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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 02 Jul 2008 [PDF]
• July 1 airpower summary: A-10 destroys anti-Afghan forces AFPN 02 Jul 2008
• Troops in Iraq Detain Seven, Unearth Weapons Caches AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces captured seven suspects and seized weapons in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.
• NMCB 17 Builds Outpost, Gives Iraqis Keys to Facility Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- After 28 days of construction, the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 17, homeported at Fort Carson, Colo., turned the remote combat outpost (COP) located in Temporary Operating Area (TOA) Mameluke over to the Iraqi Army's 7th Division, 27th Brigade, 2nd Battalion, June 27.
• Backgrounder: The Taliban in Afghanistan cfr.org 02 Jul 2008
• Increased Violence in Afghanistan Causes Concern at Pentagon AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- Defense Department officials are very concerned about the situation in Afghanistan, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here today.
• Growing Afghan Police Force Needs More Help AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- Absenteeism, corruption, low pay, lack of equipment and weapons, and a high casualty rate are just some reasons policemen show up at the Jalalabad Regional Training Center in Afghanistan
• Bush Acknowledges Tough Fight in Afghanistan VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- U.S. President George Bush says American and coalition forces are engaged in a tough fight in Afghanistan, and troop levels are under constant review
• New UN office aims to boost development in southern Afghanistan UN News Centre 02 Jul 2008 -- The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has announced plans to scale up its efforts to bring development and reconstruction to the country's southern region by opening a new office in Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province.
• Medics Help Villagers in Afghan Province AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- An airman and a sailor from Combined Joint Task Force 101 here teamed up with Afghan doctors and other coalition medics June 26 to host a village medical outreach event in the village of Nilay in the Kohe Safi district of Afghanistan's Parawan province.
• US Top Envoy Pushes Coordinated Anti-Terror Efforts Between Pakistan, Afghanistan VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- A top U.S diplomat has urged Pakistan and Afghanistan to increase anti-terror coordination saying they must extend their governments' authority to their border regions in order to check rising militant activities
• US welcomes operation in Pakistani tribal region IRNA 02 Jul 2008 -- US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher on Wednesday welcomed operation in the Pakistani tribal region and said groups based in that areas were presenting a threat to Peshawar.
• Pakistan Blames IMU Militants For Afghan Border Unrest RFE/RL 02 Jul 2008 -- For months, media reports in the region have claimed that militants from Central Asia are conducting violent operations in Pakistan's volatile tribal areas along the Afghan border.
• Pakistan Offensive Felt In Eastern Afghanistan RFE/RL 02 Jul 2008 -- Fighting erupted in eastern Afghanistan on June 30 and July 1 after militants crossed the border from Pakistan to attack Afghan and international forces, according to NATO and Afghan officials
• National Guard ordered to battle California wildfires AFPN 02 Jul 2008 -- Approximately 200 California National Guard members were ordered by the state governor July 2 to provide direct ground support to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to extinguish wildfires in the northern part of the state.
• National Guard Soldiers, Airmen Battle Wildfires AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered about 200 National Guard members yesterday to provide direct ground support to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection as it tries to put out wildfires in the northern part of the state.
• Airmen support California firefighting for sixth day AFPN 02 Jul 2008 -- Airmen of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group here are into their sixth day of California wildfire support July 1 helping to control fires engulfing areas of the Sequoia National Forest.

Defense Policy / Programs

• President Bush Discusses 2008 G8 Summit The White House 01 Jul 2008
• Bush to Press G8 to Keep Up Pressure on Extremists, Iran AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- President Bush will emphasize during next week's G8 summit in Japan that the war against violent extremism is a long-term struggle while urging continued support in Iraq and Afghanistan, he told reporters today.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Adm. Mullen at the Pentagon 02 Jul 2008 -- Presenter: Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen
• Mullen Discusses Iran, Broader Middle East With Israelis AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- Back from a trip to Israel, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today there is broad concern about instability in the Middle East.
• US Military Chief Says Any Attack on Iran Would be Destabilizing VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- The top U.S. military officer says more diplomacy is needed to convince Iran not to develop nuclear weapons, because any military strike would have unforeseeable consequences and could end up putting considerable stress on U.S. forces
• DOD sets joint standards for enlistee waivers Army News 02 Jul 2008 -- The Department of Defense has now set standards for how individual services will offer conduct waivers to those it recruits.
• DoD Standardizes Waiver Process 02 Jul 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced changes today to improve the enlistment screening process by standardizing enlistment criteria and generating uniform reporting of waiver types across all services.
• Army activates network warfare unit Army News Release 02 Jul 2008 -- A new chapter for the Army began this morning, July 2, when the Army Network Warfare Battalion (Provisional) was activated during a ceremony at Fort George G. Meade, Md.
• New Army tool helps identify, control risk Army News 02 Jul 2008 -- The newest tool in the Army's arsenal of safety products, the Ground Risk Assessment Tool, facilitates the process of identifying accident hazards and controls for a variety of ground operations and off-duty activities.
• Air Force, Army leaders discuss new UAS concept of operations Army News Release 02 Jul 2008 -- Army and Air Force leaders met Monday, June 30, at Langley Air Force Base, Va., to discuss the way ahead for developing a new joint unmanned aerial system (UAS) concept of operations (CONOPS) for maximizing the contributions these systems can provide to joint forces in the field.
• Navy's New PT Uniform Debuts in Yokosuka Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- The Navy Exchange (NEX) uniform center at Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka began selling the Navy's new physical training (PT) uniforms July 1.
• NMCB 1 Holds Change of Command Ceremony Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 held a change of command ceremony June 27 at Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport.
• Carter Hall Holds Change of Command Ceremony Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) held a change of command ceremony aboard ship while homeported at Naval Station Norfolk June 27.
• Another Shipyard Milestone on Track for Carl Vinson: Potable Water Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Engineering Department commenced testing the ship's potable water systems this July in anticipation of the crew move aboard in August.
• 'Gold Eagle' Restores SITE TV in Time for Crew Move Aboard Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- Sailors assigned to Combat Systems Department aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) are equipping spaces with new televisions this July to restore the Shipboard Information Training Entertainment (SITE) system in advance of the crew move aboard.
• Henry M. Jackson Crew First in Line for new PT Uniform Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- Sailors from USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) (Gold) team were the first command to purchase the Navy's new PT uniform aboard Naval Base Kitsap, Bangor, June 30, the first day they went on sale in the Pacific Northwest.
• Cyberspace career fields, training paths, badge proposed AFPN 02 Jul 2008 -- Air Force officials recently proposed a plan to develop its enlisted and officer corps into Airmen who specialize in establishing, controlling and fighting in the cyberspace domain.
• Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group Sailors Improve Community Relations Abroad Navy NewsStand 02 Jul 2008 -- During its recent deployment to the Navy's 5th and 6th Fleet areas of operation, 522 Navy and Marine Corps volunteers from the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group completed 28 community relations (COMREL) projects, totaling 2,605 man-hours of work.
• Air Force strives to enhance communications networks AFPN 02 Jul 2008 -- Officials from the Air Force, Army and Navy are now funding a Finnish research program that explores new approaches for improving telecommunications network management.
• AETC officials welcome new commander AFPN 02 Jul 2008 -- Air Education and Training Command officials welcomed their new commander in a change-of-command ceremony July 2 at Randolph Air Force Base.
• SECAF delays global wing organizational structure AFPN 02 Jul 2008 -- Acting Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley has directed the delay of the Global Wing Organizational Structure implementation.
• Pentagon Standardizes Enlistment Waiver Reporting System AFPS 02 Jul 2008 -- A new enlistment waiver-reporting policy for all of the services that establishes four groupings and uses numeric coding for specific transgressions will assist the Pentagon to better gauge force quality, a senior defense official said here today.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Deputy Undersecretary Carr from the Pentagon 02 Jul 2008 -- Presenter: Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy Bill Carr
• US, Poland, Reach Tentative Deal on Missile Defense VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- U.S. officials say the United States and Poland have reached a tentative agreement under which part of a U.S. missile defense system will be based on Polish soil
• U.S. says Lithuania has agreed to consider hosting missile shield RIA Novosti 02 Jul 2008 -- United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said that Lithuania has agreed to consider hosting a missile interceptor base if the U.S. deal with Poland falls through.
• Miliband backs strong EU military force IRNA 02 Jul 2008 -- British Foreign Secretary David Miliband Wednesday expressed the British government's support to proposals made by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for a strong EU defense force independent of the US.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 02 Jul 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 02, 2008
• Northrop Grumman Statement to News Media Confirming the Release of Its Employees in Colombia Northrop Grumman 02 Jul 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is extremely pleased to confirm the long-awaited news that all three of its employees -- Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell -- have been safely freed after more than five years as captives of the FARC
• Bath Iron Works Awarded $21 Million Contract for Lead Yard Services on the DDG 51-class AEGIS Destroyer Program General Dynamics 02 Jul 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $20.7 million contract to provide ongoing Lead Yard Services for the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS destroyer program
• BAE SYSTEMS, LOCKHEED MARTIN TEAM TO OFFER U.S. NAVY 5-INCH PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS BAE Systems 02 Jul 2008 -- BAE Systems and Lockheed Martin are teaming to develop long-range guided munitions for the U.S. Navy.
• BAE SYSTEMS RECEIVES $226 MILLION FOR MRAP UPGRADE ORDER BAE Systems 02 Jul 2008 -- BAE Systems has received four delivery orders totaling $226 million from the U.S. Marine Corp for engineering changes and spare parts to support Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. BAE Systems manufactures three of the five MRAP variants: the Caiman, the RG31 and the RG33
• Lockheed Martin GMLRS Rocket Increases Standoff Range in Recent Test Lockheed Martin 02 Jul 2008 -- The U.S. Army recently established a new distance record for the Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rocket, destroying a target 85 kilometers from the launch site during a flawless system demonstration at White Sands Missile Range, NM.
• ATK Receives $250 Million U.S. Air Force Sounding Rocket Contract ATK 02 Jul 2008 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) was awarded a Sounding Rocket Program Three (SRP-3) contract with potential value of $250 million from the U.S. Air Force to provide launch vehicles and engineering and integration services for intercept systems and atmospheric sounding rocket experiments
• Bharat Electronics Ltd. awards LW08 contract to Thales Thales 02 Jul 2008 -- This contract arranges the delivery of components of three LW08 systems that will be installed on the Godavari class frigates. The radars will be built by the Indian company Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) under a licence agreement with Thales, using Thales-supplied components. The first system will be delivered by the end of 2009.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 02 Jul 2008
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT United Nations 02 Jul 2008
• Colombian Military Frees Betancourt, 14 Other Hostages VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- Colombian officials say they have rescued 15 hostages held by leftist rebels, including a former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. defense contractors
• ISRAEL-OPT: Hamas enforces ceasefire in Gaza IRIN 02 Jul 2008 -- The shaky ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could relieve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and benefit Hamas politically, but there is a way to go yet.
• Israel resumes cargo supplies to Gaza - army officials RIA Novosti 02 Jul 2008 -- Israel resumed on Wednesday supplies of commercial and humanitarian cargo to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, previously suspended due to militant rocket attacks, Israeli army officials said.
• Palestinian Bulldozer Driver Goes on Deadly Jerusalem Rampage VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- At least four people were killed and about 40 others injured when a Palestinian bulldozer driver went on a deadly rampage in downtown Jerusalem.
• Top UN official visits Chadian town ahead of planned mission deployment UN News Centre 02 Jul 2008 -- The senior United Nations official in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) has visited a key town in south-eastern Chad ahead of the planned deployment of the UN peacekeeping mission known as MINURCAT to the area.
• Hezbollah Agrees to Prisoner Swap With Israel VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- The leader of Lebanon's Shi'ite Hezbollah opposition says his group has agreed to a prisoner exchange deal with Israel.
• Somali Fighting Increases a Week Before Ceasefire VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- Fighting between Islamist insurgents and Ethiopian and Somali troops is escalating in some parts of south and central Somalia in defiance of a cease-fire agreement signed by the Somali government and some members of the opposition last month
• US Pleased With Post-Independence Progress in Kosovo VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- A senior Bush administration official Wednesday expressed satisfaction with Kosovo's progress since its independence in February
• SOMALIA: Govt denounces attacks on aid workers as abductions continue IRIN 02 Jul 2008 -- The government and civil society groups condemned the continuing attacks against aid workers even as another five Somali aid workers were abducted.
• 2 soldiers, 27 Tamil Tigers killed in clashes in northern S Lanka IRNA 02 Jul 2008 -- At least 27 Tamil Tigers and two soldiers were killed in fresh fighting between the rebels and government troops across the embattled northern Sri Lanka, the military said on Wednesday.
• Russian peacekeepers blame new Abkhazia blast on Georgia RIA Novosti 02 Jul 2008 -- A commander of the Russian-led peacekeeping contingent deployed in the conflict zone between Georgia and breakaway Abkhazia accused Georgian security forces of setting off a new explosion in the region on Wednesday morning.
• Suspected militants blow up security check post in Pakistan's tribal region IRNA 02 Jul 2008 -- Suspected militants have blown up an under construction security check post in Pakistan's tribal region two days after local Taliban suspended peace talks with the government, witnesses and authorities said Tuesday.

News Reports

• COMOROS: Cautious optimism after calm Anjouan elections IRIN 02 Jul 2008 -- Results from the election on 29 June show that voters on the Comorian island of Anjouan have chosen their next president and observers hope a year of political turmoil will make way for calm and much needed development.
• Britain Announces Plans to Ban Hezbollah's Military Wing VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- The British government says it plans to place the entire military wing of the Lebanese Shi'ite Hezbollah movement on its list of banned terrorist organizations.
• UN Security Council Considering Tighter Zimbabwe Sanctions VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- The U.N. Security Council is considering a U.S.-written draft resolution on Zimbabwe that would tighten sanctions against the government of Robert Mugabe and a dozen individuals
• Zimbabwe's Tsvangirai Throws Cold Water On Unity Government Talk VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- Zimbabwean opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said Wednesday that he is not prepared to negotiate with President Robert Mugabe and his ruling party as to a government of national unity until the political violence that has claimed scores of opposition lives is halted.
• African Union Offers Constructive Advice In "Watered-Down" Statement VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- Though this week's African Union summit offered constructive advice to Zimbabwe urging the establishment of a government of national unity to resolve the crisis, observers say that the gathered heads of state side-stepped the main question as to the legitimacy of the country's June 27 run-off vote and thus of the government of President Robert Mugabe.
• Zimbabwe Opposition Rejects Unity Government, Mbeki Mediation VOA 02 Jul 2008 -- Zimbabwe's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, has rejected the African Union call for a government of national unity