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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 06 May 2008 [PDF]
• MND-N soldiers attacked in Ninewah Province
• Iraqi, Coalition Forces Detain 15 Suspected Terrorists AFPS 06 May 2008 -- Iraqi and coalition forces detained 15 suspected terrorists, including two wanted individuals, while targeting al-Qaida operations throughout Iraq today.
• Coalition Ships Help Rescue a Dhow in the Gulf of Aden Navy NewsStand 06 May 2008 -- USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) and USS Shoup (DDG 86) responded to a ship in distress in the Gulf of Aden, May 4 and towed the boat to Yemeni territorial waters, where it arrived May 6, so the dhow could be repaired.
• Predator combat air patrols double in one year AFPN 06 May 2008 -- A significant milestone was reached more than two years ahead of schedule May 1 with the beginning of the 24th MQ-1 Predator combat air patrol in the war on terrorism.
• Study of Iraqi birds to help reduce aircraft mishaps AFPN 06 May 2008 -- One of the Air Force's greatest airpower adversaries doesn't wear the uniform of another country; it wears feathers.
• Coalition Troops Teach International Law to Iraqi Forces AFPS 06 May 2008 -- Soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team, along with members of the Australian army and Italian-led provincial reconstruction team of Iraq's Dhi Qar province, teamed up recently to train Iraqi soldiers and police on international law and human rights.
• McKiernan Departing U.S. Army Europe for Afghanistan Army News 06 May 2008 -- Calling his final formation with U.S. Army Europe Soldiers one of the proudest moments of his 36-year military career, Gen. David D. McKiernan, USAREUR and 7th Army commanding general, said farewell to the command in a ceremony on Campbell Barracks May 2.
• US Accuses Iran of Interfering in Afghanistan VOA 06 May 2008 -- A senior U.S. official says Iran is interfering in Afghanistan's politics and lending support to the Taliban insurgency

Defense Policy / Programs

• Democrats in US Congress Prepare Iraq-Afghanistan Funding Measure VOA 06 May 2008 -- Majority Democrats are preparing for a possible vote on legislation to fund war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Geoff Morrell from the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 06 May 2008 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell
• ARNORTH Conducts Disaster Response Exercise Army News 06 May 2008 -- Active and Reserve units representing all services from those states and others across the U.S. converged in the Seattle area to begin their response measures with the kick-off the National Level Exercise 02-08.
• USS Henry M. Jackson Gold Completes First Patrol in Four Years Navy NewsStand 06 May 2008 -- USS Henry M. Jackson (HMJ) (SSBN 730) (Gold) returned to Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, after a five-week patrol, completing their first patrol in nearly four-and-a-half years, April 13.
• Hopper, Port Royal Return to Pearl Harbor Navy NewsStand 06 May 2008 -- Sailors of USS Port Royal (CG 73) and USS Hopper (DDG 70) returned to their homeport of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Pearl Harbor May 2 following a six-month deployment to the Western Pacific as part of the Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) in support of the war on terrorism.
• CNO Visits Starbase-Atlantis in Pensacola Navy NewsStand 06 May 2008 -- Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO)visited the Starbase-Atlantis youth program while at Naval Air Station Pensacola on May 5.
• Air Force's only UAV wing marks one year in the fight AFPN 06 May 2008 -- Lt. Gen. Norman Seip, the 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander, congratulated Airmen at Creech Air Force Base May 6 as the 432nd Wing marked its first year as the Air Force's only MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle wing.
• Accident investigation board convenes for fatal T-38 crash AFPN 06 May 2008 -- General William R. Looney III, commander of Air Education and Training Command, has convened an accident investigation board to investigate the T-38C Talon crash that killed two Airmen at Sheppard Air Force Base May 1.
• Hanscom unit applies 'gold standard' to contract AFPN 06 May 2008 -- When a joint team led by the Electronic Systems Center awarded the system development and demonstration contract for the Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System this spring, the move triggered not a single protest.
• U.S. Navy Ready to Help Burmese Cyclone Victims AFPS 06 May 2008 -- The U.S. Navy is ready to help in Burma, where a cyclone has caused a humanitarian disaster, but the orders won't be given unless Burma's ruling military leaders make an official request of the U.S. government, President Bush said today.
• Poland ready to continue missile shield talks with the U.S. RIA Novosti 06 May 2008 -- Warsaw is ready to continue a dialogue with Washington on the deployment of elements of a U.S. missile shield in Poland, a deputy prime minister said on Tuesday.
• Russian Navy denies reports of Black Sea missile loss RIA Novosti 06 May 2008 -- Russia's Navy has denied Ukrainian claims that a missile belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimea was washed up on the Ukrainian coast last week.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 06 May 2008
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 06 May 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 16, 2008
• BAE SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE BAR-ARMOR KITS FOR 545 U.S. ARMY VEHICLES BAE Systems 06 May 2008 -- BAE Systems will deliver 545 lightweight bar-armor kits to the U.S. Army for installation on ground vehicles.
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $12 MILLION U.S. ARMY CONTRACT FOR M915A3 TRUCK CAB FIELD KITS BAE Systems 06 May 2008 -- BAE Systems has been awarded a $12 million contract by the U.S. Army for Cab Field Kits for M915A3 semi-trucks with previously installed Add-on Armor kits.
• DISA Awards Northrop Grumman New Mentor-Protege Agreement With MicroTech LLC Northrop Grumman 06 May 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has signed a U.S. Department of Defense Mentor-Protege agreement with the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to provide hands-on development assistance and mentoring to MicroTech LLC, Vienna, Va.
• Northrop Grumman Tanker to Boost Military Airlift Capacity Northrop Grumman 06 May 2008 -- The recent decision by ATA Airlines to file bankruptcy and cease operations -- including the charter service it provided to the U.S. military -- makes more apparent the wisdom of the U.S. Air Force decision to select the Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) KC-45 as America's new tanker.
• CACI Awarded $25 Million Contract to Support Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense/Networks and Information Integration CACI 06 May 2008 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced today that it has been awarded a single-award, prime contract with a ceiling value of $25 million (one one-year base period, with four one-year option years) by the Office of Assistant Secretary of Defense/Networks and Information Integration (OASD/NII), through the National Leadership Command Capability Management Office.
• Northrop Grumman to Support Roll-Out of NATO Maritime Command and Control Information System (MCCIS) Northrop Grumman 06 May 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) announced that it has been selected by the NATO C3 Agency (NC3A) to provide hardware and software support services for the roll-out of the Maritime Command and Control Information System (MCCIS) across NATO countries.
• Northrop Grumman Receives Contract to Develop 360-Degree Warning System to Detect Ground-Based Threats Northrop Grumman 06 May 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the U.S. Army to continue development of the Passive Infrared Cueing System (PICS), a cost-effective ground threat warning system that can locate, cue, and classify potential threats from tank fire, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-tank guided missiles.
• Raytheon's SLAMRAAM a Success in First System Field Test Raytheon 06 May 2008 -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile successfully completed its first acquisition and tracking mission March 3, marking the first phase of system field testing at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
• Orbital Awarded Contract For Suborbital Launch Vehicle Research And Engineering By U.S. Department Of Defense Orbital Sciences Corp. 06 May 2008 -- Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) announced today that it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Defense for the Theoretical Studies and Engineering Services (TSER) program.
• Raytheon Team Starts Work To Integrate the U.S. Army's Live, Virtual and Constructive Training Support Raytheon 06 May 2008 -- The Warrior Training Alliance, led by Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC), has begun integrating the U.S. Army's live, virtual and constructive training under the Warfighter FOCUS (Field Operations Customer Support) program.
• SAIC Awarded $24 Million Task Order from the U.S. Army SAIC 06 May 2008 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a task order by the U.S. Army to support the Topographic Engineering Center (TEC) in Alexandria, Va.
• WATCHKEEPER UAV undertakes maiden flight Thales 06 May 2008 -- Thales UK today announces the successful first flight of the WATCHKEEPER unmanned air vehicle (UAV) platform.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 06 May 2008
• Breakaway Abkhazia seeks Russian military protection RIA Novosti 06 May 2008 -- Abkhazia is prepared to hand over military control of its territory to Russia for protection, the foreign minister of the breakaway Georgian region said.
• Georgia: U.S. Congress Postpones Resolution Critical Of Russian Behavior RFE/RL 06 May 2008 -- Debate has been postponed indefinitely on a nonbinding resolution in the U.S. Congress that accuses Russia of being responsible for "provocative and dangerous statements and actions" against Georgia.
• Georgia: Minister, Seeking EU Support, Warns War With Russia 'Very Close' RFE/RL 06 May 2008 -- Georgia is warning Western governments that there is a real risk of war with Russia unless Moscow is persuaded to reverse recent decisions to strengthen ties with the separatist Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.
• SUDAN: Bombings in Darfur cast doubt on resolving crisis IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Days after the UN and African Union condemned as unacceptable the bombings of villages and markets in Darfur by Sudanese government planes, at least 13 people were reported killed in an attack on a primary school and market in North Darfur state.
• More international support needed for South Sudan, says Migiro UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- The international community needs to refocus on South Sudan and to increase support for recovery and development there, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General said today.
• Senior UN relief official urges immediate access to wounded in North Darfur UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- Voicing her deep concern about the reported attacks on villages in North Darfur, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan has called for immediate access to the affected areas to provide assistance and medical evacuation for the injured.
• SUDAN: Peace deal in "critical phase" as donors meet IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Sudanese officials and representatives of donor nations opened a major conference in Norway on 5 May, amid warnings that the provisions of a three-year-old peace accord had fallen dangerously behind schedule.
• GHANA: Deadly ethnic clashes in the north IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Ethnic groups in northern Ghana clashed on 5 May in the town of Bawku, northern Ghana, leaving at least five people dead.
• ISRAEL-OPT: Gaza fuel, cooking gas shortages beginning to bite IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Intense political divisions in the Gaza Strip have split people on most issues, except one: the situation has never been worse, nearly everyone agrees.
• Number of people smuggled to Yemen more than doubled - UN refugee agency UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- The number of people arriving on the coast of Yemen who had been smuggled across the Gulf of Aden from the Horn of Africa has more than doubled this year, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) announced today.
• Ethiopia: UN closes camps as refugees return to South Sudan UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- After 23,000 refugees returned home to South Sudan, the United Nations refugee agency has closed two camps in western Ethiopia.
• UN genocide tribunal begins trial of ex-Rwandan minister UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- The trial of a former Rwandan minister, who allegedly coordinated the killing of Tutsis, began today before the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to deal with the 1994 genocide in the small African country.
• Former Yugoslav army chief granted temporary release by UN tribunal UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- The United Nations tribunal set up to deal with the worst war crimes committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s has granted temporary provisional release to the former Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, Dragoljub Ojdanic.
• SOMALIA: Hundreds displaced in fighting over water and pasture IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Hundreds of families have been displaced in Somalia's southwestern region of Gedo after two days of inter-clan fighting in which 13 people were killed and 24 wounded, according to locals.
• YEMEN: Rebel leader calls for international aid IRIN 06 May 2008 -- The leader of Shia rebels in the northern governorate of Saada, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has called on aid agencies and the UN to focus their efforts on areas that have witnessed fierce clashes between his supporters and government troops over the past few days.

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE ON MYANMAR HUMANITARIAN SITUATION United Nations 06 May 2008
• MYANMAR: Offers of help face logistics and visa hurdles IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Myanmar's military government yesterday defended its handling of the relief effort after a devastating cyclone swept across the south of the country, while foreign aid workers waited anxiously in Bangkok, Thailand, for clearance to launch a major relief effort.
• Hundreds of thousands may need assistance in cyclone-hit Myanmar - UN UN News Centre 06 May 2008 -- The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance following the deadly cyclone which struck Myanmar a few days ago could number in the hundreds of thousands, according to the United Nations which is mobilizing aid in the wake of the disaster.
• US Lawmakers Condemn Burma's Military Over Referendum VOA 06 May 2008 -- The U.S. House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning Burma's military government for what lawmakers call an undemocratic constitution-drafting process
• Bush Offers More Help for Burma VOA 06 May 2008 -- U.S. President George Bush wants Burma's military rulers to allow American relief officials into the country to help provide assistance from Saturday's devastating cyclone that is now believed to have killed more than 22,000 people
• Burma Cyclone Death Toll Tops 22,000 VOA 06 May 2008 -- Burma's government says at least 22,000 people are confirmed dead, in the wake of Cyclone Nargis, and another 41,000 are missing
• At least 15,000 killed, scores missing after Myanmar storm RIA Novosti 06 May 2008 -- At least 15,000 people have been killed and 30,000 are missing after the deadly Nargis tropical storm hit Myanmar on Saturday, national media reported on Tuesday.
• International Aid Pledged for Burma Cyclone Relief VOA 06 May 2008 -- The international community is pledging emergency aid for Burma, following the devastating cyclone that has killed thousands of people
• US Charges Russian Arms Dealer With 4 Terror Offenses VOA 06 May 2008 -- U.S. prosecutors have indicted an alleged Russian arms dealer, arrested earlier this year in Thailand, on four counts of terrorism.
• NEPAL: Poverty-stricken western areas most vulnerable to food-price hikes IRIN 06 May 2008 -- Worldwide food price hikes are particularly hitting remote villages in western Nepal, the most food-deficit and impoverished part of the country, according to food security experts.
• KENYA: Resettlement of IDPs begins in Rift Valley IRIN 06 May 2008 -- The resettlement of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) began on 5 May in Kenya's Rift Valley Province under a government campaign dubbed "Operation Rudi Nyumbani" (go back home).
• Mugabe's ZANU-PF Launches Zimbabwe Runoff Campaign VOA 06 May 2008 -- Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe's ZANU-PF party, which was outpolled by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change in the March 29 elections, has begun campaigning for the runoff presidential election it hopes to win
• Lebanese Government Challenges Hezbollah VOA 06 May 2008 -- After a marathon overnight session, the Lebanese government has decided to throw down the gauntlet to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, in a bid to crack down on the group's mushrooming state-within-a-state activities.
• Tibetan Envoy Calls Talks With China a 'Good First Step' VOA 06 May 2008 -- An envoy of the Dalai Lama says talks between Chinese officials and representatives from the Tibetan government-in-exile were a "good first step."
• Russia: Putin Hands Reins To Medvedev, But Remains In Control RFE/RL 06 May 2008 -- Vladimir Putin formally steps down after eight years as Russia's president on May 7