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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 05 Aug 2009 [PDF]
• DoD News: DoD Identifies Army Casualty
• Aug. 4 airpower summary: KC-10s fuel flight AFNS 05 Aug 2009 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and ISAF in Afghanistan during operations.
• Securing Baghdad's belt Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- Standard mission for the cavalry scouts of 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment.
• 1-7 Cav keeps eyes, ears open Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- Under the cover of darkness, a convoy of Iraqi Federal Police and cavalry scouts bumped along dusty roads on their way to Subak Sur.
• IA soldiers train for route clearance operations Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- As the Iraqi Army develops its capabilities, it is necessary for Iraqi Army soldiers to gain knowledge of new skills.
• Airmen assist Iraqis with maintenance training AFNS 05 Aug 2009 -- More and more Iraqi air force members are repairing their own helicopters with less and less instruction from American Airmen.
• Command Fosters Unity of Medical Effort in Iraq AFPS 05 Aug 2009 -- Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq officials working to create a unified, sustainable medical service in Iraq.
• Iraqi detainees returned to Kirkuk Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- The Kirkuk provincial council assumed responsibility for detainees released at Forward Operating Base Warrior, Kirkuk, Iraq, July 18.
• Chairman Calls for Progress in Afghanistan AFPS 05 Aug 2009 -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: crucial that US, NATO and Afghan forces make progress in Afghanistan in the next 12 to 18 months.
• Official Explains Process After Afghanistan Assessment AFPS 05 Aug 2009 -- If more resources are required after assessment of the situation there, separate process would follow.
• Afghan Villagers Say 4 Civilians Killed in Airstrike VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Afghan villagers say a foreign airstrike in southern Afghanistan has killed four civilians, three of them children.
• ANA forward observers, artillery, FDC hit the mark during joint training in Nuristan Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- A 46-pound artillery round explodes into the hills surrounding Forward Operating Base Kalagush.
• New NATO Chief Visits Afghanistan VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen is in Afghanistan for his first visit as chief of the 28-nation alliance.
• NATO chief makes surprise visit to Afghanistan RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- NATO Secretary General Rasmussen made a surprise visit to Kabul.
• Ashraf Ghani, Afghanistan's Unlikely Politician RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- Ghani, 60, had a long and illustrious career as an academic at the University of California, Berkeley, and at John Hopkins University.
• Wife of Pakistani Taliban Leader Killed in Missile Strike VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Relatives of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud say one of his wives has been killed in a suspected US missile strike.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD News Briefing with Geoff Morrell at the Pentagon Briefing Room, Arlington, Va. DOD 05 Aug 2009 -- Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell
• Army Announces Force Structure Actions DOD 05 Aug 2009 -- The Department of the Army announced today a series of planned unit activations, inactivations, and realignments at four installations
• Fort Riley trains last transition team before mission moves to Fort Polk Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- Class 78 will be the last military transition team to graduate from Fort Riley.
• Soldiers receive MOST training at Blue Grass Army Depot Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- More than 300 Army Reserve Soldiers arrived at the depot recently to participate to receive training.
• West Virginia Soldiers play key role in Golden Cargo 2009 Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- As DoD realigns its ammunition reserves across the nation, a group of Army Reserve Soldiers key part of that process.
• Massachusetts Soldiers in the mission for the long haul Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- Operation Golden Cargo 2009 latest in a series of annual training operations sponsored by the Joint Munitions Command.
• Recovery Act Projects Install Solar Power at Navy Region Southwest Bases Navy NewsStand 05 Aug 2009 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest awarded 6 Recovery Act funded contracts to install roof mounted solar photovoltaic power systems at several Navy Region Southwest buildings.
• Recovery Act Funds New Child Development Center at Marine Corps Base Hawaii Navy NewsStand 05 Aug 2009 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific awarded task order for the construction of a new child development center at Marine Corps Base Hawaii in Kaneohe.
• U.S. Africa Command opens MEDFLAG 09 in Swaziland Army News 05 Aug 2009 -- US Africa Command and US Army Africa kicked off a two-week medical exercise.
• Humanitarian Assistance, Disaster Relief Training Key in CARAT Brunei Navy NewsStand 05 Aug 2009 -- Armed forces of Brunei and the US will train together in several naval engagements, including a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario.
• Obama, Shinseki Cite Post-traumatic Stress as Priority AFPS 05 Aug 2009 -- President Barack Obama hopeful that increasing the size of the force will help to reduce incidents of stress.
• US Military to Review Online Social Networking Policies VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Twitter began as a research and development project at a small California technology company in 2006
• U.S. tracks unexpected Russian subs off east coast RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- The Pentagon is concerned by the unexpected presence of two Russian submarines in international waters off the US coast.
• Commander outlines future of the Russian Air Force RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- New and modernized aircraft will comprise 70% of the Russian Air Force by 2020.
• Russian warships escort freighter convoy in Gulf of Aden RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russian Pacific Fleet task force escorted a convoy of commercial ships through a secure shipping lane in the Gulf of Aden.
• Russian shipyard seeks $60 mln loan to complete Indian frigates RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russian Yantar shipyard negotiating a $60 million loan to enable it to complete frigates for the Indian Navy.
• Russia says planned base in Kyrgyzstan is purely defensive RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Planned deployment of a new Russian military base in Kyrgyzstan is a defensive measure that will not pose threat.
• Bishkek seeking Russian military base closer to Uzbek border RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Kyrgyzstan wants Russia to locate a new military base closer to its border with Uzbekistan.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Aug 2009
• Gaggle by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Air Force One en route South Bend, Indiana, 8/5/09 The White House 05 Aug 2009

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 05, 2009
• MEADS Program Receives Hardware Design Approvals, Enters System-Level CDR Lockheed Martin 05 Aug 2009 -- The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program has successfully completed Critical Design Reviews (CDRs) for all major components, clearing the way for production of radars, launchers, tactical operation centers, and reloaders needed for system tests at White Sands Missile Range, NM.
• Boeing Upgrades F-18 Training Systems for Finnish Air Force Boeing 05 Aug 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced that it has delivered upgrades for three F-18 Weapons Tactics and Situational Awareness Training Systems (WTSAT) to the Finnish Air Force.
• General Dynamics Awarded $21 Million to Continue Submarine Combat-System Development General Dynamics 05 Aug 2009 -- The U.S. Navy has awarded General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems $21.3 million for the first-year of a multi-year contract to provide upgrades to the Submarine Tactical Control System (TCS) portion of the AN/BYG-1 Submarine Combat System.
• Northrop Grumman-Built Global Hawk Unmanned Reconnaissance Aircraft Reaches 25,000 Combat Hours Northrop Grumman 05 Aug 2009 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE:NOC) RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) recently reached a major milestone -- 25,000 combat hours -- during an operational sortie July 8-9 from a deployed location.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 05 Aug 2009
• Russian FM Lashes Out at Georgian President VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Russian FM Lavrov has accused Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili of trying to destabilize the region by inviting U.S. observers to join an EU team monitoring ceasefire.
• Russia's General Staff suspects Georgia planning new attack RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russia's General Staff suspects Georgia of planning new action, despite being incapable of any aggression at the current time.
• Russia Charges US Is Rearming Georgia VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- A top Russian diplomat says the United States is quietly rearming the Georgian military, and he warns the U.S. move will force Moscow to react.
• Russian troop numbers to reach 3,000 in S. Ossetia, Abkhazia RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russia's deputy FM: Russia's military contingent in the former Georgian republics will number 1,500 personnel each.
• Russia accuses Georgia of trying to destabilize Caucasus RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russia's FM accused the Georgian leader of attempting to destabilize the Caucasus region.
• A Year After Russia-Georgia War -- A New Reality, But Old Relations RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- A year after military conflict between Georgia and Russia tensions in the region are rising again.
• Abkhaz Opposition Resists Ethnic Georgian 'Citizens' RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- Opposition groups in Abkhazia are calling on the breakaway Georgian republic's leader to veto legislation that would grant some 50,000 ethnic Georgians Abkhaz "citizenship."
• Russia's recognition of Abkhazia, S.Ossetia not planned - Lavrov RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russia had no plan to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia when last August's conflict began.
• Joint African Union-UN envoy discusses better security with Darfur's displaced UN News Centre 05 Aug 2009 -- Head of the joint AU-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur met with camp leaders to discuss improved security measures following the killing of a camp leader and his wife.
• Security Council deplores deadly attacks against civilians in southern Sudan UN News Centre 05 Aug 2009 -- Security Council members condemned the “grave attacks” in southern Sudan this weekend that have killed at least 185 people.
• Next year's landmark elections pose major challenge for Sudan - UN official UN News Centre 05 Aug 2009 -- Local election authorities in the Sudan face a complex challenge in holding the conflict-ridden country’s first multi-party polls in decades.
• Analysis: Hurdles on the road to Sudan peace IRIN 05 Aug 2009 -- Five months after Southern Sudanese forces clashed with fighters allied to the north in Malakal town of Upper Nile State, the city has remained under divided control.
• DR Congo: UN sends protection teams to east amid widespread reports of rape UN News Centre 05 Aug 2009 -- With reports of widespread rape and other atrocities pouring in from the eastern Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN mission sent some 40 teams to bolster the protection of civilians.
• Tajikistan Says East Is Returning To Normal RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- Tajik security forces removed five checkpoints in the eastern Tavil-Dara district in a sign of improved security in that part of the country.
• Effective partnerships vital to reinvigorating peacekeeping, says top UN official UN News Centre 05 Aug 2009 -- Top UN official underscored that effective partnerships are the cornerstone of the world body’s new vision for peacekeeping, the focus of a day-long Security Council meeting.
• NIGERIA: Displaced go home as calm settles over Maiduguri IRIN 05 Aug 2009 -- Most of the 4,000 Maiduguri residents in Borno state, northeastern Nigeria who fled violence have now returned home.

News Reports

• Obama Welcomes Return of Journalists Jailed in N. Korea VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- US President Obama is welcoming the release of two American journalists who were detained in North Korea.
• Statement by US President on the Release of Journalists by North Korea The White House 05 Aug 2009
• US Journalists Back in United States After North Korea Ordeal VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- US journalists held for nearly 5 months in North Korea are back in the United States.
• Bill Clinton brings U.S. journalists home from North Korean jail RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Former U.S. President Bill Clinton has secured the release of two American journalists detained by North Korea in March.
• US Awaits Confirmation from Iran About 3 Missing Americans VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- US: Does not have official confirmation that 3 missing Americans are being detained in Iran.
• Iranian Opposition Protests Ahmadinejad Inauguration VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Iranian President Ahmadinejad began his second term in office, as hundreds of opposition supporters took to the streets.
• Could Ahmadinejad's Mix Of Mysticism And Politics Lead To A Power Grab? RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- Until very recently, the West regarded Iran's President Ahmadinejad as Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's man.
• Hurdles Expected As Ahmadinejad Begins Second Term RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- President Mahmud Ahmadinejad called for national unity and greatness, and said that "it doesn't matter who voted for whom."
• Ahmadinejad Sworn In For Second Term RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- Mahmud Ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second four-year term as Iran's president and urged the country to "join hands."
• Iranian President Ahmadinejad takes oath of office for 2nd term RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was sworn in for his second term as Iran's president in a ceremony in the country's parliament.
• Iranian President Ahmadinejad Takes Oath of Office VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Iranian President Ahmadinejad took the oath of office for a second term as president in front of Iran's parliament.
• Chinese Prosecutors say 83 to Face Charges Over Xinjiang Riots, 718 Detained VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Chinese authorities say 83 people will face charges over their involvement in riots early last month in Xinjiang.
• Secretary Clinton Urged to Address Darfur VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Human rights activists are urging Secretary of State Clinton, during her African trip, to call for strong action to end the Darfur crisis.
• Clinton Urges Kenya to Implement Reform Measures VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Secretary of State Clinton met with Kenyan leaders amid growing tensions over the Kenyan government's failure to fully abide the terms of a deal that ended months of post-election violence.
• Clinton Re-Affirms US Commitment to Africa Partnership VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- US Secretary of State Clinton told a group of African and American delegates that the United States will partner with Africa to help the continent meet its full potential.
• Turkish Prime Minister Holds Rare Talks with Pro-Kurdish Politician VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has met with a leading pro-Kurdish politician after the government expressed interest in granting more rights to minority Kurds.
• WHO confirms 1,154 swine flu deaths RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- World Health Organization: There have now been 1,154 confirmed deaths from swine flu worldwide.
• New Politkovskaya Trial Opens In Russia RFE/RL 05 Aug 2009 -- The alleged accomplices in Anna Politkovskaya's slaying have gone on trial for a second time in Moscow.
• Journalist Politkovskaya murder retrial begins in Moscow RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- The retrial of defendants in the 2006 murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya due to start Wednesday at a Moscow court was adjourned following an application from her family.
• Russia Opens New Trial on Murder of Journalist Anna Politkovskaya VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- A Moscow court opened a new trial for 3 suspects in the murder of investigative journalist and Kremlin critic Anna Politkovskaya, but then quickly adjourned proceedings until Friday.
• Russia begins new trial into murder of journalist Politkovskaya RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Moscow Military District Court opened a new trial of defendants in the 2006 murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
• Madagascar: UN takes part in new talks aimed at ending political crisis UN News Centre 05 Aug 2009 -- A senior United Nations official is participating today in fresh talks aimed at peacefully resolving the ongoing political crisis in the Indian Ocean nation of Madagascar.
• Malagasy Presidents Set to Begin Talks in Mozambique VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Madagascar's transitional President, Andry Rajoelina and his rival, ousted President Marc Ravalomanana and two other former presidents are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Mozambique.
• Opposition Disputes Voter Turnout Figures in Niger Referendum VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- Niger's government and the opposition are at odds over voter turnout in a constitutional referendum that could extend the rule of President Mamadou Tandja.
• Niger Government Discounts Opposition Blockade of Some Polling Stations VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- The government in Niger says demonstrations that blocked several polling stations Tuesday will have no impact on the eventual outcome of a referendum on ending presidential term limits.
• Russia confirms loan request from Bolivia RIA Novosti 05 Aug 2009 -- Russian Finance Ministry has received, and is considering, a request from the Bolivian government for a $100-mln loan.
• Senate in Day Two of Debate on Sotomayor VOA 05 Aug 2009 -- US Senate is in its second day of debate on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the Supreme Court.