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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Dec. 17 airpower summary: Predators strike enemy forces AFPN 18 Dec 2007
• Troops Kill 5, Nab 30, Destroy Terrorist Tunnels in Iraq AFPS 18 Dec 2007 -- Iraqi and coalition forces killed five suspected terrorists, detained 30 others and destroyed insurgent tunnels and weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• PRESS CONFERENCE: Secretary of State, Dec. 18, 2007 MNF-I 18 Dec 2007 -- Dr. Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State / Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Concerned Citizens Turn Over Large Cache in Iraq AFPS 18 Dec 2007 -- Concerned local citizens near Bawi, Iraq, handed over a large weapons cache to soldiers from Company A, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, Dec. 16.
• Forces in Afghanistan Kill Insurgents, Destroy Roadside Bombs AFPS 18 Dec 2007 -- Afghan and coalition forces killed more than 21 insurgent fighters and dismantled roadside bombs in Afghanistan yesterday, military officials said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD Press Briefing with Mr. Weatherington from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington Va 18 Dec 2007 -- Presenter: Deputy Director DoD Unmanned Aircraft Systems Task Force, Mr. Dyke Weatherington
• Mrap Vehicle Orders Top 11,900 18 Dec 2007 -- The Department of Defense today announced a contract award for an additional 3,126 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles to be manufactured and completed by end of July 2008.
• Report Reflects Future for Military's Unmanned Systems AFPS 18 Dec 2007 -- A new Defense Department report reflects military needs and goals in acquiring improved unmanned systems during the decades ahead, a senior official told Pentagon reporters here today.
• USS Bulkeley Holds Change of Command Navy NewsStand 18 Dec 2007 -- Cmdr. Richard J. Cheeseman relieved Cmdr. John T. Beaver as commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) during a ceremony held on board the ship Dec. 17.
• Ronald Reagan Team Scores Outstanding During TSTA/FEP Navy NewsStand 18 Dec 2007 -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) pulled into its homeport at Naval Air Station North Island Dec. 18 after a 21-day underway period and a score of outstanding on the Tailored Ship's Training Availability and Final Evaluation Problem (TSTA/FEP).
• NMCB 1 Donates Bicycles to Underprivileged Children in Guam Navy NewsStand 18 Dec 2007 -- Seabees of U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1, Guam Detachment (Det.), donated six new bicycles to underprivileged children at Chief Brodie Memorial Elementary School (CBMES) in Tamuning, Guam, Dec. 18.
• Tarawa and Hopper Crew members Volunteer During Liberty in Singapore Navy NewsStand 18 Dec 2007 -- Sailors and Marines from the amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) and the guided missile cruiser USS Hopper (DDG 70) cleaned a beach on the Island of Pulau Ubin Dec. 17, as one of three outreach projects the ships participated in during their port visit to Singapore.
• "Screwtops" Return from Deployment Navy NewsStand 18 Dec 2007 -- Just in time for the holidays, the "Screwtops" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 123 returned home to Naval Station Norfolk Dec. 18, ending five months aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65).
• C-17 uses synthetic fuel blend on transcontinental flight AFPN 18 Dec 2007 -- The Air Force marked the 104th anniversary of powered flight Dec. 17 by completing the first transcontinental flight of an aircraft using a blend of regular aviation and synthetic fuel.
• Linebacker II anniversary marked in memorial ceremony AFPN 18 Dec 2007 -- Servicemembers, congressional representatives, civil leaders and their families paused December 18 to recognize the 35th anniversary of Linebacker II in a memorial ceremony at Arc Light Park here.
• Weapons Of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team Certified 18 Dec 2007 -- The Department of Defense (DoD) notified Congress today that the Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (WMD-CST) of the Puerto Rico National Guard is now certified.
• CFE moratorium does not imply military buildup - Russia's Lavrov RIA Novosti 18 Dec 2007 -- Even though Russia has frozen its compliance with the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, the country does not plan to build up armed forces in its European part, the foreign minister said on Tuesday.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 18 Dec 2007
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Dec 2007

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 18, 2007
• JAPAN SUCCESSFULLY DESTROYS BALLISTIC MISSILE DURING FIRST TEST OF LOCKHEED MARTIN AEGIS BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM Lockheed Martin 18 Dec 2007 -- The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force made history yesterday when, for the first time, a Japan Aegis guided missile destroyer equipped with Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile target in space.
• EADS Defence & Security was awarded research and technology programme for the "Agile UAV in Network-Centric Environments" project EADS 18 Dec 2007 -- EADS Defence & Security (DS) was awarded by the German Ministry of Defence (MoD) some weeks ago the prime contractor role for the research and technology programme "Agile UAV within Network-Centric Environments" (Agile UAV-NCE).
• CONTRACT BOOST FOR TORNADO SUPPORT BAE Systems 18 Dec 2007 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a £324m contract amendment for ATTAC (Availability Transformation: Tornado Aircraft Contract) by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
• Spain's Interior Ministry orders two EADS CASA CN-235 aircraft for the Guardia Civil EADS 18 Dec 2007 -- The Spain's Interior Ministry has ordered two EADS CASA CN-235 aircraft in Maritime Patrol version that will be operated by the "Servicio Aéreo de la Guardia Civil."
• First MRH90 Multi-Role Helicopters Delivered to Australia EADS 18 Dec 2007 -- The Australian Armed Forces took formally delivery today of the first two of 46 new, large and fast, troop carrying helicopters in Brisbane at Australian Aerospace, Eurocopter subsidiary
• Lockheed Martin and ATK Test New Propulsion Technologies for Navy Strategic Missiles Lockheed Martin 18 Dec 2007 -- The U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) and Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) have tested new propulsion technologies for strategic missiles atNaval Air Weapons Center China Lake, Calif. A static test fire was conducted of the Third-Stage Application Program-3 (TSAP-3) motor, a modified Trident II D5 motor that incorporates cost-saving technologies.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN WELCOMES L-3 ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS TO HALIFAX CLASS FRIGATE MODERNIZATION TEAM Lockheed Martin 18 Dec 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced the addition of L-3 Electronics Systems Canada to its team pursuing the Canadian Navy's Combat Systems Integrator contract, an element of the HALIFAX Class Modernization (HCM) Program, which will upgrade the nation's 12 multi-mission frigates
• LATVIA AWARDS LOCKHEED MARTIN $44 MILLION CONTRACT FOR TWO LONG-RANGE AIR SURVEILLANCE RADARS Lockheed Martin 18 Dec 2007 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE:LMT] received a contract valued at $44 million from the Latvian National Armed Forces for two long-range AN/TPS-77 transportable air surveillance radar systems, as well as options for long-term technical support. Included in the contract were priced options for up to four additional TPS-77 radars for Estonia and Lithuania.
• FIRST SHORT TAKEOFF/VERTICAL LANDING STEALTH FIGHTER UNVEILED AT LOCKHEED MARTIN Lockheed Martin 18 Dec 2007 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II, the first fighter to combine stealth with short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) capability and supersonic speed, made its debut today amid customers from the United States Marine Corps, the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, and the Italian Air Force and Navy.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for Consolidated Air Mobility Planning System Northrop Grumman 18 Dec 2007 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently received from the U.S. Department of Defense a contract to upgrade the Consolidated Air Mobility Planning System (CAMPS), making critical planning data readily available across the entire Defense Department.
• ITT and Thales NL sign SMART-S Mk2 License Agreement Thales 18 Dec 2007 -- ITT Corporation and Thales Nederland have signed an exclusive agreement for ITT to build and market the SMART-S Mk2 radar system in the United States.

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 18 Dec 2007
• Iraqi Officials Say 300 Turkish Troops Have Entered Northern Iraq VOA 18 Dec 2007 -- Iraqi and Kurdish officials say 300 Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq Tuesday.
• Turkish troops carry out raid against rebels in north Iraq RIA Novosti 18 Dec 2007 -- A unit of Turkish special forces numbering about 300 carried out a brief incursion early on Tuesday against Kurdish rebels, about three kilometers into Iraqi territory.
• Ivorian process of identifying voters has been positive so far, says UN official UN News Centre 18 Dec 2007 -- Côte d'Ivoire's mobile court hearings, used as part of the process of identifying voters ahead of planned national elections next year, have been generally positive since they resumed in September, the senior electoral official from the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the country said today.
• Darfur: UN envoy calls for cessation of hostilities on eve of force deployment UN News Centre 18 Dec 2007 -- A senior United Nations envoy has issued an appeal for all sides to the Darfur conflict to cease their hostilities on the eve of the deployment of a hybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force (UNAMID) to try to quell the violence and suffering in the war-wracked region of western Sudan.
• LEBANON: Palestinian refugees still adamant they must return home IRIN 18 Dec 2007 -- Palestinian and Israeli leaders may have agreed at the US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis on 27 November to work towards a full peace deal by the end of next year, but in the tinderbox refugee camp of Ain Al-Hilweh in Lebanon the lives of 75,000 Palestinians are defined by an intractable issue at the heart of the conflict: the right of Palestinian refugees to return home.
• Train carrying 500 Russian peacekeepers arrives in Abkhazia RIA Novosti 18 Dec 2007 -- A train carrying 500 Russian peacekeepers has arrived in Abkhazia, Georgia's breakaway republic, as part of a scheduled rotation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
• 13 Palestinian Militants Killed in Israeli Air Strikes VOA 18 Dec 2007 -- Thirteen Palestinian militants have been killed in a wave of Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip.

News Reports

• MYANMAR: Aid in a tight space IRIN 18 Dec 2007 -- Myanmar (formerly Burma), with a population of some 52 million, is one of the poorest countries in Asia, yet international aid had been negligible until recently.
• UGANDA-DRC: Ebola under control but experts fear re-emergence in Congo IRIN 18 Dec 2007 -- Ugandan health officials said they had an outbreak of a rare Ebola strain under control in their country but expressed concerns that the disease could resurface in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
• Castro Hints at Retiring from Cuban Leadership VOA 18 Dec 2007 -- Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro said in a letter read on national television he does not want to stay in power forever, suggesting he may retire from leadership
• South Korea's Presidential Campaign Nears End VOA 18 Dec 2007 -- South Koreans are just hours away from heading to the polls to elect a president. It is not the most suspenseful of votes - the conservative front-runner has been assumed to be the easy winner for weeks
• Myanmar should take 'bold steps' to address national crisis - UN envoy UN News Centre 18 Dec 2007 -- The Secretary-General's Special Adviser for Myanmar has urged authorities in the South-East Asian country to take bold action to press ahead with an all-inclusive national reconciliation process.
• Pan-African communications satellite RASCOM-QAF1 ready for launch Thales 18 Dec 2007 -- Thales Alenia Space and RASCOMSTAR-QAF (RSQ) are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of RASCOM-QAF1, the first communications satellite dedicated to Africa. The satellite is scheduled for launch by an Ariane 5 GS on Thursday, December 20 at the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.