Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 02 Apr 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• MND-B Airman attacked by IED
• PRESS CONFERENCE: Operational Update: Maj. Gen. Lynch, April 3, 2008 MNF-I 03 Apr 2008 -- Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, commander of Multi-National Division-Center, provides an operational update. His area of responsibility is south of Baghdad and stretches from Saudi Arabia to Iran. He will take questions and be able to describe his perspective on recent violence and the response of the public and Iraqi Security Forces
• April 2 airpower summary: C-130s carry load for coalition AFPN 03 Apr 2008
• Troops Kill Suspected Terrorists, Capture Others in Iraq AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed seven suspected terrorists, detained 10 others and seized weapons and explosives in Iraq the past three days, military officials said.
• VAQ-142 Returns to Whidbey Island from Iraq Deployment Navy NewsStand 03 Apr 2008 -- Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 142, the Gray Wolves, returned to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island during a two day fly-in, March 29 and April 2.
• Enemy Attacks Give Coalition Opportunities, General Says AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- The recent increase in attacks by Shiia extremists in Iraq gave coalition forces in the center of the country opportunities to target extremist cells and degrade their capabilities, the U.S. general in charge of operations in the area said today.
• Iraqi Police Continue to Make Progress, General Says AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- Building an Iraqi police force is an enormous challenge, but the coalition-and-Iraqi team working to do so is making progress, a senior U.S. Army officer working with Iraq's Interior Ministry said today.
• Forces Cooperate to Stop Violence in Multinational Division Center AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- Iraqi security forces, aided by coalition forces and local citizens, neutralized threats from an Iranian-backed "special group" in a Baghdad-area neighborhood last week, a U.S. Army brigade commander in the area said today.
• Members of NAVELSG Tango, Golf Return Home Navy NewsStand 03 Apr 2008 -- About 100 Sailors mobilized by Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG), Navy Customs Battalion Tango and Port Group Golf, returned home April 2 after serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• US Military Says Air Strike in Basra Killed Militant, Destroyed House VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- The U.S. military says an American air strike has destroyed a house in the southern city of Basra, killing one militant.
• UN will stay in Afghanistan as long as necessary, vows Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 03 Apr 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged the commitment of the United Nations to stay the course in Afghanistan to ensure peace, security and development in the strife-torn nation.
• Militants Killed During Airstrike, Raids in Southern Afghanistan VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- An Afghan security official Thursday said three suspected militants were killed in an airstrike in the country's restive south.
• AFGHANISTAN: UN urges NATO to adopt "holistic approach" to conflict IRIN 03 Apr 2008 -- As NATO sets about exploring ways to boost its military effort in Afghanistan at a summit in Bucharest on 3 April, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Kai Eide are urging a "holistic approach" and better coordination by all parties to defeat the Taliban and restore stability.
• Afghanistan: France Offers Troops To Bolster NATO Mission RFE/RL 03 Apr 2008 -- France says it will send an additional battalion of troops to eastern Afghanistan in a move that will allow the United States to shift forces from the east to the south and meet Canada's demand for help in the fight against the Taliban in the volatile southern provinces.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force looks to improve antennas for micro air vehicles AFPN 03 Apr 2008 -- Air Force Office of Scientific Research officials here currently are funding a professor from the University of Minnesota who is using objective structures in his project called "GameChanger" in an attempt to make new kinds of antennas for micro air vehicles to be used for military purposes.
• Tankers support NATO summit from Hungary, Bulgaria AFPN 03 Apr 2008 -- KC-135 Stratotankers and aircrews from U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Mobility Command deployed to Hungary and Bulgaria to provide air-refueling support for the NATO summit running April 2 through 4 in Romania.
• Air Force officials authorize ABUs on commercial flights AFPN 03 Apr 2008 -- Air Force leaders here recently expanded existing uniform regulations and authorized Airmen to wear the airman battle uniform, battle dress uniform and desert camouflage uniform (as appropriate) while traveling in an official capacity on commercial travel throughout the continental United States.
• CE builds Airmen home away from home in Romania AFPN 03 Apr 2008 -- Hundreds of Airmen deployed here in support of Operation Noble Endeavor have a home away from home thanks to the civil engineers of the 404th Expeditionary Air Base Squadron.
• AFCENT deputy commander visits deployed Airmen AFPN 03 Apr 2008 -- The 9th Air Force vice commander and the deputy commander of U.S. Air Forces Central visited 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen April 2 at a Southwest Asian air base.
• Ribbon-Cutting Held at Mercy Hall Navy NewsStand 03 Apr 2008 -- The National Naval Medical Center unveiled the completed renovation project at Mercy Hall, April 1, Bethesda's wounded warrior outpatient lodging facility in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
• Department to Phase Out Full Social Security Numbers on IDs AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- As a means of combating identity theft, the Defense Department will issue identification cards without full Social Security numbers printed onto them, a senior official said here today.
• Army's New Field Manual Discussed on Hill Army News 03 Apr 2008 -- The commander of the Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., testified this week to the Airland Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee about the Army's new operations manual, FM 3-0 .
• Navy to Christen The USNS Amelia Earhart 03 Apr 2008 -- The Navy will launch and christen the USNS Amelia Earhart at a 9 p.m. PDT ceremony on April 6, 2008.
• Africa Partnership Station Returns to Senegal Navy NewsStand 03 Apr 2008 -- Africa Partnership Station (APS) arrived in Dakar, April 2, the 15th port of its seven-month deployment, aboard USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43).
• USS Ingraham Joins Exercise Eagle Salute Navy NewsStand 03 Apr 2008 -- Guided-missile frigate USS Ingraham (FFG 61) joined Egyptian and U.S. maritime forces, March 4 in the Red Sea to participate in Exercise Eagle Salute 2008.
• BUCHAREST SUMMIT DECLARATION NATO 03 Apr 2008
• NATO Offers Membership to Two of Three Balkan Candidates AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- NATO formally offered membership today to two of the three Balkan nations President Bush had strongly advocated for acceptance.
• NATO Members Debate Direction of Alliance AFPS 03 Apr 2008 -- The second day of NATO's summit conference wrapped up here today with clear support for more troops in Afghanistan, a missile defense system for Europe and the hopes of eventually adding at least five more countries to the alliance.
• NATO Diary: Talk About Your Mood Swings! RFE/RL 03 Apr 2008 -- Georgia and Ukraine had no reason to feel optimistic heading into NATO summit talks on April 3.
• Commentary: Back On Track? Germany And The Georgian And Ukrainian NATO Bids RFE/RL 03 Apr 2008
• NATO Invites New Members, Backs Bush On Missile Defense VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- NATO summit leaders meeting in Romania have invited two Balkan countries to join the alliance, but say the time is not right for Ukraine and Georgia.
• Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley on the President's Trip to the NATO Summit The White House 03 Apr 2008
• NATO Welcomes Croatia, Albania, But Asks Ukraine, Georgia, Macedonia To Wait RFE/RL 03 Apr 2008 -- Speaking today at NATO's summit in Bucharest, Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the alliance wants to welcome Ukraine and Georgia as members someday
• NATO puts Macedonia's membership bid on hold RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- NATO member states have postponed Macedonia's bid for membership in the alliance after Greece vetoed the request, NATO's secretary general said on Thursday.
• NATO puts off membership plan for Georgia, Ukraine RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- NATO members meeting at a summit in Romania have decided to postpone offering the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine the chance to join the alliance's Membership Action Plan (MAP).
• Russia-NATO talks to focus on missile shield, CFE, Kosovo RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- Missile defense, arms control and Kosovo will dominate a Russia-NATO Council meeting in Romania on Friday to be attended by Russia's outgoing president Vladimir Putin, a Kremlin aide said on Thursday.
• Lukashenko says NATO expansion inevitable RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said on Thursday that the admission of Ukraine and Georgia to NATO was inevitable, and that Belarus should strengthen its defense capacity accordingly.
• Macedonia Leaves NATO Summit Early in Protest Over Membership Delay VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Macedonia's delegation says it is leaving the NATO summit in Bucharest early to protest the alliance's failure to invite it to begin membership talks because of a dispute over the country's name.
• Missile Defense Elements Participate in Air Force Test MDA 03 Apr 2008 -- Air Force Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced today the successful completion of an exercise held April 2 involving Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) elements participating in a routine operational test of a U.S. Air Force strategic missile from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., as a "target of opportunity."
• US Official Says NATO to Endorse Missile Shield VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- An American official says the NATO summit has agreed to back plans to put a missile defense system in Europe
• Russia to start flight tests of fifth-generation fighter in 2009 RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- Russia plans to begin flight tests of a new fifth-generation fighter in 2009, the Russian industry and energy minister said on Thursday.
• Russia's Defense Ministry plans to sell over 20 facilities in 2008 RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- Over 20 military facilities will be auctioned off across Russia in 2008, including in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Vladivostok, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Thursday.
• Press Briefing by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley The White House 03 Apr 2008
• Background Briefing by Senior Administration Officials The White House 03 Apr 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 04 Apr 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 03, 2008
• Boeing Completes Delivery of 4th C-17 to Canadian Forces Boeing 03 Apr 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] delivered the Canadian Forces' fourth C-17 Globemaster III today at the company's Long Beach, Calif., C-17 manufacturing facility, completing Canada's order for the world's most advanced airlifter.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN WINS AIR FORCE PERSONNEL SERVICE DELIVERY TRANSFORMATION- STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP CONTRACT Lockheed Martin 03 Apr 2008 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] team was selected by the United States Air Force to serve as its strategic partner for personnel service delivery transformation.
• Air Force Evaluation Found Boeing Tanker More Capable, Survivable for Flight Crews Boeing 03 Apr 2008 -- While the U.S. Air Force awarded a contract to build the next aerial refueling airplane to the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Air Force evaluators found the Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 Advanced Tanker offers more mission capability and has a better chance of surviving combat than the larger Northrop-EADS KC-30 tanker.
• U.S. AIR FORCE/LOCKHEED MARTIN TEAM CELEBRATES SUCCESS OF GPS IIR PROGRAM AS FINAL SATELLITE IS READIED FOR SHIPMENT TO CAPE CANAVERAL FOR JUNE LAUNCH Lockheed Martin 03 Apr 2008 -- In a ceremony heralding the success of the U.S. Air Force's Global Positioning System Block IIR modernization effort (GPS IIR-M), Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today announced it has completed work on the last satellite in the program constellation, which features a demonstration payload that will transmit the new civil signal, known as L5.
• Boeing Begins Final Assembly of 1st P-8A Poseidon Boeing 03 Apr 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] on Monday began final assembly of the first P-8A Poseidon for the U.S. Navy
• Northrop Grumman's 'America's New Tanker' Website Generates National Support for the KC-45 Tanker Northrop Grumman 03 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently launched the website "America's New Tanker" (www.americasnewtanker.com) to inform the general public about the facts surrounding the U.S. Air Force's selection of Northrop Grumman to deliver the KC-45 aerial refueling tanker aircraft.
• SAIC Awarded $42 Million Task Order from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command SAIC 03 Apr 2008 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) announced today it has been awarded a task order from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command located in San Diego, to support the Joint Program Executive Office for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS).
• Raytheon Seeks Solutions for Defeating Improvised Explosive Devices Raytheon 03 Apr 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has launched a new Web site to recruit industry and academic partners to help defeat improvised explosive devices (IED), the No. 1 killer of service members in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• CACI Awarded Prime Contract on $1 Billion, Multiple-Award Program With Defense Intelligence Agency CACI 03 Apr 2008 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded a prime contract to support the multiple-award Solutions for Intelligence Analysis (SIA) program with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 03 Apr 2008
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY DEPUTY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR ON GLOBAL COMMEMORATION OF INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MINE AWARENESS AND ASSISTANCE IN MINE ACTION United Nations 03 Apr 2008
• Ahead of International Day, senior UN official urges support for mine action UN News Centre 03 Apr 2008 -- While the number of victims of landmines and explosive remnants of war has dropped significantly in the last decade, continued support is crucial to eliminating the threat posed by these deadly devices and ensuring a mine-free world, a senior United Nations humanitarian official said today.
• Israel removes 50 West Bank barriers easing Palestinian travel RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- Israel has notified the U.S. and the Palestinian National Authority that it has removed 50 roadblocks to ease the movement for Palestinians in the West Bank, the Haaretz newspaper reported Thursday.
• Former leader of Kosovo acquitted of war crimes charges by UN tribunal UN News Centre 03 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the worst acts committed during the Balkan wars of the 1990s today acquitted a former prime minister of Kosovo of charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• Former Kosovo Prime Minister Acquitted of War Crimes VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Kosovo's former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has been acquitted of all charges by judges at the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague
• Divide Widens Between Insurgent Groups in Somalia VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Recent indications from Somalia's Ethiopia-backed interim government that it is prepared to negotiate an end to a 15-month Islamist-led insurgency have raised hopes for a cease-fire that could pave the way for peace talks
• 16 Somalis Killed in Clashes Between Islamist Fighters, Government Forces VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Officials and witnesses in central Somalia say fighting between Islamist insurgents and government forces has killed at least 16 people.
• CHAD: High civilian causalities in rebel-govt crossfire IRIN 03 Apr 2008 -- Fighting in recent years in eastern Chad between the government and rebels has usually taken place away from civilian populations, but in the latest battle on 1 April more than 50 civilians were killed and injured.
• Chad, Central African Republic, Darfur must be tackled together - Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 03 Apr 2008 -- The flare-up of civil strife, cross-border tension and displacement involving Chad, the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan should be addressed in a unified manner that is outside the mandate of the mission currently being deployed by the United Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a report released today.
• Russia calls for more mediation in Sudan-Chad conflict RIA Novosti 03 Apr 2008 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry called for increased international efforts on Thursday to stop resumed tensions between Sudan and Chad in the highly volatile region in Africa.
• Chadian Rebels Regroup During Renewed Fighting VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Renewed violence in eastern Chad this week has accusations flying between rebel groups and government officials in both Chad and Sudan
• CAR: Interview with Toby Lanzer - UN Humanitarian Coordinator in CAR IRIN 03 Apr 2008 -- The Central African Republic, plagued by decades of mutinies, coups and rebellions, is in the midst of another cycle of deadly violence.
• Sri Lanka orders emergency military supplies from Pakistan IRNA 03 Apr 2008 -- Faced with stiff resistance from Tamil Tiger guerrillas, Sri Lanka has ordered emergency military supplies from Pakistan, according to official sources here.
• Sri Lanka's Top Buddhist Monk Shuns Non-Violence for Quick End to War VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- The leader of Sri Lanka's Buddhist monk political party is calling for a resolution to the country's 25-year war between government forces and Tamil militants
• COMOROS: Anjouan situation worse than thought IRIN 03 Apr 2008 -- With preparations for new local elections underway, following a succesful military venture by the Comoros Union government and African Union (AU) troops to restore order to the renegade island by force, deeper humanitarian concerns have emerged.
• SOUTH AFRICA-ZAMBIA: Divisions surface on the proposed cluster munitions ban IRIN 03 Apr 2008 -- South Africa cut a lone figure in Zambia's tourist capital of Livingstone as the only African country not to endorse a global ban on the use of all cluster munitions.
• NIGERIA: After River State's flawed elections, violence expected IRIN 03 Apr 2008 -- Violence was relatively low in the run-up to local elections on 29 March in Nigeria's oil-rich Rivers State but with evidence emerging of massive voting irregularities in favour of the ruling party, human rights groups warn the worst may not be over.
• Reopening of key Cyprus crossing raises hopes for settlement - UN official UN News Centre 03 Apr 2008 -- The top United Nations official in Cyprus welcomed today's opening, after more than four decades, of the Ledra Street crossing in Nicosia, calling it a historic symbol of the renewed drive to bring together the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities on the Mediterranean island.
• Georgia: Latest Peace Proposal For Abkhazia A Nonstarter RFE/RL 03 Apr 2008 -- Speaking in Tbilisi on March 28, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili unveiled the new peace proposal for Abkhazia he announced 10 days earlier
• Cease-Fire Deal Reached Between Mali Government, Tuareg Fighters VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Mali's government and ethnic-Tuareg fighters are pursuing peace talks in Libya, after reaching a cease-fire deal that is to take effect Friday

News Reports

• Dalai Lama's Envoy Calls on US Lawmakers to Make 'Urgent' Visit to Tibet VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- The Dalai Lama's special envoy Lodi Gyari has told members of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in Washington that China must bear full responsibility for the recent violence and suffering in Tibet
• Zimbabweans Still Waiting for Election Results VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- More than five days after voting ended for four national elections in Zimbabwe, results for three of the contests are still outstanding
• Zimbabwean President Mugabe's Party Weighs Runoff Ballot Risks VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Zimbabwe's highest office remained in the balance late Thursday, five days after polls closed following presidential, general and local elections, with pressure intensifying on President Robert Mugabe to concede defeat to opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai but factions of Mugabe's own party urging the 84-year-old to force a runoff
• Analyst Says Mugabe Wants Coalition Government in Zimbabwe VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Zimbabwe's incumbent President Robert Mugabe is reportedly calling for a government of national unity with main opposition Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) party led by Morgan Tsvangirai
• Mugabe's Party Sets Sights on Presidential Runoff Vote VOA 03 Apr 2008 -- Officials with the ruling party of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe say they are preparing for a presidential run-off.
• World Bank: Zoellick Calls For Coordinated Effort To Cope With Rising Food Prices RFE/RL 03 Apr 2008 -- The World Bank has called on the international community to coordinate its efforts in a "New Deal" to fight global hunger and malnutrition