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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 10 Dec 2007 [PDF]
• Task Force Iron Soldiers attacked (Salah ad Din Province)
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Gaskin from Iraq 10 Dec 2007 -- Presenter: Commanding General, U.S. Marine Corps, Multinational Force West, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin
• Dec. 9 airpower summary: F-16s destroy weapons cache AFPN 10 Dec 2007
• Forces Capture Numerous Terrorist Suspects in Iraq AFPS 10 Dec 2007 -- Coalition forces captured several wanted individuals and dozens of additional suspects during operations over the past several days targeting al Qaeda networks throughout Iraq.
• Task Force XII hands control to Task Force 49, begins new mission MNF-I 10 Dec 2007 -- Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Task Force XII officially transferred command of Multi-National Corps - Iraq's key aviation asset to Task Force 49 during a Transfer of Authority ceremony at Logistics Support Area Anaconda Dec. 3.
• Troops Kill Militants, Detain 10 in Afghanistan Operation AFPS 10 Dec 2007 -- Afghan and coalition forces yesterday targeted insurgent networks in Afghanistan's Helmand province, killing several militants and detaining 10 others
• Coalition Forces Break Ground on Future Afghan Development AFPS 10 Dec 2007 -- Commanders of two coalition task forces met with Afghan government officials yesterday to discuss rebuilding infrastructure and developing health care in the country's Parwan province.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for November 2007 10 Dec 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics for the active and Reserve components for the month of November.
• Active, Reserve Components Meet November Recruiting Goals AFPS 10 Dec 2007 -- All military components met their recruiting goals in November, Defense Department officials said here yesterday.
• NASSG Completes First Phase of COMPTUEX Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- The Nassau Strike Group (NASSG) wrapped up the first phase of its Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) on Dec. 7, allowing the strike group to begin preparations on the second, and final, phase of training.
• NASSG Tests Medical Readiness During COMPTUEX Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- As the Nassau Strike Group continues its Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX), the medical team from the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA 4) and personnel from Fleet Surgical Team (FST) 2 participated in mass casualty drills Dec. 5-6 to better prepare themselves for real-life situations.
• Tarawa Completes Military Element of Humanitarian Operations in Bangladesh Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- The amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1), as well as elements of Amphibious Squadron 1 and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Special Operations Capable (SOC) completed the military support element of ongoing disaster relief operations in Bangladesh on Dec. 7.
• NAVSTA Great Lakes Opens 'Green' Drill Hall on RTC Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- Leaders from Naval Station Great Lakes, Recruit Training Command (RTC) and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Midwest celebrated the official opening of a new, energy-efficient drill hall for recruits here Dec. 6 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
• Tarawa's Medical Teams Give Aid To Residents Affected By Tropical Cyclone Sidr Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- Two Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group medical teams provided aid to over 300 Bangladesh residents Dec. 5 who are still recovering from Tropical Cyclone Sidr.
• Western Hemisphere Leaders Address MDA Cooperation Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- Key military and naval leaders from both North and South America gathered in Santiago, on Dec. 5-7, to discuss common hemispheric interests in the realm of maritime domain surveillance, information sharing, and cooperative decision making in the first Western Hemisphere Maritime Domain Awareness Workshop.
• VAW-120 NFOs Earn Their Wings of Gold Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- Eight members of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 120 received their coveted wings of gold during a ceremony held at Breezy Point Officer's Club on Naval Station Norfolk, Nov. 30.
• CNO Holiday Message to the Fleet Navy NewsStand 10 Dec 2007 -- The Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead has released the following holiday message to the fleet
• F-15s undergo extensive technical inspections AFPN 10 Dec 2007 -- Air Force maintainers are now performing methodical and time-intensive inspections on all F-15 Eagles, models A, B, C and D, in response to the Dec. 3 stand-down order.
• Commander retires after 38 years of service AFPN 10 Dec 2007 -- With one last review of a formation of Ramstein's finest Airmen, and along with it, one last coin challenge, Gen. William T. Hobbins, commander of United States Air Forces in Europe, was retired at a ceremony here Dec. 10 after more than 38 years of service.
• Military Officials Urge Accession to Law of Sea Treaty AFPS 10 Dec 2007 -- Ahead of an anticipated Senate vote to ratify the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, two military officials today encouraged the congressional chamber to accede to the treaty that will guarantee aspects of vital passage and overflight.
• U.S. Soldiers Training with Russian Troops in 'Torgau' Army News 07 Dec 2007 -- U.S. and Russian soldiers are training together this week in an exercise named "Torgau" in remembrance of the place where the two armies first met in Germany during World War II.
• Trends Must be Reversed to Stop Terrorist Recruiting Army News 07 Dec 2007 -- Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey said more than 1,100 terrorists groups are operating around the world and listed a number of global trends that need to be reversed if America is to prevail in conflicts of the 21st Century.
• 3-D imaging research could aid military planning AFPN 10 Dec 2007 -- Air Force Office of Scientific Research-funded scientists are currently developing unique, updateable holographic 3-D displays that can be used in military applications.
• Vandenberg officals successfully launch Delta II rocket AFPN 10 Dec 2007 -- Officals at Vandenberg Air Force Base successfully launched a Delta II rocket Dec. 8 at 6:31 p.m. The rocket took off from Space Launch Complex-2 carrying the Thales Alenia-Space COSMO-SkyMed 2 Satellite.
• Russia's integrated radar network to be ready by 2010 RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- Russia will complete by 2010 the development of a dual-purpose integrated automated radar system, which will eventually become a global air and space surveillance network, a senior Air Force official said on Monday.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 10 Dec 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 10, 2007
• U.S. NAVY "GREEN LIGHT" SENDS LOCKHEED MARTIN OPEN ARCHITECTURE AEGIS WEAPON SYSTEM TO FIRST SHIP ON SCHEDULE Lockheed Martin 10 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. Navy has given its final approval for Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] to proceed with the integration and shipboard installation of the world's first, fully-open architecture Aegis weapon system for a major surface warship
• Gaddafi goes shopping for arms in France RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi started a five-day official visit to France on Monday, a spokesman for the Elysee Palace said.
• Northrop Grumman to Help Air Force Develop, Demonstrate Technologies for Reusable Launch Vehicles Northrop Grumman 10 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) will help the U.S. Air Force develop and demonstrate technologies critical to a future "aircraft-like" reusable launch vehicle under a contract awarded Dec. 4 by the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Dayton, Ohio.
• Russia in talks with India on contracts for military helicopters RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- State-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport is negotiating with India over deliveries of Russia's Mi-17 multirole military helicopters, the general director of the Moscow Mil helicopter plant said on Monday.
• Boeing Installs High-Energy Laser on Laser Gunship Aircraft Boeing 10 Dec 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has installed a high-energy chemical laser aboard a C-130H aircraft, achieving a key milestone for the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program.
• EADS MTA successfully performs first in-flight contact of its Air Refuelling Boom System using a combat aircraft receiver. EADS 10 Dec 2007 -- The first in-flight contact of the EADS MTA Air Refuelling Boom System (ARBS) has successfully been performed using an F-16 combat aircraft.
• Northrop Grumman Unveils New Missions, Advanced Technology Weapons for Bombers During Virtual War Games Northrop Grumman 10 Dec 2007 -- Next generation bombers equipped with a high-energy-laser-based defensive system and other advanced weapons could perform a variety of new interdiction, strike and special forces missions according to a new virtual bomber concept unveiled recently by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC).
• Northrop Grumman KC-30 Tanker Aerial Refueling Boom System Successfully Completes In-Flight Contact With An F-16 Receiver Aircraft Northrop Grumman 10 Dec 2007 -- The Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) KC-30 Tanker Aerial Refueling Boom System (ARBS) performed its first in-flight contacts with a receiver aircraft, marking the successful completion of a key program milestone and underscoring the company's low-risk approach for quickly replacing the U.S. Air Force's KC-135 tanker fleet.
• U.S. Army Selects Northrop Grumman Team for Battlefield Logistics System Worth $600 Million Northrop Grumman 10 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a cornerstone U.S. Army logistics program that will help ensure soldiers receive the right equipment and repair parts at the right time.

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 10 Dec 2007
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY OUTGOING PROSECUTOR CARLA DEL PONTE ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA United Nations 10 Dec 2007
• Departing prosecutor at UN tribunal laments Serbia's failure to arrest suspects UN News Centre 10 Dec 2007 -- Serbia continues to do nothing to arrest the two most notorious suspects from the 1990s Balkan wars, the outgoing Prosecutor of the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said today, declaring that her previous optimism that Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadžic might soon be in custody "has waned considerably."
• Three Serbs temporarily released from jail by UN war crimes tribunal UN News Centre 10 Dec 2007 -- Three men facing trial at the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the worst crimes of the Balkan wars of the 1990s have been granted temporary release from jail and allowed to return to Serbia while the court is on its annual winter recess.
• Kosovo: Talks End, But Uncertainty Remains RFE/RL 10 Dec 2007 -- It doesn't take long on the streets of Kosovo to see what international mediators have spent the past 120 days determining -- most ethnic Albanians and Serbs who live here are resigned to the inevitability of change. Specifically, to resolving nearly a decade of deadlock.
• Future Kosovo PM tells Serbs 'Don't Fear Independence' VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- Kosovo's incoming Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has urged the province's minority Serbs not to be afraid of independence that the ethnic-Albanian majority wants to declare soon.
• UN Kosovo deadline set to expire as tensions grow RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- The UN deadline for an agreement on the future status of Kosovo is to run out on Monday, with the Albanian-dominated province preparing to declare independence and Russia warning of a "chain reaction."
• NIGER: Humanitarian access cut to north IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- Indiscriminately laid landmines, a sceptical government and a rebel group that has attacked aid workers are obstacles that will have to be overcome before relief efforts can start for an estimated 20,000 people affected by flooding and fighting in the country's remote north.
• GLOBAL: Climate change - heating up conflict IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- Increasing pressure caused by climate change on essential resources like water could not only trigger domestic conflicts but also have a destabilising effect globally, warn UN officials.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Ex-rebels impose night-driving ban as attacks persist IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- The head of the ex-rebel group 'Forces Nouvelles' in northwestern Côte d'Ivoire has banned driving after 6pm as a measure "to fully ensure" people's security in the region, where often-deadly road attacks have become an almost daily occurrence.
• GLOBAL: UN seeks $3.8 billion for crises-hit communities IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- The UN has launched a US$3.8-billion appeal to provide emergency aid to 25 million people next year as they struggle to survive conflict, climate-related disasters and other humanitarian crises.
• Migiro holds talks with leaders of three troubled African countries UN News Centre 10 Dec 2007 -- Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro has held talks with the leaders of three African countries facing enormous political, economic and social challenges - Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia - during her visit to Lisbon, Portugal, this weekend to attend the African Union-European Union summit.
• Preventive diplomacy essential, Ban Ki-moon tells launch of UN regional centre UN News Centre 10 Dec 2007 -- Preventive diplomacy is not an option but a necessity, given the gravity of so many situations worldwide, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, launching the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia.
• Secretary-General laments lack of progress on implementing Cyprus agreement UN News Centre 10 Dec 2007 -- The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot sides have made no progress in the past six months in implementing the July 2006 agreement aimed at establishing the framework for a political process so that full-fledged negotiations on solving the Cyprus problem can begin, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says.
• SUDAN: Water shortage fears in Darfur camps IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- Long queues of women and children at water distribution points are a frequent sight in the Abou Shouk displaced persons camp of North Darfur.
• YEMEN: WFP to extend food aid programme in Saada region IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- The UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen has said it will extend its food aid for displaced and insurgency-affected people in Saada Province in northern Yemen until March 2008.
• Hamas asks U.S. for dialogue in open letter RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- An Hamas official has urged the U.S. to enter into dialogue with the Palestinian Islamist group, which currently controls the Gaza Strip, the Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.
• Rotation of Russian peacekeepers over in Abkhazia RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- A planned rotation of Russian peacekeepers' units in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone is over, an aide to the CIS joint peacekeeping forces commander said Monday.

News Reports

• Russia: Putin Picks His Heir RFE/RL 10 Dec 2007 -- Vladimir Putin has made his choice. The Russian president has ended months of speculation by endorsing First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as his chosen successor.
• Putin Declares Medvedev His Preferred Successor RFE/RL 10 Dec 2007 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has again proved his mastery of the unexpected political move with his announcement that First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is his preferred successor.
• Putin's backing of 'strong' candidate surprises European experts RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- Italian and German political analysts said they were surprised by Vladimir Putin's backing of a 'strong' presidential candidate, rather than a loyal supporter who would let him keep the reins of power.
• Russia calls OSCE letter on parliamentary polls 'propaganda' RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Monday a recent letter sent by the OSCE to the foreign minister was part of a Western propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting Russia's parliamentary election.
• Russian 'bear' who loves Black Sabbath set to succeed Putin RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- The man backed by Vladimir Putin for next year's presidential election is a heavy-metal loving 42-year-old whose surname comes from the Russian word for 'bear'.
• Russia's integrated radar network to be ready by 2010 RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- Russia will complete by 2010 the development of a dual-purpose integrated automated radar system, which will eventually become a global air and space surveillance network, a senior Air Force official said on Monday.
• Putin backs First Deputy PM Medvedev for president RIA Novosti 10 Dec 2007 -- First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's candidature for Russian president was backed by Vladimir Putin on Monday.
• Putin Supports Medvedev for President VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin is expressing support for the nomination of First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev to be his successor in the Kremlin
• Sharif's Party Decides to Participate in Pakistan Elections VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- Campaigning for January elections has begun following the decision by the political party of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to participate
• Libyan Leader's Visit to France Brings Storm of Protest VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi arrives in Paris Monday for a five-day visit that has already generated a storm of protest from those who have not forgotten Libya's reputation as a supporter of terrorism
• Libya's Qadhafi Signs Deals on Controversial Trip to France VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- France and Libya Monday signed contracts worth billions of dollars during the first day of a controversial visit to Paris by Libyan leader Moammar Qadhafi
• UN Secretary-General Says World Running Out of Patience With Burma's Generals VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the international community is running out of patience with Burma's repressive military government
• International community's patience with Myanmar 'running out' - Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 10 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Myanmar's authorities to step up their efforts towards democratization and the full respect of human rights, noting that the international community's patience with the troubled South-East Asian nation is wearing thin.
• UGANDA: Ebola death toll up to 28 IRIN 10 Dec 2007 -- The death toll in the Ebola outbreak in western Uganda has risen to 28 out of 112 people infected with the deadly virus, with a sense of fear spreading among the population, officials said.
• Doctors: Ebola Outbreak Appears to be Contained in Uganda VOA 10 Dec 2007 -- Health officials in Uganda say laboratory tests have shown that an outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in the western part of the country has not spread to the east, as officials had feared
• COSMO-SkyMed 2 satellite successfully launched from Vandenberg US base Thales 10 Dec 2007 -- At 18.30 PST/Pacific Standard Time (03.30 Paris time on December 9th), the second satellite of the COSMO-SkyMed constellation, designed and manufactured by Thales Alenia Space as prime contractor, was launched from the US Air Force base at Vandenberg (California) by a Delta II rocket.