• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 17 Dec 2007 [PDF]
• MNC-I Soldier dies from non-combat related injury (Camp Taji)
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 17 Dec 2007 -- Presenter: Commanding General Multinational Division, Baghdad and 1st Cavalry Division, Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil
• Dec. 16 airpower summary: F-16s support OIF AFPN 17 Dec 2007
• Predator crashes in Iraq AFPN 17 Dec 2007 -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces officials announced an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle crashed at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time Dec. 17 near Al Muqdadiya in Iraq.
• Balad aerial port bests cargo movement record AFPN 17 Dec 2007 -- The 332nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Aerial Port Flight broke the single-day cargo-movement record here Dec. 6.
• Coalition Troops Kill Six, Seize 29 Suspected Terrorists in Iraq AFPS 17 Dec 2007 -- Coalition forces killed six suspected terrorists, detained 29 others and destroyed five weapons caches in Iraq over the past five days, military officials said.
• Success in Iraq, Afghanistan Critical to Military Way Ahead, Mullen Says AFPS 17 Dec 2007 -- Three months after taking the helm of a military that has been at war for six years, Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen said U.S. troops are performing "magnificently," but added that he is concerned about stress on ground forces.
• Troops Detain Two, Nab Weapons, Aid Attack Victims in Afghanistan AFPS 17 Dec 2007 -- Afghan and coalition troops detained two suspected Taliban members, seized weapons caches, and administered vital medical treatment to bombing victims in Afghanistan over the past week, military officials said.
• Army Chief of Staff Reviews Afghan Police Training Army News 17 Dec 2007 -- Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey visited a police mentoring team for the Afghan National Police today at a forward operating base near Kandahar, Afghanistan.
• US General says Afghanistan Progressing Despite Resurgent Taliban VOA 17 Dec 2007 -- A top American general has said Afghanistan's security is improving, despite a resurgent Taliban and increased violence in the country
• Australia Warns of NATO Failure in Afghanistan VOA 17 Dec 2007 -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has warned that NATO's anti-Taliban tactics in Afghanistan are not working
• AFGHANISTAN: Humanitarian space must be regained - UNAMA IRIN 17 Dec 2007 -- UN agencies and international humanitarian organisations in Afghanistan face "much tighter security restrictions" than before while the needs of Afghan people have "risen", a senior UN official in Kabul said on 17 December.

Defense Policy / Programs

• On-going Fatigue Study Leads Navy to Ground Some P-3Cs Navy NewsStand 17 Dec 2007 -- The Naval Air Systems Command issued an Air Frame Bulletin Dec. 17 announcing the grounding of 39 P-3C Orion aircraft due to structural fatigue concerns.
• Army tests carbines for the third time in extreme dust Army News Release 17 Dec 2007 -- Recently Army testing laboratories at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, subjected the M4 carbine and three other weapons to a severe environmental test called the "Carbine Extreme Dust Test."
• Defense Travel System Maintains Customer Focus as Rollout Continues AFPS 17 Dec 2007 -- Halfway through the full rollout of the Defense Travel System, officials say it's accomplishing exactly what it set out to do: streamlining the travel process while improving service to travelers.
• Former commander visits CJTF-HOA, gives insight into future Navy NewsStand 17 Dec 2007 -- A former commander of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa returned to Camp Lemonier Dec. 14 to visit Marines and talk to them about their mission and the direction of the Corps and the task force in the Global War on Terror.
• Mesa Verde Commissioned Newest Navy Ship Navy NewsStand 17 Dec 2007 -- More than 300 Sailors and a platoon of Marines manned the rails of USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19), the newest San Antonio class ship, bringing her to life during the commissioning ceremony held at Port Panama City, Fla., Dec. 15.
• Bush Vows Support for Wounded Troops, Addresses Iran Threat AFPS 17 Dec 2007 -- America's wounded troops are getting the best medical care possible, and the country is committed to ensuring the bureaucratic system serves them equally well, President Bush said today in Fredericksburg, Va.
• Japan/U.S. Missile Defense Flight Test Successful MDA 17 Dec 2007 -- Rear Admiral Katsutoshi Kawano, of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and Lt. General Henry "Trey" Obering III, Director of the United States Missile Defense Agency, announced today the successful completion of the cooperative Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) intercept flight test, off the coast of Kauai in Hawaii
• U.S. ban forces Japan to modernize F-15 fighters RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2007 -- Japan will be unable to purchases state-of-the-art U.S. fighter aircraft before 2010, and will prioritize instead the upgrading of the Air Force's 40 F-15 Eagle jets, a Defense Ministry source said on Monday.
• Russia to double ICBM launches after 2009 - commander RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2007 -- Russia will double its test launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles after 2009, the Strategic Missiles Forces (SMF) commander said on Monday.
• Russian nuclear submarine test-fires ballistic missile RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2007 -- A nuclear submarine of Russia's Northern Fleet successfully test-launched a ballistic missile from the Barents Sea in the Arctic on Monday toward a site in the country's Far East, the Navy said.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Dec 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 17, 2007
• LOCKHEED MARTIN-BUILT GPS SATELLITE POISED FOR LIFTOFF FROM CAPE CANAVERAL LAUNCH PAD Lockheed Martin 17 Dec 2007 -- The fifth in a series of eight modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellites built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for the U.S. Air Force is ready for launch aboard a Delta II rocket on Dec. 20, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.
• Japan Successfully Test Fires Its First Raytheon-Built Standard Missile-3 Raytheon 17 Dec 2007 -- The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force successfully flight tested its first Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN)-built Standard Missile-3
• BAE Systems to Provide Mission Computer Systems for Airborne Early Warning and Control Aircraft BAE Systems 17 Dec 2007 -- BAE Systems has received a $37 million contract to provide mission computer system suites for four Boeing 737 airborne early warning and control aircraft, supporting the Republic of Korea's EX program.
• General Dynamics Successfully Completes Future Combat Systems Phase I Robotic Convoy Experiment General Dynamics 17 Dec 2007 -- General Dynamics Robotic Systems successfully completed Phase I of the Future Combat Systems (FCS) Robotic Convoy Experiment (RCX) at White Sands Missile Range
• Northrop Grumman's KC-30 Tanker Team Will Support 7,500 California Jobs and Generate Economic Activity Exceeding $360 Million Annually Northrop Grumman 17 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) KC-30 Tanker team will generate economic activity exceeding $360 million annually and support more than 7,500 direct and indirect jobs in California if the KC-30 Tanker aircraft is selected by the U.S. Air Force.
• Northrop Grumman, L-3 to Work Together in Bid for U.S. Navy's EPX Aircraft Northrop Grumman 17 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today submitted a proposal with L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL) for the U.S. Navy's EPX aircraft program in a world-class collaboration of industry leaders
• SAIC Awarded Joint Project Manager Information Systems Task Order SAIC 17 Dec 2007 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced that it won a cost-plus-fixed-fee task order under the Seaport Enhanced program (Seaport-e) from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego to support the Joint Project Manager Information Systems (JPMIS) program.
• Tiger HAD maiden flight performed on December 14th, 2007 EADS 17 Dec 2007 -- The first flight of the HAD version of the Tiger (HAD S/N 5001) has taken place in Marignane (France) on December 14th, 2007, at the exact date forecasted in the Tiger HAD development contract signed two years ago between Eurocopter Tiger and the international armament organisation OCCAR
• General Dynamics Awarded $38 Million for U.S. Marine Corps Combat Operations Centers General Dynamics 17 Dec 2007 -- General Dynamics C4 Systems has been awarded a $38 million contract modification from the U.S. Marine Corps System Command for the production of 12 common modules and 24 capability set III Combat Operations Centers.
• Raytheon's Electro-Optical/Infrared System Advances to Zumwalt Production Raytheon 17 Dec 2007 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) achieved a significant milestone on the Zumwalt-class destroyer program with the successful design review of the ship's electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) system. With this success, the U.S. Navy has given Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems approval to advance the design into the production phase.
• Boeing TSAT Technology Passes 'Spiral' Testing Boeing 17 Dec 2007 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] has successfully completed the third demonstration of its next generation processor/router (NGPR) technologies for the Transformational Satellite Communications System Space Segment (TSAT SS).
• L-3 Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Modernized User Equipment (MUE) Program Option for GPS Receiver Enhancements L-3 Communications 17 Dec 2007 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that it has been awarded a $33 million option on an existing contract with the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), to develop standard cards for the Air Force's Modernized User Equipment (MUE) 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 17 Dec 2007
• Iraqi Parliament Condemns Turkish Air Strikes in Northern Iraq VOA 17 Dec 2007 -- Iraq's parliament has condemned Turkish air strikes on a Kurdish region in northern Iraq as a major violation of Iraq's sovereignty.
• Rice Urges Donors To Join in Supporting Palestinian Authority Washington File 17 Dec 2007 -- Nations must match their commitments to Middle East peace made at the November 27 Annapolis Conference with financial contributions for creating a future Palestinian state, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
• EU promises $650 mln to Palestinians RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2007 -- The EU is to allocate $650 million in aid to the Palestinians, a senior European Commission official said at a Palestinian donors' summit in Paris on Monday.
• Donors Meet in Paris to Pledge Aid to Palestinians VOA 17 Dec 2007 -- Delegations from some 90 countries are meeting in Paris Monday to pledge financial aid to the Palestinian government and give support to renewed peace talks with Israel
• UN Says Saudis Should Lead in Stabilization of Somalia VOA 17 Dec 2007 -- The United Nations special envoy for Somalia, Ahmed Ould Abdallah, says Saudi Arabia should take the lead in efforts to stabilize Somalia
• SOMALIA: Prime minister to name new, leaner cabinet IRIN 17 Dec 2007 -- Somalia's new prime minister Nur Hassan Hussein has dismissed his government just three weeks after its formation in favour of a "small but effective cabinet".
• Somalia: top UN envoy calls for road map to address worsening crisis UN News Centre 17 Dec 2007 -- The top United Nations envoy to Somalia has urged the international community to draw up a road map towards lasting peace and stability in the Horn of Africa nation that has not had a functioning national government since 1991, warning that continuing with "business as usual" would have dire consequences for the country and the region.
• Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger Chief injured in air force attack IRNA 17 Dec 2007 -- Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) Supremo V Prabhakaran sustained minor injuries during an air raid by Sri Lankan air force jets on November 28.
• UN Peacebuilding Fund to spend $15 million on Liberian projects UN News Centre 17 Dec 2007 -- The United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, set up to help countries emerging from conflict avoid slipping back into war or chaos, has agreed to provide Liberia with $15 million over the next two years to fund projects in the West African nation.
• Darfur: UN envoy holds security talks with local leader after armed attack UN News Centre 17 Dec 2007 -- A senior United Nations envoy has held talks with the provincial leader in North Darfur about security issues concerning the upcoming hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping mission to the war-wracked region after a recent attack by armed gunmen on members of the existing AU force.
• Military Buildup Heightens Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Tensions in 2007 VOA 17 Dec 2007 -- Tensions rose along the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea during the year in advance of a November 30 settlement deadline set by an international boundary commission
• KENYA: Inefficient peace committees frustrate reconciliation in clash areas IRIN 17 Dec 2007 -- Mother-of-four Ann Wacu is afraid to return to her home in Kenya's New Molo District, where inter-ethnic violence has killed dozens and displaced thousands of people since September.
• CHAD: Thoughts on the pending EU/UN mission from UN's top humanitarian official IRIN 17 Dec 2007 -- Aid organisations are struggling to provide assistance to around half a million people in the east of Chad at a time when numerous rebel groups are launching offensives against the army.
• Russia continues rotation of peacekeepers in Abkhazia RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2007 -- Russia began on Monday a scheduled rotation of its second peacekeeping contingent in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone, an aide to the commander of the CIS peacekeeping forces said.

News Reports

• UN envoy holds talks on Myanmar with senior officials in Washington UN News Centre 17 Dec 2007 -- The Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Myanmar is in Washington, D.C., today for talks with senior United States officials, including the country's First Lady Laura Bush, on United Nations efforts to promote democratic change in the South-East Asian nation.
• Putin Agrees To Serve As Prime Minister, Vows No 'Power Balance' Change RFE/RL 17 Dec 2007 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin ended months of speculation about his political future on December 17 when he agreed to serve as prime minister in the event that voters elect his chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, as president.
• Medvedev officially nominated as presidential candidate RIA Novosti 17 Dec 2007 -- The pro-Kremlin United Russia party officially nominated First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev as its presidential candidate during its congress Monday.