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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Mar 2009 [PDF]
• U.S., Iraqi Soldiers Protect Eastern Baghdad Highway AFPS 30 Mar 2009 -- With threat of roadside bombs at any turn, US troopers work with their Iraqi counterparts to ensure people are safe on the highway.
• New Afghan Strategy Elicits Hope, Anxiety VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- The Obama administration's new proposal for strengthening the Afghan government is a key focus at meetings this week in Europe.
• Petraeus, Holbrooke Describe Afghanistan Strategy AFPS 30 Mar 2009 -- The new U.S. strategy in Afghanistan will include unprecedented integration of military and civilian activities.
• Afghan, Coalition Forces Kill 11 in Southern, Western Afghanistan AFPS 30 Mar 2009 -- Afghan and coalition forces killed 11 insurgents in separate firefights March 27 in southern and western Afghanistan.
• Soldiers, Afghan Police Work Together Outside Bagram Airfield AFPS 30 Mar 2009 -- Soldiers prepared to run a “reverse option” – a joint checkpoint with Afghan National Police outside Bagram’s entry control points.
• Suicide Bomber Kills 9 in Southern Afghanistan VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Afghan officials: 9 people are dead, including five police officers, in an attack on a government compound in southern Afghanistan.
• Suicide bomber kills 8, wounds 7 in south Afghanistan blast RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Eight people were killed and 7 wounded in a blast caused by a suicide bomber in southern Afghanistan.
• Afghanistan Conference Draws 80 Countries VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Representatives from more than 80 nations gathering in the Hague for a key conference focusing on Afghanistan.
• Karzai's Opponents Slam Supreme Court Ruling As 'Unconstitutional' RFE/RL 30 Mar 2009 -- Afghanistan's Supreme Court has ruled that President Hamid Karzai should remain in office until a new leader is elected.
• Red Cross says Civilians Bear Brunt of Pakistan and Afghanistan Conflicts VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- ICRC: Political instability and fighting worsening and civilians bear brunt of these conflicts.
• India condemns terror attack in Pakistan IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- While condemning the deadly terror attack on a police training center, India asked Pakistan to continue dismantling terror infrastructure on its soil.
• Pakistan indicates foreign hands involved in attack on police center IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- Pakistan's interior chief indicated the involvement of foreign hand and militants in the attack on Police school in Lahore.
• Pakistani forces take control of police center IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- Pakistani security forces took control a police training center near the city of Lahore after 8-hour gun-battle with the militants.
• One suspect of police training attack in Pakistan arrested IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- Police arrested a suspect while fleeing the police training center in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
• Gunmen Storm Police Training Compound in Pakistan VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Gunmen in Pakistan have stormed a police training center outside the eastern city, Lahore, taking scores of officers hostage.
• Roadside bomb attack in Pakistan kills three soldiers: army IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- A roadside bomb attack Monday killed three Pakistani soldiers in the country's northwest, the army said.
• Senior officer, guards among five killed in firing in Pakistan IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- Unidentified gunmen shot dead a senior police officer, former district mayor and their 2 guards in Pakistan's northwest.
• Suspected Taliban kidnap 11 Pakistani security personnel IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- Suspected Taliban militants Sunday kidnapped 11 security men from the Pakistani tribal region of Khyber Agency, officials said.
• Boxer Supports International Counterpiracy Effort in Gulf of Aden Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2009 -- 7 nations representing 3 task forces coordinated efforts to pursue skiff after pirates opened fire on a German oiler.
• Pirate Hunter HDMS Absalon to Return Home Following CTF 151 Stint Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2009 -- Following an eight-month deployment, Sailors aboard HDMS Absalon are returning home to Denmark.
• European Forces Capture 7 Somali Pirates VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- European naval forces have detained seven suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia.
• U.S. Northern Command Assists With North Dakota Flooding AFPS 30 Mar 2009 -- USNORTHCOM continues to coordinate additional and ongoing DoD support in response to flooding in North Dakota.
• Auxiliary officials play important role in North Dakota floods AFNS 30 Mar 2009 -- Critical integration of efforts and resources from Air Force Auxiliary officials has helped the citizens of North Dakota.
• Minot Airmen continue North Dakota flood support AFNS 30 Mar 2009 -- Two Air Force helicopters relocated to Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota in support of flood relief efforts along the Red River.
• Six States Send Troops to Flood Duty in North Dakota AFPS 30 Mar 2009 -- Governors in 6 upper Midwestern states have sent National Guard members to help fight flooding in North Dakota.

Defense Policy / Programs

• 'Space as a contested environment' debuts AFNS 30 Mar 2009 -- A new special area of emphasis titled "Space as a Contested Environment," was introduced by US military officials.
• Navy's Only Combined Submarine Squadron Splits to Enhance Warfighting Readiness Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2009 -- Submarine Squadron 16/20 held a ceremony to split the 2 commands at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.
• Revised 'Little Brown Book' now available AFNS 30 Mar 2009 -- USAF officials revised Air Force instruction 36-2618, The Enlisted Force Structure.
• Army fielding Enhanced Night Vision Goggles Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Soldiers now have a leap-ahead new tool that will enhance their ability to see in total darkness: the AN/PSQ-20 Enhanced Night Vision Goggle.
• C-17s invade Edwards sky AFNS 30 Mar 2009 -- A Global Reach Combined Test Force test team recently conducted a special formation test with six C-17 Globemaster IIIs.
• AMC goes green with aircraft engine washes AFNS 30 Mar 2009 -- Air Mobility Command bases are using a new aircraft engine wash system that's not only better for the plane, but also it is better for the environment.
• South African warrant officers hold week-long meetings with U.S. military counterparts Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- US Military Relations Working Group in preparation for the July 2009 Defense Committee discussions.
• Picerne invests in Fort Polk's future Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- 2009 is an exciting year for Picerne Military Housing. Two more neighborhood centers open this year and work on a fourth begins. The Maple Terrace Neighborhood Center opens its doors in late May
• BRAC: Army Team C4ISR Town Hall provides information at fingertips for relocating employees Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- In preparation for the upcoming summer relocation of more than 700 Fort Monmouth employees, Col. Augustus Owens, deputy commander of CECOM Life Cycle Management Command (Forward), held a town hall meeting March 25 at the Edgewood Conference Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground
• ICEX 2009 Offers Submarine Sailors Unique Training Environment Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2009 -- Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines USS Helena and USS Annapolis are conducting various weapons and tactics training in the Arctic environment.
• Winter Talon Trains Seabees for Success During Upcoming Deployment Navy NewsStand 30 Mar 2009 -- Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 74 participated in Winter Talon on board Camp Shelby, Miss., March 5-25 to prepare for deployment.
• Training to lead: Warrior Leaders Course returns to Riley Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Students graduated March 20 from the Warrior Leaders Course, a training program that Fort Riley and 1st Infantry Division leaders hope to keep on post full time as part of a growing NCO Academy.
• Warrior Transition Command combines WCTO, Warrior Transition Office, and Army Wounded Warrior programs Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Effective 1 April 2009, the Warrior Transition Command is a new 1-star command under US Army Medical Command that serves as the organizational focal point for the Army's Warrior Care and Transition Program.
• Military, civilian partnerships needed for stability Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Re-establishing and maintaining a safe and secure environment following conflict is something the Army has done since its beginnings, but something it acknowledges it can no longer do alone.
• New concrete passes PCAPP Test Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant workers have been testing and placing self-consolidating concrete, or SCC, that will be used in the walls of the Explosive Containment Room of the Enhanced Reconfiguration Building
• Construction ready to spring forward Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Construction continues to move at a rapid pace at the Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant project site
• Secondary waste at Blue Grass: The National Research Council and Noblis Reports Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- The Department of Defense and U.S. Army Element, Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives leadership are currently reviewing the results of two technical reports, as well as stakeholder feedback, to make a decision regarding disposal options for hydrolysate, the byproduct of the neutralization process that will be used at the Blue Grass and Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant
• Protecting health, the environment through the permitting process Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- The Blue Grass Chemical Agent-Disposal Pilot Plant is being constructed to perform an essential mission: the destruction of aging chemical weapons that have been safely stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot
• NATO Turns 60; Reflects Past; Defines Future VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- The North Atlantic Treaty Organization bound together western European countries, Canada and the United States to safeguard each other's security against the rising threat of the Soviet Union.
• NATO 60 Years Later: Leadership Addresses Challenges Army News 30 Mar 2009 -- Six decades ago this week, a dozen nations came together in Washington, D.C., to sign the North Atlantic Treaty.
• Russia to test launch Topol ballistic missile in April RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Russia will test launch on April 10 a Topol intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia.
• Russia's new Arctic force to focus on border protection RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Russia will prioritize strengthening of border guards while creating Arctic force in line with new strategy to protect interests.
• Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 30 Mar 2009
• Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 3/30/09 The White House 30 Mar 2009

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for March 30, 2009
• BAE SYSTEMS RADAR WARNING RECEIVER TO BOLSTER NATIONAL SECURITY BAE Systems 30 Mar 2009 -- BAE Systems will develop a new radar warning receiver prototype that can identify radio frequency and communications activity in real time
• EADS confirms that it remains fully committed to the construction of the A400M EADS 30 Mar 2009 -- Clarifying comments made in the press, EADS confirms that it remains fully committed to the construction of the A400M that will be the most complete high performance military plane for the coming decades.
• 3rd Boeing C-130 AMP Aircraft Flies with GE's New Avionics Systems GE Aviation 30 Mar 2009 -- GE Aviation played a significant role in The Boeing Company's successful first flight of the U.S. Air Force's third C-130 Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) aircraft (the H-3) on Jan. 17, three weeks ahead of schedule. The flight marked another milestone for the most comprehensive C-130 avionics modification ever conducted.
• U.S. Navy Exercises F414 Contract Option GE Aviation 30 Mar 2009 -- The U.S. Navy announced it has exercised its 2009 option for the procurement of 90 GE F414 turbofan engines for the U.S. Navy and ordered 26 GE F414 turbofan engines for the Royal Australian Air Force. Engine deliveries for this contract option are scheduled to occur during 2010 and early 2011.
• Oshkosh Defense Teams With Naval Surface Warfare Center to Test New Uses for Unmanned Ground Vehicles in the Field Oshkosh 30 Mar 2009 -- Oshkosh Defense, a division of Oshkosh Corporation (NYSE:OSK), announced today it is working in conjunction with the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) to develop and evaluate potential new and innovative uses of the company’s autonomous technology. As a result, Oshkosh will gain the military application data needed to refine its autonomous technology and move it closer to production.
• General Dynamics Awarded $11 Million Contract by Defense Information Systems Agency General Dynamics 30 Mar 2009 -- General Dynamics Information Technology, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), has been awarded a follow-on contract from the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) to support the Systems Integration Communications Infrastructure Support program
• Lockheed Martin Prepares Australia’s First Aegis Weapon System for Post-production Testing Lockheed Martin 30 Mar 2009 -- Four antennas destined for Australia’s first Air Warfare Destroyer were recently installed in Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT]’s Aegis Production Test Center, marking the full system’s transition from production to testing.
• Saudi Arabia to Purchase Raytheon AIM-9X Missiles Raytheon 30 Mar 2009 -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the U.S. government executed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance to purchase Raytheon Company's AIM-9X missile.
• Lockheed Martin GPS III Team Maintains Schedule Performance, Achieving Key Milestones In Preliminary Design Review Phase Lockheed Martin 30 Mar 2009 -- The Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] team developing the U.S. Air Force's next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) spacecraft, known as GPS III, continues to meet or exceed key milestones on schedule in the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) phase of the program.
• Raytheon Submits Final Proposal for U.S. Air Force Global Broadcast Service Transition Contract Raytheon 30 Mar 2009 -- Raytheon Company , the 11-year Global Broadcast Service solution provider, has submitted its final proposal for the U.S. Air Force GBS Satellite Broadcast Manager Defense Enterprise Computing Center Transition contract.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 30 Mar 2009
• From Gaza to Sudan, Ban highlights crises confronting Arab world UN News Centre 30 Mar 2009 -- Ban: Arab world faces insecurity and the potential for more.
• US Says Bashir Deserves Arab League Condemnation VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- US State Department: Arab League summit in Qatar should have been a vehicle for condemnation of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for his expulsion of international relief workers.
• Arab Leaders End Summit With Support for Sudan's Embattled Leader VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Arab leaders ended their annual summit in Doha, Qatar, with a list of resolutions and closing statements vowing unity, despite recent divisions and verbal disputes.
• Darfur Advocates Mobilize to Counter Bashir Snub of Hague Indictment VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Government officials and anti-genocide groups around the world are urging nations to abide by court's directive.
• Defiant Bashir In Doha Ahead of Arab Summit Monday VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Sudan's embattled President al-Bashir in Doha ahead of an Arab Summit despite arrest warrant against him.
• Sudanese President Criticizes UN Security Council, ICC VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Sudan's president slammed the UN Security Council for asking the ICC to open an investigation into war crimes in Darfur.
• Russian senator criticizes arrest warrant for Sudan leader RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Senior Russian senator: ICC's arrest warrant for president of Sudan an obstacle to peace and is harming relations.
• Egyptian troops arrive in Darfur to boost African Union-UN force UN News Centre 30 Mar 2009 -- UN-AU peacekeeping force in Darfur received a boost from the arrival of 100 personnel from the second Egyptian Infantry Battalion.
• Russia may pull 20,000 Interior Ministry troops out of Chechnya RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Around 20,000 troops from Russia's Interior Ministry will be withdrawn from Chechnya if the antiterrorism operation ends.
• PACE invites Abkhazia, S. Ossetia to attend Strasbourg session RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- The head of PACE invited representatives from Abkhazia and S Ossetia to attend the assembly's next session aimed at restoring dialogue between Russia and Georgia.
• 25 Tamil Tigers killed in Sri Lanka sea battle IRNA 30 Mar 2009 -- At least 24 Tamil Tiger rebels and a navy sailor were killed in a major sea battle off Sri Lanka's northeast coast on Monday.
• DR Congo: UN mission supports calendar for electoral review process UN News Centre 30 Mar 2009 -- UN peacekeeping mission welcomed the announcement by the Independent Electoral Commission of a timetable for the electoral review process for local polls.
• Kidnappers in Philippines Threaten to Behead Red Cross Hostage VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Government official: kidnappers holding Red Cross workers have threatened to behead one of their captives unless police and troops withdraw from Jolo island.
• Khmer Rouge Genocide Trial Opens VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Cambodia's United Nations-backed tribunal is hearing charges against a former Khmer Rouge prison chief.

News Reports

• NIGER: Desert residents pay high price for lucrative uranium mining IRIN 30 Mar 2009 -- After a visit in late March from French President Nicholas Sarkozy to Niger, residents in the uranium-exporting desert country continue questioning whether AREVA, a company primarily owned by the French government, will honour its promise to protect communities from mining hazards.
• Dubai Shooting Victim Said To Be Chechen Leader's Foe RFE/RL 30 Mar 2009 -- Sulim Yamadayev, an opponent of Chechnya's Moscow-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has been shot and wounded in an assassination attempt in the United Arab Emirates.
• Former Chechen Commander Assassinated In Dubai RFE/RL 30 Mar 2009 -- A man who was assassinated over the weekend in Dubai has been identified as pro-Russian Chechen military commander Sulim Yamadayev.
• Ex-Chechen commander Yamadayev dies in Dubai - relatives RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Sulim Yamadayev, the former commander of the Chechen Vostok battalion, died in hospital following an attack in Dubai.
• Ex-Chechen battalion commander wounded in assassination attempt RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Sulim Yamadayev, the former commander of the Chechen Vostok battalion, is in hospital in a serious condition after surviving an assassination attempt in Dubai.
• No 'gas war' with Russia over Ukraine-EU gas pact - Yushchenko RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Ukraine's president: Country's gas cooperation agreement with the EU would not lead to a new "gas war" with Russia.
• Lukashenko seeks closer ties between Belarus and EU RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko: Country was ready to develop closer ties with the European Union.
• Southern African Leaders Discuss Madagascar, Zimbabwe VOA 30 Mar 2009 -- Southern African leaders at a special summit in Swaziland are responding to the controversial change of government in Madagascar and examining an economic recovery plan for Zimbabwe.
• Fidel Castro slams U.S. vice president for embargo support RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Fidel Castro criticized US Vice President Biden for ruling out any imminent lifting of economic embargo against Cuba.
• Turkey's ruling party clinches local polls but loses support RIA Novosti 30 Mar 2009 -- Turkey's ruling AK Party won 39% of the vote in local general elections, but failed to secure the sweeping victory it had hoped for in cities dominated by secularist opposition.