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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 29 Feb 2008 [PDF]
• Troops in Iraq Kill Five, Detain 23, Seize Weapons AFPS 29 Feb 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed five suspected terrorists, captured 23 others and uncovered scores of weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• Oklahoma National Guard unit assumes base security at Bucca MNF-I 29 Feb 2008 -- The 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry from Stillwater, Okla., assumed command of base security at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq during a transfer of authority ceremony Monday.
• Britain's Prince Harry Withdrawn From Afghan Duty VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- British defense chiefs have decided to pull Prince Harry out of Afghanistan in the wake of news reports about his deployment in Helmand Province
• British royal withdrawn from Afghanistan after security leak IRNA 29 Feb 2008 -- The second son of British heir to the throne is being withdrawn from serving with UK troops in Afghanistan following foreign media breaking a new blackout on his deployment, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in London announced Friday.
• Afghanistan: Prince Harry To Be Pulled Out Of Combat Zone RFE/RL 29 Feb 2008 -- Britain's Ministry of Defense has confirmed that Prince Harry is to be withdrawn from Afghanistan after news leaked that the third-in-line to the British throne has been secretly serving as a front-line combat soldier in Helmand Province for more than two months.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Tanker contract award announced AFPN 29 Feb 2008 -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb announced the selection of Northrup Grumman as the winner of the KC-X competition for development and procurement of up to 179 tanker aircraft for approximately $35 billion.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Secretary of the Air Force Michael Wynne, Gen. Duncan McNabb, Sue Payton, and Gen. Arthur Lichte at the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va. 29 Feb 2008 -- Presenter: Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Duncan McNabb, Assistant Secretary of Defense Sue Payton, and Air Mobility Commander Gen. Arthur Lichte
• AMC commander welcomes tanker announcement AFPN 29 Feb 2008 -- The commander of Air Mobility Command hailed today's aerial tanker source selection announcement as an important first step toward ensuring America maintains its global reach capability.
• Air Force Awards Tanker Contract to Northrop Grumman AFPS 29 Feb 2008 -- The Air Force announced today it has selected Northrop Grumman Corp. to build its next-generation air-refueling tanker aircraft.
• Charges Referred Against Detainee al Darbi 29 Feb 2008 -- The Defense Department announced today that charges have been referred against Guantanamo detainee Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed Haza al Darbi of Saudi Arabia.
• Army Forms Contracting Command, Campaign Plan Army News 29 Feb 2008 -- The acting under secretary of the Army told Pentagon reporters today that the Army has begun steps to establish both an Army Contracting Command and an Army Contracting Campaign Plan to help improve Army contracting.
• Army to Revolutionize Healthcare with Whole-Person Concept Army News 29 Feb 2008 -- A change in healthcare begins March 1 across the Army, the Department of Defense and the nation, said the executive officer for the assistant surgeon general for warrior care and transition.
• Air Force leaders testify about 2009 budget request AFPN 29 Feb 2008 -- The Air Force's top two leaders testified before the House Armed Services Committee about the service's budget request for fiscal 2009 Feb. 27 in Washington.
• Kunsan pilots improve capability with AIM-9X missile AFPN 29 Feb 2008 -- Pilots, maintainers and ammunition Airmen at Kunsan Air Base have been introduced recently to a new generation weapon that changes air-to-air combat.
• Air Force blue goes green on energy, environment AFPN 29 Feb 2008 -- Air Force blue wants to leave a greener footprint with more environmentally-sound energy resources, said the service's senior energy executive during testimony to the House of Representative's Armed Services Committee and Readiness Subcommittee Feb. 29 on Capitol Hill.
• USCENTAF to become USAFCENT with redesignation AFPN 29 Feb 2008 -- - SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFPN) -- U.S. Central Command Air Forces will be renamed U.S. Air Forces Central in a March 3 ceremony at Shaw Air Force Base.
• Marine Commandant Halts Purchase of New Tactical Vests AFPS 29 Feb 2008 -- Marine Commandant Gen. James T. Conway halted purchases of the Marine Corps' new modular tactical vest after Marines complained about the equipment's design.
• Army announces Army Contracting Campaign Plan Army News Release 29 Feb 2008 -- Secretary of the Army Pete Geren announced Feb. 29 his Army Contracting Campaign Plan (ACCP) to address findings and recommendations from two previous independent reviews -- the Gansler Commission and the Army Contracting Task Force
• Under Secretary: Army Stretching Budget to Limit Army News 29 Feb 2008 -- The Army cannot expect to continue funding its growth, modernization and sustainability using supplemental budgets, Acting Under Secretary of the Army Nelson Ford said Thursday night.
• First Sergeant Course Changes Curriculum Army News 29 Feb 2008 -- Students attending the First Sergeant Course Phase II, whether in residence or through video tele-training, are quickly realizing that the course is not like the one described by former students.
• Navy Leadership Testifies Jointly Before SASC Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- Secretary of the Navy, the honorable Dr. Donald C. Winter, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James Conway, testified before members of the Senate during a session of the Fiscal 2009 Defense Authorization Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on Feb. 28.
• Navy Medicine Training Center is Latest Step Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- The largest consolidation of service training in Department of Defense (DOD) history moved a step closer to completion Feb. 29 with the commissioning of the Navy Medicine Training Center (NMTC) at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
• Spanish Marines Celebrate 471 Years of Service On Board Fort McHenry Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- Spanish and U.S. Marines assigned to Africa Partnership Station (APS) celebrated the 471st birthday of the Spanish Marine Corps Feb. 27 on board the amphibious dock landing ship USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43).
• Nimitz CSG Ships Arrive in South Korea for Port Visits Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Princeton (CG 59) and USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) arrived in Busan, Feb. 28, for a scheduled port visit in conjunction with exercise Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008 (KR/FE 08).
• Multiple Countries Conclude Maritime Symposium Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- U.S. Naval Forces Central Command concluded a three-day Maritime Infrastructure Protection Symposium (MIPS) Feb. 26, which brought together many industry professionals, security personnel and maritime corporations with regional and coalition partners.
• Fitzgerald Trains with Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, Japanese Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- The crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) participated in the Undersea Warfare Exercise (USWEX) while underway in the Western Pacific.
• Leadership Recognized at Philadelphia Change of Command Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- USS Philadelphia (SSN 690) held a change of command ceremony Feb. 29, at the Shepherd of the Sea Chapel in Groton.
• 5th Fleet Forces Abuzz with Activity in February Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT)/U.S. 5th Fleet/Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) demonstrated their continued commitment to regional security during February.
• Guard Team Responds to Toxic Ricin in Vegas Army News 29 Feb 2008 -- A National Guard Civil Support Team (CST) was on scene within an hour Thursday evening after Las Vegas authorities sought help with a suspicious substance that later turned out to be deadly ricin.
• USS Nashville Celebrates 38th birthday Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- USS Nashville (LPD 13) celebrated its birthday on Feb. 14, marking its 38th year in service since its commissioning in 1970.
• NCBC Gulfport Consolidating Supply Functions Navy NewsStand 29 Feb 2008 -- A new Operational Expeditionary Logistics Facility (OELF) on board Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC) Gulfport is scheduled for completion this summer, which will consolidate some NCBC supply functions into one facility.
• Bush, NATO Chief Meet Before Bucharest Summit AFPS 29 Feb 2008 -- President Bush today welcomed NATO's secretary general at the White House, where the two met ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 29 Feb 2008
• Press Gaggle by Gordon Johndroe The White House 29 Feb 2008

Defense Industry

• Boeing Statement on U.S. Air Force Aerial Refueling Tanker Decision Boeing 29 Feb 2008 -- "We were just informed that our KC-767 Advanced Tanker proposal was not selected in the KC-135 Replacement Program known as KC-X."
• EADS to expand its U.S. industrial presence following selection of Northrop Grumman KC-30 Tanker EADS 29 Feb 2008 -- Selection of the Northrop Grumman KC-30 Tanker by the U.S. Air Force, a system based on EADS' A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) and designated by the USAF as the KC-45A, will significantly increase EADS' industrial presence and commitment in the United States, as well as its role as a U.S.-based defence and homeland security provider.
• U.S. Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman to Provide the New KC-45A Aerial Refueling Tanker Northrop Grumman 29 Feb 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it has been selected by the U.S. Air Force to provide the KC-45A aerial refueling tanker for the KC-135 tanker replacement program.
• DoD News: Contracts for February 29, 2008
• Russia's MiG hands 12 upgraded fighters over to Slovakia RIA Novosti 29 Feb 2008 -- Russia's MiG aircraft manufacturer transferred on Friday 12 MiG-29 Fulcrum fighters, modernized in line with NATO standards, to the Slovak Air Force.
• Lockheed Martin and Karem Aircraft Team to Support Department of Defense Joint Heavy Lift Program Lockhed Martin 29 Feb 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Karem Aircraft Incorporated have signed a teaming agreement to jointly develop Karem Aircraft's Optimum Speed Tilt-Rotor (OSTR) design.
• DEFENCE MINISTER CUTS FIRST STEEL FOR SIXTH TYPE 45 DESTROYER, DUNCAN BAE Systems 29 Feb 2008 -- BAE Systems today welcomed The Rt. Hon. Baroness Taylor to Glasgow as she cut the first piece of steel for the sixth Type 45 Destroyer, Duncan, during her first visit to the Govan and Scotstoun yards since taking up the post of Minister for Defence Equipment and Support.
• Boeing Celebrates Small Diameter Bomb Delivery Milestones Boeing 29 Feb 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today celebrated a trio of Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) delivery milestones -- the 1,000th SDB I, the 200th BRU-61/A Bomb Rack Unit Carriage System and the first 50 Focused Lethality Munitions (FLM) -- demonstrating a commitment to providing effective solutions to the U.S. military.
• General Dynamics Awarded $9 Million to Plan Maintenance Work on Submarine North Carolina 29 Feb 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $9 million contract modification to plan the post-shakedown availability (PSA) on the nuclear submarine North Carolina (SSN-777).

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 29 Feb 2008
• Iraq: Turkey Ends Incursion Against PKK RFE/RL 29 Feb 2008 -- The weeklong ground offensive against Kurdish PKK rebels has ended with the withdrawal of Turkish troops.
• Turkish Military Says Offensive into Northern Iraq is Over AFPS 29 Feb 2008 -- The Turkish military says all its troops have withdrawn from northern Iraq after a weeklong assault on Kurdish rebels
• Turkish Military: Offensive Into Northern Iraq is Over VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- The Turkish military says its troops have pulled out of northern Iraq, after an aggressive assault on Kurdish separatist rebels.
• Fuel allowed into Gaza, but other crossings still closed, say UN officials UN News Centre 29 Feb 2008 -- One border crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip was opened for fuel today, allowing 400,000 litres to enter Gaza, but the three crossings for humanitarian and commercial goods remain closed, the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) reported.
• Thousands of Palestinians Protest Deadly Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- Thousands of Palestinians Protest Deadly Israeli Airstrikes in Gaza
• Rice Expands Mideast Mission Amid Gaza Crisis VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- The State Department has confirmed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has added Egypt to the trip to the Middle East and Europe she makes next week
• Israel Warns of Approaching Gaza Invasion VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- Israel is threatening to invade the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip in response to escalating Palestinian rocket attacks. Israel has already stepped up air strikes, killing 31 Palestinians, about half of them civilians, since Wednesday
• Britain: Peacekeepers Needed in Darfur VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- Britain's foreign secretary, David Miliband, has called on Sudan to speed up the deployment of peacekeepers to the war-ravaged Darfur region.
• Darfur Refugees Continue to Cross into Eastern Chad VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- Refugees from Darfur continue to cross the border into Eastern Chad to escape aerial and ground attacks by militias
• UN says refugees fleeing new attacks in Darfur, many to dangerous area of Chad UN News Centre 29 Feb 2008 -- As West Darfur continues to be scourged by a new wave of air and ground attacks, the United Nations refugee agency estimated today that more than 13,000 Sudanese have fled to a remote area of Chad that is beset by its own inter-ethnic strife.
• Kosovo: Time For Serbia To Wake Up RFE/RL 29 Feb 2008
• US Rejects Any Kosovo Partition VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- A senior Bush administration official Thursday rejected the partition of newly-independent Kosovo in any form.
• Abkhazia announces military mobilization over Georgian 'threats' RIA Novosti 29 Feb 2008 -- Abkhazian President Sergei Bagapsh announced on Friday the partial mobilization of the de facto independent republic's military, citing fears that Georgian troops could cross over into the breakaway region.
• Bosnian court jails two former guards after referral from UN war crimes tribunal UN News Centre 29 Feb 2008 -- Two Bosnian Serb guards who persecuted non-Serbs at a prison camp during the Balkan wars of the 1990s have been convicted and sentenced to jail by a national court in Bosnia and Herzegovina after the case was transferred from the jurisdiction of a United Nations war crimes tribunal.
• UN refugee chief to head to Uganda and Tanzania UN News Centre 29 Feb 2008 -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees will embark on an 8-day mission next week to Uganda and Tanzania to assess the situation of refugees, returnees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
• Latest Eritrean obstruction of relocation efforts strands over 100 blue helmets UN News Centre 29 Feb 2008 -- Eritrea's latest obstruction of the efforts by the United Nations peacekeeping mission to temporarily relocate across the border in Ethiopia have resulted in more than 100 blue helmets being stranded inside the Temporary Security Zone (TSZ) between the two Horn of Africa nations.
• Timor-Leste: UN welcomes apprehension of alleged associates of rebel leader UN News Centre 29 Feb 2008 -- The United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) has welcomed the arrest and detention of five people wanted in connection with the activities of the late rebel commander Alfredo Reinado, who was killed earlier this month during the attack on President Jose Ramos-Horta.
• ETHIOPIA-SUDAN: Two refugee camps to close down IRIN 29 Feb 2008 -- The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) will close down two Sudanese refugee camps before the end of May 2008, the organisation said, as repatriation gets under way again.
• Hezbollah Lawmaker Rejects US Warship Deployment Off Lebanon's Coast VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- A Hezbollah lawmaker in Lebanon says the U.S. deployment of warships off the Lebanese coast is a threat against the country.
• More Urgent Humanitarian Aid For Central African Republic Requested by UN VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- The United Nations is asking for $32 million in immediate humanitarian aid for the Central African Republic (CAR).
• Kenya Negotiations Resume; Parliament to Debate Power Sharing Accord VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- Opposition and government negotiators in Kenya resumed talks Friday, focusing on long-term aspects of the country's crisis

News Reports

• Analysis: Russia's Economic Pipeline cfr.org 29 Feb 2008 -- Russia's presumptive next president, Dmitri Medvedev, is a businessman. Before entering politics, Medvedev worked at a timber company, then sat on the board of a major Russian paper producer
• Russian Presidential Candidate Medvedev Not a Professional Politician VOA 28 Feb 2008 -- Russians are preparing to go to the polls Sunday to elect their next president
• US Report Faults Anti-Drug Efforts of Venezuela, Burma VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- A U.S. State Department report Friday said Colombia and Afghanistan remain the world's biggest producers of illicit cocaine and opium
• Pakistani Winning Party Meets with Islamists to Build Anti-Musharraf Coalition VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- The party of slain former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is trying to convince Islamist politicians to build a stronger coalition against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
• Cuba Signs UN Rights Pacts Fidel Castro Opposed VOA 29 Feb 2008 -- The Cuban government signed two United Nations human rights pacts Thursday that former Cuban President Fidel Castro opposed for more than 30 years.
• East: The 'Leader for Life' Governance Model RFE/RL 29 Feb 2008 -- With Russia's presidential election on March 2, "Operation Successor," the Kremlin's finely orchestrated plan to hand power to a dependable ally of Vladimir Putin, is reaching its crowning moment.