Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 22 Apr 2008 [PDF]
• Marines attacked by IED (Basra)
• DoD Identifies Navy Casualty
• DoD Identifies Navy Casualty
• Marines attacked by SVBIED near Ramadi
• April 21 airpower summary: Reaper destroys enemy combatants AFPN 22 Apr 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations April 21, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Troops Kill Terrorist, Detain Others During Operations AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- Coalition forces killed a terrorist, detained suspects, and discovered homemade explosives during a series of operations today and yesterday.
• AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN: Afghan refugee settlements demolished at Jalozai IRIN 22 Apr 2008 -- Shops and mud-huts owned by Afghan refugees in Jalozai refugee camp in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province have been demolished and refugees who still live there have been ordered to vacate the area by the end of April, according to Pakistani officials and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Awards Northrop Grumman Unmanned Aircraft System Contract 22 Apr 2008 -- The Department of the Navy announced today that the Northrop Grumman Corp. has been awarded the system development and Demonstration (SDD) contract for the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Unmanned Aircraft System (BAMS UAS).
• US Army, Marine Corps Accept More Recruits With Felonies VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- A U.S. congressional committee has released Pentagon data showing that the Army and Marine Corps admitted significantly more recruits with felony convictions last year when compared to 2006.
• Recruiting Standards Remain High Despite Waivers AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- The Defense Department maintains stringent standards for its recruits, despite an increase in felons the military services accept.
• Services Continue to Make Recruiting Goals Despite Tough Market, Mullen Says AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- The military services continue to make their recruiting numbers despite the most difficult recruiting market in years, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told noncommissioned officers here today.
• Chief of Staff Recognizes Army's Best Rangers Army News 22 Apr 2008 -- A team representing the 75th Ranger Regiment won the 2008 Best Ranger Competition which ended Sunday at Fort Benning after 60 hours of competition.
• Pilots contribute to sorties milestone, much more AFPN 22 Apr 2008 -- At 6 a.m., it's another early April morning in Iraq as the two pilots deployed from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, get ready to venture into harm's way yet again.
• Funding concerns remain for morale, welfare programs AFPN 22 Apr 2008 -- The director of Air Force Services testified before a house subcommittee April 17 about child care and other morale, welfare and recreation issues.
• Deployed emergency managers gather to hone skills AFPN 22 Apr 2008
• Future Leaders Must Follow Conscience, Gates Says AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- Success on today's and tomorrow's battlefields requires military leaders guided by conscience who refuse to be "yes men," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a speech last night to future Army officers at the U.S. Military Academy.
• Gates: Strategic Mistakes Must Not Be Repeated AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- Succeeding in Iraq is critical to prevent a repeat of the strategic mistake in post-Soviet Afghanistan that ultimately led up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told cadets at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., yesterday evening.
• NCOs' Service Vital to Nation During Dangerous Time, Mullen Says AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- Navy Adm. Mike Mullen told noncommissioned officers here today that this is the most dangerous period he has seen in his more than 40 years in uniform.
• Campaign Stars Honor Service in Afghanistan, Iraq AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- New campaign stars authorized for wear on the Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals represent tangible recognition and honor for the sacrifices and contributions servicemembers have made in support of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, a senior defense official said today.
• Army Reserve Looks Forward to Further Transformation on 100th Anniversary AFPS 22 Apr 2008 -- After undergoing a century of change, the Army Reserve is now in the midst of its biggest transformation, the component's chief said.
• Army Reserve Marks First 100 Years Army News 22 Apr 2008 -- The U.S. Army Reserve marks its first century of service to the nation Wednesday with a re-enlistment of 100 Soldiers at 10 a.m. on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, a wreath-laying ceremony at 2:15 p.m. at Arlington National Cemetery and a gala ball in the evening.
• U.S. Fleet Forces Command Addresses Safety Issues Navy NewsStand 22 Apr 2008 -- Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, recently recorded a podcast to inform Sailors about safety, addressing Navy leadership's role and personal responsibility.
• PE 08 Tests Multinational MIO Capabilities Navy NewsStand 22 Apr 2008 -- During the two-week Phoenix Express 2008 (PE 08) exercise, that began April 8, service members from 11 different nations came together in an effort to improve their collective abilities to perform maritime interdiction operations (MIOs).
• O'Kane, Reuben James Join Nimitz CSG Navy NewsStand 22 Apr 2008 -- The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77) and the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Reuben James (FFG 57) departed Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor, April 18, to join the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
• Boxer Promotes Peace and Goodwill with Project Handclasp Navy NewsStand 22 Apr 2008 -- Sailors and Marines aboard USS Boxer (LHD 4) began loading more than $139,000 of "Project Handclasp" supplies April 15 in preparation for their humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Central and South America this summer.
• Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades Mean Clean Water For Guam Navy NewsStand 22 Apr 2008 -- The Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Pacific awarded CDM Constructors, Inc., of Carlsbad, Calif., a $36.2 million, firm-fixed price contract April 21 for wastewater treatment plant repairs and upgrades at Naval Base, Guam.
• FISC San Diego Provides Distance Support to Hawaii-Based Ship Navy NewsStand 22 Apr 2008 -- Fleet and Industrial Supply Center (FISC) San Diego is piloting a distance support initiative, which began Feb. 1, that streamlines ordering, reconciling and documenting a ship's food supply.
• Senior Executive Service Appointment 22 Apr 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 22 Apr 2008
• NATO monitors exercises of Russia's Baltic Fleet RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- NATO reconnaissance ships are monitoring large-scale exercises conducted by Russia's Baltic Fleet, a spokesman for the Russian Navy said on Tuesday.
• Former defense facilities to go under hammer in Moscow RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- The auction of facilities belonging to the Russian Defense Ministry earlier postponed over insufficient number of bidders is scheduled for May 27, a spokesman for the Russian military said on Tuesday.
• Russia Air Force to get new Tu-160 strategic bomber in April RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- A new Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bomber will enter service with Russia' Air Force by the end of this month, the Air Force chief said on Tuesday.
• Putin speaks for new international security, disarmament deals RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- Russia wants new international agreements on security and disarmament to be developed, the outgoing president said on Tuesday.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 22, 2008
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Develop New SIGINT Capability for the Predator MQ-1 and MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aircraft Systems Northrop Grumman 22 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force Aeronautical Systems Center for the development and flight-testing of a signals intelligence sensor payload for the U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and for the preliminary design of an expanded sensor package for the MQ-9 Reaper UAS.
• Boeing Statement on U.S. Navy BAMS Decision Boeing 22 Apr 2008 -- Boeing has been informed that the U.S. Navy has chosen another company for its Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (BAMS) unmanned aircraft system contract.
• Boeing and Turkey's HAVELSAN Renew Missile Defense Partnership Boeing 22 Apr 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and HAVELSAN, a leading software and systems company in the Republic of Turkey, have announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to continue pursuing solutions in regional and global ballistic missile defense.
• BAE SYSTEMS AWARDED £24 MILLION TORPEDO EXTENSION CONTRACT BAE Systems 22 Apr 2008 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a £24 million contract by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for the Spearfish Transition Extension Programme (STEP).
• Boeing Opens F-15E Mission Training Center at Royal Air Force Lakenheath Boeing 22 Apr 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has opened a new F-15E Mission Training Center (MTC) at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom.
• Northrop Grumman Completes Sale of Electro-Optical Systems to L-3 Communications Northrop Grumman 22 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced today that it has completed the sale of its Electro-Optical Systems business for $175 million in cash to L-3 Communications (NYSE:LLL).
• The Netherlands Awards Raytheon Competitively Bid Paveway(TM) Missile Contract Raytheon 22 Apr 2008 -- The Netherlands awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a competitively bid contract for the combat-proven Enhanced Paveway(TM) II precision-guided munition (PGM) April 8.
• Raytheon Awarded Planning Contract for European Mid-course Radar Program Raytheon 22 Apr 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $5 million U. S. Missile Defense Agency contract to begin initial planning and requirements definition for the European Mid-course Radar program proposed for the Czech Republic.
• Northrop Grumman Receives $79.4 Million Contract for Global Hawk MP-RTIP Sensors Northrop Grumman 22 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a $79.4 million contract for Global Hawk Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) sensors as the first element of the lot 7 production contract.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 22 Apr 2008
• ISRAEL-OPT: ICRC concerned by suspension of family visits to prisoners IRIN 22 Apr 2008 -- For families in the Gaza Strip with sons or daughters in Israeli jails, the past 11 months have been especially hard, as they could no longer visit their imprisoned relatives and have only had contact through brief written messages.
• Georgia Accuses Russia of Violating Sovereignty VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- The U.N. Security Council is preparing to hear objections from Georgia over Russia's recent announcement that it would build stronger ties with two separatist regions located within Georgia's borders.
• Russia accuses Georgia over unsanctioned military flight RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- Russia's Foreign Ministry accused Georgia on Tuesday of breaching a UN resolution and Moscow ceasefire after a Georgian unmanned reconnaissance aircraft was downed over the breakaway republic of Abkhazia.
• Georgia: West Urges Restraint As Tempers Flare In Moscow, Tbilisi Over Plane Incident RFE/RL 22 Apr 2008 -- The war of words between Russia and Georgia about the apparent downing of an unmanned Georgian reconnaissance plane over the separatist region of Abkhazia has prompted calls for caution from both the United States and the United Nations.
• UN Security Council to discuss Russian-Georgian dispute RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations Security Council has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday on Georgia's request, to discuss accusations of Russian aggression in Abkhazia, a breakaway Georgian region.
• Abkhazia says Tbilisi reluctant to resume peace talks RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- The president of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia accused Tbilisi during an annual parliamentary address Tuesday of trying to avoid resuming peace talks.
• Mogadishu Residents Express Outrage After Ethiopian Troops Attack Mosque VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- Residents in the Somali capital Mogadishu are expressing outrage and anger against Ethiopian troops in the capital, whom they say massacred at least 10 people, including a senior religious leader, inside a mosque on Sunday
• SOMALIA: Intervention needed to avoid "impending catastrophe" IRIN 22 Apr 2008 -- Asha Haji Ilmi, a women's activist, has called for intervention in Somalia to protect civilians and avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe.
• UN Warns Somalia Faces Humanitarian Catastrophe VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations warns of a humanitarian catastrophe as fighting escalates in Somalia at the same time the country is struggling to come to grips with the worst drought in a decade
• LIBERIA: Peacekeeper pull-out will be "cautious and gradual" IRIN 22 Apr 2008 -- The 15,000 strong United Nations peacekeeping force deployed in Liberia since 2003 has started pulling out but the UN will remain until all security challenges in the country are resolved, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told reporters in the Liberian capital.
• Ban Ki-moon pledges continued UN support for Liberia's post-conflict recovery UN News Centre 22 Apr 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today pledged the continued assistance of the United Nations to Liberia, which he said has made great strides in recovering from a brutal decade-long civil war, but still faces daunting challenges in areas such as security, rule of law and development, as he wrapped up a visit to the West African nation.
• UN tribunal partially overturns convictions of two Bosnian Muslim commanders UN News Centre 22 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) today partially overturned the convictions and reduced the jail sentences given to two former high-level commanders in Bosnia and Herzegovina whose forces murdered and mistreated captured Bosnian Croats and Serbs in 1993.
• War Crimes Tribunal Overturns Bosnian Murder Convictions VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- A United Nations war crimes tribunal has overturned the murder convictions and cut the prison sentence of a former Bosnian army commander.
• Belgrade urges UN to back Serb polls in Kosovo RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- Serbia's president addressed the UN Security Council on Monday asking for its support for plans to include Kosovo in Serbian parliamentary and local elections slated for May 11.
• UN Security Council Split Over Serb Elections in Kosovo VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- The U.N. Security Council continues to be divided over the status of Kosovo, with member states now split on whether Serbian planned local elections next month in the newly declared state should go ahead or whether they are illegal under a U.N. mandate
• SRI LANKA: IDPs continue to flee fighting in northwest IRIN 22 Apr 2008 -- Intensified fighting in recent months in Sri Lanka's restive northwestern Mannar District has forced more than 16,000 people to flee to safe areas within the region.
• At five-year mark, Darfur crisis is only worsening - UN aid chief UN News Centre 22 Apr 2008 -- Five years after fighting first erupted in Darfur between Sudanese Government forces and rebel groups, the world has still not found a durable solution to the suffering of millions of people in the region, the United Nations humanitarian chief told the Security Council today, warning the situation will only deteriorate unless urgent measures are taken.
• Sudan Census Starts, But Disagreement Lingers VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- Counting has begun in Sudan's first national census since 1993, a required step in the country's peace process.

News Reports

• Man Arrested for Disclosing National Defense Information to Israel US Department of Justice 22 Apr 2008 -- Michael J. Garcia, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Mark J. Mershon, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), and Weysan Dun, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Newark Office of the FBI, in conjunction with the U.S. Army, announced today the arrest of Ben-Ami Kadish on charges that he participated in a conspiracy to disclose to the Government of Israel documents related to the national defense of the United States and, in connection with that unauthorized disclosure, that he participated in a conspiracy to act as an agent of the Government of Israel.
• Former US Army Engineer Accused of Spying for Israel VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- A former U.S. Army engineer has been arrested and accused of passing American military secrets to Israel during the 1980s
• Mugabe Isolated In Southern Africa As Arms Ship Barred From Ports VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- A Chinese ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe has also become freighted in recent days with diplomatic significance as the vessel has sought accommodation and offloading in subsequent Southern African countries, emphasizing Harare's increasing isolation.
• BANGLADESH: Good harvest not enough to ease food crisis IRIN 22 Apr 2008 -- An expected bumper rice harvest may not be enough to stave off a food crisis as a result of rising prices, experts say.
• Georgia: In Surprise Move, Burjanadze Says She Won't Seek Reelection RFE/RL 22 Apr 2008 -- Parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze has rocked Georgia's political scene by announcing that she will not seek reelection in May.
• Russia demands joint probe into Kyrgyz base clash RIA Novosti 22 Apr 2008 -- Russia demanded a joint probe into the shooting of a Russian airbase officer in Kyrgyzstan, the Embassy in the Central Asian state said on Tuesday.
• China Defends Arms Shipment to Zimbabwe as Normal Trade VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- China says a shipment of weapons headed for Zimbabwe is a product of normal trade. The Chinese Foreign Ministry says the ship was unable to unload and now may be heading back for China
• Lebanon's Parliament Speaker Postpones Election for 18th Time VOA 22 Apr 2008 -- The eighteenth consecutive session of Lebanon's parliament to elect a new president was postponed, yet again, today, by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, amid a political vacuum that has persisted since pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term ended on November 24