Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 23 Apr 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• MND-B Soldier attacked by small-arms fire (Baghdad)
• PRESS CONFERENCE: Operational Update: Lt. Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, April 23, 2008 MNF-I 23 Apr 2008
• April 22 airpower summary: F-15 drops bomb on target AFPN 23 Apr 2008
• Airmen support OIF ground convoy missions AFPN 23 Apr 2008 -- Airmen from the 2T1 vehicle operator career field deployed to the 586th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron take on some of the most dangerous roads in the world every day.
• Iraqi, Coalition Forces Detain Six, Destroy Weapons Caches AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained six suspected criminals and destroyed multiple weapons caches today near Khan Bani Saad, an area allegedly used as a manufacturing and storage location for homemade bombs, north of Baghdad.
• Wasit Reconstruction Team Aims to Empower Iraqi Farmers AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- .S. led economic-development programs for Iraq's Wasit province are based largely on providing local farmers with the tools and knowledge needed to build profitable and sustainable agribusinesses, an official said in a teleconference with online journalists and "bloggers" yesterday.
• Multinational Corps Commander Finds Iraqi Progress Encouraging AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- The commander of Multinational Corps Iraq said today he is "absolutely encouraged" by the progress he has seen during his first two and a half months in the country.
• 1ID 'Surge' Brigade Returns to Riley Army News 23 Apr 2008 -- About 1,200 Soldiers shook off the last remnants of sand and sun from a 14-month deployment and stepped into the waiting arms of their Family and friends at Fort Riley.
• Operations Net Two Suspects in Afghanistan AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- Separate operations in Afghanistan resulted in the detention of two suspects.
• AFGHANISTAN: Extend transitional justice scheme till 2009 - rights watchdog IRIN 23 Apr 2008 -- Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has called on the government and the international community to extend until December 2009 the period in which human rights violations and war crimes committed in the 21 years prior to 2001 can be addressed.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Secretary Gates from the Pentagon 23 Apr 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• Petraeus-Odierno Team Nominated to Lead in CentCom, Iraq AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- The White House will nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, currently commander of Multinational Force Iraq, to be the next U.S. Central Command commander, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced today.
• Top US General in Iraq to Head Regional Command VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has named the top U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, to lead the U.S. Central Command, which oversees the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as U.S. military operations and security cooperation throughout the Middle East and in Central Asia and East Africa
• AFPC, AFMC temporarily collaborate to staff AFMC vacancies AFPN 23 Apr 2008 -- Air Force Personnel Center and Air Force Materiel Command officials are partnering to reduce the number of Air Force civilian personnel actions currently in the system. Four AFMC bases temporarily will assume responsibility for all AFMC civilian fill actions.
• Iron Flow program concludes at Kadena AFPN 23 Apr 2008 -- With the departure of the final three F-15C Eagles from Kadena Air Base April 23 to Air National Guard units in the United States, the 18th Wing concluded Kadena AB's role in the Pacific Air Forces Iron Flow program.
• CSA: Guard, Reserve Serve as Connection Between Army, Society Army News 23 Apr 2008 -- Americans maintain a connection to the military through the Soldiers that come from their own communities, Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. said.
• Aircraft maintainers key to sorties milestone AFPN 23 Apr 2008 -- If there was ever a question as to what the Air Force has contributed to the war on terrorism, it was answered this week.
• Voluntary Protection Programs Continue to Make Strides AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- Defense Department officials participated in a conference here this week with an eye on reducing the department's estimated $10 billion in annual losses caused by preventable injuries and accidents.
• Gates Pressures Department to Speed Up Delivery of Combat Assets AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- When it comes to delays in getting warfighters what they need, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is a man of little patience.
• DoD, VA Leaders Chart Way Forward for Wounded Care AFPS 23 Apr 2008 -- The Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs are diligently working together to solve problems for America's wounded warriors, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England told the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee today.
• 'Vigilant Guard' Testing First-Responder Capabilities Army News 23 Apr 2008 -- In the wake of a devastating earthquake and simulated flooding, a portion of the 122nd Engineer Battalion swung into action Monday during the Vigilant Guard 2008 Exercise.
• Gold Eagle Fire Watch Division Approaches Mission Completion Navy NewsStand 23 Apr 2008 -- Sailors assigned to the fire watch division aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) are nearing the completion of their fire watch mission this April as they enter the final stages of assisting Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard to ensure all hot work is performed safely on the ship.
• Ronald Reagan Strike Group Returns Following Completion of JTFEX 08-5 Navy NewsStand 23 Apr 2008 -- Sailors assigned to USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 returned to homeport April 22, following completion of Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) 08-5.
• Seabees Build Team Unity in Project Adventure Navy NewsStand 23 Apr 2008 -- Seabees from the 30th Naval Construction Regiment (NCR) spent a day conducting off-site team building exercises called Project Adventure at Camarillo Grove County Park, Calif. April 14.
• Seabees Strengthen Bond with ROK Engineers During Foal Eagle 2008 Navy NewsStand 23 Apr 2008 -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 5 Det. Chinhae participated in construction projects with Republic of Korea (ROK) Engineers as part of Foal Eagle 2008 (FE 08) from Feb. 12 to March 8 in Seoul.
• Coalition Exercise Builds Unity in the North Arabian Sea Navy NewsStand 23 Apr 2008 -- The Royal Bahraini Navy (RBN), along with U.S. and coalition forces conducted Exercise Arabian Shark, April 15-17 in the North Arabian Sea.
• McInerney Sailors Bring Fresh Water, Project Handclasp Items to Honduras Navy NewsStand 23 Apr 2008 -- USS McInerney (FFG 8) Sailors participated in a community relations project with a local Honduran missionary group, Living Water For Roatan, to bring fresh water and medical supplies to people in need in Honduras, April 9.
• NATO: Analysts Debate Merits Of Murdoch Idea To Redefine Alliance RFE/RL 23 Apr 2008 -- Media magnate Rupert Murdoch is pressing the United States to consider reshaping NATO. In a recent speech in Washington, and in a column in "The Wall Street Journal" -- which he owns -- Murdoch argued that Europe lacks "the political will or social culture" to contribute meaningfully to NATO operations
• Russian bombers patrol over Atlantic Ocean RIA Novosti 23 Apr 2008 -- Two Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers and two Il-78 aerial tankers are carrying out routine patrols over neutral Atlantic waters, a Russian Air Force spokesman said on Wednesday.
• Pakistan cuts U.S. fighter order - paper RIA Novosti 23 Apr 2008 -- Pakistan plans to cut by half a $5.1 billion order for F-16 fighter jets from the United States for financial reasons, a national daily said quoting diplomatic sources Wednesday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 23 Apr 2008
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 23 Apr 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 23, 2008
• Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won - Versatility Northrop Grumman 23 Apr 2008 -- Highlighting Reasons the U.S. Air Force Selected the KC-45 Tanker as Best for Our Men and Women in Uniform
• Northrop Grumman Receives Contracts Totaling $252 Million for the F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet Program Northrop Grumman 23 Apr 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received multiple contracts totaling $252 million from Lockheed Martin since Jan. 1, 2008 for the communications, navigation and identification (CNI) subsystem of the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter program.
• ATK Receives $9 Million U.S. Air Force Contract to Develop Hard Target Void Sensing Fuze for the BLU-109 and BLU-113 Penetrating Munitions ATK 23 Apr 2008 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received a nine million dollar contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop a Hard Target Void Sensing Fuze (HTVSF) under the Joint Capabilities Technology Demonstration (JCTD) program. The contract was awarded by the Air Armament Center, Eglin AFB, Fla.
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $6 MILLION U.S. ARMY CONTRACT FOR FAMILY OF MEDIUM TACTICAL VEHICLES FOR JORDAN BAE Systems 23 Apr 2008 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a $6 million contract from the U.S. Army for a Foreign Military Sale of Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) destined for Jordan.
• Boeing Continues Work on 3rd C-130 AMP Aircraft Boeing 23 Apr 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] Support Systems employees in San Antonio work on a C-130 transport aircraft being modified and upgraded as part of the C-130 Avionics Modernization Program.
• CACI Awarded Contract to Provide Professional Services to Department of Navy Chief Information Officer CACI 23 Apr 2008 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) type contract with an estimated value of $82.8 million to continue its support for the Department of Navy Chief Information Officer (DON CIO).
• LOCKHEED MARTIN SUBMITS PROPOSALS TO ADVANCE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT'S OPERATIONALLY RESPONSIVE SPACE EFFORTS Lockheed Martin 23 Apr 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has submitted a series of innovative proposals to the Department of Defense designed to advance state-of-the-art technologies in support of fielding rapid and responsive space systems for the warfighter.
• Raytheon Awarded $79 Million To Upgrade Taiwan's Patriot Air and Missile Defense Capabilities Raytheon 23 Apr 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has received a $79 million Foreign Military Sales award from the U.S. Army to provide Taiwan with Patriot Configuration-3 radar upgrade kits and related engineering and technical services.
• SYNTHETIC DEMONSTRATION DEVELOPS UNMANNED VEHICLE COMMAND CAPABILITY BAE Systems 23 Apr 2008 -- BAE Systems has shown, for the first time, how multiple unmanned air and land vehicles can work under the command of a number of battlefield commanders to deliver vital reconnaissance and surveillance information to front-line troops.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 23 Apr 2008
• Ban Ki-moon urges countries to enhance sharing of data on small arms UN News Centre 23 Apr 2008 -- Member States need to increase their collection, maintenance and sharing of data on small arms as part of measures to encourage disarmament, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report made public today.
• ISRAEL-OPT: Gaza fuel supplies on a knife edge IRIN 23 Apr 2008 -- Israel once again pumped industrial diesel to the Gaza Strip's sole power plant on 23 April, just hours before it was scheduled to stop operations due to a lack of fuel.
• Israelis and Palestinians engaged in most intensive talks in eight years - UN UN News Centre 23 Apr 2008 -- Israelis and Palestinians are currently engaged in the most intensive negotiations on issues pertaining to final status since the political process broke down almost eight years ago, a senior United Nations official told an open meeting of the Security Council today.
• Bush to Meet With Palestinian President Abbas Thursday VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- U.S. President George Bush welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to the White House Thursday
• Israel says ready to swap Golan Heights for peace with Syria RIA Novosti 23 Apr 2008 -- Israel has agreed to withdraw from the Golan Heights as part of a peace deal with Syria, a national daily said quoting "knowledgeable sources" on Wednesday.
• Israel resumes fuel supplies to Gaza RIA Novosti 23 Apr 2008 -- Israel resumed on Wednesday fuel supplies to the sole power plant in the Gaza Strip following warnings it would be forced to shut, a spokesman for the Israeli military said.
• Israel Resumes Fuel Delivery to Gaza VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- Israel is again pumping fuel into the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, averting a looming crisis in electricity supplies.
• Denouncing civilian deaths, UN rights expert urges Somalia ceasefire UN News Centre 23 Apr 2008 -- An independent United Nations human rights expert has condemned the killing of civilians in Somalia, including a number of religious leaders, and called for an immediate end to the violence that has flared up in recent weeks in the Horn of Africa nation.
• UN tribunal and justice research institute start project to safeguard court's legacy UN News Centre 23 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the worst war crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) have begun a joint project to transfer the knowledge gained from the tribunal's work to future courts and institutions dealing with the issues.
• BURUNDI: Shelling resumes in Bujumbura IRIN 23 Apr 2008 -- The resumption in the violence in Bujumbura is causing panic in the country.
• Around 300,000 killed in Darfur violence since 2003 - UN RIA Novosti 23 Apr 2008 -- Around 300,000 people are believed to have died in Darfur from violence, starvation and disease since 2003 with the situation likely to further deteriorate, a UN official said.
• UN to consider situation in Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone RIA Novosti 23 Apr 2008 -- The UN Security Council will hold a closed meeting Wednesday at 20:00 GMT on the situation in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone, Vitaly Churkin, Russia's ambassador to the UN said.
• At Least 90 Soldiers, Rebels Killed in Sri Lanka's Heavy Fighting VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- In Sri Lanka, heavy fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels has killed at least 90 soldiers and rebels and wounded hundreds of others.

News Reports

• Zimbabwe Voters Continue to Face Reprisals VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- A steady stream of people injured in political violence continues to arrive in Zimbabwe's capital Harare looking for medical treatment
• Key US Diplomat Urges China to Open Talks With Dalai Lama VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- The second-ranking diplomat in the Bush administration is urging China to open talks with the Dalai Lama, saying stability in the troubled, Chinese-ruled Tibet is not possible without such dialogue
• British PM Proposes Arms Embargo on Zimbabwe VOA 23 Apr 2008 -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he will advance proposals for a total arms embargo on Zimbabwe
• World: Pirates Still Roaming High Seas, Prompting Calls For Action RFE/RL 23 Apr 2008
• Balkans: Allegations Of Organ Trafficking In Del Ponte Memoir Spark Scandal RFE/RL 23 Apr 2008
• Friedman: Chinese Believe Tibetans, Other Ethnic Groups Should be Incorporated into One China cfr.org 23 Apr 2008
• Backgrounder: Nationalism in China cfr.org 23 Apr 2008