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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 18 Aug 2009 [PDF]
• Aug. 17 airpower summary: Transports provide intra-theater airlift AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- Coalition airpower integrated with coalition ground forces in Iraq and ISAF troops in Afghanistan during operations.
• Iraqi, U.S. Forces Arrest Terrorist Suspects in Iraq AFPS 18 Aug 2009 -- Iraqi forces, working with US advisors, arrested six suspects in connection with terrorist attacks throughout the country.
• Air Cav Chinooks play large role in mission support Army News 18 Aug 2009 -- Since the Vietnam War, Army aviation has increased the efficiently of logistics.
• Apache crews promote air-ground integration Army News 18 Aug 2009 -- A well-rounded knowledge of how assets work for a unit can become a force multiplier.
• 11th ADA BDE/31st ADA BDE Transition of Authority Army News 18 Aug 2009 -- Transfer of authority ceremony from the 11th ADA Brigade to the 31st ADA Brigade took place at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.
• Joint engineer mission to span the Tigris Army News 18 Aug 2009 -Engineers aim to complete an iconic Mabey Johnson Float Bridge that will span the banks of the Tigris River by Taji by September 2009
• Soldiers Improve Conditions at Patrol Base AFPS 18 Aug 2009 -- MND-S Command Sergeant Major visited soldiers of C/2-28th Infantry to view the improved living conditions and morale at this patrol base.
• Iraqi Leader Talks Security in Syria VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is in Damascus Tuesday for security talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. Cantwell and Brig. Gen. Tremblay from Kabul, Afghanistan DoD 18 Aug 2009 -- Presenter: Chief, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Election Task Force Australian Brig. Gen. Damian Cantwell and ISAF Spokesman Canadian Brig. Gen. Eric Tremblay
• Afghans Will Vote Despite Violence, General Says AFPS 18 Aug 2009 -- Military officials believe Afghans will turn out to vote in their national election Aug. 20.
• ISAF, Afghan Forces Mobilized for Election Day Security VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Australian officer responsible for international effort to help provide security concerned about insurgent attacks on polling stations.
• Afghan Forces Lead Election Security Efforts AFPS 18 Aug 2009 -- When Afghans go to the polls to cast their votes Aug. 20, they’ll see Afghans providing for their security, not U.S. or NATO forces.
• Two UN staff among dead in Kabul bombing UN News Centre 18 Aug 2009 -- Secretary-General Ban voiced his deep distress at the news that two UN staff members among those killed in bombing in Kabul.
• Taliban Escalate Attacks on Kabul Two Days Before Presidential Election VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- At least 13 people died, including NATO-led troops and Afghan UN staff members in the latest wave of Taliban attacks.
• Obama Defends Afghan Strategy In Speech Before Veterans RFE/RL 18 Aug 2009 -- US President told a group of military veterans that the fight against the Taliban in Afghanistan will not be quick or easy.
• Controversial General Returns To Afghanistan, Throws Support Behind Karzai RFE/RL 18 Aug 2009 -- General Abdul Rashid Dostum has emerged from exile giving a boost to incumbent President Karzai.
• AFGHANISTAN: High risk humanitarianism IRIN 18 Aug 2009 -- Safe humanitarian space is contested terrain in Afghanistan, where the independence and impartiality of aid work comes under daily challenge in the country’s ongoing conflict.
• Pakistan Arrests Top Taliban Aide VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Pakistani officials say security forces have captured the Pakistani Taliban's top spokesman in an operation near the Afghan border.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Clinton Says Defense Deal Would Not Create US Bases in Colombia VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Secretary of State Clinton: Pending US-Colombia defense cooperation agreement would not create U.S. bases there.
• FISC Norfolk Assists Loading of MV-22 Navy NewsStand 18 Aug 2009 -- FISC Norfolk's Ocean Terminal division assisted to determine the feasibility of transporting the V-22 Osprey aircraft aboard USMA Ships.
• Army's only OCONUS Special Operations Training Center celebrates 30 years Army News 18 Aug 2009 -- On June 25, 2009, the ISTC in Pfullendorf, Germany, celebrated its 30-year anniversary.
• Depot officially opens $85M engine plant Army News 18 Aug 2009 -- Anniston Army Depot formally opened its new Powertrain Flexible Maintenance Facility.
• Norfolk's Namesake Ship Welcomes New Commander Navy NewsStand 18 Aug 2009 --USS Norfolk held a change of command ceremony Aug. 14 on board the ship, moored at Pier 3, Naval Station Norfolk.
• Ordnance Disposal helps train Marines K-9s USMC News 18 Aug 2009 -- Explosive Ordnance Disposal members gave classes on improvised explosive devices and explosive safety Aug. 13 prior to putting on a demonstration at Charlie Demo Range.
• Military Sealift Command Ships Train to Support U.S. Troops Ashore Navy NewsStand 18 Aug 2009 -- Military Sealift Command ships conducted training exercise off the coast of Yeosu, South Korea.
• Reservists Support Forward-Deployed Combat Aviation Repair Missions Navy NewsStand 18 Aug 2009 -- Naval Air Systems Command Reserve Program Sailors are preparing, or are already forward-deployed, to assist with the sustainment of naval aviation missions in support of OIF and OEF.
• Enlisted sensor operators take flight in AF's newest career field AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- USAF officially welcomed first class of 10 enlisted unmanned aircraft system sensor operators.
• Robins unit answers urgent call for AC-130U repair AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- A Robins Air Force Base unit recently developed a prototype infrared suppression system for the AC-130U Spooky.
• Center for Cyberspace Research awarded a $2.1 million grant AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- Center for Cyberspace Research at the Air Force Institute of Technology awarded a renewal grant in the amount of $2.1 million.
• 24th Air Force activated, 2 units realign in joint ceremony AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- Air Force officials activated the newest numbered Air Force and realigned two units under its command in a joint ceremony here Aug. 18.
• Shared weather radar ensures mission success AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- Two squadrons here work together to secure weather data for the 36th Wing flying mission.
• Naval Medical Center San Diego Opens New Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Navy NewsStand 18 Aug 2009 -- The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Naval Medical Center San Diego (NMCSD) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new renovations and expansion of the NICU Aug. 14.
• Atsugi Security Reinforces Navy Bike Patrol Program Navy NewsStand 18 Aug 2009 -- Naval Air Facility (NAF) Atsugi Physical Security Police enhanced the Navy Bike Patrol Program this year with a new training program that added 21 additional personnel and a night patrol unit.
• National Guard adds Liberia to partnership program AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- Liberia will be the eighth African nation to take part in the National Guard's State Partnership Program.
• U.S., international mobility airmen to participate in exercise AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- US and international mobility airmen will come together Aug. 17 to 25 to participate in a Joint Readiness Training Center exercise.
• New unit, new way of doing international business AFNS 18 Aug 2009 -- A C-17 Globemaster III sat on the end of the runway, as many others do, but this particular aircraft was quite different.
• Russian Defense Ministry orders 64 Su-family fighters RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Russian Defense Ministry and Sukhoi aircraft maker signed a contract on the delivery of 64 Su fighters to the Russian Air Force.
• Georgia Finalizes Withdrawal From CIS RFE/RL 18 Aug 2009 -- Georgia has completed the process of withdrawing from the Commonwealth of Independent States.
• Georgia officially withdraws from CIS RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Georgia officially ended its membership of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
• Russia holds large-scale Ladoga-2009 military drills RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Russia has started the strategic component of ongoing military exercises in the northwest of the country.
• Russia, Mongolia hold joint military exercises RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Russia and Mongolia are holding joint tactical exercises to practice interoperability during peacekeeping operations.
• Uzbek leader seeks to strengthen ties with U.S. RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- President of Uzbekistan told a top US military official that his country is ready to strengthen ties with the United States on equal partnership terms.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 18 Aug 2009
• Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 8/18/09 The White House 18 Aug 2009

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for August 18, 2009
• General Dynamics Is Awarded $42 Million for Submarine Maintenance and Modernization Work General Dynamics 18 Aug 2009 -- The U.S Navy has awarded General Dynamics Electric Boat a $42.1 million contract to plan and perform routine maintenance and modernization work on USS Springfield (SSN-761), a Los Angeles-class attack submarine. Electric Boat is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD).
• Consolidation of Military Medical Facilities And Training Center in San Antonio, Texas To Receive Support from Lockheed Martin Lockheed Martin 18 Aug 2009 -- The Department of Defense consolidation of military medical facilities will receive logistics support from Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] under a new contract with the U.S. Army Medical Command.
• Northrop Grumman-Led Team Demonstrates Means to Effectively Enhance Littoral Warfighting Capabilities Northrop Grumman 18 Aug 2009 -- A Northrop Grumman Corp. (NYSE:NOC)-led team has successfully demonstrated the integration of the AN/SPQ-9B radar and Naval Expeditionary Overwatch (NEO) system sensor data into the Integrated Combat Management System (ICMS) at the Navy's Center for Surface Combat Systems (CSCS) at Dam Neck, Va.
• Second Northrop Grumman-built National Security Cutter, Waesche, Completes Successful Builder's Trials Northrop Grumman 18 Aug 2009 -- The Northrop Grumman Corporation-built (NYSE:NOC) National Security Cutter Waesche (WMSL 751) completed successful Builder's Trials on Monday after undergoing rigorous testing in the Gulf of Mexico.
• Boeing Expands Test Capability for GMD Missile Defense System Boeing 18 Aug 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA], working with industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), has completed construction of a second interceptor test silo for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system at Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Other Conflicts

• Israel agrees to halt West Bank construction until 2010 RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Israel will freeze construction in the West Bank until the beginning of 2010.
• Obama, Mubarak Optimistic About Mideast Peace Process VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- US President Obama and his visiting Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, have expressed optimism over the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
• Activists Urge US to Raise Human Rights Issue With Egypt VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- International activists pressing US President Obama to raise the issue of human rights during Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's visit to Washington.
• Russian, Israeli Leaders Meet on Mideast Peace, Iran VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Israeli President Shimon Peres says he is confident Russia can play a key role in restarting the stalled Middle East peace process.
• Peres calls for Russia's input to avoid new Mideast violence RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Israel's president urged Russia to help prevent a new outbreak of violence in the Middle East.
• SOMALIA: "Increased hostility towards aid workers" IRIN 18 Aug 2009 -- The weekend attack on a UN World Food Programme compound in central Somalia was the fourth "deliberately targeted" incident in two months.
• Surge In North Caucasus Violence Reflects Diversification Of Resistance Tactics RFE/RL 18 Aug 2009 -- Attacks on police in Daghestan and Ingushetia serve to highlight the extent to which resistance jamaats in different North Caucasus republics adapt and modify their tactics.
• Medvedev urges swift action on bomb attack in S. Russia RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Russian president told the interior minister to establish the cause of a deadly suicide bombing in southern Russia that left 20 dead and 136 injured.
• Death toll in south Russia blast rises to 21, nine missing RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- More than 20 police were killed and 9 officers are still missing after a deadly suicide bombing in southern Russia's Ingushetia.
• Blast in south Russia's Dagestan injures four RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Four people were injured in an explosion in Dagestan early on Tuesday, the volatile southern Russian republic's interior ministry said.
• Group Warns Against 'Victor's Justice' in Rwanda Genocide VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- A human rights group chastises the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for failing to prosecute any officials of the Tutsi military group that eventually ended the 1994 genocide.
• President Kabila to Meet All DRC Governors VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Democratic Republic of Congo President Kabila is scheduled to hold discussions with governors as part of a decentralization program.
• Abkhazia accuses Georgia of piracy, appeals to UN, EU RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Abkhazian president appealed to the UN Security Council and the EU over the seizure by Georgia of a Turkish tanker carrying fuel to the former Georgian republic.
• Abkhazia says no fuel deficit despite Georgia's seizure of tanker RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Georgia's seizure of a Turkish tanker carrying fuel to Abkhazia will not cause a shortfall in the former Georgian republic.
• No End Of Frozen Conflict In Moldova's Transdniester RFE/RL 18 Aug 2009 -- Forlorn concrete apartment blocks greet visitors just across the heavily guarded border of this lush sliver of land along the Dniester River.
• UN sending medical help to conflict-wracked north Yemen UN News Centre 18 Aug 2009 -- UN World Health Organization rushing medical assistance to northern Yemen, the scene of recent violence pitting Government forces against rebels.
• FEATURE: Transition phase after conflict vital for success of humanitarian programmes UN News Centre 18 Aug 2009 -- By the late 1990s Liberia appeared well on the road to recovery.

News Reports

• Taking Over A 'Ruined Place' RFE/RL 18 Aug 2009 -- Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani has been appointed by Iran's supreme leader as head of the judiciary to replace Ayatollah Mahmud Hashemi-Shahrudi.
• Burma Hails US Senator's Visit as Success VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Burma's state-run media say a recent visit by US Senator Jim Webb was a success for both sides that could improve the tense relations between the two countries.
• No political influence in foreign aid: president CNA 18 Aug 2009 -- President Ma denied that China played a role in his administration's decision to accept international assistance in the wake of Typhoon Morakot.
• President vows to correct failings in typhoon relief response CNA 18 Aug 2009 -- Facing criticisms from home and abroad, President Ma vowed to improve his performance and lead the country into recovery.
• President apologizes for shortcomings in typhoon rescue efforts CNA 18 Aug 2009 -- President Ma apologized for the government's shortcomings in dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot.
• Taiwanese Official Resigns Over Typhoon Response VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Vice FM Andrew Hsia has become the first Taiwan government official to tender his resignation in the wake of Typhoon Morakot.
• Health Expert Says Swine Flu Not Likely to Mirror 1918 Pandemic VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Researchers in the US are working furiously to prepare for the upcoming flu season, which could peak earlier than normal.
• US Schools to Reopen Amid Flu Concerns VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- US health officials warning about possible resurgence of the Swine Flu virus in North America as the cold weather approaches.
• Costa Rican Leader Recovers from Swine Flu VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Costa Rican officials say President Oscar Arias will resume his normal routine Tuesday following a bout with the H1N1 swine flu virus.
• Nobel Laureate Former S. Korean President Kim Dae-jung Dies at 85 VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has died in Seoul at the age of 85.
• Latvia queries Russia on nationals held in Arctic Sea seizure RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- Latvia has asked Russia to provide more information on two Latvian nationals Moscow says were involved in the seizure of the merchant ship Arctic Sea.
• Russia Arrests 8 Suspected Cargo Ship Hijackers VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Russia's defense minister says his country's forces have arrested eight people suspected of hijacking the cargo ship that disappeared after leaving the English Channel late last month.
• Russia Navy detains 8 hijackers of Arctic Sea vessel RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- The Russian frigate Ladny has freed the Arctic Sea cargo ship in the Atlantic without firing a single shot and eight suspected hijackers have been detained.
• Zuma Set for First Official State Visit VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- South African President Jacob Zuma makes his first official state visit Wednesday when he travels to neighboring Angola.
• Elections in Guinea Postponed Until Next Year VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Guinea's electoral commission has postponed presidential elections scheduled for later this year until January of next year.
• Niger Opposition Vows to Undermine Controversial Constitution VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Niger's opposition has vowed to "kill" the new constitution after a Constitutional Court validated the controversial referendum that extended Presidential Mamadou Tandja's term for three more years.
• New Moldovan parliament to hold first session on August 28 RIA Novosti 18 Aug 2009 -- The first session of Moldova's parliament has been scheduled for August 28, one day short of the deadline for the body to convene.
• US Conservative Columnist Robert Novak Dies VOA 18 Aug 2009 -- Conservative political commentator Robert Novak has died after a year-long battle with brain cancer.