Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Apr 2008 [PDF]
• MND-B soldier attacked by IED
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• MND-N Soldiers attacked in Ninewah Province
• PRESS CONFERENCE: Reconstruction/Security: Maj. Gen. Bergner, Dr. al-Sheikhly, April 30, 2008 MNF-I 30 Apr 2008 -- Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner, MNF-I, and Dr. Tahseen al-Sheikhly, Iraqi spokesman, discuss reconstruction plans and security improvements
• Troops in Iraq Kill 11 Suspected Terrorists AFPS 30 Apr 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed 11 suspected terrorists, detained three others, and seized weapons caches in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• MND-B Troops Seek to Help Clinics in Baghdad Army News 30 Apr 2008 -- Multi National Division-Baghdad Soldiers visited health clinics in western Baghdad on April 2, after receiving reports that many were lacking medical equipment and power to adequately provide care for their local populace.
• US Death Toll in Iraq for April Deadliest in Seven Months VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- U.S. military officials says intense fighting in Iraq has made April the deadliest month for American soldiers in the country since September.
• April 29 airpower summary: C-130s help sustain operations AFPN 30 Apr 2008
• US Cites New Evidence of Iranian Support for Taliban VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- The Pentagon said Wednesday Iran is continuing to provide weapons and other material to Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, in addition to its alleged continuing support for Shiite militias in Iraq
• New UN envoy discusses Afghanistan with United States officials UN News Centre 30 Apr 2008 -- The new United Nations envoy to Afghanistan has just wrapped two days of meetings with United States officials in Washington, D.C., during which they expressed their full support for the world body's efforts in the strife-torn nation.
• Afghanistan: Seven Dead After Clash In Kabul With Suspected Taliban RFE/RL 30 Apr 2008 -- Seven people are reported to have beeen killed overnight after Afghan security forces clashed with suspected Taliban fighters in Kabul.
• Afghan Security Forces Kill Militants Involved in Presidential Assassination Plot VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- Afghan officials say at least seven people were killed when security forces raided a hideout housing militants involved in Sunday's attack on President Hamid Karzai.
• New Pakistani Government Tries Talking Peace with Taliban Militants VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- Pakistan's top Taliban commander has suspended rare peace talks with the country's new government

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Ham and Lt. Gen. Sattler from the Pentagon 30 Apr 2008 -- Presenter: Director for Operations, Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. Carter Ham and Director for Strategic Plans and Policy Joint Chiefs of Staff Lt. Gen. John Sattler
• Fort Campbell Barracks Improving Army News 30 Apr 2008 -- Between now and the year 2014, approximately 2,340 facilities will be built here at the cost of $152 million, including brand new 1+1 barracks, which are under construction to replace barracks from the 1950s.
• Qualified Airmen can request Afghan, Iraq campaign medal stars AFPN 30 Apr 2008 -- A recent memorandum from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense provides guidance on the wear of campaign stars on both the Afghanistan and Iraq campaign medals.
• Synthetic fuel testing begins on fighter engine AFPN 30 Apr 2008 -- Engineers at Arnold Engineering Development Center began testing a Pratt & Whitney F100 engine April 29 in the J-1 simulated altitude jet engine test cell using a blend of alternative synthetic fuel. The engine is the power plant for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon.
• Navy Re-establishes 4th Fleet to Promote Future Interoperability AFPS 30 Apr 2008 -- The recent re-establishment of U.S. 4th Fleet will promote increased alignment with the 32 countries and 13 territories in the Caribbean and in Central and South America, a senior Navy official said yesterday.
• Problems Corrected at Fort Bragg Dorms Army News 30 Apr 2008 -- The poor conditions in a barracks at Fort Bragg, N.C. have largely been corrected, said an Army general responsible for maintaining such facilities.
• Army Wounded Warrior Program Honors Four Years of Service Army News 30 Apr 2008 -- The U.S. Army Wounded Warrior Program is proud to announce that April 30, 2008 marks four years of committed service to severely wounded, injured, and ill Soldiers and their Families.
• USS Carl Vinson Continues Progress with SCOOP Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- Crew members aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) are making significant progress in the ship's refueling complex overhaul (RCOH) process as the Shipboard Coordinated On-load and Outfitting Plan (SCOOP) reached its half-way milestone on board April 28.
• HSL-44 Det. 5, USS Steven W. Groves Returns to Mayport Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (Light) (HSL) 44 Detachment 5, returned to their homeport in Mayport, May 2, after being deployed on USS Steven W. Groves (FFG-29) for a six-month counter-illicit trafficking (CNT) deployment.
• Essex Sailors Take Aim Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- Sailors from the forward deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) took the opportunity to enhance their qualifications in small arms training, April 28.
• Seabees, Trinidad Local Defense Force Team Up Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74 deployed 20 Sailors to Trinidad to support Beyond the Horizon (BTH) 2008, and work alongside engineers from Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force's first Engineer Battalion Construction Squadron.
• Field Communications Operator Course Prepares Seabees for Deployment Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- Seabees from any construction unit in the U.S. Navy rely on communications to succeed in the missions they are assigned to complete. The first step in learning about field communications is attending the Field Communications Operator Course.
• Navy Announces Commissioning of Submarine North Carolina 30 Apr 2008 -- The Navy's newest attack submarine North Carolina will be commissioned Saturday, May 3, during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony at Port of Wilmington in Wilmington, N.C.
• Gates Calls Arrival of Second Carrier in Gulf 'Reminder' of U.S. Presence AFPS 30 Apr 2008 -- The movement of a second aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf this week doesn't signal an escalation of the U.S. naval presence -- but could serve as a "reminder" of it to countries in the region, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here last night.
• Gates: Counterdrug Partnership Big Step in Building U.S.-Mexican Ties AFPS 30 Apr 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' visit here yesterday, the first in 12 years for a U.S. defense secretary, focused heavily on a counterdrug partnership aimed at helping Mexico's fight against drug cartels and other transnational threats.
• Essex Welcomes 31st MEU Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- The forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2) arrived in Okinawa, April 27, to embark Sailors and Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), for their annual Spring Patrol throughout East and Southeast Asia.
• USS Florida Deploys After Team Effort Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- USS Florida (SSGN 728), led by Capt. William Traub, Blue Crew commanding officer, departed on its maiden operational deployment as a newly converted guided-missile submarine, from the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base in Kings Bay, on April 26.
• Navy Recruiters Survive, Assist in Tonado Recovery Operations Navy NewsStand 30 Apr 2008 -- At approximately 4:30 p.m. April 28, Navy Recruiting Station Suffolk in Suffolk, was destroyed by a tornado.
• India's 'Lakshya' test flown successfully IRNA 30 Apr 2008 -- 'Lakshya', India's indigenously developed micro-light and pilotless target aircraft (PTA), was successfully test flown on Wednesday from the integrated test range (ITR) at Chandipur, about 15 km from Balasore in Orissa.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 30 Apr 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for April 30, 2008
• LOCKHEED MARTIN ACHIEVES KEY MILESTONE ON NEW MISSILE WARNING SATELLITE Lockheed Martin 30 Apr 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announced today that it has achieved a major integrated test milestone on the first Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous orbit (GEO-1) spacecraft that enables the start of environmental testing in preparation for launch in late 2009.
• Northrop Grumman Advanced Seal Delivery System Demonstrates Submarine Mission Capability Lockheed Marin 30 Apr 2008 -- The Advanced SEAL Delivery System (ASDS) program, with significant support from Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), achieved a significant milestone in late March 2008, operating for the first time from one of the U.S. Navy's newest transformational platforms, the Ohio-class cruise missile submarine USS Michigan (SSGN 727).
• Boeing Declines Swiss Request for Proposal for New Fighter Aircraft Boeing 30 Apr 2008 -- After a thorough review of Switzerland's requirements for partial replacement of its Tiger fighter aircraft, Boeing [NYSE: BA] has decided not to enter the competition due to the disparity between the requirements for an F-5 replacement aircraft and the next-generation capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet.
• Northrop Grumman KC-45: Why We Won -- Takeoff Performance Northrop Grumman 30 Apr 2008 -- The U.S. Air Force found Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) bid to build the next generation of aerial refueling tankers superior to Boeing's in four of the five most important selection criteria.
• ATK Delivers Second Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) Test Bed Aircraft ATK 30 Apr 2008 -- Modified King Air Aircraft Developed for the Italian Air Force is a Key Asset in United States-Italy Cooperative AARGM Development Program
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $15.5 MILLION BRADLEY CONTRACT MODIFICATION FOR KIT INSTALLATIONS BAE Systems 30 Apr 2008 -- BAE Systems was awarded a $15.5 million contract modification from the U.S. Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command to install modification kits on 952 Bradley Combat Systems vehicles in Iraq and the U.S.
• General Dynamics and Cisco Systems Advance Battlefield Networking General Dynamics 30 Apr 2008 -- General Dynamics C4 Systems and teammate Cisco Systems have successfully integrated Cisco's Unified Communications Manager software into the General Dynamics Itronix GoBook® XR-1 computer
• Freedom Hums As Main Engines Complete Successful Testing Lockheed Martin 30 Apr 2008 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]-led LCS team recently completed another successful milestone in the production of the nation's first Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) with the light off and testing of Freedom (LCS 1)'s main propulsion diesel engines.
• Raytheon Selected to Solve Thermal Challenges in Future High-Power Radars Raytheon 30 Apr 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $3.3 million contract to overcome thermal challenges in semiconductors designed for next-generation high-power radars and other electronic systems.
• General Dynamics and Elbit Systems of America Conduct First U.S. Demonstration of Unmanned Aerial System for U.S. Armed Forces 30 Apr 2008 -- General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products and Elbit Systems of America, LLC, recently conducted the first U.S. demonstration of the Skylark® II Small Tactical /Tier II-class Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) for representatives of the U.S. armed forces.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 30 Apr 2008
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ON WRAP-UP OF WORK FOR APRIL United Nations 30 Apr 2008
• Small arms thwart stability and development, Security Council told UN News Centre 30 Apr 2008 -- The threat to international peace and security posed by the uncontrolled trade in small arms and their excessive accumulation and proliferation cannot be overemphasized, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today.
• Abbas-Olmert Talks a 'First' in Mideast Diplomacy cfr.org 30 Apr 2008
• Gaza power supplies critically low, warns UN UN News Centre 30 Apr 2008 -- Due to disruptions at the Nahal Oz fuel crossing - which was attacked earlier this month by Palestinian militants - fuel supplies for Gaza are critically low, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) warned today.
• Secretary-General to host upcoming Middle East Quartet meeting UN News Centre 30 Apr 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will chair a meeting of the diplomatic Middle East Quartet - comprising the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States - later this week in London.
• Israeli PM pays unscheduled visit to Jordan for peace talks RIA Novosti 30 Apr 2008 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held talks with the Jordanian king on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process during an unexpected visit to Jordan on Wednesday.
• ISRAEL-OPT: UN facing increased delays at Israeli checkpoints IRIN 30 Apr 2008 -- Increased Israeli restrictions on the checkpoints around East Jerusalem have caused more delays and more lost man hours for UN staff in March 2008 than in all of 2007, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported.
• NATO says Russia undermining Georgian territorial integrity RIA Novosti 30 Apr 2008 -- Moscow's decision to increase the amount of Russian peacekeeping troops in the Georgian breakaway republic of Abkhazia is undermining Georgia's territorial integrity, a NATO spokesman said on Wednesday.
• NATO says Russia Stoking Military, Diplomatic Tensions with Georgia VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- NATO says Russia is making worse its diplomatic and military tensions with Georgia by announcing a troop buildup in Georgian border regions.
• Georgia: Moscow's Move To Bolster Peacekeepers Angers Tbilisi, Worries EU RFE/RL 30 Apr 2008 -- Accusing Georgia of massing troops in the Kodori Gorge region of Abkhazia, Russia says it will increase its peacekeeping presence in the separatist region to stave off the threat of war
• Georgia says Russia increasing peacekeepers in Abkhazia RIA Novosti 30 Apr 2008 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert held talks with the Jordanian king on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process during an unexpected visit to Jordan on Wednesday.
• EU alarmed by Russian troop plans for Georgian conflict zone RIA Novosti 30 Apr 2008 -- The European Union's foreign policy chief has warned Russia that its decision to send more peacekeepers to a Georgian breakaway region could prove counterproductive.
• SOMALIA: Starvation fears in north IRIN 30 Apr 2008 -- Extensive drought and high inflation in the northern Togdheer region of the self-declared republic of Somaliland have pushed many families, both nomadic and urban, to the brink of starvation, local officials told IRIN.
• Darfur: head of UN/AU peacekeeping force voices 'impatience' for positive change UN News Centre 30 Apr 2008 -- The head of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur, known as UNAMID, said today that he is just as anxious as people on the ground are for progress.
• Philippine Troops Capture Abu Sayyaf Camp on Southern Island VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- The Philippine military says its troops have captured a camp used by the Abu Sayyaf militant group on a remote southern island.

News Reports

• US Lawmakers Debate Resolution Criticizing Russia VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- There has been new debate in the U.S. Congress over tensions between Russia and the Republic of Georgia
• US Calls Expulsion of Diplomats from Belarus 'Unjustified, Unwarranted' VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- The U.S. State Department Wednesday called the Belarus government's decision to expel 10 U.S. diplomats unjustified and unwarranted
• Zimbabwe Invites Presidential Candidates to Watch Vote Verification VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- Zimbabwe's Electoral Commission has invited the country's presidential candidates to watch the verification of the long-awaited presidential election results.
• Pakistan's Leaders Hold Last Ditch Talks to Break Deadlock Over Top Judges VOA 30 Apr 2008 -- Pakistani leaders are holding a final round of talks Wednesday on stalled plans to reinstate deposed judges, in a dispute that is threatening the coalition government.
• Belarus: Lukashenka Abandons Courtship Of West RFE/RL 30 Apr 2008 -- Dissidents are being rounded up. American diplomats are being kicked out
• Belarus hands U.S. diplomat personae non gratae list RIA Novosti 30 Apr 2008 -- The Belarusian Foreign Ministry summoned on Wednesday the U.S. charge d'affaires in Minsk, Jonathan Moore, and handed him a list of U.S. diplomats considered personae non gratae by the former Soviet state.