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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 01 Dec 2008 [PDF]
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Col. James and CDR. Vranken from Iraq DoD 01 Dec 2008-- Presenter: Commander, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Col.Tom James, Team Leader, Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Mr. Howard Van Vranken
• Iraqi, Coalition Forces Capture Prison Break Suspects, Others AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- Coalition and Iraqi forces captured suspected terrorists during separate operations in northern provinces in recent days, including two men believed to have helped inmates escape from Badush Prison in 2006, military officials reported.
• Face of Defense: Soldier Provides ‘Eyes in Sky’ for Ground Forces AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- Troops on the ground in Iraq have an “eye in the sky,” thanks to soldiers like Army Spc. Rodolfo Delatorre in the 4th Infantry Division’s Combat Aviation Brigade, who launches, recovers and maintains the Shadow unmanned aerial system.
• Nov. 30 airpower summary: A-10s perform shows of force AFNS 01 Dec 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Nov. 30, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Explosions Rock Baghdad and Mosul VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- Terrorists stepped up their attacks inside Iraq Monday, setting off explosions in Baghdad and Mosul that killed at least 33 people.
• Afghan, Coalition Troops Curtail Terrorists, Destroy Drugs, Weapons AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- Coalition forces detained six militants yesterday while continuing to target terrorist networks in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, military officials reported.
• UN officials urge greater efforts to ensure rights of Afghan detainees UN News Centre 01 Dec 2008 -- Senior United Nations officials in Afghanistan have urged the Government to look at alternatives to imprisonment as well as ways to ensure the rights of detainees, citing the growing number of people being held in pre-trial detention and various abuses such as being kept in prison even after a sentence has been completed.
• Airmen help build Afghan military medical capability AFNS 01 Dec 2008 -- A small group of Airmen helped transform a once empty building into a fully functional hospital at Camp Hero in Kandahar Province that is now staffed by Afghan national army personnel and capable of caring for ANA soldiers, Afghan national police members, and their families.
• Over 60 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan RIA Novosti 01 Dec 2008 -- Around 60 militants belonging to the radical Islamic Taliban movement have been killed in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, a spokesman for the country's Defense Ministry said on Monday.
• Suicide Bombing Kills 10 in Afghanistan VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- Afghan police say a suicide bomber killed 10 civilians during an attack on a police convoy in southern Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Remarks of President-elect Barack Obama: Announcement of National Security Team 01 Dec 2008
• Backgrounder: Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State Nominee cfr.org 01 Dec 2008
• Obama Names Campaign Rival Hillary Clinton as His Secretary of State VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- President-elect Barack Obama has named his one-time political rival, New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, as his secretary of state.
• Obama Names Key Members of Foreign Policy, National Security Team VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- President-elect Barack Obama announced the key members of his foreign policy and national security team Monday, including his choice of former political rival Hillary Clinton to be his secretary of state.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates 01 Dec 2008
• Gates Brings Stability and Diversity to Obama Cabinet VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- President-elect Barack Obama has re-appointed President Bush's Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to serve the new administration next year - a move analysts say brings experience, stability and some political diversity to his cabinet.
• Obama Taps Gates to Keep Serving as Defense Secretary AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain in the Pentagon’s top post when President-elect Barack Obama’s administration takes office.
• Gates Provides Continuity as Nation Fights Two Wars, Obama Says AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- President-elect Barack Obama today cited the need for continuity as the United States fights two wars in announcing that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will remain at the Pentagon when his administration takes over next month.
• Nuclear Mission Vital to U.S. Security, Gates Tells Minot Airmen AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates traveled here today to emphasize the importance of the Air Force’s nuclear mission -- and in maintaining its long tradition of excellence -- to the men and women entrusted with carrying it out.
• Lackland medical center labs receive 2-year accreditation AFNS 01 Dec 2008 -- The labs at San Antonio Military Medical Center-South recently received a two-year accreditation from the AABB, an organization recognized by the industry for monitoring and advancing transfusion and cellular therapies worldwide.
• U.S. Forces Help Lebanese Military Assert Control AFPS 01 Dec 2008 -- The U.S. military is helping the Lebanese military establish itself as the sole arm of the democratically elected Lebanese government, a senior Pentagon official said in a recent interview.
• U.S. troops help flood victims in Central America AFNS 01 Dec 2008 -- A team of 48 U.S. servicemembers and seven helicopters from the Honduras-based Joint Task Force-Bravo deployed to Panama and Costa Rica the last week of November to help communities impacted by heavy rains and flooding.
• Secretary of the Navy Visits Iwo Jima ESG Navy NewsStand 01 Dec 2008 -- Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Donald C. Winter visited to the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG), making his first stop at the amphibious dock-landing ship USS San Antonio (LDP 17) Nov. 24, followed by the multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Nov. 25.
• NORTHCOM: Guarding the nation's borders AFNS 01 Dec 2008 -- Thousands of U.S. military men and women are deployed across the globe promoting democracy, guarding freedom and fighting terrorism. They are the fingers of the nation's military, extending its reach and capabilities on an international scope.
• Russian chemical plant completes destruction of nerve agent RIA Novosti 01 Dec 2008 -- A Russian chemical weapons disposal facility has completed the destruction of VX nerve agent, a regional government official said on Monday.
• Russia's Bulava ICBM in full production, next test launch due soon RIA Novosti 01 Dec 2008 -- Russia is to hold another test launch of the Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile this month, while the missile has already gone into full-scale production, a deputy prime minister said on Monday.
• Iran to hold large-scale naval drills in Gulf of Oman RIA Novosti 01 Dec 2008 -- Iran is to hold on December 2-7 a large-scale naval exercise involving over 60 warships in the Gulf of Oman, Iranian television reported on Monday, citing the navy commander.
• Russia, Venezuela Launch Naval Exercises VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- Russia and Venezuela have begun a series of joint naval operations in the southern Caribbean Sea aimed at evaluating their nations' skills in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.
• NATO-Russia Council could resume work at envoy level RIA Novosti 01 Dec 2008 -- The Russia-NATO Council may resume work, suspended after Russia's five-day military conflict with Georgia in August, at ambassadorial level, NATO's official spokesman said on Monday.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 01 Dec 2008
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Dana Perino The White House 01 Dec 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 01, 2008
• General Dynamics Awards Electronic Warfare Subsystem Contract to Lockheed Martin General Dynamics 01 Dec 2008 -- General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems has awarded Lockheed Martin MS2 of Syracuse, N.Y., a contract valued at up to $36 million including options for development and procurement of the High Gain, High Sensitivity (HGHS) subsystem.
• Hamilton Sundstrand and Proton Energy Systems successfully qualify next generation electrolysis cell stack for submarine oxygen generation systems Hamilton Sundstrand 01 Dec 2008 -- BUG: the source does not exist in description file
• VIIRS Completes Ambient Electro-Magnetic Interference Tests; NPOESS Sensor Ready for Final Environmental Tests Northrop Grumman 01 Dec 2008 -- Ambient Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) testing was successfully completed on the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Sensor (VIIRS) for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) by Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) subcontractor, Raytheon Company.
• Lockheed Martin and ITT Corporation Team for U.S. Navy Electronic Warfare Competition Lockheed Martin 01 Dec 2008 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has teamed with ITT Corporation, of Morgan Hill, CA, to compete for the U.S. Navy’s Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block 2 Upgrade (SEWIP BLK 2).
• Raytheon Electronic Warfare Suite Selected for Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16s Raytheon 01 Dec 2008 -- Raytheon Company's (NYSE: RTN) newest integrated electronic warfare suite has been selected in a competition to provide self-protection capability for Royal Moroccan Air Force F-16 aircraft. The RMAF recently agreed to purchase 24 Block 52 F-16s from Lockheed Martin.
• ASTOR Enters Service in U.K. Raytheon 01 Dec 2008 -- The Airborne Standoff Radar system developed by Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) for the U.K. Ministry of Defence has entered service with the Royal Air Force.
• Boeing to Study ICBM Communications Security Enhancements Boeing 01 Dec 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has received a $3.7 million contract from Northrop Grumman Corp. to evaluate enhancements to communications security and replacements for data-storage media for the U.S. Air Force's Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) system. This contract is the second phase of risk-reduction work being done in advance of a major ICBM modification program planned for 2010.
• Northrop Grumman's MQ-8B Fire Scout Successfully Demonstrates Simultaneous Radar and Electro-Optical/Infrared Video Capability Northrop Grumman 01 Dec 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has demonstrated continuous combined payload coverage on its MQ-8B Fire Scout Vertical Unmanned Aircraft System (VUAS).
• ATK Awarded $26.1 Million Contract to Develop and Manufacture the Space Threat Assessment Testbed System (STAT) ATK 01 Dec 2008 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) announced today that it has been awarded a $26.1 million contract by the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) for the design, fabrication, installation and testing of the Space Threat Assessment Testbed (STAT) System.
• Boeing Airborne Laser Team Fires High-Energy Laser Through Beam Control System Boeing 01 Dec 2008 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency last week fired a high-energy laser through the Airborne Laser's (ABL) beam control/fire control system, completing the first ground test of the entire weapon system integrated aboard the aircraft.
• Lockheed Martin-Built System Successfully Directs Laser Beam For Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser Lockheed Martin 01 Dec 2008 -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced today that the U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Airborne Laser (ABL) team has successfully fired the High Energy Laser through the Lockheed Martin-developed Beam Control/Fire Control system.
• Airborne Laser Achieves Weapon System 'First Light' by Firing Beam From Northrop Grumman-Built High-Energy Laser Through Beam Steering System Northrop Grumman 01 Dec 2008 -- The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully operated the Airborne Laser's (ABL) complete weapon system for the first time last week by projecting a beam from the Northrop Grumman Corporation-built (NYSE:NOC) high-energy laser through the precision beam steering system.
• U.S. Army Aviation Selects GE for Integrated Corrosion Monitoring Solution GE Aviation 01 Dec 2008 -- GE Aviation was selected by the US Army to partner with Aviation Applied Technology Directorate (AATD) to research, develop and apply the technology behind an integrated corrosion health monitoring system (I-CHMS) for rotorcraft fleets. The contract is valued at $2 million and will cover a 2-year span of rotorcraft research and monitoring.
• Thales introduces the small arms trainer in the Indian market Thales 01 Dec 2008 -- Thales has won a contract for 15 small arms Training Simulators of its Sagittarius product range in the Indian market. Together with Mel Systems and Services Ltd Chennai, a local Indian company, they won this tender of the Indian Air Forces against strong domestic competition. In line with Thales multi-domestic approach the simulators will be manufactured in India.
• ASLAV simulators reach major milestones Thales 01 Dec 2008 -- Thales's Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV) Crew Procedural Trainers have passed a series of major milestones.
• World's first for Thales as combat helicopter simulator gains high-level accreditation Thales 01 Dec 2008 -- In a world first for a combat helicopter simulator, Thales Australia's Tiger ARH Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Crew Procedural Trainer (CPT) has been accredited at the Army Aviation Centre in Oakey, Queensland.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 01 Dec 2008
• Ban deeply saddened by deadly inter-communal clashes in Nigerian city UN News Centre 01 Dec 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his deep sadness at the inter-communal violence in the Nigerian city of Jos which has resulted in the loss of life, the displacement of people and the destruction of property over the past several days.
• NIGERIA: Aid agencies struggle to cope after Jos carnage IRIN 01 Dec 2008 -- Aid workers say they are struggling to cope with the fallout of violent clashes between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria’s central city of Jos, in Plateau state, which killed and wounded hundreds of people and displaced some 10,000.
• Curfew in Jos After Sectarian Violence VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- The central Nigerian city of Jos remains under a nighttime curfew following two days of Muslim-Christian violence that killed at least 200 people.
• Congo Rebels Withdraw From Eastern Town VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- The United Nations said rebels have pulled out of a town in eastern Democratic of Congo, but still control much of the area along the Ugandan border.
• Gaza: UN relief officials still lack Israeli bank notes to aid nearly 100,000 poor UN News Centre 01 Dec 2008 -- United Nations refugee officials are still unable to get shekel notes into banks in Gaza, where Israel has imposed closures or restrictions on crossing points, leaving 94,000 of the poorest people without their regular cash assistance.
• Nearly half of all Somalis in need of humanitarian aid, warns UN relief official UN News Centre 01 Dec 2008 -- The humanitarian crisis in Somalia has deteriorated to a point where nearly half of the Horn of Africa nation’s population requires assistance, a senior United Nations aid official warned today, calling on donors to urgently fund an appeal for more than $900 million for relief operations.
• TIMOR-LESTE: IDPs face difficult journey home IRIN 01 Dec 2008 -- More than 100,000 people fled their homes in 2006 for welfare centres and relatives' homes when violence erupted following splits within the police and military.
• SOMALIA: Civil society support is key to success of $919 m relief plan IRIN 01 Dec 2008 -- Greater resources and international support for civil society working in Somalia are needed to reach more people, said agencies.
• Sri Lankan troops capture key LTTE town after 18 years IRNA 01 Dec 2008 -- Sri Lankan army on Monday captured a strategic town in Tamil Tiger stronghold of Mullaitivu 18 years after it was seized by rebels, as the troops advanced towards the rebel headquarters in the island's embattled north
• In Wake Of Georgia War, Russia Must Be Confronted With Tough Choices RFE/RL 01 Dec 2008 -- It's now official: Georgia and Ukraine will not be granted Membership Action Plans (MAPs) at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on December 2-3

News Reports

• UN appeals for $20 million to help 800,000 people in Kyrgyzstan this winter UN News Centre 01 Dec 2008 -- The United Nations and its humanitarian partners today launched a $20 million appeal to guarantee back-up power supplies in Kyrgyzstan for crucial facilities such as medical centres and to help 800,000 vulnerable citizens as part of efforts to address significant energy shortages at the start of the Central Asian nation’s tough winter season.
• International tribunal for Lebanon killings set to begin work next March – Ban UN News Centre 01 Dec 2008 -- The international tribunal being set up to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon, particularly the 2005 attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, is on track to begin its work on 1 March 2009, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Sunday, following a meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
• JORDAN: First all-female demining team in Middle East IRIN 01 Dec 2008 -- An all-female team of 24 deminers, the first of its kind in the Middle East, started its official duties on 30 November, working alongside dozens of men who have been combing a mine-infested area on the Syrian border.
• ZIMBABWE: Police and soldiers clash IRIN 01 Dec 2008 -- Police and soldiers from President Robert Mugabe's presidential guard engaged in running battles through the streets of the capital, Harare, on 1 December.
• Mumbai Terror Attacks Heighten Tensions Between India, Pakistan VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- The terror attacks in Mumbai have heightened tensions between India and Pakistan as Indian officials blame a Pakistan-based militant group for the attack.
• Suicide Bomber Strikes in Pakistan VOA 01 Dec 2008 -- A suicide car bomber struck a security post in northwestern Pakistan, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 30 others.