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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 23 May 2008 [PDF]
• MND-C Soldier attacked by IED
• DoD News: DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Troops in Iraq Kill Six, Detain 54 AFPS 23 May 2008 -- Coalition forces killed six wanted men, detain 54 suspects, and discover multiple weapons caches throughout Iraq, military officials said.
• May 22 airpower summary: C-130s transport troops AFPN 23 May 2008
• Suicide Bomber Kills Child, 4 Soldiers in Afghanistan VOA 23 May 2008 -- A suicide bomber has attacked an Afghan army convoy in eastern Afghanistan, killing four soldiers and one child.

Defense Policy / Programs

• U.S. House approves 2009 defense bill RIA Novosti 23 May 2008 -- The U.S. House of Representatives approved a defense spending bill of $602 billion for 2009, despite a warning by the White House that the bill could be vetoed by the president if it contained any amendments.
• US Lawmakers Debate Iraq, Iran Policy in Defense Measure VOA 23 May 2008 -- Legislation approved Thursday by the House of Representatives contains provisions dealing with Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan among other issues
• Second OIF Soldier to Receive Posthumous Medal of Honor Army News 23 May 2008 -- President Bush has announced that Spc. Ross McGinnis will posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony June 2, two weeks shy of what would have been his 21st birthday.
• Present, Future Weapons Displayed on Capitol Hill Army News 23 May 2008 -- Some of the Army's most high-tech future weapons were recently on display on Capitol Hill as part of the "Empowering Soldiers Through High Technology" exhibit sponsored by the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology.
• The Institute of Heraldry to Modify Several Campaign and Service Medals 23 May 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today that The Institute of Heraldry (TIOH) will remove the word "medal" from four campaign and service medals in order to align their designs with heraldic protocols.
• George Washington Continues on to San Diego Following Fire Navy NewsStand 23 May 2008 -- At approximately 7:50 a.m. local time on May 22, a fire was detected in the vicinity of the aft air conditioning and refrigeration space and auxiliary boiler room aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73).
• Civilian Corporations Reenergize Maintainers at AIRSpeed Forum Navy NewsStand 23 May 2008 -- Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS) 41 and Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) West hosted an AirSpeed Symposium Industry Day for Sailors and Marines at the Naval Operational Support Center aboard Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) Fort Worth, May 6.
• San Antonio area Air Force, Army medical centers to merge AFPN 23 May 2008 -- Medical care for military families in the San Antonio area is changing. Not in what it offers, but where, officals said.
• Navy, Air Force train together to showcase capabilities AFPN 23 May 2008 -- In an effort to enhance the Air Force's weapons delivery capabilities and the Navy's F-18 Hornets' intercept capabilities, the 96th Expeditionary Bomber Squadron here and the aircrew of Carrier Air Wing ELEVEN (CVW-11) of the USS Nimitz have been participating in joint training exercises off the coastline of Guam.
• Gaming, Simulation Training in Near Future for Military AFPS 23 May 2008 -- The Defense Department is looking for ways to integrate a structured learning environment and gaming to train military members, a senior official said.
• Farragut Visits Ushuaia for Argentina's Navy Day Navy NewsStand 23 May 2008 -- USS Farragut (DDG-99) made a port visit to Ushuaia May 15-17, in support of Farragut's theater security cooperation (TSC) mission.
• French Pilots Land Aboard Truman Navy NewsStand 23 May 2008 -- USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) cooperated with the French Navy May 21, as French pilots landed on the flight deck to work on their carrier qualifications.
• Seattle's Great White Fleet Celebration Concludes Navy NewsStand 23 May 2008 -- The 100th annual Great White Fleet centennial celebration came to a close May 22, when two U.S. Navy ships sailed out of Elliot Bay.
• Seeking Mental Health Care is Encouraged, Army Psychiatrist Says AFPS 23 May 2008 -- Reducing the stigma related to servicemembers seeking mental health assistance is a total team effort that involves educating peers to look out for each other and encouraging those who might be reluctant to receive care, a senior military medical official said yesterday.
• Missile Defense Elements Participate in Air Force Test MDA 23 May 2008 -- Air Force Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced today the successful completion of an exercise held May 22 involving Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) elements participating in a routine operational test of a U.S. Air Force strategic missile from Vandenberg AFB, Calif., as a "target of opportunity."
• Crashed Nimrod `never fit to fly' in Afghanistan, says UK coroner IRNA 23 May 2008 -- The 14 British servicemen killed in a Nimrod crash in Afghanistan in 2006 did not know the reconnaissance aircraft was unfit to fly, an inquest into their deaths concluded Friday.
• Russia, China denounce U.S. plans for global missile defense RIA Novosti 23 May 2008 -- The presidents of Russia and China denounced in a joint statement on Friday U.S. moves to establish a global missile defense system, saying the plans threaten the global strategic balance.
• Russia to orbit three military satellites RIA Novosti 23 May 2008 -- A Russian Rokot launch vehicle is to put into orbit three military satellites and a civilian spacecraft, a satellite designer and manufacturer said on Friday.
• Fighter aircraft of Indian Air Force "MIG-21" crash-lands IRNA 23 May 2008 -- A MIG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force on Friday crash-landed at the Bagdogra airfield, in Siliguri of West Bengal state, but the pilot was safe.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 23 May 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for May 23, 2008
• General Dynamics Receives $6 Million Contract Modification For Nuclear Submarine Maintenance General Dynamics 23 May 2008 -- The U. S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $6 million contract modification for management and nuclear maintenance work on submarines stationed at Submarine Base New London, Conn. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Raytheon Achieves Operational Milestone for Distributed Common Ground System Block 10.2 System Raytheon 23 May 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has accomplished a major requirement of the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) contract -- completing the end-to-end factory acceptance testing of the DCGS 10.2 system.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 23 May 2008
• MALI: UN Secretary-General warns of deteriorating situation IRIN 23 May 2008 -- The Malian government has confirmed that 27 soldiers and Touareg rebels were killed and 31 wounded in clashes in northern Mali on 21 May and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has warned that the situation is "concerning".
• Abkhazia: Rumors Of Peace Amid Drums Of War RFE/RL 23 May 2008 -- With tensions simmering between Georgia and Russia over Abkhazia, a new effort is under way to jump-start peace talks in the separatist region.
• Lebanon Accord Brings Temporary Relief from Danger of Another Civil War VOA 23 May 2008 -- Rival Lebanese leaders reached a deal on Wednesday to end 18 months of political conflict that had pushed their country to the brink of a new civil war

News Reports

• Burma Lets Aid Workers In, But Won't Accept Help From U.S. Military AFPS 23 May 2008 -- The Burmese junta's agreement to allow in international aid workers does not change the status of Defense Department assets ready to assist the victims of Cyclone Nargis, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
• MYANMAR: High hopes for cyclone donor conference IRIN 23 May 2008 -- UN officials and international aid agencies hope to boost the pace of fund-raising for 2.4 million victims of Cyclone Nargis at a donor conference in Myanmar on 25 May
• Myanmar's leader agrees to open access to foreign aid workers - Ban Ki-moon UN News Centre 23 May 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that Myanmar's Senior General Than Shwe has agreed to allow international aid workers, regardless of their nationality, into the areas worst affected by Cyclone Nargis after the two men held talks today.
• Burma Tells UN Chief It Will Allow All Relief Workers Into Cyclone-Hit Areas VOA 23 May 2008 -- Burma's military junta has agreed to allow relief workers of all nationalities to enter the country to help victims of Cyclone Nargis
• China says Quake Reconstruction to Take 3 Years VOA 23 May 2008 -- Chinese officials have said it will take three years to rebuild infrastructure and homes destroyed by the Sichuan earthquake
• More UN supplies pour in to quake-affected areas of China UN News Centre 23 May 2008 -- The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is distributing hundreds of tents and quilts to provide emergency shelter for some of the victims of last week's devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province.
• Georgia: Ruling Party Named Winner Of Parliamentary Elections RFE/RL 23 May 2008 -- Whatever the result announced by the Central Election Commission, members of Georgia's opposition aren't buying it.