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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Sep 2008 [PDF]
• Sept. 11 airpower summary: A-10s keep vigilant watch AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 11, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Coalition Troops in Iraq Kill Two Enemy Fighters, Capture 11 Others AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- Coalition forces killed two enemy fighters and captured 11 others during a series of operations conducted in and around Baghdad and in western and northern Iraq today, military officials said.
• NMCB 4 Seabees Expending Energy on Oil Platforms Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2008 -- Seabees from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 4 arrived to oil terminals located off the coast of Iraq Aug. 23 to work on living conditions and improve platform access.
• Grizzly Mobile combs the desert USMC News 11 Sep 2008 -- An asset that has always been in the Marine Corps' arsenal is a Marine's willingness and capability to serve in various roles.
• 3/4, CLB-7 return first hundred service members USMC News 12 Sep 2008 -- Approximately one hundred Marines and sailors from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, and Combat Logistics Battalion 7 reunited with friends and family at the Combat Center's Victory Field Sept. 5 after a seven-month deployment to Iraq.
• On watch: Marines continue to search the desert for insurgents USMC News 12 Sep 2008 -- Coalition forces continue to scour the desert to assist the Iraqi Security Forces make a safe Iraq.
• Pakistani Leaders Denounce Suspected US Strikes VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- A suspected U.S. missile strike has killed at least 14 people in a militant stronghold in northwest Pakistan
• Mullen Expresses Concern About Trends in Afghanistan AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expressed concern here today about trends in Afghanistan.
• Coalition Targets Militant Commanders in Two Afghan Provinces AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- Coalition forces killed more than 10 militants and detained two others while targeting Taliban and Haqqani terrorist networks in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, military officials reported.
• Afghan Taliban Attack US Security Convoy, at Least 15 Dead VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- Officials in Afghanistan say at least 10 militants and five Afghan guards were killed when Taliban militants attacked a U.S. security firm convoy in southwestern Afghanistan.
• Pakistani forces kill 20 Taliban militants dead in tribal region IRNA 12 Sep 2008 -- Pakistani security forces Friday killed 20 more militants in fresh clashes that broke out in the tribal region of Bajaur, officials said.
• Pakistan Military Vows to Safeguard Territory Following Surge in US Strikes VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- A suspected U.S. missile strike has killed at least 14 people in a militant stronghold in northwest Pakistan
• SouthCom Sends Team to Haiti, Kearsarge Delivers Tons of Aid AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- An eight-member team from U.S. Southern Command, with headquarters in Miami, will arrive here today to support ongoing U.S. relief efforts in the country.
• Kearsarge Volunteers Deliver Humanitarian Relief to Haiti Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2008 -- Sailors from USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), along with volunteers from other embarked units aboard, have been working tirelessly to assist in the disaster relief efforts in Haiti since Sept. 7.
• "Condors" Provide Disaster Relief in Haiti Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2008 -- Pilots from Marine Heavy Helicopter (HMH) Squadron 464, embarked aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) are providing disaster relief support to citizens after the onslaught of several tropical storms and hurricanes during August and September.
• Airmen stand ready to provide hurricane relief at Randolph AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- Airmen with the 331st Air Expeditionary Group are staged at Randolph Air Force Base ready to respond with aid Sept. 12 as Hurricane Ike bears down on the Texas coast.
• Special tactics unit arrives in Houston to aid Ike relief AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- Members of the Oregon Air National Guard's 125th Special Tactics Squadron arrived at the Reliant Center in Houston Sept. 12 to assist with Hurricane Ike relief efforts.
• Coast Guard Incident Command Center prepares for Ike AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- A Coast Guard Incident Command Center was stood up in preparation for Hurricane Ike Sept. 11 in Katy.
• Patrick Airmen ready to help Hurricane Ike victims AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- Airmen of the 920th Rescue Wing here flew two HH-60G Pave Hawks from Patrick Air Force Base to Gulfport, Miss., to preposition search and rescue aircraft to aid victims of Hurricane Ike Sept. 12.
• Hurricane Hunters fly nonstop into Ike AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- As residents of the Texas coastline flee to safe havens, the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters continue fly right into the center of Mother Nature's fury Sept. 12 from here.
• Guard members in states of Ike's path ready, willing, able AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- National Guard members in Texas and four other states are preparing for the worst as Hurricane Ike looms just off the Gulf Coast Sept. 12.
• Defense Department Readies Help as Ike Approaches Landfall AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- With Hurricane Ike forecast to make landfall tonight or early tomorrow on the Texas coast, the Defense Department already is assisting civilian agencies.
• Guard Members Gear Up for Hurricane Ike AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- Although Hurricane Ike is expected to lose power after hitting Texas tonight, National Guardsmen in four other states are preparing for the worst when it becomes a tropical storm later this weekend.
• Texas Guard staging high-water vehicles for Ike Army News 12 Sep 2008 -- As Hurricane Ike approaches the Gulf Coast with predictions of five to 10 inches of rain, the Texas National Guard is busy assembling 900 personnel and 500 high-water vehicles in San Antonio for major search and rescue missions.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD Special Briefing With Secretary Gates; James Schlesinger, Chairman, Task Force for Nuclear Weapons Management on The Task for Nuclear Weapons Management Report from the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, VA 12 Sep 2008 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
• Report detailing nuclear mission recommendations released AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- Department of Defense officials here released a report Sept. 12 that details recommendations for the future of the Air Force nuclear mission.
• Gates Says Recommendations Will Help Air Force's Nuclear Mission AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates today praised the "comprehensive" conclusions of a task force he set up to look into the Air Force's management of nuclear weapons.
• Task Force Recommends New Air Force Nuclear Command AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- A Defense Department task force has recommended the Air Force Space Command be re-designated as Air Force Strategic Command and be home to the service's nuclear mission.
• US Air Force to Overhaul Handling of Nuclear Material VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- A special task force of the U.S. Defense Department has recommended a major overhaul of how the Air Force handles nuclear warheads and related material
• Counter, human intel MOS opens to female Marines USMC News 12 Sep 2008 -- The counterintelligence and human intelligence military occupational specialty has opened to female Marines.
• Marines Anticipate Reaching Five-Year Goal Two Years Early AFPS 12 Sep 2008 -- Even without offering big cash bonuses, promising opportunities for college or assuring a better life after service, the Marine Corps anticipates meeting its five-year force-growth goal two years early, the commander of Marine recruiting said via teleconference today from his headquarters in Quantico, Va.
• Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Appoints New Board Members 12 Sep 2008 -- DoD announced today that Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates has appointed Dr. Ronald Blanck, Dr. Haile Debas, Dr. Michael Johns, Dr. Kenneth Moritsugu and Dr. Gail Wilensky to serve as members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) Board of Regents.
• Pacific Partnership 2008: Mission Complete Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2008 -- When the Seabees of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 133 left the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) Sept. 12, just days after hammering their last nail for Pacific Partnership 2008, it marked the conclusion of this year's humanitarian civic assistance mission.
• Ike Threatens Southern Texas Coast Naval Station Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2008 -- Naval Station Ingleside set Condition of Readiness (COR) IV on Sept. 9, as the National Weather Center placed the projected path of Ike put the station in the cross hairs with hurricane force winds possible within 72 hours.
• C-17 crew makes history in Antarctica AFPN 12 Sep 2008 -- A C-17 Globemaster III crew from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., made aviation history here Sept. 11, performing the first known after-dark landing in Antarctica using night vision goggles.
• PCU Bush Preps for Underway Replenishment Navy NewsStand 12 Sep 2008 -- Sailors from Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) trained to load and unload cargo during a three-day course at the Center for Service Combat Systems Detachment East Underway Replenishment (UNREP)Training Facility on Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek Aug. 27.
• Russia to boost state weapon orders in 2009 to $47 billion RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2008 -- Russia's budget spending on state defense orders will amount to 1.2 trillion rubles ($46.8 billion) in 2009, a first deputy prime minister said on Friday.
• Russian submarines to test launch ballistic missiles in Pacific RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2008 -- Strategic submarines from the Russian Pacific Fleet will conduct test launches of ballistic missiles at the Kura test site in Kamchatka on September 15-20, a fleet source said on Friday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Sep 2008
• Press Gaggle by Tony Fratto and Julie Goon, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Affairs The White House 12 Sep 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 15, 2008
• Bath Iron Works Awarded $7 Million Contract for Lead Yard Services on the DDG 51 class Aegis Destroyer Program General Dynamics 12 Sep 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), a $7.4 million contract to provide ongoing Lead Yard Services for the DDG 51 Arleigh Burke-class AEGIS Destroyer Program.
• F-35: Delivering On The Promise To Redefine National Strategic Capabilities Lockheed Martin 12 Sep 2008 -- A Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] Joint Strike Fighter executive said today that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is living up to the originally conceived ideal of a tri-service combat aircraft that leverages stealth technology, introduces multi-service interoperability, achieves economies of scale to drive down costs and strengthens important international alliances.
• Lockheed Martin Awarded Contract To Manage Supply Chain For All U.S. Military Automotive Parts Lockheed Martin 12 Sep 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] won a competitive contract to support land-based vehicle sustainment for all of the U.S. military's land-based vehicles over 10 years.
• Raytheon Wins U.S. Navy Education and Training Contract Raytheon 12 Sep 2008 -- Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC), a subsidiary of Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), has been selected by the U.S. Navy to provide education and training solutions for the Naval Education and Training Professional Development and Technology Center.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Sep 2008
• Revised UN estimates show 192,000 uprooted during Georgia conflict UN News Centre 12 Sep 2008 -- Some 192,000 people were forced to flee their homes during the conflict that broke out last month in Georgia, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today, as it released details of a recent assessment of internally displaced people in the Caucasus country.
• Nearly 200,000 People Displaced By Conflict in Georgia VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- The U.N. refugee agency says the number of people displaced by fighting in Georgia and the breakaway South Ossetia region is higher than previously thought
• Russian President Says NATO Membership Would Not Have Changed Action Against Georgia VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- Russian President Dmitri Medvedev says he would have launched military operations against Georgia even if the Caucasus country had been on a firm path to NATO membership.
• Russian OSCE envoy denies deadlock in Caucasus talks RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2008 -- A Russian envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe dismissed a report by a western news agency, that OSCE talks on sending military observers to Abkhazia and South Ossetia were deadlocked.
• Lousy Timing Could Overshadow Turkey's Logical Caucasus Solution RFE/RL 12 Sep 2008 -- Within days of the start of full-scale hostilities last month between Georgia and Russia, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan floated the idea of a Caucasus stability pact modeled on a 1999 Balkan agreement.
• Recent clashes in eastern DR Congo draw concern from Security Council UN News Centre 12 Sep 2008 -- The Security Council today voiced serious concern at the recent fighting between Government forces and rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), some of the worst violence since the signing of a January peace deal.
• Ban welcomes creation of new high-level committee on Darfur UN News Centre 12 Sep 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the establishment of the new Ministerial Committee aimed at furthering peace efforts in the war-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur.
• Abbas Says No Progress in Peace Talks with Israel VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- The head of the Palestinian Authority says negotiations with Israel are not making any progress
• Abbas says peace deal with Israel unlikely in 2008 RIA Novosti 12 Sep 2008 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said he doubts that any peace agreement can be reached with Israel by the end of 2008.
• SUDAN: Thousands at risk as Darfur violence restricts aid deliveries IRIN 12 Sep 2008 -- Increasing violence in the western Sudanese region of Darfur is threatening the delivery of humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of desperately needy people, UN officials have warned. .
• Pakistani PM for involvement of Kashmiris in dialogue process IRNA 12 Sep 2008 -- Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani Friday expressed the belief that Kashmris should be an integral component of the ongoing peace process as they are primary stakeholders.

News Reports

• PRESS CONFERENCE ON FLASH APPEAL FOR HAITI BY EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR United Nations 12 Sep 2008
• Is The Clock Ticking For Saakashvili? RFE/RL 12 Sep 2008
• Next In Line? Saakashvili's Possible Successors As Georgian President RFE/RL 12 Sep 2008 -- Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili won the right to a five-year term in early presidential elections in January 2008
• After The Georgian Crisis, The Breaking Of Europe RFE/RL 12 Sep 2008 -- The European Union is in danger of becoming the greatest long-term casualty of the Russian-Georgian conflict.
• US Expels Venezuelan Ambassador VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- The United States has told Venezuela that its ambassador to Washington will be expelled in the latest chapter of a growing diplomatic dispute
• Riedel: U.S. Needs to Tread Carefully in Pakistan cfr.org 12 Sep 2008 -- Interviewee: Bruce O. Riedel, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Saban Center for Middle East Policy, Brookings Institution
• MYANMAR: Forewarned, not forearmed IRIN 12 Sep 2008 -- The Myanmar government says most residents were warned about approaching cyclone Nargis, but many failed to take appropriate measures or were simply caught off-guard.
• Food Shipments to Somalia at Risk, As Canadian Escort Vessel Nears End of Duty VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- The World Food Program says it needs to bring about 150 thousand tons of food into Somalia over the next three months
• Zimbabwe Leaders Sign Power-Sharing Deal VOA 12 Sep 2008 -- Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai have signed a power sharing agreement aimed at ending the country's lengthy political crisis