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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• DoD News: DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• March 17 airpower summary: F-16s strike target AFNS 18 Mar 2009 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and the ISAF in Afghanistan during operations.
• Troopers hone skills for IED hunt Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- At Camp Slayer improvised explosive device search-kit used during a 3-day Tactical Site Exploitation training class taught by Counter-IED training team.
• Engineer Unit Soldiers Prepare for Deployment Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- Soldiers and family participate in Army Reserve Pre-Mobilization Briefing in preparation for deployment of 375th Engineer Company.
• Mississippi 'Stingrays' end missions in Baghdad Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- 890th Engineer Battalion, 225th Engineer Brigade hand over their mission to the 4th Engineer Battalion from Fort Carson.
• On the Ground: Iraqis Take Lead in Operations, Humanitarian Missions AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- Iraqis are making vast strides toward sovereignty as they assume responsibility for joint security stations.
• Detainee release in Tarmiyah offers fresh start Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- Shaman Abdul Hadi hadn't been to Tarmiyah or seen his family for 17 months, and was ready for a fresh start.
• Iraq Uses Foreign Military Sales to Rebuild, Strengthen Security Forces AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- Iraqi government using the Defense Department’s FMS program to rebuild and strengthen Iraqi security forces.
• Iran's New 'Spy Drones' Take To The Skies RFE/RL 18 Mar 2009 -- The Pentagon confirmed on March 16 that the U.S. military shot down one of Iran's unarmed drone planes in Iraqi airspace in February.
• NATO-led operation kills 29 Taliban fighters, injures 12 RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- During a joint NATO-led operation with the Afghan army, 29 members of the radical Taliban movement were killed.
• New Kandahar unit prepares for troop increase AFNS 18 Mar 2009 -- Kandahar Airfield officials activated the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron March 15.
• Afghanistan War 'Absolutely Winnable,' Top Commander Says AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- Top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan: Operation in Afghanistan “is absolutely winnable and will be won.”
• NATO Says Extra Troops Needed for Afghan Polls VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer: Additional troops are needed to secure Afghanistan during upcoming presidential elections.
• NATO to boost troop numbers in Afghanistan ahead of elections RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- NATO Secretary General de Hoop Scheffer: Alliance's forces need to be beefed up ahead of polls slated for August.
• Poland to send 400 additional troops to Afghanistan: daily IRNA 18 Mar 2009 -- Poland is to send 400 additional soldiers to Afghanistan next month amid deteriorating security situation.
• AFGHANISTAN: "Humanitarian work has never been as difficult as now" - ICRC IRIN 18 Mar 2009 -- ICRC: Security, humanitarian and political situation in Afghanistan is set to worsen in the months ahead.
• Report: Obama Weighing Wider Covert War in Pakistan VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- Pakistan's information minister hopes US unmanned aircraft attacks will not be expanded to include southern Baluchistan province.
• Pakistan: abducted UN staffer's health reportedly worsening UN News Centre 18 Mar 2009 -- UN very concerned about the condition of staff member John Solecki after group reported his health was deteriorating.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Secretary Gates From the Pentagon DoD 18 Mar 2009 -- Presenter: Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
• End to Stop Loss Announced DoD 18 Mar 2009 -- The Department of Defense announced today a comprehensive plan to eliminate the current use of Stop Loss, while retaining the authority for future use under extraordinary circumstances
• Sea King Helicopter Celebrates 50th Anniversary of First Flight Navy NewsStand 18 Mar 2009 -- The H-3 Sea King helicopter community celebrated the 50th anniversary of the aircraft's historic first flight March 11.
• Exercise Tests Submarine Base Security and Emergency Response Navy NewsStand 18 Mar 2009 -- Naval Submarine Base (SUBASE) New London participated in Exercise Solid Curtain, Citadel Shield 2009 Feb. 23-27.
• Gates Approves Plan to End Army's Involuntary Extensions AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- Gates: Army will phase out use of the so-called “stop-loss” program between now and January.
• Army Announces Plan to Reduce Stop-Loss; Payments to begin soon Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- The Army announced today that Soldiers affected by "Stop-Loss" will begin receiving $500 per month soon.
• Stop-Loss stops in January, Army leaders say Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- The Army plans to phase out its reliance on stop-loss by January, leaders say.
• Gates Recommends New Terms, Positions for Senior Officers AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- SecDef Gates announced chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommendations.
• Military Must Develop Irregular Warfare Capability, Commander Says AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- US military must continue to develop its capability to wage irregular warfare for the foreseeable future.
• Africom Commander Describes Conditions for U.S. Involvement AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- US will intervene in conflicts on the continent only after warring countries have shown a political will to reconcile.
• Navy Clarifies IA Parent Command Responsibilities Navy NewsStand 18 Mar 2009 -- Navy individual augmentee Sailors and their families now have clearer guidance on who will provide traditional support services during deployments.
• Hohenfels team trains brigade at Bragg using EIS Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- Joint Multinational Readiness Center packed up equipment from Hohenfels, Germany, and brought it to Fort Bragg for the first time.
• JMTC exports training capability to Fort Bragg Army News 18 Mar 2009 -- The Joint Multinational Readiness Center prepares the training environment, and then they facilitate the execution of that training.
• ONR Partners with Car Industry to Test Energy-Efficient Vehicles Navy NewsStand 18 Mar 2009 -- Office of Naval Research teamed up with industry leader to explore energy-efficient, viable transportation alternatives.
• AF personnel leaders focus on Airmen, modernization AFNS 18 Mar 2009 -- USAF personnel leaders: Service will refine priorities to win today's fight and prepare for tomorrow's challenges.
• U.S., Japan forces conduct bilateral training AFNS 18 Mar 2009 -- Japan Air Self Defense Force pilots are practicing defensive missions with USAF F-22 Raptors in bilateral fighter pilot training.
• Nigeria Next Stop for APS Nashville Navy NewsStand 18 Mar 2009 -- Africa Partnership Station Nashville team arrived in Lagos, Nigeria for the third African port visit of its deployment.
• JTF HOA Service Members Dispense Aide in Gaggade Desert Navy NewsStand 18 Mar 2009 -- Service members from Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa traveled throughout remote regions of Djibouti providing medical and public health aid.
• Reports of Sexual Assaults in US Military Increased in 2008 VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- US military: Number of sexual assaults reported in armed forces increased by eight percent in 2008.
• Families' Wishes Will Drive New Media Guidelines at Dover AFPS 18 Mar 2009 -- The wishes of the families will be the overriding principle guiding any media coverage of fallen warriors’ remains arriving at Dover AFB.
• Punishment of War Maniacs by Arms Urged KCNA 18 Mar 2009 -- US and the S Korean forces are staging war exercises across south Korea to mount a surprise preemptive attack on the DPRK.
• South Korea Warns of Action if North Blocks Border Again VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- S Korea warned that it would respond with decisive action if Pyongyang once again blocked access to a joint factory park in N Korea.
• Navy Admiral Tapped to Lead NATO Forces VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- US Defense Secretar Gates has chosen a Navy admiral to be the supreme commander of NATO, the first time a naval officer will hold that post.
• Could France's View Of Moscow Help, Or Hurt, NATO? RFE/RL 18 Mar 2009 -- Herve Morin: Consult Russia before any further expansion of the alliance, and abandon any idea that NATO's role could become global.
• Sarkozy survives no-confidence vote over plan to rejoin NATO IRNA 18 Mar 2009 -- The French government has won a confidence vote in parliament prompted by Nicolas Sarkozy's plan to rejoin NATO.
• Pilot killed in south Russian combat trainer aircraft crash RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- The pilot of a light L-39 combat trainer was killed when his aircraft crashed in the Krasnodar Territory of southern Russia.
• Russian-Chinese exercises to be held in China in summer RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- Russian-Chinese military exercises dubbed Peace Mission 2009 will be held in the summer in northeastern China.
• Russia has not delivered S-300 missile systems to Iran - source RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- Iran has not received any S-300 systems under a 2007 contract and the deal depends on the leadership in Moscow.
• Costs of German global military missions top 900m euros in 2008 IRNA 18 Mar 2009 -- Germany spent 917.4 million euros last year for its global military missions.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Mar 2009
• Gaggle with White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton aboard Air Force One, 3/18/09 The White House 18 Mar 2009

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 18, 2009
• BAE SYSTEMS SEEKER DETECTS SMALLER, FASTER MISSILE IN LATEST THAAD TEST BAE Systems 18 Mar 2009 -- A BAE Systems seeker detected an incoming target representing a ballistic missile in the most recent test of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system
• Boeing and Terma A/S Enter Strategic Alliance Boeing 18 Mar 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and Terma A/S today signed a Memorandum of Agreement that aims to provide Terma a minimum of 30 percent of the industrial-cooperation investments outlined in Boeing's Super Hornet proposal to Denmark. The Super Hornet strike fighter is one of three finalists in Denmark's New Combat Aircraft competition.
• Turkish F-35 Supplier to Northrop Grumman Delivers First Structural Assemblies Northrop Grumman 18 Mar 2009 -- Turkish Aerospace Industries, Inc. (TAI), a major international supplier to Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) on the F-35 Lightning II aircraft program, has produced and delivered its first structural assemblies for the jet.
• Northrop Grumman Scales New Heights in Electric Laser Power, Achieves 100 Kilowatts From a Solid-State Laser Northrop Grumman 18 Mar 2009 -- Reaching new heights with its scalable building block approach for compact, electric laser weapons, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has produced the most powerful light ray yet created by an electric laser, measured at more than 105 kilowatts (kW).
• Lockheed Martin’s THAAD System Successfully Achieves First Salvo Mission against A Separating Target Lockheed Martin 18 Mar 2009 -- [THAAD] Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) conducted their sixth successful test in six attempts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system yesterday at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, HI.
• U.S. Navy Certifies Lockheed Martin Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System With “Terminal Phase” Capability Lockheed Martin 18 Mar 2009 -- Lockheed Martin’s [NYSE: LMT] latest Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) System with flight test-proven terminal intercept capability recently received full certification from the U.S. Navy.
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Propulsion System Successfully Maneuvers Multiple Missile Defense Interceptors to Destroy Ballistic Missile Target Pratt & Whitney 18 Mar 2009 -- In the first ever "salvo" firing of a THAAD interceptor, the Divert and Attitude Control System (DACS) developed by Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne successfully positioned the interceptor to destroy the incoming test ballistic missile
• Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Radar Successful in Missile Defense Test Raytheon 18 Mar 2009 -- The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) radar built by Raytheon Company performed successfully in the latest integrated flight test conducted by the Missile Defense Agency and THAAD prime contractor and systems integrator Lockheed Martin.

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 18 Mar 2009
• Egypt opens border with Gaza for two days RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- Rafah border crossing open for 2 days to students, foreigners and people requiring medical treatment.
• Father of Captive Israeli Soldier Says Olmert Failed to Free His Son VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- The father of an Israeli soldier held captive in the Gaza Strip blames outgoing Israeli PM Olmert for failing to free his son.
• Obama Names Retired Air Force General as Sudan Envoy VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- President Obama named White House adviser and retired U.S. Air Force Major General J. Scott Gration to be special envoy for Sudan.
• Stability, Even If Short-Term, Returns to Sudanese Refugee Camps in Chad VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- In Chad, the UN Refugee Agency takes care of 250,000 Sudanese refugees uprooted by the conflict in Darfur.
• Defiant Bashir Addresses Supporters in Darfur VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has returned to Darfur, in another show of defiance to the international court seeking his arrest for alleged war crimes in the region.
• Mbeki Assumes Leadership of AU Darfur Panel VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- A high-level panel led by former South African President Thabo Mbeki has begun work exploring a possible African-led solution to the crisis in Darfur.
• 38 rebels killed as Lankan military cornered rebels in 28 sq km area IRNA 18 Mar 2009 -- At least 38 Tamil Tigers killed as the military cornered the rebels in 28 sq km land stretch in the north-eastern Mullaitivu district of Sri Lanka.
• SRI LANKA: Humanitarian conditions in conflict zone worsen IRIN 18 Mar 2009 -- ICRC: Humanitarian conditions in the north-eastern conflict zone are deteriorating.
• At least 14 Killed in Somalia Clash VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- Witnesses in southwestern Somalia say fighting between government troops and Islamist militants has killed at least 14 people.
• OSCE May Replace Russia Peacekeepers In Moldova RFE/RL 18 Mar 2009 -- Russia's peacekeeping force in Moldova's breakaway Transdniester region may be replaced by an international mission.
• Moscow Moves To Draw Moldova, Transdniester Leaders Back Into Fold RFE/RL 18 Mar 2009 -- The leaders of Moldova and its separatist Transdniester region have agreed to jump-start efforts to resolve their dispute.
• Medvedev To Meet Leaders Of Moldova, Transdniester RFE/RL 18 Mar 2009 -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is expected to meet in Moscow with leaders of Moldova and its breakaway Transdniester region.
• Moldova, Transdnestr agree to continue talks on disputed region RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- The leaders of Russia, Moldova and Transdnestr have agreed to continue talks on the disputed Transdnestr region.
• Darfur rife with violence against peacekeepers, civilians, UN says UN News Centre 18 Mar 2009 -- Attacks on peacekeeping staff, carjacking, other banditry, and harassment of civilians continue to proliferate in Darfur.
• Funding hurdles thwart expansion of AU peacekeeping capabilities - Ban UN News Centre 18 Mar 2009 -- Difficulties in securing necessary funding are impeding the ability of the African Union to maintain and expand its peacekeeping capacities.
• Thailand Explores Greater Autonomy for Largely Muslim Provinces VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- A Thai government policy review of the largely Muslim southern provinces is considering granting greater local autonomy with reforms including introduction of Sharia Law through Islamic courts.
• Philippine Rebels Threaten to Behead Hostage VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- A rebel leader in the Philippines has threatened to behead a Red Cross worker being held hostage if Philippine troops pursue rebels fighters.

News Reports

• Madagascar: Rajoelina Says 'Call Me President' VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- Andry Rajoelina has declared himself Madagascar's new president, a day after the military handed him power following the resignation of President Marc Ravalomanana.
• Supporters of Deposed Madagascar President to Hold Rally Wednesday VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- Supporters of deposed Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana are expected to hold a political rally to know their next line of action.
• MADAGASCAR: Starting to count the humanitarian cost IRIN 18 Mar 2009 -- Madagascar's political infighting has drawn international attention.
• Defeating piracy requires restoration of law in Somalia, Ban says UN News Centre 18 Mar 2009 -- Ban: Clan-organized taking of vessels off the coast of Somalia will only cease when order is restored to the Horn of Africa nation.
• The EU's Neighborhood Nightmare RFE/RL 18 Mar 2009 -- The European Union's most ambitious outreach effort to countries on the territory of the former Soviet Union, known as the Eastern Partnership, is in trouble.
• Russia calls for restoration of order in Madagascar RIA Novosti 18 Mar 2009 -- Russia hopes for the swift restoration of the rule of law after opposition leader Andry Rajoelina took power following military intervention.
• South Africa Opposition Party Claims Partisans Intimidation Ahead of Election VOA 18 Mar 2009 -- South Africa's opposition Congress of the People is demanding protection from the Independent Electoral Commission after claiming partisans are being intimidated.