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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 1 Oct 2008 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Sept. 30 airpower summary: C-130s support airlift missions AFPN 1 Oct 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations.
• Army prepares for 2009 rotations in Operation Iraqi Freedom Army News Release 01 Oct 2008 -- The Department of the Army has confirmed the Department of Defense's announcement for the next rotation of major units scheduled to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom
• Seabee Construction Teams in Iraq Transfer Authority Navy NewsStand 01 Oct 2008 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 27, homeported in Brunswick, Maine, received command authority for Seabee construction activities in Western Iraq from NMCB 17, homeported at Fort Carson, Colo., during a transfer of authority ceremony Sept. 20.
• Coalition Captures Six al-Qaida Suspects in Iraq AFPS 1 Oct 2008 -- Coalition troops captured 2 wanted men and 4 others suspected of aiding al-Qaida in Iraq in Mosul and Baghdad.
• US Transfers Sunni Militias to Iraq's Control VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- The US military in Iraq is transferring command of Sunni Arab militia groups fighting extremists to the Iraqi government.
• MH-53s fly final combat missions AFPN 1 Oct 2008 -- Aircrews flew the remaining six MH-53 Pave Low helicopters on their last combat missions in support of special operations forces in Southwest Asia.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Gen. McKiernan from the Pentagon 01 Oct 2008 -- Presenter: Commander, International Security Assistance Force, Afghanistan Gen. David McKiernan
• Afghanistan's Solution Primarily Political, Not Military, General Says AFPS 1 Oct 2008 -- Senior US military officer: The war against radical Islamists operating in Afghanistan will be won, despite the challenges.
• Afghanistan Must Be Viewed Through Regional Prism, General Says AFPS 1 Oct 2008 -- Top NATO commander in Afghanistan: "cautiously optimistic" regarding recent Pakistani military efforts.
• US Pressure Deepens Divide Between Pakistan's Military and Civilian Leadership VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- American pressure over counterterrorism has strained the relationship between Pakistan's government and military.
• Top US General Says Afghan Violence Worsening VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Top American military commander in Afghanistan: Needs more troops and economic aid as soon as possible for the battle against insurgents.
• Pakistani Officials Say at Least 6 Killed in US Drone Strike VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Pakistani officials say a suspected U.S. drone fired missiles at a house in northwest Pakistan, killing at least six people.
• Consolidated Fielding Center Speeds Afghan Army's Growth AFPS 1 Oct 2008 -- New organization improving the Afghan National Army's ability to move capable forces from its training center to the operational commands.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Speech: AFRICOM Activation Ceremony (Washington D.C.) 01 Oct 2008 -- As Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Washington D.C. , Wednesday, October 01, 2008
• DoD Announces Activation Of Unified Geographic Command 01 Oct 2008 -- The Department of Defense today announced the activation of United States Africa Command, the sixth unified geographic command within the DoD unified command structure.
• Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Independence 01 Oct 2008 -- The Navy will christen littoral combat ship (LCS) Independence at 10:00 a.m. CDT on Saturday, Oct. 4, during a ceremony at Austal USA Shipyard, Mobile, Ala.
• AFRICOM Takes Over U.S. Military Operations in Africa Wednesday VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Africa Command (AFRICOM), launched in February 2007 becomes fully operational and takes over US military operations in Africa.
• Air Force Reserve exceeds recruiting goal AFNS 01 Oct 2008 -- Air Force Reserve recruiters signed up 8,390 people in fiscal year 2008, exceeding the goal by almost 5 percent. The additional recruits followed as the command met its annual goal of 8,000 on Aug. 28, some 33 days ahead of schedule.
• Officials enter agreement to create aerospace complex AFNS 01 Oct 2008 -- Air Force officials announced Sept. 25 that the service has signed a long-term lease agreement with Oklahoma County that will enable the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center to establish the Tinker Aerospace Complex here.
• Simulation center prepares medics for saving lives AFNS 01 Oct 2008
• U.S. Northern Command gains dedicated response force AFNS 01 Oct 2008 -- For the first time in its existence, U.S. Northern Command is gaining a dedicated force to respond to potential chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) incidents in the homeland.
• New course trains medical teams in Pacific AFNS 01 Oct 2008 -- Critical care specialists from the Air Force, Army and Navy are training on moving seriously ill patients in the Pacific theater at a Sept. 29 through Oct. 3 course being held here.
• Cannon officials use AFSO 21 to improve inprocessing AFNS 01 Oct 2008 -- Cannon Air Force Base officials recently revamped its inprocessing program using Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century to take a three week process into a four hour program.
• Army leaders at NYC ceremony anticipate meeting recruiting goal Army News 01 Oct 2008 -- Secretary of the Army Pete Geren presided over a ceremony Wednesday morning in which nine future Soldiers took the oath of enlistment as part of celebrating the all-volunteer Army's anticipated success in achieving its recruiting goal.
• USS Mitscher Sailors Think 'Green' Navy NewsStand 01 Oct 2008 -- The guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57) is thinking 'green' this October as the ship makes its transit across the Atlantic Ocean to participate in the multinational exercise Joint Warrior.
• Navy Announces Updates to Physical Readiness Program Navy NewsStand 01 Oct 2008 -- A NAVADMIN released Sept. 29 emphasized the Navy's exceptional progress in attaining a culture of fitness and announces several policy revisions to strengthen the Navy Physical Readiness Program (PRP).
• Naval Station Activity Weapons Department Supports NAVCENT Navy NewsStand 01 Oct 2008 -- Prior to deploying to places such as Iraq, Afghanistan or the Iraqi oil platforms, Sailors must be qualified on the M9 service pistol.
• CNIC, CMC Award Traffic Safety Contract Navy NewsStand 01 Oct 2008 -- Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) awarded a $53-million fleetwide motorcycle and roadway safety instruction contract to Cape Fox Professional Services Sept. 1.
• Africa Command Unfurls Colors During Pentagon Ceremony AFPS 1 Oct 2008 -- A new US unified command that seeks to meld civilian expertise with military planning and logistics raised its flag.
• DoD Moves Toward Civilian Expeditionary Capability AFPS 1 Oct 2008 -- The Defense Department is moving forward with setting up a global expeditionary force for civilian employees.
• U.S. Northern Command gains dedicated response force AFPN 1 Oct 2008 -- US Northern Command gaining dedicated force to respond to chem, bio, radiological, nucke and high-yield explosive incidents in the homeland.
• Provisional team prepares for cyber mission assurance AFPN 1 Oct 2008 -- The Air Force Cyber Command (Provisional) staff here has spent a year defining and shaping the future of the service's cyberspace operations.
• Navy Christens Littoral Combat Ship Independence Navy Newsstand 1 Oct 2008
• NAVAIR Completes Swiss Aircraft Buy Navy Newsstand 1 Oct 2008 -- NAVAIR to buy and refurbish 44 retired Swiss Air Force F-5 Freedom Fighters.
• U.S Navy Ships Arrive in Scotland for Joint Warrior Navy Newsstand 1 Oct 2008 -- Ships led COMDESRON 24 arrived in Faslane, Scotland to participate in the Joint Warrior Course.
• DSU Tests New Submarine Rescue System with Chilean Submarine Navy Newsstand 1 Oct 2008 -- Deep Submergence Unit tested a new system known as the submarine rescue diving and recompression system.
• Taiwan arms sales still under consideration: U.S. official CNA 1 Oct 2008 -- A U.S. State Department official repeated that pending weapons sales to Taiwan are still being screened under an internal review process.
• Russia's Iskander-E missile systems see strong foreign demand RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- Several countries have shown an interest in purchasing Russia's advanced Iskander-E short-range ballistic missile systems.
• Russia to spend extra $3.1 billion on defense in 2009 - Putin RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- The Russian government to spend an additional 80 billion rubles on arms procurement and the deployment of troops in 2009.
• Russian warships head to Mediterranean RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- Russian warships, currently on a long-range sortie that will bring them to the Caribbean in November, will enter the Mediterranean Sea on October 5.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 01 Oct 2008
• Press Briefing by Deputy Press Secretary Tony Fratto The White House 01 Oct 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for October 01, 2008
• NATO Consortium Completes Agreement to Acquire Boeing C-17s Boeing 01 Oct 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that an international consortium of 10 NATO members -- joined by Partnership for Peace nations Sweden and Finland -- signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sept. 24 to acquire three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo jets.
• Boeing Delivers Apache Helicopter Training to Kuwait Boeing 01 Oct 2008 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that an international consortium of 10 NATO members -- joined by Partnership for Peace nations Sweden and Finland -- signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sept. 24 to acquire three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo jets.
• Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet a Finalist in Brazil Fighter Aircraft Competition Boeing 01 Oct 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that the Brazilian Air Force has selected the F/A-18E/F Block II Super Hornet as one of three aircraft to be evaluated in the Request for Proposals phase of Brazil's F-X2 fighter competition.
• Boeing Receives Contract to Support Modernization of Route Clearing Vehicles Boeing 01 Oct 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has received a contract worth up to $78 million from VSE Corp. [NASDAQ: VSEC] as part of a team that will provide logistics support services for the Route Clearing Vehicles (RCV) Modernization Program to strengthen the U.S. military's defense against roadside mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
• U.S. Navy Awards General Dynamics $268 Million for Virginia-class submarine engineering work General Dynamics 01 Oct 2008 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $268 million contract modification to provide lead construction yard services for Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarines.
• Lockheed Martin Delivers First GMS2 Production Unit Lockheed Martin 01 Oct 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] recently marked the first delivery of the Gunship Multispectral Sensor System (GMS2) initial production unit to The Boeing Company for aircraft integration.
• Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor Recognized For Excellence In Performance Based Logistics Lockheed Martin 01 Oct 2008 -- The U.S. Department of Defense has recognized Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] F-22 Raptor as an exemplary program in Performance Based Logistics (PBL), an innovative support approach that provides higher aircraft readiness to warfighters and lower overall costs to taxpayers.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICES OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL AND THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT United Nations 01 Oct 2008
• EU, U.S. Conduct Two-Pronged Diplomacy In Caucasus RFE/RL 01 Oct 2008 -- The two-pronged diplomatic strategy by the EU and the United States is very evident in the South Caucasus this week and shows what the division of labor between Brussels and Washington will be
• EU Monitors Begin Georgia Patrols, But Russian Restrictions Add Confusion RFE/RL 01 Oct 2008 -- The first of some 300 European Union observers have started a monitoring mission in Georgia
• Ombudsman Slams 'Authoritarian Rule' In Georgia, Founds New Movement RFE/RL 01 Oct 2008 -- Shortly after Mikheil Saakashvili's reelection in January for a second presidential term, Georgia's human rights ombudsman, Sozar Subari, released an open letter to him warning that failure to combat elite corruption, police violence, and human rights abuses would inevitably lead Georgia to another crisis similar to the November 2007 crackdown on peaceful demonstrators in Tbilisi
• Short Chronology, Peacekeeping Operation to Force Georgia to Peace Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1 Oct 2008
• Russia Chose Action Over Indifference in Georgia - Medvedev Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1 Oct 2008
• EU military observers begin work in Georgia RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- Unarmed European Union observers in Georgia began their monitoring of a ceasefire between Moscow and Tbilisi.
• EU Monitors Enter Georgia Buffer Zone VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Russian troops have allowed EU monitors to enter a buffer zone around a breakaway Georgian region despite saying they would be prevented from visiting the area.
• Somalia to recognize Abkhazia, S.Ossetia - envoy RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- Somalia will recognize the independence of S Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Somali ambassador to Moscow said.
• Georgia 'finds fallen Russian spy drone' RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- A senior Georgian Interior Ministry official said that a Russian unmanned plane fell into Georgian territory while conducting a reconnaissance flight.
• Serbian president vows to never recognize Kosovo's independence IRNA 1 Oct 2008 -- Serbian President Tadic: Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo, following meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
• Ukraine rotates peacekeepers in Kosovo RIA Novosti 1 Oct 2008 -- Ukraine started the 11th rotation of its peacekeepers in Kosovo, who serve in a joint Polish-Ukrainian battalion as part of the UN mission.
• Hundreds of Congolese flee attacks by notorious rebels - UN refugee agency UN News 1 Oct 2008 -- Congolese sought shelter in southern Sudan to escape brutal attacks by members of the notorious Lord's Resistance Army.
• Nigerian President Pledges 'Constructive Engagement' in Niger Delta VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Nigerian President Yar'Adua: Two-pronged strategy to stem the violence in the oil-rich Niger Delta is the best for the country.
• COTE D'IVOIRE: Shaky peace leading into elections IRIN 01 Oct 2008 -- As presidential elections approach at year-end after repeated delays, analysts worry slow progress on meeting the demands of the Ouagadougou peace agreement, combined with what they see as continued hostility among some in power towards foreign-born Ivorians, threaten the elusive stability in the still-divided country
• PHILIPPINES: End of Ramadan sees heavy fighting on Mindanao Island IRIN 1 Oct 2008 -- Fighting between government troops and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in the southern Philippines intensified with the end of Ramadan.

News Reports

• Zimbabwean Leaders Fail to Agree on Cabinet VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Two weeks after the signing agreement, Zimbabwe leaders Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai failed to agree on the allocation of some key ministries.
• Zimbabwe Opposition Asks Mbeki to Break Impasse VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Zimbabwe's main opposition party has asked Thabo Mbeki to help break a deadlock in power-sharing talks with the party of President Robert Mugabe.
• Ukrainian PM Says Ready to Revive Coalition VOA 1 Oct 2008 -- Ukrainian PM Tymoshenko ready to accept any conditions necessary to revive the pro-Western ruling coalition she shares with the country's president.