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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 17 Aug 2009 [PDF]
• Aug. 16 airpower summary: Tankers fuel the fight AFNS 17 Aug 2009 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and ISAF troops in Afghanistan during operations.
• Odierno Proposes Three-Part Security Force for Northern Iraq AFPS 17 Aug 2009 -- Top US commander in Iraq has proposed a tripartite arrangement between American, Iraqi and Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.
• US Commander Wants More Troops in Northern Iraq VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Top US commander in Iraq wants to station more American soldiers in disputed areas of northern Iraq where there has spike in violence.
• Troops in Iraq Release Detainees, Apprehend Suspects AFPS 17 Aug 2009 -- Iraqi and US forces monitored the release of dozens of detainees and apprehended 9 suspects during operations in Iraq.
• Clearance team ensures safe roads from Maysan to Basra Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- Combat engineers assigned to Task Force Saber performed their final route clearance mission in southern Maysan province.
• U.S. Forces Help Connect Iraqi Army, Air Force AFPS 17 Aug 2009 -- The Iraqi air force and army, aided by US forces, established communication in an effort aimed at improving collaboration between two services.
• Greywolf mechanics share tricks of trade with Iraqis Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- Soldiers and Iraqi police officers conducted Humvee maintenance training.
• Postal platoon Soldiers deliver themselves home Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- For 15 months, 17 Soldiers from 3rd Platoon, 566th Postal Company, delivered thousands of pounds of mail.
• Afghan War 'Fundamental' to U.S. Defense, Obama Tells VFW AFPS 17 Aug 2009 -- President Barack Obama: Terrorists who attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, are plotting to do so again.
• US Seriously Concerned About Dostum's Return to Afghanistan VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- US State Department expressed serious concern about the return to Afghanistan of exiled warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum.
• US Condemns Return of Afghan Warlord Ahead of Polls VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- US has condemned Sunday's return of controversial Afghan warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum from exile in Turkey.
• Karzai Allows Afghan Warlord to Return from Exile, Despite US Objection VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Controversial former Afghan warlord has flown back to the country from exile to campaign for President Karzai.
• Confident Karzai Looks Forward To Five More Years As Afghan Leader RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- Afghan President Karzai defended his record over the past 8 years.
• Afghans Prepare For Presidential Election VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Voters in Afghanistan go to the polls Thursday to decide whether to re-elect President Hamid Karzai to another 5 year term.
• Afghan Elections: Ramazan Bashardost Profile VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Bashardost could be an election spoiler, winning just enough votes to deny the more than 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a run-off.
• AFGHANISTAN: NGOs concerned about possible election violence IRIN 17 Aug 2009 -- Aid workers are concerned about security in Kabul during the August elections in Afghanistan.
• Tajik-Afghan Prisoner Exchange Still On Hold RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- A Tajik-Afghan agreement on a prisoner exchange signed last year has still not been implemented.
• Bomb Blast in Pakistan Kills 7 VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Police in Pakistan say a powerful bomb blast in a northwestern town has killed at least seven people.
• Head of Banned Pakistani Militant Group Shot Dead VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Pakistani police say the leader of a banned Sunni Muslim militant group was shot dead during an attack in the south.
• USS Rhode Island Performs Rescue at Sea Navy NewsStand 17 Aug 2009 -- The crew of USS Rhode Island (SSBN 740) (Gold) rescued five people from a capsized boat Aug. 11.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Obama Vows to Cut Military Waste, Boost Effectiveness VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- President Obama: US will boost its national security by maintaining the world's most-potent military and eliminating wasteful spending.
• Obama Pledges Support for Troops, Veterans AFPS 17 Aug 2009 -- Obama: America’s men and women in uniform have done their duty and fulfilled every responsibility that’s been asked of them.
• DoD News: DoD Launches New Web Portal DoD 17 Aug 2009 -- The Department of Defense today launched a new home page, http://www.Defense.gov , designed to invite participation from the public and make military news and information more accessible
• DoD News: 2009 Maintenance Awards Winners Announced DoD 17 Aug 2009 -- The Department of Defense today announced the 2009 winners of the Secretary of Defense Maintenance Awards for the depot and field levels
• U.S. 2nd Fleet Contributes to Global Operations Navy NewsStand 17 Aug 2009 -- US 2nd Fleet contributes to global operations and the maritime strategy with more than 90,000 Sailors and Marines operating, defending and training.
• Third Army breaks ground on new headquarters, prepares for move to Shaw Air Force Base Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- Third Army/U.S. Army Central began a historic step in its move from Fort McPherson, Ga., to Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, S.C..
• Newest U.S. Navy Logistics Ship Christened, Launched Navy NewsStand 17 Aug 2009 -- USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) was christened and launched Aug. 16, during a late afternoon ceremony at the General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.
• Tiger Brigade ready to drive advisor training mission Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- Soldiers of the 162nd Infantry Brigade get ready to take over the Army mission of training combat advisors.
• Task Force 120 - Network Capability Sets Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- A capability set includes interoperable communication systems and applications fielded together to strengthen Brigade Combat Team Battle Command Network and improve effectiveness in today's operational environment.
• Air Guard should keep UAS missions AFNS 17 Aug 2009 -- The Air National Guard should remain in the unmanned aircraft systems business now and in the future.
• U.S. Army North NCOs adapt to new challenges during Vibrant Response 2009 Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- Most Soldiers come to expect their next assignment will lead to yet another deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.
• Expeditionary Warfare Additional Qualification Designation Approved Navy NewsStand 17 Aug 2009 -- Officers serving in an expeditionary command now have the opportunity to earn an additional qualification designation (AQD) with the establishment of the expeditionary warfare AQD.
• 14 force support courses move to Maxwell AFNS 17 Aug 2009 -- 14 force support courses will transition from Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to the Eaker Center for Professional Development at Maxwell AFB.
• Fort Bragg police prepare for new motorcycles Army News 17 Aug 2009 -- Seeing motorcycles on Fort Bragg is fairly common. In the near future, eight motorcycles will join those already on the roads as the Fort Bragg police add a motorcycle patrol.
• High-Level U.S. Military Delegation Visits Turkmenistan RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- A delegation led by General David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, made a visit to Ashgabat.
• KPA Supreme Command Orders Army, People and Country to Be on Special Alert KCNA 17 Aug 2009 -- Supreme Command of the KPA made report as regards the Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercises.
• North Korea puts troops on alert over U.S.-South Korean drills RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- N. Korea ordered its troops onto a state of full combat readiness as US and S. Korea started military drills.
• KCNA and US-ROK Joint Military Exercises KCNA 17 Aug 2009 -- Ulji Freedom Guardian joint military exercises will stage till August. 27 in south Korea.
• Russian Air Force could get 60 Su-family jet fighters by 2015 RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Russia's Air Force may receive over 60 Su fighters worth at least 60 billion rubles ($1.9 bln).
• Russian Knights pull out of MAKS-2009 air show due to accident RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Russia's elite aerobatics group will not take part in the MAKS-2009 air show due to a fatal collision.
• Pilot died in Su-27 collision because chute caught fire in air RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Pilot killed in a two-plane collision during a rehearsal for MAKS-2009 air show died because his parachute caught fire.
• Three civilians in serious condition after Russian jet collision RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Two men and a woman suffered severe burns following a fire caused by the collision of two Su-27 fighters.
• Georgia To Officially Withdraw From CIS RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- Georgia will officially end its membership in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as of August 18.
• Foreign Aid Arrives in Taiwan as President Faces Political Storm VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Taiwan officials: US sending at least 2 large heavy-lift helicopters to Taiwan and relief supplies to help following Typhoon Morakot.
• U.S. heavy-lift choppers to go into service Tuesday CNA 17 Aug 2009 -- Taiwan Air force sources: US heavy-lift helicopters will begin to transport heavy-duty machinery into disaster zones Tuesday.
• Russia set to modernize Libya's Soviet-era tanks RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Russia and Libya have signed a contract to overhaul at least 145 T-72 Russian-made battle tanks in service with the Libyan Army.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 17 Aug 2009
• Gaggle by Press Secretary Robert Gibbs aboard Air Force One en route Andrews Air Force Base, 8/17/09 The White House 17 Aug 2009

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 17, 2009
• ATK Awarded $20 Million to Deliver Load-Bearing Vests for the U.S. Marine Corps ATK 17 Aug 2009 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) has received a $20 million order from the U.S. Marine Corps to produce Scalable Plate Carriers™ and components.
• BAE SYSTEMS WELCOMES ROYAL BRUNEI AIR FORCE AS LATEST CUSTOMER FOR MILITARY FLYING INSTRUCTOR TRAINING BAE Systems 17 Aug 2009 -- BAE Systems has expanded its unique military flight instruction program at the company’s Tamworth Flight Training Centre with the announcement that the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAF) has become its first customer for flying instructor training.
• Boeing Awarded Production Contract for US Navy Shipboard Network Boeing 17 Aug 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has been awarded a $14.6 million U.S. Navy contract to produce the information transfer system that controls mission-critical capabilities on guided missile destroyers.
• General Dynamics NASSCO Launches USNS Matthew Perry General Dynamics 17 Aug 2009 -- General Dynamics NASSCO, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), launched the U.S. Navy’s newest supply ship, USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9), yesterday during a christening ceremony at the shipyard.
• U.S. Navy Awards Lockheed Martin $93 Million to Support Submarine Imaging System Lockheed Martin 17 Aug 2009 -- The U.S. Navy awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] a contract valued at almost $93 million for engineering services and support of the AN/BVY-1 Integrated Submarine Imaging System (ISIS) and for production of related hardware.
• ATK Propulsion Technologies Key to Successful Delta II Launch ATK 17 Aug 2009 -- Alliant Techsystems (NYSE: ATK) played a key role in the successful launch of United Launch Alliance's Delta II rocket today from Space Launch Complex 17A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., carrying the GPS IIR-21 satellite for the Air Force.
• Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company Announces Workforce Reductions Lockheed Martin 17 Aug 2009 -- Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, a major business area of the Lockheed Martin Corporation [NYSE: LMT], today announced employment reductions aimed at improving its competitive posture.
• Final Lockheed Martin-Built Modernized GPS IIR Spacecraft Launched Successfully For The U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin 17 Aug 2009 -- A modernized Global Positioning System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for the U.S. Air Force was successfully launched today from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II rocket.
• Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Helps Boost Modernized Navigation Satellite into Orbit Pratt & Whitney 17 Aug 2009 -- Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne today helped boost the eighth and final modernized NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR military navigation satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 17 Aug 2009
• Israeli Ministers Pay Solidarity Visit to Settlements VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Israel's leader is coming under growing pressure from hardliners in his coalition to reject American demands for a halt to settlement expansion.
• Israeli Soldiers Shoot Egyptian Policeman at Border VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Israeli army says its soldiers patrolling the border with Egypt have mistakenly shot and wounded an Egyptian security officer.
• Mubarak: Peace Before Normalization with Israel VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Egyptian President Mubarak: Arab nations would recognize Israel only after a just and comprehensive Mideast peace deal is reached.
• Russian, Israeli presidents to discuss Mideast in Sochi RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- The Russian and Israeli presidents will meet in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi to discuss bilateral ties and the situation in the Middle East.
• New UN report spotlights humanitarian crisis triggered by blockade of Gaza UN News Centre 17 Aug 2009 -- UN: Ongoing Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip has triggered a “protracted human dignity crisis” with negative humanitarian consequences.
• Somali PM to Visit Semi-Autonomous Puntland VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Somalia's PM Ali Sharmarke is scheduled to hold discussions with officials of the semi-autonomous Puntland region.
• UN deplores attack on aid compound in southern Somalia UN News Centre 17 Aug 2009 -- UN strongly condemned the attack against its aid compound in southern Somalia, the fourth time in 2 months that the world body’s offices have been deliberately targeted.
• WFP Compound in Somalia Attacked by 'Rogue al-Shabab' VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- UN's World Food Program: Rogue members of Somalia's extremist al-Shabab group attempted to raid its compound in the Somali town of Wajid.
• Medvedev sacks Ingushetia interior minister after suicide attack RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Russian President Medvedev sacked Ingushetia's interior minister after a suicide attack on police headquarters.
• Ingush leader accuses West of seeking to destabilize Caucasus RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- The president of Ingushetia accused the US, Britain and Israel of seeking to destabilize the situation in the N. Caucasus.
• S. Russia bomb attack 'aimed at destabilization of region' RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Bomb attack that killed at least 20 people in the south Russian republic of Ingushetia may have been aimed at destabilization of the republic.
• Suicide Bomb Kills 20 At Ingushetian Police Station RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- A suicide bomber in a truck packed with explosives has left at least 20 people dead and 80 wounded in Russia's volatile republic of Ingushetia.
• Truck Bomb in Russia's Caucasus Kills 20 VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- At least 20 people have been killed and 100 others wounded after a suicide bomber blew up a truck in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region.
• At least 20 dead, 138 wounded in south Russia bomb attack RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- At least 20 people were killed and 138, including 10 children, injured in an attack by a suicide bomber in Ingushetia.
• Death toll hits 19, about 80 injured in south Russia blast RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Number of dead from powerful explosion that rocked the center of Nazran reached 19, with 79 injured.
• Eleven dead, 25 wounded in Nazran blast - police RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- At least eleven people died and about 25 were wounded when a powerful bomb blast rocked the center of Nazran.
• Nepal has mixed record in transition from war to peace, UN report finds UN News Centre 17 Aug 2009 -- UN Development Programme stressed the importance of deepening democracy and strengthening the rule of law in Nepal.
• Liberia still faces security challenges, despite gains towards peace - UN report UN News Centre 17 Aug 2009 -- Liberia continues to make significant progress in consolidating peace after more than a decade of civil war, but the gains remain fragile.
• Ban names veteran staffer from Malaysia to lead UN peacebuilding efforts UN News Centre 17 Aug 2009 -- Secretary-General Ban appointed Judy Cheng-Hopkins of Malaysia to head UN efforts to assist countries coming out of conflict to achieve sustainable peace.

News Reports

• Ahmadinejad Moves Ahead With Fresh Cabinet, But Old Challenges Linger RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- Iranian President Ahmadinejad intends to enter his second term in office with surprising new additions to his team.
• Iran Begins Another Mass Trial Over Postelection Turmoil RFE/RL 17 Aug 2009 -- Some 25 people have gone on trial in a Tehran revolutionary court over alleged involvement in provoking unrest.
• Iranian Police Clash With Protesters Over Banned Newspaper VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Iranian police clashed with protesters who gathered outside the Tehran office of a reformist newspaper, banned by authorities.
• Egypt, US Ponder Post-Mubarak Egypt VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- President Obama meets with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for the third time Tuesday.
• Obama-Mubarak Talks to Highlight US- Egyptian Ties VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- President Obama meets Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak at the White House, the focal point of the Egyptian leader's first visit to Washington in six years.
• US Says American's Release Will Not Change Burma Policy VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- State Department: Burma's release of a jailed American to a visiting US Senator will not by itself lead to an easing of US sanctions against that country's military government.
• Taiwan shifts U.N. bid strategy, targets specialized agencies CNA 17 Aug 2009 -- Senior Taiwanese diplomatic official argued that the government has not given up its bid for representation in UN.
• George Weah Criticizes President Sirleaf on Corruption VOA 17 Aug 2009 -- Liberian opposition leader George Manneh Oppong Weah: Government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf not committed enough to fighting corruption.
• Missing Arctic Sea ship found, crew taken to Russian warship RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- The missing Arctic Sea vessel has been found and its crew taken to a Russian warship.
• Pirates may have seized Arctic Sea after ransom demand issued RIA Novosti 17 Aug 2009 -- Speculation growing that the Russian-crewed Arctic Sea, missing since late July, has been seized by pirates as the Finnish owners received a ransom demand.