• 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 01 Feb 2008 [PDF]
• MND-B Soldier killed by IED attack (Baghdad)
• 316th Expeditionary Sustainment Command Soldiers attacked by indirect fire (Tikrit)
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Adm. Mullen from the Pentagon 01 Feb 2008 -- Presenter: Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. Anderson at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 01 Feb 2008 -- Presenter: Chief of Staff for Multinational Corps-Iraq, Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson
• Coalition Condemns Suicide Attacks; Troops Detain Seven in Iraq AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- Coalition forces condemned today's nearly simultaneous suicide attacks in two Baghdad markets that left dozens dead or injured in the Iraqi capital.
• Iraq Attacks Down to Two-Year Low AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- Attacks have dropped in Baghdad to levels seen in 2005, a senior commander in Iraq said today.
• Mullen: Iraq Ground Conditions to Determine Redeployments AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- Conditions on the ground will determine troop redeployment out of Iraq, and more troops are needed in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today at a Pentagon news conference.
• US Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff Calls on NATO to Do More in Afghanistan VOA 01 Feb 2008 -- The top U.S. military officer says Afghanistan is facing a 'classic, growing insurgency,' and NATO needs to focus on what kind of force it needs to deploy to fight it.
• Underground Weapons Caches Discovered in Oruzgan AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- Afghan and coalition troops discovered several underground weapons caches in the Deh Rawood district of Oruzgan province Jan. 26.
• Afghanistan: Ex-Taliban Commander Lectures Mullah Omar About Koran RFE/RL 01 Feb 2008 -- From his hilltop headquarters in the center of the southern Afghan town of Musa Qala, former Taliban commander Mullah Abdul Salaam has a sweeping view over dusty flatlands in northern Helmand Province
• Famed 'Screaming Eagles' Prepare for Afghanistan Deployment AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- Cold drizzle and hot metal rained upon the ground here yesterday as a group of 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) soldiers honed their mortar- and howitzer-targeting skills in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan in April.
• US Official Disputes Dire Assessments of Afghanistan VOA 01 Feb 2008 -- A senior U.S. official is taking issue with two independent reports that portray a dire political and security situation in Afghanistan
• Berlin says 'no' to US demands for more soldiers in Afghanistan IRNA 01 Feb 2008 -- The German government here Friday rejected US demands to deploy combat forces in south Afghanistan.
• Germany angry over USA demands for troop deployment in S. Afghanistan IRNA 01 Feb 2008 -- Germany's Defense Ministry has voiced anger over the sending of a "stern" letter by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates who has called for the deployment of German troops in southern Afghanistan, the weekly Der Spiegel news magazine reported Friday.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Assistant Secretary McHale and Lt. Gen. Blum from the Pentagon 01 Feb 2008 -- Presenter: Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Paul McHale and Chief, National Guard Bureau Lt. Gen. H Steven Blum
• Commission: Guard, Reserves Must Be 'Backbone' of Homeland Ops Army News 01 Feb 2008 -- The Department of Defense must improve its capabilities and readiness so the military can take a primary role in response to major catastrophes inside the United States, according to a report released to Congress Thursday.
• Defense Authorization Act Sets Changes for Guard Army News 01 Feb 2008 -- The position of the chief of the National Guard Bureau has been elevated to a four-star billet 100 years after the bureau came into existence.
• Air Force fiscal 2008 aviator continuation pay approved AFPN 01 Feb 2008 -- The fiscal 2008 Aviator Continuation Pay program was approved here recently by Craig W. Duehring, the assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and Reserve affairs.
• Team trains to improve patient's condition during flight AFPN 01 Feb 2008 -- Providing medical care while moving very ill patients over long distances in a short period of time, is the skill being practiced by three Air Force Reserve Command Airmen as they take part in Pacific Lifeline.
• Service Leaders Report on Recruiting Success AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- Despite a challenging recruiting environment, all four branches of the military have met with significant recruiting success in the past year and are on target to continue that success, the services' recruiting chiefs told a Congressional committee yesterday.
• National Defense Authorization Act Empowers National Guard AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- The position of the chief of the National Guard Bureau has been elevated to a four-star billet 100 years after the bureau came into existence.
• Conditions Change, But U.S.-South Korean Alliance Remains Strong AFPS 01 Feb 2008 -- The U.S.-Republic of Korea alliance has changed as conditions have changed, but it remains as strong as it has ever been, the commander of U.S. Forces Korea and Combined Forces Command said.
• Naval Beach Group 2 Assists Union Mission Navy NewsStand 01 Feb 2008 -- Sailors from Commander Naval Beach Group (CNBG) 2 assisted the Union Mission Jan. 29 by helping the staff sort donations, clean spaces and feed clients.
• Navy Welcomes its Newest Force Master Chief Navy NewsStand 01 Feb 2008 -- During a surprise ceremony, here, the Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel (DCNP) announced the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy's (MCPON) selection of a new force master chief, Jan. 29.
• Essex Embarks 31st MEU for Spring Patrol Navy NewsStand 01 Feb 2008 -- The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) arrived at Okinawa, Jan. 28 to embark Sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) for their annual Spring Patrol throughout East and Southeast Asia.
• NATO Deploys AWACS Aircraft to Support Joint Task Force Exercise Navy NewsStand 01 Feb 2008 -- A NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AWACS) E-3A aircraft from the NATO AWACS Geilenkirchen Air Base in Germany is temporarily in San Diego to participate in Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX 03-08).
• U.S. Navy Demonstrates World's Most Powerful EMRG at 10 Megajoules Navy NewsStand 01 Feb 2008 -- The Navy's Office of Naval Research (ONR) successfully conducted a record-setting firing of an electromagnetic rail gun at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren.
• CNO Observes Successful Rail Gun Demonstration Navy NewsStand 01 Feb 2008 -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead witnessed firsthand a technological milestone met by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Jan. 31 during a successful and world-record test firing of an electromagnetic rail gun at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren.
• US Navy Calls for Increased Maritime Cooperation to Combat Threats at Sea VOA 01 Feb 2008 -- The United States Navy has proposed a "global maritime partnership" of like-minded countries working together to combat common threats at sea
• Iran says still negotiating purchase of Russia's S-300 systems RIA Novosti 01 Feb 2008 -- A non-official Iranian news agency quoted a top diplomat as saying on Friday that Iran is still in talks with Russia on buying advanced S-300 air defense systems, despite an earlier denial from Moscow.
• Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto The White House 01 Feb 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 01, 2008
• Bath Iron Works Awarded $3 Million Contract for Joint High Speed Vessel Preliminary Design General Dynamics 03 Feb 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $3 million contract to develop a preliminary design for the Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) Program.
• General Dynamics NASSCO Awarded $460 Million Contract for T-AKE Ship Construction General Dynamics 03 Feb 2008 -- General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $460 million contract from the U.S. Navy for the construction of a tenth T-AKE dry cargo-ammunition ship, and to purchase long-lead construction materials for an eleventh ship.
• Northrop Grumman Demonstrates Compatibility of Advanced EHF Satellite Interface With Terminals Using Extended-Data-Rate Waveform Northrop Grumman 01 Feb 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has demonstrated the interface compatibility of the next-generation Advanced Extremely High Frequency (EHF) military communications satellite with user ground terminals using the new Extended Data Rate (XDR) waveform and protocols.
• Boeing Receives KC-10 Logistics Support Contract Extension Boeing 01 Feb 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has received a $307 million U.S. Air Force contract extension to continue providing logistics support and other services to the nation's KC-10 Extender aerial refueling tanker fleet.
• SSSI Delivers First Overhauled Aircraft from Chase Field Sikorsky 01 Feb 2008 -- Sikorsky Support Services, Inc. (SSSI) today announced the delivery of the first aircraft to be repaired, upgraded and overhauled at the company's new Field Operations Maintenance Facility in Beeville, Texas.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 01 Feb 2008
• Gaza's border crossings with Israel completely closed today - UN UN News Centre 01 Feb 2008 -- No trucks carrying relief supplies were able to enter the Gaza Strip from Israel today as all the border crossings remained closed, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Process (UNSCO) reported.
• Abkhazia: Prospects For Peace Plummet RFE/RL 01 Feb 2008 -- In his latest half-yearly report to the UN Security Council on the situation in Abkhazia, which was released on January 23, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted with regret that efforts to mediate a political settlement of the conflict are "at a standstill," and that "reliable observers on both sides of the cease-fire line have commented that the relationship between the two sides was in 2007 at its lowest point since the large-scale violence of 1998."
• Shikaki: Hamas' Popularity on Rise in Gaza after Tearing Down Wall with Egypt cfr.org 01 Feb 2008
• NIGERIA: No shortage of Niger Delta youth ready to join militias IRIN 01 Feb 2008
• SUDAN: Government ready to sign pact on UNAMID deployment - official IRIN 01 Feb 2008 -- The government of Sudan has agreed to sign an agreement that would facilitate the deployment of the joint United Nations and African Union (AU) peacekeeping force in the strife-torn western region of Darfur, Sudan's ambassador to the UN said.
• SRI LANKA: Controversy over truckload of UNICEF biscuits ends IRIN 01 Feb 2008 -- A UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) consignment of high-protein biscuits impounded by police a week ago on suspicion that it was going to the rebel Tamil Tigers has been released today.
• Ban Ki-moon calls on Kenyans to 'wake up' and halt violence UN News Centre 01 Feb 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on all Kenyans to stop the violence that has torn apart their nation in recent weeks, claiming over 800 lives and displacing more than a quarter of a million people.
• Hamas Frees Top Palestinian Advisor VOA 01 Feb 2008 -- The Palestinian militant group Hamas has freed a senior advisor to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
• Fighting Rages Northeast of Chad's Capital VOA 01 Feb 2008 -- Government forces and rebels in Chad have been clashing northeast of the capital N'Djamena, prompting the former colonial power France to send in reinforcements to help the army
• UN Chief Seeks Way Out of Kenya's Post-Election Chaos VOA 01 Feb 2008 -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon touched down in Kenya on Friday for talks with Kenya's opposition leader in a bid to keep the country's post-election chaos from descending into a wider ethnic war

News Reports

• Russia: Dispute Over OSCE Election Monitors Flares Up Again RFE/RL 01 Feb 2008 -- Russia's upcoming presidential polls are rekindling the ongoing dispute between Moscow and the election-monitoring body of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
• Russia accuses OSCE of sabotaging March elections RIA Novosti 01 Feb 2008 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry accused the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe of trying to sabotage the monitoring of Russia's presidential elections scheduled for March 2.