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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 05 Jun 2008 [PDF]
• DoD News: DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• MND-C Soldier attacked by small arms fire (Baghdad)
• June 4 airpower summary: B-1B bombs enemy AFPN 05 Jun 2008
• Coalition Forces in Iraq Round Up Iran-Backed Enemy Fighters AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Coalition forces in Iraq captured an alleged leader and a suspected primary weapons smuggler and financier for Iranian-backed enemy fighters today.
• New NATO Commander in Afghanistan Worried About Pakistani Militants VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- The new commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan says he is concerned about violence spilling into the country from Pakistan's tribal regions.
• Coalition Air Strikes Kill Militants in Afghanistan AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Several militants were killed and five others were detained yesterday as coalition forces disrupted anti-government operations in Afghanistan's Helmand province.
• Pakistan FM Defends Taliban Peace Talks on Eve of Afghan Trip VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Pakistan's foreign minister says government peace deals with pro-Taliban militants are aimed at establishing a "peaceful coexistence" with the groups
• AFGHANISTAN: Fund shortage may shut UN humanitarian air service IRIN 05 Jun 2008 -- The UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) may have to abandon its operations in Afghanistan due to a shortfall of US$2.5 million.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Secretary Gates from the Pentagon 05 Jun 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• Top two Air Force leaders resign AFPN 05 Jun 2008 -- The Air Force's top civilian and uniformed leader tendered their resignations to Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates June 5.
• Resignation statement from the Air Force chief of staff AFPN 05 Jun 2008
• Resignation statement from the secretary of the Air Force AFPN 05 Jun 2008
• Top Air Force Leaders Resign Following Nuclear Component Mishandling AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley following an investigation revealing a decline in the Air Force's nuclear program focus, performance and effective leadership.
• Top Two US Air Force Officials Resign VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has accepted the resignations of the Air Force's top two officials after incidents that raised questions about the security of America's nuclear weapons and related sensitive materials
• New Task Force to Examine Nuclear Weapons, Parts Control, Accountability AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today announced a new task force to recommend improvements needed to ensure top-level accountability and control of U.S. nuclear weapons, delivery vehicles and sensitive components.
• Mohammed, Two Other Defendants Reject U.S. Military Counsel AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Three of five defendants accused of involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America rejected court-appointed legal counsel early on during their arraignment here today.
• Five Suspects on Trial at Guantanamo for 9/11 Attacks VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Five men who were allegedly involved in planning and financing the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001 went on trial before a military commission Thursday near the detention center where they are held on the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• Military Commission Hearings to Be Fair, Transparent, Trial Advisor Vows AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Five accused terrorists slated for arraignment today for their alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America will get a fair trial, a senior military lawyer and judge vowed here yesterday.
• Hearing Begins for 5 Suspected 9/11 Co-Conspirators at Guantanamo VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Six-and-a-half years after the September 11 terror attacks, the accused mastermind and four other co-conspirators are facing a war-crimes tribunal at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• 'Guantanamo Five' Hear Charges, Reject Counsel AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Five accused terrorists heard the charges filed against them for their alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America at an arraignment held here today.
• Successful Sea-Based Missile Defense Intercept Missile Defence Agency 05 Jun 2008 -- Air Force Lieutenant General Henry "Trey" Obering III, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced the successful completion of the latest flight test of the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) element, conducted jointly with the U.S. Navy off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii
• Assets Still Available for Burma Aid Distribution, General Says AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- The United States continues to extend its offer of cyclone relief support to the government of Burma, even as the USS Essex group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit move away from the Burmese coast, the Marine Corps general in charge of the military's role in the effort said today.
• Darmstadt Throws Farewell Fest for U.S. Garrison Army News 05 Jun 2008 -- The city of Darmstadt threw a Farewell Fest Friday to say danke schoen and auf wiedersehen to Darmstadt's U.S. military community, and to celebrate more than 60 years of kinship.
• Zappers Return Home to NAS Whidbey Island Navy NewsStand 05 Jun 2008 -- Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 130, the "Zappers," were welcomed home to Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, June 1, after a deployment aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).
• NSWC Crane Engineers Participate in SPS installation Navy NewsStand 05 Jun 2008 -- The Navy is preparing for the next phase of installations of the Shipboard Protection System (SPS).
• B-1B sniper pod aims to hit summer target AFPN 05 Jun 2008 -- Air Force officials say the B-1B Lancer sniper pod could be operational as early as this summer after accelerated testing cut the length of the sniper pod program from nine to three months.
• Mullen Says Trip Provides Insight on Ground Conditions AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- Back today from a 10-day, around-the-world trip designed to foster relationships with allies and emerging countries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it also gave him insight into the way U.S. government agencies are beginning to work together.
• Bahrain Hands Command of CTF 152 to the UK Navy NewsStand 05 Jun 2008 -- Royal Bahrain Navy Brig. Gen. Abdulla Saeed Al Mansoori concluded three successful months as commander, Combined Task Force (CTF) 152, in a ceremony held at the Bahraini Naval Headquarters, June 5.
• Campaign Stars Established to Recognize Multiple Deployments Navy NewsStand 05 Jun 2008 -- To recognize multiple deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the Department of Defense established campaign stars for both the Afghanistan Campaign Medal (ACM) and the Iraq Campaign Medal (ICM).
• Construction Continues in Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina Navy NewsStand 05 Jun 2008 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded an $18.5 million contract to W.G. Yates and Sons Construction Co., May 23, for the design and construction of a post office, training aids facility, refueler maintenance facility, and munitions inspection facility at Keesler Air Force Base, Biloxi.
• NSWC Crane Teaches Weapons Maintenance to Joint Forces Navy NewsStand 05 Jun 2008 -- Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC Crane) has been training the warfighter in operations and maintenance courses for small arms weapons used by the Naval Special Warfare (NSW) community for nearly 10 years.
• Servicemembers take humanitarian mission to Peru AFPN 05 Jun 2008 -- Air Force, Army, Marine and Navy servicemembers arrived here June 1 to kick off New Horizons Peru 2008, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored humanitarian event that will benefit thousands of Peruvians in the Ayacucho area.
• Manas soars with total-force operations AFPN 05 Jun 2008 -- The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing here has a combined staff of Air National Guard crews and maintenance teams alongside active-duty Airmen working together as an integrated team for U.S. Air Forces Central.
• AFPC officials provide service virtually AFPN 05 Jun 2008 -- Air Force Personnel Center officials here opened the virtual communication lines when monthly Internet based information sessions launched late last year for military and civilian personnelists around the Air Force.
• Troops Anxious for GI Bill Revision, Mullen Says AFPS 05 Jun 2008 -- At every "all-hands" meeting he's had with troops from Zamboanga in the Philippines to Baghdad to Fort Bragg, N.C., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gets questions about changes to the GI Bill.
• Two Russian ships to take part in NATO-led exercises RIA Novosti 05 Jun 2008 -- Two Russian ships are to take part in NATO-led exercises in the Baltic Sea, a spokesman for the Russian Navy said on Thursday.
• Georgia, Ukraine ready to join NATO - Ukrainian defense minister RIA Novosti 05 Jun 2008 -- Georgia and Ukraine are ready to join NATO, the Ukrainian defense minister said on Thursday at a military base in eastern Georgia while on a two-day visit to the South Caucasus country.
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 05 Jun 2008
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Jun 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for June 05, 2008
• Lockheed Martin And Kaman Aerospace Demonstrate Unmanned Supply Helicopter To U.S. Army Lockheed Martin 05 Jun 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and Kaman Aerospace Corporation have demonstrated to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps the feasibility of transporting supplies to ground troops by an unmanned helicopter.
• General Dynamics NASSCO Delivers USNS Robert E. Peary 05 Jun 2008 -- General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today delivered USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5) to the U.S. Navy
• General Dynamics Awarded $20 Million for Abrams Tank-Related Work 05 Jun 2008 -- The U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has awarded General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a contract worth $19.8 million for the purchase of long-lead materials to support the reset of 129 M1A2 Abrams Systems Enhancement Package Version Two (SEP V2) configuration of the main battle tank.
• Defense Information Systems Agency Awards Northrop Grumman ENCORE II Information Technology Solutions Contract Northrop Grumman 05 Jun 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is one of 26 companies awarded an ENCORE II Information Technology (IT) Solutions contract by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).
• Raytheon Awarded $63 Million for Airborne Low Frequency Sonar Raytheon 05 Jun 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has received a $63.4 million U.S. Navy contract for AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar, the primary undersea warfare sensor for the U.S. Navy's MH-60R multi-mission helicopter.
• European Defense Industries Dassault Aviation, Thales and Indra Submit a Joint MALE UAV Offer with Israel Aerospace Industries to the French and Spanish Ministries of Defense Israel Aerospace Industries 05 Jun 2008 -- European defense industries Dassault Aviation (France), Thales (France), Indra (Spain) and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) will hold a joint press conference on Friday, June 6, 2008, in Paris, France, to announce the submission of a joint offer to supply IAI-made Heron TP MALE UAV to the French and Spanish Ministries of Defense.
• First F414-powered E/A18G Growler delivered to Navy fleet GE Aviation 05 Jun 2008 -- Lynn Turbofan/Turbojet Projects Department.
• Thales Land & Joint Systems to demonstrate new infra-red hostile fire protection for land vehicles Thales 05 Jun 2008 -- Thales is already developing a single colour infra-red warner product (Elix-IR) for airborne applications under a UK Ministry of Defence Technical Development Program. Through extensive ground testing, Thales has shown that its innovative Elix-IR technology is inherently suitable for land vehicle protection.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 05 Jun 2008
• UN says private UK security groups would support international regulation UN News Centre 05 Jun 2008 -- A group of United Nations human rights experts said today that private military and security groups in the United Kingdom have agreed to support the creation of both a national and international system to regulate their activities.
• Top Turkish General Says Turkey, Iran Coordinating on Strikes Against Kurds VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- A senior Turkish general says Turkey and Iran have carried out coordinated strikes against Kurdish rebels based in northern Iraq
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHIEF PROSECUTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT ON DARFUR United Nations 05 Jun 2008
• UN delegation in Sudan 'encouraged' by north-south talks UN News Centre 05 Jun 2008 -- The Security Council delegation visiting Africa said today that it was encouraged by talks between representatives from north and south Sudan following the recent violence in the disputed town of Abyei.
• Security Council delegation to meet Sudanese President UN News Centre 05 Jun 2008 -- A Security Council mission visiting Africa is expected to meet with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir today in Khartoum, the country's capital.
• Ban urges Sudan to cooperate with prosecutors probing Darfur war crimes UN News Centre 05 Jun 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today urged Sudan to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure justice for the victims of crimes committed in the war-torn Darfur region after the Court's Prosecutor reported that the country is "deliberately" attacking civilians.
• Envoys Say Prospects Dim for Substantive Peace Talks in Darfur VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Special United Nations and African Union envoys on Darfur say prospects for substantive peace talks aimed at ending the crisis in Sudan's conflict ridden province of Darfur are dim
• UN Security Council Envoys Tour Sudan's Darfur Region VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Diplomats from the U.N. Security Council are in Sudan's Darfur region Thursday, reviewing efforts to resolve the area's five-year conflict.
• DRC: Thousands displaced after rebel attacks IRIN 05 Jun 2008 -- Up to 5,000 people have been displaced following a Rwandan rebel attack on two civilian camps in a village in the Democratic Republic of Congo province of North Kivu, a humanitarian official said.
• DRC-RWANDA: A small step towards peace in the east (analysis) IRIN 05 Jun 2008 -- A disarmament pledge by two minor Rwandan Hutu rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a welcome, if small, step to restoring peace in the devastated region, according to the government and analysts.
• UN officials deplore deadly attack by rebels against displaced in DR Congo UN News Centre 05 Jun 2008 -- The United Nations refugee agency and its peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo today condemned an attack by armed Rwandan Hutu rebels on a camp for displaced persons in the eastern DRC that has killed at least six people and left many more injured.
• UN Condemns Attack on DRC Refugee Camp VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- United Nations officials are blaming Rwandan rebels for a deadly attack on a refugee camp in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• EU: Brussels Steps In To Soothe Georgia-Russia Tensions RFE/RL 05 Jun 2008 -- Senior European Union officials are stepping up efforts to defuse a standoff between Moscow and Tbilisi over Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia.
• Georgia: Rhetoric On Abkhazia Heats Up Ahead Of Presidential Talks RFE/RL 05 Jun 2008 -- A much-anticipated meeting between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is due to take place in St. Petersburg on June 6, on the sidelines of a two-day CIS summit
• U.S. calls for peacekeeping review in Georgia's rebel regions RIA Novosti 05 Jun 2008 -- The international community should review Russia's peacekeeping contingent in Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, three U.S. senators said in a joint resolution.
• After Failed Talks With Rebels Uganda Considers Military Route VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- In April, the Ugandan government appeared to be on the verge of signing a peace agreement to put an end to the decades-long conflict in the country's north
• Border Demarcation with Sudan Causes Anger in Ethiopia VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Residents and community leaders in western Ethiopia say thousands of people in several border regions have been displaced by Sudanese troops in recent weeks, following what they describe as a secret, illegal deal between the governments in Addis Ababa and Khartoum
• BURUNDI: Displaced civilians back home in Kabezi IRIN 05 Jun 2008 -- Thousands of civilians who fled their homes near the Burundian capital of Bujumbura in May following clashes between the army and opposition fighters have returned to their villages, a senior official announced.
• SOMALIA: Plea to help IDPs near border with Kenya IRIN 05 Jun 2008 -- Officials in Somalia's border town of Dobley, Lower Juba region, have appealed for urgent help for thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the area, who need food, water and shelter.
• Russia urges the closure of two UN war crime tribunals RIA Novosti 05 Jun 2008 -- Russia proposed that two UN war crimes tribunals be closed down starting from 2009 and their cases passed to national courts, the Russian envoy to the United Nations said.
• Sri Lanka Vows Secure SAARC Summit Despite Increasing Tamil Tiger Attacks VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- The 15th summit of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is scheduled to be held in less than two months, in the Sri Lankan capital
• Israeli Strike Kills Palestinian Girl, Hamas Mortar Kills Israeli Kibbutz Resident VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- Palestinian medics say a young Palestinian girl has been killed in an Israeli air strike in the Gaza Strip, after an Israeli died in a cross-border mortar attack

News Reports

• US Outraged Over Zimbabwe Diplomatic Incident VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- The United States is expressing outrage over an incident Thursday in which Zimbabwean security forces detained U.S. and British diplomats trying to visit victims of political violence
• Clinton to End Presidential Bid, Endorse Obama VOA 05 Jun 2008 -- U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton says she will end her bid for the Democratic presidential nomination on Saturday and endorse rival Senator Barack Obama, who has now secured enough delegates to win the nomination
• MYANMAR: Targeting assistance to where it is needed most IRIN 05 Jun 2008 -- With more than US$260 million committed or pledged to relief efforts in Myanmar, UN agencies and the humanitarian community are taking steps to ensure their assistance is well targeted.
• East: Brussels Tries To Cool 'Eastern Partnership' Ambitions RFE/RL 05 Jun 2008 -- A Polish-Swedish "Eastern Partnership" initiative has run into resistance in Brussels despite receiving broad support from most EU member states.
• Energy: Caspian Pipeline Projects Resemble Gordian Knot RFE/RL 05 Jun 2008 -- Since the mid-1990s, leaders of the Caspian Sea littoral states -- Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Iran -- have repeatedly said that the sea should never become a point of contention between them or a reason for conflict in the international community.