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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Dec 2007 [PDF]
• Transcript: DoD Press Briefing with DoD Press Secretary Geoff Morrell from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington Va. 12 Dec 2007 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell
• Dec. 11 airpower summary: C-17s are force multiplier AFPN 12 Dec 2007
• Coalition, Iraqi Troops Kill 14, Detain 13 Insurgents AFPS 12 Dec 2007 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed 14 terrorists and detained 13 suspected insurgents during operations targeting al Qaeda networks in Iraq today and yesterday.
• 4th Infantry Division Soldiers Moving Into Iraq AFPS 12 Dec 2007 -- The 4th Infantry Division began deploying to Kuwait in early November for final preparations before taking over as the headquarters element of Multinational Division Baghdad.
• Gates: Lack of Supplemental Funds Would Hurt Afghan Mission AFPS 12 Dec 2007 -- A lack of supplemental war funding from Congress would affect U.S. training efforts for Afghan soldiers and police, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told federal legislators at a Capitol Hill hearing yesterday.
• Gates Plans Scotland Trip to Discuss Afghanistan With Allies AFPS 12 Dec 2007 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will travel to Edinburgh, Scotland, for meetings with allies with troops in southern Afghanistan, defense officials said here today.
• Afghan, NATO Forces Kill More than 50 Taliban in South VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- Afghanistan's Defense Ministry says Afghan and NATO forces have killed more than 50 Taliban fighters after they fled from the southern Afghan town of Musa Qala

Defense Policy / Programs

• Letter to The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and The United States House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 12 Dec 2007 -- "As retired military leaders of the U.S. Armed Forces, we write to express our strong support for Section 327 of the Conference Report on the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, H.R. 2082. Section 327 would require intelligence agents of the U.S. government to adhere to the standards of prisoner treatment and interrogation contained in the U.S. Army Field Manual on Human Collector Operations (the Army Field Manual). "

• Navy Commissions Amphibious Transport Dock Ship Mesa Verde 12 Dec 2007 -- The Navy will commission the newest San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship Mesa Verde during an 11 a.m. EST ceremony Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, in Panama City, Fla.
• DoD Releases 2008 Basic Allowance for Housing Rates 12 Dec 2007 -- The Department of Defense released the 2008 basic allowance for housing (BAH) rates today.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with William Anderson at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 12 Dec 2007 -- Presenter: Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Logistics William Anderson
• Golden Nori Vessel Released Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- Dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) is in the Gulf of Aden standing by to provide assistance to the crew of the Merchant Vessel Golden Nori.
• CJTF-HOA Teams Up With AFRICOM, EUCOM, MARFOREUR in Africa Endeavor 2008 Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- Four Sailors and two Marines from Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) shared their technical expertise with representatives from more than 20 countries, assisting Africa Command, US European Command and U.S. Marine Forces Europe with Africa Endeavor (AE), Dec. 3-7.
• USS Sampson Arrives in San Diego Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Sampson (DDG 102) arrived at Naval Base San Diego Dec. 7, after completing several exercises following her commission in Boston Nov. 3.
• SEAL Team 7 Holds Change of Command Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- Cmdr. Gary J. Richard relieved Cmdr. Todd L. Tinsley as Commanding Officer of Sea Air Land (SEAL) Team 7 during a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, Dec. 11.
• USS McCampbell Serves as Flag Ship for SHAREM Exercise Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- Sailors aboard the guided missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) successfully completed the Ship Anti-submarine Warfare Readiness and Evaluation Measurement (SHAREM) 155 exercise, a bilateral exercise with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), which took place Nov. 30 to Dec. 4.
• F-22s at Langley receive FOC status AFPN 12 Dec 2007 -- F-22 Raptors here reached full operational capability Dec. 12, said Gen. John D.W. Corley, the commander of Air Combat Command.
• Congressional Report Confirms Furlough Predictions AFPS 12 Dec 2007 -- A Congressional Research Service report confirms the Defense Department estimate for when the Army and Marine Corps will run out money and be forced to furlough civilians and shutter bases.
• Army Looks at Long-Term Need for Mine-Resistant Vehicles AFPS 12 Dec 2007 -- The Army has not made a formal proposal to cut the number of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles the service will buy, but officials are looking at the service's long-term need, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said today.
• Walter Reed Commander Promoted to Surgeon General Amry News 12 Dec 2007 -- Both officers and enlisted from the Army's Washington-area medical community gathered Tuesday at the Pentagon for the promotion ceremony of Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, who assumed the position of surgeon general of the Army at the same time.
• Assistant secretary: FM is enabler for programs AFPN 12 Dec 2007 -- In providing security for warfighters and protecting national interests, the Air Force is often the first on scene and the last to leave and that requires enormous funding, said one of the Air Force's top financial officials Dec. 3 here.
• Warfighting integration, cyberspace expands Air Force's reach AFPN 12 Dec 2007 -- Shortening the "kill chain" and enabling commanders to make well-informed decisions are a priority for the Air Force, said the chief of warfighting integration at the recent Air Force Information Technology Day here.
• Naval Special Warfare Boat Team Completes MCADS Drop Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) and parachute riggers from Special Boat Team (SBT) 20, stationed at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Va., completed another successful Maritime Craft Aerial Delivery System (MCADS) drop Dec. 5.
• SSGN Conversion Program Received David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2007 -- The Guided Missile Submarine (SSGN) Program Office received the prestigious David Packard Excellence in Acquisition Award during a Nov. 7 ceremony at the Fort Belvoir Officers Club in Fairfax County, Va.
• Detainee Transfer Announced 12 Dec 2007 -- The Department of Defense announced today the transfer of fifteen detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• UN Expert Says Guantanamo Suspects Denied Fair Trial VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- A U.N. human rights investigator says terror suspects held in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp are unable to get a fair trial before the military court set up for so-called enemy combatants
• Russia no longer bound by CFE treaty RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2007 -- Russia's unilateral moratorium on a major arms reductions treaty in Europe came into force immediately after midnight on Wednesday.
• Russia Suspends Participation In CFE Treaty RFE/RL 12 Dec 2007 -- Russia has suspended its participation in a key arms-control pact, the Treaty on Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE).
• Russian, U.S. officials to discuss missile defense in Budapest RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2007 -- High-ranking diplomats from Russia and the United States will meet in Budapest on Thursday to discuss an ongoing missile defense dispute, a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Dec 2007
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 12 Dec 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 12, 2007
• U.S. AIR FORCE ANNOUNCES F-22 RAPTOR READY FOR OPERATIONS WORLD-WIDE Lockheed Martin 12 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. Air Force declared Full Operational Capability (FOC) for Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] F-22 Raptor today, marking another historic occasion for the world's only 5th generation fighter in production. Gen. John Corley, Air Combat Command Commander (ACC), made the announcement from Langley Air Force Base, Va., home of ACC headquarters and the 1st Fighter Wing, the first unit to fly the F-22 operationally.
• U.S. Army/Navy Signs 5-Year Production Contract for UH-60 Helicopters Sikorsky 12 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. Government and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. today signed a five-year, multi-service contract for 537 H-60 HAWKT helicopters to be delivered to the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy. Sikorsky is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX) company.
• BAE Systems Dedicates New Facility for F-22 and F-35 Production BAE Systems 12 Dec 2007 -- BAE Systems opened a new 30,000-square-foot facility at its South Nashua, New Hampshire, location for production work on the F-22A Raptor and F-35 Lightning II electronic warfare programs
• Northrop Grumman to Supply Integrated Navigation and Bridge System for UK's New Aircraft Carriers Northrop Grumman 12 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected to provide a new-generation integrated navigation and bridge system (INBS) for the UK Ministry of Defence's (MOD) Future Aircraft Carrier (CVF) project.
• Russia delivers 2 Mi-171Sh combat helicopters to Croatia RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2007 -- Russia has delivered to Croatia two Mi-171Sh combat and transport helicopters, a representative of Russia's State-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Wednesday.
• Boeing-led Poseidon Team Begins Production of First P-8A Fuselage Boeing 12 Dec 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and its Poseidon industry team yesterday celebrated the start of P-8A fuselage production at Spirit AeroSystems' Wichita, Kan., facility.
• Boeing Completes First Mission System Test Flight of Peace Eagle Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft Boeing 12 Dec 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has conducted a successful first mission system flight test of a 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft for Turkey's Peace Eagle program.
• EADS Defence & Security delivers system demonstrator for Joint ISR to the Bundeswehr EADS 12 Dec 2007 -- EADS Defence & Security (DS) has received an order from the Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) to develop a system demonstrator for joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance network (Joint ISR).
• L-3 Teams with The Boeing Company for T-45 Competition L-3 Communications 12 Dec 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that it has signed a teaming agreement with The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) to provide Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) for 189 U.S. Navy Boeing-built T-45 Training System (T-45TS) aircraft from fiscal year 2009 through 2013.
• Northrop Grumman Develops World's Fastest Transistor to Support Military's Need for Higher Frequency and Bandwidth Northrop Grumman 12 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has set a new world record for transistor speed with an ultra-fast device that will provide much higher frequency and bandwidth capabilities for future military communications, radar and intelligence applications.
• Northrop Grumman to Respond to Missile Defense Agency GMD Follow-on Effort Request for Information Northrop Grumman 12 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) announced today it will respond to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Request for Information (RFI) for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Segment Follow-on Effort.
• GE to Supply Avio with LM2500+G4 for Third FREMM Vessel GE Marine 12 Dec 2007 -- GE Marine reports that it will supply Avio, Torino, Italy, with a third GE LM2500+G4 aeroderivative gas turbine for the European Multi-Mission Frigates (FREMM) program. The engine will be the basis for the COmbined Diesel And Gas turbine (CODAG) propulsion module that will power the French Navy's second FREMM ship.
• Israel Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy: "Israel Aerospace Industries has a Vital Contribution to the Strength of the Israel Air Force and the Security of the State of Israel" Israel Aerospace Industries 12 Dec 2007 -- "Israel Aerospace Industries has a vital contribution to the strength of the Israel Air Force and for the security of the State of Israel," said Major General Eliezer Shkedy, Commander of the Israel Air Force (IAF) at a recent visit to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) facilities.
• Rafael Upgrades the German Tornado with its Litening Navigation and Targeting Pod in a Contract Worth $25M Rafael 12 Dec 2007 -- Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. will provide the German Air Force with Litening navigation and targeting pods for its Tornado and Eurofighters. The $25M deal is a follow-up to the German's previous order for a similar amount.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Dec 2007
• Darfur: UN envoy vows to build momentum in peace process UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- The United Nations Special Envoy for the Darfur peace process says UN and African Union mediators will try to speed up the momentum of the talks in the next few weeks so that direct negotiations can take place between the Sudanese Government and the war-wracked region's many rebel movements.
• Southern Ministers Set to Rejoin Sudan Government VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- Southern Sudan's main political party has said its ministers will rejoin a national unity government
• UN Rebukes Sudan Over Human Rights Abuses in Darfur VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- A group of UN experts has criticized the government of Sudan for failing to implement most of the recommendations made by special investigators to the conflict-racked Darfur region
• General who led siege of Sarajevo jailed for 33 years by UN war crimes tribunal UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- A former Bosnian Serb army general who commanded much of the prolonged siege of Sarajevo has been sentenced to 33 years in prison by the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the worst crimes committed during the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
• KENYA: "Revenge attacks and rumours" fuelling hostilities in Molo IRIN 12 Dec 2007 -- Revenge attacks, rumours, inaccurate media reports and provocative public statements by politicians have fuelled hostilities in Kenya's New Molo district, where clashes have displaced thousands of people and caused dozens of deaths, according to a government official.
• 17 LTTE militants killed, rebels claim 26 soldiers dead in Lanka IRNA 12 Dec 2007 -- Heavy gun battles between Sri Lankan security forces and LTTE militants on Wednesday left at least 17 Tamil Tigers dead, while rebels claimed they killed over two dozen soldiers in island nation's embattled north.
• Security Council calls for national dialogue in Central African Republic UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- Concerned about ongoing insecurity in the Central African Republic (CAR), the Security Council today urged the Government to redouble its efforts to address the country's ongoing challenges, and to hold a national dialogue with all actors without delay.
• Upsurge in violent clashes in eastern DR Congo alarms Secretary-General UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that he was deeply concerned by the intense fighting engulfing North Kivu province in the far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), especially its impact on local civilians, many of whom have been forced to flee to escape the renewed violence.
• UN Peacebuilding Commission to begin assisting Guinea-Bissau UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- Guinea-Bissau will become the third country on the agenda of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), the United Nations advisory body set up to help countries emerging from conflict avoid sliding back into war or chaos, after the Security Council backed a request from the Government of the West African country.
• UN envoy to begin talks on northern Uganda peace process UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- The United Nations envoy for the peace process between the Ugandan Government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has arrived in Kampala to begin a series of discussions aimed at resolving the rebel group's long-running conflict with national forces in the northern part of the country.
• Sierra Leone, UN Peacebuilding Commission agree on cooperation framework UN News Centre 12 Dec 2007 -- The Peacebuilding Commission and the Sierra Leonean Government today adopted a cooperation framework that will guide the work of the United Nations advisory body - set up last year to help countries emerging from conflict avert a slide back to war - in the impoverished West African nation over the next three years.
• BURUNDI: Boost for returnees IRIN 12 Dec 2007 -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) are to run a joint programme to improve the reintegration conditions for returnees, a UNHCR official in Bujumbura said.
• Israeli-Palestinian Meeting Ends in Acrimony VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- The first formal meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators since last month's Annapolis, Maryland peace conference acrimony Wednesday, with both sides accusing each other acting in bad faith on a host of issues

News Reports

• US Condemns Assassination of Lebanese General VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- The United States Wednesday joined other countries in condemning the Beirut car bomb assassination of Lebanese Brigadier General Francois al-Hajj, who was set to have become the country's army chief
• Lebanese army general killed in Beirut car bomb RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2007 -- A Lebanese army general, widely-predicted to become the country's chief of staff after next week's presidential elections, has been killed in a car bomb in the capital Beirut.
• Explosion Kills Top Lebanese Army Commander VOA 12 Dec 2007 -- A top commander in the Lebanese Army was killed in an explosion targeting his vehicle, outside Beirut, this morning