Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• DoD Identifies Marine Casualties
• MND-C Soldier attacked by IED
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• April 24 airpower summary: F-16s fly combat sortie missions AFPN 25 Apr 2008
• Troops in Iraq Kill 22 Suspected Terrorists, Capture 37 AFPS 25 Apr 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed 22 suspected terrorists, captured 37 others, and seized weapons caches in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• Camp Bucca meal availability MNF-I 25 Apr 2008 -- Providing for the welfare of our troops is a top priority for Task Force 134 Detainee Operations and all commanders in the United States armed forces.
• Afghan, Coalition Forces Provide Medical Care in Kandahar AFPS 25 Apr 2008 -- Afghan and coalition medical personnel provided free medical care to local citizens in Afghanistan's Kandahar province April 21.
• Berlin plays down scandal over spying on Afghan minister IRNA 25 Apr 2008 -- The German government here Friday played down a scandal involving allegations that its foreign intelligence agency BND had eavesdropped on Afghan Trade and Industry Minister Amin Farhang.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Adm. Mullen from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 25 Apr 2008 -- Presenter: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen
• Analysis: A Change of Command cfr.org 25 Apr 2008 -- The promotion of Gen. David H. Petraeus to Central Command chief this week came as little surprise to many military observers
• CNO Speaks to Naval Aviators at Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Symposium Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Gary Roughead spoke at the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Symposium on April 25 about the community's part in "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower."
• Container management initiative saves money AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- In an effort to not only improve the aesthetics of the installation but also save the Air Force hundreds of thousands of dollars, the 379th Expeditionary Maintenance Group and Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's traffic management flight have joined forces to combat extraneous shipping containers.
• Conference focuses on challenges facing acquisition workforce AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- Air Force and industry leaders gathered at Wright-Patterson AFB April 22-23 to chart a course to speed the development and delivery of a new crop of revolutionary weapon systems to joint warfighters.
• Air Force training records go digital AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- Air Force officials are fielding two systems currently available through the Air Force Portal that make it easier to keep on-the-job training records up-to-date, saving time and money.
• SECAF discusses alternative energy initiatives at conference AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne championed Air Force alternative energy initiatives at the Third Aviation and Environment conference on Apr. 22.
• Air Force officials announce OTS selection board results AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- More than 270 men and women from across America have earned an opportunity to become Air Force leaders following their selection for an officer's commission, officials at Randolph AFB released April 25.
• PERSCO: Keeping tabs on the ins and outs of troop movement AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- The shuffling of duffle bags and backpacks belonging to more than 70 Airmen and civilian contractors echoes through the patio as the morning sun's rays start to push back the night's cover.
• FCS Launch System Tested at White Sands Army News 25 Apr 2008 -- The non-line-of-sight launch system has completed the first of multiple summer tests, meeting all mission requirements.
• EOD Team of Year Blows Away Competition Army News 25 Apr 2008 -- An Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from the 734th EOD Company at Fort Bliss, Texas, took top honors April 18 in the first EOD Team of the Year Competition held since Sept. 11, 2001.
• Israel's War Drill Offers Lessons for Guard Army News 25 Apr 2008 -- Israel's first national-level civil-defense exercise offered insights that National Guard officials said they could apply in the United States.
• DoD Announces Winners of the Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards 25 Apr 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the winners of the 2007 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards.
• USS Curts Welcomed in Malaysia Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- USS Curts (FFG 38) departed Lumut, Malaysia April 22 following a scheduled five-day port visit, where the crew experienced the unique culture of the Malaysian community, helped repair a special-needs school and interacted with local residents.
• Whidbey Recycle Center Conducts Waste Characterization Study Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- The Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island Recycle Center conducted a waste characterization study April 23, to determine how much material is being diverted from the waste stream.
• Pearl Harbor Shipyard 'Recycles' Ship Engines Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- Twelve people at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) reached a milestone and saved $6.3 million for the Navy, April 25.
• LCS MPCE Early Integration Evaluation Completed Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- The Navy has begun the process of integrating the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Mission Package Computing Environment (MPCE) into both LCS versions under construction, with the first successful integration evaluation on LCS 1 Freedom, in Marinette Marine Shipyard in Marinetee, Wisc., April 8-9.
• Smithsonian puts UAVs on display AFPN 25 Apr 2008 -- Officials at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum unveiled a new exhibit April 24 of military unmanned aerial vehicles representing each branch of service.
• Joint Chiefs Chairman Says Iranian Meddling Destabilizes Iraq, Region AFPS 25 Apr 2008 -- Recently manufactured Iranian weapons found in and around Basra, Iraq, provide disturbing evidence that Iran continues meddling in Iraq in ways that hamper progress and put U.S. and Iraqi lives at risk, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.
• Mullen: Nuclear Project Reaffirms Proliferation Dangers AFPS 25 Apr 2008 -- Syria's building of a secret nuclear facility with North Korean help reinforces the need to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.
• VA to Call Combat Veterans With Info on Care, Benefits AFPS 25 Apr 2008 -- The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin contacting nearly 570,000 recent combat veterans May 1 to ensure they know about VA's medical services and other benefits.
• Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Marks Progress in Advanced Aegis Capability Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- The Navy continues to demonstrate its progress towards a successful implementation of its Guided Missile Cruiser Modernization (CGM) program with an Aegis Advanced Capability Build (ACB) 08' ribbon cutting ceremony held at the Surface Combat Systems Center (SCSC), April 4.
• USS Gonzalez Participates in NATO/Israeli Navy Exercise Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- The Norfolk-based guided-missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) participated in a combined NATO/Israeli navy exercise as part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 2, March 6.
• NMCB 133 Begins Deploying for Pacific Partnership 2008 Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- In a shift from contingency construction to humanitarian construction, members of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 began deploying April 1, in support of Pacific Partnership '08.
• GW CSG Sailors Volunteer for Rio de Janeiro Charities Navy NewsStand 25 Apr 2008 -- More than 200 George Washington Carrier Strike Group Sailors volunteered their time to assist Rio de Janeiro charities April 22-23, during a four-day scheduled port visit in the city.
• Russia says Georgia NATO bid will not solve regional problems RIA Novosti 25 Apr 2008 -- Russia's foreign minister said Friday Georgia's NATO membership will not solve its problems with its breakaway regions which are in far deeper crisis than relations between Moscow and Tbilisi.
• Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and Admiral Ziemer The White House 25 Apr 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 25 Apr 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 25, 2008
• Boeing KC-767 Tanker: Less Risk for Warfighters, Taxpayers Boeing 25 Apr 2008 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-767 would be a lower-risk aerial refueling tanker for the American military and taxpayers than the Airbus A330-based KC-30, and it would be superior in the areas of cost, production, schedule and capability.
• LOCKHEED MARTIN POWERS UP F-35 STOVL ENGINE IN PREPARATION FOR FIRST FLIGHT Lockheed Martin 25 Apr 2008 -- The British pilot who will be the first person to fly the short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] F-35B Lightning II started and ran the aircraft's engine for the first time on April 18, initiating the final series of ground tests before the jet's first flight.
• The PVP in service in the French Army Panhard 25 Apr 2008 -- Last February, the French Army received a first batch of 30 PVPs (Small Protected Vehicle). This 5-ton armoured vehicle will improve protection for French soldiers deployed on operations. Indeed, the French Army is highly exposed, with more than 10,000 men deployed in some ten theatres, Lebanon, Afghanistan and the Ivory Coast among them.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 25 Apr 2008
• Hamas agrees to ceasefire, Israel balks RIA Novosti 25 Apr 2008 -- Hamas has issued a statement saying it is ready to accept a six-month ceasefire with Israel, first in the Gaza Strip and then extending to the West Bank, but the Israeli government has rejected the offer.
• Israel Rejects Hamas Ceasefire Proposal VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- Efforts to negotiate a truce between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip have hit a snag
• Continued fuel shortages in Gaza spark concern from senior UN official UN News Centre 25 Apr 2008 -- The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) said today that he remains extremely concerned about the severe humanitarian impact that the continuing fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip are having on the civilian population and on basic public services.
• Renewed violence drives thousands out of Somali capital - UN UN News Centre 25 Apr 2008 -- Some 7,000 people have fled the Somali capital Mogadishu after a new round of fighting this week that killed a significant number of civilians and reportedly wounded 200 people, including women and children, the United Nations refugee agency announced today.
• Insecurity Prevents Aid From Reaching Displaced in Somalia VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- The U.N. refugee agency says the latest flare-up in fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has caused about 7,000 additional people to flee their homes and has killed or wounded a large number of civilians
• Tamil Tigers Suspected in Rush-Hour Bus Bombing in Sri Lanka VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- A bomb exploded on a government transport bus packed with commuters close to the Sri Lankan capital on Friday
• Bus Bombing Kills 24 Near Sri Lanka's Capital VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- A bomb explosion on a crowded bus near Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo, has killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 40 others.
• Bosnian Croat commander convicted by UN tribunal to serve jail term in Italy UN News Centre 25 Apr 2008 -- A Bosnian Croat military commander convicted by a United Nations war crimes tribunal for his role in the torture and persecutions of Muslims living in the Mostar area of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Balkan wars of the 1990s will serve the remainder of his 20-year sentence in Italy.
• Darfur suspect a 'fugitive,' says International Criminal Court Prosecutor UN News Centre 25 Apr 2008 -- Despite an arrest warrant being issued for him one year ago by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a Sudanese minister accused of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the war-ravaged region of Darfur is free and is a "fugitive," the body;s Prosecutor said today.
• LIBERIA: Govt links rising food prices to conflict risk IRIN 25 Apr 2008 -- A surge in rice prices in 1979 contributed to Liberia's descent into chaos, sparking riots and a political crisis that led to the coup that brought Samuel Doe to power.
• UNHCR Suspends Aid in DRCongo Province VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- The U.N. refugee agency says it has been forced to suspend a distribution of aid to displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province because of renewed violence
• Russia Accuses Georgia of Military Buildup near Breakaway Regions VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- A Russian Foreign Ministry official has accused Georgia of building up its military near the country's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and warned that Russian forces will defend the areas if they are attacked.
• Fuller: Russia May be Seeking 'Joint State' of Abkhazia-Georgia cfr.org 25 Apr 2008
• Analysis: Tremors in the South Caucasus cfr.org 25 Apr 2008 -- When Kosovo seceded from Serbia earlier this year, Russia opposed UN recognition of an independent Kosovar state on the grounds that it violated the sovereignty and wishes of Moscow's ally, Serbia
• KENYA: IDPs remain cautious as leaders preach peace IRIN 25 Apr 2008 -- Ndirangu Mwangi, 26, one of 14,000 people camping in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret's showground, was less than encouraged after Kenya's political leaders visited the town as part of a "national healing" initiative.

News Reports

• Chinese Ship with Arms for Zimbabwe Docks in Angola VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- Angola's state news agency reports that a Chinese ship carrying arms for Zimbabwe has been allowed to dock in Angola, but the weapons will not be unloaded.
• Zimbabwean Police Crack Down on Opposition Activists, Election Monitors VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- In an unprecedented move against Zimbabwe's political opposition, police have arrested hundreds of opposition supporters at the headquarters of the Movement for Democratic Change
• China Offers to Meet with Dalai Lama Representative VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- The Chinese government has announced it will soon meet with an envoy of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, to discuss the situation in Tibet
• Turkmenistan: 'April' Returns To Ashgabat RFE/RL 25 Apr 2008
• NEPAL: Spectre of violence remains after Maoist victoryIRIN 25 Apr 2008 -- The Maoists won a resounding victory in the 10 April elections to Nepal's Constituent Assembly but questions remain about their use of violence.
• ZIMBABWE: Police swoop on injured MDC supportersIRIN 25 Apr 2008 -- About 400 people seeking refuge from alleged state-sponsored violence at the opposition party offices of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) in the capital, Harare, have been arrested by riot police, according to an IRIN correspondent.
• World: Seeking Food Security In An Uncertain World RFE/RL 25 Apr 2008 -- Starting in the 1960s, environmentalists warned that the world was about to run out of food as populations grew and agricultural land was exhausted.
• Car Bomb Kills 4 in Northwestern Pakistan VOA 25 Apr 2008 -- A car bomb has ripped through a police station in northwestern Pakistan Friday, killing four people and wounding at least 30 others