Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 30 Dec 2009 [PDF]
• Airpower Summary: December 23 AFNS 30 Dec 2009
• Airpower Summary: December 24 AFNS 30 Dec 2009
• Airpower Summary: December 25 AFNS 30 Dec 2009
• Airpower Summary: December 26 AFNS 30 Dec 2009
• Air Force medics partner with Iraqi Ministry of Defense hospital AFNS 30 Dec 2009 -- Members of the Air Force Theater Hospital took the first step in partnering with members of Iraq's Ministry of Defense Hospital Dec. 22, to form the American-Iraqi Air Medical Evacuation and Medical Provider Training Course here.
• Double Suicide Bombing in Iraq Kills 23 VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Iraqi police say a double suicide bomb attack in the western city of Ramadi has killed 23 people and wounded the provincial governor.
• Suicide bombers kill 23 in western Iraq RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2009 -- At least 23 people were killed and 57 injured, including a provincial governor, in two separate suicide bombings in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
• Death toll from Iraqi suicide bombings climbs to 38 RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2009 -- The death toll from two separate bombings which hit the western Iraqi city of Ramadi on Wednesday has risen to 38, a source in Anbar province's security forces said.
• General Stultz holds town hall meeting in Kuwait Army News 30 Dec 2009 -- Army Reserve Soldiers serving under Third Army had the opportunity to voice their concerns during a town hall meeting hosted by Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz, Chief of the Army Reserves, at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, Dec. 26.
• General Amos visits Kuwait Army News 30 Dec 2009 -- Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James F. Amos, toured Kuwait to observe the joint Marine and Army progress of the responsible draw down of equipment in Iraq, Dec. 22.
• Suicide Bomber Kills 8 Americans in Afghanistan VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- U.S. officials say a suicide bomber has killed eight American civilians at a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan.
• Airmen save lives by providing close-air support throughout Afghanistan AFNS 30 Dec 2009 -- Whether they are conducting patrols on the ground, riding in convoys or performing clearing operations in villages to search for insurgents, coalition forces know members of the 354th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron here stand ready 24 hours a day and seven days a week to provide close-air support anywhere throughout Afghanistan.
• 1/6 returns to Afghanistan; deployment vets guide junior Marines USMC News 30 Dec 2009 -- elmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan – Walking off the loading ramp of a C-17 cargo plane and into vibrant sunlight, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment arrived at Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, Dec. 15.
• Marine engineers fortify observation posts in Afghanistan USMC News 30 Dec 2009 -- Helmand Province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan –What is known as Cowboy Road to Marines in southern Afghanistan is also known as a road notorious for IEDs.
• Assistant commandant pays ‘Warlords’ a visit on Christmas USMC News 30 Dec 2009 -- Gen. James F. Amos, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, visited the Marines and sailors of 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, known as the “Warlords,” on Forward Operating Base Delhi, in Garmsir, Afghanistan, Christmas day.
• NMCB 74, Keeping Costs Under Control and CESE On the Job Navy NewsStand 30 Dec 2009 -- As Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 74 fulfills the mission demands on the ground in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, information on more than 300 pieces of construction equipment operating at multiple project sites needs to be tracked, compiled and reported.
• Coalition Forces Capture Insurgents, Seize Weapons AFPS 30 Dec 2009 -- Several militants were killed as coalition forces responded to an insurgent attack against Afghan soldiers and police in Afghanistan’s Baghlan Jadid district yesterday, military officials reported.
• Afghan Investigation: Foreign Troops Killed School Children VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Afghanistan says an investigation has concluded that foreign troops killed 10 civilians - including school children - during an operation in a remote, eastern part of the country.
• Taliban Claim Responsibility for Karachi Bombing VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- A top Pakistani Taliban commander is claiming responsibility for Monday's attack on a Shi'ite religious procession that killed 43 people and sparked fires that burned for days.
• Team Provides Expertise to Afghan Workers AFPS 30 Dec 2009 -- Military and civilian members of the local provincial reconstruction team here are training Afghan workers how to build structures to exact engineering specifications.
• Afghan Government Says Raid Victims Were Civilians RFE/RL 30 Dec 2009 -- Asadullah Wafa, the head of a presidential delegation investigating the deaths of 10 people in Afghanistan’s eastern Kunar Province earlier this week, says his team has concluded that the victims were civilians, and all were killed in an attack by foreign troops.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Metz Hands Bomb Defeat Organization Reins to Oates AFPS 30 Dec 2009 -- Defeating the terrorists’ weapon of choice is and will remain a priority for the Defense Department, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said here today.
• 737th EAS reaches 10,000th mission milestone AFNS 30 Dec 2009 -- Considered by some to be an old-timer in a modern-day aircraft fleet, the C-130H Hercules proved its worth once again, successfully completing its 10,000th mission of the year for the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron here Dec. 23.
• Mass Notification System helps spread word to base, neighboring personnel USMC News 30 Dec 2009 -- Getting essential information such as base traffic, weather and force protection information is as easy as checking your inbox. The Mass Notification System disseminates this knowledge via e-mail.
• Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany 's Contract Increases Energy Efficiency Navy NewsStand 30 Dec 2009 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) awarded an $18.8 million Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) to Chevron Energy Solutions Company of San Francisco Dec. 21 providing nearly $1.8 million in energy cost savings and 66,984 MBTUs (one million British Thermal Units) per year at Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Albany, Ga.
• NAS Ft. Worth JRB Saving Energy with New Efficiency Contract Navy NewsStand 30 Dec 2009 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) awarded a $7.1 million contract to NORESCO, LLC of Westborough, Mass., Dec. 9 providing an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) for Naval Air Station (NAS) Ft. Worth Joint Reserve Base (JRB).
• New Bonhomme Richard ARG Commander Assumes Duty Navy NewsStand 30 Dec 2009 -- Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 7 conducted a change of command during a ceremony aboard USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) Dec. 28.
• Arms Control: Key Issue Between Washington, Moscow VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Arms control is a key issue between Washington and Moscow. In this report from Washington, Senior Correspondent André de Nesnera speaks with three former senior U.S. government officials about arms control and the state of U.S.-Russia relations.
• Pakistan Air Force gets early warning system IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Tuesday received first Air borne early warning and control system (AEWACS), officials said.

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for December 30, 2009

Other Conflicts

• DR Congo: UN condemns death threats to its staff, human rights groups UN News Centre 30 Dec 2009 -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) today voiced its deep concerned over recent death threats against its human rights staff and local human rights organizations in Kalemie, in the African nation’s far east, urging the Government to take all necessary measures to ensure their safety.
• Land Mine Kills Two Tajiks On Uzbek Border RFE/RL 30 Dec 2009 -- Two Tajik citizens died near the Uzbek-Tajik border after stepping on a land mine last week, RFE/RL's Uzbek and Tajik services report.
• Arrival of international aid convoy to Gaza delayed RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2009 -- An international humanitarian convoy carrying aid to the Gaza Strip returned to Syria after Egypt had denied access to its territory, organizers told a news conference in Damascus.
• Refugees continue to pour into eastern Sudan in little known crisis, UN reports UN News Centre 30 Dec 2009 -- On the opposite side of Sudan from the better-known crisis of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the conflict-plagued Darfur region, refugees are flocking into the eastern part of the vast African country at the rate of 1,800 each month, according to latest United Nations estimates.
• North Ossetian Court Sentences Man For Being Georgian Spy RFE/RL 30 Dec 2009 -- The Supreme Court in the Russian republic of North Ossetia has sentenced a man for being a Georgian spy, RFE/RL's Russian Service reports.

News Reports

• US Ponders Full Body Airport Screening After Foiled Airline Bomb Plot VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Last week's foiled airline bombing plot by a Nigerian man who hid explosives in his clothing has renewed debate in the United States as to how extensive and invasive passenger screening should be at U.S. airports. A few major airports already possess machines that can take detailed, full-body images, but Congress has not mandated widespread use of the technology.
• Obama Vows To Fix 'Systemic Failures' In U.S. Security RFE/RL 30 Dec 2009 -- U.S. President Barack Obama has blamed "human and systemic failures" for allowing a would-be bomber onto a plane bound for the United States on Christmas day.
• U.S., Yemen study targets for possible retaliation strike RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2009 -- The U.S. and Yemen are now studying possible targets in the Arab state for a potential retaliation strike on Al-Qaeda facilities in the country, CNN said on Wednesday citing two senior defense officials.
• Obama blames "systematic failure" for Christmas air incident RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2009 -- U.S. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday "a mix of human and systematic failures" was to blame for the failed Christmas Day bombing of the U.S.-bound plane with some 300 passengers.
• Dutch to Use Full Body Scanners for US Bound Flights VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- The Dutch Interior Minister says that all passengers flying to the United States from the Netherlands will have to pass through a full body scan. The move comes in the wake of last week's incident involving the Nigerian man who was able to pass through security in Amsterdam with explosives in his underwear and successfully boarded an airplane for Detroit.
• Frustration And Radical Ideology May Have Motivated Nigerian Suspected Bomber, Professor Says VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- The suspect in the attempted bombing, Farouk Abdul Mutallab, is in his early twenties. Was there anything his family or community could have done to stop his actions? Did his family or friends do enough to help and shield him from extremists views?
• Yemeni Forces Clash with al-Qaida Militants VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Yemeni security officials say forces have clashed with al-Qaida militants in western Hudaydah province.
• Supreme Leader dismisses comments by foreigners on Ashura riots IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dismissed comments made by foreigners about the riots on Ashura Day.
• Iran Jams Satellites to Block Transmissions by VOA, BBC VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Broadcasters in the United States and Britain say the Iranian government has been jamming international satellite transmissions into the country.
• Major rally held in Tehran calling for severe punishment of rioters IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- Crowds of Tehranis staged rallies which culminated at Enqelab Square in protest at sacrilege of Ashura and Imam Hussein (AS), the third Imam of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Infallible Household by the rioters.
• Foreign powers interference has no influence on Iranians: president IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Wednesday that the interference of foreign powers in Iran's domestic affairs has no influence on the progressive move and stand of the Iranian nation.
• Majlis session starts to review Ashura events IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- The Majlis (Parliament) started its closed session midday on Wednesday to review the riots happened on the Ashura Day (December 27) across Iran.
• Iran: UN rights chief shocked by deadly violence UN News Centre 30 Dec 2009 -- Expressing her shock at the recent uptick in deadly violence in Iran, the top United Nations human rights official today called on the nation’s Government to rein in its security forces.
• Iranian Conservatives Hold Mass Pro-Government Rallies VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Iranian conservatives are taking part in pro-government rallies in several major cities, in a show of strength against Iran's opposition movement.
• Iran denies AP report on secret uranium ore purchase IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- Iran rejected reports by the Associated Press news agency that Tehran is planning to purchase uranium ore from Kazakhstan in secret.
• Link To Iran Spoils Kazatomprom Party RFE/RL 30 Dec 2009 -- Kazakhstan has taken on a new role as the world in uranium production -- and the achievement could not have happened at a worse time.
• Kazakh foreign ministry denies plans to deliver uranium to Iran RIA Novosti 30 Dec 2009 -- Kazakhstan has not planned any uranium supplies to Iran, an official spokesman for the ex-Soviet state's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
• Leader's Health Scare, Nuclear Test Top Year's North Korea Headlines VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Another year is ending with no tangible progress in scaling back North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. Pyongyang invested more in its weapons development as part of a broader effort to shore up power behind an ailing leader in 2009.
• S. Korean Supporters Praise US Activist Detained in North Korea VOA 30 Dec 2009 -- Scores of South Koreans rallied Seoul in support of human rights activist Robert Park, a Korean-American who crossed into North Korea on his own from China last week.
• British hostage freed in Iraq after more than 30 months IRNA 30 Dec 2009 -- British hostage Peter Moore has been released after being held captive in Iraq for more than 30 months, Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Wednesday.
• Philippines: UN sends food for nearly 50,000 people driven from homes by volcano UN News Centre 30 Dec 2009 -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has sent 20 metric tons of high energy biscuits to aid nearly 50,000 Filipinos forced to leave their homes by a possible eruption of Mount Mayon volcano in the northern Philippine island of Luzon.
• Analysts Say Water Was Tied To Kyrgyz, Uzbek Gas Deal RFE/RL 30 Dec 2009 -- Analysts say that agreements on water resources were also part of the new gas deal agreed to between Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan for lower energy prices next year, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service reports.