• 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 12 Mar 2008 [PDF]
• PRESS CONFERENCE: Operational Update: Maj. Gen. Bergner, Mr. Yost, March 12, 2008 MNF-I 12 Mar 2008 -- Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, Multi-National Force - Iraq spokesman, and Michael W. Yost, U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service administrator, provide an operational update and discuss agricultural progress in Iraq
• March 11 airpower summary: F-15s bomb enemy combatants AFPN 12 Mar 2008
• Car Bomb Explodes at Citizens Security Force Headquarters AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- A car bomb exploded at a "Sons of Iraq" headquarters building in Duluyiah, Iraq, yesterday, killing seven Iraqis and injuring 11 others.
• Al Qaeda in Iraq Damaged, But Remains Dangerous AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi military efforts directed against al Qaeda in Iraq and other insurgents over the past few months have achieved much success toward making the country a more stable and secure place for its people, a senior U.S. military officer in Iraq said today.
• Iraqi Police Part of Security Process in Wasit Province AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- Police in Iraq's Wasit province are gaining the trust of the local populace while assuming more responsibility for security, a senior U.S. military officer in Iraq said today.
• Anti-insurgency Tactics Succeeding in Iraqi Detention Facilities AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- New ways of dealing with detainees in coalition-run facilities in Iraq are paying off through less violence, more actionable intelligence for warfighters, and a better separation of extremists from more moderate detainees, a senior leader told military analysts today.
• Iraqi Security Volunteers Receive First Month's Pay Army News 12 Mar 2008 -- Sons of Iraq (Abna al Iraq) volunteers gathered outside a crowded council building in the village of Abayachi, north of Baghdad March 2 to get their pictures taken and fingerprints cataloged in preparation for their first pay day.
• NATO Forces Make a Difference in Afghanistan, General Says AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- NATO's efforts against insurgents in Afghanistan are helping the Afghan people realize a better future, and the Atlantic Alliance should keep the door open to admit new members, a senior U.S. military commander told a Senate panel here today.
• Afghanistan: Al-Qaeda Bloggers' Sparring With Taliban Could Signal Key Differences RFE/RL 12 Mar 2008 -- An Internet-fueled squabble between Taliban leaders and influential Al-Qaeda sympathizers over nonviolent tactics and foreign influence in Afghanistan hints at deep disagreements that could alter counterinsurgency efforts in that country.
• South Asia: Pakistani Appointee Vows To Do Good By Afghanistan RFE/RL 12 Mar 2008 -- The Pakistani government's selection to serve as chief minister for restive western tribal areas has stressed the need to "restore peace and security" in the Pashtun-dominated area and foster good relations with neighboring Afghanistan.
• US Officials Want More NATO Help In Afghanistan VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- Several U.S. Senators and a high-ranking U.S. military official say America's allies in NATO should send more troops to fight the war in Afghanistan
• UN report says over 8,000 killed in Afghanistan in 2007 RIA Novosti 12 Mar 2008 -- Over 8,000 people, including at least 1,500 civilians, were killed in violence in Afghanistan in 2007, a new UN report said.
• Afghan Forces Make Improvements to National Communication Flow AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- With the growth of Afghan national security forces since the establishment of democracy in Afghanistan, the need for consolidated information and authority has become essential.
• AFGHANISTAN: UN Secretary-General warns of threats to "still fragile" country IRIN 12 Mar 2008 -- More than six years after the ousting of the Taliban, violence and insurgency have intensified, and the scale of international support has also grown in Afghanistan, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, said in a report to the Security Council.
• Afghan failure could lead to collapse of Nato, academics warn IRNA 12 Mar 2008 -- Nato's faltering operations in Afghanistan could have wide implications not only for the transatlantic alliance but also for the EU being left without an effective security organisation, according to two European academics.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Bush Administration Denies Central Command Chief Forced to Resign VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- A spokeswoman for President Bush says the head of the U.S. Central Military Command is not being forced to resign, despite reports that Admiral William Fallon disagrees with the president's policy on Iran.
• Suicide Prevention Task Force Program starts in CONUS Army News 12 Mar 2008 -- In an effort to counteract rising suicide rates and keep Soldiers and their Family members spiritually, emotionally and mentally fit, the Suicide Prevention Task Force process is being imported to some U.S. installations from Europe.
• Tenth Quadrennial Review Of Military Compensation Released 12 Mar 2008 -- The Department of Defense released today the first volume of the report of the Tenth Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation (QRMC), which assesses the effectiveness of military pay and benefits in recruiting and retaining a high-quality force.
• Transcript: DoD Press Briefing with Jan "Denny" Eakle and Shelia M. Earle from the Pentagon 12 Mar 2008 -- Presenter: Dir. 10TH Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation Jan "Denny" Eakle, and Principal Dir. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy Shelia M. Earle
• Multi-location, simultaneous sortie a success AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- Four B-52 Stratofortress aircraft and 26 crew members assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron made history at 10:15 a.m. local time March 6 as they simultaneously hit targets at four separate locations throughout the Pacific.
• Stealth fighter honored at Wright-Patterson AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- The Air Force-industry team responsible for providing program oversight to the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter aircraft said farewell during a ceremony March 11 here.
• U-2 squadron continues to fly high AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- Airmen of the 99th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron here continue to add to the U-2's 51-year history by being the only U-2 squadron in the area of responsibility supporting operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
• Air Force Uniform Board goes virtual AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- Airmen now will be able to submit ideas for improving Air Force uniforms with a few simple clicks of a mouse.
• Air Force officials respond to Boeing protest AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- Air Force officials received a copy of Boeing's formal protest March 11on the KC-45A contract award, recently submitted to the Government Accountability Office.
• Balad Airmen rescue U.S. teachers in Iraq AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- Airmen from the 64th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron here were called out to rescue two American citizens lost on a hiking trip March 2.
• Air Forces Central general visits deployed Airmen AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- The general charged with ensuring the success of air mobility directly supporting the war on terrorism visited Airmen March 8 at a Southwest Asia air base.
• Fighters respond to Temporary Flight Restriction violation AFPN 12 Mar 2008 -- Two F-16 Fighting Falcons and a Coast Guard helicopter under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepted a small Cessna aircraft flying through the Temporary Flight Restriction zone March 12 over the National Capitol Region.
• China Requires Close Eye as It Expands Influence, Capability AFPS 12 Mar 2008 -- The top U.S. general in the Pacific told Congress yesterday that he's working to strengthen the U.S.-Sino relationship, but he emphasized the need to keep a close eye on China as it strives to expand its influence in the region.
• Charges Sworn Against Detainee Mohammed Kamin 12 Mar 2008 -- The Defense Department announced today that charges have been sworn against Guantanamo detainee Mohammed Kamin of Afghanistan.
• U.S. Fleet Forces Command Answers Questions from the Fleet Navy NewsStand 12 Mar 2008 -- Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, recently recorded a podcast to address questions and concerns raised by Sailors throughout the fleet.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 12 Mar 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Mar 2008
• Press Briefing by Ambassador John Veroneau, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, Dan Fisk, Director of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the National Security Council, and Chris Padilla, Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade The White House 12 Mar 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 12, 2008
• Eurocopter delivers the first EC635 for the Swiss Air Force EADS 12 Mar 2008 -- The first EC635 destined for the Swiss Air Force was handed over to the Swiss federal procurement, technology and real estate centre armasuisse at the Eurocopter factory in Donauwörth on 7 March
• L-3 to Acquire Northrop Grumman's Electro-Optical Systems Business L-3 Commmunications 12 Mar 2008 -- L-3 Communications (NYSE: LLL) announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Northrop Grumman's Electro-Optical Systems (EOS) business for $175 million in cash.
• Northrop Grumman to Sell Electro-Optical Systems to L-3 Communications Northrop Grumman 12 Mar 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Electro-Optical Systems business for $175 million in cash to L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL). Completion of the transaction, subject to customary conditions including Hart-Scott-Rodino approval, is expected in the second quarter of 2008.
• Raytheon Unveils New Bunker-Busting Technology Raytheon 12 Mar 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has developed and tested a new conventional warhead technology to defeat hardened and deeply buried bunkers.
• Northrop Grumman's Broad Area Maritime Surveillance RQ-4N Global Hawk Exceeds Requirements Across the Spectrum 12 Mar 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) stated today that its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) proposal, pre-contract activity and risk reduction efforts demonstrate an offer that clearly brings the best value solution to the U.S. Navy.
• BAE Systems Receives Follow-On Order Worth $14.8 Million for MOLLE Components from Defense Logistics Agency BAE Systems 12 Mar 2008 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a $14.8 million follow-on order from the Defense Logistics Agency for production of Core Rifleman and Large Rucksack Modular Lightweight Load Carrying Equipment (MOLLE) system sets.
• General Dynamics Awarded $16 Million for Abrams Tank System Technical Support General Dynamics 12 Mar 2008 -- General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a $15.7 million contract for Abrams Tank Systems Technical Support (STS).
• Zumwalt Team Milestone Advances Total Ship Computing Environment Raytheon 12 Mar 2008 -- The Zumwalt program's National Team recently achieved a significant program milestone with several key software design reviews for the Zumwalt-class destroyer's Total Ship Computing Environment (TSCE), validating the maturity of the ship's open- architecture software.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Mar 2008
• ISRAEL-OPT: Egypt quietly lets in 230 patients from Gaza IRIN 12 Mar 2008 -- Egypt has allowed over 200 Palestinian patients from the Gaza Strip to make their way into Egypt via the Rafah border crossing, according to Palestinian health officials.
• Israeli Troops Kill at Least 4 Palestinians in West Bank VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- Palestinian medical officials say Israeli troops have killed four Palestinian militants in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.
• Hamas leader sets out conditions for truce with Israel RIA Novosti 12 Mar 2008 -- Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, set out on Wednesday its conditions for a ceasefire with Israel, and said talks were underway with Egypt.
• Hamas Leader Sets Terms for Ceasefire With Israel VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- The leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas has laid out conditions for a ceasefire with Israel.
• Somali Government 'Ready' to Negotiate With Any Opposition Group VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- Somalia's government says it is ready to negotiate with any opposition groups to try to resolve its conflict with Islamist insurgents.
• Somalia: UN envoy lauds Government's willingness to talk with opposition UN News Centre 12 Mar 2008 -- The top United Nations envoy to Somalia today welcomed the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) that it is ready to hold talks with the opposition in the Horn of Africa nation which has not had a functioning government since 1991.
• SOMALIA: One year later, AU force in Mogadishu soldiers on IRIN 12 Mar 2008 -- One year after the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) deployed its first peacekeepers to Mogadishu, the Somali capital, assessments of its performance and relevance remain mixed.
• Serbia Asks Security Council To Keep UN Kosovo Mission In Place RFE/RL 12 Mar 2008 -- In his March 11 address to the UN Security Council, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic called on the UN to maintain its mission in Kosovo, urged countries that have recognized Kosovo's independence to reconsider their decision, and urged those that have not done so to stay the course and defend international law.
• Russia's UN draft Kosovo statement greeted with skepticism RIA Novosti 12 Mar 2008 -- A draft statement on Kosovo proposed by Russia to the UN Security Council was met with skepticism by Western nations.
• Ban Ki-moon attends 'mini-summit' on Sudanese-Chadian relations UN News Centre 12 Mar 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived today in Dakar, Senegal, where this evening he is scheduled to participate as an observer in a mini-summit that brings together the Presidents of Sudan and Chad, whose common border has become a source of tension.
• Chad, Sudan Talks Face Delays, Doubts VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- Chad President Idriss Deby has arrived in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, where mediators are hoping he will meet with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir
• The East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) cfr.org 12 Mar 2008
• UN tribunal increases sentence for Rwandan priest to life in prison UN News Centre 12 Mar 2008 -- A Roman Catholic priest in Rwanda who directed the demolition of a church where about 1,500 Tutsis were trying to take shelter during the 1994 genocide, killing those trapped inside, has been sentenced to life in prison after a United Nations war crimes tribunal today increased his jail term.
• Cypriot leaders agree to direct talks under UN auspices later this month UN News Centre 12 Mar 2008 -- The Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders have agreed to hold direct talks under United Nations auspices in Nicosia on 21 March, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) announced today.
• DRC: Funds to boost stability in Ituri IRIN 12 Mar 2008 -- The international community has released US$5.7 million as a first tranche of aid this year to stabilise the troubled district of Ituri in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ross Mountain, UN resident coordinator and special representative of the UN Secretary-General in the country, said.
• NEPAL: IDPs being neglected by government, say aid workers IRIN 12 Mar 2008 -- Local and international aid agencies struggling to get internally displaced persons (IDPs) back to their homes are concerned about an alleged lack of government interest in their plight.
• Russia/Georgia: At UN, Moscow Chided Over Withdrawal From Abkhazia Deal RFE/RL 12 Mar 2008 -- U.S., British, and Georgian representatives at the United Nations have criticized Russia's March 6 decision to withdraw from a treaty aimed at settling the conflict between Georgia and its separatist region of Abkhazia.
• S.Ossetia to raise independence issue in Russia's parliament RIA Novosti 12 Mar 2008 -- Officials from South Ossetia will address Russia's parliament on the issue of the breakaway republic's independence on Thursday, the region's envoy to Russia said on Wednesday.
• Sri Lankan Military Claims 28 Rebels Killed in North VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- Sri Lanka's military says troops have killed at least 28 Tamil rebels in the country's embattled north.
• Comoros Government Claims Capture of Three Anjouan Rebels VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- The government of Comoros says its troops have captured three rebel soldiers during a brief incursion onto the breakaway island of Anjouan

News Reports

• ZIMBABWE: Military rattle sabres in support of Mugabe IRIN 12 Mar 2008 -- Zimbabwe's political opposition parties and civic society organisations are castigating senior members of the armed forces for declaring they will not respect any president other than Robert Mugabe.
• White House Criticizes Egypt Arrests VOA 12 Mar 2008 -- The White House is criticizing Egypt for arresting opposition politicians before local elections next month
• Annual U.S. Rights Report Focuses On 'Concentration Of Power' RFE/RL 12 Mar 2008 -- The U.S. State Department has issued its annual report on human rights in more than 190 countries around the world