Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 17 Apr 2008 [PDF]
• April 16 airpower summary: C-17s provide intra-theater airlift AFPN 17 Apr 2008
• Coalition Forces Detain 11 Suspects in Iraq Operations AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- Coalition forces in Iraq detained 11 suspected terrorists today during countrywide operations targeting al-Qaida in Iraq leaders, military officials reported.
• NMCB 3 relieves NMCB 1 in Camp Ramadi, Iraq Navy NewsStand 17 Apr 2008 -- Naval Moblie Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 relieved NMCB 1 in an official Transfer of Authority ceremony held at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, April 13.
• Unit in Iraq Takes on 'Eagle Challenge' AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- Soldiers from 203rd Brigade Support Battalion here tested their soldiering skills in a series of physical and mental tests known as the "Eagle Challenge" earlier this month.
• Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 50 in Northern Iraq VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- A suicide bomber has attacked a funeral in northern Iraq, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 20 others in one of the deadliest attacks in recent months.
• Coalition Troops Detain Taliban Leader in Afghanistan AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan detained a Taliban commander and another suspected terrorist during operations in Zabul province April 15, military officials reported.
• Creating Legal, Profitable Economy Leads to Afghan Success AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- A commitment to long-term success and improving cooperation with the Afghan government are the keys to success in Afghanistan, a NATO spokesman there said today.
• Afghan Official: Suicide Bomber Kills 23 in Front of Mosque VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- An Afghan official says a suicide bombing in front of a mosque in southwestern Afghanistan has killed at least 23 people and wounded at least 34 others.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD Media Roundtable with Col. Sutton and Col. Jaffee from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 17 Apr 2008 -- Presenter: Director, Defense Center of Excellence for TBI/PTSD Col. Loree Sutton and Director, Defense Veterans Brain Injury Center Col. Michael Jaffee
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Dr. S. Ward Casscells and Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 17 Apr 2008 -- Presenter: Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs S. Ward Casscells and Surgeon General of the U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Eric Schoomaker
• LOGCAP IV logistics contract awarded through full and open competition Army News Release 17 Apr 2008 -- The U.S. Army announced today, April 17, the selection of three companies on a full and open competition basis that will augment essential logistics support services to military forces in the field
• DISA Breaks Ground for Headquarters at Meade Army News 17 Apr 2008 -- "We have all gathered to celebrate one of the biggest moments in DISA\'s history," said the Defense Information Systems Agency Director Lt. Gen. Charles E. Croom Jr. at the ground-breaking ceremony April 16 for the agency's new headquarters at Fort George G. Meade.
• Units Now Eligible for Combat Action Streamer Army News 17 Apr 2008 -- Army units that have been deployed in support of combat operations now have a new way to be recognized: the Combat Action Streamer.
• Study Estimates Huge Need for US Military Mental Health Care VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- A prominent research organization estimated Thursday that 300,000 of the 1.5 million U.S. troops who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan have symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, and a similar number may have suffered traumatic brain injuries, mainly from explosions
• Air Force enhances medical scholarships with $20,000 bonus AFPN 17 Apr 2008 -- Students selected by Air Force officials for three- or four-year medical school scholarships in fiscal 2008 will get an extra $20,000 in their wallets with the new Critical Skills Accession Bonus.
• Cyber Command officials define unit's scope AFPN 17 Apr 2008 -- Ray guns and light sabers may be weapons of science fiction, but using energy as a warfighting tool is one area that members of the Air Force Cyber Command's 450th Electronic Warfare Wing will be charged with exploring.
• National Guard Troops Vigilant in Kosovo's Transition to Nationhood AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- Thronged sidewalks and cafes, jammed roads and packed store shelves suggest progress in this former war zone where National Guard troops play a key role in an international effort to keep the world's newest country on the path of peace.
• Surgeons General: Military Medicine Improving Amid Multiple Missions, Challenges AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- The military services continue working to provide the best medical care possible to servicemembers and their families, promoting best clinical practices while also addressing concerns about rising costs, the top military doctors told Congress yesterday.
• Morale, Resale Programs Reach Out to Reserve-Component Families AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- Military Resale and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs are working to support members of the military community regardless of their proximity to installations, a defense official told the House Armed Services Committee today.
• New Report on Vets' Mental Health 'Very Consistent' with Military Findings AFPS 17 Apr 2008 -- A study released today shows that nearly 20 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, findings that military health officials called "very consistent" with their own.
• New Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine to Lead Way in Caring for Wounded 17 Apr 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced the creation of the new, federally-funded institution, the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM) during a briefing today at the Pentagon.
• First Enlistment Contract with Biometric Signature 17 Apr 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the signing of the first military enlistment contract using biometric technology at the Baltimore Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), located at Fort Meade, Md.
• NMCB 11 Welcomes CESE with Open Arms Navy NewsStand 17 Apr 2008 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 11 Alpha Company spent the week of March 24 conducting their first Battalion Equipment Evaluation Program (BEEP).
• USS Topeka Returns Home Navy NewsStand 17 Apr 2008 -- USS Topeka (SSN 754) returned home to Naval Base Point Loma, April 16, after a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific (WESTPAC).
• New satellite provides more power, better warfighter support AFPN 17 Apr 2008 -- The most powerful communications satellite in the Department of Defense inventory is circling the Earth and went operational April 15.
• Captured UK sailors were not in Iraqi waters, documents confirm IRNA 17 Apr 2008 -- Fifteen British sailors and marines captured by Iran last year were not in Iraq's maritime territory as the UK government claimed, official documents released under the Freedom of Information Act confirm.
• Ukraine clarifies statement on Black Sea fleet withdrawal talksRIA Novosti 17 Apr 2008 -- Ukraine's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday that Russia has been invited to start talks in June on the withdrawal of its fleet from the Crimea, but said Moscow has yet to reply to the proposal.
• Vostok battalion military personnel request discharge - KadyrovRIA Novosti 17 Apr 2008 -- Two hundred military personnel from the Vostok special battalion in Chechnya have submitted early discharge requests, the Chechen president said on Thursday.
• Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto and Dennis Wilder, NSC Senior Director for Asian Affairs The White House 17 Apr 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 17, 2008
• General Dynamics Awarded Contract for JTRS Capabilities and Information Assurance Services General Dynamics 17 Apr 2008 -- General Dynamics has been awarded a contract worth up to $140 million to develop and integrate the maritime and fixed-site joint tactical radio capabilities and provide information assurance services for the Lockheed Martin Airborne, Maritime and Fixed Site (AMF) Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) team.
• Lockheed Martin's Halifax Class Modernization Team Demonstrates Its Mature And Low-Risk Solution Lockheed Martin 17 Apr 2008 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] led Halifax Class Modernization (HCM) Team recently demonstrated its integrated combat management system at Canada's largest defence-related trade show -- providing further evidence of its readiness to promptly deliver a fully-modernized combat system solution for the Canadian Navy's multi-mission frigates.
• BAE SYSTEMS DEVELOPS ANTI-JAMMING GPS RECEIVERS BAE Systems 17 Apr 2008 -- BAE Systems has developed a satellite navigation receiver system that provides uninterrupted operation of the Global Positioning System for air, land, and sea platforms and applications.
• Northrop Grumman Wins Contracts to Supply Navigation Radars For Canadian Navy and Coast Guard Northrop Grumman 17 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has won contracts to upgrade the navigation radars on the Canadian Navy's Kingston-Class maritime coastal defense vessels (MCDV) and Canadian Coast Guard vessels.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Support Army, Navy and Air Force Research Programs Northrop Grumman 17 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) was awarded a five-year contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to support theoretical studies and engineering research for Army, Navy and Air Force research and development programs.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 17 Apr 2008
• Report: Record Number of People Displaced By Conflict And Violence VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- A new report finds 26 million people were displaced within their own countries in 2007 due to armed conflict and violence
• Abbas in Moscow to Push for Mideast Peace Conference VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Moscow earlier this week. In meetings with Russian officials, Mr. Abbas will discuss the Mideast peace process and plans for a Mideast conference Russia is expected to host
• At least 20 Palestinians, 3 Israelis killed in Gaza clashesRIA Novosti 17 Apr 2008 -- Israeli military strikes killed at least 20 Palestinians of whom most were civilians in a new surge of violence in Gaza, and three Israeli servicemen were killed in a Hamas ambush.
• UN rights expert urges protection of Palestinian, Israeli civilians UN News Centre 17 Apr 2008 -- An independent United Nations human rights expert has called on the United Nations to do its utmost to protect the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis, after some two dozen people were reportedly killed in the latest round of violence to engulf the Gaza Strip and southern Israel.
• Israeli Forces Kill 2 Palestinians in West Bank VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- Palestinian security officials say Israeli forces have killed two Palestinian militants during a pre-dawn raid in the West Bank.
• Attacks on food trucks force UN agency to cut rations in Darfur UN News Centre 17 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) said today that it will have to cut rations to the strife-torn Darfur region of Sudan by half because attacks on its trucks are preventing vital relief supplies from getting through.
• SUDAN: Darfur food rations cut, Ban decries rising insecurity IRIN 17 Apr 2008 -- Banditry in Darfur has prevented the delivery of sufficient food stocks to the western Sudanese region, thereby forcing the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to reduce monthly rations, the agency said.
• Georgia's President: Russia Must Drop Plans to Build Ties With Georgian Separatist Regions VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has demanded Russia halt all actions aimed at establishing ties with his country's two breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
• Russia: Moscow Boosts Ties With Georgian Breakaway Regions RFE/RL 17 Apr 2008 -- Outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country will boost ties with Georgia's two pro-Moscow breakaway regions, a move quickly condemned by the United States, European Union, and NATO, as well as Georgia itself.
• As Timorese leader returns, UN envoy calls on nation to 'pull together' for peace UN News Centre 17 Apr 2008 -- Marking the return of President José Ramos-Horta from Australia, where he was recovering after being wounded in an assassination attempt two months ago, the top United Nations envoy to Timor-Leste today called on the leaders and people of the young nation to strengthen their commitment to ensuring lasting peace.
• SENEGAL: Can peace be taught in Casamance? IRIN 17 Apr 2008 -- In the midst of a simmering conflict that has endured for almost two decades in Casamance in southern Senegal and with peace talks suspended since 2005, donors are turning to a new group to help find a solution - children.

News Reports

• ZIMBABWE: Call for international action as violence worsens IRIN 17 Apr 2008 -- Zimbabweans will commemorate independence day on Friday as a deeply divided and uncertain nation, shaken by a rising tide of political violence in the aftermath of last month's election in which the opposition for the first time won a parliamentary majority.
• Rice Says Africa Must Step Up on Zimbabwe Election Crisis VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is calling for Zimbabwe's neighbors to step up and press for an end to that country's post-election political crisis
• Zimbabwe Accuses Opposition Leader of Treason VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- Zimbabwe's government has accused opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai of treason, saying he plotted with former colonial power Britain to force regime change in recent elections.
• Kenya Swears in Power-Sharing Cabinet VOA 17 Apr 2008 -- Nearly three months after Kenya's disputed elections, the country's new power-sharing cabinet has been sworn in, including former opposition leader Raila Odinga as prime minister.
• Armenia: New Government Takes Shape, Faces Big Challenges RFE/RL 17 Apr 2008 -- Armenia's new government is beginning to take shape, with the naming of six ministers this week.
• Russia cancels Libya's $4.5 bln debt in exchange for contractsRIA Novosti 17 Apr 2008 -- Moscow wrote off on Thursday Libya's $4.5 billion debt in exchange for contracts for Russian companies worth several billions of dollars.