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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 10 Sep 2009 [PDF]
• DoD News: DoD Identifies Army Casualties
• Transcript: DoD News Briefing with Lt. Gen. Jacoby from Iraq DoD 10 Sep 2009 -- Presenter: Commanding General, Multinational Corps-Iraq, Lt. Gen. Charles Jacoby, Jr.
• Envoy Says US on Track for 2010 Combat Force Withdrawal from Iraq VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- In testimony to Congress on Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill said the United States is still on track to withdraw all of its combat forces from Iraq by August of next year.
• Forecasting a massive equipment tsunami, special project oversees orderly drawdown from Iraq Army News 10 Sep 2009 -- In line with the current agreement to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2011, CECOM LCMC has stood up the Drawdown Special Project Office (SPO) to coordinate the successful drawdown of the vast amount of command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C4ISR) equipment fielded in Iraq over the past six years.
• Suicide Truck Bomb Kills 23 in Northern Iraq VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Iraqi officials say a truck bomb has killed at least 20 people and wounded 27 others in a Kurdish village in northern Iraq.
• Sept. 9 airpower summary: C-17s deliver troops, cargo AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- Coalition airpower integrated with ground forces in Iraq and International Security Assistance Force troops in Afghanistan during operations Sept. 9, according to Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials here.
• U.S. Sailors, Coast Guard Protect Iraq’s Economy AFPS 10 Sep 2009 -- Eighty percent of Iraq’s gross domestic product is pumped through pipelines and onto tankers at the Al Basrah Oil Terminal 30 miles off the coast of Iraq in the Persian Gulf.
• U.S. Air Force Sends Team to Assess Iraqi Air Sovereignty (Baghdad) MNF-I 10 Sep 2009-- U.S. Air Force Central sent a team here to assess how Iraq will maintain sovereignty of their airspace after U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq Dec. 31, 2011
• Suicide Truck Bomb Kills 23 in Northern Iraq VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Iraqi police and hospital sources have told VOA that 23 people were killed and 29 wounded in a suicide truck bombing in a Kurdish village in northern Iraq.
• US House Speaker: Little Support to Send More Troops to Afghanistan VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, says she sees little support for sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
• International Court to Probe Possible Afghanistan War Crimes VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court says he is collecting information about possible war crimes committed in Afghanistan by both Taliban and NATO forces.
• Iranian Explosives Found in Afghanistan AFPS 10 Sep 2009 -- Iranian-made explosives and rockets were among a cache of weapons uncovered in Afghanistan last month, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
• 3rd CAB deploys to Afghanistan Army News 10 Sep 2009 -- The 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade wrote a new chapter in the Marne Division history book when its Medical Evacuation Company deployed to Afghanistan, Sept. 3, from Hunter Army Airfield
• Karzai Defends Afghanistan Election As Honest RFE/RL 10 Sep 2009 -- Incumbent Hamid Karzai has defended last month's Afghan presidential election as honest, a day after returns showed him set to win in a single round and a UN-backed panel ordered a partial recount
• French General Takes Over Senior NATO Job VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- For the first time in NATO history, one of the alliance's supreme commanders is from a country other than the United States. Air Force general Stephane Abrial of France has taken over the job of Supreme Allied Commander Transformation for NATO.
• Warning of Further Kidnappings Issued in Afghanistan VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Security experts are warning more abductions of reporters and other foreign personnel are likely in the war-torn country, following the kidnapping and controversial rescue of a British journalist in Afghanistan.
• Afghan Election Fraud Commission Throws Out Suspect Votes VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- The commission investigating reports of vote fraud in Afghanistan's presidential election is invalidating the ballots from polling stations in two provinces.
• Afghan Journalists Angry Over Colleague's Death VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Afghan journalists are outraged over the death of one of their colleagues killed during a NATO raid that rescued a Western journalist.

Defense Policy / Programs

• DoD News: DoD Announces Recruiting and Retention Numbers for August 2009 DoD 10 Sep 2009 -- The Department of Defense announced today its recruiting and retention statistics for the active and reserve components for the month of August
• Air Force officials fund super-fast, secure computing AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- Air Force Office of Scientific Research-supported physicists at the University of Michigan are developing innovative components for quantum, or super-fast, computers that will improve security for data storage and transmission on Air Force systems.
• Next Generation Minehunting Tools Delivered Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2009 -- The U.S. Navy took delivery of the next generation of the AN/AQS-20A Minehunting Sonar and the AN/AQS-235 Airborne Mine Neutralization System (AMNS) from Raytheon Company at the company's facility in Tewksbury, Mass. Sept. 2.
• TRAWING-5 Exceeds Two Million Contractor Supported Flight Hours Navy NewsStand 11 Sep 2009 -- Training Air Wing 5 (TRAWING-5) surpassed two million flight hours under contract maintenance. Helicopter Training Squadron 8 performed the hallmark flight Sept. 8.
• Mariners Urged to Remain Vigilant with End of Monsoon Season Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2009 -- The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) is urging mariners to heed an advisory warning issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration Sept. 9 warning that piracy attacks off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean will likely increase now that the monsoon season has ended.
• Solar Light Installations at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2009 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC) Southwest awarded a $1.4 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funded contract to Synergy Electric Company Inc. Aug. 21 to install solar lights at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar.
• Enterprise One Step Closer to Sea Trials Navy NewsStand 11 Sep 2009 -- USS Enterprise (CVN 65) "Big E" Sailors and Northrop Grumman shipyard workers lowered the power cylinder of catapult four into place Sept. 1.
• Recovery Act Funds Camp Pendleton Air Station Solar and Lighting Upgrades Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2009 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest awarded Syska Hennessy Group Construction Inc. of San Diego a $655,205 Recovery Act funded contract task order Aug. 12 to install solar power and upgrade lighting at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Camp Pendleton, Calif.
• DESRON 31 Returns After Successful CARAT Deployment Navy NewsStand 10 Sep 2009 -- The staff of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 31 returned home Sept. 4 after completing a successful four-month deployment aboard USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) May 12 to Aug. 28.
• Improvement plan realigns acquisition wings as directorates AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- Air Force officials will implement a new organizational construct for weapon systems acquisition that includes designating directorates, divisions and branches in place of some current wings, groups and squadrons.
• AETC officials announce top 3 energy-reducing bases AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- Air Education and Training Command officials have announced the installation winners for the command's 2009 Energy Incentive Award program.
• Army Leads Services in August Recruiting AFPS 10 Sep 2009 -- August was another successful month for armed forces recruiting with all active duty components meeting or exceeding their monthly goals, Pentagon officials said here today.
• Army Releases August Suicide Data Army News Release 10 Sep 2009 -- The Army released suicide data for the month of August today. Among active-duty Soldiers, there were 11 potential suicides, all of which are pending determination of the manner of death
• An EPIC tool makes searching for logistics policy easy Army News 10 Sep 2009 -- Thumbing through piles of Army policy to find the one paragraph you are looking for is a tedious job. But thanks to the work of the US Army Logistics Innovation Agency (LIA), your search just became a lot easier
• MARFOREUR, MARFORAF Welcome New Commander USMC News 10 Sep 2009 -- U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa received a new commander Sept. 10. Brig. Gen. Paul W. Brier assumed command of the two units from Maj. Gen. (Sel) Tracy L. Garrett during a brief change of command ceremony here at the 6th Army Support Group Parade Field
• Hunter says goodbye to Pinwheel Barracks Army News 10 Sep 2009 -- After 55 years of housing Soldiers, the last of three Pinwheel Barracks is finally coming down on Hunter Army Airfield
• Maverick fuelers fill important daily function Army News 10 Sep 2009
• Encrypted key distribution over SIPR unlocks lifesaving capability Army News 10 Sep 2009 -- Whenever a Warfighter is required to drive through theatre in Iraq or Afghanistan, there is always risk involved, including the detonation of improvised explosive devices.
• OSHA JHA Triggers Safety Process Improvement for Army Palletized Loading Systems (PLS) Army News 10 Sep 2009 -- Radar and satellite equipment beep and flash, as information flicker across computer screens used for base defense
• 1st Air Force Airmen better prepared for homeland defense 8 years after 9/11 AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- On Sept. 10, 2001, Airmen assigned to 1st Air Force here were wondering just how much longer their air defense organization might last. They knew the organization's lifespan was possibly at risk, fostered by a widespread belief that major conventional military air threats to the U.S. homeland were highly unlikely in a post-Cold War era.
• Air Combat Command welcomes new commander AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- Gen. William M. Fraser III assumed command of Air Combat Command from Gen. John D.W. Corley in a change-of-command ceremony here Sept. 10.
• Flight tests propel critical satellite communications program AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- A team here wrapped up a series of successful flight tests that demonstrated the near-fruition of an advanced satellite communication capability.
• Joint training initiative at Expeditionary Center prepares security forces Airmen for battlefield AFNS 10 Sep 2009 -- Security forces Airmen have been fighting on the joint operations battlefield since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom.
• Russia, Venezuela sign raft of energy, military deals RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- Russia and Venezuela signed on Thursday a package of deals, including one to develop the Latin American country's Orinoco oil belt, with estimated reserves of 235 billion barrels of heavy oil.
• Russia ready to supply tanks to Venezuela - Medvedev RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- Russia is ready to supply Venezuela with tanks and other types of military equipment, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday at a joint news conference with his Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez.
• Intl. peacekeeping exercise to start in Kazakhstan on Sept. 14 RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- An international peacekeeping exercise called Steppe Eagle 2009 will be held on September 14-26 in Kazakhstan, the republic's Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
• Russian bombers complete routine Arctic patrol mission RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- Two Russian Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers have carried out a routine patrol flight over the Arctic Ocean, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.
• Indian Air Force MiG-21 fighter jet crashes, killing pilot RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- A MiG-21 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in India's northwestern Punjab state on Thursday during a training flight, killing the pilot, national media reported.
• U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 10 Sep 2009
• Briefing by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, 9/10/09 The White House 10 Sep 2009

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 10, 2009
• Boeing Delivers 25,000th CSEL Search and Rescue Communications System Boeing 10 Sep 2009 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] on July 31 delivered the 25,000th Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) combat search and rescue communications system to the U.S. joint services, expanding their ability to reach and rescue isolated pilots or combat personnel.
• BAE SYSTEMS PARTNERS WITH RIA TO PRODUCE COMPOSITE ARMOR BAE Systems 10 Sep 2009 -- Making it stronger, lighter and better has always been the clear mission behind the development of composite armor protection. What hasn’t been as clear-cut is where to find a reliable supply of leading edge composite armor. That’s changing, thanks in part to a partnership between BAE Systems and the Rock Island Arsenal Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (RIA), located in Rock Island, Illinois.
• SAIC Awarded U.S. Marine Corps Contract, $22 Million Delivery Order To Help Counter Improvised Explosive Devices SAIC 10 Sep 2009 -- Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (NYSE: SAI) today announced it has been awarded a contract and initial delivery order by the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to be the program support integrator for the Marine Corps Counter Radio Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (CREW) program.
• Boeing Delivers Qatar's 2nd C-17 Globemaster III Boeing 10 Sep 2009 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered the Qatar Emiri Air Force's second C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at the company's C-17 final assembly facility in Long Beach, completing Qatar's initial order for the world's most advanced airlifter.
• CACI Awarded $47 Million Contract to Support Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance CACI 10 Sep 2009 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CACI) announced today it has been awarded a prime contract with a ceiling value of $47 million, if all options are exercised, to support the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE-DMHA).
• Warfighters to Guide Command-and-Control Systems Design in Tactical Vehicles at New Taunton EDGE Innovation Facility General Dynamics 10 Sep 2009 -- The EDGE Innovation Network, hosted by General Dynamics C4 Systems, today opened the sixth and largest EDGE facility, the Vehicle C4ISR Innovation Center in Taunton, Mass.
• Northrop Grumman and SELEX GALILEO Team to Compete for U.S. Army's Common Infrared Countermeasures Program Northrop Grumman 10 Sep 2009 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) today announced the formation of a strategic alliance with SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica company, to compete for the U.S. Army's Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program.
• U.S. Air Force Awards Raytheon $77 Million Contract for Infrared-Guided Maverick Missiles Raytheon 10 Sep 2009 -- The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $77.4 million Foreign Military Sales contract to produce AGM-65D and AGM-65G2 infrared-guided Maverick air-to-surface missiles for Korea and Taiwan.
• Lockheed Martin Introduces Ruggedized Ground Sensor Mast For Enhanced Battlefield Surveillance Lockheed Martin 09 Sep 2009 -- Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] today introduced a new, state-of-the art, robust Common Mast System to support ground vehicle sensors, providing Warfighters significantly enhanced situational awareness in all battlefield conditions.
• BAE SYSTEMS DELIVERS FIRST AIRBORNE DAY/NIGHT PERSISTENT SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM TO U.S. ARMY BAE Systems 10 Sep 2009 -- BAE Systems has developed and delivered the first airborne persistent surveillance system to the U.S. Army, addressing an urgent need for continuous, wide-area, day-or-night situational awareness in complex operational environments
• Lockheed Martin Airborne Lab Demonstrates Advanced Intelligence Collection Capabilities At U.S. Army Exercise Lockheed Martin 10 Sep 2009 -- The power of one multi-intelligence aircraft collecting, correlating then distributing diverse types of intelligence to those who needed it was demonstrated by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] during the U.S. Army's C4ISR On-The-Move exercise.

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 10 Sep 2009
• Venezuela's Chavez Recognizes Breakaway Georgian Regions as Independent VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he will now recognize the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent countries.
• Chavez Recognizes South Ossetia, Abkhazia As Independent RFE/RL 10 Sep 2009 -- On a visit to Moscow, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says Caracas plans to immediately recognize Georgia's pro-Russia separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states
• Ban voices continued UN support for International Criminal Court UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed the continued support of the United Nations for the work of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which he said has become the “centrepiece” of the global criminal justice system since it came into existence only several years ago.
• Cyprus leaders discuss executive of united country at UN-backed talks UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders today discussed issues related to the election of the president and vice president of a united republic as they continued United Nations-backed talks on unifying the Mediterranean island.
• Yemen: UN humanitarian official to visit war-torn north amid mounting crisis UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- A senior United Nations humanitarian official is slated to set off for Yemen today to assess the needs of tens of thousands of people uprooted by the armed conflict raging in the north between Government forces and rebels.
• UN agency calls on Israel to lift book blockade of Gaza schools UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- The main United Nations agency caring for Palestinian refugees today called on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza to allow in educational materials for schools, stressing that these can serve as a major weapon in promoting tolerance and peace.
• Tackling scourge of piracy requires broader approach, UN official says UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- Continuing piracy-related incidents off Somalia and their increasing sophistication illustrates the weaknesses of an entirely sea-based approach to combating the scourge, a senior United Nations official said today.
• Ban encourages Lebanese to continue efforts to form unity government UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has encouraged all parties in Lebanon to continue their efforts to form a national unity government, after the Prime-Minister designate announced today that he is abandoning efforts in this regard after more than 10 weeks of trying.
• SRI LANKA: Government to release IDPs to relatives IRIN 10 Sep 2009 -- Internally displaced persons (IDPs) in camps in Sri Lanka’s north will be released to their relatives, and the government expects the majority to be resettled by early next year, says a minister.
• BURUNDI: Congolese refugees too scared to move camp IRIN 10 Sep 2009 -- More than 2,000 refugees in Burundi have rejected UN appeals to move to a new camp for fear they could be exposed to attack.
• In Brief: Darfur aid worker and peacekeeper security - 16 statistics IRIN 10 Sep 2009 -- A Darfur security scorecard: figures for 2009 from OCHA (as of end-August 2009):
• US Clears Way for More Humanitarian Aid to Parts of Sudan VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- The United States has amended the regulations for its sanctions against Sudan, allowing for more humanitarian assistance. The announcement comes during a visit to Sudan by U.S. Special Envoy Scott Gration.
• Somali Islamists Chop Off Thieves' Hands as Sharia Law Takes Hold VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Radical Somali Islamist group al-Shabab chopped off the right hands of two thieves Wednesday in Mogadishu as part of its implementation of Sharia law in areas under its control. The act is an indication of the power the group has cemented over areas of the capital city.
• Former Congolese Rebels Desert DRC Army VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Hundreds of former rebels have deserted the Congolese army in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, citing complaints about pay and their assigned military ranks. The U.N. mission in Congo says discussions with the breakaway group are ongoing.

News Reports

• US Says Iran Not Really Responsive on Nuclear Issue VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- The U.S. State Department said Thursday an Iranian proposal for talks with world powers was not really responsive on the key issue of Iran's nuclear ambitions. However, officials say the United States, the other permanent U.N. Security Council member countries and Germany - the P5+1 grouping - are likely to seek follow-on talks with Tehran.
• Khamenei's Nephew: President, Revolutionary Guard 'Running the Show' In Iran RFE/RL 10 Sep 2009 -- Mahmud Tehrani, the nephew of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, says he thinks President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and the Revolutionary Guard are running the show in Iran, not Khamenei
• U.S. to study 'carefully' Iran's offer for talks with world powers RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- The United States will study 'seriously and carefully' Tehran's proposal to resume talks within the framework of Iran Six mediators, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.
• Russia studies Iran's nuclear proposals RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- Russia is currently studying a package of nuclear proposals that Iran has submitted to six world powers, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.
• Iran: Talks With World Powers Will Not Involve Nuclear Program VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Iran's envoy to the U.N. nuclear agency says any talks with world powers will not address Iran's controversial nuclear program.
• Iranian Commander: 36 Killed in Post-Election Unrest VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- An Iranian commander says 36 people were killed in the unrest that followed the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June.
• Russia starts testing anti-swine flu vaccine RIA Novosti 10 Sep 2009 -- Clinical tests of a live swine flu vaccine started in the northwest Russian city of St. Petersburg on Thursday.
• Indonesia's Plan to Strengthen Anti-Terror Laws Worries Human Rights Advocates VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- In the wake of the July 17 terrorist bombings in Jakarta that killed seven people, the Indonesian government is proposing stronger anti-terror laws, such as lengthening detention times for suspects. The plan has set off a debate about balancing the need for security with the rights of the individual in a democratic society.
• U.N. bid this year will set tone for the future: Foreign Ministry CNA 10 Sep 2009 -- Taiwan's approach to its bid for representation in the United Nations this year will set the tone for its future strategies to participate in international organizations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday
• Oil Firms Accused of Whitewashing Burma Pipeline Abuses by Military Rulers VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- A human rights group has accused Western oil firms of whitewashing abuses connected with a gas pipeline in Burma. The group also says Burma's military government has siphoned billions of dollars from the project, helping to keep them in power.
• Dangerous radioactive sources removed from Lebanon by UN agency UN News Centre 10 Sep 2009 -- The United Nations nuclear watchdog has safely removed powerful radioactive sources out of Lebanon, including Cobalt-60, a single source of which is enough to kill a person within minutes if directly exposed.
• Russian Activists Demand Truth About 1999 Bombings VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- A group of Russian human rights activists wants the government to open a new investigation into the 1999 apartment bombings that killed about 300 people.
• Gabon Imposes Travel Ban on Opposition VOA 10 Sep 2009 -- Gabon's government has barred opposition leaders from leaving the country, after a disputed presidential election on August 30 was won by Ali Ben Bongo, the son of longtime leader Omar Bongo.