• Nellis to save $1 million annually with use of solar panels AFPN 04 Dec 2007 -- Officials from Nellis Air Force Base and SunPower Corp. are scheduled to finalize the commission of 15 megawatts in solar power to the base this month, making up North America's largest solar photovoltaic power system.
• PERSCO teams do more than track 'boots on the ground' AFPN 04 Dec 2007 -- Every commander needs to know who is in the field and how those numbers affect Air Force readiness -- in short, how many "boots are on the ground."
• DoD Announces New Manufacturing Technology Program 04 Dec 2007 -- Today the Department of Defense announced its new Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program for 2008 at the Defense Manufacturing Conference in Las Vegas. John J. Kubricky, deputy under secretary of defense for advanced systems and concepts, explained that the Army, Navy and Air Force have successfully managed their individual ManTech programs for decades; this is the first year for DoD's defense-wide program.
• Operation Deep Freeze main season underway AFPN 04 Dec 2007 -- Active duty, Guard and Reserve Airmen from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., and the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing, combined efforts to support the 13th Air Force-led Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, Operation Deep Freeze.
• Technology conference powers down AFPN 04 Dec 2007 -- More than 500 exhibitors set up various displays to show off their cutting-edge technology to American military members the last week of November at the Interservice Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference at the Orange County Convention Center here.
• Essex Departs Cambodia After Historic Port Visit Navy NewsStand 04 Dec 2007 -- The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) departed the Kingdom of Cambodia Dec. 2, after completing a six-day port visit to the Sihanoukville area and surrounding cities.
• TSV-1 Prevail Offers Fleet Unique Training Opportunity Navy NewsStand 04 Dec 2007 -- Training Support Vessel (TSV-1) Prevail is supporting the Nassau Strike Group in its Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) through Dec. 17. as the strike group readies for deployment.
• French Ship Guepratte Provides a Presence in Gulf of Aden Navy NewsStand 04 Dec 2007 -- The French frigate Guepratte (F 714) is contributing to security and stability in the Gulf of Aden as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150.
• Navy-Chartered Ship Loads Mine Resistant Vehicles in Africa Navy NewsStand 04 Dec 2007 -- Military Sealift Command-chartered ship ITB Thunder/Lightning here loaded heavily armored mine-resistant vehicles destined for use by U.S. troops operating in Iraq Dec. 3-4.
• CNO Meets with Israel Navy Commander in Chief Navy NewsStand 04 Dec 2007 -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead met Nov. 4 with Israel Navy Commander in Chief, Vice Adm. Eli Marum, during an office call here at the Pentagon.
• PSD-Bangor Moves to its Namesake Base Navy NewsStand 04 Dec 2007 -- The Naval Base Kitsap (NBK), Bangor Personnel Support Detachment (PSD) began its move back to NBK-Bangor from NBK-Bremerton Dec. 1.
• Estonia extends military missions in Afghanistan, Bosnia RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- Estonia's parliament extended the country's military mission in Afghanistan, the parliament's press service said on Tuesday.
• Russian strategic bombers conducted over 70 patrols since August RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- Russia's strategic bombers have carried out since August over 70 patrol flights over the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic oceans, as well as the Black Sea, a senior Air Force official said on Tuesday.
• Press Conference by the President The White House 04 Dec 2007
• US Democratic Presidential Contenders Reject Bush View on Iran VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- The Democratic presidential contenders criticized President Bush Tuesday for his administration's approach toward Iran. The Democrats condemned Mr. Bush's assertion that nothing has changed regarding Iran despite a new U.S. intelligence assessment that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program back in 2003
• Bush Calls for Continued Pressure on Iran VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- President Bush says there will be no change in U.S. policy on Iran following the release of a new U.S. intelligence assessment of Tehran's nuclear capabilities and ambitions
• Ban Ki-moon: States must step up efforts to eliminate scourge of cluster munitions UN News Centre 04 Dec 2007 -- Ahead of an international meeting on cluster munitions, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today reiterated his appeal to Member States to eradicate the arms which cause "unacceptable harm to civilians."
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 04 Dec 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 04, 2007
• Northrop Grumman's KC-30 Tanker Team Will Create Jobs and Generate Economic Activity Approaching $40 Million Annually in Indiana Northrop Grumman 04 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) KC-30 Tanker team will generate economic activity approaching $40 million annually and create more than 570 direct and indirect jobs in Indiana if the KC-30 Tanker aircraft is selected by the U.S. Air Force.
• U.S. Army Awards General Dynamics $16 Million for Abrams Tank System Technical Support General Dynamics 04 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $16 million contract for Abrams Tank System Technical Support (STS).
• U.S. Army Awards Lockheed Martin $51.3 Million Contract for Bridge 3 M299 Launcher Lockheed Martin 04 Dec 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] received a $51.3 million U.S. Army contract to supply an additional 430 M299 helicopter-mounted missile launchers and 376 launcher electronic assemblies for U.S. and international forces.
• Northrop Grumman Corporation's LITENING Advanced Targeting System Achieves Operational Availability Milestone Northrop Grumman 04 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced that the LITENING Advanced Targeting (AT) has achieved more than two years of operational availability consistently above 95 percent among all U.S. customers. LITENING AT systems are currently deployed with the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, Maine Corps, Air Combat Command and coalition forces.
• Raytheon Successfully Tests New Air-Launched Missile Defense System Raytheon 04 Dec 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has successfully flight tested a key component of the Network Centric Airborne Defense Element missile defense system with the intercept of a test ballistic missile
• AFRL, Boeing Demonstrate That UAVs Can Perform Automated Aerial Refueling Boeing 04 Dec 2007 -- Can an unmanned air vehicle be made smart enough to autonomously rendezvous with a tanker aircraft and refuel? Based on recently concluded flight tests by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and Boeing [NYSE: BA], it can.

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 04 Dec 2007
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ON DECEMBER WORK PROGRAMME United Nations 04 Dec 2007
• US Secretary of State to Talk With African Leaders on Peace Prospects VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is set for talks Wednesday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, home of the African Union, to explore peace prospects in conflict zones from Sudan and Somalia to the Great Lakes region
• Turkish Troops Kill Six Kurdish Rebels Near Border With Iraq VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- The Turkish army says its soldiers killed six Kurdish rebels during a clash near the border with Iraq.
• Israeli airstrike kills 3 Palestinian militants in central Gaza RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- An Israeli airstrike killed at least three Hamas fighters in an attack on one of the Islamists' positions in Gaza's coastal town of Deir el-Balah, local television reported on Tuesday.
• Israeli Air Strike Kills 3 Hamas Militants in Gaza VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- An Israeli air strike on a Hamas position in the Gaza Strip has killed three Palestinian militants.
• Darfur: UN envoy heads to Sudan for talks with all sides to conflict UN News Centre 04 Dec 2007 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for Darfur heads to Sudan tomorrow for talks with all sides to the four-year conflict as the UN and the African Union continue their joint mediation efforts to expedite preparations for direct negotiations between the Sudanese Government and rebel movements.
• Sudan to dominate Security Council's intensive December schedule - President UN News Centre 04 Dec 2007 -- With just weeks remaining before the hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force is due to take over from the existing AU operation in Darfur, the situation in Sudan is set to dominate the Security Council's programme for December, its President for the month said today.
• US, French Units Move to Prevent Violence in Kosovo VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- The commander of NATO forces says U.S. and French units have been moved to a key outpost in Kosovo to help prevent violence in what he calls the "most volatile" region the alliance is dealing with
• Kosovo: Moscow Tries To Steer Kosovo Decision Toward Security Council RFE/RL 04 Dec 2007 -- Russia has launched a late-hour appeal to place the fate of Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo in the hands of the UN Security Council, in an apparent bid to forestall a quick declaration of independence from Prishtina followed by recognition from foreign governments.
• Serbia drafts action plan if Kosovo proclaims independence RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- The Serbian Foreign Ministry has submitted to the country's government an action plan if Albanian authorities declare unilateral independence for Kosovo, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said on Tuesday.
• Somali President Hospitalized VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- Somalia President Abdullahi Yusuf has been admitted to a hospital in Nairobi
• SOMALIA: Civilians caught in the crossfire - UN humanitarian chief IRIN 04 Dec 2007 -- Despite ongoing relief efforts, humanitarian agencies have yet to meet the needs of many internally displaced persons (IDPS) in Somalia, especially those who remain inaccessible, John Holmes, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said.
• Fighting Forces UN to Halt Aid Delivery in Congo VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- Fighting between forces loyal to dissident General Laurent Nkunda and the Congolese Army has forced the U.N. World Food program to suspend the delivery of food aid to between 250,000 and 300,000 vulnerable people. Noel King has more in this report from Kigali.
• DRC: Fighting interrupts food aid to 300,000 in the east IRIN 04 Dec 2007 -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has suspended the delivery of food aid to as many as 300,000 vulnerable people because of renewed fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, officials said.
• Secretary-General calls for six-month extension of UN force in Golan Heights UN News Centre 04 Dec 2007 -- The situation in the Golan Heights has been "generally quiet" recently, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report, which warns that the overall region remains tense and a United Nations force observing the ceasefire between Israel and Syria should stay on for another six months.
• Government Troops Battle Rebels in Eastern Chad VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- The Chadian army says it engaged in heavy fighting with rebels Tuesday near the country's eastern border with Sudan.
• Darfur Mediators Meet With Sudan's Neighbors in Egypt VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- Representatives from Sudan's neighbors met with international mediators in Egypt to discuss the conflict in the Darfur region of Western Sudan
• KENYA-SUDAN: Clashes halt refugee returns to Jonglei state IRIN 04 Dec 2007 -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has temporarily halted the repatriation of Sudanese refugees to Jonglei state in the south where recent clashes have left 34 dead.
• BURUNDI-TANZANIA: Thousands of refugees still awaiting repatriation IRIN 04 Dec 2007 -- At least 120,000 Burundian refugees have still to be repatriated from Tanzania, despite plans by the host government to close all refugee camps by mid-2008, officials said.

News Reports

• Bush: Venezuela's Chavez Defeat a 'Vote for Democracy' VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- President Bush says the people of Venezuela cast a vote for democracy when they rejected changes in their constitution proposed by President Hugo Chavez
• Myanmar releases over 8,500 prisoners as compromise gesture RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- Myanmar has granted amnesty to 8,552 prisoners as a gesture of cooperation with the United Nations and to mark progress on writing a new constitution, state media announced.
• Commission Calls for Full Accounting by Burma's Military VOA 04 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has called on the world to demand that the Burmese military government end its crackdown on dissidents, including Buddhist monks, in the wake of nationwide democracy demonstrations more than two months ago
• Musharraf to meet opposition demands or face poll boycott RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- ISLAMABAD, December 4 (RIA Novosti) - Media said on Tuesday opposition leaders are threatening to boycott upcoming parliamentary elections due January 8, if President Pervez Musharraf does not meet their demands.
• Election watchdog says Russia violated media freedom at polls RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Tuesday that Russia had failed to meet press freedom commitments during the recent parliamentary election campaign.
• Russia dismisses observers' criticism of parliamentary elections RIA Novosti 04 Dec 2007 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry has dismissed as ungrounded a statement by top international observers that the country's parliamentary elections failed to meet European standards.
• Thales Alenia Space, a key contributor to the European laboratory Columbus and the ISS Thales 04 Dec 2007 -- ESA's Columbus laboratory, developed with Thales Alenia Space as main contributor will be launched on December 6, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida (USA) on-board the Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station (ISS).