• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 21 Jul 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• Coalition, Iraqi Forces Kill Six, Detain 17 AFPS 21 Jul 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed six enemy fighters and detained 17 suspected terrorists during recent operations in Iraq, military officials said.
• Afghanistan making significant progress in mine clearance, reports UN official UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- More than 38,000 anti-personnel mines have been cleared in the past six months across Afghanistan - one of the most heavily mined countries in the world - representing 10 per cent of the total number cleared in the past 18 years, a senior United Nations official said today.
• U.N. Agency Declares Afghan Province 'Nearly Poppy-Free' AFPS 21 Jul 2008 -- The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime recently declared Afghanistan's Konar province to be "nearly poppy-free" in 2006 and 2007.
• AFGHANISTAN: Mine clearance making good progress - UN agency IRIN 21 Jul 2008 -- Mine clearance agencies have made "unprecedented progress" in clearing the country of mines, according to the head of the UN Mine Action Center for Afghanistan (UNMACA).
• Obama discusses terrorism with Afghan leader IRNA 21 Jul 2008 -- US Presidential contender Barack Obama said Sunday that United States needs to focus on Afghanistan in its battle against terrorism.
• Obama Says US Must Focus on Threats in Afghanistan VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has repeated a call for more US troops and greater funding for Afghanistan as part of his plan to overhaul America's war on terrorism

Defense Policy / Programs

• Chairman Links Family Readiness to Military Readiness AFPS 21 Jul 2008 -- Military commanders agree that troops need good training and good equipment before they deploy.
• Defense Department to Deliver More, Improved Child Care AFPS 21 Jul 2008 -- Last week's ribbon-cutting at the largest military child care center underscores the Defense Department's commitment to providing more and better child-care for military families, a senior defense official said.
• Iwo Jima COMPTUEX Marks First for U.S., Brazilian Navies Navy NewsStand 21 Jul 2008 -- The Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) and the Brazilian Navy participated in a Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX) July 8-18, marking the first time a Brazilian Navy surface unit fully integrated into a U.S. strike group.
• Carter Hall VBSS Ready for Real-World Ops Navy NewsStand 21 Jul 2008 -- The visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team assigned to the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD 50) successfully finished four boarding exercises to qualify for deployment during the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) Composite Training Exercise (COMTUEX) July 8-18.
• 15th MEU Weapons Company 2/5 Conducts Sustainment Training in Kuwait Navy NewsStand 21 Jul 2008 -- Marines and Sailors with Weapons Company, Battalion Landing Team 2/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), honed their infantry skills in the sands of Kuwait from June 24-July 9.
• French Ship Surcouf Assists Vessel In Distress Navy NewsStand 21 Jul 2008 -- July 18, French Ship Surcouf (F711) operating as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, provided assistance to the Panamanian-flagged Motor Vessel Karam Allah, which suffered engine failure nine days earlier after it ran out of fuel off the coast of Oman.
• Seabees Complete Malaysia Classroom Project Navy NewsStand 21 Jul 2008 -- Twenty-four Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133, working together with members of Malaysia's 91st Royal Construction Regiment, completed construction on a new school building in Kemaman, July 16.
• Duke Field Airmen drop last 15,000-pound bomb AFPN 21 Jul 2008 -- Duke Field Airmen from the 711th Special Operations Squadron dropped the last operational Bomb Live Unit-82 from an MC-130E Combat Talon I July 15 at the Utah Test and Training Range.
• Top acquisition official: Tanker acquisition top priority AFPN 21 Jul 2008 -- Officials from the Government Accountability Office testified before Congress July 10 here about their decision to uphold Boeing's protests of the Air Force's selection of Northrop Grumman Corp. to produce 179 new tankers that would replace the aging KC-135 Stratotanker fleet.
• B-52 crashes off coast of Guam AFPN 21 Jul 2008 -- A B-52 Stratofortress crashed today at approximately 9:45 a.m. local time off the northwest coast of Guam.
• Air Force officials announce captain selections AFPN 21 Jul 2008 -- Air Force officials have selected 467 first lieutenants for promotion from 471 officers considered during the Calendar Year 2008A captain selection process.
• New Kyrgyzstan medical facility offers high-quality care AFPN 21 Jul 2008 -- 376th Expeditionary Medical Group officials cut the ribbon on a new hospital building here July 17.
• Mercy Nears Halfway Point in Humanitarian South Pacific Deployment AFPS 21 Jul 2008 -- Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy is preparing to leave the third country it has visited in the South Pacific during a four-month humanitarian deployment supporting Pacific Partnership 2008.

• Analysis: The Soft Power Surge cfr.org 21 Jul 2008 -- In the final months of the Bush administration, a top State Department official is calling for a new emphasis on public diplomacy, promoting what he calls "powerful and lasting diversion"-such as sports, culture, even video games-as alternatives to violent extremism
• Poland says U.S. missile shield deal 'one step closer' RIA Novosti 21 Jul 2008 -- Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Monday that Warsaw and Washington had moved a step closer to an agreement on the placement of a U.S. missile base in Poland.
• Poland and U.S. to continue missile shield talks RIA Novosti 21 Jul 2008 -- The Polish Foreign Ministry has said talks between Warsaw and Washington on the possible deployment of elements of a U.S. missile shield in Poland are to continue on Monday.
• UK troops face training cuts due to soaring fuel prices IRNA 21 Jul 2008 -- British troops, involved in two wars, face training cuts due to soaring fuel costs, it was reported Monday.
• Ukrainian opposition party blocks NATO ships in Crimea RIA Novosti 21 Jul 2008 -- A Ukrainian opposition party has prevented foreign warships participating in a NATO naval exercise from leaving the Black Sea port of Odessa, the Bratstvo (Brotherhood) press service said on Monday.
• Merkel visits Ukraine, encourages its NATO ambitions RIA Novosti 21 Jul 2008 -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel reassured Ukraine on Monday that it will eventually join NATO, and said no countries should influence its decision.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 21 Jul 2008
• Press Briefing by Dana Perino The White House 21 Jul 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for July 21, 2008
• Boeing Completes Preliminary Design of Beam Control System for Mobile Laser Weapon Boeing 21 Jul 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has successfully completed the preliminary design of a rugged beam control system for the U.S. Army's High Energy Laser Technology Demonstrator (HEL TD) program.
• General Dynamics Robotic Systems Awarded Navy LCS Automation Contract General Dynamics 21 Jul 2008 -- The Office of Naval Research (ONR) recently awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems a contract to develop the Common Launch and Recovery System (CLRS) for use on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
• ATK Awarded $16.4 Million in Follow-On Contracts From the U.S. Navy for AAR-47 Missile Warning Systems ATK 21 Jul 2008 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) announced today that the U.S. Navy's Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md. has awarded the company $16.4 million in follow-on production orders for the AAR-47 A(V)2 missile warning system, an electronic warfare system designed to protect helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft against surface-to-air missile threats.
• Boeing, Qatar Announce C-17 Globemaster III Order Boeing 21 Jul 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the government of Qatar signed an agreement on July 21 for the purchase of the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to provide new strategic-airlift mobility capabilities for the Qatar Armed Forces (QAF).
• U.S. Navy Selects Northrop Grumman for Next Generation Command and Control Processor Northrop Grumman 21 Jul 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has selected Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) to develop the Next Generation Command and Control Processor (NGC2P).
• Turkish Air Force Selects Northrop Grumman's Newest Navigation System for Its C-130 Aircraft Northrop Grumman 21 Jul 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the Turkish Air Force to provide the newest fiber-optic gyro inertial navigation system, the LN-260, for use on its C-130 aircraft.
• Raytheon Tests Excalibur's Low-Cost Titanium Base Design and On-Board Recorder Raytheon 21 Jul 2008 -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) tested a new low-cost titanium base (Ti) and on-board recorder (OBR) for the Excalibur precision-guided artillery projectile during a June 13 test firing.
• SAIC Awarded $26 Million Contract from Department of Defense Office for Nuclear Matters SAIC 21 Jul 2008 -- Science Applications International Corporation (NYSE: SAI) announced today that it has been awarded the Nuclear Matters Professional Services contract by the Office of the Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters to provide a broad range of technical and analysis services
• Boeing, Missile Defense Agency Successfully Complete Missile Defense Sensor Integration Test Boeing 21 Jul 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], working with industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, today successfully completed a Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system test that demonstrated the most complex integration to date of sensors required to support a missile intercept.
• Raytheon Radars Play Key Role in Missile Defense Test Raytheon 21 Jul 2008 -- Three missile defense radars built by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) performed successfully in the latest flight test conducted by the Missile Defense Agency July 18.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 21 Jul 2008
• Ex-Bosnian-Serb Leader and War Crimes Suspect Radovan Karadzic Arrested VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- Serbia says it has arrested one of the world's most wanted war crimes suspects, Radovan Karadzic, who has been linked to Europe's worst massacre since World War Two
• UN war crimes tribunal prosecutor welcomes arrest of Radovan Karadžic UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- The chief prosecutor of the United Nations war crimes tribunal set up to try those responsible for atrocities committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s has welcomed today's arrest of the former Bosnian Serb political leader and notorious fugitive Radovan Karadžic.
• Karadžic arrest 'decisive step' toward ending impunity, says Ban UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader and fugitive war crimes suspect Radovan Karadžic, who had evaded capture for over a decade after being indicted by the United Nations tribunal set up to try those responsible for atrocities committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s.
• Karadzic: Poet Obsessed with Violence VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- The arrest Monday of Radovan Karadzic, one of the most wanted fugitives from war crimes justice, ended a 13-year manhunt for a man who played a key role in the worst European atrocity since the Second World War
• Ex-Bosnian-Serb Leader and War Crimes Suspect Radovan Karadzic Arrested VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- Serbian President Boris Tadic's office has announced the arrest of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, one of the world's most wanted men.
• DR Congo: displaced people resume return to their homes in north with UN help UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- Displaced people today began returning to their homes in the north of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with the help of the United Nations refugee agency.
• Security situation relatively calm in Darfur after recent attacks - UN mission UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- The security situation in Darfur was relatively calm again over the weekend, the joint African Union-United Nations peacekeeping mission (UNAMID) to the strife-torn Sudanese region - where eight blue helmets have been killed this month - reported today.
• The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly On Kosovar Independence RFE/RL 21 Jul 2008 -- Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci are currently visiting Washington, five months after Kosovo's independence declaration.
• Bryza: 'Does Russia Wish To Be A Facilitator, Or A Party To Conflict?' RFE/RL 21 Jul 2008 -- Georgia and Russia are eyeing each other warily over Abkhazia. There are rumblings about rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey.
• Russian Air Force to conduct regular rotation of UNMIS air group RIA Novosti 21 Jul 2008 -- A regular rotation of the Russian aviation group of the UN Mission in Sudan will be held on August 4-9, a Russian Air Force spokesman said on Monday.
• Sudanese Officials Meet With AU on ICC Charges VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- Sudan is trying to rally diplomatic support for rejecting war crimes charges against President Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court
• China, Russia Sign Border Agreement VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- China and Russia have signed a border agreement that settles the demarcation of their 4,300-kilometer border
• Belarus secretly delivers Russian warplanes to Sudan - paper RIA Novosti 21 Jul 2008 -- A consignment of Russian fighter jets has been shipped to Sudan from Belarus, in an apparent breach of a UN Security Council resolution banning arms sales to the African state, the Sudan Tribune said.

News Reports

• ZIMBABWE: Memorandum of understanding signed by rivals IRIN 21 Jul 2008 -- Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, and opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, signed a memorandum of understanding in the capital Harare today, paving the way for talks to resolve the country's political impasse.
• Ban welcomes agreement to hold talks aimed at ending crisis in Zimbabwe UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the announcement by the country's President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), that they have signed an agreement paving the way for talks to end instability in the country.
• Zimbabwe Leaders Sign Agreement on Formal Talks VOA 21 Jul 2008 -- President Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the founding president of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change have signed an agreement on the framework for formal talks
• Efforts to help Myanmar cyclone victims still in relief phase, says top UN official UN News Centre 21 Jul 2008 -- The operation to help people affected by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar is still in the relief phase, despite recent significant progress, the top United Nations humanitarian official stressed today as a new report assessing the disaster's impact was released.