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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 11 Apr 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen from the Pentagon 11 Apr 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen
• April 10 airpower summary: Predator fires missiles on enemy mortar team AFPN 11 Apr 2008
• UAV destroys mortar position, kills 6 AFPN 11 Apr 2008 -- An air strike by a coalition forces' unmanned aerial vehicle killed six enemy combatants and injured one who were firing mortars at around 2:30 a.m. April 11 at Iraqi security forces in Basra.
• Gates Foresees Fewer Troops in Iraq in 2009 AFPS 11 Apr 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today he is confident there will be fewer U.S. troops in Iraq in 2009, but added that the drawdown process has gone somewhat more slowly than he thought it would last year.
• 'Surge' Brigade redeploys MNF-I 11 Apr 2008 -- Soldiers from the 4th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division are redeploying to Fort Riley, Kan., this month.
• US Navy Ship Encounters Iranian Speed Boats in Gulf VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- U.S. Navy officials say a U.S. ship encountered three small Iranian speed boats Thursday in the Persian Gulf.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Sudanese Guantanamo Detainee Says He Will Boycott US Military Court VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- A Sudanese terrorism suspect held by the U.S. military in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has become the latest detainee to declare he will boycott a U.S. military court that will try him for war crimes.
• Two States Sign Compact on Education Transition for Military Children AFPS 11 Apr 2008 -- Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear signed legislation into law this week that will ease the transition for military children as their servicemember parents move from assignment to assignment during their careers.
• Air Force official calls for input from deployed Airmen AFPN 11 Apr 2008 -- The assistant secretary of the Air Force for manpower and Reserve affairs met with Airmen here April 9 to discuss important issues affecting as he tours the deployed theater.
• Sheppard officials begin replacing T-37s with T-6A Texan II AFPN 11 Apr 2008 -- The T-37 Tweet officially began its march toward full retirement March 31 when 80th Flying Training Wing officials here "took the car keys" to its replacement, the T-6A Texan II.
• Civilian, Military Defenders Gather for Vehicle Bomb Demonstration AFPS 11 Apr 2008 -- Federal and state law enforcement personnel joined servicemembers at the explosive ordnance range here April 9 for a vehicle bomb demonstration.
• Research Agency Showcases Robot-Driven Vehicles at Pentagon AFPS 11 Apr 2008 -- Defense Department employees got a glimpse of the automobile of the future at a display of robot-driven vehicles in the Pentagon's center courtyard today.
• Soldier Body Armor was Tested, General Says Army News 11 Apr 2008 -- Despite reports to the contrary, the body armor being used by Soldiers today in Iraq has been rigorously tested.
• FCS Land Warrior: Value Added to Army Army News 11 Apr 2008 -- The future of Army combat technology was demonstrated on Capitol Hill Thursday, exhibiting several systems that enable Soldiers to fight better, faster and most importantly, safer.
• Kansas, Kentucky First States to Sign Compact on Education Transition for Military Children 11 Apr 2008 -- Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius signed into law April 9th legislation that will ease the transition for military children as their service member parents move from assignment to assignment during their careers
• TR Carrier Strike Group Returns from Group Sail Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2008 -- The ships and airwing of the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Carrier Strike Group (TRCSG) returned to Norfolk April 9, following a group sail
• Wasp Holds Change of Command Ceremony Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2008 -- USS Wasp (LHD 1) held a change of command ceremony, April 11 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Va.
• Ordnancemen Take Their Best Shot Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2008 -- Sailors attached to Weapons Department G-2 division, Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), took aim at virtual targets using the Navy's Professional Range Instructional Simulator (PRISM) at Naval Station Norfolk, March 19.
• Navy's ManTech Program Cost Reduction Goals on Target Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2008 -- The Navy's ManTech office, managed by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), is continuing to support the Virginia Class Program Office in its efforts to reach its cost reduction goals as mandated by the Chief of Naval Operations.
• Chairman Cites 'Delicate Balance' Between Troop Levels, Readiness AFPS 11 Apr 2008 -- As the United States continues its mission in Iraq and Afghanistan and also works to reduce deployment lengths for servicemembers, leaders must maintain a balance to ensure vital missions are carried out while maintaining the health of the force, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.
• Makin Island Prepares for Emergencies Navy NewsStand 11 Apr 2008 -- Makin Island's (LHD 8) Damage Control Training Team (DCTT) provided training to the pre-commissioning detachment's (PCD) In Port Emergency Team (IET) April 4 in order to effectively prepare the crew for shipboard drills.
• Commentary: Did Ukraine And Georgia Lose A NATO Battle, Or The War? RFE/RL 11 Apr 2008 -- The general consensus following the recent NATO summit was that Georgia and Ukraine fell victim to a power struggle within the alliance between the United States and "new Europe" on one side, and Germany and France on the other.
• NATO: Kyiv, Tbilisi Face More NATO Obstacles Than Simply Russian Resistance RFE/RL 11 Apr 2008 -- Days before the NATO summit in Bucharest began, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili rolled out a new peace initiative for breakaway Abkhazia.
• Japan against joining U.S. global missile shield - Baluyevsky RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2008 -- Japan will not join the U.S. global missile defense network in the near future despite close cooperation with the U.S. on boosting its own missile defenses, Russia's chief of the General Staff said Friday.
• Moscow air defenses to be strengthened next year - 16th Air Army RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2008 -- The main unit of Russia's Air Force protecting western and central Russian airspace, including Moscow, will undergo a major overhaul next year, the commander of the 16th Air Army said on Friday.
• Russia to increase security if Georgia, Ukraine join NATO RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2008 -- Russia will be forced to strengthen security on its borders if Georgia and Ukraine join NATO, Army General Yury Baluyevsky, chief of the country's General Staff, said on Friday.
• India plans to buy over 380 light helicopters for Armed Forces RIA Novosti 11 Apr 2008 -- India will soon announce a new global tender for 384 light helicopters to boost the combat capabilities of its Armed Forces, a national newspaper said on Friday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 11 Apr 2008
• Press Briefing by Scott Stanzel The White House 11 Apr 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 11, 2008
• ATK Delivers 100,000th DSU-33 Proximity Sensor to U.S. Air Force ATK 11 Apr 2008 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) recently delivered the 100,000th DSU-33 Proximity Sensor to the U.S. Air Force.
• Boeing KC-767 Tanker Determined More Survivable in U.S. Air Force Evaluation Boeing 11 Apr 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today said the U.S. Air Force's decision to award a contract for the next aerial refueling airplane to the team of Northrop Grumman and the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) is at odds with the fact that the Northrop/EADS team's KC-30 is less survivable and more vulnerable to attack than the Boeing KC-767 Advanced Tanker.
• Northrop Grumman Receives $453.3 Million Contract for Maintenance Work On USS Enterprise (CVN 65) Northrop Grumman 11 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract valued at $453.3 million for maintenance work on USS Enterprise (CVN 65).
• Northrop Grumman Team Submits Bid for Army Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System Competition Northrop Grumman 11 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) this week submitted its bid for the prime role in the U.S. Army's Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) competition.
• 5,000 Sagem Défense Sécurité FELIN systems ordered for French army Sagem (Safran group) 11 Apr 2008 -- On April 3, 2008, French defense procurement agency DGA, part of the Ministry of Defense, placed an order with Sagem Défense Sécurité (SAFRAN Group) for 5,045 FELIN integrated infantry soldier equipment suites for the French army, worth 143 million euros.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 11 Apr 2008
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 11 Apr 2008
• Secretary-General sets out four options for UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea UN News Centre 11 Apr 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has outlined four options for the future of the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), including the possibility of axing the mission, because of restrictions imposed by Eritrea on its side of the disputed border.
• Somalia: UN says humanitarian situation worsening faster than expected UN News Centre 11 Apr 2008 -- The humanitarian situation in Somalia is deteriorating faster than expected, owing to an unusually harsh dry season, rising insecurity and soaring inflation rates, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said today.
• Food and energy situation in Gaza still 'very difficult' - UN agency UN News Centre 11 Apr 2008 -- Food, energy and other basics of life in the Gaza Strip, where severe restrictions by Israel on the movement of people and goods have been in effect since Hamas' takeover in June 2007, continue to be in short supply, the United Nations reported today.
• Ban Ki-moon welcomes announcement of African summit on Zimbabwe UN News Centre 11 Apr 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today he is pleased that regional leaders in southern Africa are mobilizing to "help Zimbabwe overcome its post-electoral crisis through peaceful means."
• Israel Launches Raids in Gaza in Response to Cross-Border Attack VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- Four Palestinian civilians and two militants have been killed in raids by Israeli air and ground forces in the Gaza Strip.
• KENYA: Security improves in Mt Elgon but fear remains IRIN 11 Apr 2008 -- Security in the Mt Elgon region of western Kenya, where the army was deployed in March to stop a local insurgency, has improved, but civilians still fear being targeted in the ongoing operation.
• CHAD: Every silver lining has a cloud IRIN 11 Apr 2008 -- An estimated 3,000 humanitarian workers are based in the remote east of Chad assisting over 250,000 Sudanese refugees and 180,000 displaced Chadians, yet the hundreds of thousands of locals not directly affected by the crisis receive little or no assistance and for them the international presence has had some downsides.
• 17 Tamil Tigers killed in clashes in Sri Lanka IRNA 11 Apr 2008 -- At least 17 LTTE cadres were killed in clashes in the embattled northern Sri Lanka as fighter jets attacked a target in the rebel stronghold of Mullaitivu.
• Uganda Delegation Returns Home After Rebel Peace Deal Delayed VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- Representatives of the Ugandan government are returning home after rebel leader Joseph Kony again failed to sign a peace agreement that could have ended more than 20 years of fighting.

News Reports

• French Forces Seize Pirates VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- The French government says its naval forces off the coast of Somalia have captured half a dozen pirates following an operation leading to the release of 30 hostages aboard a tourist yacht that had been seized earlier
• Zimbabwe Electoral Authorities Alleged To Have Moved To Secret Location VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- Amid reports Zimbabwe's electoral authority had relocated from an election command center to a secret location, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials said they would have no more to say about presidential election results until an opposition request to the nation's high court that it order the release of the results has been resolved.
• ZIMBABWE: Mugabe is losing the region's support IRIN 11 Apr 2008 -- Seven months ago leaders of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) greeted President Robert Mugabe with a standing ovation at a regional summit in the Zambian capital of Lusaka, but while the venue for the 12 April crisis summit on Zimbabwe maybe the same, analysts say there has been a sea change in attitudes by southern African presidents towards Zimbabwe's 84-year-old leader.
• China: Officials Say Uyghur Group Involved In Olympic Terror Plot RFE/RL 11 Apr 2008 -- Officials in Beijing say they have broken up plots by two terrorist groups, including the Islamic Movement of East Turkestan, a banned Uyghur organization, to stage attacks during the Olympic Games in August.
• Maoists Performing Better than Expected as Nepal Counts Votes VOA 11 Apr 2008 -- Vote counting is under way in Nepal following the nation's historic constituent assembly election