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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 12 Dec 2008 [PDF]
• Dec. 11 airpower summary: KC-10s sustain fighters AFNS 12 Dec 2008 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan during operations Dec. 11, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• Troops in Iraq Detain 11 Terrorism Suspects, Find Bomb, Weapons AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Eleven suspected terrorists, including two wanted men, were removed from al-Qaida in Iraq networks yesterday and today as coalition forces targeted the terrorist organization in central Iraq, military officials reported.
• Coalition Forces Disrupt Haqqani Network in Afghanistan AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Coalition forces detained nine suspected militants during an operation yesterday to disrupt the Haqqani terrorist network in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, military officials said.
• Rural Development Will Weaken Afghan Insurgency, Colonel Says AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- More emphasis on “holistic development” of rural Afghanistan is needed to weaken the enemy, a recently redeployed officer told bloggers in a teleconference.
• Civil engineer crews improve Bagram infrastructure AFNS 12 Dec 2008 -- Airmen of the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron work around the clock to improve Bagram Airfield's infrastructure to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
• Suspected militants destroy more NATO supplies containers in Pakistan IRNA 12 Dec 2008 -- More containers, holding supplies for NATO troops in Afghanistan, were destroyed after attack at Pakistani terminal.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pentagon Will Study Senate Report on Detainee Torture VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- The Pentagon said it will take action if a U.S. Senate report on the torture of detainees provides new information
• US General says Iran Reduces Bomb Supply for Iraqi Insurgents VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- The new head of the Pentagon's effort to combat the threat of roadside bombs says Iranian officials have apparently reduced their support for Iraqi Shiite Militias, cutting the supply of material for high-powered roadside bombs that can penetrate armored vehicles.
• Report Finds Mismanagement in America Supports You Program AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- The Defense Department Inspector General reports that the America Supports You program was being managed in a “questionable and irregular manner,” the department’s top public affairs official said today.
• National Guard celebrates 372nd birthday AFNS 12 Dec 2008 -- National Guard officials are celebrating their 372nd birthday recognizing Dec. 13, 1636, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony divided its citizen-soldiers, or militia, into the North, South and East Regiments.
• Multinational recovery exercise kicks off at Davis-Monthan AFNS 12 Dec 2008 -- More than 850 ground recovery forces and 51 aircraft from the Department of Defense and numerous other countries kicked off a personnel recovery and combat search and rescue exercise Dec. 8 here.
• West Assumes Duties as Navy's 12th MCPON Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2008 -- Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) (SS/SW) Rick D. West took the helm of the enlisted force as the Navy's 12th MCPON, receiving the ceremonial cutlass from MCPON (SW/FMF) Joe R. Campa, Jr., in a change-of-office ceremony at the Washington Navy Yard Dec. 12.
• B-1B aircrews bring unique capabilities to the fight AFNS 12 Dec 2008 -- B-1B Lancer aircrews of the 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron guard warfighters from high above Iraq and Afghanistan while carrying the largest payload of any aircraft in the theater.
• National Guard Prepares to Celebrate 372nd Birthday AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- The United States is a young country, but four of the oldest military organizations in the world are in the country’s National Guard.
• Gates Urges Greater Balance in Military Capabilities AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, in a Foreign Affairs magazine article, calls on the defense establishment to recognize the importance of low-intensity, irregular capabilities and unconventional thinking to succeed in the war on violent extremism.
• Gates Plans to Reaffirm U.S. Commitment to Region at Bahrain Conference AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Providing reassurances that countries in the region and other allies can continue to count on the United States and fostering U.S. relationships in the Persian Gulf region are among the goals Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates hopes to achieve at the multinational Manama Dialogue conference here.
• Public Invited to Comment on Draft Rules for Spouse Employment AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- The public is invited to comment on proposed rules to speed up the hiring process for some military spouses seeking federal jobs.
• Pentagon Official Urges Broad Approach to Piracy AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- The United States has submitted to the United Nations Security Council a draft resolution that reportedly seeks to allow forces to pursue Somalia-based pirates onto Somali turf.
• Gates Visits U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited U.S. Naval Forces Central Command headquarters here today prior to the start of the International Institute for Strategic Studies Manama Dialogue.
• Admiral Pledges Ongoing Support of Humanitarian Efforts AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Humanitarian missions will be an important element of U.S. 4th Fleet’s long-term planning efforts, the fleet commander told bloggers and online journalists yesterday.
• Defense Department Reinforces Importance of Accurate Communication AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- In a recent letter to combatant commanders and public affairs officials throughout the Defense Department, the department’s top public affairs official stressed the importance of credible communication and reinforced the department’s policy on altering images.
• Emergency Response Units Won’t Perform Law Enforcement, Official Says AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- The Pentagon’s three new rapid-response task forces will assist civil authorities during possible terrorist attacks or natural disasters, but they won’t perform law-enforcement missions, a senior Defense Department official said here yesterday.
• California Guardsmen Train for Kosovo Deployment AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Nearly 100 California National Guardsmen are preparing for a deployment to Kosovo in the spring, where they will serve as the NATO Kosovo Force’s quick-reaction force.
• Command readies reservists for deployment USMC News 12 Dec 2008 -- Since 1956, the Deployment Processing Command/Reserve Support Unit on base has been dedicated to providing immediate and precise training to get reserve Navy and Marines in the fight
• Taking care of the homefront MWSS-273 rear det keeps busy while the squadron is away USMC News 12 Dec 2008 -- Although the majority of Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 273 are currently forward deployed to Al Asad, Iraq, the Marines that make up the rear detachment continue to support Fightertown and keep the squadron ticking
• Contract Awarded for Base Support in Sigonella Navy NewsStand 12 Dec 2008 -- The Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe and Southwest Asia (NAVFAC EURSWA)awarded a $6,748,021 firm fixed-price contract Nov. 20 for base operating support (BOS) at Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella.
• Air Force leaders chair first nuclear oversight board AFNS 12 Dec 2008 -- Air Force leaders gathered to discuss efforts related to reinvigorating the service's nuclear enterprise Dec. 10 at the Pentagon.
• New Rapid-Response Forces to Bolster Homeland Defense Mission AFPS 12 Dec 2008 -- Pentagon officials have established a new rapid-response joint task force and plan to create two more in coming years to bolster assistance to civil authorities following potential chemical, biological or nuclear attacks or natural disasters, a senior U.S. official said here yesterday.
• FOIA provides access to records USMC News 12 Dec 2008 -- Anyone that has been involved in an accident at their job aboard the Air Station or Laurel Bay, pulled over by the military police or the victim of a theft, domestic dispute, etc., can request the police report by using a Freedom of Information Act request
• Global crisis will not affect Topol-M schedule - SMF commander RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- Russia's Topol-M ballistic missiles will be put on duty on schedule despite global financial crisis.
• Russian frigate continues ship escort duty off Somali coast RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- A missile frigate from Russia's Northern Fleet is continuing its duty to protect commercial ships from Somali pirates.
• Ortega says Russian Navy to visit despite political problems RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- Nicaragua's president: Despite a political deadlock in the country Russian warships will be able to visit state.
• Russian warships' visit to Nicaragua not political - Navy RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- A visit by Russian warships to Nicaragua has no political element, an aide to the Russian Navy commander said.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 12 Dec 2008
• Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Dana Perino The White House 12 Dec 2008

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 12, 2008
• Northrop Grumman Awarded $90 Million U.S. Army Fort Polk Directorate of Logistics Task Order Northrop Grumman 12 Dec 2008 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) was awarded a task order under the U.S. Army's Field and Installation Readiness Support Team (FIRST) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract to provide logistical support to Fort Polk, La., and the Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC). The task order is valued at more than $90 million over five years.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 12 Dec 2008
• PRESS CONFERENCE ON DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO EXPERT GROUP REPORT United Nations 12 Dec 2008
• DR Congo: UN-mandated group finds evidence Rwanda, army aiding rival rebels UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- A group of experts monitoring a United Nations arms embargo on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported today that it had found evidence that the Rwandan authorities and the Congolese army have aided opposing rebel groups in the war-ravaged east of the country.
• DR Congo: concern for displaced grows as girls shot, woman raped near UN camp UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- Armed militia this morning shot two young girls who were sheltered at a United Nations camp in the conflict-ridden eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), from which the Organization’s refugee agency has been relocating thousands of displaced people due to concerns for their safety.
• PRESS CONFERENCE BY PROSECUTORS FOR INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNALS FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA, RWANDA United Nations 12 Dec 2008
• Cooperation from States vital for UN tribunals to finish work on time, say officials UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- Top officials from the United Nations tribunals set up to try those responsible for atrocities committed during the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s and the 1994 Rwandan genocide today stressed that cooperation from States, especially in arresting fugitives and accessing evidence, will enable the courts to meet the deadline set for completing their work.
• Poll shows Palestinians support Gaza ceasefire with Israel RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- 74 percent of Palestinians want ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza, according to a poll published on Friday.
• Palestinian banks reopen as Israel lets cash into Gaza RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- Banks in the Gaza Strip resumed operations after Israel let a batch of cash into the enclave.
• Ban to host meeting of diplomatic Quartet on Israel-Palestinian peace next week UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will host a meeting in New York on Monday of his top diplomatic partners engaged in the search for a solution to the Middle East conflict based on the principle of two States, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace.
• Situation in Somalia Worsens VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- The crisis in Somalia is getting worse as a force of Islamic militants, led by a hardline wing known as al-Shabab, seizes more territory, threatening the fragile transitional government.
• AU Commission Chief Wants Peacekeepers to Stay in Somalia VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- African Union Commission Chairman Jean Ping says he cannot envision AU peacekeepers abandoning Somalia, even after Ethiopian troops withdraw.
• PHILIPPINES: Muslim rebels agree to end use of child soldiers IRIN 12 Dec 2008 -- Muslim separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels have agreed to end the recruitment and use of child soldiers, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, has announced.
• Serbia Targets Fugitive Mladic In Special Operations RFE/RL 12 Dec 2008 -- Serbian forces have conducted special operations in an effort to locate former Bosnian Serb military leader General Ratko Mladic, who has been indicted for war crimes by the war crimes tribunal in The Hague
• Georgia wants good relations with Russia - President Saakashvili RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- President Saakashvili: Georgia wants good relations with Russia, commenting on the Georgian Orthodox Church leader's visit to Moscow.
• Secretary-General lowers number of proposed UN Chad force by 1,000 UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- A highly mobile peacekeeping force of at least 4,900, about 1,000 less than previously proposed, backed by 18 helicopters, will be needed to replace European troops next year in strife-torn areas of Chad and Central African Republic (CAR), where hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people are seeking shelter, according to a United Nations report released today.
• UN observer force in Golan Heights extended for another six months UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- The Security Council today extended the United Nations force observing the ceasefire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights for a further six months, until 30 June 2009.
• Cyprus: Security Council extends mandate of UN peacekeeping mission UN News Centre 12 Dec 2008 -- The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cyprus (UNFICYP) by six months, welcoming September’s historic launch of talks between the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities aimed at reunifying the Mediterranean island.
• UN Secretary-General Pushes for Restart of Peace Process in Darfur VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said he will continue to press for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Sudanese province of Darfur.

News Reports

• Analysis: Democracy Troubles in Southeast Asia cfr.org 12 Dec 2008 -- Thailand's fledgling democracy was dealt another blow last week when the country's constitutional court ordered the ruling party disbanded (BBC) and ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat for election fraud
• China accuses Dalai Lama of ordering assassinations RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- Chinese media accused spiritual leader Dalai Lama of involvement in the deaths of opponents and religious dissidents.
• Medvedev expects further changes to Russian Constitution RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- Russia's president: Further amendments could be made to the Constitution.
• Rice to Press for Zimbabwe Action at UN VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- The State Department says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will join in consultations at the United Nations next week on the political and health crisis in Zimbabwe. U.S. officials fault the U.N. Security Council for failing to take meaningful action to end the crisis.
• Unclear When Zimbabwe Cholera Epidemic Will be Under Control, says WHO VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- The World Health Organization: More work needs to be done to contain and stop the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe.
• Zimbabwe cholera epidemic 'not under control' - WHO RIA Novosti 12 Dec 2008 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) denied claims by Zimbabwe's president that country's cholera epidemic under control.
• Nigerian Court Upholds Presidential Election VOA 12 Dec 2008 -- The Supreme Court in Nigeria rejected an opposition challenge to the 2007 election of President Umaru Yar'Adua.
• A-Bomb Victims of S. Korea Demand Reparation KCNA 12 Dec 2008 -- At least 380 A-bomb victims of south Korea filed lawsuits in local courts in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Osaka, Japan in demand of reparations.
• Analysis: Democracy Troubles in Southeast Asia cfr.org 12 Dec 2008 -- Thailand's fledgling democracy was dealt another blow last week when the country's constitutional court ordered the ruling party disbanded (BBC) and ousted Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat for election fraud