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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 21 Nov 2008 [PDF]
• MNF-W Marine dies in non-combat related incident
• DoD News: DoD Identifies Marine Casualty
• Nov. 20 airpower summary: B-1Bs deter insurgents AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Nov. 20, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Coalition force Reaper unit deploys to Joint Base Balad AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- A coalition force comprising experts from the U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force deployed here recently to sustain operations for the world's most lethal unmanned aircraft system.
• Coalition Kills Suspected Terrorist, Captures 17 AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces killed a suspected terrorist, captured 17 others and seized dozens of weapons in Iraq in the past week, military officials said.
• Predator landing gear collapses upon landing AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- The landing gear of an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft system collapsed after the aircraft landed about 6:45 a.m. Baghdad time Nov. 21 on the Joint Base Balad runway in Iraq.
• Electronic Warfare Officers Keep Soldiers Safe AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Navy Cmdr. Ed Fischer and Air Force 1st Lt. E.J. Wong would seem to be out of place in an Army heavy brigade combat team conducting operations in Iraq.
• Dagger Bde replaces Strike Bde during TOA ceremony (Baghdad) MNF-I 21 Nov 2008 -- The 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team "Dagger," 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, replaced the 2nd Brigade Combat Team "Strike," 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in a transfer of authority ceremony Nov. 20 at the Camp Liberty Field House
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Colonel John P. Johnson from Afghanistan at the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va. DoD 21 Nov 2008 -- Presenter: Commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division U.S. Army Colonel John P. Johnson
• Gates Optimistic Troop Surge Will Ensure Smooth Afghan Election AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates expressed confidence today that more troops being sent to Afghanistan’s Regional Command South will be sufficient to shore up security for Afghanistan’s elections in late September.
• Combined Forces Kill Insurgents, Save Civilians in Afghanistan AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Afghan army commandos and their coalition partners killed four militants while simultaneously protecting nearly 90 civilians in an early morning operation today in western Afghanistan, military officials reported.
• ‘Guard Farmers’ Join Counterinsurgency Fight in Afghanistan AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- The National Guard is taking a biblical verse to heart: “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
• Russia Opens Afghan Transit Route For NATO's Germany RFE/RL 21 Nov 2008 -- Germany has became the first NATO nation to win Russian permission to use the country's railways to transit military goods bound for Afghanistan
• Soldiers Build New Aid Station in Afghanistan AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Soldiers with a battalion of the 101st Airborne Division have rebuilt an aid station allowing them to improve care in a critical part of Afghanistan.
• Motive Unclear for Northwest Pakistan Funeral Attack VOA 21 Nov 2008 -- Police in Pakistan say a bomb blast has killed at least 10 people in a northwestern town.
• Warplanes, troops kill 40 militants in Bajaur, Swat IRNA 21 Nov 2008 -- Security forces killed 40 militants on Thursday as artillery and jet fighters backed ground troops fighting in the Bajaur, and an air strike hit militants in Swat, officials said
• Militant commander among 7 killed in shelling in Pakistan IRNA 21 Nov 2008 -- A local militant commander and six others were killed in fresh shelling by the Pakistani security forces in Bajaur tribal region on Friday, TV channels reported

Defense Policy / Programs

• Speech: Missile Defense Agency Change of Responsibility Ceremony (Arlington, VA) DoD 21 Nov 2008
• Missile Defense Agency Completes Change of Responsibility Ceremony MDA 21 Nov 2008 -- Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon R. England officiated at the Missile Defense Agency Change of Responsibility ceremony today at the Air Force Memorial site in Arlington, Va. near the Pentagon
• Department Defers F-22 Funding Decision to Next Administration AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- To avoid unnecessary taxpayer spending, the Defense Department is only partially funding the expansion of F-22 Raptor aircraft production, leaving the decision for further expansion to the incoming administration.
• Gen. Hoffman assumes leadership of AF Materiel Command AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- Gen. Donald J. Hoffman assumed command of the organization responsible for the technology, acquisition, test and sustainment of the service's current and future weapon systems during a ceremony here Nov. 21.
• Kirtland officials accelerate space-based program testing AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center officials here successfully tested the Space-Based Infrared System Highly Elliptical Orbit payload and operations center and accelerated operational acceptance by six weeks.
• Media devices prohibited USMC News 21 Nov 2008 -- By direction of the Marine Corps Network Operations and Security Center, Marine Corps Enterprise Network Operational Directive 293-08, all MCEN users must immediately suspend the use of Removable Secondary Storage Media Devices, such as memory sticks, thumb drives and camera flash memory cards on all classified and unclassified Marine Corps networks
• KC-130R escorted to final flight on Okinawa USMC News 21 Nov 2008 -- Aircraft lot number 160622 had a good run during its 30-year Marine Corps lifespan, but nothing, not even the KC-130R, lasts forever
• DoD Takes Steps to Defend Cyberspace Warfighting Domain AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Cyberspace is a warfighting domain, and the Defense Department is taking steps to defend this crucial capability, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
• Contractor Answers Nation’s Call for Mine-Resistant Vehicles AFPS 21 Nov 2008 -- Conventional military wisdom holds that enemies have a vote in combat. But manufacturers of the mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle have worked to disenfranchise them.
• Policy change allows experienced Soldiers to serve longer Army News 21 Nov 2008 -- A recent extension of retention control points means Soldiers in the rank of staff sergeant and above will be allowed to serve the Army longer, should they desire.
• Leavenworth releases Leadership Transitions Handbook Army News 21 Nov 2008 -- The Combined Arms Center and Center for Army Leadership at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., has released a new handbook aimed at formalizing procedures for one of the most difficult periods any leader might encounter - transitioning into a new position of leadership.
• DoD Names 2009 National Security Science And Engineering Fellows DoD 21 Nov 2008 -- The Department of Defense announced today the selection of six distinguished university faculty scientists and engineers forming the 2009 class of its National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellows (NSSEFF) Program
• Marines use Army base to prepare for deployment USMC News 21 Nov 2008 -- BMarines from 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Divisio0,n trucked up to Fort A. P. Hill, Va., for pre-deployment training to prepare for future deployments
• Mountain Warfare Training prepares Marines for upcoming deployment USMC News 21 Nov 2008 -- Camp Lejeune may be a large base, but when many local units train at the same time, the space and facilities available tend to run low
• Marines’ heroic actions at Shewan leave more than 50 insurgents dead, several wounded USMC News 21 Nov 2008 -- In the city of Shewan, approximately 250 insurgents ambushed 30 Marines and paid a heavy price for it
• Rota Hailed as Strategic Hub for Warfighters Navy NewsStand 21 Nov 2008 -- Naval Station Rota was recognized as a strategic hub for warfighters and a base committed to taking care of Sailors and their families during a flag-level visit Nov. 6-7.
• NAVAIR Begins Aviation Certification of Makin Island Navy NewsStand 21 Nov 2008 -- Inspectors from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) spent the last two weeks of October completing preliminary inspections on board Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Makin Island (LHD 8).
• Army special forces group to beddown at Eglin AFB AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- Air Force officials signed a record of decision that begins the process for the Army's 7th Special Forces Group to beddown at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
• Top AF leaders convene for quarterly council meeting AFNS 21 Nov 2008 -- With a focus on the execution of the 2008 Air Force Strategic Plan, the Air Force Process Council conducted its quarterly meeting Nov.20 at Air Force Materiel Command headquarters here.
• Lithuania to buy two minesweepers from U.K. RIA Novosti 21 Nov 2008 -- Lithuania will buy two minesweepers from the U.K. at a cost of 55 million euros ($70 million) which will be paid in installments up to 2011, the minister of national defense said on Friday.
• Reactor on Russia's newest nuclear submarine fired up RIA Novosti 21 Nov 2008 -- The reactor on Russia's newest strategic nuclear-powered submarine, the Yury Dolgoruky, was started up on Friday, a Sevmash shipyard spokesman said.
• Russian strategic bombers fly over the Arctic on routine patrol RIA Novosti 21 Nov 2008 -- A pair of Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers took off on Friday from the Engels airbase in southern Russia on a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean, an Air Force spokesman said.
• Poland will wait for missile decision by new U.S. administration RIA Novosti 21 Nov 2008 -- Poland is ready to wait patiently for the new U.S. administration to decide the fate of the planned U.S. missile defense shield in Central Europe, the foreign minister said Friday.
• Russia awaits formal proposals on U.S. missile shield-top brass RIA Novosti 21 Nov 2008 -- Russia will consider its Western partners' proposals on the U.S. missile defense plans for Europe only when they are legally formalized, the chief of the General Staff said on Friday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 21 Nov 2008
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Dana Perino, Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs Daniel Price; National Security Council Senior Director for Asian Affairs, Dennis Wilder; And National Security Council Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Dan Fisk The White House 21 Nov 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for November 21, 2008
• General Dynamics Awarded $64 Million for Tank Upgrades General Dynamics 21 Nov 2008 -- The U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command has awarded $63.7 million to General Dynamics Land Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), to upgrade 180 tanks under the Abrams Improved Systems Enhancement Package (SEP) Reset (ISR) program.
• Norway Recommends Lockheed Martin F-35, Multi-National JSF Partnership Remains Strong Lockheed Martin 21 Nov 2008 -- Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg has formally recommended to his country's Parliament that Lockheed Martin's [NYSE: LMT] F-35 Lightning II be selected to fulfill Norway's future air-combat capability requirements.
• Rheinmetall develops Unmanned Sea Vehicle for German Navy Rheinmetall Defence 21 Nov 2008 -- The German Navy has contracted with Rheinmetall Defence to retrofit and supply it with a robotic boat capable of carrying out a variety of missions. In developing the Unmanned Sea Vehicle (USV), Rheinmetall is transferring its tremendous expertise in the field of unmanned terrestrial vehicles to new maritime applications. The order is worth around €1.3 million.
• Sagem Défense Sécurité receives order for 560 SITEL information systems for the French arm Sagem (Safran group) 21 Nov 2008 -- French defense procurement agency DGA has awarded Sagem Défense Sécurité (SAFRAN Group) the contract for an additional batch of 560 SITEL (Système d’Information Terminaux Elémentaires) information systems, to be deployed by the French army. The contract includes the integration of the terminals in vehicles, as well as all maintenance services.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 21 Nov 2008
• The Balkans Needs An Army... Of Lawyers RFE/RL 21 Nov 2008 -- The Netherlands-based International Court of Justice will soon receive its third case of alleged genocide from the countries of the former Yugoslavia
• Eastern DR Congo relatively calm, UN mission reports UN News Centre 21 Nov 2008 -- The security situation in war-torn east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is calm, with the recent ceasefire apparently holding, the United Nations peacekeeping mission to the country reported today.
• UN food agency resumes aid operations in northern Somalia UN News Centre 21 Nov 2008 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has resumed work in northern Somalia after its operations there were temporarily halted following the coordinated series of deadly bomb attacks in the city of Hargeisa late last month that killed two UN staff members.
• Ban regrets that Israel has not heeded his call to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza UN News Centre 21 Nov 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced regret that Israel has not yet heeded his call to urgently permit the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the civilian population of Gaza.
• DRC: Thousands flee Kiwanja amid fears of attack IRIN 21 Nov 2008 -- Tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) have fled transit sites in Kiwanja, northeast of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, amid fears of an imminent militia attack.
• DRC: Healthcare crisis as cholera, malnutrition rise IRIN 21 Nov 2008 -- Many of the displaced in the eastern province of North Kivu urgently need healthcare amid an increase in the number of cholera, gunshot injury and malnutrition cases being reported, according to aid agencies.
• 50 LTTE militants killed in Sri Lanka IRNA 21 Nov 2008 -- At least 52 LTTE militants were killed in pitched battles with the Sri Lankan security forces which overran rebel forward defence lines in the Jaffna peninsula and captured a Tamil Tigers' airstrip in nearby Kilinochchi
• Bosnian Researcher Counts War Dead, And Faces Threats For His Methods RFE/RL 21 Nov 2008
• DRC, Angolan Leaders to Discuss Congo Fighting VOA 21 Nov 2008 -- Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila is expected to meet Friday with his Angolan counterpart to discuss the continuing unrest in DRC.

News Reports

• AU Security Chief Urges Somali Elders to Call Off Pirates VOA 21 Nov 2008 -- Africa's top peace and security official is appealing to Somalia's elders to use their influence to stop the piracy that threatens commercial traffic through the strategic Gulf of Aden.
• Russian frigate protects nine ships from Somali pirates RIA Novosti 21 Nov 2008 -- Russia's Neustrashimy (Fearless) missile frigate is escorting an international convoy of nine vessels past the Horn of Africa to protect them from Somali pirate attacks, a Russian Navy spokesman said on Friday.
• U.S. Report Predicts Declining American Dominance In World RFE/RL 21 Nov 2008 -- A new report by U.S. intelligence agencies says the United States is losing its position as the world's dominant economic, military, and political power
• US Intelligence Report: World Headed for Multipolar Global Community VOA 21 Nov 2008 -- A new U.S. intelligence report predicts that by 2025, China and India could join the United States as top powers in a multipolar global order.
• Helsinki Commission Hears Gloomy Predictions For Turkmen Election RFE/RL 21 Nov 2008 -- Can an authoritarian country that still bears the strong imprint of its Soviet past and has just one political party, no independent media, and prisons full of political opponents hold free and fair elections?