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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 22 Feb 2008 [PDF]
• MND-B Soldier dies of non-combat related illness
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Col. James from Iraq 22 Feb 2008 -- Presenter: Commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Col Tom James
• Feb. 21 airpower summary: B-1Bs destroy enemy combatants AFPN 22 Feb 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Feb. 21, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Gates Says Iraq Troop Withdrawals Will Probably Continue VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he hopes to pull more American troops out of Iraq after a brief pause in withdrawals in July or August
• Coalition Forces Kill Six Terrorists, Detain Six Suspects AFPS 22 Feb 2008 -- Coalition forces killed six terrorists and detained six suspected terrorists yesterday and today during operations to disrupt al Qaeda operating in central and northern Iraq, military officials reported.
• U.S. Soldiers, Iraqi National Police Conduct Joint Operation AFPS 22 Feb 2008 -- Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division's Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, conducted an operation with Iraqi National Police officers Feb. 18, supporting the Iraqi Civil Conservation Force and the "Sons of Iraq" citizen security group in Tameem, a small village southeast of Baghdad.
• New Afghan Program Graduates First Police Army News 22 Feb 2008 -- The first class of 259 Afghan National Police from Zabul province graduated Feb. 21 from the new Focused District Development eight-week training initiative in Kandahar and on the same day the first class of 143 graduated in Herat.

Defense Policy / Programs

• AF leaders discuss future challenges AFPN 22 Feb 2008 -- Air Force major command commanders spoke to Airmen, Air Force Association members and other attendees about the challenges facing their organizations during the AFA's 24th annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition held here Feb. 21and 22.
• Army Reserve Chief Seeks Private Industry Partners AFPS 22 Feb 2008 -- The general in charge of the Army Reserve has a deal for U.S. employers: If you agree to hire qualified employees, he'll help you recruit them.
• Army Launches Reset Pilot Army News 22 Feb 2008 -- The Army has launched a pilot test of the Reset model, an initiative designed to test the ability to accelerate reconstitution of the force, increase unit readiness, and improve preparation for deployment.
• $21 million software facility project underway at Robins AFB AFPN 22 Feb 2008 -- Air Force officials held a groundbreaking ceremony here Feb. 19 for a 70,000 square-foot software support facility targeted for occupation by January 2010.
• Chief discusses strategy white paper at AFA symposium AFPN 22 Feb 2008 -- The chief of staff of the Air Force helped kick off the Air Force Association's 24th annual Air Warfare Symposium and Technology Exposition Feb. 21 in Orlando, Fla.
• Top AF logistician visits deployed Airmen AFPN 22 Feb 2008 -- The Air Force's top logistician visited five bases in Southwest Asia recently to meet with logistics readiness Airmen and get a better idea of how things were going in the area of responsibility.
• Smurfs up: Keesler Hurricane Hunters ready for storm season AFPN 22 Feb 2008 -- When Hurricane Hunter crews from Keesler Air Force Base track severe storms in 2008 with their WC-130J Hercules aircraft, they will do so with the latest equipment received Feb. 15 that will collect data and provide weather warnings.
• AEDC-tested Navy Standard Missile destroys errant satellite AFPN 22 Feb 2008
• Transcript: Media Availability with Secretary Gates and Deputy Secretary of State Negroponte en route to Canberra, Australia 22 Feb 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte
• Teamwork, Training: Keys to Navy's Successful Satellite Intercept Navy NewsStand 22 Feb 2008 -- Capt. Randall M. Hendrickson, commanding officer of USS Lake Erie (CG 70), credited "team effort" and training for the successful intercept of a nonfunctioning satellite Feb. 20.
• Naval Surface Force Atlantic Holds Change of Command Ceremony Navy NewsStand 22 Feb 2008 -- Rear Adm. Kevin M. Quinn relieved Rear Adm. D.C. Curtis as Commander, Naval Surface Force, Atlantic, (SURFLANT) Feb. 22, during a ceremony aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) at Naval Station Norfolk.
• Navy Takes Delivery of Submarine North Carolina Navy NewsStand 22 Feb 2008 -- The Navy took delivery of its newest attack submarine, Pre-commissioning unit North Carolina (SSN 777), from Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) Feb. 21. North Carolina is the fourth Virginia-class submarine and the second delivered by NGNN.
• Survey Ship's Visit Marks 30 Years of Cooperation with Indonesia Navy NewsStand 22 Feb 2008 -- Oceanographic survey ship USNS Mary Sears (T-AGS 65) is visiting Jakarta, Indonesia this week, marking 30 years of bilateral cooperation in hydrographic surveying between the U.S. and Indonesian navies.
• U.S.-Australian Meetings Ready to Begin AFPS 22 Feb 2008 -- U.S. and Australian defense officials will work to strengthen the alliance between the two countries as part of the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations here this weekend.
• NMCB 5 Yokosuka Seabees Report Progress of Aircraft Carrier Facility navy NewsStand 22 Feb 2008 -- Seabees from U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion(NMCB) 5, Detail Yokosuka reported significant construction progress on a support facility for USS George Washington (GW) (CVN 73), Feb. 20.
• AFRICOM Visits APS navy NewsStand 22 Feb 2008 -- Gen. William E. Ward, Commander, United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), visited the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) here, Feb. 21, to meet members of Africa Partnership Station (APS).
• Laser Module Installation Completed Aboard Airborne Laser Aircraft MDA 22 Feb 2008 -- Lt. General Henry A. "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency director, announced today that all six chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) modules have been installed aboard the Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft
• US Spy Satellite Destruction Overshadows Missile Talks In Budapest VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- The United States has tried to reassure Russia that a missile strike against a failed American spy satellite late Wednesday was not a test for the controversial missile defense system Washington wants to build in the Czech Republic and Poland.
• NATO has no plans yet to admit Georgia, Ukraine - Russia's envoy RIA Novosti 22 Feb 2008 -- Russia's envoy to NATO said on Friday the alliance is not currently considering admitting the former Soviet states of Georgia and Ukraine.
• Draft Treaty to Ban Cluster Bombs Reached in New Zealand VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- An international meeting in New Zealand has produced a draft treaty to ban cluster bombs
• Press Gaggle by Scott Stanzel The White House 22 Feb 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for February 22, 2008
• BAE SYSTEMS HELPS INDIAN AIR FORCE CELEBRATE INDUCTION OF HAWK ADVANCED JET TRAINER BAE Systems 22 Feb 2008 -- BAE Systems will tomorrow join the Indian Air Force (IAF) to celebrate the induction of their new, BAE Systems built, Hawk Advanced Jet Trainers (AJT) at Air Force Station Bidar.
• MODIFIED LOCKHEED MARTIN AEGIS WEAPON SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY DESTROYS ERRANT SATELLITE Lockheed Martin 22 Feb 2008 -- Again demonstrating its adaptability to support new and more challenging mission needs, Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System successfully destroyed an errant United States satellite, preventing it from an uncontrolled and unpredictable reentry and potential crash to Earth.
• Northrop Grumman Delivers North Carolina Submarine to the Navy Northrop Grumman 22 Feb 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) delivered the fourth submarine of the Virginia class, North Carolina (SSN 777), to the Navy on Feb. 21.
• Boeing's Airborne Laser Team Installs All Major Laser Components on ABL Aircraft Boeing 22 Feb 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency have achieved a significant milestone for the revolutionary Airborne Laser (ABL) missile defense program with the installation of all six chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) modules on the ABL aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
• DCNS signs contracts to modernise Ecuadorian submarines DCNS 22 Feb 2008 -- On 22 December 2007, DCNS signed two contracts with Chilean naval shipyard ASMAR — one to modernise the combat systems of two Ecuadorian Navy Type 209 submarines; the other to assist ASMAR with hull cutting to expedite the associated refits. The DCNS share in these contracts is worth more than €10 million. The contracts were signed following the Ecuadorian government’s decision to award ASMAR a major contract to modernise and refit the submarines.

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 22 Feb 2008
• Turkey starts ground incursion in N.Iraq RIA Novosti 22 Feb 2008 -- Turkey has launched a large-scale ground operation targeting Kurdish insurgents in the north of Iraq, the top military command said on Friday.
• Iraq: Turkish Troops Cross Border To Hunt Down Kurdish Rebels RFE/RL 22 Feb 2008 -- The Turkish Army says its troops have crossed into northern Iraq to hunt down Kurdish rebels based across the border.
• Ban Ki-moon calls for 'utmost restraint' in Turkey-Iraq border actions UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern today over the latest escalation of tension along the Turkish-Iraqi border, appealing for "utmost restraint" in actions there and for respect of the border between the two countries.
• Iraq Protests Turkish Military Incursion VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- Iraq's central and regional governments have protested the Turkish army's incursion into Iraq to attack Kurdish rebels
• U.S. Urges 'Swift Conclusion' to Turkish Operations in Iraq AFPS 22 Feb 2008 -- The United States has urged Turkey to bring to a "swift conclusion" any ongoing military operations in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
• US Urges Turkey to Limit Iraq Incursion VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- The United States Friday called on Turkey to limit the scope of its ground incursion in northern Iraq and bring it to an early conclusion
• Turkey starts ground incursion in N.Iraq RIA Novosti 22 Feb 2008 -- Turkey has launched a large-scale ground operation targeting Kurdish insurgents in the north of Iraq, the top military command said on Friday.
• Turkey Forces Enter Northern Iraq VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- Turkish ground troops have entered northern Iraq in a drive against Kurdish separatists of the Kurdish Workers Party which Ankara accuses of using bases in Iraq to launch attacks against its forces in southeastern Turkey
• US Reduces Belgrade Staff After Embassy Attack VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- The State Department is withdrawing non-essential personnel and family members of U.S. diplomats from Belgrade after Thursday's mob attack on the U.S. embassy there
• Serbia: Could Belgrade Have Done More To Stem Violence? RFE/RL 22 Feb 2008 -- In Washington, Brussels, and at the United Nations, harsh condemnations were heard for the violence that erupted in Serbia's capital -- including the torching by angry mobs of the U.S. Embassy, where the charred remains of a body were later found.
• Serbia: Commentary -- Mixed Signals From Belgrade RFE/RL 22 Feb 2008 -- The Belgrade violence of February 21 provides fresh evidence that Serbia has yet to come to terms with its past and a political culture steeped in blame and denial -- nearly a decade after former President Slobodan Milosevic's lost wars against Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
• Serbia: Commentary -- Elephant's Graveyard RFE/RL 22 Feb 2008 -- As we look aghast at the pictures of the flames coming from the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, how to make sense of the Kosovo independence issue?
• US Furious Over Belgrade Embassy Attack VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- The United States has formally protested to Serbia's government over inadequate security at the U.S. embassy in Belgrade, which was attacked and partly burned by demonstrators Thursday
• Russia warns Belgrade riots will harm Kosovo efforts RIA Novosti 22 Feb 2008 -- Russia's foreign minister expressed concern to his Serb counterpart on Friday that riots in Belgrade would harm diplomatic efforts to settle the Kosovo problem, Serbia's Foreign Ministry said.
• Serbian President Calls for End to Violence VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- Serbian President Boris Tadic has called for an end to violence after rioters opposed to Kosovo's declaration of independence Thursday attacked the U.S. and other embassies in Belgrade.
• COMOROS: On the edge of a "military solution" IRIN 22 Feb 2008 -- In line with a long tradition of foreign military intervention, official and clandestine, international forces are moving in to help the Union government of Comoros re-establish control over the renegade island of Anjouan and save the fragile three-island state in the Indian Ocean from falling apart.
• Destruction in West Darfur town shocking, reports UN refugee agency UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- United Nations refugee agency staff participating in a joint assessment of the West Darfur town of Sirba, which came under air and ground attack from the Sudanese Government and allied militia groups earlier this month, say they were shocked at the level of destruction they witnessed.
• Cameroon: UN provides more food aid as Chadian refugees move into camps UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- As many as 20,000 Chadian refugees who recently fled to northern Cameroon are receiving essential food items from the United Nations, as they begin to make their way from a transit centre near the border to a camp.
• UN tribunal stays order temporarily releasing five former Bosnian Croat leaders UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- The United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the worst crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s today stayed its decision earlier this week to grant provisional release to five former senior Bosnian Croat figures who are currently on trial.
• Sierra Leone: UN-backed court upholds jail sentences for rebel leaders UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- The United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) today upheld the long jail sentences it handed down last year to three former rebel leaders convicted of multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's brutal civil war in the 1990s.
• No obstructions to regrouping of peacekeepers in Eritrea, UN says UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- With Eritrea still hindering the temporary relocation of United Nations peacekeepers to Ethiopia, the UN mission to the two countries said today that there were as yet no obstructions to its regrouping in the Eritrean capital of Asmara.
• Uganda and rebels make more progress towards peace accord, says UN envoy UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- The United Nations envoy for the peace process between the Ugandan Government and the rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) says more progress is being made in the talks between the two sides as they try to reach a comprehensive peace accord ending their long-running conflict.
• UN Officials Express Shock at Destruction of West Darfur Village VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- The UN refugee agency reports that UN aid workers who visited western Darfur recently have expressed shock at the level of destruction in one village
• KENYA: Armed and dangerous IRIN 22 Feb 2008 -- Kenya is at risk of plunging into a new wave of violence, despite progress in negotiations to end a political crisis, because several armed groups are mobilising on all sides of the country's ethno-political divisions, according to the International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank.
• CHAD: Plea to CEMAC for funds to rebuild destroyed capital IRIN 22 Feb 2008 -- Chad is seeking funds from the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) to repair parts of the capital, N'djamena, which were destroyed in fighting that pitted government troops against invading rebel forces in early February, the country's minister of state for agriculture, Haroun Kabadi, said.
• Two Palestinian gunmen killed in Israeli airstrike RIA Novosti 22 Feb 2008 -- An Israeli missile killed at least two Palestinian militants and wounded another on Friday morning in central Gaza, local radio reported.
• Kenya Reconciliation Talks Continue; Focus on Power-Sharing Issues VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- Parties to the Kenya reconciliation talks held a series of meetings Friday aimed at bringing the two sides closer on the issue of power-sharing which has been the biggest obstacle to date

News Reports

• ASEAN plays key role in helping Myanmar, UN envoy stresses UN News Centre 22 Feb 2008 -- Countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have a significant role to play in helping Myanmar on the path to democratization and national reconciliation, the Secretary-General's Special Adviser on Myanmar said in Jakarta today.
• Fidel Castro Criticizes US Calls for Change in Cuba VOA 22 Feb 2008 -- Cuba's Fidel Castro has strongly criticized U.S. calls for change in Cuba, following his resignation earlier this week as president more than 49 years after seizing power.