Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 31 Jan 2008 [PDF]
• MND-B Soldier killed by IED attack (Baghdad)
• Jan. 30 airpower summary: C-17s deliver the goods AFPN 31 Jan 2008
• Coalition Forces Detain 11 in Iraq Operations AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- Coalition forces detained 11 suspected terrorists today in two operations focusing on disrupting al Qaeda networks operating in northern and central Iraq.
• Gates: Multiple Inputs to Drive Post-July Drawdown Decisions AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he hasn't discussed with the top military commander in Iraq any plan for an "operational pause" before moving forward with troop reductions in Iraq beyond July.
• Military Commission Charges Referred 31 Jan 2008 -- The Defense Department has announced that charges were referred to a military commission in the case of Mohammed Jawad by the Convening Authority, Office of Military Commissions, Susan J. Crawford.
• Gates: Taliban's Terrorism Reflects NATO's Success in Afghanistan AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- NATO experienced military success in Afghanistan in 2007, and the Taliban is resorting to terrorist tactics because its conventional efforts have failed, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters today.
• Deputy Governor Among Several Killed in Suicide Blast in Afghanistan VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- A suicide bomb attack targeting a mosque in Afghanistan has left at least six people dead, including a provincial deputy governor
• AFGHANISTAN: Oxfam calls on donors to overhaul aid policy IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- Billions of dollars of international aid money spent on rebuilding, development and humanitarian efforts over the past six years have contributed to social and economic progress, but the process has been "too centralised, top-heavy and insufficient", British charity organisation Oxfam International, said on 31 January.
• PAKISTAN: Government aims to close more Afghan refugee camps in 2008 IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- The government of Pakistan is considering provincial plans to close a number of Afghan refugee camps, according to officials.
• Study Finds Afghanistan Could Become Failed State VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- U.S. experts have warned that Afghanistan risks becoming a failed state if urgent steps are not taken to improve security and reconstruction in the country.
• Suspected US Air Strike Kills Militants in Pakistan VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- Pakistani intelligence officials are blaming a suspected U.S. missile strike for killing up to 13 foreign militants in the country's volatile North Waziristan region this week.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 7th Air Force, Air Forces Korea redesignated AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- Osan Air Base Airmen began a new chapter for the primary combat air force provider to South Korea as the Pacific Air Forces commander uncased the 7th Air Force, Air Forces Korea flag Jan. 30 here.
• Chief of staff of Air Force announces new reading list AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- The chief of staff of the air force announced his new reading list.
• PIT crew brings realism to Pacific Lifeline exercise AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- Airmen from the 446th Aerospace Medicine Squadron and 446th Aeromedical Staging Squadron aren't being graded on the test, but their work impacts those involved with the Pacific Lifeline exercise.
• AETC releases vision of future learning AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- Air Education and Training Command officials here released a vision for the years between 2008 and 2030 when they unveiled "On Learning: The Future of Air Force Education and Training," a 29-page white paper Jan. 31.
• CENTAF commander meets with key officials in Egypt AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- The U.S. Central Command Air Forces commander visited Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 29 to meet with Egyptian military leaders and other key U.S. government officials as part of USCENTCOM's theater security cooperation events and component commander's bilateral engagements with U.S. allies.
• Commission Recommends Sweeping Change for Guard, Reserves AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- A Congressional commission today recommended sweeping changes to the way U.S. military reserve forces have been structured and have operated for more than a half century.
• Army Taking Action to Stem Rising Suicide Rates AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- With Army suicides on the rise -- approaching rates for the same demographic among civilians -- Army officials are evaluating their programs to see what more can
• Army Meeting 2008 Recruiting Goals Army News 31 Jan 2008 -- The Army is on track to meet its fiscal 2008 recruiting goal of 80,000 new active-duty Soldiers, said the U.S. Army Recruiting Command's top officer.
• Army Responds to Rising Suicide Rates Army News 31 Jan 2008 -- The Army is taking steps to meet the rising suicide rates among Soldiers head-on, the service's top mental-health expert told reporters at the Pentagon today.
• Transcript: Media Availability with Secretary Gates and French Minister of Defense Morin from the Pentagon 31 Jan 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and French Minister of Defense Herve Morin
• USS Dubuque Completes Engineering Certification Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- Dubuque (LPD 8), the "Mighty 8," earned her engineering operational certification Jan. 25 after achieving an above average score as assessed by an Afloat Training Group (ATG), Pacific, inspection team.
• Hospital Ship to Conduct Pacific Partnership 2008 Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- Preparations are under way to deploy the Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) on a humanitarian mission to the Western Pacific and Southeast Asia in support of Pacific Partnership 2008, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet announced, Jan. 29, in Sydney, Australia.
• Shiloh Trains in CBR Defense Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- Sailors aboard the guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) utilized some at sea time Jan. 29, to focus on some mission essential training.
• Army Charts New Course for Intel Aircraft Program Army News 31 Jan 2008 -- The project manager of an airborne-intelligence program delayed due to a contract termination in 2006 has proposed a new strategy.
• Aerospace ground equipment sheds light on mission AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- As the sun sets and day transitions into night, members of one Southwest Asia maintenance squadron helps light the way to ensure the mission stays at the forefront and in the limelight.
• Summit solidifies operational, strategic doctrine AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- More than a dozen active duty and retired general officers formulated doctrine to support joint warfighting operations through the construct of a critical liaison to Air Force commanders called an Air Component Coordination Element Jan. 23 and 24 at Maxwell Air Force Base.
• Edwards Airman flies high as first military F-35 pilot AFPN 31 Jan 2008 -- A pilot from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., became the first Air Force and government test pilot to fly the F-35 Lightning II during a test sortie at the Lockheed Martin facility Jan. 30 at Naval Air Station Fort Worth.
• Unmanned Aircraft Transform Combat Operations AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- They are known as the "commander's eyes on the battlefield." Coalition forces have used them to find roadside bombs, track the enemy's movement, clear convoy routes and locate key targets -- all without having to leave the relative safety of their bases.
• Women Warriors Deserve Better Health Care, Committee Says AFPS 31 Jan 2008 -- Women's health issues often don't draw much attention from policy makers and commanders in the 85-percent male U.S. forces. But a Defense Department committee is trying to change that.
• Kearsarge Strike Group Returns Home Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- Nearly 2,200 Sailors of the Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group returned home to family and friends over the past week following a regularly scheduled deployment.
• Chafee Departs for Western Pacific Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- More than 350 Sailors assigned to the Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) were joined by their friends and family as they departed Naval Station Pearl Harbor Jan. 30 for a deployment under the Navy's Fleet Response Plan (FRP).
• USS Fort McHenry Assists Stranded Fishermen Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- A Sao Tome and Principe (STP) fishing boat was found floating out to sea 26 nautical miles south of STP, Jan. 30; lookouts from USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) spotted the distressed fishing vessel and immediately reported the news to the officer of the deck.
• Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group Completes ULTRA-S Assessment Navy NewsStand 31 Jan 2008 -- The Kearsarge Expeditionary Strike Group completed the Unit Level Training Assessment - Sustainment (ULTRA-S) on all six surface vessels Jan. 24.
• U.S. Continues Deploying Additional Air Force in S. Korea KCNA 31 Jan 2008 -- The U.S. imperialists continue deploying various type warplanes in the air force bases of the U.S. aggressor forces in south Korea to keep them ready for actions from the outset of the year, according to a military source.
• US, France Discuss Afghanistan and NATO VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his French counterpart Herve Morin discussed NATO's involvement in Afghanistan during a meeting Thursday at the Pentagon, but neither would provide many details of their talks
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 31 Jan 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 31, 2008
• First Military Pilot Flies Lockheed Martin F-35 Lockhed Martin 31 Jan 2008 -- Lt. Col. James "Flipper" Kromberg of the U.S. Air Force became the first military service pilot to evaluate the F-35 Lightning II, taking the aircraft through a series of maneuvers Wednesday on its 26th flight
• Boeing Awarded Contract for Next-Generation Harpoon Block III Missile Boeing 31 Jan 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $73.7 million U.S. Navy contract to design and develop the Harpoon Block III missile, a next-generation weapon system that will enhance naval surface warfare capabilities.
• General Dynamics Awarded $14 Million For Advanced Sub Technologies and Modernization Services General Dynamics 31 Jan 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a total of $13.7 million to develop advanced submarines technologies for current and future undersea platforms, and to continue operating the New England Maintenance Manpower Initiative (NEMMI). Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract for LITENING Advanced Targeting Systems Northrop Grumman 31 Jan 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a contract to deliver LITENING Advanced Targeting (AT) systems to the Finnish Air Force (FiAF) for its F-18 Mid-life Update 2 Program.
• IAI’s TecSAR Satellite Transmits First High-Quality Photos Israel Aerospace Industries 31 Jan 2008 -- Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) TecSAR satellite transmitted its first images yesterday evening. The images, transmitted during a stormy night, were of exceptional quality.
• SAIC Supports Cooperative U.S./Albania Program to Destroy Obsolete and Dangerous Munitions SAIC 31 Jan 2008 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced it recently completed a project for the U.S. Department of State managing the disposal of 2,900 tons of obsolete and dangerous surplus munitions in the Republic of Albania.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 31 Jan 2008
• Uganda Considers Boosting African Union Troop Level in Somalia VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- Ugandan's president says his country could increase the number of troops it has in Somalia as part of the African Union peacekeeping force.
• Egypt Blocks Vehicles from Gaza as Border Talks Set in Cairo VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- Egyptian border guards are blocking access to Palestinian vehicles from the Gaza Strip, to try to slow the flow of people through a broken boundary.
• Northern Niger Rebels Threaten to Attack Uranium Industry VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- A leader of Niger's Tuareg rebels is threatening an offensive against uranium mining operations in the country.
• COMOROS: Military invasion of Anjouan imminent, government warns IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- A military invasion to restore Union government control on the renegade Comoran island of Anjouan seems imminent: "a matter of days", authorities have warned.
• Some Gaza border crossings re-open to aid trucks, but problems continue - UN UN News Centre 31 Jan 2008 -- More than 70 trucks were allowed to enter the Gaza Strip from Israel yesterday, but aid supplies inside Gaza are still dwindling, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) reported today.
• Attacks force UN refugee agency to evacuate staff from town in eastern Chad UN News Centre 31 Jan 2008 -- The United Nations refugee agency today evacuated most of its staff from its office in a town in eastern Chad after a series of armed attacks this week on the agency and other aid organizations operating in the troubled region.
• Ban Ki-moon to visit strife-torn Kenya UN News Centre 31 Jan 2008 -- Warning that violence in Kenya could spiral out of control, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced plans to visit the country, where more than 800 people have already lost their lives in intensifying ethnic clashes triggered by the aftermath of recent elections.
• ISRAEL-OPT: High court allows power, fuel cuts to Gaza IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- In what human rights groups are calling a "devastating" decision, the Israeli High Court issued a verdict on 30 January rejecting a petition by 10 groups and clearing the way for Israel to cut electricity and fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip.
• UGANDA: Government, rebel delegations resume talks in Juba IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- The government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) have resumed talks aimed at ending the 22-year conflict in northern Uganda and agreed to extend by a month the cessation of hostilities deal signed in August 2007.
• EAST TIMOR: 100,000 IDPs still displaced nearly two years on IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- It was in October 2007 that 27-year-old Guillermina Freitas Corte Real entered Timor Leste national hospital in Dili, the capital city, for gall stone surgery.
• EGYPT: Unexploded mines block development in northwest IRIN 31 Jan 2008 -- A vast coastal strip in Egypt's northwest between the city of Alamein and the border with Libya cannot be developed because of an estimated 22 million landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) lying there since the end of World War II, said Fathy El-Shazly, national project director for mine clearance and development at the Ministry of International Cooperation.
• Sri Lankan rebels ask UN to recognize Tamil sovereignty IRNA 31 Jan 2008 -- Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers have asked the United Nations to recognize their right to sovereignty, as a "constructive" approach to ending the two-decade long civil war, the rebel group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has said.
• UN says Gaza crisis threatens peace process in the Middle East RIA Novosti 31 Jan 2008 -- The current crisis in the Gaza Strip is blocking efforts for a long-term peace settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and threatens the Middle East peace process in general, the UN political chief said.
• Chad Army Sets Up Positions to Block New Rebel Offensive VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- Chad's army has been setting up defensive positions outside the capital N'Djamena as well as about 200 kilometers east to block a new allied rebel offensive
• Another Opposition Lawmaker Shot Dead in Kenya VOA 31 Jan 2008 -- A second lawmaker with Kenya's opposition party has been shot dead in what police are describing as a crime of passion

News Reports

• 2008 crucial for boosting UN-AU partnership, Ban Ki-moon tells African summit UN News Centre 31 Jan 2008 -- Noting that collaboration between the United Nations and the African Union has entered a historic phase with the establishment of a joint peacekeeping operation in Darfur, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today that the year ahead will be a crucial one for the two bodies as they strive to achieve shared goals.